Toward a More Effective Enterprise by Robert L Katz - Article Example

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Date Towards a More Effective Enterprise Introduction The article talks about the convectional beliefs that enterprise is organised and administered upon such as profits, profit determinants, policy planning, program formation, delegation of responsibility, and duties of superiors and of subordinates. The author sets out that this way of thinking based on the administration and organisation of enterprise is obsolete as it is founded upon inadequate assumptions about human behaviour in organisations. Robert Katz has demonstrated in the article how such assumptions have snatched work of its meaning and has limit motivation and productivity of employees. It has also created anxiety and apathy around the workplace. At the end, the article talks about alternative ways of thinking of how an organisation might be administered based on correct assumptions about human behaviour. The proposed alternative suggests what executives and senior managers might do differently to improve on creativity, potential and enthusiasm of the workers. This would eventually lead to effective enterprise and will add meaning to people’s work. Critical analysis There are widely spread convectional beliefs that business organisations base their structures, administration and methods of evaluation on. These beliefs include profits, profit determinants, policy planning, program formation, and delegation of responsibility, duties of the superiors and duties of the subordinates. The article, however categorizes these concepts and beliefs as unrealistic assumptions about modern-day human behaviour. These assumptions are accepted consciously by many administrators simply because they are sufficiently widespread and implicit despite lack of substantial evidence that support these beliefs. The culturally convectional organisational concept states that it is the function of the management to plan, direct, coordinate the employees and that the employees are required to just carry out their duties without equally influencing the management behaviour. These concepts assume that an employee’s behaviour is programmed and predetermined by others. It also assumes that only roles and positions in business organisations are important and not the relationships of employees. It is clear that the relationship between the management and the employees has a significant effect on job performance. Bad relationships deflate the employee’s morale and can lead to reduced productivity. This type of assumption can limit the output achieved. There are some beliefs shared among organisation’s employees about what are effective relationships, objectives and behaviours for collaborative efforts. Lack of such shared beliefs makes voluntary cooperation difficult. Although cultural assumptions in line with the relationship between the managers and employees bring forth anxiety, hostility and reduced potential for output delivery, it has significant functions where such belief is prevalent. Culturally, it is believed that for things to go on well there must be someone to give orders and others to obey. Such legitimacy allows both parties to maintain their feelings of worth. The shared beliefs, therefore give all participants a degree of certainty in their expectations and functions. Therefore, the shared belief can reduce the anxiety of the superiors and the subordinates. However, the existing unilateral authority relationships do not match very well with the facts of human behaviour. Although it is certain that financial rewards, job security and job status are important factors in most individuals, number of researches have shown that not all that is important. It is the ignorance of the individual’s needs for belonging, and self-respect that builds on the cycle of resistance to unilateral direction. The alternative for unilateral authority relationship is basically individual motivation (Katz 94). Motivation is regarded to be internal and manager does not motivate individuals; managers can only provide opportunities for them to satisfy their own needs. This alternative way of thinking eliminates potential conflicts that can occur between satisfaction of personal needs and attainment of goals and objectives set by organisation. It is the only unilateral authority relationship that can create this conflict. Although the unilateral authority relationship may be required in big organisations, research suggests that acceptance of managers position by employees depends largely on managers providing what employees need at that particular time. Also, since the employees’ needs change with circumstances and time, the skills required for a leader also changes. Therefore, anyone in an organisation may assume the position of a leader at a particular point in time. Although it is difficult for organisations to change their convectional beliefs based on motivation and leadership, it is essential for them to incorporate more realistic and accurate concepts in their administration as it enhances productivity, satisfaction and creativity among the employees. This does not mean that the entire unilateral authority relationship otherwise called mechanistic system is displaced. Even a small change in aligning of business operation with the realities of human behaviours will make a huge difference in the outcomes. According to the article, instead of organising and operating the business enterprise following the seven conventional beliefs, the effective alternative beliefs include focus on task instead of focusing on the profits; establish the basis for success instead of evaluating how decisions and behaviours contribute to profits; establish flexible planning instead of fixed and predetermined plans; and institution of equal contribution and not just contribution by one individual (Katz 97). The way of thinking based on the mentioned alternative beliefs is different from mechanistic beliefs as the management role is seen as mutually dependant with the functions and roles of employees. Under these beliefs, the fundamental managerial role is providing situations where organisation can be steady and the full potential of the employees can be released. An effective enterprise can thus comprise of managers that are ready to free themselves from the obsolete and unrealistic mechanistic beliefs and ready to align their operational style and administration with the realities of human behaviours. This way, the full potential of employees can be released and the goals of the organisation can be accomplished. Practical implications The article does not necessarily advocate for ‘participation’ notion. In our culture a leaderless operation cannot be possible. Any given group of people in the society we are in, one way or another tends to position themselves hierarchically in terms of role performance and influence. Many organisations are based on the assumption that one individual leads and the others follow. For any business enterprise to be effective, the managers should establish their position in the workplace but should continually work towards minimizing the feelings of subordinates, encourage participation and contribution by all members, view motivation at a wide range founded on the provision of opportunities for the purpose of satisfying human needs through work activities and evaluate performance and productivity entirely on how performance fits the needs at a particular situation. Managers should not limit their way of thinking as this would limit productivity, efficiency, satisfaction and creativity of employees. Conclusion In conclusion, the convectional beliefs that organisation base their structures and administration on are used by managers because they are sufficiently widespread and there lacks substancial evidence that supports these convectional beliefs. Change from mechanistic beliefs to the alternative beliefs is difficult and may result to anxieties and other problems. In addition, in the alternative beliefs, management role is seen as mutuality dependent with functions and roles of employees. An effective enterprise comprises of managers that are ready to free themselves from the unrealistic mechanistic beliefs and ready to align their operational style with realities of human behaviours. The suggested alternative beliefs do not change the nature of organisation, it only provides new ways of viewing things. The article states and outline one’s personal state of mind and should not be perceived to change the existing nature of operations of organisations. It only gives a new way of thinking about the organisation and the relationship between the managers and employees. Works Cited Robert L Katz. Toward a more effective enterprise, (Cambridge : Harvard Business Review, 1960, Print book. p. 80-102. Read More