Advanced Organizational Behavior - Essay Example

ADVANCED ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR ‘In the past the body was seen by managers simply as a tool of labor, whereas more contemporary approaches see workers, bodies and emotions as largely aesthetic resources’. Organization is inevitably a combination of both people and science. Technology and science are both predictable but the human nature is unpredictable. The principal reason is that human beings have needs that are deep and they therefore require a value system of people. Previously, human beings were seen as machines whose main job was to perform a specific task and get the job done. This brought about a variety of conflicts in the organizations since there was no a human approach in handling the diverse needs of the human labour. Most recently and after thorough research various findings were noted and this trend of treating human labor as machines gradually started changing. This has led to contemporary approaches that recognize and appreciate the human labor by taking into consideration their needs and emotions as paramount elements that need to be managed effectively (Cooper & Barling, 2008, p. 127). According to French (2011, p. 143), the contemporary approaches are concerned with the development and growth of people towards achievement of higher levels of creativity, competency and fulfillment since these people are the principal resource of any organization. This approach helps the employees to become better regarding work terms and responsible as it tries to create a conducive environment in which people can fully contribute in order to improve their abilities. People in an organization have diverse motivation and needs that are of high concern. There is the innate potential of people to be creative, predictive, independent and capable of effectively contributing positively to the objectives and functions of the organization. The management has realized that businesses are social systems that have both emotional and psychological factors have a significant influence on productivity. Best performance can only be improved through good human relations and proper organizational behavior. Managers nowadays consult employees in matters that affect the staff. The staff is also allowed to take part in various decision-making processes in the organization through their representatives (Knights & Willmont, 2007, p. 51). Various staff unions have been allowed in organizations and they act as the main voice for the staff. It is fully responsible for negotiating on behalf of the staff. Grievances by the staff are also channeled through these staff unions. This brings about harmonization at the work and best systems are put in place to ensure best relations between the staff and the managers (Martin& Fellenz, 2010, p. 147). Managers have seen the need for employee commodification whereby they initially did not value the employees with the respect and value that they deserved. Commodification can be said to be the transformation of ideas, goods, people or other entities that were not initially regarded as having value. An example of an extreme commodification case is slavery where human beings becomes a commodity to be bought and sold (Miner, 2007, p. 124). According to Miner (2007, p. 97), managers nowadays are working very hard to be leaders and democratic. They have also adapted the open door policy, which allows the staff direct audience with the managers and thus eliminating the past exploitation that managers were used to practicing. This works very well in motivating the staff since it gives them a sense of appreciation by the management. Managers have understood that employees are motivated by psychological and social rewards and are not just economic animals. Managers have also ensured the employees work in groups, which is an important part in influencing performance. In the organization, work groups have their own interactions and behavioral quirks to an extent, affect the whole system. In accordance to Cooper and Barling (2008, p. 176), the managers have also established very strong working cultures thus avoiding discrimination as it used to be in the past. Strong culture exists where staff ultimately responds to motivation since they have the right alignment to organizational values. In such environments, strong cultures help firms operate like well-oiled machines, cruising along with outstanding execution and minor tweaking of existing procedures here and there. Strong working cultures ensures that the employees feel a sense of belong and also the philosophy is that they are all a family. This philosophy ensures that the employees have the conducive cohesion through the belief of a family set up. A strong work culture ultimately ensures that the employees feel valued by the managers and they are taken care of. This is done through providing a conducive working environment which helps the employees retain their own identities while proving themselves and growing along with the company. Some of the paramount practices that managers of today have applied in order to fully utilize the employees and therefore ensuring that they have a highly satisfied and motivated work force include: Work Environment A happy and safe workplace ensures that employees feel valued and therefore they feel good about being there. They feel a sense of belong in the organization and thus being part of the family. Each employee is given appropriate importance and is provided with the security that gives them the incentive to stay with the organization and also the much needed motivation. The managers usually achieve this through internal surveys and researches to find out whether the employees are satisfied or not. If the employees are not satisfied, the managers trouble-shoot in order to come up with the best and appropriate solutions. The managers achieve a conducive environment by providing all that appertains in achieving a certain task by the employees. It can take various forms to achieve this including doing appropriate training to the employees, providing the correct machinery, providing the safety gears, payment of satisfactory remuneration and providing the necessary fringe benefits to the employees. A human resources department is therefore paramount among the organization’s departments. This is inevitably set up by the management in order to handle all employees issues. All managers are also taught mandatory human relations skills in order to effectively manage the employees under them. This ensures harmonization among the employees and the management (Martin& Fellenz, 2010, p. 173). Open Management Managers have lately adopted the open door policy in the work place and thus opening up to the employees. Employees no longer have to book for appointments to see there managers. They can walk in their offices at any time they feel like. The glass walls office system has also brought about openness among the employees and the managers. The glass walls have ensured that the manager can be seen by the employees from any corner of the office. This has led to openness on the part of the management. This also indicates to the employees that they are not kept in the dark regarding the happenings in the company. This makes the employees feel motivated. It also develops enthusiasm to the employees only when the management is open to them and adequately discusses the company’s’ goals, policies and objectives. This encourages participative management whereby the management asks for their ideas on how to improve the organization. The managers ensure that they are open about everything related to the company. This helps in building trust and at the same time motivating the employees. The open management policy is practiced using a number of several tools (Miner, 2007, p. 49). Performance Incentives Managers ensure that they reward adequately for good and exemplary performance. Each good performance is appreciated in the form of bonuses, gratitude or by giving compensation for a job well done. A job well done and is completed in an appreciable manner calls for an incentive that boosts the staff morale. The incentives are reward at the individual level as well as at the team level. Recent research shows that this method of appreciation works wonders in getting the best out of the employees. Managers ensure that the system of performance incentive is done in a transparent manner so as set high integrity standards (Tosi & Pilati, 2011, p. 157). Performance Feedback Modern managers have also adapted the performance feedback system. The boss is not the only person who gives feedback, but feedback is also received from other subordinates and seniors. In the past, immediate bosses or the management were the only people who gave appreciation but nowadays organizations understand the significance of collecting feedback on performance from a number of quarters. Everyone’s opinion matters, particularly for people in a leadership role at any level. In the team, each person has the responsibility of giving feedback that is constructive. This type of system assists in identifying people who can diligently execute their work well as leaders at levels that are higher in the organization. Senior level managers also use this system to their own benefit by using it as a tool to improve themselves (Staw, 2006, p. 164). Employee Evaluation Managers have come up with an employee evaluation system, which links individual performance to the priorities and goals of the organization. It works very well when achievements are tracked over a year. The managers ensure that for them to achieve a fair review for each employee, the evaluation, apart from being done by the boss, it is done by another person at a different higher level. This employee’s contribution is important. Each employee is given a chance to self evaluate themselves in order to agree on the evaluation results. Other employees also give their own ratings. This ensures an accurate and fair rating of each and every employee (Cole, 2004, p. 59). Sharing of Knowledge Sharing of knowledge is a wonderful strategy by the managers. This helps in the betterment of the employees and their work. Managers ensure that they keep all the knowledgeable information in a database that is accessible by every employee. Training and various refresher courses conducted to the employees ensure that they are well knowledgeable. This is also used by the managers to for promotional purposes and thus ensuring that the workforce in the organization is competent according to the current trends of the various industries. Managers also encourage employee participation for innovative ideas (Sinha, 2008, p. 154). Publicize Good Performances Managers nowadays strive to recognize those employees that outperform others. They highlight and display those employees with exemplary performances so that the other employees can look at them. These performances are normally displayed on intranet or on the notice boards. This encourages the other employees to give their very best. Managers come up with a proper system that lists the highest performances at specific period of times in a year (Singh, 2010, p. 103). Discussions Managers nurture ideas since they understand that employees who are working and know the business well can provide the best ideas. The management encourages discussions with employees so that they can get these ideas out of them. Managers do provide suggestion boxes that are strategically placed within the organization. These suggestion boxes are used by the mangers to capture these ideas and to be in touch with what is on the ground. Managers also use this system to find talented employees and develop them (Seijts, 2006, p. 71). Rewards In accordance to Miner (2011, p. 92), managers highly recognize that talent recognition is highly important. They also understand that employees want this recognition to be made public by holding ceremonies and announcing to the whole world about the achievements of a fellow employee. In conclusion, modern managers are more enlightened on the role of emotions in the organizations and also the need to manage emotional labor. Managers have fully understood the need for emotional regulation whereby the workers are expected to display certain emotions being part of their job. Most managers use this to promote organizational goals. References List Cole, G. A. (2004). Organizational behavior: Theory and practice. London, Thomson. Cooper, C. L., & Barling, J 2008, The SAGE handbook of organizational behavior. v. 1, Micro approaches. Los Angeles, Sage. French, R. (2011). Organizational behavior. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. Knights, D. & Willmott, H 2007, Introducing organizational behavior and management. London, Thomson Learning. Martin, J and Fellenz, M 2010, Organizational behavior and management. Andover, Cengage Learning. Miner, J 2007, Organizational behavior. 4, from theory to practice. Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe. Miner, J 2011, Organizational behavior. 6, Integrated theory development and the role of the unconscious. Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe. Seijts, G. H 2006, Cases in organizational behavior. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Singh, K 2010, Organizational behavior: text and cases. Chandigarh, Pearson. Sinha, J 2008, Culture and organizational behavior. Los Angeles, SAGE. Staw, B. M 2006, Research in organizational behavior: an annual series of analytical essays and critical reviews. Volume 27. Amsterdam, Elsevier JAI. Tosi, H. L and Pilati, M 2011, Managing organizational behavior individuals, teams, organization and management. Cheltenham, U.K., Edward Elgar. Read More