Organizations and Behaviour to the Success of the Organization - Research Proposal Example

Organizations and Behaviour to the Success of the Organization Introduction Organizational behaviour is a paramount contributor to the success of the organization. Organizational behaviour theories are concerned with the employee relations and the management participation in employee motivation. Basically, the management team is expected to exercise effective leadership styles to ensure that their employees are satisfied and hence aligned with the management objectives and goals. In the 21st century business environment, model organizational behaviour is regarded as the Launchpad to business success. In this regard, it is important for any management team to adopt modest organizational behaviour within their business environment. The management has adopted various strategies in an attempt to ensure that the motivation of the employees remain high, an aspect that translates to increased productivity. Organizational behaviour helps foster a culture that promotes efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. The employees’ motivation promotes productivity; hence, the managers have a role to facilitate it. One of the major needs by employees is self-efficacy. Various motivation theories support the concept o developing the employees’ self-efficacy in order to improve productivity. Literature Review This section of the report endeavours to find relevant literature that will provide insight on the best practices that will facilitate the management in decision-making. The literature involves the input of motivation theories as well as effective teamwork development and management. The organizational change management models puts emphasis on the need for effective leadership in inducing corporate organizational culture. According to Kotter’s eight stages of implementing change within an organization, effective leadership is required in implementing change in an organization. The management team should identify with the employee and seek their commitment in the implementation of change. Seeking employee’s loyalty is one step towards organizational development. One way to achieve employee commitment and loyalty is to provide motivational incentives. Motivational theories identify that one way of motivating the employees is to give them a chance to grow as the organization grow. The essence of this is that employees will have a long term commitment to the organizational goals, thus provide maximum work output in their assigned duties. Another way to achieve employees’ motivation is by providing the opportunities to contribute to the policy development. Taking into consideration the opinions of the employee helps to get them on board the organizational plan (Cole, 2004). Kotter sees organizations as social units that cannot perform unless all the members possess the same objectives. Leadership Styles and organizational Change An organizational change does not come easy. It is required that the management should put into place mechanisms to prevent resistance to change. Motivation and teamwork as well as inclusive participation can play a pivotal role in minimizing resistance to change. Different leadership styles exhibits different approaches to organizational change. However, despite the path taken by the leadership, the objective should be to steer the organization to a bigger success. It is critical that a given leadership style should not be consistent in an organization, this means that situations should predict the type of style adopted. Firstly, Pacesetting leadership is guided by the principle of the employee following what their manager does. Such style fosters confidence in the employees and helps them get through change swiftly. Secondly, the authoritative leadership is very important when organizing the team towards a common vision. It ensures that every member of the team plays their part failure to which there are accompanying consequences. As a result of changing trends as well as presence of a new organizational vision, this style serves best. However, when the team that the manager is working with has more knowhow than them, this is not the best style. Thirdly, the affiliative leader ensures that there a tight relationship between them and their team. The team exhibits a sense of belonging. According to the leader, people are top of the priority and hence should feel the warmth of leadership. It works best when the employees are under stressful conditions, when fostering trust as well as when helping individuals heal from a trauma. Fourthly, a coaching leadership is important when the employees are being prepared for the future. This may happen when the employees are through an internship, attachment or an apprenticeship program. This style requires a proficient leader as well as the willingness of the employees to learn. Fifthly, coercive leadership can be used when there is need for the employees for instant compliance with a change. The leader pushes them to the limits to ensure the objective is met within the least time possible. The employees are bound to adhere to what the leader says as well as capable of meeting strict deadlines. This form of leadership is very important when there is a crisis. In most other occasions, this leadership style should be avoided since it has high chances facilitating rebellion. In addition, the employees can feel insecure and alienated leading to lack of initiative. Finally, there is democratic leadership in which the leader tries as much as possible to build consensus with the employees. This is very vital when building a team that will carry the plans and goals of the organization. It also promotes innovativeness as well as development of new ideas for the good of the organization. However, this strategy should not be applied when a choice requires instant implementation, also when the employees are not well informed it can result to failures. These management styles should be used at different times for effectiveness and efficiency in an organization. It apparent that there are various situations in an organization that are influenced by the prevailing factors. These factors puts the organization on the weighing balance and hence requires appropriate decisions. The decision a leader makes is therefore influenced by the leadership approach they opts to take. However, despite the type of style adopted there is need to ensure that the employees feel motivated even when they are hard pressed. The management has the sole responsibility of facilitating motivation among the employees as well creating an environment for them to work as a team. In considering the approach taken by various leaders, let us consider the case of Sir Richard Branson. Case Scenario: Sir Richard Branson He is a business leader with many lessons that managers can learn from. He began his businesses in the 1960’s and has built Virgin Group to be an admirable business. The first thing that Branson has immensely invested in is in the work force. He manages the organization but gives a platform for the employees to carry out their own work. Whenever there is need to make a change, he has ensured that he adopts the appropriate strategy. He is known to have reacted swiftly to the idea of developing an airline and sure enough, it has become a great success. He ensures that learning is put at the centre of his employees’ requirement by encouraging them to learn. He is very interactive with his employees and tries as much as possible to get their input. He is open to suggestions that are geared towards making the business better. In this case scenario, Branson’s management is complemented in a great way by the management team that is usually high talent. This makes him to rely on the input of employees more than his own position. His leadership is more democratic and some other times affilliative. The managers are left to make decisions that drive the organization. It is upon the approach that the management team takes that spurs the organization to greatness. However, in his own capacity he is easy going and gives them space to exploit their full potential. Management’s Role in Employee Motivation Motivation refers to the process of facilitating the accomplishment of a given task by providing some incentive or a motive to engage in the act. It can be either intrinsic or extrinsic depending on the underlying factors. Various theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the issues that motivates individuals. Maslow’s Motivational Theory This theory categorizes needs in a hierarchical fashion. At the basic level are the psychological needs. In a job setup, these may include salary, air and heat among others. To an employee, these basic factors should be met before considering other motivational factors. Second priority is the need for safety. The employee feels better when aspects such as job safety, job security, and health insurance are provided. Upon realization of these, Maslow presents the need for a sense of belonging. Here the employee would like to feel as a member of a team in a particular department. Then there is need for esteem where recognition, being responsible and having a high status in the organization becomes necessary. Finally, the need for self-actualization sets in. in this case, the organization should ensure that training, advancement, creativity and growth are given priority. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of need, the management should ensure that the basic needs of the employees are taken care of first then the rest can follow. This allows employees to be motivated at their respective levels. Self-efficacy motivation theory Self-efficacy motivational theory works with the belief that employees feel more motivated when they have believe they can. The self-assertion by an individual that a particular task can be done effectively and efficiently raises the morale of an employee and arouses their desire to engage with the job at hand more confidently. Efficacy varies across tasks among different individuals. A right person for the right job is paramount in ensuring professionalism, in contrary individuals who question their abilities in delivery of a particular task ends up not delivering (Lunenburg, 2011). An employee who has a background of what they are doing and tends to enjoy their work ends up surpassing targets since they are highly confident of their capability. Introduction of complicated and unfamiliar tasks to new employees may demotivate them hence they perceive themselves as failures. Such a belief can cause dramatic deterioration of the employee’s capability and confidence resulting into unsatisfactory results. Employee’s self-efficacy in challenging tasks plays a key role in determining the confidence in which they confront the task, they may not necessarily be at a position of executing the task, but they will efficiently consult and deliver results. In contrary, low self-efficacy that may lead to absconding of duty and lateness (Lunenburg, 2011). At a workplace, the management should be capable of giving hope and positivity to their junior while the organisation should constantly ensure all employees are psyched up and inculcated with a spirit of ‘it can be done’ for delivery of results and have constantly motivated employees. Equity Motivation Theory A perception by employees in an organization that they are treated equally acts as a motivation to them. This theory provides that the actual reward is not what motivates employees but the perception that they were equally treated. Whether there was fairness or not , the individuals will feel motivated because of the uniformity. In a scenario here one individual gets a higher pay rise than the others, complains will emerge hence they will feel less motivated. However, when a person has been very active in the job place and the increment in salary has been the same, the individual is still motivated because there is equity in the increase. This theory can be very beneficial when giving employees rewards including salaries. This theory is reliant on the sensitivity of individuals, sharing of information on rewards, as well as the extent to which the inequality prevails. In the short term, the employees may go along with their normal operations while feeling motivated while if it persists they will feel demotivated. Usefulness of motivation theories The essence of motivational theories is to have a vibrant and productive workforce. The employees feel encouraged through various strategies and hence improve or sustain their productivity. The most appropriate method that can be utilised to keep the employees motivated is through enhancing their self-efficacy. As much as the other theories have some input, there is much need to make the employees feel that they belong to an organization. Their view towards their leaders and the work is good. When self-efficacy is prevalent, employees choose for themselves what they want to and do it passionately while conforming to standards and regulations. There is increased effort as well as learning by the employees. In addition, the employees’ view of new and difficult tasks is changed, they demonstrate a lot of persistence and dedication to what they do. They exhibit a lot strong attitude when approaching whatever task lies in their hands. Self-efficacy emanates from experiences, vicarious experiences, emotional cues as well as verbal persuasion. If managers are able to meet these requirements, then the workforce remains motivated and have a feeling that they are capable of performing any given task. CISCO’s Case Scenario Numerous organizations have developed effective leadership to achieve success in their organizations. Fulmer and Bleak (2009) notes the adoption of effective leadership and the development of motivated working teams in CISCO. The Cisco management emphasized the need for effective leadership during an organizational change planning. The Cisco’s management team identified effective leadership strategies that could apply to their organization. To start with, the Cisco HR function started by implementing effective communication strategies to ensure that the employees took interest in their organization goals. The team increased their contact with the employees and communicated the any plan that they intended to implement. The employees provided their opinions as regard the change implementation plan and the management considered their input in the design of the plan. The organization also laid emphasis on the need for teamwork in the organization. These strategies of Cisco are in tandem with the Kotter’s idea of organizations as social units and the need for employee motivation. Cisco today is rated among the most successful organizations in the world. Role of leadership in an organization One of the roles of effective leadership is to develop effective teamwork in their organizational structure. West (2012) states precisely that the ability of the leaders to develop working teams is directly related to the organizational success. West defines effective teams as those that are focussed and bear positive challenging objectives. Effective teams contribute to the success of the organization in various perspectives. First, an effective team is focussed to the end goals set by the management team. Focussed groups know exactly the achievements that the organization should attain and are willing to put up their efforts in their accomplishment. Secondly, effective teams have a higher labour output than ineffective teams. The workers' output is directly related to the organization profit and hence the accomplishment of organizational plans. In this view, it is indisputable that development of effective teams is crucial to any business system that intends to survive in the competitive business environment. The leadership of an organization play a pivotal role in the development and management of teams. West (2012) provides an effective strategy with which leaders can achieve effective teams within their organizations. First leaders should form optimal teams in regard to size and the task demands. Too large teams or too small teams should be avoided and the leaders must work towards achievement of optimal size teams. Next, the organization should create awareness within the teams to ensure that each team knows precisely their goals and objectives. Frequent communication of the organizational objectives is necessary to ensure that the teams remember their tasks and have effective strategies to accomplish their goals. Additionally, the leaders should breed and promote healthy competition between the teams by making them understand that they have the same final goals at the end of the day. To achieve this, there is a need to establish cohesive forces between the teams and encourage health inter team relations. In a nutshell, effective leadership will be required in the development of effective teams and to enjoy the benefits of these efforts. Wal-Mart’s Case Scenario In an attempt to push organizational strategy, various organizations have ensured that groups are catalysts to success. Wal-Mart is one of the organizations that have capitalized on the benefits of effective group dynamics to push their organization strategy. Wal-Mart is an organization that has over 6,500 stores across the world and attracts a diverse variety of employees from different backgrounds. This makes it a challenge for the organizations to help the employees to get along within the assigned teams. One of the strategies that Wal-Mart has used is to develop and effective communication strategy. At the beginning of every week, the management teams meet with the members of each team to set the goals of the weak. Together, they develop a strategy to accomplish the goals (Sasha, 2013). This serves to ensure that all the employees are aware of the organizational goals. Secondly, the management takes into consideration all conflicts that come up in the teams. This ensures that all conflicts are settled and effective group dynamics are achieved. Effective teams have helped the organization to remain in the market even during times of tough market conditions. Conclusion Organizational behaviour is one of the crucial aspects of a business that determines its survival in the market. Modest organizational behaviour guarantees an organization of the accomplishment of all organizational goals and successful change management. As theorists suggest, organizations are social units that demand a tight cohesion if all the objectives are met successfully. One priority of leaders should be to form effective groups and maintain them. Effective communication of organization goals and management of group dynamics will align the workers to the objectives of the organizations. Additionally, the management team must bear the role of motivating their workers to ensure that they are cooperative to the implementation of change management. In these terms, exemplary leadership can be measured in terms of its ability to institute modest organizational behaviour. Bibliography Bleak, L. and Fulmer, R. 2009. Strategically Developing strategic leaders. Available through: < http://www.dukece.com/papers-reports/documents/Strategic_Leaders_000.pdf> Cole, G. A. 2004. Organisational behaviour: theory and practice. London, Thomson. Sasha, L., 2013. Walmart: Conflict or Team Dynamics. Available through: < http://www.jewzi.com/articles/walmart_conflict_or_team_dynamics/> West, M. A. 2012. Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research. Chichester, West Sussex, John Wiley & Sons. Lunenburg, F. (2011). self-efficacy in the workplace: Implications for motivation and performance. International Journal of Management, Business and administration. 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