Managing People, Group Cohesiveness and Performance - Essay Example

? Managing People Table of Contents Theme 3 Theories and applications 3 Hertzberg’s two factor theory 3 McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory 3 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 4 Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy model 5 Theme 2 5 Theories and applications 6 Group Cohesiveness and Performance 6 Group Development and Maturity 7 Role Conflict 7 Effects of Technology 8 Reference 9 Theme 1 Theme 1 related to the motivation of the Dabbawalahs in Mumbai and what keeps them performing successfully and regularly in the system. The case has been analyzed against various motivational theories like the Hertzberg’s two factor theory, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy model. Theories and applications Hertzberg’s two factor theory As per the Hertzberg’s two factor theory of motivation among the content theories, motivators and hygiene are the two factors which contribute towards job satisfaction or dissatisfaction of employees. It is said that the existence of motivators at the place of work account for the motivation of employees however their absence did not bring about any dissatisfaction. Some of the principle motivators recognized in this regard are responsibility, recognition, promotion, achievement etc (Mullins, 2010, p.265). The efficiency that the organization has gained over the years along with the attainment of Six Sigma has been responsible for acting as a motivating force behind their job performance. The organization has been able to attain great management excellence and efficiency. This is demonstrated through the fact that their error rate diminished dramatically which have been responsible for the attainment of great operational excellence. McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory The McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory bears relevance to the case in terms of the achievement motive which is identified as one of the four arousal-based and socially developed motives. The sense of achievement reflects through the fact that members in the organization delivering services to customers are able to perform their job without fail. No matter what the condition is, the dabbawalahs never fail to deliver their services just on time even among the city bustle, traffic delays and other chaos. This relates to the high achievement needs of people as proposed by McClelland. The high need for achievement among the workers drives them to even negotiate with traffic on bicycles or foot at rapid pace to deliver to the required destinations as per their commitment. McClelland has perceived the achievement motive as most crucial for attainment of success and growth (Mullins, 2010, p.267). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs As per the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the workers involved in the service demonstrate the need for self actualization which the highest order need in the hierarchy of needs in the theory. The Mumbai dabbawalahs represent the fact that the basic needs in the hierarchy have been satisfied and they have moved up to the higher order needs. The basic needs like physiological needs, security needs and social needs have already been attained and would not be able to provide any more motivation. The theory does not intend to provide an explanation of motivation in the place of work. However, a number of managerial theorists have adopted it. The theory has suggested that employees would always tend to acquire more from their employers. When they would be satisfied with the subsistence needs they would try to obtain the security needs which would be followed by the need to fulfil social needs and would ultimately result in fulfilling the self actualization need. The workers are now trying to seek the need for self actualization which is done by maintaining such efficiency and performance which is comparable to some of the leading corporations in the world (Mullins, 2010, p.260). Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy model The Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy also applies in this case. Alderfer has suggested that individual’s move up the hierarchy starting from the need for existence to the relatedness needs as the lower level needs gets fulfilled. However, according to this theory, these needs represent a continuum process than a strict hierarchical structure. There can be more than one need which may be activated at the same time. As per the theory individuals can also move down the hierarchy. This is possible according to the process of frustration and regression. In case an individual remain frustrated to satisfy the growth need, the need for relatedness might attain greater importance. In that case the lower order needs might gain focus for the individual’s efforts. This concept bears relevance to the fact that Mumbai dabbawalahs do not enjoy very high salaries or pays, yet their drive to attain success and efficiency remain high. Their endeavour for success is higher than their desire for a better compensation. It is evident from the cases that the effort with which they perform to deliver are not comparable to the amount with which they are compensated. Their monthly payment along with bonuses and other benefits seems insignificant to the quality of job or the efforts that the dabbawalahs put into their work to deliver successfully. Theme 2 Theme 2 analyses the ways in which the Mumbai dabbawalahs work through groups and teams. It emphasises on the aspects of group cohesiveness and performance, Group Development and Maturity, Role Conflict, and the effects of technology on group performance. Theories and applications Group Cohesiveness and Performance Social interaction forms the most common feature of human interaction. Effective teamwork and harmonious work relations cannot be achieved easily and forms the basis on which the performance of team works and group activities depend. One of the prime concerns of a manager is to ensure that group members cooperate with each other in their works to achieve the desired results. The immensely efficient group performance of the dabbawalahs reflects through the fact that the organization comprises of 20 to 25 teams under the leadership of a single experienced person. Cooperation among the group members happens to be greater in cases of cohesive or united groups. Since the present organization does not use technological devices or information technology for their work processes, it is completely dependent on manual works which are performed by the group members. The team work was started with the initiative of the entrepreneur Mahadeo Havaji Bacche and has also been taken forward with his initiatives. The role of communication and coordination increases as the size of the group increases. The difficulty of managing groups increases with the size of the group. In spite of the low levels of literacy of the group members, their decoding abilities and the way in which they communicate among themselves on the streets to deliver the boxes forms the basis of their success. Also the system portrays a cultural familiarity among group members. Very often the workers are seen to hail from families which were originally belonging to the Tiffin business. This accounts for the cultural bonding among members which eventually contribute towards enhancing team strength and performance (Mullins, 2010, p.314). Group Development and Maturity The extent of cohesiveness of the group depends on the way in which the group progresses through the different development stages. The development of teams in the organization was also dependent on certain rules and disciplines which characterized the different dabbawalah teams. Members were mostly vegetarians and were restricted from taking alcohol while at service. There was also a dress code for the team members, which reflected a sense of pride and confidence and successfully attained public cooperation with the daily operation of the service (Mullins, 2010, p.317). The organisation has set great store by the trustworthiness and integrity of the members. Moreover, the dabbawalahs have not yet shown any police records which reflect the great cohesion and integrity within the team. Role Conflict The success of performance of a group is dependent on the extent of clear definition and design of the roles of team members. Improper definition of the roles of team members and personality clashes leads to role conflicts among team members. However, the case of the Mumbai dabbawalahs demonstrates extreme cautiousness in terms of the way each role has been developed and implemented. There is no use of technology to communicate among team members. The process is entirely dependent on the medium of informal communication in which small notes are sent across to members within the Tiffin boxes. In spite of having low education the workers successfully communicate with one another through such mediums which enables smooth running of the system. In fact the level of efficiency is so high that it can be compared to some of the leading organizations in the world which operate through the use of most advanced technologies (Mullins, 2010, p.328). Effects of Technology Technology surely plays an important role in determining group operation and group behaviour. It might also limit the degree of interaction between members of the teams and this might create disadvantageous effects on the job performance of employees. The least use of technology and technological devices has played a major role in forming cohesion in the teams. Workers remain constantly in contact with the customers at all hours of the day which makes the system even more popular among customers. They are able to communicate with their problems directly without any hassles or hurdles. The informal communication between team members and customers forms the basis of success of the organization (Mullins, 2010, p.322). Reference Mullins, L. J. (2010). Management and Organisational Behaviour. London Financial Times Prentice Hall 9th edition 2010 Read More