Management and Functioning of the Work Organization - Term Paper Example

ORGANIZATIONS CIVIL RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS An organization is basically an entity which targets its own goals and actually posses a mission and a vision. According to Mullins “The organisation is a complex social system and is the sum of many interrelated variables. ……… The manager needs to understand the nature of organisations and the social context; and the main features which affect the structure, management and functioning of the work organisation.” (Mullins 2005). In today’s world organizations are getting bigger and stronger and their area of operations are increasing day by day. Usually, when we heard about an organization it seems that it has something to do with profits or business. But there are certain organizations whose sole purpose is to serve the citizens of the country. These organizations are termed as “Civil response Organizations”. These organizations are solely for civil purposes and they have nothing to do with profits. Responding to disastrous situations, elimination of criminal activities are their core operations. Health and hygiene, military services, educational services, charities etc are basically the core working areas of civil protection organizations. Since managing people and management theories are considered to be an essential attribute in every organization, therefore civil protection organizations are also linked closely with management. All the management functions that are applied to other organizations are similarly applied to civil response organizations. Furthermore, elements that are essential in other organizations like leadership, change management, integrity are also important in civil response organizations. Classification of Civil Response Organizations Organizations have influenced the life of every individual living in this world. They have shaped our thinking patterns and these entities are continuously influencing our lives. There are different types of organizations that are formed to meet different needs of individuals. Ranging from banks, software houses, Multi nationals, hotels and the list goes on and on. By purpose organizations can be classified as economic organizations which banks, business oriented organizations, etc. Similarly there are certain organizations like religious organizations, Public service organizations, Non government organizations (NGO’s) etc. Moreover, there are certain organizations that fit into more than one category. There are certain organizations present in the society that are solely created for the humanitarian perspective. These organizations help the suffering people, they give relief to individuals that are affected by disasters like (Earthquake, storms, tsunamis, floods) etc. Therefore these organizations that give relief to the poor are termed as “Civil protection organizations”. The most prominent examples of these organizations are UK police, UK Red Cross, UK local authority. As far as classification of these three organizations are concerned UK police provides safety and protection to the citizens of United Kingdom, therefore this organization can be classified as emergency services organization. UK Red Cross provides health and hygiene services to the residents of UK and it’s a subsidiary of Red Cross international therefore this organization can be classified as Voluntary organization responsible for health and hygiene services. Similarly UK local authority manages localized and civic problems of the people living in the UK; therefore this organization can be classified as government oriented organization. However in a broader perspective these three organizations are labeled as civil protection response organizations. Management system of Civil Protection Organization Management is the core essence of every organization. Every organization needs a manager in order to manage its day to day operations. Management writes the rules and sets the goals for the organization. Management is often critical of failures and expects only success” (Kumle & Kelly, 2006, p. 11). Management handles the day-to-day complexities of organizations. Management operates on a need-to-know basis and can easily incite fear in their subordinate employees. Besides other organizations management is utmost important in civil protection organization. In the case of civil protection organization it’s the most vital element and lag in proper management can lead to serious consequences. For example there is a sudden outbreak of fire in a certain building located in UK. The localities call Red Cross UK for help, but due to their inadequate services or lag in management policies they are unable to respond quickly. This situation can take the life of hundreds of residents and can create havoc. Therefore management policies and procedures must be perfect in organizations that deal with these disastrous situations. Proper and appropriate individuals must be appointed in order to ensure the positive flow of the organization. For e.g. UK Red Cross is an organization that deals with natural calamities and sudden disasters, a person that doesn’t posses a helping behavior can’t be hired as a volunteer for these organizations. Leading an organization that deals with difficult situations like accidents, natural calamities, fire outbreak, civic problems, burglary etc is quite an uphill task. Only higher positions and posts can’t ensure that you are a leader, especially in civil protection organizations. In these types of organizations an individual has to lead from the front. Leaders provide a vision and help employees turn the vision into reality. A good leader demonstrates a high-level of effort. Good leaders also provide motivation both inside and outside of his or her department. A good leader shows honesty and credibility. For e.g. If a senior police officer in the UK police releases high profile criminals or takes bribe for instance, then his/her subordinates would follow his/her footsteps to some extent and/or some officers might act in the same manner too. Therefore leading is an important factor of management in these critical organizations and it also plays a very vital role. “People are important and come first before things, goals, and visions” (Kumle & Kelly, 2006, p. 11). Implementing management driven policies are also essential in every organization. That’s why civil protection organization must focus a lot in implementing management functions. POLC (Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling) are the basic functions of management. These functions are to be implemented and practiced by every organization to achieve its stated purpose. If any of these functions are not practiced appropriately, especially in civil protection organizations then it might be possible that the nomenclature of these organizations might suffer. For e.g. UK local authority implements every basic function of management but they have neglected a simple function i.e. controlling. Then it might be possible that they can’t control a problematic situation, although they have planned, organized and even leading has been done. Civil protection organization must be culturally diverse and they must adapt to changes. Human resource personnel alone can’t do the work of managing diversity. Managers at all levels should implement programs designed to heighten awareness of cultural differences, foster appreciation for these differences, and identify the commonalties among the various demographic groups. For e.g. when an American and an Asian are working as fire fighters in a same organization then they must forget their differences if there are some and both of them must seek the bigger picture. Therefore, the firefighting organization will benefit from embracing culture diversity and diversity management into the overall strategy. Similarly, another major management aspect that needs to be addressed is of group cohesion. According to Mullin “Any number of people who interact with one another, are psychologically aware of one another and who perceive themselves as being a group.” Mullins (2005:1055). Since individuals that are working in social and civil protection organization are actually serving the citizens of their hometown, therefore they must be motivated enough to work well and in team based environment must be created in order to achieve long term objectives. For e.g. If an earthquake or a storm affects a city and local authority, fire fighters, police and certain NGO’s are called for help. If group cohesion and team coordination is not present then it might be possible that they can’t help the sufferers and wouldn’t achieve their actual task. However, chances are that they might end up in a conflict. Thus we can say that management system of social and civil protection organization although is quite complex but if implemented properly it can improve the effectiveness of the organization and through implementing these functions they can serve the citizens properly. Management approaches for Civil Protection Response Organizations Management functions are not limited to managers and supervisors as every member of the organization has some management or reporting role to play as part of their job. A combination of the old and new will continue to guide all levels of management in the working world today. How to mange employees is an important task and for this reason certain approaches are developed by management experts. According to Mullin there are four basic approaches of management. These four approaches are classical, human relations, systems, and contingency approaches. The classical approach focuses on the core principles of the organization and this approach emphasizes on the formal structure of the organization. The second approach i.e. human relations emphasizes on charismatic characteristics of individuals like leadership, grouping etc. Classical and Human relations approach when combined together form an approach known as Systems approach. In this approach an organization focuses on the external environment. Management and managing styles varies with situation to situation that is actually known as contingency approach. Different organizations apply different approaches in order to fulfil there goals and missions. I believe that civil protection response organization would implement a “Contingency approach”. These organizations are unaware of what would come in the near future; therefore by applying contingency approach they can implement different options and can have back up plans to follow. They can change their strategy whenever it is needed and would achieve their desired goals. This approach actually integrates all the available approaches to arrive at a conclusion. This approach can easily be applied to real life situations and it also provides managers certain alternatives. Dangers of storms, accidents, thievery, and other related issues are handled by civil protection response organizations. These organizations even in the worst situations can change their working plan by following this approach. For e.g. If fire fighters are trying to extinguish fire with water in a certain area and they are not successful in their approach then by following the contingency approach they can easily and quickly change their plan and can switch to carbon dioxide. Similarly, if the volunteers of Red Cross UK are trying to give shelter to the sufferers of earthquake or a storm then it might be possible that they would be required urgently in an area where a severe accident has taken place. The volunteers can then change their plan and use this approach to prioritize their tasks and can achieve their goals without haphazardness. Thus I believe that contingency approach is the best possible approach for civil protection response organizations. Conclusion Thus we can conclude our discussion that whenever people interact in organizations, many factors come into play. Organizational studies attempt to understand and model these factors. Like all social sciences, organizational studies seek to control, predict, and explain. When looking at management one can say that it is an art or science. Teaching theories, the history of management, and different concepts of today's workplace are what makes management a fundamental tool. It is becoming more technology based and the technology is continuously changing. Like other organizations civil protection organizations are also changing, they are adopting new and improved methods to cope with disastrous situations. I personally believe that these organizations are currently playing their part well but they should posses an attribute of change in them i.e. they can change according to the environment. Managing people and organizing isn’t complete until trainings and upbringing of employees are included in the current management style, therefore these organizations should continuously train their employees and volunteers. Furthermore, civil protection response organizations must motivate their employees to work hard for the betterment of their country, state and for their organization. Government should also motivate the employees by focusing and stressing on intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards. Thus in a nutshell we can say that managing these organizations although is a difficult task, but if the functions of organizational behaviour and management are implemented properly then these organizations can be managed. Finally every individual in the organization should know that what the core mission of the organization is and what are his/her responsibilities. Similarly, A productive work environment might include a casual work day or an off, an open-door policy from the senior executives, or something as small as a comment box, so the employees can drop whatever praise, complaint or suggestions they have for the improvement of their workplace. References Gerard M Blair. (1993) Basic Management Skills. UK. Chartwell-Bratt Ltd. Karen Meudell. (1995) Management and Organizational Behavior. UK. Prentice Hall. Kumle, J., Kelly N. (August 2006), leadership vs. management, Supervision 67(8), 11, Retrieved February 20, 2008, from ProQuest database. Laurie Mullins (2004) Management and Organizational behavior. UK. Prentice Hall. Over Processed. (Nov 2006). PM Network 20(11), 42-47, Retrieved February 20, 2008, from EBSCOHost database. Dominic Donaldson (2008) Team Building: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [Internet]. Available from < http://www.leadershiparticles.net > [Retrieved on 21 November 2008]. Jay dewhurst (2008) Leadership and Turnaround: How Change in Leadership Style Can Save an Organization [Internet]. Available from < http://www.leadershiparticles.net> [Retrieved on 21 November 2008]. Robert Emmons (2005) the journal of Public Inquiry: Core curricula for leadership, Management and Team skills [Internet]. Available from < http://www.ignet.gov/randp/fw05jpi.pdf > [Retrieved on 21 November 2008] Read More