Task Force Committee Report: Professional Development Program Proposal

Task Force Committee Report:  Professional Development Program Proposal

Keeouka Knighton

Dr. Chantel C. Upshur-Morgan, MSW, DSL

Bus 520

August 17, 2017

Augusta Campus, Strayer University

Executive Summary

Wal-Mart prides itself on being able to make their customers lives better by saving them money.  Sales have dropped, stores have closed, and employees have been laid off.  Although we have put initiatives in place to expand our on-line shopping experiences to our customers, we have not fixed these issues (NSE:WMT), (Forbes, 2016).  Wal-Mart has continued to have a decline in sales as released by reports.  

Our organizational structure has been centered on providing the best quality customer service and products at an affordable price to our consumers.  Our associates are the driving force that continues to bring our customers in.  Our responsibility is not only to our customers, but to our associates.  We need to show them that they are part of our family here at Wal-Mart.  

According to an anonymous employee survey that was conducted by our relationship manager, our employees do not feel that our managers are effectively applying motivational strategies that will enhance job satisfaction.  Our employee retention rate has declined and it has been reflected in our overall sale reports. Creating a new incentive program that is anchored on the Emotional Intelligence of our managers will promote organizational growth, transparency and build employee manager relationships.  We will gain the necessary attributes of an effective team that will use their critical thinking skills to help us reconnect with our customers.

Giving managers the necessary tools such as the EI building blocks and effective training courses will help them to better relate to the employees emotional needs. Therefore, I would like to recommend new and exciting programs based on an EI management approach. Managers will use their training to reinforce the organizations mission and values and help employees to implement these values in their everyday work practices.

In order for a business to be successful, they must have organizational structure and effective leaders.  The structure must align with the company’s goals, mission, and values.  They must have a purpose.  Having skilled, professional and effective managers in leadership positions within our Walmart organization will be beneficial to our continued success.  We as an organization must invest in our leaders and employees by providing effective training for their continued development and growth within the company through Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI is defined as knowing how to understand and manage one’s emotions well, both professionally and personally. Managers must engage and interact with their employees to know their individual strengths and skills that they can contribute to making our business a success.

Why Develop Emotional Development Programs?

Walmart has a very diverse working population.  We have associates from various cultures and backgrounds that have different personalities, strengths, emotions, and skill sets.  All of these attributes affect the ways in which each one of our employees work.  Focusing on emotional intelligence (IE) training will allow our leadership team to help identify and manage their emotions as help our associates manage theirs.  

It is my belief that this will foster a better customer focus relationship at Wal-Mart as well as build healthy relationships between our employees and managers.  Employees will feel that we at Wal-Mart care about them as individuals and value their input and the skills they are bringing to the table.  Employees will perform better when they feel better.  This in turn will boost employee productivity and ultimately company sales.

How the Lack of Emotional Intelligence Affects Your Professional Life?

Emotional Intelligence can be a strategic tool if used effectively within an organization.  However, the lack of it can also become a challenge.  Our relations team conducted an employee survey regarding our EI here at Wal-Mart.  The survey showed how the lack of IE has affected us here at Wal-Mart. Some of the findings depicted us as a company, that we are insensitive to others to include employees and associates.  Some managers were said to display negative attitudes and arrogance, volatility or acting out in anger.  Individual managers were reported as being rigid and not promoting team collaboration, and selfish in their reflective thinking.  (Education, 2017).

In order to professionally develop and train our organizational leaders, we want to make sure that we have the right systems and programs in place. These programs will allow them to foster teamwork, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and build employee manager relationships. Additionally, enhance communication, and increase overall productivity and performance within the organization.  

Objectives of IE Program

Our objective is to foster teamwork, enhance communication, increase overall production and employee performance, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and build employee manager relations.   If we as an organization meet these directives, we as organizational leaders will be successful in our efforts to create motivational strategies. The motivational strategies’ will enhance job satisfaction and improve on the overall performance of Wal-Mart associates.

Learning What Drives our Behaviors

Being under pressure can cause someone to act out of their character.  This affects the individual’s job performance as well as their ability to interact effectively with others.  Understanding how to handle pressure and various issues will help employees utilize their critical thinking skills to come up with effective solutions.  As a business, we here at Wal-Mart focus on the charismatic traits and behaviors of our managers.  

Managers that have charismatic traits can connect and relate to others on a more in depth and emotional level (Organizational Behavior, 13th Edition).  We feel that leaders with this trait will help build employee social skills and decision making in improving our customer service.  Managers will be able to inspire Wal-Mart’s vision and appeal to its values.  They will display an unconventional behavior and expect high expectations from themselves as well as the employees.  They will lead with confidence and optimism and make the personal self-sacrifice to attain and foster the organizations vision (Organizational Behavior, 13th Edition).