Tasks Performed During Internship and Reflection - Essay Sample

Introduction

I worked for an organization in the sports industry. Specifically, my internship took place in an organization whose core sports activity is tennis. Consequently, some of my responsibilities were associated with on-court tennis related activities. I was also responsible for not only operations but also for management-related tasks. In the operations and management, some of the tasks that I performed include operations planning, social media marketing, logistics planning, facility relationships, and customer relations. While performing the assigned activities, I had an opportunity to gain a lot of skills, experience, and knowledge on the theoretical aspects of management learned in class and their application in practice. The internship provided me with a chance to learn and experience a wide variety of not only business but also management-related functions that were critical to the successful operation of an elite sports academy program. During the internship, I found out that the management concepts and theories learned in class were applicable in the workplace. While performing various tasks, I tried to apply the theories and the concepts. I also used the knowledge of the theories and concepts to appraise the management at the workplace.

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Despite its small size, there was a lot to be learned regarding the functions of a manager. Some of the tasks and responsibilities that I was given involved management functions. While the functions of a manager include controlling, staffing, organizing, planning, and directing, I participated mostly in the function of planning (Pedersen, Parks, Quarterman, & Thibault, 2011). As a sports-oriented institution, effective planning was critical to its success. As an operations planner, some of the functions I carried out were evaluating the goals of the institution and set a course for its success. The function involved evaluation of the existing activities as well as the goals. Some of the goals of the organization were to reduce the cost of operations. I did this by ensuring that the resources were efficiently used to minimize wastage. I also ensured that activities that were not necessary were eliminated from the activities and those that can be outsourced were outsourced at a lower cost. Most of the planning work involved scheduling of institution's activities in such a way that it contributed to the achievement of the goals. Planning operations demanded that I possess problem-solving skills. I had to see the big picture as I identify specific issues or activities that influenced the overall success of the organization. If the task requires that the institution receive timely deliveries of various items for the sport or office from suppliers, my goal was to improve the time it takes for suppliers to execute their product fulfilment. One of the strategies was to ensure that the orders were ordered in time.

Although my experience on the five functions of a manager was limited, I was keenly observing how managers performed their functions such as organizing, directing and controlling. Managers at the institution organized the resources to achieve the goals that were established during the planning. This includes organizing materials to be used during sports time, personnel who were tasked with various responsibilities, and finances that were used in the institutions to pay services, buy equipment, and pay the employees. The managers assigned tasks to each employee. When I reported for an internship, the human resources manager assigned me responsibilities that I was expected to carry out. She also assigned a supervisor to oversee my activities during the time I was on an internship. Sometimes, the managers were not in the workplace, but since work had to proceed smoothly, they delegated the tasks to their supervisors. While on internship, more personnel were need since the institution was expanding. It was during that time when I observed the staffing function of a manager. The human resources manager advertised for the position carried out interviews and eventually hired one of the candidates. Besides hiring the candidate, then a human resources manager also organized professional training for the various personnel. Additionally, the manager was also responsible for the monitoring and appraisal of employees as part of the staffing function. Other jobs functions that the managers perform at the institutions were directing supervisors on what to be done. Additionally, the managers performed the controlling function by establishing performance standards for the employees, measuring what the employees were doing, and comparing with the set standards. We had goals to achieve, and the results were compared with the targets.

Nowadays, many people use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and so forth to interact or get updates. The institution has recognized the power of social media. As an intern, one of the tasks I was assigned was to market the services of the institution to potential prospects and also to update current members on various issues. The updates included current and upcoming events. Although my core area is not marketing, the chance gave me an opportunity to learn skills in marketing but also management. Social media marketing was an interesting job. Since I had never used before for marketing, I was trained by my supervisor, but within a short time, I had known how to use it to reach the masses. The task helped me to appreciate the importance of communication skills when communicating with customers. All of us in the department participated in social media marketing. We worked as a team, and the supervisor coordinated the marketing function. We had targets to achieve, and we had to do our best to ensure that we meet or exceed our targets by ensuring that as many people as possible got the information. The supervisor and other managers recognized our efforts, and during meetings, they would mention our hard work.

The management of the institution employs some of the concepts of management I have learned in class. I observed that most of the 14 principles of management advanced by Henry Fayol (Tripathi & Reddy, 2017) were being applied in the organization. There was a division of work in the institution. Every employee was assigned tasks to perform. Since every task demanded specific skills and level of competence, each employee was assigned tasks in line with their qualifications. In my case, I was assigned duties that required basic skills. However, I performed most of the tasks under the guidance of my supervisor. Each employee was also encouraged to meet or exceed the set targets. Specialization was not only important for promoting efficiency but also increased productivity among the employees. There as authority and responsibility in the institutions. The management had the right to give orders to the junior level employees. Our managers should to direct us on what to do to get certain things done. In some cases, a manager could ask the employee to stop working on assignments and focus on the most urgent ones. Discipline and respect were highly valued and encouraged in the workplace. For the institution to run smoothly, all employees were expected to maintain good conduct and respect while interacting with others. The institution is organized in departments, and each department has a manager. I observed that the principle of unity of command was being applied since every employee was reporting to the manager of the department they were working on. Those who were working on the human resources department reported only to the human resources manager, while those in the operations reported to the operations manager. Besides unity of command, there was also the unity of direction. All employees performed tasks that could be linked to the same objectives. The managers were responsible for not only planning but also monitoring of work. Although every individual had their own interests, there was a lot of emphasis on organizational objectives over individual interests.

Efficiency and productivity were strongly emphasized in the workplace at the institution. To ensure that the employees are productive, there was an application of the Fayol principle of remuneration. The institution remunerates employees to keep them productive in the workplace. However, despite that I was performing almost the same work with other employees, I was not paid anything. The institution does not pay students in an internship. This action is demotivating to the interns. The organization offered various types of remuneration which included both monetary and non-monetary. Non-monetary remuneration included credits, more responsibilities, and compliments. Monetary remuneration included financial compensation and bonus. The manager used to give me non-monetary compensation. However, sometimes he could pay us some little money for fare or lunch when we perform certain tasks. The organization used the principle of the degree of centralization. In this case, the decision making authority was concentrated at the topmost level of management. However, part of the decision-making process was shared with the lower level management and staff. During or departmental meetings, our managers used to encourage us to contribute ideas on various issues. The organization had a structure which showed a hierarchy of authority from the top to the bottom which suggests that it was using the principle of the scalar chain. The scalar chain demonstrated a clear line of authority from the top managers to the lower level employees. The institution also used the principle of order since all employees had the appropriate resources at their disposal which they use to perform the various tasks. Additionally, the management ensured that the work environment was conducive by making it tidy, clean, and safe. Managers in the institution treated employees kindly and equally suggested that they adhered to the principle of equity. In the principle of the stability of tenure of employees, I observed that the management strived to minimize employee turnover by remunerating them competitively and offering a bonus when they exceed their targets. Additionally, they ensured that there were employee training and development opportunities. In line with the principle of the initiative, every employee was encouraged to be innovative by suggesting new ideas that help the organization meet its goals. Managers in the institution were also responsible for the development of morale in the workplace by encouraging employees to be united and involved. This shows they were employing the principle of spirit de corps.

While the organization was employing the 14 principles of management, there were some weaknesses which I noted. The organization structure was strictly followed. There was no flexibility in operation since it was a purely bureaucratic system. Consequently, there were delays in decision making. Decisions that could have been made easily between the supervisor and senior level management were delaying because the supervisor had to consult the manager who then contacted the senior manager. Then the senior management may have to contact the president. The ideal structure would have been a matrix organizational system. Although there exist various kinds of decision making which include authoritarian, and group decision-making, the institution employed both. There were instances where the decisions were made in the upper-level management, and all employees had to accept them. There were no questioning of some decisions even if they go against individual wishes. However, there were also decisions that involved the participation of team members. In our case, the manager may have an idea on what needs to be done to achieve the team objectives, instead...