早在2004年我加入美國空軍時,我的目標是完成基本的軍事訓練、學習特殊技能、追求我的軍事教育事業,某一天退休后也許可以作為招募飛行員。然而,隨著時間一天天過去我意識到作為一名飛行員不僅僅是每隔8小時的輪流工作，甚至會分配到全球的偏遠地區。我開始我的軍旅生涯，從當學徒開始,關于這點我希望可以理解且符合軍用標準。此外,我也期望在新的職業領域上掌握新技能,成為一個工作效率高的軍人，加快完成我們的任務。經過36個月的課程訓練，我的軍銜等級又升了一級,成為一個高度熟練的技術人員。要想成為高級飛行員,我的上司開始準備我的下一階段軍事生涯；因此,我開始學習世界管理知識。通過在“飛行員領導力學校”參加一個稱為飛行員的專業軍事教育項目培訓后，我從飛行員的職位轉化為一名非委員會官員。這是飛行員可以學習如何成為一線監管者的一個六周計劃;此外,此程序包括三個主要領域:職業武器、溝通技巧和領導能力。
 
When I joined the United States Air Force back in 2004, my goals were to complete basic military training, learn a particular skill, pursue my education and perhaps someday retire as an Enlisted Airman. However, as time went by I realized that being an Airman was more than just fulfilling an eight hour shift or deploying to remote areas around the globe. I began my military career as an apprentice, at this point I was expected to understand and comply with military standards. Moreover, I was also expected to master my skills within my new career field and become an effective worker in order to enhance our mission goals. Throughout the course of thirty six months I began to move up in rank and became a highly skilled technician. With the rank of Senior Airman, my supervisors began to prepare me for the next phase of my military career; therefore, I began to learn about the world of management. My transition from Airman to a Non Commission Officer began through a professional military educational program called Airman Leadership School. This is a six week program in which Airman can learn how to become first-line supervisors; in addition, this program covers three main areas: profession of arms, communication skills and leadership. Now that I have become a supervisor my duties and responsibilities have changed dramatically; my main focus is to take care of my Airman and to provide them with the necessary tools in order to support our military operations. Many businesses around the world have developed their own managerial training just like the Air Force in order to enhance and achieve their organizational goals. On the other hand, it is important to understand that management is not an easy topic for businesses around the world because it deals difficult subjects such as: people, company resources and technology. Therefore, in this essay I will attempt to describe some of the most valuable elements of management which can improve employee performance and work productivity.#p#分頁標題#e#
 
All organizations rely on their employee's performance to survive in the business world; consequently, an employee's performance can be affected by the way management treats an individual. According to Daniel P. Amos CEO of AFLAC Incorporated "If you treat your employees well, they will take care of your customers and your business" (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.3). Therefore, it is important to state that treating well your employees is one of the most basic and valuable principles found in businesses around the world. The success of an organization lies on the trust and loyalty of each employee and we can only achieve that when we put people first. AFLAC Incorporated understands the value of each employee because customer satisfaction is a direct result of a positive relationship between employees and customers (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.4). Now the real question is how does management take care of employees or how do we care for their needs. In 1934, the International Business Machines also know as IBM decided to do away with the piece-work policy and implement a salary for all employees; Watson believed that he could increase employee performance by creating a better form of payment (Watson Jr., 1990, p. 73). Additionally, in 1953 IBM developed equal opportunity policy letters in order to avoid discrimination during hiring processes (Watson Jr., 1990, p.306). In 1991, AFLAC realized that child care was a tough problem; as a result, AFLAC created the Imagination Station to provide child care services for working parents (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.4). A.H. Maslow stated that once the basic needs of humans are met more difficult needs will arise (Harell & Daim, 2010, p.2). Therefore, it is the manager's responsibility to find ways to alleviate basic employee needs and not try to solve all employee needs that could arise.
 
On the other hand, it is not enough to meet the needs of our employees in order to build a successful company, but as managers we must also learn how to develop motivational techniques among employees. According to Roy Vallee CEO of Avnet, Incorporated, "employee motivation is the key to effective leadership" (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.20). In 2000, Avnet, Inc. decided to formalize their core values; consequently, they developed ten core values to serve as motivation for each employee (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.20). Almost every organization that I know has some type of core value system as a foundation to guide members of a particular group. In the USAF the core values are very important because they are part of each Airman's heritage and daily life style. According to Air Force Doctrine, the core values "remind us what it takes to get the mission done. They inspire us to do our very best at all times" (p.3). Another element in which managers can motivate employees is to create a recognition and reward program. In my opinion recognition is a fundamental element for any company; managers can use recognition as a powerful tool increase the morale within a team or group. For example, as part of the 440th Supply Chain Operations Squadron it is the responsibility of our commander to ensure that all Airmen receive the proper recognition every month. We have various recognition programs such as rank promotion, physical training excellence, specialty knowledge test and volunteer of the month. Rank promotion is the most popular for several reasons; the individual is recognized and presented with his/her new rank in the presence of the entire squadron. Moreover, the Airman receives a pay increase on his/her paycheck. And finally, the Airman also receives additional duties and responsibilities which in turn it will help the Airman grow on a professional level. From personal experience recognition is a great source of encouragement for any individual because it feels good to be appreciated by your management. Steve Belkin, chairman and CEO of Trans national Group also understands the importance of appreciating his company staff. According to Steve Belkin, he says "I send a birthday card and write a note thanking them for their caring and effort (Yaverbaum, 2004, p. 230). Managers must also understand that every employee is different; therefore, managers must communicate with each individual and find out what motivates their employees (Harell & Daim, 2010, p.1). According to Harell and Daim, a survey was conducted among working men and women to determine any motivational differences or similarities for both genders (2010, p. 7). The survey revealed that Men and Women find pay/allowances as the top motivator; on the other hand, Men were more concerned with autonomy/responsibility/variety of tasks then Women (Harell & Daim, 2010, p.7).The implementation of training programs can significally improves performance and productivity among employees. "Trying to do a job you haven't been trained for is discouraging and demotivating" (Forsberg, Mooz & Cotterman, 2005, p. 333). Therefore, managers must provide good solid training in order to empower each employee and build their confidence. Each individual within the USAF has a training record called Training Business Area also known as TBA. This training application gives visibility over an employee's training areas and managers are provided with user friendly tools keep track of progress in real time. Consequently, our supervisors can easily schedule weekly training sessions and ensure that all personnel are receiving the proper training. James W. Keyes, CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc understands that business effectiveness is a direct result of "senior management engaged in teaching" (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.203). In his book "Organizational Behavior", Stephen P. Robbins says that in order for companies to stay competitive they must spend billions of dollars on training programs every year; in addition, U.S. companies can spend up to $56.8 billion each year (p. 493). It is also important to state that not all training is focused on entry level positions or inexperience employees. Now days, "most of the training is directed at upgrading and improving employees technical skills" (Robbins, 2003, p.494). We owed upgrading training to the fast technological advancement; companies must provide employees with additional training in order to maintain certain types of equipment and machinery (Robbins, 2003, p.494). At Langley AFB Virginia each squadron requires a Local Area Network (LAN) office in order to maintain all computer systems. In 2008, I was fortunate to be part of the LAN office for my squadron; consequently, the USAF provided several training courses and certifications in order to maintain the required skill level for our computer systems. Many of these formal training courses are offered as CBT's (Computer-based Training); however, if it's a specialized training such as Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft SQL Server the USAF can provide tuition assistance with any local school. On the other hand, informal training is very popular and common among companies now days. Moreover, "evidence indicates that 70 percent of workplace learning is made up of informal training"; this type of training is described as improvisation among co-workers (Robbins, 2003, p. 495).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
It is impossible for human beings to exist without communication; it is the only way in which human begins can share thoughts, information and ideas (Robbins, 2003, p.238). Managers can communicate with their employees in two major ways, written and verbal. Written communication can be provided through policy letters, emails, faxes and newsletters to mention a few. Within the USAF it is common for Commanding Officers to communicate with monthly newsletters. They use this communication tool to address any issues and concerns through the organization. It is also a great tool to provide a status on the progress of major project within the unit. Moreover, commanders can also use policy letters to communicate compliance changes in USAF regulations such as: uniform standards, change of command and deployment/assignment duties. Written communication can be beneficial for managers and employee because the message content can be stored and referenced at any time in case of lengthy documents (Robbins, 2003, p.287). Another benefit is that each document is carefully written to avoid any errors or confusion when managers try to pass on crucial information to all employees (Robbins, 2003, p. 287). On the other hand, written communication can also be time consuming; depending on the complexity of the message, it may take several hours and even days to write (Robbins, 2003, p.288). Verbal communication is the most common way of communication. Managers use verbal communication to motivate, train and to interact with employees on a daily basis. In the business world "communication can flow vertically or laterally" (Robbins, 2003, p.285). Vertical communication can also be divided into two main elements downward and upward (Robbins, 2003, p.285). According to William P. Lauder, COO of Estee Lauder downward communication can be used to "communicate the objectives in a manner understandable by the audience" (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.70). Furthermore, managers also used the downward element to inform employees of company goals, procedures, policies and performance feedback (Robbins, 2003, p.285). Performance feedback is very common in the USAF. Each time an Airman is assigned to a Non Commission Officer; the supervisor has 60 day to perform an initial feedback. An Airman's first feedback session will cover the following six areas: performance, primary duties, compliance/standards, conduct/behavior on/off duty, supervision/leadership and individual training requirements (Air Force Pamphlet, 1997, p.4). Nevertheless, the "upward communication keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their job" (Robbins, 2003, p.286). In my opinion, this is one of the most important elements because managers have the opportunity to listen to their employee's feedback. To Matt Rubel CEO of Cole Haan listening to his employees is the most power leadership element because it shows respect and some of the best leadership decision is a result of employee feedback (Yaverbaum, 2004, p.28). Finally, we have lateral communication which can be described as the verbal interaction between members of a particular team (Robbins, 2003, p.286). It is important for managers to control and allow members of the same group to share information and to interact with each other. Although many times these interactions can cause negative reactions; it can also be beneficial for group development. Lateral communication can be beneficial because employees can solve problems at lowest level without a manager's intervention. However, negative reactions can result when team members try to go above their supervision to solve a particular issue (Robbins, 2003, p.286).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
Since the beginning of time ancient hunters were aware of the power of teamwork. Many of the hunter gardeners developed basic cooperation skills in order to survive. In the same way managers must utilize each employee's talent and unified it into a single team to effectively enhance performance and productivity. In order to establish a team we must first identify the objectives, roles and responsibilities (Forsberg, Mooz & Cotterman, 2005, p. 72). It is the manager's responsibility to ensure that each member clearly understands the group goals; an organization cannot afford to have an employee perform certain functions within a group without a clear understanding of the objective. Moreover, managers should define roles and responsibilities among employees and create an environment in which respect is the basis for interaction with one another (Forsberg, Mooz & Cotterman, 2005, p. 72). A clear code of conduct should also be established among the group; as we stated before the company's core values are the perfect way to set the ethical standard. Also, it is important for managers to display a positive attitude among employees to ensure the integrity of the team's morale (Forsberg, Mooz & Cotterman, 2005, p. 76). Finally, managers should build their teams based on member flexibility to improve adaptability; therefore, each employee could be able to complete other members tasks (Robbins, 203, p.266).
 
It is evident that the world of management is very broad and complex. However, it is the way we utilize the science of management that ensures organizational survival. The goal of management is to gather people in order to accomplish a particular goal. In research essay I was able to share some of the basic and yet most valuable elements that can enhance employee performance and productivity. In addition, there is so much information and other ways in which managers can motive and inspire their employees. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that companies need treat their employees with respect in order to get the best out of them.