What Organizational Behavior Is and the Challenges Faced by the Managers - Coursework Example

Human Behavior in Organization Student’s Name Course Tutor Date WHAT IS ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOR (OB) AND WHY IS IMPORTANT FOR THE MANAGERS TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF (OB)? Part 1: What Organizational Behavior is and the challenges faced by the managers Introduction Every organization is made up of individuals who have different types of behavior. Managers need to be acquainted with this diversity in behavior since it presents various challenges. They need to have an understanding of what organizational behavior is as the challenges it presents. This understanding helps them to arrive at the solutions to these problems. In the first part of this essay the meaning of organizational behavior has been examined as well as the challenges that managers face in terms of organizational behavior. In the second part the essay presents an examination of how the understanding by managers of the concept of organizational behavior helps them to overcome the challenges they meet. Organizational behavior According to Gary (1996), Organizational behavior can be described as the process where knowledge on the mode of action of individuals, people and groups is studied and applied. This is done by way of a systems approach. It interprets the relationship between the organization and people in terms of the entire person, group, organization or social system. The purpose of organizational behavior is to forge better relationships through the achievement of the social objectives, the objectives of the people and those of the organization. Organizational behavior has many topics like human behavior, leadership, change and teams among others (Scott 1992). Organizational behavior relates to the individual and the study done to the dynamics of the individual and the group in organizations and the nature of those organizations. When people within an organization do interact many factors will arise. These are the factors that are dealt with under organizational management. The subject of organizational behavior has gained importance since people whose backgrounds are diverse and have different cultural values need to work effectively together and in an efficient manner (Gary 1996).  Organizational behavior emphasizes the understanding the behavior of people within organizations in order to develop competencies is seeing the mode of behavior of people in organizations. This knowledge is important and can help to control the kind of behavior that is not in line with the objectives of a given organization. Factors such as explicability, objectivity and sustainability are crucial in the selection of the methods to be used for such a purpose (Robbins & Judge 2011). Challenges faced by managers In managing individuals in an organization, managers face problems of hiring, maintaining, giving motivation and leading individuals who have their own qualifications. A big challenge here is diversity. Managers hire people from different races, cultures, age, and gender with varying levels of education. Diversity in the behavior of people is something that managers find difficult to handle. Managers should have good communication with employees and they need to recognize differences in culture (Ashkanashy, 2011), to manage a diverse group needs fairness and actions that are non discriminatory. Challenges arise also in cases where people have different beliefs, personalities, needs and expectations. The manager should identify conflict symptoms and tackle them. Managers need to lead employees and engage them to create a future for their organization and work willingly for the achievement of the goals the management has set (Scott 1992). Part 2: How an understanding of the concept of organizational behavior helps managers to overcome their challenges Elsbach, Barr & Hargadon (2005) observe that managers must be able to accept that people in their organizations are diverse in everything. A collection of individuals will present various challenges to the manager simply because of the differences amongst them. Managers must therefore understand what organizational behavior is for them to be able to handle their employees in the most effective way as much possible. They need also to understand the challenges caused by organizational behavior for them to prepare to overcome them. Understanding organizational behavior helps the manager to know what to expect from the employees in terms of their behaviors and to apply the principle of individual differences. Individuals are different and display different behaviors in similar circumstances. For this people need not be treated the same way (Weick, Sutcliff, & Obstfeld 2005). Managers must know this so that they do away with any stereotypes they could be having on their workers. The manager is able to comfortably handle the diversity in behavior since he already understands that it exists. Understanding the behavior in the organization makes it easy for the manager to prepare for any eventualities (Elsbach, Barr & Hargadon 2005). People have different behaviors which present different challenges. Knowing these behaviors helps the manager to develop patience incase a problem arises. Behavior may be influenced by various factors such as culture, beliefs, religion, socialization, levels of education among others which the employee has been able to interact with. Behavior is an inherent thing that people may not be able to change immediately. If the manager wants to nurture and develop the employees he needs to tolerate people with different patterns of behavior. For example an employee may have a problem of laziness or not being able to accomplish tasks on time (Weick, Sutcliff, & Obstfeld 2005). This comes out as a behavioral problem or a weakness that needs to be addressed with much patience before disciplinary measures are taken. Understanding organizational behavior therefore helps the manager to know how to deal with unusual behavior Managers who have an understanding of organizational behavior develop the ability to communicate well with their employees. Communication is important in organizational development. Managers need to develop proper skills of communication for use when handling their employees. Learning and understanding organizational behavior makes the manager have the ability to communicate with different people on various issues with good understanding. People may have different temperaments, levels of understanding and knowledge of issues. For all these people to be maintained together in a team the manager needs to understand the various levels of communication that come about as a result of the differences in behavior of employees. Communication skills are important since some people are delicate to handle and communicating with them needs a sensitive person (Weick, Sutcliff, & Obstfeld 2005). Understanding organizational behavior helps a manager to understand the various cultures because these cultures have a great influence on the behavior of employees. Various cultures have different rules which may make people to behave differently while together. Culture dictates other things such as dressing, communication, nutrition and general behavior. Challenges that are brought about by these factors will be easy to handle if the manager understands something about the culture in question. For instance an employee may be found breaking rules in an organization because of wanting to obey his culture. He may engage in acts of sexual harassment because his culture teaches subordination of women. Such an individual may not be helped if punishment will be inflicted on him without proper understanding of the mistakes done. The manager needs to understand the reasons behind such kind of behavior before trying to bring the individual back on track (Elsbach, Barr & Hargadon 2005). People hold different beliefs for various purposes. These beliefs may be originating from religion, culture, individual preferences or even education. Beliefs may therefore influence the way employees carry themselves around the organization (Weick, Sutcliff, & Obstfeld 2005). A manager with the knowledge of organizational behavior knows and respects the religion and beliefs of his employees. With this understanding he will be able to deal with them with tolerance and care to avoid brushing them the wrong side. This is for the welfare of the company. Another challenge that a manager may get from people is their levels of education. Employees working together may behave differently because they do not have similar levels of education. Knowing this helps the manager to work around the challenges and problems arising from this. Managers with an understanding of organizational behavior will apply the concepts of human behavior in their management and in the process overcome many related challenges. The concept of the whole person is important both to the manager and the employee. The manager should look at the employee as a whole person instead of seeing the hands alone. The employee has needs and wants that must be attended to or else he will influence others the wrong way. Another principle is motivation (Ashkanashy, 2011). The manager will be able to earn respect from employees after respecting them. This is important in conflict resolution and for their relations. Finally there is the principle of human dignity. The managers with the knowledge of organizational behavior are able to understand that all people need respect and dignity. Conclusion In conclusion the essay has examined the meaning of Organizational behavior and the challenges managers face. It has also explored the ways through which managers can use their knowledge of organizational behavior to overcome the same challenges. Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge on the behavior of people in an organization. Managers are faced with challenges on how to lead people with different behaviors and to maintain such people in a team. They can use organizational behavior knowledge to overcome these challenges if they understand the behavior and reasons behind various patterns of behavior by different people. Bibliography Ashkanashy N (2011) Journal of organizational behavior; Volume 32 issue 6; John Wiley & sons. 38-140. Das T.K & Teng B.S (1999) Cognitive biases and strategic decision processes: an integrative perspective; Journal of management studies 37(6), 783-795 Elsbach K.D, Barr P.S & Hargadon A.B (2005). Identifying situated cognition in organizations; Organization science, 16(4), 423-433. Gary J. (1996).Organizational Behavior: Understanding and Managing Life at Work, 4th ed. New York: Harper-Collins. Robbins, S.P., & Judge, T.A. (2011).Organizational Behavior (14th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Scott, W. R. (1992) Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural, and Open Systems Perspectives. Pearson Prentice Hall Weick K. E, Sutcliff K.M, & Obstfeld D (2005) Organizing and the process of sense making; Organization science, 16(4) 409-420. Read More