The organizational workforce strategy is an essential aspect of every workplace as it determines the short-term and long-term staff characteristics needed in the firm. In the case of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the performance of the organization depends on its employees meeting the goals and objectives of the organization, which includes enforcing tax laws at the federal level and ensuring integrity standards are upheld by staff in all the practices. It is the responsibility of the staff to uphold and maintain integrity in the organization, which is made possible through perfecting various organizational assessment areas. Some of the areas of assessments include the organizational strategy, style, staff, skills and the shared values between workers in a particular organization. The report explores how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) upholds the workforce organizational strategies to achieve the organisation’s objectives.
Strategy
The Internal Revenue Service has adopted a new strategy to increase the amount of taxes collected by reducing the number of unfiled taxes among the citizens. The organization has developed numerous ways by which the local citizens can be assisted while doing the taxation. The assistance strategy developed simplifies the process of paying taxes from the tedious queues and complicated online processes. Efficiency has been improved through the streamlining of processes by utilization of the new technological advancements toward achieving the objectives of the IRS. Taxpayer compliance has been improved through the offering of relief to both individuals and companies that are struggling to meet their tax obligations and therefore encouraging more people and businesses to pay their taxes (IRS Mission and Organizational Structure: Internal Revenue Service).
The workforce has been trained and is taken to workshops and seminars that teach them on dealing with customers to create a conducive and positive environment that encourages people to pay their taxes. The refresher training exposes the workers to the changing needs and environment, which prepares them to meet the objectives of the IRS of improving tax collection. However, with the introduction of Covid 19 and the increase in online and hybrid work, the workforce strategy has transformed from the initial in-person transaction to online interaction and customer self-service (Hou et al., 191).
Style
The leadership style that is most common in the Internal Revenue Service is participative leadership, where all the employees take part in the decision-making by voicing their views to their supervisors and superiors, which is later used in decisions. All IRS employees are required to make split-second decisions within their jurisdiction areas, and these valuable decisions help drive the organization forward. The participative leadership style is the most appropriate in the IRS environment in that the top management will need help grasping the customers’ specific needs. Therefore, by all employees participating, decisions are more likely to be evidence-based.
Staff
The Internal Revenue Service needs more staff members to handle the firm’s mandate. The lack of enough staff can be attributed to the layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s increasing need for revenue collection. As per a 2022 report, the IRS needed over 80,000 more staff members to function correctly and thus indicating a considerable shortage. There is a plan to fix the staff shortage as the IRS is planning to hire over 20,000 more staff within the next two years, and this will reduce the existing deficit. The government have allocated over $80 billion to be used in staffing to optimize the collection of revenue (Ermey).
Skills
With the increasing need for digitization, the IRS leadership has focused on training the existing staff and hiring new staff who understand digital device use. The leadership is focused on creating safe and secure platforms for taxpayers so they can self-serve and finish their endeavours as fast as possible. The competency required in the organization is adapting to new technological changes quickly and working without affecting the output. The requisite competencies of ICT use are well represented among the staff members. However, there is a need for continuous training in cases where technological changes are bound to occur, which may affect revenue collection (IRS Mission and Organizational Structure: Internal Revenue Service).
Shared Values
Integrity is the most essential virtue that the Internal Revenue Service staff members need. The employees at the IRS meet the requisite levels of integrity as the work heavily relies on truthfulness and public trust that can only be upheld when the staff respects and values the organization’s goals of openness and integrity (Ermey). The staff working at IRS have been trained and are taking to periodic assessments and learning that often remind them of the main objective of their organization. Teamwork and collaboration is also another vital aspect learnt by IRS employees. Since the organization is vast and has an important mandate, the staff have adapted to functioning as a team and coordinating with other departments and players to achieve their obligation.
With the introduction of a hybrid model, the revenue collection system has made it easier for employees of the IRS to meet the expected value standards. Automation reduces the instances where the integrity of the workers can be compromised, and thus, the values of the organization, like ensuring integrity is maintained, are upheld. The shift to an automated revenue system has boosted people’s confidence in the Internal Revenue Service, thus increasing employee morale (Ermey).
In summary, the Internal Revenue Service has a working workplace strategy that focuses on delivery to the clients through strategies that leads to efficiency; employees are also skilled in the required aspects of new technology. The shared values of the IRS also ensure that all the employees comply with the standards and form a framework that directs the behaviour of everyone in the organization. The participatory leadership style at the Internal Revenue Service is also very practical, given the nature of the organization. Therefore, the decision-makers may need more information to make informed decisions. However, participatory leadership keeps them in the loop for all the relevant decisions that affect the company.
References
Ermey, R. (2022). Don’t worry, the IRS isn’t hiring an “army” of auditors-here’s what’s really happening. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/31/irs-is-not-hiring-an-army-of-auditors-whats-really-happening.html
Hou, H., Remøy, H., Jylhä, T., & Vande Putte, H. (2021). A study on office workplace modification during the covid-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 23(3), 186–202. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcre-10-2020-0051
IRS mission and Organizational Structure: Internal Revenue Service. 1.1.1 IRS Mission and Organizational Structure | Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). https://www.irs.gov/irm/part1/irm_01-001-001#:~:text=TheIRSmission,integrityandfairnesstoall.
McCord, P. (2018). Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility. United States:Silicon Guild.
Importance And Methods Of Job Evaluation For Organizational Effectiveness
Job evaluation involves determining the value of different jobs within an organization through comparison analysis. Human resource management, often in conjunction with workers’ unions, is responsible for developing the appropriate job evaluation tools for the organization (Dessler, 2017). The systematic process incorporates both internal and external assessments. Regular job evaluations increase employee morale since they feel appreciated and part of the company.
The primary purpose of job evaluation is to develop a fair and equitable pay structure for all organizational jobs. It strives to eliminate internal and external inconsistencies associated with the wage structure by creating minimum and maximum wages (Dessler, 2017). For instance, it ensures all qualified workers doing similar tasks receive similar wages. Secondly, job evaluation enhances employee retention. It allows an increase in employee responsibility and more internal promotions since the last job evaluation. Employee retention helps organizations minimize replacement costs.
In addition, job evaluation ensures an organization has the right people to attain future goals. Forecasting is a common phenomenon in business as it gives insight into future changes in the business. Job evaluations ensure proper strategies are implemented to support the organizational goals (Schemmer et al., 2022). Lastly, regular job evaluation help eliminate discrepancies in the gender pay gap. In most companies, gender is a basis of wage determination where male employees receive higher pay than female employees despite being equally qualified and doing the same roles. Job evaluations detect gender pay inequalities and resolve the issues.
There are several methods used in job evaluation processes. Ranking methods grade jobs in the hierarchy from the highest to the lowest and outline the pay scale in each category. It is simple to use and is more common in small organizations (Dessler, 2017). The pay scale depends entirely on the organization. The grading method classifies jobs depending on grades. The grading method’s wage structure depends on the class and other general specifications, such as work responsibilities. Each job undergoes review to ensure appropriate grading. It is simple to use in smaller units; however, where the job specifications are comprehensive, the method can be complicated to use.
The point-rating method groups jobs into various characteristics and then allocates pointy to each characteristic. The characteristics used may include education, experience, responsibility, and the nature of the job, among others. Pay scales are fixed according to the number of points. Hence, having different wage scales within the same job is common depending on grading characteristics (Dessler, 2017). Lastly, factor comparison involves the selection of critical jobs and further analyzing them into different factors. The values of each factor are compared to determine the worth of each job.
The ranking method is the most common job evaluation method involving five steps. Obtaining job information is the first step of job evaluation. It involves gathering adequate data about each job that form the basis of ranking (Schemmer et al., 2022). After gathering the required information, the next step is selecting and grouping jobs. It involves ranking different jobs depending on departments or clusters. Selection and grouping of jobs eliminates the need for comparisons between jobs.
In addition, selecting compensable factors is the third step. These factors help rank and evaluate jobs. However, the ranking method mainly uses only one factor to rank the jobs (Dessler, 2017). Regardless, selecting several factors and choosing the most relevant ones is advisable to evaluate the jobs effectively. The fourth step entails ranking jobs. It involves ranking jobs from the lowest to the highest depending on the job description (Schemmer et al., 2022). Besides, this helps assign appropriate pay scales for additional jobs between the already ranked. Lastly, combining ratings is usually the last step. It is because some jobs are ranked independently, so the average ratings must be determined.
Despite being the most common job evaluation method, the ranking method faces several drawbacks. Ranking creates a culture of competition rather than teamwork. It encourages the use of unethical methods to beat the competition. Employees refrain from sharing ideas and helping colleagues, eventually affecting business operations. Also, employees focus only on the assessment areas (Schemmer et al., 2022). Secondly, the urge to remain competitive results in high-stress levels, thus leading to employee turnover. There is a high level of burnout and absenteeism due to low employee morale. Employees who cannot handle the pressure quit. Witnessing employees miss out on pay rise can be stressful, and employees end up overworking to avoid being on the list.
Additionally, the ranking needs to give room for performance improvements. Ranking from top to bottom means that some employees receive low ranks despite being good at their job. It demoralizes employees and does not give them the urge to perform better. Also, the ranking method limits human development. The method does not aim at unleashing employees’ potential through training and guidance (Schemmer et al., 2022). However, it evaluates employees based on specific criteria at that time, not considering the effects of performance with proper mentorship. It ignores the relevance of transferring skills, hence chasing away helpful talent. Lastly, the ranking method becomes obsolete over time. Ranking as a method of job evaluation is effective as a one-time practice; after that may be bad for a company. The idea of doing away with low performers after every job evaluation leads to understaffing, which is dangerous to the company’s success.
References
Dessler, G. (2017) Human Resource Management. New York: Pearson.
Schemmer, T., Reinhard, J., Brauner, P., & Ziefle, M. (2022). Advantages and challenges of extracting process knowledge through serious games. In Proceedings GamiFIN Conference. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philipp-Brauner/publication/361053008_Advantages_and_challenges_of_extracting_process_knowledge_through_serious_games/links/6299d18455273755ebcf284f/Advantages-and-challenges-of-extracting-process-knowledge-through-serious-games.pdf
Leadership In Nursing
Leadership plays a crucial role in effectively developing and implementing healthcare policies, and nurse leaders face unique challenges. When creating and implementing policy, a particular type of leadership stands out as best suited for the task. Transformational leadership is widely regarded as the most effective approach for driving policy changes in healthcare settings (Specchia et al., 2021). This leadership style empowers individuals, fosters innovation, and inspires a shared vision, all essential for navigating healthcare policy’s complex and dynamic landscape.
Transformational leadership is characterized by its ability to inspire and motivate followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes. Nurse leaders who adopt this approach empower their team members by encouraging autonomy, creativity, and critical thinking (Ferreira et al., 2020). In healthcare policy, this involves stakeholders at every level, including frontline nurses, administrators, patients, and other relevant parties, in the policy development process. By giving them a voice and a sense of ownership, transformational leaders create an environment that encourages the generation of innovative ideas and solutions.
Transformational leaders excel at creating a shared vision and aligning the efforts of diverse individuals towards a common goal. This is especially crucial in healthcare policy, as policy changes often require collaboration among various stakeholders with different perspectives and interests. Nurse leaders who adopt a transformational approach can articulate a compelling vision of improved healthcare outcomes and engage others in working towards it (Collins et al., 2020). By fostering a shared understanding of the desired policy objectives and the potential benefits, these leaders can rally support and build momentum for policy implementation.
The dynamic and ever-changing nature of healthcare policy necessitates a leadership style that can adapt to new challenges and foster continuous improvement. Transformational leaders are known for embracing change and inspiring others to do the same (Ferreira et al., 2020). Policy development and implementation means being responsive to emerging evidence, technological advancements, and evolving healthcare needs. By encouraging a culture of learning and adaptation, transformational leaders can guide their teams through the complexities and uncertainties inherent in healthcare policy, ensuring that policies remain relevant, effective, and responsive to the population’s needs.
Transformational leadership also promotes a culture of trust and collaboration. These elements are essential for successful policy development and implementation in healthcare. Trust enables open communication, facilitates sharing of ideas and concerns, and encourages constructive feedback (Collins et al., 2020). In policy, nurse leaders can foster an environment where stakeholders feel safe to voice their opinions and participate actively in policy-making. Collaboration, on the other hand, ensures that diverse perspectives are taken into account and that decisions are made with the input and consensus of relevant parties. Nurse leaders can create an environment conducive to effective policy development and implementation by prioritising trust and collaboration.
While transformational leadership is the most suitable style for healthcare policy creation and implementation, nurse leaders may encounter challenges. These challenges often stem from the complex nature of the healthcare system, which involves multiple stakeholders, competing interests, and a rapidly changing landscape (Ferreira et al., 2020). Nurse leaders may face resistance to change, limited resources, and bureaucratic hurdles that can impede policy progress. However, nurse leaders can navigate these challenges more effectively by adopting a transformational leadership approach. Transformational leadership’s empowering and inspirational nature can help overcome resistance to change by fostering a culture of engagement and collaboration. Nurse leaders can find creative solutions to resource constraints and bureaucratic obstacles by encouraging innovation and creativity, ultimately driving policy changes forward.
One notable example of policy development that exemplifies transformational leadership is the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) in an extensive hospital system. The nurse leader responsible for this initiative demonstrated transformational leadership by inspiring and engaging the nursing staff (Collins et al., 2020). Through regular communication and active involvement, the leader created a shared vision of the benefits and importance of EHRs, addressing potential concerns and resistance among the nurses. This leadership style fostered a sense of trust and commitment among the nursing staff, resulting in their active participation and cooperation throughout the implementation process.
The success of this initiative can be attributed to the transformational leadership approach employed. The nurse leader provided clear guidance and encouraged the nursing staff to contribute their ideas and suggestions. By valuing their input, the leader empowered the nurses to take ownership of the project, which enhanced their motivation and commitment (Kiwanuka et al., 2021). The transformational leader also facilitated the necessary training and support, ensuring the nurses were adequately prepared for the EHR implementation. As a result, the hospital system successfully transitioned to electronic health records, improving efficiency, patient safety, and overall quality of care.
Another example of policy change that illustrates transformational leadership is implementing a new pain management protocol in a healthcare organization. The nurse leader leading this initiative adopted a transformational leadership style by involving multidisciplinary teams of nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. Through open and transparent communication, the leader created an environment where ideas and perspectives were valued, developing a comprehensive pain management protocol that incorporated best practices and evidence-based guidelines.
The success of this policy change can be attributed to the transformational leadership style employed by the nurse leader. The leader promoted a shared commitment to improving pain management practices by fostering collaboration and teamwork among the various stakeholders. The transformational leader provided mentorship and support to the nursing staff, encouraging them to embrace and implement the new protocol consistently (Collins et al., 2020). Through ongoing education and training, the leader ensured that all healthcare providers were well-informed and equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement the new pain management protocol effectively.
Effective leadership is crucial in the development and implementation of healthcare policies. Transformational leadership, in particular, has shown to be successful in driving policy development and change. Through the examples of implementing electronic health records and a new pain management protocol, we have seen how transformational leaders inspire, motivate, and empower their teams. By fostering collaboration, trust, and innovation, transformational leaders create an environment supporting healthcare policy implementation. These examples highlight the importance of leadership in navigating challenges and achieving positive outcomes in policy development and change within healthcare organizations.
References
Collins, E., Owen, P., Digan, J., & Dunn, F. (2020). Applying transformational leadership in nursing practice. Nurs Stand, 35(5), 59-66.
Ferreira, V. B., Amestoy, S. C., Silva, G. T. R. D., Trindade, L. D. L., Santos, I. A. R. D., & Varanda, P. A. G. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing practice: Challenges and strategies. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73.
Kiwanuka, F., Nanyonga, R. C., Sak‐Dankosky, N., Muwanguzi, P. A., & Kvist, T. (2021). Nursing leadership styles and their impact on intensive care unit quality measures: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 133-142.
Specchia, M. L., Cozzolino, M. R., Carini, E., Di Pilla, A., Galletti, C., Ricciardi, W., & Damiani, G. (2021). Leadership styles and nurses’ job satisfaction. Results of a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 1552.