Influence And Impact Of Organisational Structures Commerce Essay Example

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Planning work activities for teams and ensuring their commitment is crucial, especially for the team in Haiti. Their main challenge was saving lives within limited time constraints after an earthquake that caused thousands to be covered in dust, thousands dead (now confirmed to be over two hundred thousand), and millions becoming stateless. Additionally, the earthquake destroyed communication systems.

Despite these challenges, Oxfam's planning activities required dedicated volunteers willing to sacrifice comfortable lives for charitable work.Coordinating with government and non-governmental organizations was another challenge to ensure effective contributions to the affected area.Distributing food and drinking water posed difficulties due to lack of communication means.The planning component of the team ensured tasks were divided, supervised,and coordinated consistently.The purpose of this structure was to ensure that each person's role within the organization is clearly understood, which they typically learn upon joining.The Oxfam team in Haiti faced unprecedented challenges but had a clear understanding of their expectations and the accomplishments needed for the organization's overall mission. They effectively responded to Haiti's largest earthquake by providing emergency supplies such as clean water, buckets, water treatment kits, shelter, and sanitation tools. Operating in seven sites, they successfully reached around 85,000 people with plans to expand assistance to 110,000 individuals. A challenging task for the operational team was providing clean and safe water due to contamination from airborne viruses caused by decomposed bodies and inadequate water infrastructure.

Additionally, Oxfam initiated a program called "cash for work" involving local residents in providing services to others. The primary objective of this operation is to increase our capacity in assisting three million individuals who are in desperate need of help. Oxfam focuses on meeting these people's basic

needs including clean water and latrines while also working on long-term projects for those affected by the disaster.

The marketing team advocates for canceling Haiti's international debts totaling $891 million (International, 2010). These debts refer to the loans taken by the government before the earthquake for development purposes. In light of the extensive destruction of infrastructure in the city, we are urging donors to cancel these debts.Our team is contacting Dominique Straus-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to exert pressure for debt cancellation. The IMF has reportedly offered a ?100 million loan to Haiti for rebuilding infrastructure and development activities. However, our analysis shows that due to the severe devastation in Haiti and its status as one of the world's poorest nations, repaying the loan installments and sending money to international donors like the IMF will be difficult. This situation will significantly burden this impoverished country (International, 2010).

On page 8/17, there is a section titled "Meeting the identified developmental needs of the team and individuals within the team." This section discusses providing opportunities to address both overall developmental needs of the team in terms of control and individual skills within our company.

The report highlights that as an organization grows, it must divide its work responsibilities vertically. This division enables employees at lower levels to better cater to their specific circumstances (Boddy, 2005; Templar, 2004). Despite business growth making the hierarchy more complex, there are always three levels - corporate, divisional, and operating (International, 2010).

The Board of Trustees manages Oxfam's overall direction.At the subsidiary level, they guide and oversee different levels of the organization and maintain relationships with external institutions such as banks and political

bodies. At the divisional level, a Director is in charge of six divisions, each led by a deputy Director who implements policies and manages budgets. The Finance section, under the leadership of the deputy Director, focuses on fundraising and collecting donations. Oxfam provides technical work at the operational level, including providing food, water, and healthcare services to earthquake victims in Haiti (see appendix for donation information). The decision-making processes and organizational structure depend on whether it operates under a centralized or decentralized system. In a centralized system, most decisions are made by top-level management while divisional management ensures implementation. In a decentralized system, decision-making authority is limited but based on specific needs while still aligning with overall organizational policies. The team in charge of relief services in Haiti had increased decision-making power and worked with other governmental and non-governmental organizations to coordinate efforts with all charitable work in the country. They initially operated in 11 units covering approximately 86,000 people; this number later increased to 110,000. Oxfam motivated local people in Haiti to volunteer or work for compensation.
The team provided training to the locals, highlighting the significance of their humanitarian mindset or financial incentives in offering assistance. They also consulted with local workers on effectively distributing humanitarian aid. The rewards for this work were both psychological and financial, appealing to our humanity while benefiting the team. Additionally, the team members were engaged by asking them to propose effective ways of carrying out these services, aligning with the hierarchical and flat charts of organizational developments.

Please refer to the figure below which showcases how individuals can develop within an organization following either a hierarchical or flat structure

(Owen, 2009). A hierarchical structure has narrow spans of supervision, whereas a flat structure has broader spans of supervision.

Figure showing Hierarchical and Flat organization structures

The organization's structure is an important indicator of team member development (Page 11/17). It involves involving the team in fairly and objectively assessing work activity progress against project performance objectives and individual developmental objectives. Oxfam applies this technique in its operations in Haiti as management utilizes teams for increased flexibility, cost reduction, and quicker responsiveness (Cole, 2009).The reason for the increased need for empowered decision-making in Haiti is due to the project's involvement with humanitarian issues. Other organizations, such as Samuel Johnson's and Prince Philip's, also utilize this approach to achieve flexibility, cost reduction, and faster responses. This involves forming a team from different divisions who have the authority to determine their own division's status. These teams are often referred to as "self-managing teams" since they minimize hierarchical relationships. However, there are potential drawbacks, including prioritizing personal agendas and engaging in debate rather than taking action.

Oxfam has partnered with 14 other organizations in order to assist suffering individuals in Haiti. Collaboration between organizations is becoming more common as they strive to maintain independence while working together to provide products or services. This collaboration involves managers arranging for other companies to perform certain non-core activities on their behalf, allowing the organization to focus on setting strategy and managing core units. In the corporate world, it is not uncommon for managers to sell their services under their own name while also providing those same services for another company (Stettinius, 2007).Coordination is crucial for successful humanitarian work in Haiti to avoid confusion and achieve

desired outcomes. Direct supervision by managers plays a vital role in ensuring collaboration according to company policies. The effectiveness of this supervision depends on the concept of span of control, determining how many people a manager can oversee directly. Conflicts within teams are expected to follow the hierarchy of command, with issues escalated to a common foreman for resolution (Maginn, 2004). Standardization is also emphasized by the Oxfam team to align system inputs with managerial expectations. Involving volunteers and reducing operational costs allows more resources to be allocated towards obtaining essential assistance like water in Haiti. The team ensures that providers meet specifications and facilitates coordination among users for easier collaboration. Establishing regulations or guidelines for work execution further promotes effective teamwork but is rarely implemented in Haiti due to high demand for humanitarian assistance and reliance on local volunteer workers.Furthermore, maintaining updated information systems facilitates effective coordination from squad-level management to top-level management and vice versa. These systems ensure that individuals who need to work consistently have access to common information about ongoing events. Communication between Oxfam's management primarily occurs through telephone systems due to damage to other communication channels. Personal contact methods are also utilized for communication among the team members operating in Haiti.

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This section of the report discusses the circumstances under which plans may be modified in order to achieve performance objectives. The main objective of the operation in Haiti was providing relief services while coordinating with other governmental and non-governmental organizations. However, saving lives proved challenging due to a race against time. Trained individuals were needed to provide healthcare facilities, food, shelter, and medicine. Some organizations provided collapsible shelters while

others offered medical and healthcare services.

The Oxfam team focused on areas that had not yet received relief operations or where services were insufficient. After evaluating the situation on the ground, the plans were adjusted to prioritize the provision of safe water and sanitation services. Initially, 11 units were established by the Oxfam team to offer safe drinking water and sanitation services, benefiting approximately 86,000 people.The network of services in the area expanded over time, covering a large number of individuals. Adjustments were made based on onsite observations, without compromising Oxfam's overall objective. These operations aimed to pressure international donors into providing non-refundable loans for Haiti instead of repayable ones due to its status as one of the world's poorest countries with an underdeveloped economy. The funds were intended for saving lives and meeting basic needs like food and shelter (International, 2010). This report examines Oxfam's operational and organizational efforts in Haiti as a charitable organization undergoing current operations. It explores the practical aspects of their work in connection with relevant theories and emphasizes the teamwork-based approach that facilitated effective delivery of relief aid. The report further investigates motivational factors impacting the team and how organizational culture influenced its members. Despite being volunteer-dependent, workers at Oxfam displayed high motivation in carrying out relief work driven by their commitment to assisting people affected by poverty, war, or natural disasters.The discussion also includes the relief activities carried out by the team in Haiti with local workers. It also addresses program modifications made to address practical challenges faced by the squad. The main focus of this report is Oxfam's plan and management in Haiti, highlighting their humanitarian efforts for

earthquake victims. A recommendation proposes that charitable organizations should have more autonomy when conducting relief operations in specific areas due to their better understanding of local contexts and concerns. This would involve dealing with financial matters as well as humanitarian issues on-site. Despite the successful operations in Haiti, it is recommended that Oxfam's organizational structure, which combines functional and hierarchical elements, be decentralized. This would effectively motivate field workers and help achieve overall objectives of charitable organizations like Oxfam. For information on how to donate and assist the victims of the Haiti earthquake, please refer to page 15 of Appendixs or visit [hypertext transfer protocol: //www.oxfam.org/en/haitidonate].