Table of Contents
Introduction
Developing an efficient and reliable workforce is essential to achieving success in any organization. People have often been described as the best resources that any business can ever have. However, the success of these resources relies on the management structures that are put in place for their effective functioning (Williams, 2015). For this reason, an organization that initiatives mechanisms that cause people to enjoy their work and work environment ends up achieving its goals and objectives in the best way possible. According to Moshal (2012), effective management is supposed to bring out the most effective leadership attributes from the respective leaders. This paper examines some of the aspects of human resource management as presented in the Pfizer case study.
How Pfizer is allowing employees to be more productive
Pfizer is one of the most renowned corporations that have managed to establish effective International Corporate Volunteering (ICV) programs globally. This corporation is based in the health sector, where it makes interventions in various critical aspects of health important to people. Pfizer boasts of more than 500 workers in more than 40 countries globally (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). The success of this corporation’s ICV programs depends on the systems and structures that have been established in the organization. Not everyone willing to volunteer is often welcomed on board. One has to undergo a series of processes to be found credible and suitable to work at Pfizer (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). How exactly does this organization make its employees productive?
When the volunteers have been selected and found fit to deliver the expected goals and objectives, the organization engages them in capacity-building initiatives (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). This process ensures that the employees have the required technical assistance and other staff development programs that make them highly productive in their job description (Williams, 2015). Staff training is in the area of effective clinical practices, monitoring capacity, and strategic planning. This ensures that the employees can collect and manage the resulting data is expected to deliver results. The employees are better equipped to manage research centers, which are critical to the success of Pfizer’s work all year round in the different countries they operate. creating partnerships with other NGOs makes employees learn how to integrate new ideas in their operations to achieve their ultimate best in their job. According to Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter (2015), Pfizer has been successful in many of the places it has set base because of the establishment of various standard procedures, which make proper compliance to regulatory and monitoring systems. The organization takes the training of community members as a key priority towards the success of its initiatives (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). All these management systems have enabled Pfizer to accelerate the process of vaccine development and establish the capacity of its organization to create and handle change in its future.
Analysis of the organization I work for
I have worked for World Vision for close to ten years. During this time, I have learned a lot of things regarding effective human resource practice, which is closely similar to how Pfizer works. World Vision, in its mission to offer humanitarian aid to people in various parts of the world, has understood the need for effective organizational design to achieve and live its mission. Effective organizational design has been the reason behind the success of Pfizer, World Vision, and many other global organizations. According to Williams (2015), work specialization is an essential element when it comes to organizational design. At Pfizer and World Vision, I have seen this practice of people doing what they are qualified for and can handle best. Specialization helps to reduce any aspects of conflict of interest among workers, thus encouraging maximum productivity (Jain, 2010). Secondly, departmentalization ensures that jobs are placed in particular jobs for ease of management. Different organizations have different ways by which they manage their departmentalization process, with the ultimate aim being to enhance productivity (Williams, 2015).
There is also the need to have a line of command for purposes of managing employees and work processes in any organization (Moshal, 2012). This has been evident in my organization and at Pfizer as well. A line of command describes the presence of an authority line running from the top organizational level flowing downwards. This design ensures the presence of proper communication between the employees in the organization at all times, which encourages maximum output from employees. According to Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter (2015), it is equally important to establish a span of control in an organization for purposes of identifying the number of managers and their levels in the organization.
Comparison with other types of organizations
The organizational structure at Pfizer has been quite exemplary in the achievement of its stated goals and objectives. This approach has not been successful in many profits and non-for-profit organizations. One of the reasons could be the element of development and implementation (Williams, 2015). Whenever an organization lacks leadership that can develop and enforce policies, it becomes hard for it to live to its mission and objectives. The fact that Pfizer has managed to run its structure in more than 40 countries across the globe illustrates the professionalism that is manifested by its staff (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). Generally, it is something that can be copied and implemented by other organizations.
Adopting a structure similar to Pfizer
According to Jain (2010), different organizations have different needs that they strive to achieve. Therefore, copying and adopting strategies that have worked for others can be beneficial and harmful in equal measure. All in all, there are good lessons that can be borrowed from the success of Pfizer’s ICV program. First, other organizations operating globally need to understand the effectiveness of having a perfectly crafted volunteer scheme in their approaches (Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter, 2015). Secondly, they should not focus on getting people that are willing to work; they should be people that can adhere to the set quality standards in the life of the organization. Therefore, other organizations should use Pfizer as a benchmark in their establishment of effective operational strategies.
- Moshal, B. S. (2012). Principles of management. Cranbrook, Kent: Global Professional Publishing.
- Jain, S. (2010). Organizational management. S.l.: Shree & Distri.
- Robbins S. P. De Cenzo, D. A., & Coulter, M (2015). Fundamentals of Management (9th Ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Williams, C. (2015). Effective management. Boston: Cengage Learning.