ROWE Program at Best Buy

Describe the culture of Best Buy. As we begin to more towards a more diverse work environment, we may encounter changes that at one time were unheard of such as women and minorities being in charge. Because of this dynamic group, Best buy will need to implement changes to support the efforts of the business. One of the things that were prevalent at Best Buy was women were not only charge but also were wives and mothers who had to find balance in the workplace as well as at home. There was a time when Best Buy would accept that fact that if you were working long hours you were a dedicated worker who loves their job. Do not work more if you will sacrifice something irreplaceable. Everyone knows that dying people do not wish they had spent more time at work (Malleck, 2007).
Again, some women had to decide if they would make ultimate sacrifices to be a supportive wife and mother and work less to stay at home more. For some they would have to decide if working long hours make them stand out among their co-workers at the cost of health concerns that may follow them. Best Buy knew that this type of atmosphere needed addressing and revamped to support the generation that would come in and take over. Ms. Jansen was facing a dilemma and for the reason that she felt like she was overworked and contemplated the thought of quitting since she was a working mother and wife who wanted to meet the demands of her family as well as work (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). The ability to manage stress in the workplace can make the difference between success and failure on the job. Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others (Horwitz, L., Jaffe-Gill, E., Segal, J. Segal, R., and Smith, M., 2010). As the generational turnover in the workplace emerge Buy Best will initiate a program that they fell be beneficial to all the employees at headquarters and hopefully to all its retail employees over a period. Discuss the approach to organizational change that the ROWE program illustrates. Many of today’s organizations would like its employees to come to work feeling good about their contributions that they make on a daily basis. Knowing there could be flexibility about when and where a Best Buy employee could work means a productive work force for the management in place. The risks that are involved would outweigh the objective probability and relieve those who felt like they are overworked allowing the alternative method be incorporated. Management used the subjective probability based on their personal judgment that the results of the implementation could increase great work ethics and loyalty to their organization. Because of this methodology, the chance of uncertainty was great because for the retail managers, who had employees that were on the clock, they had to manage a group through intuition, creativity and other information made available (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011).
Discuss the resistance, both organization and individual, that the ROWE program had to overcome. The number one question that was considered was would the workers in this workforce that is structured, still provide quality customer service and production? The risk propensity in which Best Buy would have to deal with could potentially come with a price of those who desire to have a steady work schedule and not rely on plugging in time where others may chose not to come to work. In addition, they may be in a situation where managers may feel like they are losing control of their employees because they may not be able to feel in the gaps of a short staff based on employees being able to be flexible in coming to work. Now rather than having a set schedule, employees are given a task and a deadline to complete it and when and how it is done will not be the issue but rather it meets the deadline that was set (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). Some of the departments within Best Buy such as the legal department resisted the fact that “Results-only Environment” (ROWE) program could potentially cut back on their need for service and therefore reduce their pay. Jane Kirshbaum felt that while it may be good for some it might not be for her because she finds herself working on her scheduled time off. Since there is so much flexibility, many feel that it is a step in the right direction. This needed change for some was one that could be easily adapted (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011).
Discuss the sources of stress that are apparent in the case. When people feel overwhelmed, they lose confidence and become irritable or withdrawn, making them less productive and effective and their work less rewarding. If the warning signs of work stress go unattended, they can lead to bigger problems (Horwitz, L., Jaffe-Gill, E., Segal, J. Segal, R., and Smith, M., 2010). Just the mere fact of changes in a workplace will bring stress to individuals who the changes affect. Jennifer Janssen felt the stress of her job elevated when she was under the clock trying to balance work and family where she had to figure out what was more important to her when problems arise. She was stressing out when she was under the constraints of trying to figure out how to resolve the
5. Discuss whether or not the organizational culture has helped with the change.

References
Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (2011). Organizational Behavior 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
(Horwitz, L., Jaffe-Gill, E., Segal, J., Segal, R., and Smith, M., 2010). Stress at work. Retrieved on 17 Mar 2011 from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm
Malleck, J., (2007). How Much Time Should You Spent on Work. Retrieved on 17 Mar 2011 from http://jillmalleck.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/how-much-time-should-you-spend-on-work/