User:Udayanga Naimmage/sandbox

This is my new Sandbox

= Sustainable Operations Management, Productivity and performance to increase profit with the commitment to management of the Human Resources and its impact for Sustainability of the Planet =

Sustainable Operations Management
Operations management is a management area which deals with creating value for business operations by transforming inputs into outputs through designing and controlling of the processes involved with production of goods and services (Heizer, et al, 2017). For future sustainability, business operations must be carried out responsibly adhering to efficient and effective practices using natural resources wisely to meet consumer needs. The main task of operations management is in planning, organizing and supervising goods production.

Operations is a main function in an organization which goes through supply chains, finance and human resources. HR plays a vital function in selecting the right members, with right attitude to work in an organization's team. In this 21st century it is very important that operations management is carried out sustainably respecting the triple bottom line to meet the framework of the doughnut economics where social and planetary boundaries are taken seriously which acts as a compass for human progression in this century (Raworth, 2017).

Operations Management and Productivity
Operations management is a costly part of an organization and that is why it is important to efficiently and effectively manage it. In many organizations, the operations management is not optimized. There is high error rate, low output, high wastage and low sustainability. Thus, the challenge remains in improving organizational performance through lean and green practices as part of corporate social responsibility.

Organizations face the challenge of improving its productivity levels. Productivity is none other than the ratio of outputs (goods and services) divided by the inputs (resources like labor and capital) (Alcalá and Ciccone, 2004). Improving productivity can be a challenge. The management and leaders of a company are responsible for decision making associated with organizational operations processes. This helps to understand the systems used to bring a product or service to market, as well as on how to educate employees to work to achieve these tasks. It is only through a thorough understanding of these processes that productivity can be improved by making informed decisions. This involves decision making for organizational application of concepts, tools and techniques involved with operations management which link to the product quality, suppliers, employees and customers. The management should look closely into the functional areas which need operational management decisions in finance, production and marketing, while keeping not just profits in mind but people and planet too. (D’Agostini et al, 2017).

Employee disengagement
The human asset of a company decides organizational future. When there are disengaged employees, the productivity levels are low as shown by research (Zondo, 2020). Management and line managers must motivate and connect employees to feel part of a team.

Ineffective Performance Management
When employees do not know what is expected from them at work, their performance is low and it poses a huge problem. This leads to employee confusion and wrong work priorities which decrease productivity. Managers must engage in goal setting with clear expectations and timelines.

Systems and Tools
For efficient production of goods or services it is important to have effective tools, techniques and systems with a well trained staff to handle these implemented systems. Productivity is challenged if the processes in an organization are not optimized for managing quality, supply chain management, inventory management, maintenance and scheduling. It is very important for managers to look into the tools and systems which deal with the above processes. Technology use can improve efficiency helping automation where there is manual repetition (Alcalá & Ciccone, 2004).

Supply Chain and Inventory Management
A company relies on many suppliers for raw materials as well as services. Productivity is challenged when the structure of the supply chain falls apart or is not sustainable. Supply chain efficiency is key in maximizing organizational competitive advantage. Inventory management bears a big cost in operations management, therefore lean, efficient processes which have a low carbon footprint should be identified to enhance productivity sustainably (Singh & Verma, 2018).

High Stress Levels and Lack of HR support
Organizations fail to understand employees are humans at times. Pushing employees too hard can drain and make them stressed out. This reduces productivity. It is important for HR to ensure that people are supported rather than squeezed. Non-work related stress must be minimized to enhance employee productivity (Ybema, et al, 2020).

Employee Wellbeing
Corporate social responsibility is taking care of employees too. Unsatisfied employees drain productivity, therefore HR and management must work closely to ensure that organizational culture is non-toxic and productive. It is important to have a good communication plan where organizational goals are well communicated to employees with encouraging feedback. Managers must clearly communicate employee expectations and set systems and processes which improve efficiency. This requires right decision making. In addition, unskilled repetitive manual tasks may be automated for employee ease and efficiency. It is important that employees don’t face unnecessary stress and HR support is present (Wright, et al, 2003). Happy employees improve work productivity which ultimately improves organizational profit making.

Enforcing Standards
Organizations should standardize procedures to maintain quality acceptable to consumers. Managers must communicate the needed standards to employees and help employees with tools, training and knowledge to execute these standards. The supply chains must incorporate supplier qualifications ensuring there is sustainability in raw materials used. In addition, proper product tracking, independent audits and just in time delivery is needed. Managers must make key decisions to collect finance receivables on time, reduce operation costs in product manufacture and conduct personalized marketing to generate consumer demand. This ensures profits and sustainability. The modern consumer is concerned about sustainability and environmental protection in their products, therefore having ethical behavior within the supply chain is important to remain competitive as a brand.

Aligning the Metrics
Data plays an important role in organizational decision making. Metrics help people to prioritize work and focus on meeting goals. Big data helps business operations to improve employee productivity through real time digital tracking of individual work. It also allows a business to predict the demand and plan on deployment of resources and people to meet this demand better while fulfilling the orders on time. It is also a great way to reduce unnecessary storage and transport costs. Data analytics usage is a great way to reduce unnecessary costs (Santos, et al, 2019).

Operations Management and Human Resource Management (HRM)
In an organization the operations managers and HR managers usually only interact on administrative issues with regard to payroll etc. However, organizational operations are an act of human resource activity concerning training, pay, staffing etc. and these two fields need to integrate for best results in an organization. An integrated operations management and HRM framework will help to close gaps and bring more organizational synergy. It is important for an organization to have an extended HRM model to focus on operational issues, for instance, in worker flexibility. HRM should consider issues such as the costs of adding worker fungibility as well as on how to handle work at a low cost with high quality while not over-burdening employees (Ahmad & Schroeder, 2003). For example HRM involvement in useful in operations management in motivating workers to make efficient work processes. HR managers should be able to access worker effectiveness rather than just conducting trainings. This will help to improve organizational productivity.

Future of HRM to improve operations management
As shown by Professor Dave Ulrich, HR needs to take an outside inside focus on organizational HR approach. This helps to add actual value to an organization. It is important for HR to understand the context of the work of employees and look at the organization's stakeholders. These are both internal and external stakeholders. While internal stakeholders are employees, HR should also focus on meeting the needs of external stakeholders who are consumers and investors. This helps HR to add value to the organization while giving the company competitive advantage. For example an employer of choice for organization's rewards is not just one who meets internal parameters but also someone who should meet the needs of the customer (Storey, et al, 2019).

The 3 important pillars which HR should focus to improve are talent, organization and leadership. Talent is hiring the right people with the right skills to the right place to perform the task helping to win the market. Organization is attaining the right culture with capabilities to win the market. Thus, HR should ensure that individuals hired can contribute as a team to deliver maximum results meet customer needs. Finally to enhance productivity the right individual leaders and competent leadership capabilities are needed to drive sustainable results. Today, remote working is becoming popular and HR should look into hiring individuals with critical competencies to succeed in remote working.

Operations Management and Data
Raw data in itself is meaningless unless information can be interpreted from it. This interpreted information forms the knowledge which is important for decision making by organizational leaders. Information resources such as data, people, technology and processes are needed to perform business processes. For this information input is essential.

Data analysis helps gain business intelligence which ultimately helps with data-driven decision making. Data helps more confident decisions which are proactive and helps operations to reduce costs to achieve higher profits. Big data from the web and social media generate real time support to achieve organizational competitive advantage (Lamba, et al, 2017). Thus, business operations should perform data mining, statistical analysis and test previous decisions using multivariate testing. This helps with predictive modelling and predictive analytics to forecast future results. It improves operations management helping achieve profits and sustainability.