Possible completed part 1
QTask 1
Using the concepts, theories and models from Part 3 Topic 1 ?Strategy and the organisation? as a framework for your thinking, write a description of your organisation in its environment, and the issues that are important to it at the present time.
Specify your work role and indicate how it relates to the purpose of the organisation as exemplified in its stated ?mission? or ?vision?.
Say what area of management knowledge you think it would be most appropriate for you to study, given your work role and where the organisation is at present.
Give your reasons for your choice. If this is not the area that you chose in Task 2 of TMA 01, give reasons also for your change of mind.
Use around 2000 words (plus diagrams) to complete this task.
40 marks
A Childcare@WalnutCorner is a small childcare setting in a little village in east Norfolk. Its mission statement is ?to provide high quality childcare within a home environment ? Walnut Corner, for all your childcare needs?.
Fleggburgh, the village we are based in has about 360 houses and is between 2 large commuter routes connecting: Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Acle, Stalham, North Walsham and Wroxham. We have 5 employees currently and provide childcare for 15 children between 8 months and 7 years. We operate a grant funded before and after school club for the local school alongside contract and ad-hoc early years childcare.
We work to a Quality Assured Kitemark Scheme which requires inspection visits at 10 weeks intervals to ensure up to date training and implementation of ?Best Practice? which has benefited the setting as we are able to put into practise current thinking and trends as soon as they emerge. Due to this I have been awarded the highest grading a childminder can achieve during both my inspections; the first at 7 months from start of trading and then at 3 years.
In September 2008 a new framework was implemented the ?Early Years Foundation Stage? which comprises of Welfare and Education requirements; these change the conditions under which childminding occurs and have been seen in the media and by, childminders and parents alike, as onerous and relying on un-necessary paperwork. Despite this I have been recently
awarded ?Outstanding? at inspection which means I am unlikely to be inspected again for between 3 to 5 years.
We have just been through a period of low children numbers; this has a few possible causes:
? Low birth rate
? A Children?s Centre opening 3 miles away
? Possible backlash from a disgruntled parent (an unsubstantiated complaint which was dealt with)
? Possible backlash from a leaving employee
? Parents might be ?not choosing? childminding as an option as they are so unsure about the future as EYFS was so ?new? and ?different?.
For about 9 months the numbers of children started to drop dramatically and this combined with families leaving due to moving to school/nursery, moving house, being made redundant (credit crunch), left us with a need for very low staffing. This resulted in 4 members of staff being laid off/made redundant which has caused de-motivation and a little insecurity.
In the past few months (since December) we have started to recruit new children and we are approaching being viable again. This has led to the staff being pressured as we as yet unable to recruit new employees owing to the unstable nature of childminding.
The issues that I feel are most pressing at the current point in time are:
? Recruitment of new children
? Recruitment of new staff
? Maintenance of our current high standards
The concerns that these issues raise are:
? Effective Marketing
This is constrained by the inelasticity in the price of childcare as most parents are limited by the amount they can earn. No matter how good the provision is there is an upper limit above which no childcare would be bought and we are at that limit. People?s perception of Walnut Corner is that it is a high quality, high cost provider which may put them off enquiring about a space, as they feel it is a luxury.
? De-motivation of existing staff
After redundancies or downsizing there is often a period of unsettled behaviour and insecurity but measures can be put in place to alleviate this situation. This can be described using Tuckman & Jenson 1997 with the section ?forming? as new employees are recruited leading to ?storming? when they become turbulent and chaotic,
moving through ?norming? as things develop into a more standard way of working to finally ?performing? which is when the best ?work? is produced. Currently we are in a period of ?performing? after moving through the other stages post the redundancies. However it isn?t very stable and each time a parent starts or finishes their child?s care we tip into ?storming? this leads to instability and a feeling of insecurity.
However most of the factors which influence staff to remain in their position appear to be financial ones, some of the general issues that I can influence are below:
? Holiday pay ? I already offer more than the statutory minimum and I am also flexible with regard to ?family? leave ? to look after sick children or relatives.
? Sick & other statutory leave ? Currently I can only offer leave at their statutory rates.
? Training ? I offer considerable incentives for training including paying for training days (almost unheard of in the industry), mileage to attend training and rewarding qualifications with a pay rise. I am also prepared to take on staff with no qualifications and to mentor them through to level 3, or beyond if needed.
? Company Policies - I provide my staff with an opportunity to comment on and/or write policies to create good working conditions. Although the children?s needs are of prime importance any changes which can benefit the staff are gratefully seized and implemented.
? Interpersonal relationships ? these are of prime importance and when recruiting we weight personality and character very highly on our selection criteria. Part of the process is for the short-listed applicants to work in the setting for a
? day to see if they are able to ?fit in? with the existing staff. My employees appreciate that their feedback on the candidates is valued and acted on.
? Pay ? this is where I cannot be more generous. We are considering trialling systems where by the staff get a percentage of each child?s income that they care for above their existing wages. If the numbers of children drop they would get less money, if it rises they would get more money. However this would be quite intensive to manage and we are looking into alternative ways to promote higher wages in a way we can afford.
 
? Job Security ? this is where childminding completely fails. There is little or no job security. The change between needing an extra member of staff desperately to not needing them at all can happen overnight. Because the adult child ratios are so strict, there is no room for delay or procrastination, when you need 3 people on duty there is no way around it. Similarly when children leave (for whatever reason) we suddenly need less staff. Traditionally (Pre August 2008) this had been dealt with by existing staff increasing or decreasing their hours, however the drop in numbers of children was so extreme, redundancies were necessary. This left the remaining staff demoralised and scared they were to lose their jobs. This needs to be addressed in an imaginative and flexible way but I haven?t yet created a solution. This leads to insecurity which means the lowest tier of Maslow?s Hierachy of Needs is not met. How can a person perform well when they feel their job is at risk and that they may need to reduce their hours (leading to lower pay) or lose their income completely.
 
? Maintenance of our current high standards.
As we have just received ?Outstanding? from OFSTED we will not be inspected again for between 3 and 5 years. I would prefer to be inspected more regularly as owing to the nature of the job it is very difficult to set ?Benchmarks? as the ?rules? or ?advice? we receive changes so frequently. Methods need to be developed to ensure that the service we provide is ?the best that we can be? rather than ?good enough? this involves high motivation on the part of the staff and a complex and inspirational method of management/leadership to obtain the optimum performance from the employees. SMART objectives are somewhat inappropriate as most of the desirable attributes and competencies are neither measurable not possible for them to be timed (How happy is a child, How educating is your practice?). Coaching is often the most appropriate method of development and this can adapt to different circumstances so it works well in a smaller environment with different personalities. (See Table 14.4 & 14.5)
 
Table 14.4 Types of coaching style
Interpersonal role Coaching style Some characteristics
Tough Judge Pushes hard, challenges, makes demands, is critical
Helper Protective Takes care not to hurt, kindly, reassuring
Thinker Calculated Calm, dispassionate, logical, questioning
Fun lover. Whoopee Everything is ?a ball?, creative, exciting
Defendant
Manipulative ?Winds you up?, provokes, teases, cajoles, humours
As I become more skilful at coaching I would like to be able to move between the types of coaching dependent upon the individual person and the specific situation. By combining coaching and mentoring with effective and relevant training I hope to ensure the current high standards are maintained. 
Table 14.5 Positive and negative effects of coaching styles
Positive Coaching Style Negative
Can push through difficulties when the going is hard Judge Can produce rebellion. May lead to bad feelings
Can lift up a person when they are low. Protective Can stunt development by being overprotective.
Can help a person find solutions and help them to work things out. Calculated Can be seen as impersonal and distant. All head and no heart.
Can motivate by energy and enthusiasm. Whoopee Can be seen as frivolous. May avoid tough issues.
Can energise and influence. Manipulative May produce anger and feelings of betrayal.
 
As the proprietor of Childcare@WalnutCorner I direct the day to day running of the business acting very much as a manager providing;
? Planning
? Organising
? Co-ordinating
? Controlling
? Monitoring
? Intervening
? Rewarding
? Clarifying
? Watching
? Evaluating
I am somewhat a micromanager which is to the detriment of both my business and my staff who are well trained and experienced and who do not benefit from a Transactional Leader .
I am emphasising the development of my transformational skills so that I can become;
? Charismatic
? Inspirational
Providing;
? Intellectual Stimulation &
? Individualised Consideration
These attributes are much more complex to both obtain and monitor, as they are less tangible.
I also direct the business? direction and marketing strategy and plan it?s future, alongside managing the financial side including forecasting.
Because of this I intend to concentrate on the ?Leadership Management and Motivation?, another area which is of great importance and which is integral to this is ?Managing People?. The skills involved in Managing people are closely connected to motivation. The third area which interests me is ?Strategy and Organisation? Despite being interested in and considering all these areas I feel ?Leadership, Management and Motivation? to be the over-ruling choice as the others are secondary to it.