Assumptions about People and the Workplace - Essay Example

? My Philosophy of Management (Add (Add (Add Assumptions about People and the Workplace Assumptions have a great role in deciding the nature of a workplace. My first assumption in this regard is about teamwork and cooperation. Every employee in an organization admires and enjoys teamwork, friendship, harmony, the feeling of belongingness, and group spirit. So, any effort to increase rivalry and jealousy will lead to collapse of this system. In fact, the benefits of teamwork and cooperation are plenty. They range from reduced costs, improved quality of products and services, increased employee involvement, higher employee retention, reduced conflict, reduced absenteeism, enhanced creativity and innovation, and better adaptability and flexibility. In fact, a team can be defined as a group of people who enjoy autonomy in decision-making and creativity. In the absence of bureaucracy, this team is able to function without friction and develop a common vision. Realization of teamwork is followed by the elimination of ‘us vs. them’ attitude. Thus, my opinion is that an organization should be flat. Another important point that supports this assumption is that all people love to feel useful, important, successful, proud and respected. In an organization with high degree of bureaucracy and hierarchy, it is highly possible that many employees feel unused, disrespected and anonymous. However, as the organization becomes flat, employees are more likely to feel equal and important. The Means of Motivating Employees My efforts to motivate employees are based on the understanding that everyone has the desire to be justly and fairly acknowledged and appreciated in public. Thus, my philosophy will be to ‘applaud in public and reproach in private’. First of all, when employees achieve something, recognition and appreciation will be ensured in public. As studies show, motivation and positive feedback are positively correlated to work performance and various other factors like employee retention. Another important point is that this reward and recognition will be as fair and open as possible. This is so because if employees feel that certain employees are given a more favorable treatment, there will be further decline in their morale. So, when there is reward or recognition, it will be ensured that the reward system is fair and transparent. There are various studies which support this opinion. To illustrate, Wayne, Shore, Bommer &Tetrick (2002) proved that perceived organizational support is influenced by various factors including leader-member exchange, procedural and distributive justice, and feelings of inclusion and recognition. Also, the scholars point out that reward and punishment systems are important factors in deciding perceived organizational support. The next important point is punishment. It is highly necessary to be careful about using punishments because punishment has less positive and more negative effects, according to scholars. According to Milbourn (1996), punishment only curbs an undesirable behavior; and it does not make an employee demonstrate a desirable behavior. The mere fact is that punishment leads to fear, psychological distress and the feeling of humiliation, especially when it happens in public. So, my assumption is to replace punishment with positive reinforcement and one-to-one guidance. First of all, there will be clear guidelines regarding every aspect of the workplace and employee conduct. Adherence to the same will be appreciated and applauded in public. When it is found that an employee errs, the same will be immediately brought to his notice. However, when it is found that the mistake is even more serious, the employee will be met in private and the details discussed without the fear of punishment. Thus, by using positive reinforcement instead of punishment, an organization can increase the possibility of developing desirable behavior in employees. The most Suitable Organizational Structure There are various organizational structures ranging from line structure, line and staff structure, functional structure, product structure, market structure, geographic structure, and matrix structure. Some other important structures are bureaucratic structure, pre-bureaucratic structure, network structure and team structure. My organization will be adopting the team structure. This structure allows both vertical and horizontal process flows at the same time. In this structure, specific tasks are assigned to specialized teams which are highly autonomic in nature. There are a large number of benefits associated with adopting a team structure. First of all, in a team, the goals and values are well-understood by each member and hence, each member remains oriented to the goals. Secondly, no member feels neglected as each member realizes their role in the task. Thirdly, in a team, members get more chances to take part in decision-making. As a result, the decision-making process in a team is marked by extensive discussion, open communication, debates, consensus, and close monitoring of the behavior of members. As Davis (1994) points out, the benefits of teams are: collaboration, communication, commitment, realism, accountability, and accuracy; and thus, the employees who work in successful teams develop trust, creativity, strategic thinking, and broader perspective. Symbols in the Workplace The organization stresses on core values like transparency, collaboration and teamwork. So, the organization will introduce symbols which promote these qualities. First of all, there will be posters which promote ideas like ‘union is strength’. Secondly, there will be posters promoting transparency and collaboration. Marketing and Advertising Marketing is the management process of moving goods and services to the customer. Marketing contains four essential components: product, price, promotion, and place. In fact, advertising is a part of promotion. Advertising is the backbone of marketing. For example, a product may be marked by a number of special features in its quality, price and place. However, if the company fails to convey the message to the potential customers, the marketing effort fails. It is at this juncture that advertising gains importance. Shimp (2008, p.25) points out, advertising is aimed at informing the customers the various aspects of the product. Ethics and Decision-making There are a large number of approaches towards ethics. Some of them are Utilitarian, Moral Rights, Universalist, Cost-benefit, Justice, Theological, Deontological, and so on. While taking ethical decisions in the organization, the company will make sure that the business mission and the organization’s code of conduct are kept as the bases of decision-making. Also, in order to ensure that the organization reaches appropriate ethical decisions, certain criteria will be adopted. They are compliance, promoting good and reducing harm, responsibility, respect for others’ rights, and reputation. All the employees will be made familiar with the company’s core values and code of conduct. According to Bhatia (2007, p.34), at every juncture, there will be a solution based on the company’s code of conduct and ethics. Universal Values Universal values are the values which are common for most cultures around the world. Some such universal values are achievement, benevolence, conformity, enjoyment, power, security, self-direction, stimulation, and unity. Such values are present in most people around the world, and are usually expressed through principles; not culture. On the other hand, particularism is promoted through cultures. These universal values are seen in the human rights declarations of the UN. Almost all civilized societies and people now recognize the same list of values as global. Some of them are peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights and human dignity. As the world gets globalized, it becomes necessary for organizations to make sure that these values are protected and nurtured. Thus, universal values are the values which are considered as valuable by a considerable proportion of people in the world. References Bhatia, S. K. (2007). Business Ethics and Corporate Governance. New Delhi: Deep and Deep Publications. Davis, F. C. (1994). Team Based Strategic Planning. New York: American Management Association. Milbourn, G. (1996). Punishment in the workplace creates undesirable side effects. Wichita Business Journal. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/1996/11/18/focus3.html?page=all Shimp, T. A. (2008). Advertising, Promotion, and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. USA: Cengage Learning. Wayne, S. J, Shore, L. M, Bommer, W. H, Tetrick, L. E. (2002). The role of fair treatment and rewards in perceptions of organizational support and leader-member exchange. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3), 590-598. Read More