Organizational Analysis of the Sales

Organizational

Analysis of the Sales Team at a Cable Providing Company

Within the current context of increased competition at a global level, organizational leaders strive harder than ever to create the most appealing working conditions and as such increase employee motivation and ultimate performances. An effective means by which both levels of employee motivation as well as performance are increased is that of integrating the staff members in teams. The benefits of teams are countless, such as the ability to better capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of its members, a reduced reticence to change or better delegation of responsibilities, to pin point just a few (Harvard Business School Press, 2006).

While not every organizational department can be structured into teams, the sales force is one which reveals this ability. I was once part of a sales team and through this article, I aim to offer a description of the group, its development through time, its structure and the impact on group effectiveness and the dynamics of its internal behavior. The report will come to an end with a section on concluding remarks, which will not only restate the most important pieces of information, but will also assess how the analysis has made an impact on the writer.

2. Group Description

The group forms the sales force at a cable providing company. Recently, the organization has introduced a new service of internet. By using the same cable that provides television services, the company's technical department splits it at the point of entrance in the customer's home and also provides internet. The current aim of the sales team is to sell as many new services as possible to already existent customers as well as new ones. They will achieve this desiderate through direct marketing, traditional marketing, and telemarketing. Furthermore, they will also literally knock on doors to present the service and attract customers towards it.

The sales team is imposed a minimal number of 50 new contracts per week. If they make more than 100 new contracts, the department receives a bonus, which is allocated by the sales and marketing manager to the people with the highest levels of performance. The goals of the sales team are the same as the goals of the organization, which revolve around selling as many internet packages as possible. The unification of the employees' individual goals with the overall goals of the employer is generally a difficult task, but in this case, it has been achieved through the offering of compensation whenever the targets were over-fulfilled.

In terms of composition, the group is formed from 30 individuals. Six employees possess college degrees, with specialties in sales and marketing and they form the first level of the sales team (the actual structure and the characteristics of each subgroup will be offered throughout the fourth section). Two of these six employees also possess masters' degrees in sales and marketing. The ten employees which make up for the second subgroup possess either college education, but without a specialty in marketing and sales, either they do not have a college education, but do possess other degrees in sales and marketing. Finally, the third subgroup counts fourteen employees, which only possess a high school education and no additional certificates in sales and marketing.

In terms of gender structure, 19 employees are male and 11 are female; they are equally distributed across subgroups. In terms of age, this varies between 54 and 18, with the specification that the second and first subgroups generally hire mature individuals; the youngest team members, and consequently the least experienced ones, are hired by the final subgroup.

3. Development within the Group

Just like change is implemented as an ongoing process of evolution, the sales team has also been subjected to modifications as part of its growth and development process (growth is here understood not as an actual growth in size, but one in skills, abilities and so on). In this order of ideas, group development came in two sets. The first set was pegged to the larger changes which impacted the overall organization. In most cases, the development of a group can only occur in a context in which the organization as a whole develops. Vice versa, an organization cannot develop unless its component divisions also develop (Wheelan and Conway, 1991). Situations in which the sales team was forced to develop as the organization developed refer to the introduction of a new product or the enlargement of the customer palette.

The second means of development refers to internal processes of change, during which the sales team developed, but where the evolution was not pegged to organizational changes. Examples in this sense include the introduction of commissions to stimulate sales staff, the replacement of the employees who left the team with new members or the fact that the more experienced team members will share their knowledge and expertise and stimulate the other sales employees to increase their performances.

4. Group Structure

The sales force at the cable proving company is structured onto three levels, as follows:

The first level consist of the most experienced sales employees; becoming part of this level is also pegged to the relationship with the firm in the meaning that it would be difficult for a new employee to be placed at this level, regardless of his skills. This first level is generally in charge of marketing activities. They make decisions such as distribution and promotions, and they also set the schedule and responsibilities of the next two subgroups within the sales team. These employees receive a fixed salary, generally above the nationally established medium income, possess at least a college education and do not interact with organizational customers.

The second component is formed from the telemarketing staff. These employees do not necessarily need a college degree (although it is considered a plus), but do require vast experience in interacting with customers over the phone. Their tasks revolve around telephoning current and prospective customers and informing them of the new service, trying to convince them to sign on or answering the telephone. If someone calls and asks to become the recipient of the new service, the telemarketing subgroup will sign in the demand and send a technical team to handle the operation. The telemarketing employees receive a medium income and commissions for each new contract signed.

Finally, the third subgroup is formed from employees without a college degree, whose main roles are those of literally knocking on doors and presenting the new product. They receive minimum income and commissions for the signed contracts.

The impact of the group structure onto its effectiveness levels is sadly a negative one at times, and this is given by the relationship between the second and third levels. The employees at the third level are angered by the fact that they do the hard work of knocking on doors, but the customers are not always convinced on the spot. They often make their minds afterwards and then call the headquarters and require the internet service. This means that the commissions adherent to these customers go to the telemarketing staff, instead of the employees at the third level. This situation causes internal tensions, impedes adequate communications, reduces motivation and as such negatively impacts the overall effectiveness of the group.

5. Dynamics of Group Behavior

Group dynamics are generally defined as the means in which the members of a team interact with each other (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, online version, 2009). They are influenced by a series of factors, some more stable and others more flexible and changing. In terms of the more stable drivers of group dynamics, one could point out the organizational behavior or the training programs offered by the company in shaping the team and stimulating communications. Relative to the more ephemeral forces, these could include the personal likes and/or dislikes of team members, the professional outcomes of the day or feelings that one team member is performing more / less work than the others (Winter and Neal, 1995).

The group dynamics within the analyzed sales team were generally positive ones, in the meaning that communication was fostered and encouraged at all times. Then, the manager of the sales and marketing division strives to remove the barriers between the three subgroups and integrate all staff members within a unified group, following the same agenda. Internal tensions however occurred and were most obvious in the relationship between the second and third level groups. Aside these frictions however, the members were generally able to act professionally and some of them even set the basis for friendships outside the workplace.

6. Conclusions

The group assessed represents the sales team at a cable providing company. Its goals were generally those forwarded by the organization, in the meaning of selling as many service packages as possible. The group was generally diverse and structured onto three levels, based on previous expertise, education and tasks to be handled. In terms of developments, these occurred either as requested by the organization, or as the result of changes within the interior of the group. Despite the internal frictions between the second and third subgroups, the group dynamics were generally positive and supportive of the group's goals.