Applying the elements of mass customization in services significantly enhances the providers’ understanding of customer needs, allowing for the creation of effective service solutions. According to the basics of mass customization theory, it is necessary to establish a proper mechanism for provider-customer interaction. After that, the companies should use a technology that produces the services in accordance with clientele demands and preserves the uniqueness of the items to provide the specific client groups with the desired goods (Hu et al., 2018). These core requirements can be utilized in the process of service provision, ensuring the presentation of customer aid in a customized and efficient manner.
In terms of clientele data, it is possible to establish a beneficial process of knowledge elicitation, maintaining a distinct analysis of the data obtained. This process allows the provider to develop necessary insight into the customer needs and create services that satisfy these demands, increasing buyer satisfaction and quality of assistance. As for the instruments implemented for the production process, mass customization necessitates the inclusion of flexible and reliable tools, which offer fast and simple alterations. For instance, it is recommended to integrate an operations system that is compatible with various resources used by the corporation and can be easily changed according to the research on customer needs (Liu & Yao, 2018). Finally, to establish a credible distribution strategy, which connects the particular groups of customers with the desired services, a relevant logistics approach should be used (Liu & Yao, 2018). A pertinent resolution might stem from the collaboration between enterprises, which can combine the resources and improve the quality of the services provided.
A vital issue is connected to the definition of management and the teaching approaches instilled by business schools. Superior management might be considered a craft technology, which requires accumulating unique experience to properly fulfill the necessary tasks. In this regard, although it might be extremely challenging to teach this subject in a school or college environment, it is still possible to implement strategies that promote the acquisition of execution skills and prepare the students for subsequent assignments.
Theoretical knowledge is an imperative part of any practical endeavor, meaning that future managers should be presented with the possibility to acquire relevant information. The classroom provides the learners with the required primary data, which can further be used during practice, enhancing the development of memory and critical thinking (Nonet et al., 2016). However, to offer an efficient approach to studying management, it is essential to devote a significant amount of training to gain actual experience, addressing the potential fear of making mistakes and acting proactively. Completely relying on textbook knowledge and assuming that the manager’s job can be analyzed to the minute details considerably undermines the importance of experience (Nonet et al., 2016). Furthermore, such a position substitutes vital practice with formal training, which, although integral to the overall manager’s performance, cannot efficiently supplement empirical knowledge. Learning the best techniques of personnel handling and coping with unusual situations must be implemented while directly encountering possible circumstances.
Contemporary technological advancements allow future managers and high-level executives to complete their working assignments through digital communication systems. Such innovations often diminish the necessity of face-to-face interaction, providing both learners and employees with a possibility to avoid direct conversations, promoting the utilization of distance management (Bordi et al., 2018). Nevertheless, even though this strategy appears to be more efficient and less anxiety-inducing for the involved individuals, also saving a considerable amount of time, I do not believe that little face-to-face communication can enable high-level managers to successfully fulfill working responsibilities. Such endeavors as personnel handling and instilling motivation cannot be performed solely via digital channels of communication, as they greatly reduce the effectiveness of these activities, establishing a much lower impact (Bordi et al., 2018). Direct conversations with executives are a tremendous part of employee satisfaction with the job environment and a strategical element of numerous leadership approaches, both of which significantly enhance company performance and future success. Therefore, even if technological advancements present an opportunity to conduct little face-to-face communication, I believe that high-level managers will still employ direct interaction practices.
Apart from interaction complications, many organizations suffer from the adverse influence of bureaucracy on the work processes. A perfect example of reducing bureaucracy within a company’s organizational structure is Pfizer, a large pharmaceutical enterprise that promotes scientific development and innovation. While devising a COVID-19 vaccine, the corporation’s CEO Albert Bourla decided to eradicate bureaucracy from stop decisions, eliminating the multiple layers of approval approach (Reader, 2021). According to Bourla, to achieve necessary academic advancements, it is imperative to decrease the influence of bureaucracy on scientific assignments as much as possible, simultaneously improving the process of decision-making. Critical resolutions were made instantly rather than allowed to undergo numerous agreement processes, which significantly hindered the work of the employees and stagnated the company’s output.
Another instance is an online shopping platform’s Zappos, which addressed the issue of bureaucratical management in a unique approach. Instead of incorporating traditional bureaucracy, which hinges on several layers of administration and impedes the transfer of suggestions, the corporation utilized a novel strategy, Holocracy, which is substantially more fluid (Greenfield, 2016). Establishing roles in place of titles, efficiently distributing authority, and eliminating the necessity to approve each decision reduced the negative effects of bureaucracy on company productivity, securing the benefits of a fast-moving and flexible organization.
The described cases excellently clarify how knowledge regarding management strategies can become an essential factor in strategical success. In my opinion, a no-growth approach is a vital part of management education, which offers the learners an opportunity to incorporate various strategies based on the current state of the company. Although different corporations, regardless of their scale, manifest a specific pattern of growth, some enterprises might be lingering in a no-development phase, which requires particular action to be undertaken. Depending on the organization’s lifecycle stage, distinct levels of growth and goals are established, demanding relevant management practices to be suggested and fulfilled (Daft, 2015). Therefore, studying the core characteristics of the life cycle theory, no-growth philosophy, and the tactics that allow improving the expansion of the company should be a necessary part of potential managers’ education.
Furthermore, I believe that it is vital to understand the specifics of expansion and its impact on the enterprise’s structure and productivity. In some cases, aiming for rapid development might negatively affect the future of the business (Burrows, 2017). The needed knowledge can be gained over the course of formal education, with the inclusion of practical activities to accumulate necessary experience. From a biblical view, constant improvement of skills is an essential part of making a contribution to the marketplace, and understanding the balance between expansion and a pause in development considerably benefits a future manager (Liang, 2018). Therefore, both from managerial and biblical perspectives, studying the no-growth philosophy should be an element of business schools’ management programs.
References
Bordi, L., Okkonen, J., Mäkiniemi, J.-P., & Heikkilä-Tammi, K. (2018). Communication in the digital work environment: Implications for wellbeing at work. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 8(S3). Web.
Burrows, L. B. (2017). Growth Management. Routledge.
Daft, R. L. (2015). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning.
Greenfield, R. (2016). The office hierarchy is officially dead. Bloomberg. Web.
Hu, X., Wang, G., Li, X., Zhang, Y., Feng, S., & Yang, A. (2018). Joint decision model of supplier selection and order allocation for the mass customization of logistics services. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 120, 76–95. Web.
Liang, E. P. (2018). Lifelong learning in christian business education: A framework and case study. Christian Business Academy Review, 13(1). Web.
Liu, C., & Yao, J. (2018). Dynamic supply chain integration optimization in service mass customization. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 120, 42–52. Web.
Nonet, G., Kassel, K., & Meijs, L. (2016). Understanding responsible management: Emerging themes and variations from European business school programs. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(4), 717–736. Web.
Reader, R. (2021). Pfizer’s CEO: 3 key decisions helped it develop a COVID-19 vaccine in record time. Fast Company. Web.