A Comparative Analysis of Two Organizations - Case Study Example

Introduction The ideology of teamwork in relation to organizational structuring and establishment of culture is considered an important concept that should be established at the formative stage of a company, in order for the firm to have an efficient and effective system. Theories emphasizing the role that people play in relation to organizational objectives being achieved have stressed on the need of a sense of belonging being created, so that employees can form a homogenous mix with the vision of the company. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of a case study of two organizations in order to establish the variance in culture and structuring of the firms, and its resulting effects on the institutions. The companies being reviewed are: Safe Mint UK Ltd and Docklands Solutions Ltd. Safe Mint is a manufacturer of steel shipping containers, established in 1902 with a four-member board of directors comprising the management. Docklands Solutions is a computer software and security technologies company founded in 1997 by 6 friends. The contrasting industry sectors that both companies represent should not be understood as a reflection of their distinct structures and working culture; both wish to succeed and grow, but have adopted contrasting paths in which the tasks are managed. Approaches to Teamwork The case study offers a contrasting image of teamwork in both organizations. Safe Mint has employed an authoritative mode of operation with the linkage between management and employees highlighting a greater degree of distance. With the makeup of teams dictated by set norms, there appears to be little option for customization or diversification in respect to the roles and responsibilities within each team. Decisions within teams rest with the management, with members having simply to fulfil their primary obligations, instead of forming a collective mix in order to ensure work is completed efficiently. Teamwork theory dictates several phases which are undertaken in order to achieve a creative and innovative mix of members who can achieve the tasks on the organization’s agenda with a combined vision. In the case of Safe Mint, there is no such scenario, as the teams are pre-established and rigid in their structuring. Huczynski and Buchannan (Nelson & Quick, 2007) professed the importance of motivation on the effectiveness of teams. In the case of Safe Mint, the management showed reluctance to incentivise or offer other forms of positivity to the team members, in a bid to create a harmonious environment. This was, however, contrasted by the example of Docklands. With a shared communication network and sense of collective identity, Docklands encouraged all members of the organization in a bid to achieve the goals set by the company. According to the firm’s management team, there is a belief that job titles, structures and power relations put barriers between the members of an organization. By offering greater responsibility, including in the aspect of delegation, organizations can allow members to feel like bosses of their own domain. Docklands view of project-based teams is that of being tailor-made to tackle a specific task currently being dealt with; hence, customization is of the essence. The formation of such teams is designed to last only for the duration of the project. Additionally, a level of trust is given to the members by management, by removing any overview hierarchy from the teams. Implementing such actions is a method for the organization to increase the drive and the motivation of the employees. When workers are shuffled and organized based on active projects, it allows for all of them to remain interconnected and in-tune with the entire organization. This creates a sense of belonging for the employee and they are able to view the work that they have done in the form of its effect for the entire team. Additionally, the collating of individuals from diverse backgrounds will allow for the innovation levels to be higher and complex problems to be resolved through brainstorming and collective thinking. Teamwork is greatly aided and abetted by the ability to work across different time zones and geographical regions. The use of technology has ensured that the employees are always in touch with each other. The cognitive unit created would have greater productivity and improved quality. The key factor that a company must remember when understanding the dynamics of teamwork is that having a motivated and happy workforce reducing overall organizational costs, especially in terms of labour turnover. According to Mullins (2007), the cost for retention of a worker is lower than that of acquiring a new one. Hence, creating a strong link between employee and organization is extremely important for higher productivity and growth. Organizational Structure and Culture The management at Docklands believes in a lean hierarchy of control and an informal modus operandi; the management at Safe Mint exhibits a rigid outlook and hierarchy, with levels of supervisors and managers looking over the employees. Docklands has established an open environment for their employees, delegating more tasks for them to handle and allowing them to take ownership of their roles. The encouraging environment created allows for the members to mingle with the senior management, who also make every effort to be more understanding of the needs of their workforce. Thus the turnaround time for decision-making is shorter at Docklands. Safe Mint has a more traditional outlook towards business practices, with a defined line of control causing hindrance to the innovation capabilities of the organization. The chairman holds an authority that requires all decisions to be taken by him personally, reflecting the lack of control given to anyone within the organization. This controlling culture increases the overall work time for each task, as staff need to seek approval prior to any form of implementation. Docklands has ensured that workers feel valued at the organization and they would go the extra mile to remind their employees of this concept. Technology is at the helm of the company’s structure and rather than mundane desktops, workers use blackberries and laptops to interact with each other. This means more mediums of communication are available and ensure that members are always in the loop in regards to the activities that are taking place. Douglas McGregor in 1960 (Mullins, 2007) first proposed the ‘x and y’ theory. The ‘x’ viewpoint resembles the corporate structure and culture of Soft Mint. The following are extracts from the case study which depicts this concept: ‘People only come to work for money; they are inherently lazy and unrealiable and will try to get away with doing as little as possible.’ Soft Mint’s Head of IT remarking: ‘They are nothing but a bunch of idiots.’ The ‘y’ viewpoint is representative of the culture and structure at Docklands. An extract from the case study which proves this concept is: ‘People want to be trusted in their work, to be creative, looking for personal growth and fulfilment and to take pride.’ The company strives to make the employees feel special and has instituted a separate department that is responsible for looking after the interests of all workers. The staff is allowed to work at their own pace and at the end of the day; the company’s outlook for their workforce is ‘it is about furthering the employees’. Conclusion The concept of harmonization within an organization has been developed over time to create an organizational culture and structure that embodies the principles of teamwork, as well as establish a sense of belonging for the workforce. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs offers a good understanding of why people need encouragement to follow their own path and move towards self-actualization (Nelson & Quick, 2007). Safe Mint possesses a rigid and formulated structure and culture that hamper and alienates the workers, resulting in a slowdown in productivity. The centralisation of power and decision-making, as well as constant oversight over each task undertaken by workers, employees feel de-motivated along with their supervisors. This causes differences to arise and result in the call for strikes and union interference, causing further headaches to the organization in terms of fulfilling its commitments. Furthermore, a de-motivated workforce is compelled on avoiding the environment that causes it to feel inadequate, and looks to greater distance from such a scenario as often as possible. The contrast to the above case is Docklands Solutions. A specialist firm that has streamlined its process, its management has embodied their own friendly approach within the structure of the organization in order to create a dynamic and flexible culture. This has resulted in a cohesive and relaxed workplace where trust and professionalism is extremely high. A sense of belonging exists among the workforce, who can see their contributions being part of a wider effort; this increases the level of loyalty. Customers are given preference and this has ensured that clients are happy to deal with them. The ideology is fairly simple, Work hard and play harder. There is an informal structure and direct interaction is encouraged. The teams are extremely mobile and project based and thus very flexible. There is thus a high level of professionalism and no mistrust between the employees and the management who are on the same page. Bibliography Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour, Financial Time Prentice Hall Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2007) Understanding Organizational Behaviour, Cengage Learning Read More