Organisations and Behaviour - Assignment Example

?Organizations and Behaviour Table of Contents Task 3 Task 2 7 Task 3 9 Task 4 10 Reference List 13 Task Organizational structure is generally described as the responsibility and the power that is allocated systematically among the members and the way the work procedures are carried out. It includes the nature of the varied layers of the hierarchy, centralization of authority and horizontal integration. The multi dimensional aspect of the organization includes the work division specialization, departmentalization and decentralization. Organizational structure includes standardization, flexibility and formalization which help in facilitation of communication procedure. Organizational structure is said to have a considerable influence on the organizational learning and outcome which can affect the efficiency and productivity of the employees (Hao, Kasper and Muehlbacher, 2012). A hierarchy is depicted in the form of pyramid where the ranking or the position of the individuals or employees signifies authority and power. The individuals at the top most level are known as top level managers who are responsible for managerial decision making and commanding over their subordinates. The middle level managers are responsible for managing the lower level managers and to check whether the actions are being executed as per the plans or not. The lower level managers are responsible for following the instructions and executing the actions. Traditionally, the organizations followed a hierarchical structure which composed of various layers and was also know as top down approach (Harley, n.d). The organization possessed a bureaucratic culture which signifies that the employees followed the policies and regulations laid down by the management stringently and the managers of the organization exhibited autocratic leadership approach (San Jose State University, 2009). It can be observed from the case study that Hawk Car Company followed the traditional form of hierarchical structure which constituted of traditional policies and procedures, technology, lines of production and leadership approach. This led to the feeling of monotonousness among workers, which hampered the productivity of the workers. There was dissatisfaction among workers which led to high absenteeism and high turnover of staff. The functioning of the organization was not smooth and it witnessed difficulties in hiring of personnel. Scientific Taylor of management was introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the year 1911 in a monograph named the Principles of Scientific Management (TipLady, n.d). Taylorism is strongly associated with mass production in the manufacturing factories. F.W Taylor adopted a name for this approach popularly known as “Scientific Taylor of Management”. It was a task oriented approach which was meant for organizations that performed mass production especially in assembly line and fast food organizations. Taylorism approach also included other elements like taking several rest breaks within their tasks. Although many philosophers agreed that the rest breaks would lower the productivity of the organizations, F. W Taylor claimed that rest breaks would have broken the monotony of the workers and improved the existing process. It can be observed from the case study that the pace and the productivity of the work process improved considerably after the introduction of several changes in the organization (Besson, 2000). There was a change in the factory layout, mechanistic procedure and several other management procedures. The management generally followed the Taylorism approach which suggested equitable distribution of tasks among the workers and empowerment of employees. Empowerment of employees lays emphasis on the fact that employees should be equally responsible in managerial decision making. This concept evolved from the human relation movement in the year 1920. After the Taylorism approach was introduced by the management of Hawk Car Company the situation improvised in the organization. Employees were given opportunities like training, development and career development options like promotion, perks etc. According to Taylorism approach the human resource is observed as a valuable resource which tries to resist the work supply but needs to give in more efforts in the development of the work. Taylorism approach helped in active employee involvement which manifested in varied forms: The right duty needs to be delegated to the right worker otherwise it will lead to the interruption in the work and production flow whenever there is noticeable defect or anomaly The exchange of varied positions within the work groups and the habit of providing each other support in times of difficulty The adaptation of the varied work teams to the variations in the job duties and the production flow The commitment of each and every employee for continuous improvement of each and every production factor Taylorism approach helps in improvement in the organizational learning, outcome and the social interaction between employees helps in development of relationship learning (Forza, 1996). The stereo typed working procedure vanished with the emergence of the Taylorism approach, which contributed significantly to a unified community development along with a strong cultural identity. This approach has therefore helped in promoting a climate of collaboration among the workers in the organization. This approach helped in eradicating the unnecessary movements and sequences which helps in stock reduction and also improvement in work spaces, time and action. The continuous practice of the Taylorism approach helped in the development of successive innovations within the organization which is far more unique than a singular innovation (Matheson, 2006). The innovative leadership approach helps in development of the standardization of work procedures. The well assigned job duties and hierarchical imposition has helped the employees to pool in ideas which have acted as a catalyst to the success of the organization. However, top managers deny the contribution to a certain extent because they would like to take the claim for motivation and employee involvement. According to these managers the approach is defined with employee de motivation and non involvement. This movement is called Anti Taylorism approach. Contrary to the thinking of the top level managers it was found that Taylorian methods have made employees systematic and helped in integration of the systems within the organizations. Apart from Hawk Car Company, Taylorian methods have changed the work procedure of various organizations. Organizations adopting this approach are regarded as progressive. The social and economic integration for most of the working population were dependent on this approach. The main aim of this approach was to solace situations and help in avoiding social conflicts which gave the feeling of social security and protectionism to the employees. However, old fashioned the approach seems, the contemporary managers do not falter while adopting this approach. It is observed that Taylorism approach was a significant contributor to overall productivity of the Hawk Car Company. It not only helped in the improvement in existing work procedures but also helped in maintaining a strong relationship between the employers and employees. Contemporarily this approach is used for wage contract for labours entering the organization. This approach helped in designing a strong organizational structure and maintaining a strong relation between the employer and employees. It also helped in conceptualizing a positive work space and defies opposition between knowledge, capital and authority owners. The conflict which arose among the employers and employees was also known as disempowerment issue and focussed on topics like wage inequalities and decomposition, differentiation, workers resistance. Conflict occurred because of deskilling and the reskilling process which manifested in an asymmetric trend and the precarious result was knowledge confiscation and resistance from workers. Thus, it can be seen that Taylorian methods have universal applicability and if adopted by the managers of the organization, can effectively help in construction of a positive and strong organizational design (Hax and Majluf, 2007). Task 2 Traditionally, philosophers like Locke and Smith introduced leadership and management approaches which laid a strong foundation for the development of Theory X and Y. Theory X and Theory Y formulated by the Douglas McGregor segregated the employees into two categories: employees who are active and employees who are less productive and active. Author McGregor introduced the concept in The Human Side of Enterprise in the year 1960 (Carson, 2005). As per this concept, the characteristics of the employees are categorized and not of manager’s. Theory Y indicates that workers requires less monitoring because they are expected to perform exceedingly well, while Theory X claims that employees are non active and require constant supervision. It does not mean that Theory X has less potentiality than the Theory Y people but it indicates that the former works under leadership approaches which require constant monitoring. As per the assumptions of Theory X employees dislike and make attempts in avoiding work and responsibility. Additionally, McGregor stated that “The average employee population learns under proper conditions not only to accept but to seek responsibility” (Carson, 2005. P. 451). From the above case study it can be observed that prior to the organizational change the managers exhibited a mixture of bureaucratic and paternalistic management style. The paternalistic management style is almost similar to the autocratic leadership style, which signifies that the employees would be following the instructions and policies of the company strictly. However, the paternalistic approach does not mean that the employee wants and expectation would be unheard but it implies that it would be heard to a certain extent, only which is directed towards the benefits of the employees and organizations. It is observed that the paternalistic approach is almost similar to Theory X which indicates that the employees require constant supervision and monitoring for enhanced performance. This approach helps the managers in facilitation of smooth communication between employers and employees. It is seen that prior to the organizational change there was an increased communication gap between the employers and employees and the employees followed the managerial procedure stringently. However, organizational change introduced by the management helped in improvement of the organizational environment and learning. The management introduced organizational learning and development concepts which helped in improving the capability and performance of the employees. They also introduced the knowledge management system which helped in the enhancement of knowledge of the employees. The training and development function helped in improvement of the productivity of the employees which fetched them promotions and incentives. This change was almost similar to democratic approach which involves active participation from the employees and employer jointly for a successful decision making. Democratic management style helps in solving complex decision making easily and also improve the quality of decision making. Thus, we can observe that the change of leadership approach by the management of the organization had completely changed the method of working procedure of the organization. We can observe that the introduction of Taylorism and Democratic approach in the organization led to constructive change within the organization. It is also seen that both the organizational theories applied to the management prior and post organizational change are diverse to each other. These diverse approaches explain the need of organizational theories which can help in adapting to market and environmental change. Task 3 Leadership is considered one of the most universally applicable phenomenons which helps in systematic arrangement of inputs and is imperative to organizational life. Group members are associated with coordination among themselves which helps in successful accomplishments of tasks and facilitation of smooth activities (Rafiq Awan and Mahmood, 2010). Leadership approach helps in development of the formal and informal groups. It helps in the facilitation of structured interaction and coordination among the members. The fundamental role of leadership function is to organize the activities and motivate the groups. Leadership has acted as a social influence process which helps in assisting the employees and also in successful attainment of goals Leadership encompasses innumerable activities and functions which are required for internal maintenance of organizations and external adaptability. The behavioural theories emerged during the late twentieth century and several leadership approaches like democratic, laissez faire and autocratic served the purpose of a guide in organizations. However, leadership approach can be categorized into two segments which comprise initiation structure and consideration. Initiation structure helps the leaders in systematic delegation of responsibility and allocating task accordingly for the achievement of goals. Consideration is the degree to which managers are feeling empathetic to employees and develop trust and mutual feelings to workers. The Blake and Mouton managerial grid proposed in the year 1985 helped in measurement of the relationship between leaders and followers. This scale was developed on two criteria; concern for production and concern for people. The Managerial Grid leadership style constitutes of five elements like country club, impoverished, produce, middle of the road and team. As per this theory the existing performance of the employees are measured and evaluated, it can be seen that prior to the introduction of the organizational change the management at Hawk Car Company had studied the behaviour of the employees and analyzed the work pattern. The organizational changes resembled almost to the Blake and Mouton theory of leadership (Rafiq Awan and Mahmood, 2010). However, the Blanchard theory of leadership also known as situational analysis helps in assessment of the level of competence and commitment helps in understanding the gravity of the situation and the development of followers. The four elements of leadership approach are supporting, directing, coaching and delegating. It can be seen that post the introduction of organizational change in Hawk Car Company the approach adopted by the managers was also similar to the charismatic leadership approach. The charismatic leadership approach helped in motivating and increasing the efficiency and the productivity of the employees. This approach was almost parallel to the concepts of transformation leadership which was introduced by Judge and Piccolo in the year 1978. This concept was further developed by Bass and Avolio. The fundamental concepts involved a complex change in leadership and followership approach. Transformational leadership encompasses components of charismatic leadership and idealized approach. The three dimensions of charismatic and transformational leadership are idealized influence, intellectual simulation and individualized consideration. In this context it can be observed that the management at Hawk Car Company had utilized the concept of emotional intelligence which helped in perceiving, comprehending control and exploiting the emotions of workers in a positive manner. Task 4 Teamwork in an organization has been defined as a workplace which requires systematic planning and a stable environment, which can help in smooth operations. The value of teamwork has been identified gradually with time and managers have kept on constantly managing its benefits. The members of the team have collective strength to utilize its benefits in a systematic way and also to deeply influence and motivate the employees. Teamwork has mainly two kinds of objectives like coordinating and innovation (Ogbonna and Harris, 2003). Teamwork is one of the important method which helps in accomplishment of goals and objectives in unification. It is seen that teamwork is a beneficial instrument which helps in innovation and cooperative thinking. It provides stability in the workplace and ensures that the employees follow a standardized work pattern. Poor application of the teamwork instrument contributes to the corrosion of individual decisions. However, teamwork application can lead to chaotic decision making because of the varied significant inputs made by several individuals. Although, competition exists between the interdepartmental units it leads to a feeling of animosity among the members of the various departmental units (Nurmi, 1996).This also leads to the feeling among employees that they are working for their team and not for the organization on the whole. As per the synergizing teamwork theory the team members need to develop a different approach which helps in the creation of a unique product and process (Nurmi, 1996). The outcome of the input should be unique and the results should exceed the input. From the case study it can be observed that the employees at Hawk Car Company worked in unification amongst themselves for cooperative achievement of goals and completion of tasks. The quality control in the manufacturing process of the organization improved considerably. Each team member monitored their work constantly which helped in overall improvement of the production process. This led to the detection of the faults and errors easily. The sole objective of teamwork is to achieve the targets in a systematic manner, getting assurance on quality performance and maintenance of the organizational culture and values (Rabey, 2003). However, the manager should not solely focus on the targets and achievement of an individual but should also lay emphasis on the overall achievements and targets of the employees. Achievement of the targets by an individual employee would enable the enhancement of the overall productivity of the organization. Team work is essential but it requires the perfect guidance, adaptability and flexibility within the functional organization. This is because the innovative individual will work as a catalyst to the success of the organization and will help in handling of situational crisis in smooth way. Teamwork is a powerful tool which should be effectively utilized by the management for the successful delivery of performance by the employees. Reference List Besson, D., 2000. France in the 1950s: Taylorian modernity brought about by postmodern organizers? Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13(5), p.423-438. Carson, C., 2005. A historical view of Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y. Management Decision, 43(3), p.450-460. Forza, C., 1996. Work organization in lean production and traditional plants. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 16(2), p.42-62. Hao, Q., Kasper, H. and Muehlbacher, J., 2012. How does organizational structure influence performance through learning and innovation in Austria and China. Chinese Management Studies, 6 (1), p.36-52. Harley, B., n.d. The myth of empowerment: Work organisation, hierarchy and employee autonomy in contemporary Australian workplaces. Department of Management, (4), p.01-25. Hax, A.C. and Majluf, N.S., 2007. Organization design: A case study on matching strategy and structure. Journal of Business Strategy, p.01-15. Matheson, J., 2006. How a traditional company innovated its organizational structure. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 22(7), p.564. Nurmi, R., 1996. Teamwork and team leadership. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 2(1), p.1352-7592. Ogbonna, E. and Harris, L., 2003. Innovative organizational structures and performance. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16(5), p.512-513. Rabey, G., 2003. The Paradox of Teamwork. Industrial and Commercial Training, 35(4), p.158-162. Rafiq Awan, M. and Mahmood, K., 2010. Relationship among leadership style, organizational culture and employee commitment in university libraries. Library Management, 31(4), p.253-266. San Jose State University, 2009. Traditional Hierarchical Structure. [online] Available at: [Accessed 29 June 2013]. TipLady, n.d. An Overview of Twentieth-Century Management Theories. [online] Available at: < http://www.tiplady.org.uk/pdfs/ManagementTheories.pdf > [Accessed 29 June 2013]. Read More