Factors That Influence Organizational Behavior - Essay Example

? Organizational Behavior Management of Health Care Organizations ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Organizational behavior refers to an established culture within an organization, which majorly encompasses the manner in which persons or groups operate in order to maximize or boost output. It represents the personality of an organization thus having a direct impact on employee motivation and the overall performance of the organization. Proper knowledge of an organizational behavior is vital for the process of establishing healthy relationships through aspects such as social objectives and organizational objectives. Essentially, this culture reveals the shared beliefs, values, and assumptions that work together to as a social fabric that binds the members of the organization together (Buchbinder and Shanks, 2012). Whereas each organization has its own culture, it is sometimes difficult to establish or reinforce it. A strong culture comprises informal rules that spell out the general behavior of people of an organization. On the other hand, employees in an organization with a shaky culture waste a lot of time trying to figure out how they should act in different scenarios (Frost, 1985). Factors that influence and shape organizational behavior The establishment of organizational culture is a combination of several factors. However, before the culture becomes clearly cut out, the role of effective management team cannot be downplayed. While most managers do not dispute the role that a culture plays in satisfying employees, very few of them fail to note the direct influence that they have in shaping the culture. From the numerous factors that influence organizational culture, the main ones are discussed below. The working group: the work force in most organizations is a combination of several networks of formally created work groups. The variables that influence the formation of these work groups include personalities (i.e. training and experience) and situational variables (i.e. availability of space and the task to done). The nature of the group and the number of members constituting it affect the manner in which the culture of an organization is perceived. This is because each of the members in these groups brings their own attitudes, behaviors and convictions whose interactions result in the formation of organizational culture (Dugger, 1991). The second factor influencing organizational culture is the style of leadership of the managers. Organizations that have created a ‘distant’ barrier between managers and the subordinates often create a negative impact on the culture. On the other hand, the trust in a manager often influences positively the affective commitment of working groups. It is worth noting that managers influence greatly the formation of organizational culture and this influence is directly proportional to the hierarchical level (Frost, 1985). The organizational characteristic is the other factor that influences the formation as well as the type of a culture in an organization. These characteristics include the attributes and the degree of complexity of the organization. For instance, there exists a directly proportional relationship between the complexity of organizational culture and the size of the company. In addition, bigger organizations have a tendency towards high degree of specialization as well as impersonal character. Unlike in bigger organizations where the overall culture is shaped by sub-cultures, the cultures of small companies are normally homogenous (Dugger, 1991). In addition, the founders or owners of an organization play an integral role in influencing the nature of the culture developed by an organization. In most scenarios, it is the founders who create the philosophy of the company as well as stipulate the fundamental values to be upheld. The owners of the company can impress their influence on the culture developed from a multiple dimensions which include the type of the owner (i.e. natural or juridical persons) or the number of owners. However, the influence of the owners on the culture is much felt when the number of owners is minimal. A case in point is Wal-Mart Stores. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, is credited as being amongst the pioneers of collegial form of organizational culture. Essentially, he referred to his junior or subordinates as ‘associates’ (Culture, 2013). Elements of Organizational Behavior Elements of organizational behavior refer to the observable characteristics that serve to offer a descriptive concept regarding the culture of a given organization. To begin with, there is the element of perception. This essentially refers to the awareness or consciousness of events, behaviors or objects that register in a person’s mind. It is critical in the formation of external view about an organization. For example, an organization whose employees are keen in reporting to work in time can be described as having a culture of punctuality. The second element is personality, and it refers to that bit of human behavior describing the influence that an individual may have on other through his or her external appearance. It influences the nature of character or behavior that an individual displays to the public. Group dynamics is the third aspect of organizational culture that describes the face to face interactions amongst group members as well as the synergy that accompany such interactions. It is crucial in the determination of the ability of an organization to foster proper work relations in a bid to attain common goals. Cohesiveness is the other element that describes the degree of closeness or the nature of intimacy that members constituting and organization exhibit. The level of cohesiveness determines the ability of group members to work together with an aim of achieving a common goal. In general, organization that is cohesive tends to perform more exemplarily than those that exhibit non-cohesiveness. Models in organization behavior models AUTOCRATIVE MODEL This model came into existence in the era of industrial revolution and gave absolute power to the managers. It uses excess force and authority in the management of employees. It assumes that employees must be pushed to do work and as such the management team does the thinking while employees obey the orders. Undoubtedly, this model emphasizes much on obedience rather than respect, as employees may obey orders but not necessarily respect the source of the orders. The problem with this model is that it leads to low employee morale and high rate of employee turnover. This model can get work done but it has high implication on the labor. At the moment, it is rarely used in organizations unless in the event of serious crisis (Kelly, 2011). CUSTODIAL MODEL It came into existence in the late 1800s when employers realized that employees can work better if their basic needs are met. It was commonly referred to as paternalism. The challenge with this model is that it leads to overdependence on the organization because of the security benefits offered. Some of the employees may insist sticking to the organization not because they like the job but because they do not want to lose the benefits offered. Companies employing this organizational model have lower employee turnover. Nonetheless, effective performance is not guaranteed. This model is appropriate for companies that are in their initial stages of growth (Kelly, 2011). SUPPORTIVE MODEL It came into existence in 1930s when employers realized that support is necessary for effective performance of the employees. The supportive approach is not all about money but instead is about the help that employees receive in the accomplishment of the task at hand (Kelly, 2011). COLLEGIAL MODEL It is the recent model and it is most acceptable. It emphasizes on teamwork rather than “bossy-subject” form of employment relationship. The best example is the work culture in Wal-Mart stores where employees and employers view each other as colleagues (Kelly, 2011). Whereas the models discussed above give progressive and historical formation of various forms of organizational culture in terms of employer-employee relationships, the following frameworks explain the current classification of organizational frameworks in regards to the healthcare sector: There are four models that have been formulated to explain the different frameworks of organizational cultures. Handy (1985), who was a philosopher and business guru classifies the culture into power, role, task and person. Each of these cultures bears its own unique features and they play an integral role in determining the success or the downfall of an organization. Nonetheless, this categorization does not imply that an organization cannot have a combination of two or more of these cultures. Instead, it is that culture that is dominant used to describe the general culture. In healthcare organizations, each of the four cultures is crucial in the development of a healthy environment (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). A power culture, also referred to as autocratic, is that which is ruled by some central authority such as the owner or the president. It is mostly found in entrepreneurial organizations. Under this framework of culture, there is minimal bureaucracy such that staff members work with few rules and procedures. Whereas applicability of power culture has been limited in healthcare organizations, slight modification in its applicability can greatly empower nurses and other professional in the health care sector (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). The second culture is what is described as the role culture. It is commonly referred to as bureaucracy and it is here where most organizations in healthcare sector fall. The strength of this culture is majorly anchored in “its pillars, functions and specialties”. For instance, each unit, i.e. surgical, emergency or labor and delivery, is a pillar that reinforces the organization. Policies, rules, and procedures are crucial component of this framework of culture and employees are expected to operate within specific job descriptions (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). The third is the task culture which emphasizes on a specific job or function. Even though most health organizations operate within the framework of role culture, task cultures are occasionally applied concurrently. This culture aims at the establishment of a pool of resourceful personnel in the accomplishment of a given task (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). The last culture, which is also rarely used, is the person culture. These culture places much emphasis on assisting individuals within an organization. For instance, as regards to healthcare, an employee may devote their time to assist a medical student gain skills in the profession (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). Conclusion The quality of a professional healthcare environment is essential in attracting and retaining professional nurses. The management teams of healthcare organizations play an important role in creating practice environments that are both supportive and conducive to the healthcare professionals. The practice environments in these institutions need to be both supportive and collegial to foster remarkable performance and high quality of work-life for nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, it is worth noting that these environments do not come into play overnight. Instead, they require considerable investment of time, energy, and resources by all stakeholders within the organization. In as much the investment to create such an environment is high; the resultant rewards to individuals, groups and organizations are much greater. Eventually, the investment in the creation of supportive and collegial work environments result in organizational effectiveness which the primary goal of organizational behavior (Kelly, 2011). Organizational behavior is an important aspect of any organization. It describes the personalities of the organization. Those organizations that portray positive culture tend to encourage elements such as punctuality, affective commitment, teamwork, and overall cooperation in the running of the organization. The outcome of this is that the overall performance of the organization improves. On the other hand, the organizations that lack good culture may struggle to run the daily activities of the company. In addition, chaos and confusion are bound to exist as employees rarely know what is expected of them. Aside from that, it is worth noting that management and overall leadership play a crucial role in establishing a culture for their organizations. Employees need to understand from the very start what the culture of the organization is and their obligation to operate within its confines. References Buchbinder, S.B. and Shanks, NH. (2012). Introduction to health care management. (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Dugger, W.M. (1991). Organization Theory: From Chester Barnard to the Present and Beyond. Journal of Economic Issues 1 Sept. 1991: 3-6. Frost, P.J. (1985). Organizational culture. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2013, from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/working-at-walmart/culture Kane-Urrabazo, C. (2006). Management's role in shaping organizational culture Journal of Nursing Management, 2006, 14, 188–194. Kelly, P. (2011). Nursing Leadership and Management. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Read More