Motivation Leadership Communication Teamwork and Organizational Behavior - Coursework Example

Organizational Behavior Relection Name: Unit: Professor: Submission Date: Organizational Behavior Reflection Organizational behavior (OB) according to McGinnis, (n.d., 38-39) is a wide discipline in management that looks into how people in organizations act. OB theories and knowledge is essential for managers as it helps them improve in their management. Subsequently, this helps the manager improve the organizations performance attaining the goals and objectives of the enterprises despite all odds. OB interlinks various disciplines and borrows ideas and research from various disciplines that look into factors relating to the interaction and behavior of the human. Such disciplines include anthropology, communication, sociology, industrial psychology, social psychology and psychology. Abbasi, Siddiqi and Azim, (2011 p250) the organizations that are most successful employ mechanism of OB like interpersonal communications, effective program planning, demonstrating positive qualities of a leader and engaging integrity leadership skills to ensure they maximize the energy and talents of their employees. During the study of this unit on organizational behavior, I did learn a lot on what is expected of me as an employee or a manager in any given organization in future. I have attained various OB soft skills, knowledge and expertise that I found crucial especially during the process of developing OB video clip in our group. I have also come to realize various challenges that come with poor application of OB in organizational growth spurt. This essay will reflect on what I have learned from my group involvement, challenges faced, decisions made and skills attained during video taking process and end with a concrete conclusion. At the beginning of the project, each team member was prepared to have his/her input to ensure the project of video taking was a success. Unfortunately, some of the team members did have a challenge in availing themselves on the set time for group meetings. This was so since one of our members in the groups is also working and the employer has given him limited time per week. Therefore, not only was he going to miss the meeting time for the project, but also he misses some classes following that factor. Two other members could not make for the team project schedule following tight class schedules over the week. As a group, we tried to brainstorm the best way forward to ensure that each member did participate. This is because Myers, et al., (2014 p40) did establish that projects and team exercises have become fundamental aspect in higher education following the need to produce equipped scholars with soft skills. Hence, to ensure that a group is well formed and productive it has to have four aspects in place. First, the group need proper management and formation, second, ensure that the students are accountable for their group work as well as their individual tasks; third, the assignment given to the group should be geared towards ensuring that both team development and learning is attained, and lastly, student ought to service the team and the teacher timely and frequent feedback. To ensure that group did abide by the four principles as highlighted various forms of how to solve the issues were put forth. However, we did propose that we come up with a facebook page for the group that each member would be able to participate anytime and from anywhere, and have few face-to-face meeting as found necessary. This was in line with Komba (2009) findings that the introduction of ICT in education to necessitated distance learning is quite essential. This is because it enables education transmission to thousands and thousands of learners whose time and space do not allow them to meet the teachers face-to-face. Such model helps in transcending barriers that age, time and distance among other unavoidable factors brings and ensure lifelong learning. Upon agreeing on how to ensure smooth interaction and that each member of the five of us in the team contributes, the next step was to define the roles of each member. To start with we did divide the various topics that we were to handle amongst ourselves. The topics were motivation, communication, leadership and teamwork. We then went further to come up with a spearheading leader among ourselves. Defining roles, duties and responsibilities were significance for the group’s project. According to Zaccaro, Rittman and Marks, (2001 p451) effective team performance comes from various basic characteristics. First, the team members should integrate each member’s actions successfully. They should have unique and specific roles where performance of each member contributes to the success of the whole group. Meaning, failure of a team may not only come from an individual inability to contribute to the team, but also from the collective inability of the whole groups to fail to coordinate and synchronize everyone’s contribution. Team performance success lies in how team processes are executed. Zaccaro, Rittman and Marks, (2001 p451) team leadership is also fundamental in any organization toward effective team performance. Various teams do come up with various individuals who steer the others and whose mandate are that they come with team goals and develop and structure the team to attain the stated mission. In our team, we chose a team coordinator who was mandated with the role of coordinating and updating the other members on the progress. We also urged everyone to be an active team player and a leader by him/herself. Our team coordinator was very motivating and encouraging. He did drop alert message, questions that encouraged individual participation and words of wisdom borrowed from historical iconic leaders in various platforms. Hence, the facebook page was not only for the team’s project activities, but also for teambuilding. From my observation, our coordinator did employ an empowering form of leadership. Yun, Cox & Sims, Jr (2007 p174) defines empowering leadership is where the leader encourages followers self-influence unlike the application of top-down influence. Such leaders who apply empowering behaviors have a strong conviction that their team is made of knowledgeable and members capable of giving direction. Such leaders emphasize the need to use self-leadership, self-control, self-management and self-influence. Empowering leaderships brings forth effective self-leaders followers. From my evaluation, our team coordinator did employ this form of leadership since he ensured that despite him being our leader, everyone was worth in any decision making process. He always told us that each one of us had a potential capability that if exploited would enable the groups emerge the best in the project. Even those of us who felt that they have little knowledge on something, like working on a particular topic, he always told us that such a topic is the best for a particular person since it is better to apply the little knowledge in what you feel weak during our schooling life and be corrected rather than doing the mistake while in the workplace where you are expected to deliver excellently. As such each one of us felt that these words were quite motivating. At the end we found ourselves, doing more research, doing more inquiry and thus learning much more than we expected. The effect of empowering leadership employed by our coordinator was in line with Maslows theory of motivation. Maslow did establish that one’s a person’s physiological, safety, social and self-esteem needs are met the person moves to actualization level. Using this form of leadership did reduce social gaps that existed amongst ourselves since despite being classmates we did not have strong social connectivity. Thus increase our level of safety to such an extent we could share our feeling and desires that could make the job a success. Working on topics especially that members felt they were weak in was quite fundamental in building our self-esteem. Also during the video presentation though some of us felt shy and unsure of how the other will say about them, this was not our concern rather the productive piece that each one of us produced was what did matter. Kroth (2007 p6-8) did establish that a leader who is able to understand the needs of his followers and meet them is able to harnessed a lot of information, activity and extra-ordinary support from his employees. The authors, adds that administrators in all work environments should find out ways in which they can hire employees, retain and motivate them. Such measures taken into consideration ensure job satisfaction. An employee who finds a room to meet unsatisfied needs gets motivated and will work hard to meet such needs. As thus I came to realize that, Peshwaria, (2012 p1) it is not how you work your own interest as a leader to motivate employees or other team members makes them encouraged, rather realizing how best you can create a room for the members to input their underutilized energy is the best way to go. Our group was made up of students from various backgrounds and some from the overseas countries. As thus I learnt that some verbal and non-verbal communication I do use in some cases they might be misunderstood or not communicate the information as I expectent. Our group planned to have a rehearsal video preparation in which we allowed every member to critique one another in all aspects, including presentation style, use of hands and facial expressions, language and fluency. Cohn (2007 p 314), every person was supposed to listen actively to get and observe any point of strength or weaknesses from our team member. However, we did insist that due to our varied background our accent was varied and thus no one should be criticized because of our mother tongue influence. This aspect was quite fundamental as we did realize the need to accommodate other person’s weaknesses and realize our potentialities. Shaw, (2014, p1-5) environmental contingency theory that gives direction on how to relate with the environment and organization, and that looks into issues relating to power distance and uncertainty avoidance as well as understanding the needs of stakeholders, as portrayed in stakeholders theory was the leading theories in embracing cultural differences in our team. During our interaction being a short tempered person, sometimes I got angered and discouraged when a member did not submit the work in time. I also felt that I could not accommodate some members who kept giving excuses of their failure to owner a certain time for group’s work during video preparations and presentation. However, all along I continued building my emotion perseverance, and instead worked hard to understand them rather than quarreling for a whole project time and losing hope on them. Ioannidou and Konstantikaki (2008 p123) points the significance of being empathetic and able to utilize emotional intelligence quotient skill as a leader. When a person is empathetic is able to understand and share another person’s emotions or state of mind. I was able to control my emotions, understand my fellow members despite being hurt severally during the project preparation and I outgrew my anger, and build the spirit of self-control and being patience with others elements that I think are quite essential in the workplace. In conclusion, employability skills are quite essential in today’s competitive world. Employers are not only looking for professionals in academics but professionals able to put in practice various soft skills. During the video preparation for our group project on organizational behavior, I did build on various skills that I believe will go a long way in my workplace and interaction with other people. Critical thinking is one of the skills. In that I should always find ways to address the problem at hand widely, such as coming up with a facebook page to solve challenges of traditional face-to-face meetings. I also developed a vital communication skill of being an active listener and appreciating people from different cultures and being culture sensitive for effective communication. I was able to work on team building strategies, the need for motivating employees and embracing empowering leadership for better results achievement. I developed EQI skills, being a short tempered person, and worked on strategies to instead appreciate and help other people grow out of their negative emotion for better working relationship. References Abbasi, M.H., Siddiqi, A. and Azim, R.A. 2011. Role of effective communications for enhancing leadership and entrepreneurial skills in university students. International Journal of Business And Social Science, 2(10): 242-250 Cohn K.H. 2007. Developing effective communication skills: be an active listener. Journal of Oncology Practice, 3(6): 314-317 Ioannidou F. and Konstantikaki V. (2008). Emphathy and emotional intelligence: what is it really about? International Journal of Caring Sciences, 1(3): 118-123. Komba W.L.M. 2009. Increasing education access through open and distance learning in Tanzania: a critical review of approache and practices. International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT, 5(5). Kroth, M. 2007. Maslow-move aside! A heuristical motivation model for leaders in career and technical education. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 44(2): 7-30 McGinnis, S.K. n.d. Organizational Behavior and Management Thinking. Jones and Bartlett publishers. Accesed, http://www.jblearning.com/samples/076373473X/3473X_CH03_4759.pdf 10/26/2015 Myers T. et al., 2014. Cultivating ICT student’s interpersonal soft skills in online learning environments using traditional active learning techniques. Journal of Learning Design, 7(3): 38-50. Peshawaria R. 2012. Energizing the organization. Leader to Leader Journal, p1 shaw, M. 2014. organization theory and societal culture. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 7(1): 1-9 Yun, S., Cox J. & Sims, Jr H.P. 2007. Leadership and Teamwork: The effects of leadership and job satisfaction on team citizenship. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 2(3): 171-193. Zaccaro, S.J., Rittman, A., L. and Marks, M.A. 2002. Team leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 12:451-483 Read More