Abstract
This paper consists of an evaluation of an organization in terms of performance and expectations. The analysis of the organization allows the provision of solutions to the problems in the organization. One of the most important analyses in organizations is the consultant analysis that provides expert opinion on the changes that these organizations should adopt. This analysis provides a consultant evaluation of Foodshare Company. The analysis shows that the organization is performing well in most areas. However, this organization can improve in some special areas.
Introduction
The current organizational structure in Foodshare Company in California is constructed to ensure maximum performance and productivity. Consultation in the contemporary organizations ensures that organizations maintain positive attributes while the negative ones change for the better. The availability of consultation for organizations allows incorporation of change. Some of the areas that are available for consultation include governance and volunteer management structure, the current executive, managerial and program composition, ethics and appropriate behavior, level of public involvement and marketing.
The organization’s mission, purpose, and services are also some of the areas that need assessment during the consultation. The organization’s financial system is another factor of assessment during the consultation process since it determines the overall organizational performance (DragniÄ, 2014, p. 119). The evaluation of the above areas allows the development of future strategies in the organization. This development can be achieved in the form of mission analysis, environmental analysis, and scans (DragniÄ, 2014, p. 125). This essay provides findings on the managerial impact of the above issues on organizational performance and a personal view as to which issues deserve the greatest attention. The organization that the paper analyzes is Foodshare, which is an international organization that is involved in food management for thousands of people in various places such as Wisconsin, which has a CPS Foodshare program, and separate nonprofit organizations named “Foodshare” in California, Connecticut, and Toronto.
Current Governance and Volunteer Management Structure
The current governance and volunteer management structure at Foodshare is appropriate for this size of an organization. The organization has a board of directors who consist of volunteers. The board governs the organizational operations. According to Renz and Herman (2010), an organization that has a committee has better operational efficiency (p. 12). Foodshare also consists of various committees, which have defined functions that relate to the different organizational goals and objectives. Some of the committees that are present in this organization include the executive committee, finance committee, and the governance team.
The governance structure in this organization ensures that the organization functions in the most efficient manner. The organizational has a management structure that allows effective management of employees and processes (DragniÄ, 2014, p. 126). The management is appropriately remunerated as a way of attracting qualified and professional staff members (Foodshare, 2014, Para. 1). The main person who oversees the functions of all staff members is the organization’s president, who also serves on the committee. Some of the dockets under this individual’s management include continuous staff education, development, and organizational advocacy.
The other parts of management that are incorporated in this organization include the advocacy council, which is made up of remunerated employees just like the board (Johnston, 2007, p. 20). The councils are also made up of volunteers who contribute towards the organizational management. Examples of advisory councils in this organization include the fund development council, the volunteer, food industry, public policy, and agency advisory councils. These councils facilitate the management of the organization through the running of different organizational aspects. Renz and Herman (2010) confirm that organizations should embrace role division to improve efficiency and performance (p. 13).
Current Executive, Managerial, and Program Composition
The current executive composition at the Foodshare organization is comprehensive and well structured. A board of directors oversees the company’s operations. As earlier stated, the board ensures that different goals of the organization are fulfilled. The president is the senior-most member of the committee and the organization in general. He plays the role of oversight and overall management of the organization. The committees comprise the other aspects of management in the organization. They manage the performance of various areas of the organization.
The executive composition in the organization satisfies the requirements for any organization. According to Renz and Herman (2010), organizations should have a single body that is entrusted with the different operations that constitute the organization (p. 18). This organization complies with management, with most of the managers being qualified for their respective positions based on experience.
Program constitution for this organization is one of the areas that need adjustment. Some of the management staff members are not well-positioned to manage their respective branches of the organization because most of these managers are not in control of their employees or finance. Besides, there have been cases where some branches are running at a loss after the finance departments allocate resources for activities such as unnecessary transport to staff and/or procurements that do not add up to the organizational objectives. This situation means that the organization underperforms in some areas where these managers are situated. The financial management is not adequate. There is a need to review this docket for future accountability. The analysis of the organization’s current executive, managerial, and program composition establishes that the organization is performing well.
Current System Regarding Ethics and Appropriate Behavior
The concept of ethics is common in organizations. Researchers describe ethics as an important component of organizational management. Foodshare is one of the organizations that operate in a field where ethical consideration is vital. Foodshare has made it a priority to ensure that the food that it supplies is safe for consumption by the population that it serves. Ethics is only useful if it is applied across the organization. Employees need to respect the code of ethics in the organization. The code has different consequences for those who do not adhere to it. Most of the employees in the organization are full-time employees. Others offer voluntary services. Employees in this organization demonstrate ethics in their operations. Besides, they are well disciplined. The organization enforces appropriate behavior, especially in the interaction between the employees and consumers who are important stakeholders in this organization.
According to DragniÄ (2014), factors such as the organization’s ethics and behavior of various stakeholders influence the output and performance of the organization in general (p. 133). The assessment of Foodshare organization’s ethical attributes reveals that it is well organized. Some of the areas of improvement include the interaction between the management and employees. Organizations should ensure appropriate interaction between these two groups of organizational stakeholders (Casadesus-Masanell & Zhu, 2013, p. 464). At Foodshare, the interaction between the management and employees needs improvement. This improvement can be made through frequent teambuilding between employees and/or better communication through training. Some employees have developed low self-esteem because they do not get time to socialize or share with other workers because each of them seems busy in their respective departments. This organization should improve its employee motivation by maintaining a constant interaction with the management.
Current Level of Public Involvement and Organizational Marketing
Foodshare is an organization that has a good level of public involvement. This organization depends on the public and other organizations for support in the projects that it undertakes. The public is also the beneficiary of the projects that the organization carries out and hence, the high level of interaction between the two parties. According to Renz and Herman (2010), the public is the most important part of an organization since it determines factors of the organization such as market, labor, and the availability of resources (p. 23). The assessment of Foodshare reveals that the organization interacts at all levels with the public. The plan ensures that it offers much-needed resources to all people.
Marketing is the other factor that is assessed in Foodshare. The main areas of assessment include the marketing of the organization’s mission, purposes, and services. These areas form some of the most crucial for organizations since they influence the general performance. For organizations such as Foodshare, these forms of marketing are important because they dictate the organizations’ image to their consumers and other benefactors. Food security is assured through the provision of appropriate resources for citizens and capacity building in these areas. The organization markets itself to key players that are involved in food production, distribution, and consumption. Besides, workers have had training on how to ensure food hygiene and quality. These strategic issues will help in retaining the existing clientele while attracting new ones.
Current Organizational Financial System
Foodshare is one of the organizations that have a transparent financial system. This organization uses different methods of raising funds to carry out different programs under its mandate. The availability and use of finance in an organization is a key aspect of organizational performance. As applied at Foodshare, budgeting is a key financial role in organizations. The organization carries out a yearly budget where all financial needs are scheduled. All stakeholders are invited at the annual budgeting activity, with the management playing the biggest part in budgeting for the organization. Budgeting allows organizations to establish prudent use of resources at their disposal.
Foodshare depends on individuals, private organizations, volunteers, and government organizations for a major part of its financial budget and resources. Therefore, the availability of finance for different activities in this organization is dependent on these financiers. Hence, the budget fluctuates yearly. This factor contributes to the financial challenges that the organization experiences. Organizations should be self-sufficient financially, especially where they need financial backing to survive. For organizations that have a solid financial background, budgeting is an important source of motivation and effectiveness. Foodshare applies to budget as an important part of finance management. The unique factor about this organization is that budgeting is done at the various levels in the organization. Besides, Foodshare is well known for its vibrant and welcoming workers who have helped it take the lead in terms of serving the largest number of clients. Foodshare is also unique in terms of its independence when establishing more areas of investment.
Current and Future Strategies
The current and future strategies in the organization are informed by the goals and objectives of this organization. The management team provides the organization with directions through the formulation of the company’s objectives and goals (Christ, Emett, Summers, & Wood, 2012, p. 435). The mission of Foodshare is to provide sustainable food for the needy population. It also encourages food security in regions where it operates. The economic sustainability of the covered populations is high in the interests of Foodshare. Hence, it encourages individuals to produce food for their families by providing support to them.
The future trend for the organization includes the provision of economic sustainability activities for groups that are affected by food shortage to ensure that they are independent. Inline to be independent, Foodshare is also engaged in activities that will ensure that the organization is self-sufficient. These activities include the marketing of food products for organizations that collaborate with Foodshare. The achievement of this objective will ensure that the organization can survive any withdrawal of the major donors and/or organizations that supply it with resources. An organization is only successful if it can independently fulfill its objective for existence.
Impact of the Above Topics
The above-discussed areas form some of the most vital determinants of organizational performance. The organization has an intricate management structure, with the governance in the organization incorporating an effective volunteer management structure. This observation is one of the main positive findings from the analysis. Foodshare also has an adequately composed managerial structure. The ethical and behavior values in the organization are keeping with the organization’s goals. The interaction between the organizational shareholders and the public is evident, especially because the organization is based on generosity.
In general, Foodshare is performing well in most of the areas where consultation has been done. However, the above analysis of the different aspects of the organization reveals that some areas need improvement. Foodshare is an organization that is involved in the supply of food to the less privileged people in society, with operations depending on the goodwill of its donors and partners. Having volunteered in this organization, it is evident that there is an apparent need for change in the management structure to include all departments in the management committees and revenue generation. The organization also needs to embrace aggressive marketing, with presence in all the available platforms, including social media.
A personal view is that issues that require the greatest attention in the organization include the generation of revenue and marketing of the organization. Foodshare also needs to improve on employee motivation, which forms the backbone of the organization. An example is increased remuneration and teambuilding activities. The other area of attention in this organization is the remuneration of its employees. Once it is addressed, it will reduce the high employee turnover that is common in the organization. These issues should be effectively tackled to ensure maximum output and performance in the organization. The organization stands a better chance to be a global food supplier.
Revenue generation at Foodshare is only limited to the sale of some of the food commodities. However, this case does not provide enough financial resources to run the organization for a full year. Charity organizations have limited resources. Hence, budgeting is complex for these forms of organizations. This aspect is one of the major challenges that face Foodshare, especially where the organization has to raise enough money without the support of other organizations. Therefore, the organization should also diversify its operations and/or increase its cooperation with other organizations that offer the same services.
Reference List
Casadesus-Masanell, R., & Zhu, F. (2013). Business model innovation and competitive imitation: The case of sponsor-based business models. Strategic Management Journal, 34(4), 464-482.
Christ, H., Emett, A., Summers, L., & Wood, A. (2012). The Effects of Preventive and Detective Controls on Employee Performance and Motivation. Contemporary Accounting Research, 29(2), 432-452.
DragniÄ, D. (2014). Impact of internal and external factors on the performance of fast-growing small and medium businesses. Management: Journal Of Contemporary Management Issues, 19(1), 119-159.
Foodshare. (2014). Governance and management Structure at Foodshare. Web.
Johnston, J. (2007). 4 Counterhegemony or Bourgeois Piggery? Food Politics and the Case of Foodshare. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press.
Renz, D., & Herman, R. (2010). The Jossey-ÂâBass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-ÂâBass.