Management Psychology - Case Study Example

Management Psychology Introduction Spatiotemporal discontinuities in the realms of human activities are common in todays world. The demarcating line between the superior authority and the subordinate has been dissolving fast as we tend to go through the motion with the lot, so to speak, in our daily affairs and conducts. The similitude of correlational thinking is a pertinent point of contention in contemporary studies about management psychology. While the induction of corporatism has made the strategy-making principles much flexible than ever before, stereotypical images about what should feature as ideal and genuinely motivational for employees are still very much in practice. This has laid down an ontological framework for the study of management worldwide. As a rule, managers and top authorities of the corporate world seek common patterns of cognition and application. Once they trace this pattern, their task is half done in that relevant policies are easier to make and put into practice. As far as the growth of the organisation is concerned, it may be noted that majority of the top companies do chalk out unitary and often imposing policies pertaining to work schedule, employee engagement, mentorship and normative screenings of competence. When an employee or a group of employees share similar interests and level of competence, they are usually assigned selfsame tasks and are asked to perform them in a mechanical manner. While it increases the volume of the outcome, the qualitative input of every individual is diminished to a great extent, setting the curve of growth on a downward slope in the long run. Another crucial issue in community-based work ethics is that it tends to overlook the all-important prerequisite of rest and relaxation. Formulaic approaches may have quick disposal of results, but at the same time, it puts the production process in jeopardy. The tight work schedule compels teams to perform their allotted tasks nonstop, without the much needed recessive timeouts. The management in most cases simply carries out formal instructions which sometimes become obligatory for the workforce across all offshoots. Again, lack of flexible mindset on part of the management is another key point of consideration in the psychology of management. Most multinational companies, in their attempt to outrun competing organisations, introduce what they perceive as an all-encompassing policy that can be seamlessly applied to all strata of official dealings. But this is erroneous per se simply because no common working rationale is adequate enough to fit the unique demands of a heterogeneous work culture. Thesis In the light of these premises, this paper is going to discuss case studies in organisations with strong corporate ambiences. In course of the discussion, the paper will use empirical evidences as supporting tools to substantiate the literature findings. Psychological Workstation The concept of psychological workstation is a direct result from that of modern corporatism. The good old days of public-sector vox populi is redundant in the streamlined setups of corporate cultures. Each individual, regardless of his/her position in the firm, conceives of having a personalised workstation designed to be efficient and motivational. It may be noted in this context that the concept of cubicles is quite a modern addition to professional logistics management. The world becomes a comfy and narrow place inside a cubicle, but never impedes the chain of thought for the employer. Instead, it helps the employer relate to his/her domestic setup where multitudinous activities are possible in a simultaneous manner. The employer can play cards if time permits; enjoy a can of coke; and exchange occasional pleasantries with colleagues or someone over phone. In a way, psychology of management becomes a relatively less complicated proposition if one visualises the immense practical viability of its disposition, particularly within the purview of preliminary laws of corporate management. Defining Psychology of Management Psychology of management may be seen as an extremely acute topic from theoretical viewpoints. The term ‘psychology’ itself is quite difficult to define in the context of heterogeneous cultures that normally prevail in multinational firms. It is worth observing that psychology as an academic discipline attracts very little attention to students who are not acquainted with epistemological disciplines. Subjects that essentially deal with technicalities of application treat psychology as a secondary component in their curricula. But the unique aspect of management studies makes it imperative to include psychology as a key ingredient to the broader framework of dealing with people. What we mean by unique aspect is that management studies cover a wide range of interdisciplinary branches, including technical education and social sciences. Hence, psychology of management refers to a combined assessment metrics by which a company evaluates, through knowledge sharing and dissemination, the psychological aspects of its employees who, in turn, learn to recognise their respective positions and value additions to the firm’s objective (Gilbreth 2008:17). Given the composite nature of criteria that are central to assessing the parameters of management psychology, it is very difficult to arrive at a singular field of implementation that would justify all types of rational considerations undertaken by managers to improve on the existing functional strongholds. For managers, the most disconcerting areas include decision making while managing people who have intrinsic problems of underachieving coupled with a typical aversion to improvement. Conducting psychological therapies to boost the morale of perpetual losers has proved to be futile as such bunches embody the stereotype of stagnancy (Peltier 2001:xxvi). The problem multiplies when the governance system fails to operate in a flexible manner, allowing its employees to coexist in different spheres of professional involvement. The following case study with Google, Inc. will testify to this claim. Flexibility of Management at Google, Inc.: Integration of Mind and Body As discussed earlier, management principles play a pivotal role in the top echelon of any organisation. For example, Google, Inc. has introduced a semi-formal structural setup to help employees enjoy their tasks. The concept of Googleplex, a sprawling campus at Google’s headquarter in Mountain View, California has revolutionised the dominant psychology behind corporate management principles enormously. The idea of work as fun, without having to make any qualitative compromise with inputs, is a relatively new one. What Googleplex does is that it allows the employees of Google to work within an integrated and self-sustainable setup. They do not need to seek outside assistance for achieving their professional goals and meeting the organisational criteria. Moreover, the all-inclusive facilities available at Googleplex, ranging from health clubs to games zones, allow the employees to relax whenever possible. Studies have shown that working for a long stretch of time takes heavy toll both on the mind and on the body, leading to reduced amount of deliverables. Effective stress management is just as important as other management methodologies applied to large corporate frameworks. The neuro-hypnotism theory, propounded by James Braid in 1853, suggests that nerves need to be tended from time to time to recuperate the human mind and regain its energy (Lehrer, Woolfolk, and Sime 2007:38). Hence, the healthcare facilities such as gymnasiums and spas available at Googleplex enable the workers there to flex a muscle or two to rejuvenate their lost cognitive and physical selves before they gear up for taking further workloads. The process of reporting to immediate superiors is also made agreeable and amicable at Google. Difference of opinion among various hierarchical pyramids, which normally leads to organisational conflicts, is resolved without third-party interventions, thus averting unnecessary delays in disposing the point of view that should be prevailing in the end. Dissolving Authority Breaking down authoritative barriers bears testimony to Google’s futuristic vision as an organisation. Such a step can be perceived as a crucial addition to Google’s management repertoire. From psychosocial viewpoints, stringent organisational hierarchies throttle the process of interaction that should be coming from the lower levels of such hierarchies. The reason being quite obvious as a marketing executive tends to refrain from approaching the Assistant General Manager out of generic reluctance. Now, considering the brand image of the company, it is imperative that employees should be treated as mouthpiece of the top brass, without which all activities amount to nothing. Each segment belonging to the line of operation must be treated as a continuation for human resource development. In case of Google, the company strives to break the barriers of authoritative supervision through careful lenience. Such psychological business ploys do not take anything away from the cohesiveness of collective or collaborative results. At the same time, such tactics give ample freedom to the employees to work without having to worry about their individual contribution to the overall context of the organisational goals. In other words, contribution made by each worker adds to the summation of all, which is overseen by smaller contingencies of administration or management. In this sense, smaller groups are formed within larger frameworks and each of these groups is entrusted with specific tasks to be carried out in flexible manner. This ensures proper coordination between the administrative and the operational fronts, allowing for greater allocation of resources. IBM: Conceptualising Totality In today’s world of globalised economy, organisations driven by strong corporate values tediously try to ensure competitive edge over their rival organisations. As a result of this, explicit formalities are often enforced on the workers who hardly make any advancement in terms of gaining professional competence. Moreover, the hierarchical system of authority flares unnecessary complications at the lower levels, leading to diminished sense of self-respect and general laxity. To counter these problems, IBM in the 1980s tried to introduce a cross-cultural system of governance aligned with total integration of different training modules, including mentorship training and leadership training. But this effort yielded very little results as a multinational conglomerate like IBM operates under diverse cultural identities having unique requirements and propensities. The Hofstede study in the late 1960s and early 1970s brought out tons of cultural determinants prevalent across the globe, underlining the difficulties in procuring consistent results from a diverse cultural mix (Smith et al. 2006:33-4). Conclusion So it is apparent that managing culturally diversified workforce entails different sets of clauses for different social units. Albeit most corporate houses try to install seamless programming techniques in line with the end-purpose of their practices, it is very unlikely that such procedures will materialise. The most important thing to understand is that every social stratum has unique sets of identifiers that can never be integrated into a generic concept of management. Distinguished strata hailing from geo-morphologic demographics are to be treated according to their respective cultural coefficients and not according to the unilateral policies adopted by organisations. List of References Gilbreth, L. M. (2008) The Psychology of Management. Charleston, South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, LLC. Lehrer, P. M., Woolfolk, R. L., and Sime, W. E. (2007) Principles and practice of stress management. New York: Guilford Press Peltier, B. (2001) The psychology of executive coaching: theory and application. New York: Psychology Press Smith, P. B., Bond, M. H., Kâğitçibaşi, Ç. (2006) Understanding social psychology across cultures: living and working in a changing world. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Read More