Organizational Misbehavior - Essay Example

Organizational Misbehavior Name Class Unit Introduction Most of the organisation members at some point engage in organization misbehavior. At the moment, organizations have come to appreciate that misbehaviors are common in today’s organizations and in most cases have costly consequences (Shamsudin, 2006). Although employees are expected to behave in a certain way in organizations, this is not always possible (Trevino, Weaver & Reynolds, 2006). There are instances where the employees break the rules of the organisation. The issue on organisation misbehavior is complicated as it is not always negative as perceived. The concept has been under research by many scholars to establish its causes and how to avoid it. This has led to rise of several theoretical frameworks. There are numerous forms of organizational misbehavior which includes; theft, aggressions, sexual assault, drug abuse, sabotage and reduced output (Richards, 2008). With the increase in internet use in organizations, some of the employees have been found to engage more on the internet at the expense of their work (Lim, 2002). Misuse of internet in job has led to numerous losses in industries. There have been several tactics that managers should use to tackle organization misbehavior to make the workplace better (Sagie, Stashevsky & Koslowsky, 2003). This essay will address the importance of organizational misbehavior to modern day managers and the reason. To achieve this, the essay will start by defining the concept, explore the topic and conclude on it. Organizational misbehavior Organizational misbehavior has been defined as acts that are done in the workplace intentionally that are in violation of set rules (Richards, 2008). These are acts that defy the set norms and values that are accepted for good conduct (Vardi &Weitz, 2004). Despite this, not all mistakes and errors in the workplace constitute the organisation misbehavior. The actions must be violating the set organisation norms and expectations for it to qualify as organizational misbehavior (Shamsudin, 2006). It’s important to note that an organisation is a complex social entity. By understanding the organization, it becomes easy to establish organisation misbehavior. The definitions used for organizational misbehavior differs depending on the researcher’s determination of constituents of organisation misbehavior. The best definition should be broad in order to take care of all types of misbehaviors that take place in organizations (Shamsudin, 2006). One of the broad definitions of organisation misbehavior terms it as an intentional action that is undertaken by an organisation member which is contrary to; (1) organisation values and norms, (2) society values and expected standards of conduct (Trevino,Weaver & Reynolds, 2006). Organisation misbehavior has also been defined as any action taken at work that one is not supposed to do (Sagie, Stashevsky & Koslowsky, 2003). These are actions and behaviors that should not be done inside an organization. The act involves employee silent strikes or protests, theft, cyberloafing, whistle blowing, covering up mistakes, sabotage and sexual assaults. Some of the scholars have defined it as any behavior that is intentionally carried out in order to damage an organisation. As seen from the various definitions, organisation misbehavior is any action that is done by the employees deliberately that has a negative effect on it. Despite the negative views that have been associated with organizational misbehavior, several writers hold the belief that the acts are not always unethical and can lead to good outcomes for the organizations (Shamsudin, 2006). Causes of organizational misbehavior Organisation misbehavior has been associated with high costs, which have led to an increase in their awareness. Organisation misbehavior does not only affect the organization’s energy but acts as a sign that the organisation have failed to meet certain needs of the employees (Shamsudin, 2006). There are several drives to the organizations misbehavior which includes bad fits, unclear employees’ roles, lack of employees support, poor employee value and poor inspiration in the work place (Trevino, Weaver & Reynolds, 2006). When the employees are assigned tasks which they are incapable of handling, poor performance occurs. This leads to loss of focus which can increase the chances of an employee being involved organisation misbehavior (Vardi &Weitz, 2004). In some instances, the employees are given unclear roles. The employees are thus unsure of what is expected of them and how they are expected to serve their company. The employees thus feels confused and chances of being insecure are high. Such employees are more likely to criticize the management and show low level of commitment. When the employees are not supported, they feel overwhelmed (Sagie, Stashevsky & Koslowsky, 2003). The employees may look at the management and consider being taken for granted which can result to complaining, poor commitment and low input in their tasks. Employees who are not appreciated develop low trust and engagement which can lead to misbehavior. If the employees are not inspired by the leaders in their jobs, they start viewing them as hypocrites (Shamsudin, 2006). Personal values determine whether they can engage in misbehavior or not (Lee, Ashton & Shin, 2005). The degree in which personal behavior is in line with organisation behavior determines the possibility of engaging. The employee loyalty and sense of duty also helps in determining whether the employee will engage or not (Trevino, Weaver & Reynolds, 2006). When an employee is in a compelling need, they may be tempted to engage in organizational misbehavior to satisfy it. There are instances where the employees engage in organizational misbehavior when they feel being mistreated (Lee, Ashton & Shin, 2005). Modern organizations are connected to the internet (Lim, 2002). This has led to the issue of cyberloafing among the employees. Employees engage in cyberloafing when they are not well treated by the organisation or are unhappy with employers. The employees thus engage in cyberloafing as a form of neutralization technique and try to justify it. Cyberloafing leads to the employees using their work time in the internet doing their personal matters (Lim, 2002). Types of organizational misbehavior and outcomes Organisation misbehavior can be classified into three basic types (Shamsudin, 2006). The first types are those organisation misbehavior intended to benefit oneself. These behaviors occur internally in an organisation and affect the employees or the organization. For example, an employee can distort the data or tamper with organisation property such as stealing or giving away intellectual property (Shamsudin, 2006). This form also includes harassing other employees in the organisation. The second type involves misbehaviors which are intended to benefit the whole organization. For example, an employee may tamper with the organisation records with an aim of helping the company gain a contract or certification. These are actions that are directed towards other organizations or external individuals (Vardi &Weitz, 2004). The last type of organization misbehaviors is directed towards inflicting damage to the organisation. The employee may conduct an act aimed at hurting others in the organisation such as sabotage while using company equipment. The main intention of this type of misbehavior may be to get revenge through hurting others. The outcomes are in most cases costly leading to financial loss and damage to reputation of the organisation (Lee, Ashton & Shin, 2005). Managers’ response Managers can act in several ways to curb organisation misbehavior. One of the ways is changing the organisation culture. A good organisation culture should be able to deter members from engaging in organizational misbehavior (Stevens & Lavin, 2007). The manager should be able to make sure that the organisation culture has the capability of influencing members against misbehavior (Shamsudin, 2006). The managers should also support the organizations cohesiveness. High levels of cohesion in an organisation contribute to members adhering to the norms and values of an organisation and reduce the chances of misbehavior. Organisation goals should also be set in a way that they are associated with the organizational values. The goals should be realistic so that they do not instigate organizational misbehavior (Trevino, Weaver & Reynolds, 2006). Managers should also ensure they treat their employees fairly in their organizations. Acts such as cyber loafing occurs as a result of the employers failing to treat their employees fairly (Anandarajan, 2002). When the employees have done their job to satisfaction, the management should reciprocate with a fair treatment (Lim, 2002). Despite the fact that technology has brought a lot of changes in the organisation, they have to make sure they are treated fairly and give them a good working environment which can ensure that they do not engage in neutralization activities. The management is also supposed to ensure that they are able to control the usage of internet in their organisation with care taken not to infringe into employees’ privacy (Lim, 2002). Positive impacts of organizational misbehavior Despite that organisation misbehavior are destructive to the organisation, they have a positive aspect. The organization can use organisation misbehavior to determine where there is dysfunction (Richards, 2008). The causes of organisation misbehavior as seen are due to a failure in organisation. The organisation can use the occurrence of the misbehaviors to make the rules and increase control of the organisation. When there are loopholes in the organisation control, misbehaviors are more likely to occur (Vardi &Weitz, 2004). The occurrence of misbehaviors can be as a result of poor decision making. When the organization does not involve employees in decision making, there are high chances of rebellion and other misbehavior. Misbehaviors can also help the organization in stimulating innovation. In some cases, employees may be engaging in misbehaviors to show discontent with the existing status quo (Knights & McCabe, 2000). The organisation may be forced to stimulate innovation in such instance to eliminate misbehavior. Lesson learnt From the analysis, it is evident that organisation misbehavior occurs in an organisation due to some problem or grievances (Richards, 2008). The modern managers are supposed to address the cause of misbehavior and use the results to improve the organisation. Misbehavior can be utilized positively for the organisation gain. Thus, organization misbehavior despite being negative have a positive impact on the organization is it can be used to address the existing flaws associated with its occurrence (Vardi &Weitz, 2004). Conclusion Organisation misbehavior is a very important field in today’s organizations. The managers are supposed to be well versed with organisation misbehavior, its causes and how to respond to it. Organizational misbehavior can be defined as intentional action that is undertaken by an organisation member which is contrary to organisation values, norms, society value and expected standards of conduct. Organizational misbehavior does not only lead to costly consequences to the organization, but acts as an indicator of some needs of the employees not being met. Organisation misbehavior includes cyberloafing, stealing, harassing others, tampering with data maliciously and disclosing intellectual property. The employees’ personal values play a part in determining the possibility to engage in organizational misbehavior. If the personality of the employee is in line with the organisation values, they are less likely to engage in the act. It has also been established that compelling personal needs may lead to the employees engaging in misbehavior to satisfy it. Despite the negative aspects of organizational misbehaviors, it has positive impacts. The management can use organizational misbehaviors to improve the flaws in the organizations which cause them. The organization can also use it to improve control, improve innovation and decision making. From the essay, it is evident that organisation misbehavior is very vital for modern day managers. References Anandarajan, M 2002, ‘Internet abuse in the workplace’, Communications of the ACM, Vol.45, no.1, p.53-54. Knights, D & McCabe, D 2000, ‘Ain’t Misbehaving? Opportunities for Resistance Under New Forms of ‘Quality’ Management’, Sociology, Vol. 34, no.3, p.421-436. Lee K., Ashton M.C & Shin K. H 2005, ‘Personality Correlates of Workplace Antisocial Behavior’, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Vol.52 No.1, 81-98. Lim, V.K.G 2002, ‘The IT way of loafing on the job: cyberloafing, neutralising and organizational justice’. Journal or Organizational Behavior 23:675-694 Richards, J 2008, ‘The many approaches to organisational misbehaviour: a review, map and research agenda. Employee Relations’, Vol.30, no.6, p. 653-678. Sagie, A., Stashevsky, S & Koslowsky, M 2003, Misbehaviour and Dysfunctional Attitudes in Organizations, Palgrave Macmillan. Shamsudin, F. M 2006. ‘Organisational Misbehaviour’. Akademika, Vol.1, no.69, 57-82. Stevens, A. & Lavin, D 2007, ‘Stealing time: the temporal regulation of labor in neoliberal and post-fordist work regime’, Democratic Communiqué, 21(2): 40-61 Trevino, L., Weaver, G.R., & Reynolds, S.J 2006, ‘Behavioral Ethics in Organizations’, A Review. Journal of Management, Vol. 32 No.6, p. 951-991. Vardi, Y &Weitz, E 2004, Misbehavior in Organizations: Theory, Research and Management, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Read More