The Effects & Importance of a Staffing System on Organizational Developmentby Linda Ray, Demand Media

The decisions you make about staffing your business can have dramatic effects on the quality of your work, your retention rates and level of customer service. Production and goals are at risk. Making appropriate staffing decisions is one of the most important tasks for a manager or small business owner.

GoalsThe primary purpose that you add staff to your organization is to get the right people in place to help you meet your goals. By being clear about your goals, you can make plans and implement changes that bring you closer to that goal. One of the basic functions of a successful manager is to map out the future and make plans that support that ideal, according to the Management Study Guide. By choosing appropriate action, such as developing and utilizing viable staffing solutions, you come closer to ensuring that you'll reach your target goals.PlanningProper planning ensures you'll have appropriate staff in place as you need it. For example, if you own a restaurant, you need to plan ahead to holidays and special events at which you expect to draw crowds. Keeping a calendar that highlights rush times in your industry or peak production expectations allows you to plan for the needs and not be caught short-handed. If you don't plan for expected surges, not only will you lose business, you may lose the confidence of your other employees and your base clientele.RecruitmentIn addition to having sufficient staff to meet your customer demands, you also need to have the right people in the right positions, advises the Management Study Guide. Your business runs more smoothly and more effectively when you look for specific qualities in potential employees during the recruitment process. Starting out with the best candidates, you then should be on the lookout for staff members that you can promote, cross-train and develop. Staff development helps you keep your retention rates high and save money on hiring and newcomer training.GuidelinesA wise businessperson develops staffing guidelines that you and your hiring managers can follow during the recruitment process. You must be aware of anti-discrimination laws to prevent lawsuits or labor reviews. A successful staffing system takes advantage of electronic data available online about potential candidates. Set probationary periods for new-hires to allow yourself room for early termination if your staffing system fails at any point. Additionally, a successful staffing system keeps up with current trends in employee benefit packages to attract quality staff and retain your current trained staff. Meet the needs of your employees and your business will thrive.

Definition of Staffing System ManagementByMarquis Codjia, eHow Contributor

Staffing system management helps an organization put an end to top leadership's concerns about productivity and efficiency. Department heads use the system to understand what it takes to grow sales and improve customer service, as well as how personnel must perform important tasks to attract more clients and gain market share.

Definition Staffing system management deals with how an organization comes up with better, effective ways to deal with employee attrition. This is the rate at which personnel leave the company every year. It also indicates how long, on average, employees stay after hire. Staffing program administration also helps top leadership have a clear visibility on the thorny issues that could hamper employee productivity. For example, human resources managers may say that employee morale is high and keeps growing over time -- but company executives may doubt the trend can really last in light of the high attrition rate the organization is coping with.Staffing System A staffing system is integral to the way companies manage their employees and ensure that their personal and collective interests align with corporate objectives. The system is a hodgepodge of processes, people and state-of-the-art technology a company relies on to evaluate whether the favorable trends it sees in employee performance reviews are real, or whether these trends ultimately would peter out. The tools of the trade include enterprise resource planning software, human resources management applications, personnel scheduling software, content work-flow programs, project management software, and calendar and scheduling applications.Significance A company that effectively manages its staffing system is more likely to know, at any given point, how many people it employs, their job descriptions and their performance levels over specific periods -- say, the last five or 10 years. With this knowledge, top leadership can adeptly tackle the tough problems of profitability management and expense reduction. For example, senior managers can calculate the company's expense-by-headcount ratio to determine how much a worker costs and evaluate overall productivity in a department or business unit.

The management functions listed above can be categorized by using the acronym POSDCORB (Bonoma & Slevin, 1978, from Gulick & Urwick, 1959):Planning:outlining philosophy, policy, objectives, and resultant things to be accomplished, and the techniques for accomplishmentOrganizing:establishing structures and systems through which activities are arranged, defined, and coordinated in terms of some specific objectivesStaffing:fulfilling the personnel function, which includes selecting and training staff and maintaining favourable work conditionsDirecting:making decisions, embodying decisions in instructions, and serving as the leader of the enterpriseCoordinating:interrelating the various parts of the workReporting:keeping those to whom you are responsible, including both staff and public, informedBudgeting:making financial plans, maintaining accounting and management control of revenue, and keeping costs in line with objectivesStaffingA key aspect of managing an adult and extension enterprise is to find the right people for the right jobs. Much of one's success as a manager is related to appropriate human resource planning, regardless of whether it is the hiring of a secretary or an instructor for a particular work-shop. The staffing function consists of several elements:1. Human resource planning - how many staff resources, with what backgrounds, and at what cost can be considered for objectives implementation?2. Recruitment - how does one proceed to find the person with the appropriate mix of education, experience, human relations skills, communications skills, and motivation? An important component of the recruitment process is writing the job description. The description must be exact and specific but sufficiently general to solicit interest among potential candidates. The nature of the job, scope, authority, and responsibilities form the core of the job description. Indications of preferred educational background as well as salary range must also be included. In times of high unemployment, one can always expect several dozen applications for any one opportunity for employment. This leads to the next task of staff selection.Staff SelectionThe process of staff selection involves evaluating candidates through application forms, curriculum vitae, and interviews and choosing the best candidate for the specific job responsibility. One can even have a list of criteria and a score sheet for each individual. Even then, successful hiring is often a very intuitive act and involves some degree of risk.As a means of giving some structure and design to the staffing process, the following guidelines are useful (dark, 1973). Each job interview should be characterized by:1. A clear definition of the purpose of the interview2. The presence of a structure or general plan3. The use of the interaction as a learning experience in a pleasant and stimulating atmosphere4. The creation and maintenance of rapport between the interviewer and interviewee5. The establishment of mutual confidence6. Respect for the interviewee's interest and individuality by the interviewer7. An effort to put the interviewee at ease8. The establishment and maintenance of good communication9. The willingness to treat what is being said in proper perspective10. The just treatment of each intervieweeStaff OrientationThis is the process of formally introducing the selected individual to the particular unit, to colleagues, and to the organization. The selected person should be aware of the mission and objectives of the unit, the nature of responsibilities and level of authority, the degree of accountability, and the systems and procedures followed to accomplish the tasks associated with the job. A motivated individual will simply ask for such things as personnel manuals, administrative procedures handbooks, and aims and objectives statements. Such orientation tools should be available.

Organizational Structure & Staffingby Susan S. Davis, Demand MediaOrganizational structure and staffing refers to a company, business or other entity's operations and management. Defining the organizational structure for a business is a key aspect of small business planning, including staffing. Often based upon estimates, considerations concerning staffing may include budgets, production requirements and employee and management staff work experience. Using business organizational structure, managers may determine required staffing, how to utilize existing resources and when to add new staff to complete work.Purpose of Organizational StructureAn organization may be structured in different ways, according to its main objectives. Company structure determines how the business will operate and perform. Organizational structure can allow for the allocation of responsibilities for the company's functions in management and production. Operational standards and routines may be developed based upon the foundation that organizational structure provides. Designing an organizational structure also helps to determine which staff will participate in decision making, which can be helpful in shaping the actions of the company or business.Structure TypesThe type of organizational structure that a company may use is determined by the type of business and the environment that it is in. Task allocation, supervision and coordination and goal achievement are all aspects to consider when designing an organization structure for a company. While some organizations may use hierarchical structures, smaller businesses may opt to use a more informal system. For example, a small company may only have an owner who also functions as the operations manager. As the business grows, managers may be added to supervise staff in specific areas of the company.Functional OrganizationsSmall businesses frequently structure the company around specific job functions. This kind of business structure works for companies that feature a limited number of products or services and therefore have fewer production requirements than a large corporation. Staffing for this type of operation might include the owner, a main manager and enough staff to produce and manage the products and services. For example, a business that depends upon customers who purchase products needs to have at least one person who can adequately handle the orders received to be able to operate at a bare minimum. Ideally, a small business should at least have a manager who can attend to business matters, while another person attends to production and customer service.Staffing RequirementsTo determine staffing needs, companies may use job functions to identify the types of skills necessary for each position. Time estimates and materials required for each job should be defined, along with the level of skill required. For example, if products sold are acquired from another company, a manager or other individual would be responsible to obtain those products. If, however, the products are produced by the company, it would be necessary to employ production people who know how to make the products being sold. The experience level and caliber of the staff required vary according to the company's exact production or service needs.