Organizational Behavior Peculiarities - Essay Example

?[Your full full February 28, Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is the study of different behaviors of people, groups and individuals working for an organization. “Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) research and practice may be characterized as either behavior focused or results focused” (Hyten). Organizational behavior focuses on improving organizational productivity, increasing organizational effectiveness, reducing employee absenteeism, and increasing job satisfaction among the employees of a company. The main purpose of studying organizational behavior is to apply principles to increase organizational effectiveness and bring required improvements in the organizational structure. Implementation of essential principles is essential to bring a positive change in the organizational structure as well as in the employees' performance. Some of the main objectives for the application of principles include understanding the employees’ nature, understanding the organizational culture, developing effective leaders, developing productive teams, and increasing employee productivity. There are five main types of behaviors included in the organizational behavior literature. The types of behaviors include organizational citizenship, task performance, joining and staying with the organization, counterproductive work behaviors, and maintaining work attendance. All these types of behaviors are of significant importance for the success of an organization. Studying organizational behavior is extremely necessary for managers to increase productivity of their respective companies and organizations. The study not only makes an employee know his/her importance in the organization as an employee but also helps him/her develop some key characteristics and behaviors that an employee requires to progress in the professional life. Managers of the organizations must be able to recognize the unique perspectives of their employees in order to manage a better working relationship with the employees. The knowledge of organizational behavior also provides insights into all job activities to the managers. According to Peterson and Thomas, organizations have distinctive organizational characteristics that provide a unique context for studying organizational behaviors. It is also a fact that almost every organization has different managers for different departments, but hardly any organization has any organizational behavior manager. The reason is that organizational behavior is not an area of responsibility or a business function; rather it is a perspective, which provides a set of information that managers of all departments need to carry out their job responsibilities in an effective way (Griffin and Moorhead 6). Understanding of organizational behavior also helps managers understand their own motives and behaviors in order to use them for various decision-making processes and workplace communications (Luthans). Griffin and Moorhead state, “An understanding of attitudinal processes, individual differences, group dynamics, intergroup dynamics, organization culture, and power and political behavior can help managers handle such interactions more effectively” (7). Organizational behavior studies also helps employees become effective leaders and successful entrepreneurs. For a leader, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the employees' needs and behaviors. It is impossible for a leader to build positive organizational behavior without having the knowledge of individual employee behaviors (POB). Bakker and Schaufeli state, “POB emphasizes the need for more focused theory building, research, and effective application of positive traits, states, and behaviors of employees in organizations”. Let us now discuss an organization problem that occurred between an employee and a client of a company. We will also discuss the impact of the problem on the company and its managerial/organizational behavior implications along with discussing the possible solution to the problem. Example of an Organizational Problem This problem occurred in a company where one of my friends used to work as a customer service representative (CSR). The company used to deliver software products and applications to the customers. One day, a customer came to the customer service department and made a complaint about the software that the company developed for him on request. He made a claim that the application had some errors because it was not giving the results of the calculations in the required format. He wanted to meet the developer who developed that software for him. When my friend contacted that developer, he started making excuses and did not come to meet the customer. Upon telling the real situation to the developer, he asked my friend to make the customer come after 3 to 4 days. The customer came again after 3 days. When my friend told the developer about the arrival of the customer, he asked him to express regret to the customer once more because he was unable to remove the errors. The customer became unhappy with the situation and asked my friend to file a complaint to the company’s managers. The issue in this example was that the developer was trying to hide his inability in removing the errors by delaying the issue. He tried to hide from the managers his poor skills in removing software errors. The issue not only decreased the customer’s confidence in the company but also resulted in putting a spot on the company’s image. The developer showed a counterproductive work behavior, which is one of the five main types of organizational behaviors. A counterproductive work behavior has the tendency to destroy the image of a company directly as well as indirectly. Possible Solution Using Trevino and Nelson's eight-step model The manager of the software developer department should have used the Trevino and Nelson's eight-step model to handle the issue. Get the Facts First, he should have collected the detailed information to resolve the issue properly. The reason is that facts help managers in finding a suitable solution to the problem. Therefore, the manager should have taken a deep interest in resolving the issue at the earliest by collecting the necessary facts. Defining the Issue Next, the manager should have determined the exact issue by analyzing the information obtained from the customer. He should have considered the nature of his job responsibilities and his obligations to the company while determining the issue and his role in resolving the issue. Brown (2011) states, “Ethical issues that arise in the workplace should be carefully examined, and handled with care, as the determinations of these ethical issues can lead to the growth or demise of a company”. Identifying the Stakeholders The manager should have identified the individuals involved in the issue after determining the key ethical issue. He should have analyzed the situation carefully to identify the stakeholders and their interests. Identifying the Consequences The next step in the Trevino and Nelson's eight-step model is to identify the positive and negative consequences associated with the issue. The manager should have analyzed the issue to know the possible consequences of the actions of the developer. Identifying the Obligations The manager should have made the developer aware of his obligation to develop reliable software for the customers. Moreover, the manager should have taken proper measures against the developer for using delaying tactics to secure his position in the company. Creative Thinking This is the most critical step in resolving organizational problems. In this step, decision-makers choose possible creative alternate actions to accomplish something. In the above-mentioned case, both the manager and the developer should have handled the situation ethically to retain the customer. The manager should have assigned some other software developer to remove the faults from the software that the first developer was unable to remove. Six Principles of Effective Global Talent Management Having discussed the way to solve the organizational problem, let us now discuss the principles using which a company can build a skilled workforce. Talent management practices play a key role in increasing employees’ productivity and improving a company’s performance. Building and retaining a skilled workforce and resolving organizational problems are two of the main concerns for most of the companies in today's world. Some of the common organizational behavior problems that often occur in companies include lack of skills in designing effective compensation plans, incompetent workforce, inability to retain talented employees, and less involvement of senior managers in employee management practices. Companies not only need to develop a talented workforce but also need to revitalize their management practices. Different companies use different approaches to manage talent. Some companies use differentiated approach, whereas some companies use inclusive approach to deal with their employees. Companies using differentiated approach categorize employees based on their potential and performance and deal with them according to their categories. On the other hand, companies using inclusive approach address the need of all employees regardless of their individual performances. Today, companies strive to achieve competitive advantage in the market. Two effective ways to remain competitive include alignment of talent with the company’s business strategy and involvement of senior leaders in the practices of employee recruitment and retention. “Senior leaders need to be actively involved in the talent management process” (Stahl et al.). Some talent management practices that different companies use to manage talent include aligning talent with corporate strategy, showing consistency in implementing different employee management practices, integrating cultural values into talent management practices, involving all levels of management in managing talent, keeping balance between local and global needs, and finding ways to differentiate from the competitors. Companies need to standardize their approaches toward employee recruitment, training and development not only to ensure internal consistency but also to resolve organizational issues in an appropriate manner. Works Cited Bakker, Arnold, and Wilmar Schaufeli. "Positive organizational behavior: engaged employees in flourishing organizations." Journal of Organizational Behavior 29.2 (2008): 147-154. Brown, Mariah. “Managing Ethical Dilemmas.” Ezinearticles.com, 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. . Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004. Print. Griffin, Ricky, and Gregory Moorhead. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. 9th ed. Mason: Cengage Learning. 2010. Print. Stahl, Gunter, et al. Six Principles of Effective Global Talent Management. MIT Sloan Management Review, 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2012. . Hyten, Cloyd. “Strengthening the Focus on Business Results: The Need for Systems Approaches in Organizational Behavior Management.” Journal of Organizational Behavior Management 29.2 (2009): 87-107. Luthans, Fred. “The Need for and Meaning of Positive Organizational Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 23.6 (2002): 695-706. Peterson, Mark, and David Thomas. “Organizational Behavior in Multinational Organizations.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 28.3 (2007): 261-279. Read More