Managers are key individuals in institutions since they perform key activities that define performance levels in various business units. They are the ones who set the pace for performance in institutions by providing the requisite support and incentives that are vital for achieving exemplary performance. As noted by scholars, managers are under obligation to set proper administrative standards that enhances stakeholder relationship. They should also be able to identify all the stakeholders who are attached to the institution and establish their needs promptly. Variably, they should adopt clear-cut quality standards that are essential in ensuring production of items and services that are of no defect. This paper adopts Novo Nordisk that remains high rank insulin producing corporation and a diabetes treatment firm. It is medium sized firm with a strong mission to provide quality services to its customers and the stakeholders.
Organization’s stakeholders and their expectations
As noted, stakeholders are the lifeblood of various companies such as Novo Nordisk since their direct or indirect participation influences performance levels. This is why managers should identify all the stakeholders of the company, establish their needs and develop viable modalities of meeting the needs. Notably, key direct and indirect stakeholders of Novo Nordisk Company include employees, employers, customers, suppliers, distributors and investors. These stakeholders have varied needs and expectations that must be met adequately to attain their confidence and to ensure that their input is of optimal standards. In particular, employees who form crucial stakeholders that foster service delivery expect fair treatment. They expect to receive fair remuneration, work under favorable conditions, be allocated fair duties and work for recommended hours.
They also expect to be recognized, motivated, included in decision making and exposed to conventional best practices. These expectations must be met to aid their exemplary performance and their output capacity. Secondly, customers are key stakeholders who are the buyers and consumers of various products that various institutions offer. They expect to receive quality, timely and customized services at favorable prices. They are also concerned about the continuity of an institution and its efficiency in dealing with client’s issues. Suppliers and distributors who ensure that raw material and finished products are delivered to respective centers are also important in a business setting. They expect to operate under mutual conditions with the management, receive their payments promptly and acquire constant feedback information from the management. Further, investors form key stakeholders whose indirect role is essential in propelling a company to greater heights. They are the ones who provide or inject finance that aids operations in most corporations. They expect a company to utilize the resources well, ensure continuity in terms of operations, production of quality products and high return on investment.
Methods of meeting stakeholder expectations or requirements
In addressing the expectations of employees, managers should put in place favorable operating policies that create good working conditions. They should pay the employees well, guarantee them safety at work, motivate them and involve them in decision making. This will boost employees’ morale and enhance their output levels that are significant in the realization of quality products. Secondly, meeting the expectations of customers requires production of quality goods or services, effective delivery and adoption of favorable prices for various products.
Variably, a company that seeks to meet the expectations of distributors, suppliers and investors should put measures that promote effective communication, payment for services and financial management. The measures should also enhance or promote high return on investment and guarantee continuity in terms of operations or general performance.
Methods of communicating stakeholders’ requirements with team members
Effective communication is a paramount element that any institution that seeks to address the requirements of stakeholders must ensure. This is important since communication ensures proper conveyance of organizational strategies and stakeholder needs. Therefore, organizations such as Novo Nordisk Company should adopt both internal and external communication methods that are able to provide quality link between the management and various stakeholders. The two probable communication methods that the companies should adopt include the use of memos for internal communication and internet.
In particular, the use of memos will ensure that the management is able to convey crucial massages pertaining to stakeholder needs for implementation by the staff members. It holds the capacity of enabling employees to know what other stakeholders needs and expectations are especially customers. This helps in ensuring that they receive adequate and satisfactory services with limited discrimination. Consequently, the technique holds the capacity of promoting effective communication under mutual terms between employers, managers and employees regarding the issues that relate to their conditions of work. It ensures that internal affairs that may jeopardize service delivery are dealt with amicably with limited complications as evident inn Novo Company.
Secondly, the use of internet is effective for aiding both internal and external engagement or sharing of ideas. It is the latest technique that provides conventional communication support system that is effective and efficient. It links various stakeholders irrespective of location or otherwise. Indeed, it is the best method that external stakeholders can use to channel their needs or make their expectations known. This has been effective in most institutions since managers have been able to receive information from stakeholders pertaining to their needs and make requisite plans to actualize the requirements.
Processes for updating information on stakeholder requirements
The process of updating information that is obtained from stakeholders or disseminated for implementation by relevant business units must be systematic. This is to ensure that any update made is consistent to the organizational ideals and stakeholder needs especially in the health sector that Novo Nordisk Company is undertaking its business. Evidently, updating of information of any nature in Novo Company is undertaken by the management. This is because they are the ones who are charged with the responsibility of receiving and coordinating various activities the institution. They are also the ones to make any possible changes to guarantee the authenticity of the information. Although the institution has information and public relations department, the department operate under the general manager. The department has the capacity to receive and prepare certain communications to various stakeholders but dissemination of any information cannot be done without the knowledge of the managers.
Meaning of quality to an organization
Quality means conformance to set specifications and ability to eradicate defects. It is an element that cannot be ignored in any institution. This is because it sets the standards of performance since most stakeholders associate themselves with quality products and institutions that provide quality services. For example, Novo Nordisk Company that provides insulin and Medicare services should ensure that quality is upheld and that operations are driven based of clear guidelines. The institution should also ensure that insulin products that they produce are consumer oriented and are standardized to guarantee user safety. Consequently, the company should ensue that Medicare services are provided under favorable conditions and that the services are efficient. The services should also be effective, timely provided and offered based on patient specifications. As noted, managers should perform thorough investigation on quality elements that various stakeholders expect to achieve in a product. This is essential in facilitating the formulation of quality systems and policies to ensure that the expectations of stakeholders are met with limited default.
Organizational quality policies and procedures
Quality in various aspects and units of operations can only be achieved if proper policies and quality procedures are adhered to by the management. This is imperative since the policies and the procedures are the guiding principles that guides direct stakeholders in providing quality services. The viable policies that managers should adopt include the development of effective operating plans and adherence to set standards of operation. They should also adhere to the safety requirements, channel various activities to respective units for execution, and allocation of work based on individual’s competence. These policies are essential in ensuring that quality is not compromised at various levels of operations as evident in Novo Nordisk Company. They hold the capacity of ensuring that the set production procedures are followed, skilled individuals are deployed for relevant work and that lean reduction principles are employed to drive production activities. Institutions such as Novo Nordisk can also adopt quality principles and approaches as contained in various ISO certifications. The approaches require key stakeholders in institutions to offer services under best practices of operations. The approaches require the stakeholders to align their activities with the organizational objectives.
Quality audit and make recommendations for improvement
Quality audit is a systematic process whose role is to establish if an institution operates under best practices. It has been an essential aspect that has enabled most institutions to improve on their performance since it facilitates the understanding of stakeholder needs. This explains why managers at Novo Nordisk Company have been performing continuous audit in various departments in the institution. The managers have always emphasized on the need for the delivery of quality products and services to clients. They are keen in ensuring that the company’s stakeholders receive the best services to facilitate their retention and attraction of more customers. The general manager of the company states that business audit is one key aspect that has propelled the company to its current status. He states that the management performs audit at various levels and support systems including assets.
In particular, they audit the output levels of employees, their professional capacity, the available medical equipment and their functionality levels. They also audit the processes that are adopted during the production of insulin from the initial stages to the end when the final product is produced. The audit activities on the elements highlighted are significant in various ways. Firstly, they have enabled the company to focus its synergies in providing quality Medicare to patients. They have enabled the company to design customer oriented products that hold the capacity of addressing their needs. This has been achieved since the management has been able to nurture employees and monitor their performance. They management has also been able to ensure that employees deliver relevant, timely, cost efficient and quality services to patients.
Audit process has also enabled the company to streamline its insulin production procedures by adhering to quality standards. The process has been instrumental in ensuring that lean administration technique is adopted. The technique emphasizes on the enhancement of quality through effective utilization of resources while eliminating wastages. It ensures that all the processes within the production sequence are adhered to under quality standards. That is it has ensured that all the processes that contributes to the production of quality insulin are not omitted. This has enabled the company to enjoy the trust of most individuals since it produces quality insulin that matches user’s expectations.
Quality audit is recommended since it enables managers to identify key strengths and weaknesses that an institution has. This enables them to formulate requisite strategies to ensure that the weaknesses are mitigated through continuous improvement and the strengths are nurtured. As noted by scholars, managers who expect to steer their institutions to greater heights of performance must perform proper audit of every department. They must audit the quality of materials that are used in the production process and the condition of workers. They must also ascertain whether quality standards are adhered to at all levels of operations. This is significant in ensuring that every stakeholder is able to execute his duty with due diligence and that quality is not compromised at any rate.
The concept of, and need for, continuous improvement
Continuous improvement is a performance strategy that holds relevance especially in the current competitive world. The concept that was developed by renowned Japanese business gurus has been instrumental in transforming operations in various settings. It was set with a aim of enhancing performance through structural and policy development. It was also set to facilitate cordial relations and to foster stakeholder engagement through systematic processes. That is it focuses on improving quality in institutions through effective communication, team work, quality circles and moral development. These elements are vital in ensuring that management of stakeholder issues are done appropriately.
Indeed, continuous improvement concept has enabled managers at Novo Nordisk Company to set quality operating standards and benchmarks that are sustainable. The concept has set the pace for development in the company as evident since it has enabled the company to operate under conventional performance techniques. It has also ensured effective and efficient delivery of insulin and other services to patients globally. As indicated by scholars, continuous improvement equips managers with pertinent management incentives that facilitate growth. The incentives ensure that the intuition operates under quality ideals that guarantee future stability in terms of performance. This is evident since the concept emphasizes on improving the systems of operations and policies. That is it ensures that an institution is able to organize its activities well with an aim of enhancing output levels.
Assessment of work activities and areas for improvement
Key areas of operation that the company the company still needs to improve on are its response management to stakeholder issues and enhancement of quality of its products. This is because it has been slow in addressing various issues that are being raised especially by employees that threatens to impede its operations. For instance, the company has been slow in meeting employees’ remuneration needs and improvement of working conditions. This aspect requires improvement and change of tactics to ensure that the issues are addressed amicably to avert possible operations boycott by employees. Consequently, the company should improve on its insulin production processes especially the acquisition of raw materials. This is vital since quality of raw materials determine the value and satisfactory nature of a product. If raw materials are of poor quality then the end product will be of inferior quality while when raw materials are of high quality then end products will be of sound quality. Therefore, the company’s management must ensure that stringent measures are put in place to guide the procurement process of raw materials.
How to encourage staff to contribute ideas to improving quality
Improving quality standards in institutions requires participation of every stakeholder. This has proved fruitful in most institutions since stakeholders hold various innovative ideas that contribute to quality enhancement. Indeed, stakeholders in any institution such as Novo Nordisk Company play a central role in ensuring that more quality ideals are adopted. Their participation in decision making should be enhanced by managers to enable them to have the opportunity to share the innovative ideas that they hold. This explains why managers should develop pertinent and effective strategies to facilitate holistic engagement of various stakeholders in development oriented activities. They should be able to offer key stakeholders especially employees a chance of participation in various issues. They should also encourage them to provide any innovative ideas that they have that can be adopted to transform operations or service delivery.
As noted, stakeholders’ active involvement in improving quality can be achieved through various strategies and action plans. The strategies include the development of quality circles, team work, boosting of their morale and participation in decision making as evident in Novo Nordisk Company. These elements are vital in ensuring that employees and other stakeholders are able to contribute effectively in the formulation of quality processes. Their role in improving quality is important since they are the ones who are affected by the products directly or indirectly. So they are in a better position to give clear advice on what needs to be improved and viable strategies that can be adopted. They are also in a better position to highlight key areas that requires immediate response. In particular, quality circle (QC) is a vital aspect of continuous improvement concept that facilitates the adoption of quality techniques of operation. The concept enables managers to organize various stakeholders into defined quality circles to enable them to develop relevant quality ideals. The circles and teamwork settings enable employees to feel recognized since the groupings accord them a fair chance of contribution in decision making.
They also make them feel part and parcel of the company whose contribution matters. This makes them accept and own the decisions that are being made. Morale boosting is another aspect that contributes in enhancing the participation of stakeholders in developing quality guidelines. This is essential since employees who are motivated are able to participate effectively in ensuring that there is continuity in service delivery. This makes them to offer any needed support that aims at sustaining operations in their institution. Evidently, managers can encourage staff to participate in the formulation of quality policies by creating favorable environment that fosters participation. Managers should ensure that communication between stakeholders is enhanced through the use of conventional techniques. They should ensure that they are approachable and are able to share ideas with other stakeholders.