Understanding People in Organization and Workplace Structure - Essay Example

Understanding People in Organization Understanding People in Organization Introduction A healthy workplace is more than just a safe and a healthy physical workspace. The organizational structure of a workplace needs to address the health and productivity of its workers. Unhealthy or unsafe workplaces can cost organizations billions of money due to absenteeism, turnover, long and short term disability, lost productivity and mental illnesses. This paper will focus on the advantages and the disadvantages of models of organizational structure, theories of culture in a workplace and theories relating to people in organizations. Through a critical analysis, the paper will discuss how these theories assist or hinder healthcare organizations in developing and maintaining a healthy workplace. Workplace structure can be described as the way individuals departments and managers in an organization work with each other to achieve the laid out objectives at the workplace. The work place structure can be informal or highly complex depending on the size of the company. Small businesses usually maintain simple workplace structures (Anderson, 2008). A simple workplace structure allows the leaders in that organization to have most of the control. The employees are usually flexible and usually possess knowledge and skills to perform many different tasks. Medium sized companies usually have a functional workplace structure in place. The functional workplace structure is organized around specific job functions. The structure groups employees together depending on the duties they perform within the organization. The leaders are categorized by departments and each employee performs duties according to the area of expertise. Healthy Workplace Health workplace refers to combined efforts of the employers and the employees to support and encourage health lifestyle habits and making healthy choices at workplace. A healthy workplace is one where people are safe, healthy and are happy to come to work. A healthy workplace can be created by developing health-related policies like no-smoking policies. It is also important to develop and encourage activities that promote team work. For instance, coming up with team related extracurricular activities like participating in walks for a good cause can also go a long way in promoting a healthy workplace environment. Another way of developing a healthy workplace environment is by organizing talks by health professionals who can advise employees on some issues affecting their health like alcohol abuse or smoking (Scott, 2007). A healthy workplace is characterized by the way employees relate with each other and with the employees. A healthy workplace has effective policies for managing people issues such as absence, communication, grievances and occupational health. In a healthy workplace, there is a high level of trust between the managers and the employees especially in areas involving decision making. Other characteristics of healthy workplaces include managers who are confident and are trained in people handling skills, an organization where employees feel their confident is valued, there are appropriate health services in place, the jobs are flexible and well designed and managers who can identify problems at an early stage and solve them before they have ballooned into bigger problems (Pasmore, 2008). Unhealthy workplaces are usually identified by poor management, bullying culture, poor customer service, reduced productivity, high absence levels and unreasonable high work demands. The employees in low usually have low morale, poor employee relationships, employees engage in unhealthy habits like alcoholism, job insecurity, long working hours, inadequate resources, exclusion from decision making, undefined work role and work overload. In unhealthy workplaces, employees may end up suffering from anxiety, depression and stress (Fiedler, 2004). Organizations with unhealthy workplaces usually perform very poorly and many employees do not work in such companies for long before they quit. There are many benefits of having a healthy workplace. It is common knowledge that employees in a healthy workplace are more engaged in their work making them more productive. According to research done by experts, employees working in a healthy workplace are three times more productive than their colleagues. There are many benefits for employers and employees alike in having a healthy workplace (Tarplett, 2004). A healthy workplace can make employees improve their work performance; have improve morale, better satisfaction and motivation. A healthy workplace can lead to a decrease in frequency and the cost of workers’ compensation. It can also improve engagement and employee relationships in the workplace which will in turn benefit the organization. There are many approaches to developing a healthy workplace. Developing a healthy workplace environment ranges from simple low cost to more detailed approaches. The most successful workplace environments are always following up on their health programs with continuous improvements in their plans, reviews and acts to ensure that the workplace health standards are always excellent. While developing a healthy workplace environment, it is important to consider how the workplace health standards will be sustained in the long term. Approaches in developing health workplaces cannot be the same for every organization because every organization is different. Therefore, a healthy workplace program should be tailor made to suit the employers and the employees of the organization. Depending on the size of the organization, the implementation of the workplace health programs can start small using simple strategies. Then the program may be expanded over time. Models of Organizational Structure An organizational structure defines how tasks and activities are coordinated, allocated and supervised then directed towards the achievement of the organization’s objectives. An organization can be structured in many different ways depending on the objectives of the organization. An organization’s structure determines the organization’s mode of operation and its performance. An organizational structure allows the allocation of responsibilities for different processes and functions to different entities like workgroups, department, branch or individuals. There are two ways in which an organization structure affects an organization. First of all, an organization structure provides foundation from which the standard operating procedures and routines of the organization rest. Secondly, the organizational structure determines who will participate in decision-making process and the extent to which to their views and perspective will shape the organization (Gortner, et al., 2007). Sometimes organizational structures may not necessarily reflect its operational action. Whenever there such divergence, the organization risks a decrease in performance. Organizational structures should be adaptive to changing requirements so as to optimize the ratio of effort and output to input. Schein’s organization model has three levels which are interrelated. The first level consists of artifacts and creations. This level is made up of things which are physical and tangible. The second level is referred to as values’ level. It is made up of cognitive constructions such as common basis for working together. The third level is basic assumptions. At this level, the essence of culture is demonstrated. It is made up of nature of human relationships, human activity, human nature and relationships to human nature. Contingency Approach Contingency approach is also referred to as situational approach. It is a management concept that states that there is not a universal applicable set of management principles in which organizations are managed. Each and every organization is unique in its own way. Each organization faces different set of challenges or variables and each challenge requires its own way of management procedure. Contingency approach is not very popular among many organizations. The contingency approach suggests that the best way to manage an organization is not to manage the organization at all. In the contingency approach, the management of an organization is dependent on the external and internal situations (Warwick, 2005). In contingency approach, the person in the leadership position can apply the leadership style he sees fit according to the current situation. Contemporary Approach Contemporary approach empowers working employees and reduces centralized control while holding all organizational levels responsible for their own decisions. Contemporary approach empowers employees through the introduction of horizontal elements in to the organizational structure (Phatak, et al., 2009). It eliminates single hierarchy. In contemporary approach, the employees report to a single manager for disciplinary matters. Other issues related to work are reported to other managers responsible for various departments (House, 2011). Contemporary approach offers flexibility by moving some decision making organs to the working level. This gives the organization better chances of dealing with external challenges. However, even though contemporary approach is flexible, it is also considered to be less efficient compared to other approaches. The lowering of decision making organs means that the organizational structure has to disseminate information required to make decisions and the impact of those decisions (Scott, 2001). Therefore, the organization has to employ more employees who are supposed to act as conduit between the managers and the employees to ensure that each side understands the information. The flexibility of contemporary approach comes at an extra cost. Theories of Culture Organizational culture refers to the behavior of people who are a part of an organization and the meanings that these people associate with their actions. The culture of an organization includes the values of the organization, visions, working language, norms, symbols, beliefs and habits. Behaviors in an organization are influenced by task the each team or group has been assigned. Developing a culture among group or team members is important since it encourages cohesiveness between team members and develops a good working relationship (Vallas, 2011). Organizational culture affects the way groups and individual people interact with each other, stakeholders and clients. Organizational culture provides meanings for routine organizational events, thereby reducing the amount of cognitive processing and energy members need to expend throughout the day (Likert, 2010). Strong cultures have four key concepts. They are values, rites and rituals, heroes and culture network. Organizational culture has several characteristics. A culture is shared. That implies that an organization culture forms the framework of understanding and interpreting organizational phenomenon. Secondly, culture is intangible and consists of assumptions, values, norms and frameworks. The third characteristic of organizational culture is that it is historical. Over time cultures will emerge and come to an end. Finally, cultures are as a result of communicative creations. That implies that cultures are created, sustained and influenced by human interaction (Taylor, 2007). Types of Culture Researchers have classified several types of culture. While there is no single type of organizational culture, organizational cultures vary from one organization to the next. There are no common types of cultures between organizations (Mayo, 2003). However, there are broad categories that researchers have identified as types of culture models. 1. Power culture Power culture is based on one or a small number of individuals dominating over the others. This small group handles the managerial tasks like making key decisions. This type of culture usually exists in small businesses, 2. Role Culture The role culture is mostly found in organizations with hierarchical form of management and everybody’s job description is clear. Individuals work strictly according to their job description and follow the laid down rules instead of being creative. 3. Task Culture Task culture exists in organizations where employees work in teams focusing on a particular task. The team is empowered to make independent decisions which leads to a development of a team culture. The ability to make independent decisions makes task culture a creative culture. 4. Person Culture Person culture is an individualistic culture. Individuals are allowed to fully express themselves and make independent decisions. This type of culture exists in a loose form of organization. Power and Control Power and control are fundamental principles in an organization. Power is closely associated with setting of goals in organizations. Achieving the set goals is a rational perspective that is aimed at providing directions for decision making and directions for action. Setting of goals is important in influencing strategies and organizational performance. A coalition of the stakeholders of an organization can be formed as a dominant group which can enforce control. When the organization has set its goals, control must be exercised throughout the organization (Taylor, 2007). Therefore, it is important to understand the power structure and authority in an organization. Control of power can be implemented by setting beliefs and norms that employees and employers can follow to govern their contributions. Theories Relating to People in Organizations Leadership Theory Leadership can be explained as a way of creating a way for the people so that they can contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Good leaders mobilize their employees and help them realize their potential so that they can accomplish bigger objectives (Burns, 2011). There are several theories of organizational leadership. These theories include: 1. Trait Theory Trait theory is based on the fact that leadership skills are derived from one’s individual character traits. Research has identified 6 traits that strongly relate to leadership. They are intelligence, extraversion, openness, adjustment, conscientiousness and self-efficacy. 2. Behavioral Theory This theory is based on behavior and styles rather than traits. There are three leadership styles. They include democratic, authoritarian and laissez-faire. Most followers prefer the democratic style of leadership. Studies have also shown that performance improves once the leader uses positive reinforcement. 3. Transactional theory In this theory, the leadership comes from an individual’s ability to punish or reward the followers based on performance. Leaders have a goal and they must have the ability to assess the followers’ performance towards achieving that goal. 4. Transformational theory Transformational leaders focus on the ultimate goal. They use communication to motivate their followers to effectively and efficiently execute their tasks. This type of leadership requires a leader who is always present, accessible and is open to new ideas. Motivation Theory Motivation is an element that transforms thoughts into acts. For instance, motivation causes an employee to start working on a project instead of just sitting around and thinking about it. Motivation theory is very important in any organization. Managers are always encouraged to find ways of motivating employees. The concept of motivation is different from one person to another. Whatever motivates one person is not what motivates the next person. Therefore, leaders should find common things that they can use to motivate employees in an organization (Vroom, et al., 2003). Team Working Japan is a country where groups or teams are highly valued. Team work theory is mainly employed in conjunction with the performance maintenance theory. Performance aspect relates to behaviors that direct a group towards goal achievement (Burns, 2011). The advantages and disadvantages There are many advantages and disadvantages of the theories mentioned in this paper. Each and every one of them makes a unique contribution in health care. There are misunderstandings that the main causes of minor and major misunderstandings as several groups come into contact with one another are cultural variations. It is common knowledge that culture may be a hindrance in the progress of an organization. Mergers especially on the international scale are also a source of misunderstanding in organizations (Harrigan, et al., 2010). Advantages One of the advantages of these theories is the fact that they bring order in an organization. The fact that everybody in an organization has clear defined roles that helps the employees to work in harmony with each other. Another advantage is that there is task integration which will enable employees to perform better than expected. This is useful and applicable in health sector where efficiency is critical (Fayol, 2009). Improved performance implies that the employees will be motivated by their success and they will be anxious to perform even better. Mechanisms of control such as punishments or rewards also go a long way in employee motivation. Many people might view this as a disadvantage but it is also an advantage if the employees’ efforts and achievements are recognized. Relegating some decision making roles to the employees is also an advantage. Employees can be able to make decisions on the spot depending current situation. This is crucial in the health sector because there are times when decisions have to be made without consultation in order to save a life. Disadvantages Some disadvantages of these theories include wastage of time and money. There is a popular belief that in business, leadership is not a productive activity. This is regarded as a disadvantage in that as much as managers contribute in giving instructions and directions, they actually do not participate in production of goods or services. According to that argument, hiring administrators is expensive and time wasting. Another potential drawback of these theories is the conflict of personalities at the workplace. Whenever there is a conflict at the workplace, the leaders may not be the best people to act as mediators. It can lead to strained relationships between the leaders and the employees. This can eventually lead to a divide between the employees and the leaders and between the employees themselves (Premkumar, et al., 2012). Such a scenario will be a big problem for the organization since it will affect the working relationship between the affected parties. Conclusion Healthy workplace is an issue which should not be compromised. Establishing mechanism which can maintain a healthy workplace should be a priority in any workplace. In today’s marketplace, maintaining a healthy workplace will ensure that the employees are satisfied and happy with the working conditions. Companies are always encouraged to embrace and initiate healthcare programs no matter the cost. There are some companies which shy away from this line of thinking citing cost. However, in a critical review of the whole scenario, having an unhealthy workplace can be costly in a long term as compared to implementing healthcare programs (Harrigan, et al., 2010). From the empirical point of view, when one takes care of people, those people are bound to return the favor. Therefore, when an employer treats employees in a good manner, the employees will be motivated to perform well in their various tasks in the workplace. The days of simply putting up a poster warning people not to smoke are long gone. Companies should take it upon themselves to put in place policies that will tackle problems like smoking in the work place or alcoholism seriously. 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