Work environment - Essay Example

Work environment Many experts note that organizations have been making greater use of teams in recent years. What factors might account for this trend? Greater awareness of the working environment, enhanced technology, and a corporate focus on decentralization all have contributed towards the use of teams in organizations during the last few years. Modern day organizations have to adapt to keep up with the rapid growth of technology. This requires a greater team emphasis to respond to new pressures in the work environment. These internal pressures have resulted in better organization across all areas of the workforce, and this requires the use of teams that can do this in an efficient manner. This principle can also be applied to the use of new technology. The introduction of new technology requires better coordination in organizations to make use of the new technology. As managers have become aware of the benefits of shifting more responsibility to human resource departments within an organization, this has further led to decentralization and a greater emphasis on teamwork to get the job done. 1. Compare and contrast authority, responsibility, accountability, and delegation a. Authority belongs in the hands of a manager, whose job it is to come up with strategies, delegate responsibility, and use resources in an effective and efficient manner to achieve the objectives of the organization. Authority can be viewed from three view points: (1) Authority comes from structures within an organization, and not directly from people. (2) Authority must be respected by subordinates. This is shown by the acceptance theory of authority, which reasons that authority is only acquired by a leader if the subordinates follow commands given to them. (3) Authority is appropriate to the particular position involved. Employees higher up the food chain have greater authority than their subordinates. b. Responsibility is authority given to carry out an order based on an employee’s position in the organizational hierarchy. c. Accountability is where authority and responsibility meet. d. Delegation is the way management chooses to assign responsibility to those lower than them in the organizational hierarchy. Most organizations encourage their managers to delegate authority to regular employees where possible so that the needs of customers are put first. 2. The divisional structure is often considered almost the opposite of a functional structure. Do you agree? Briefly explain the major differences in these two approaches to departmentalization. The functional structure revolves around common skills, expertise, work activities, and resources. Human resources are pooled together in large functional departments in order to achieve economies of scale and in‑depth skill specialization and development. The efficient use of resources is what defines the functional structure. The divisional structure is entirely different from the functional structure. The divisional structure focuses on product and division goals instead of functional skills and expertise. Despite this, divisional structures use functional departments within each division. Efficiency and economies of scale take a back seat to coordination among all departments and effectiveness in addressing the needs of customers. The key difference between these two structures is that the functional structure offers better efficiency internally but poor responsiveness, while the divisional structure is known for excellent responsiveness and poorer efficiency internally. 3. Define centralization and decentralization. Identify the three factors that typically influence centralization versus decentralization. What advantages does decentralization have over centralization? 1. Centralization and decentralization refer to the different levels of the hierarchy where key decisions are made and responsibility delegated. 2. Centralization means most of the major decisions come from top management (otherwise known as top-down approach). 3. Decentralization involves lower levels of an organization being given authority to make key decision (otherwise known as bottom-up approach). 4. The recent trend has been that decentralization is used more frequently because it makes use of workers' skills, allows top managers focus on more information tasks, and cuts down on response time. 5. The factors that influence whether centralization or decentralization is used are: a. A changing work environment is preferred for decentralization. b. The key strategies of the firm determine whether centralization or decentralization is employed. c. If there is a risk of the company failing, then authority is likely to be centralized. 5. The chapter suggested that structure should be designed to fit strategy. Some theorists argue that strategy should be designed to fit the organization’s structure. With which theory do you agree? Explain If a company is well-established and has already proven to be successful, then strategy is likely to be designed to fit the organization’s structure. This is because the structure put in place may be difficult to change. If a company is just starting up, then adapting structure to strategy makes more sense. Above all, whether structure or strategy comes first, both must be in sync with each other. Chapter 14 Volvo went to self‑directed teams to assemble cars because of the need to attract and keep workers in Sweden, where pay raises are not a motivator (high taxes) and many other jobs are available. Are these factors good reasons for using a team approach? Discuss. Putting workers into teams can be a great way to improve employee motivation because social facilitation can often lead to higher performance. Self-directed teams also can result in improved self‑esteem, which leads to improved work quality. Employees are often more positive towards a particular job if they receive enjoyment; this can help to retain Swedish workers. 1. If you were the leader of a special-purpose team developing a new computer game and conflicts arose related to power and status differences among team members, what would you do? How might you use the various conflict-resolution techniques described in the chapter? In any team, it is natural to assume that every team member will have a different view on how to develop a new computer game, which can lead to a power struggle if the problem is not dealt with swiftly. Conflict is inevitably when a team is put together, but it is simply a task of managing it so that it does not impede on the group’s goals. Sometimes, conflict may actually be good for a team if they are short of ideas. Conflict must be dealt with by forcing, accommodating, compromising, or collaborating with any members of the team who are unhappy with the current situation. The way in which to handle conflict will depend on the particular situation at hand, the group members involved, and how much control the leader has over the group. 2. When you are a member of a team, do you adopt a task specialist or socioemotional role? Which role is more important for a team’s effectiveness? Whether a task specialist or socioemotional role is adopted depends on a number of factors. Some may argue that role of a task specialist contributes more than a socioemotional role. The thinking behind this viewpoint is that the role of a task specialist contributes directly to the success of the team by drawing up solutions, offering opinions, and forcing the team to act. A socioemotional role is not thought of as that important, largely because it is used to reduce conflict and tension, as well as to promote harmony among the team. The truth is that each role is important in its own right—the task specialist role is more important the output of a team, while the socioemotional role is more effective for promoting the personal satisfaction of all the members of the group. 3. Suppose you are the leader of a team that has just been created to develop a new registration process at your college or university. How can you use an understanding of the stages of team development to improve your team’s effectiveness? The first step would be to assign specific roles to each member of the team so that there is no confusion as to who performs each task. Each member of the group must be responsible for their assigned tasks; the group could meet regularly to ensure that this happens. In the next stage, the group will discuss the key issues pertaining to student registration. In the third stage the team will work together to come up with techniques to improve the student registration process. In next stage, the team will collaborate and work together as an effective team. Finally, in the last stage, the team will disband once the appropriate strategies of improving the registration process have been implemented. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of teams. In what situations might the disadvantages outweigh the advantages? The ideal team would comprise of no more than twelve individuals, although the fewer the better. Larger teams are able to make use of a wider range of skills and naturally result in better solutions. Also, a team should be small enough to encourage of member to feel like they are contributing. Generally, as a team enlarges, it is more difficult for group members to feel like they are interacting and contributing in a positive manner. Smaller teams agree more often, experience greater satisfaction and are less likely to be in conflict. Larger teams disagree more often, are in conflict, have less participation, and more turnover and absenteeism. This is because in large teams, each member has less chance to participate. Most people will work in a team environment at some stage during their careers. Teams are now a popular way for many companies to delegate tasks because of the greater efficiency that can be achieved. There are many benefits to working in teams, but there are some downsides. It can often be the case that someone does not pull their weight in a group yet they still receive the same credit or benefits as everyone else in the group. Think of a work team or student project team of which you have been a member. Identify some of the team’s unstated norms. How did these norms develop? A. Team Norms 1. A team norm is a way of conduct common to all team members and guides their behavior. Norms are not formal but they are valuable due to setting the boundaries of appropriate behavior. a. Team members can work more freely because they know what is acceptable and what is not. 2. Norms are formed during the initial stages of group interaction. There are four common ways in which norms to develop for controlling and directing behavior include: a. Critical events. These lead to the creation of norms when standards are established. b. Primacy. This refers to team expectations being formed when first behaviors occur. c. Carryover behaviors. Carryover behaviors establish norms from outside sources. d. Explicit statements. Explicit statements from a team leader or group member can establish norms. Chapter 8 What are the primary forces that resist change? Explain force field analysis. Analyze the driving and restraining forces for a change with which you have been associated. There are many reasons why employees resist change; understanding these reasons helps managers implement change in a more effective manner. Because employees are concerned with their own needs first,, they may resist a change that they believe will lessen their role within the organization. Employees misunderstand the reason why a change is being implemented because of a lack of communication between top management and regular employees. If employees do not know how a change will play out, then they may be fearful for their own safety. A force field analysis shows that change occurs when there is conflict between driving and restraining forces. The former is simply a problem or opportunity that gives motivation for change to occur. The latter is something that stops change from occurring. Examples of this could be insufficient resources, resistance from employees, or a lack of employee skills. Once these restraining forces and removed, inevitably the driving forces will result in a significant change in the organization. 1. Which role or roles—the inventor, champion, sponsor, or critic—would you most like to play in the innovation process? Why do you think idea champions are so essential in the initiation of change? Could they be equally important for implementation? I would like to play the idea champion role in the innovation process because change is something that does not occur naturally. A new idea needs to be promoted through effort and persuasion. Idea champions are needed to convince managers about the benefits of a new idea and then show the commitment to back a new product or idea despite doubts by others. Because idea champions are innovators, they are required to propose new ideas and then help implement them successfully. What are the internal and external forces for change? Which force do you think is the major cause of organizational change in a university? In a pharmaceutical’s firm? Why? Forces for change are present both inside and outside an organization. External forces that promote change include lower operating costs, the opportunity to operate in a non-union environment, and low cost competitors. External forces that oppose change include the relocating costs, increased training costs, moving to a new market with a different culture. Internal forces that result is a positive change include higher wages, government regulation, and the unwillingness of union leaders to accept lower wages or structural changes that would improve profits. Internal forces against change include personal relationships with workers and concerns about their futures if change occurs. Organizational change is the introduction of a new idea or behavior by an organization. External forces originate in all environmental sectors including customers, competitors, technology, economic, and international events. Internal forces for change arise from internal activities and decisions. Demands by employees, labor unions, and production inefficiencies can all generate a problem to which management must respond with change. Rapidly increasing competition drives the need for innovation. One vital area for innovation is the introduction of new products and technologies. These new products and technologies require substantial changes in every aspect of an organization. 2. How might businesses use the Internet to identify untapped customer needs through open innovation? What do you see as the major advantages and disadvantages of the open innovation approach? The Internet can be used to contact existing customers and allow them to input ideas into new products or services. A simple blog or Website can perform this function accurately. Open innovation is good because it represents out of the box thinking. Most companies come up with their own ideas internally and then develop, manufacture, market, and distribute them through using a closed innovation approach. Open innovation expands the search for new ideas outside the organization and sometimes even outside the industry. Customers can be brought into the innovation loop to provide firsthand experience. This allows a company to listen to many perspectives and then develop products and services that are derived from a number of ideas. A disadvantage with this though is that competitors can discover about plans for new products and services and then copy them before they reach the market. Briefly explain the three distinct steps for achieving behavioral and attitudinal change. Planning, changing, and stabilizing: a. Changing occurs when employees try out new behavior and thus develop new skills to be used in the workplace. This process is also known as intervention, during which a change agent sets out a specific plan for training managers and employees. b. Refreezing occurs when employees adopt new attitudes or values and are thus rewarded by the organization. These changes become part of the organizational culture. When this happens, employees start to view these changes as normal for the organization. 3. A manager of an international chemical company said that few new products in her company were successful. What would you advise the manager to do to help increase the company’s success rate? This manager should know that many companies have new products that fail initially. It is a risk to introduce a new product to the market, so improving the new product development process can greatly assist organizations. A manager should consider three things based on the horizontal linkage model. The first is does the marketing department understand customer needs? Marketers must get to know the customer through face-to-face contact and not just through market surveys. Secondly, does the R&D department understand the needs of the latest technology? The latest techniques should be used in the design of new products. Most importantly, is there cooperation across departments on the matter of developing new products? If all the departments can work together, then the chance of success of new product will increase. If each department fails to perform its own tasks, or doesn’t cooperate with other departments, the likelihood is that new products will fail. Chapter 9 What are the three primary goals of human resource management (HRM)? What is the purpose of exit interviews? Human resource management (HRM) refers to the methods used to hire a workforce capable of performing company tasks, enhance the skills of the workforce, and look after the long-term needs of the workforce. The purpose of exit interviews is to learn about why employees want to leave, and then creating a plan to keep employees satisfied in the future. If you were asked to advise a private company about its equal employment opportunity responsibilities, what two points would you emphasize as most important? Federal laws have been passed to insure equal employment opportunity (EEO). The purpose of these laws is to end discriminatory practices that are unfair to specific groups and define enforcement agencies for these laws. EEO legislation tries to make sure that equal pay is given to men and women and also to provide employment opportunities that do not take demographics into account. Through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established; this is the major agency involved with employment discrimination. Discrimination is when a job applicant is accepted based on something that is unrelated to job performance. Back pay and affirmative action are steps that can be taken to combat discrimination in the workplace. Affirmative action requires an employer to take the appropriate steps to ensure equal employment opportunities for people within protected groups. If an employer fails to comply with equal employment opportunity legislation, then it can result in substantial fines and penalties. Sexual harassment is a concern in the workplace and is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. EEOC guidelines state that behavior such as verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature can be classed as sexual harassment when submission to the conduct results in continued employment or promotion, or when the behavior creates a hostile work environment. 1. Which selection criteria (personal interview, employment test, assessment center) do you think would be most valuable for predicting effective job performance for a manager in a record company? For one of your college professors? For a manager at a coffee shop such as Starbucks? Discuss. As college professors must present vast quantities of complex material to students within a limited period time, communication skills are vital. A personal interview is a good indicator for measuring such skills and it can also determine a professor’s vision for the class and for the profession as a whole. A pencil‑and‑paper test would be a weak predictor of effectiveness because college professors are intelligent and are experts in their particular area of study. In a modified version of the assessment center, professors can be observed in a classroom situation and then assessed according to their communication and interpersonal skills, both in lectures and in responding to student questions and problems. Information gained through a personal interview for a manager in a record company is practical in the exchange of information regarding the applicant’s background and expectations and the job requirements. Besides this, a personal interview may fail to accurately assess the potential of the individual because of flaws in the system such as interviewer prejudice. For management personnel in either a record company or a coffee shop, paper‑and‑pencil tests measuring intelligence are good indicators of potential because the answers can provide important information on skills and intelligence in important areas. Aptitude tests and personality inventories are also excellent sources of information in putting together strong teams. The assessment center is the most valuable tool in predicting effective job performance. 2. Is it wise for managers to consider a candidate’s MySpace or Facebook postings grounds for rejection before even interviewing a promising candidate? Is it fair? Discuss. Managers can learn important information about a job candidate based on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. If the candidate has been involved in activities that are inappropriate for the position, then the candidate may not be suitable for the job. A look at the MySpace or Facebook postings of a candidate can help managers quickly determine a candidate’s personality and values, and it can also help them figure out how a candidate could potentially fit the organization’s culture. If managers are looking at online information that is in the public domain, then it is fair that they check a candidate out. If, however, managers are using questionable means to access information that is not available to the general public, then it may not be fair for them to use that information to assess how a candidate fits within the organization. 3. You are a manager at an organization that has decided it needs a more diverse workforce. What steps or techniques will you use to accomplish this goal? What steps will you take to retain diverse employees once you have successfully recruited them? In order to achieve this, a company should look at employee demographics, the makeup of the labor pool, and the customer base. Managers should try to build a workforce that is reflective of the labor pool and customer base. Managers should try to get rid of barriers to advancement. This can be done through mentoring relationship. A mentor is a senior organizational member who commits to providing upward mobility and support to a protégé’s professional career. Mentoring gives minorities and women training and inside information on the norms and expectations of the organization. A mentor can also act as a friend or counselor, which enables the employee to feel more confident and capable of performing their job. An effective mentoring program can help an organization retain diverse employees after hiring them. Read More