Essay Instructions: ? Organizational Structure - Describe the major divisions/departments within the organization. Identify and describe the different levels of management. Indicate who occupies these positions, and what they do in their job. Identify and describe the style of management that is evident within this structure (see Chapters 2, 3, & 4) (2-3 pages)
? You must describe some of the actual people in management positions and describe the positions they occupy.<<<<<<< If you can find it online.
? In terms of the management structure, recall from our classroom discussions that an organization's management structure may not fit neatly into one of the theories we discussed. It may be a hybrid or combination.
? Your job is to examine the structure and identify and explain which aspects relate to the various management models.
? Organizational Diversity - Provide a full description of the different levels/types of diversity represented within the organization (see Chapter 12). (1 page)
? Organizational Culture - Identify and describe at least 3 important aspects of the organization's culture (see Chapter 5). (2 pages)
? Public Relations - Describe specifically what the organization communicates through its web site. Explain how they communicate their goals, their vision, their responsibility to customers and clients, and anything else that you find interesting and relevant. (1-2
? pages)
? Your job - Indicate what position you would pursue within this organization, and why. Describe what is involved in this position. Also indicate what your dream job would be within the organization, and why. (1 page)
Sources I have to include somehow:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11372708.htm
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11359349.htm
You can add on pages if you need to. I might fail this course! Please fix what you need to.
What I have so far:
Organizational Communication
?
Introduction
Westinghouse energy has a bright future in nuclear development and successful global expansion. I chose to research this company because of their organizational structure and culture. Westinghouse has been recognized for their superb Total Quality Management (TQM). This success in the field of human resources was attractive to me. In the future I would like to become a part of an organization like Westinghouse. For my interview, I was fortunate enough to interview Camille Kovach, the Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, and Global Training & Development.
Research Methods
Interviewing
In my research I prepared four sections of interview questions. I developed a series of icebreaker questions, organizational structure questions, Westinghouse corporate culture questions, and a training and development series of questions. I carefully developed my questions by researching their website and articles pertaining to Westinghouse about their corporate environment. The questions and answers are within my project folder.
Scholarly Sources
When we were first assigned this project I chose to do Westinghouse because of the studies Westinghouse has been mentioned in for performance management. The first study I decided to include in my presentation was The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation. In this study they linked positive financial performance to in-depth TQM systems. Their hypothesis was not supported. From this study I learned what exactly is Total Quality Management. I have also learned from this study that it is an effective way to run an organization internationally. I will include more about this article in the organizational structure portion of my paper.
In the previous source I looked at they mentioned that in the 1980?s Westinghouse was one of six other companies to receive an award by Congress called the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award. This award was given to the companies that best used Total Quality Management globally. For my next source I decided to look more into human resources management and this particular award. The Academy of Management released a study called Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge. For this study the companies that won the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award developed human resources portfolios to complement the Total Qualtiy Management objectives. In this study they decided to do interviews to best the capture the lessons learned in human resources practices. From their data they derived 14 ?ideal? human resources practices derived from the interview data. I refer to this study in organizational structure and culture.
Other print sources
According to PRWeb, an online newsroom, reports that Westinghouse sees a promising future for nuclear development in Brazil with their growing economy and uranium reserves. Westinghouse is now sponsoring an internship within the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Website analysis
Historical overview
Westinghouse headquarters, as of 2009 is located in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. Westinghouse is an international organization located in many states such as: Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Washington, Maryland, and many other countries such as Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden, and Germany. Most recently PRWeb released an article about Westinghouse and their future endeavor with energy development in Brazil. But Westinghouse did not start out as an international company superstar like they are today.
Founded in 1872, Westinghouse Electric Corporation?s primary business activity was the manufacture and sale of equipment and appliances related to electricity. Westinghouse expanded into different markets. In 1889, Westinghouse Electric Company was renamed Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. In 1945 the company changed their name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In 2013 Westinghouse Electric, which is now owned by Japan-based Toshiba, estimates that almost 50% of nuclear power plants around the world and about 60% of US plants are based on the Westinghouse? technology. Westinghouse has provided design work for new nuclear power plants and makes many of their components to help new plants run. Westinghouse Electric manufactures and supplies the commercial fuel products needed to run the plants, and it offers engineering, maintenance, and quality management services for the plants as well.
Organizational Structure
From my interview I learned that Westinghouse takes the systems approach. I say this because Westinghouse heavily revolves on hierarchical order, interdependence, and permeability. When I asked Mrs. Kovach ?If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what would you say? And Why?? She replied with almost half of the book definition of the system approach. She first said hierarchical. She said that the nuclear industry is influenced by their history in the military. She says this because it is a highly regulated industry and there is a very strong chain of command. Secondly, she said that they were committed. She said that the workers and managers believe in nuclear energy and are strongly committed to Westinghouse. Lastly, she said focused on technology. She said they bring in the best of the best engineers and her job was to support them.
She also helped me understand their organizational structure when I asked her ?What are all the divisions/departments?? I learned that Westinghouse is broken up into three regions Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and America. They are not divisions or departments. At Westinghouse the divisions/departments are broken down into ?product lines? from ?product areas.? Mrs. Kovach works in the corporate center. The product lines within the corporate center include human resources, finance, information technology, quality, supply chain, and legal. The product areas include servicing existing engineering equipment and major projects (EEMP), automation and field services (A&FS), and nuclear fuel. The last product area is nuclear power plants (NPP) they are the product line that services and maintains the power plants.
Westinghouse practices the human resource approach called Total Quality management. Westinghouse was one of the first companies to succeed in Total Quality Management. It was in the 1980?s that Westinghouse decided to take on competition from Japan. In the article, The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation, they simply described the process Westinghouse and many other companies tried to achieve during the 1980?s. The initial key characteristics were process focus, systematic improvement, companywide emphasis, customer focus, employee involvement and deployment, cross-functional management, supplier performance and supplier relationships, and recognition of TQM as a competitive strategy. Westinghouse still uses these key principles today according to their website.
As a winner of the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award they were included in a study called, Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge, From their research I was able to relate their 14 ideal human resource approaches to what Westinghouse human resource management really has.
Organizational Diversity
Westinghouse is a very diverse company. From their diversity of skills to their diversity in nations, Westinghouse has learned how to take care of their people as a whole. Mrs. Kovach currently is working on standardizing human resources management system across Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This week she is meeting with the Vice president of Europe human resources and Vice President of Asia human resources in Brussels, Belgium. They are always looking to tweak their current system to better assist their employees. The challenges they face are much different than other companies because of their diversity in skills.
They have changed their organizational structure many times to account for their diversity in different product lines. Within their product lines
Organizational Culture
In the article, Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge, they mention the importance of the visions and values of a company. Westinghouse has provided their company with a clear corporate message, ?No company is more focused on nuclear technology.?
This vision is clear within each product line. All of the product lines know they are working on providing future generations with safe, clean and reliable electricity.
The hero in this industry is George Westinghouse.
Values
Heroes
Rites and Rituals The rites and rituals they practice are giving incentive bonuses after their annual year end review.
Cultural network
Internally Westinghouse has a communication system. From office to office you can instant message or email. At Mrs. Kovach?s she attends many meetings daily.
Total Quality Management culture as described by The Academy of Management:
?TQM requires a change in organizational culture, a fundamental change in the way individuals and groups approach their work and their roles in the organization, that is, from an environment of distrust and fear of reprisal to one of openness and trust where creativity can flourish; from working as individuals to working as teams; from protection of organizational turfs to the breakdown of departmental barriers; from an autocratic management style of direction and control to a softer style of team leader and coach; from power concentrated at the top to power shared with employees; from a focus on results to a focus on continuous improvement of the processes that deliver the results; and finally a change from making decisions based on gut-feel to an analytic, fact-based approach to management.?
Public Relations
Your Job?
Interview Questions and Answers
December 1st, 2013 1:00 PM (EST)
Camille Kovach, Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, Global Training & Development
*She did not wish to be quoted verbatim*
Icebreaker Questions
What is your job title?
Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, Global Training & Development
What skills and abilities are required to succeed in this job?
? Strategic Thinking
? Teamwork
? Collaborating
? Personable effectiveness
? Knowing your role and function
What is your typical workday like?
She has early morning meetings and sometimes on the phone on the way to work with Europe or Asia because of the time difference. She has been working through lunch recently. She is usually engaged with Europe or Asia for her most recent project during this time. They are developing new leadership competencies managers of managers, managers, and lower executives. They are looking at 10 possible leadership competencies. Her afterhours preparation consists of returning emails, preparing for presentations, reading new Westinghouse materials put out by CEO, and currently developing the leadership competencies.
Organizational Structure
What are all the divisions/departments?
Westinghouse is broken up into three regions Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and America.
At Westinghouse the divisions/departments are broken down into ?product lines.? Mrs. Kovach works in the corporate center. The product lines within the corporate center include human resources, finance, information technology, quality, supply chain, and legal. The product areas include servicing existing engineering equipment and major projects (EEMP), automation and field services (A&FS), and nuclear fuel. The last product area is nuclear power plants (NPP) they are the product line that services and maintains the power plants.
What is management like within those product lines? Centralized or decentralized?
Although the product lines are separated, they support each other. Their chain of command is centralized for each product line.
Corporate Culture
If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what would you say? And Why?
She said hierarchical. She said that the nuclear industry is influenced by their history in the military. She says this because it is a highly regulated industry and there is a very strong chain of command. Secondly, she said that they were committed. She said that the workers and managers believe in nuclear energy and are strongly committed to Westinghouse. Lastly, she said focused on technology. She said they bring in the best of the best engineers and our job is to support them.
What?s the best part about working in the environment that I would not see from just a walk around the office?
Mrs. Kovach says the fun part is working with incredibly smart engineers and learning from some of the best in all of the product line fields.
New Hire
What are the skills and abilities required to succeed in a new hire position?
? The ability to take assignments willingly.
? Work on your own to fulfill this position.
? Take initiative, work independently towards a goal.
? Make sure you are turning in thorough work and complete.
? Do not work half way.
What is the biggest challenge someone will face in this job their first 6 months?
She sees a lot of engineers struggle with interfacing customers, whether on or off the job they represent Westinghouse. In the support organizations she sees new employees that do not want to talk or work with upper level management.
Impromptu Training and Development portion
What is the current training program for new employees?
Westinghouse has a performance management program. Managers also give feedback regularly. At the beginning of the year upper management and lower management establish goals. At six months they informally meet to discuss goals. The meeting time is recorded. By the end of the year they complete the end of year annual assessment. This rating determines pay increase.
In addition to the energy that the AP1000 plant provides, Westinghouse is committed to benefitting the local economy through our We Buy Where We Build? approach to new-plant development. ~Jeff Benjamin, SVP, Westinghouse Nuclear Power Plants
