People, Organizations and Management - Essay Example

People, Organizations and Management al affiliation People, Organizations and Management Question Self-estrangement refers to the situation whereby the employees are completely detached from their work, and find it completely valueless. Ross & Mirowsky (2003) indicate that, the employees are not only detached from their jobs, but also from their personal lives. In this case, the employees visualize their jobs as too tasking. A majority of these employees have been indicated to portray feelings of despair and tire while carrying out various tasks in the workplace.

Feelings of pride and value for their jobs, is indeed lacking, in self-estranged employees, as the innate feelings of belonging to a job, are minimal. Question 2 Call centers have been attributed with a combination of routine chores that are inclusive of communicating with clients over the phone. Bechtoldt, et al. (2003) indicate that, the call centres can be described as dens of stressful workplaces that confine the employees in a centre whereby they must be visualized as conducting a certain task.

This is justified from the study conducted on a group of employees, which indicates that the stressors in call centres exceedingly cause a lot of negatives on the employees. Consequently, the call centres have had adverse effects on the workers of the call centres. Question 3 Instrumental orientation refers to a situation whereby the employees visualize their jobs as a channel of acquiring income. Martin (2004) indicates that employees with attributes of instrumentalism hold the perception that their jobs are means, which, in the long-run, are ends.

Such employees, therefore, hold the opinion that, their jobs are completely detached form other aspects of their lives, and that their major role is to provide them with income that would enable them survive. Aspects such as engagement and motivation do not hold much value to such employees. However, not all employees are instrumentalists; some value their jobs, despite the pay. Question 4 Champoux (2010) indicates that task significance refers to a situation whereby the employee is given an opportunity to perform tasks that would benefit other employees in the work place.

This is achieved through presenting a situation whereby the employees are free to help their colleagues in whichever way that is comfortable on their side. For instance, journalists might be presented with an opportunity to be more motivated in their jobs, through encouragement. In turn, it may take them own initiatives to do extra jobs, an unseen task significance, by the employees. Question 5 In Pollert’ view; double oppression refers to a situation whereby the employees suffer a myriad of grievances in their workplaces.

This, according to Pollert (2008), mostly applies to workplaces that do not have a form of union that, champions for the rights of workers. Among the double forms of oppression are inclusive of torture that may be imposed on the individuals in the course of duty. In this case, she recommends that the workplaces implement workplace rights, by instituting measures that champion for the rights of employees. A notable example is Britain’s poor relation skills with its industrial workers. Question6 Thompson’s (1983) indicates that workers tolerate dangerous so as they must pay debts that emanate from their day to day needs of the organization.

A great percentage of workers in these conditions are of low economic status. According to Adams & Donovan (1995) the slaughterhouse workers have no option, but to fit in the horrible working conditions, if they have to survive in the tough economic times. However, it is almost obvious that these employees would be extremely delighted working in better, unlike in the slaughterhouse. Question7 Intrinsic rewards in a workplace are those that result from within the individual fulfilling their needs.

According to Rumbles, et al. (2011), intrinsic rewards are those that lead to attaining the goals set by individuals to be met. Conversely, intrinsic rewards are those that lead to the individual’s enjoyment of goals achieved through tasks that they have put a lot of energy to achieving. Question 8 The context in which Frederick Winslow Taylor developed his ideas about management dates back to the time when Taylor made a lot of inventions in the field of industrial engineering. Among the innovations were resultant of motion and time, which in the long run led to improved productivity in the field of engineering.

Additionally, Taylor’s (2003) work records destruction of the workplace by making the workers work for exceedingly many hours while on shift. Question 9 Working in an assembly line can be regarded as a place where goods and services are produced in bulk. Assembly lines trace its roots in the 18th Century, a century that saw a lot of developments in the industrial sector. Hodson (2011) indicates that, the major characteristics of assembly lines are production of goods in a bulk. Though machines are used in the entire process, human beings also perform a lot of roles of directing the raw materials into finished products in the industry.

In turn, there is production of many goods, which are then sold at affordable prices. Question 10 Thompson (2002) indicates that anomie refers to a situation whereby the society is unable to regulate the actions of individuals in the society. This explains that the individuals have an upper hand in the making decisions that suit them, and their current situation. In an attempt to explain his views, Durkheim undertook a study on the psychological and biological make ups of individuals. Individual happiness, in his views, refers to a situation whereby the society is able to impose rules and regulations that bar individuals to attain their goals.

Additionally, anomie conditions cannot bar individuals from being themselves; thus, disciplinary measures are not possible. Question 11 The rise of the factory system, according to Smelser (2006), rose with the advancement of new sources of energy like coal, electricity, and steam amongst others. With these sources of energy, the cottage industries were solely outdated. There was the need to produce more goods that could not be possible with the cottage industries. Factories slowly emerged from the home industries, with the methods of production made easy, and the sources of energy making it possible to produce as much goods as possible.

The rise of the factory system basically rose from the need to produce more goods for the growing population. Question 12 In the Hawthorne studies, Mayo’s role was to define a programme in conjunction with Dean, in an endeavour to focus on the social and industrial predicaments through experimental study. Schermerhorn (2011) indicates that the major focus of Mayo was to research on the implications of exhaustion and monotony in the workplace affects the performance of employees in the organization.

Mayo also attempted to find out the solutions towards such issues in the workplace, and whether they can be controlled or not. Motivation, according to Mayo, is vital in the organization, and must be focused, in terms of performance. Question 13 Braverman’s thesis indicates that managerialism is scientific in nature, as Taylor indicated. Edgell (2006) indicates that the Braverman attests to the fact that, in the course of production, the machinery cannot be considered as a threat to the employees, but the factors that determine the functioning of the machinery is the major predicament.

He continues to argue that, as a result of the competition in the economy, the employees are bound to be oppressed by the demands of the market, which comes in as a pressure from the management. Question 14 Job intensification, according to Ladipo (2002) refers to employees giving their best to attain the goals and objectives of the organization. At times the amount of input does not match with the output in the company, so long as the employees are busy working, the rest is of less importance.

In essence, this is to say that, job intensification is much more concerned with the amount of job done by employees at the end of a day.   Question 15 ‘Skills in the setting’ as associated with Cockburn (1983), are the skills possessed by the individual that is inclusive of the expertise of these individuals in their areas of occupation. Skills in the setting differentiate between the persons and the jobs they perform in the workplace. These skills are in line with the educational qualifications of individuals, their experience in the field and the training acquired in the course of duty.

Through skills settings, individuals are placed in the areas of operation they are fit to perform. Question 16 Marx visualizes capitalist social relations as exploitative, from the fact that social relations are unjust in terms of distribution of resources and benefits accrued in the society. Wood (2004) emphasizes the aspects of social relations by indicating that all classes are intertwined and none of the classes can survive without the help of the other. Alienation of the persons of the low classes in the society is simply discrimination, as they too contribute in one way or another in the development of the society.

Classes are simply a source of conflict in the society. Question 17 Craft systems and modern factory systems tend to differ in the context of production and use of energy. The craft systems produced goods on a small scale basis in the home settings while the factory systems produced goods on a large scale basis. Leicht & Harper (2007) indicate that the factory systems produce goods in bulk as a result of the use of sources of energy that make mass production extremely easy. Question 18 The Hygiene theory is useful in the organizations creates a situation whereby the managers are able to understand the factors that cause dissatisfaction in the workplace and the factors that can be termed as satisfiers in the workplace.

With the concepts of the Hygiene theory, Nelson & Quick (2010) indicate that, the managers are in a better position to understand how to deal with the employees in the workplace; thus, minimal conflicts and better performance from the employees. Question 19 The equity theory of motivation outlines that motivation, not only revolves around the individual, but also how one’s deeds implicate other persons in the organization. Lussier (2011) indicates that the aspect of fairness is the blueprint of the application of the equity theory.

In fair situations, the individuals in a workplace are likely to be motivated, while situations whereby employees are not treated equally, they are likely to be demotivated. Question 20 Job enrichment refers to an adding up of roles to an employee so as to increase their levels of accountability in the workplace (Monappa, 2001). References Adams, J. & Donovan, J. (1995) Animals and women: feminist theoretical explorations. London: Duke University Press. Bechtoldt, et al. (2003) What is typical for call centre jobs?

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Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ladipo, et al. (2002) Job insecurity and work intensification. London: Routledge. Leicht, K. &Harper, C. (2007) Exploring social change: America and the world. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Lussier, R. (2011) Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill Development. London: Cengage Learning. Martin, E. (2004) Whos kicking whom? Employees orientations to work. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 16:3, pp.182 – 188. Monappa. (2001)Personnel Management.

New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2010) Organizational Behavior: Science, the Real World, and You. London: Cengage Learning. Pollert, A. (2008) Injustice at Work: How Britains Low-paid Non-unionized Employees Experience Workplace Problems. Journal of Workplace Rights, Vol 13: 3; pp 223 – 244. Ross, C. & Mirowsky, J. (2003) Social causes of psychological distress. New York: Transaction Publishers. Rumbles, et al. (2011) Organizational Behaviour. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Schermerhorn, J. (2011) Exploring Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Smelser, N. (2006) Social Change in the Industrial Revolution: An Application of Theory to the British Cotton Industry. New York: Taylor & Francis. Taylor, W. (2003) Scientific Management: Early Sociology of Management and Organizations. London: Routledge. Thompson, K. (2002). Emile Durkheim. London: Routledge Publishers. Wood, A. (2004) Karl Marx. London: Routledge.