Utilizing Work Performance Habits Effectively - Essay Example

 Utilizing Work Performance Habits Effectively Abstract This project is designed to address three key business success tools available to aid in professional performance: Group and organizational behavior, writing proficiency, as well as conflict management. Theories about these key performance-enhancers indicate that within contemporary organizations, groups must not only work together to accomplish business goals, but must also understand the dynamics of how to effectively communicate and handle potential adversarial relationships between group members. This work will be written from the perspective of a domestic engineer (stay-at-home mother) with an offering of personal opinions about how to enhance organizational performance upon her return to the work environment. Introduction The concept of organizational behavior refers to the study of how individuals within a business environment interact with both the business and its policies as well as other members of the professional staff. The characteristics of group behavior are somewhat complex with the idea that behavior deals with psychological issues as well as maintaining a professional decorum by those who represent a company. During the course of group affiliation, there will inevitably be conflict as different individuals perceive relationships and organizational policies on a different level. They key attributes to those employees who can effectively manage and thrive within group dynamics are the ability to negotiate a conflict resolution and establish effective methods of communication. This author will describe three specific tools for professional success in detail. Group and Organizational Behavior Leadership within a business does not necessarily reflect only the most senior-level administration. In terms of setting the pace of proper organizational behaviors, even the non-managerial staff can create a positive environment for co-workers. With this author's goals of sustaining a managerial role, I can effectively offer methods to enhance my performance at work by setting the example of professionalism. First, once the strategic direction for the workplace has been established, it is the role of leadership to ensure that the entire staff is unified and maintains a sense of direction. Executing goals is nothing but aligning people, motivating them, and creating a culture of leadership (Padgaonkar, 2006). For instance, in a project group that has been established with diverse staff professionals, there will likely be differences in expertise, opinions, Enhanced Work Environments 5 and motivations to succeed (or not succeed) based on individual personalities. It is the responsibility of effective leadership to recognize and reinforce the main purpose of the group and continuously reinforce the importance of not only the mission of the group, but to maintain unity amongst unit members to make sure the project is launched effectively. They key to establishing positive organizational behavior lies in effective communication and measuring the message being sent based on how it will be perceived by others. If handled well, communication can reduce counterproductive work behaviors and allow members of the group to feel that their personal interests relating to the group are being recognized. In organizations that maintain a rigid "top-down" hierarchy, oftentimes senior leadership distributes a decision and expects strict adherence to the policy. I feel that guiding more positive organizational behavior lies with allowing staff members to have an open forum to discuss their opinions or recommendations so that they perceive their roles as vital to the outcome of business success. It is important within an environment where people interact on a routine basis that there be ample opportunities to promote ideas so that everyone is motivated toward the same goal. Existing literature suggests that what works for one organization may not work for another, because situational characteristics differ (Gomez-Mejia et al, 2005). I cannot agree more and in terms of exploiting factors driving different organizational habits, I think it is crucial to the goal of enhancing work performance to recognize key characteristics of the specific business environment before working on policies to handle group dynamics effectively. For instance, the organization may be plagued with unmotivated staff members who feel little to no commitment to the company. In such a situation, an effective leader must examine the reasoning behind this decreased Enhanced Work Environments 6 motivation and work toward a solution in order to create a harmonious work environment. In general, in terms of utilizing organizational behavior as a tool for increased professional performance, it is vitally important that the manager understands the entire business environment, both in process and staff mentality, before any company improvements hope to have effectiveness. Writing Skills In today's work environment, in this author's opinion, communication between group and staff members takes place in the form of the written document. With the advent of e-mail systems and the distribution of regular corporate literature, a professional must polish her skills at utilizing proper business terminology as well as ensuring that the political systems within the firm are not infringed upon. For example, there are specific dialects of professionalism and office etiquette that must be adhered to, especially when literature is distributed that criticizes or critiques a specific problem. To illustrate, suppose that a project group is substantially behind its deadline for the project goal and it is my responsibility to perform an audit of the group's progress. Suppose further that this audit is to be addressed to a colleague who is responsible for the outcomes of the group. I must be well-versed in the proper methods to address the leader without being offensive or politically incorrect while still expressing the need to generate improvements within the group. An individual without the ability to compose a thoughtful and concise document might not only offend the group's leader, but raise executive leadership's attention to the failure and potentially harm the reputation of the group leader. The outcome in such a situation would be poor interpersonal relationships with, likely, the members of the group as well as its leadership. Enhanced Work Environments 7 Verbal communication differs substantially from written dialogue because the receiving audience can pick up on facial expressions and body language to make sure that the message is being perceived properly. In written language, there are no cues and the author of corporate literature must be keenly aware of style, content, and the usage of grammar to ensure that the purpose of the memo is clearly interpreted. In order to make this happen, a business professional should praise an ineffective group for any positive contributions it has made to the project primarily before offering its failures. This establishes a mutual respect for the group and its members without stepping on any proverbial toes in the workplace. It would be elementary to point out that proper language usage and spelling must also be utilized in the creation of professional literature. Without these basic skills, the author of this literature would be isolated as incompetent. Further, one of the main themes of documentation in business is to recognize that there are likely firm political systems in place and the author must stay within those guidelines to avoid damaging managerial or peer relationships. Conflict Management Conflict management techniques revert back to organizational behavior in the idea that group affiliations (or even customer relationships) have a certain aspect of adversarial possibilities. Whenever people who hail from diverse backgrounds merge together, the outcome to staying in line with organizational goals can tend to falter. Several key attribute to conflict management lies in recognizing that group individuals might argue over control issues, an individual's failure to adhere to office etiquette, or attacks against a person rather than addressing problems. Enhanced Work Environments 8 Research suggests that there are key conflict management strategies that can aid in business performance including establishing meaningful connections within groups, acknowledging a person's feelings or opinions, and negotiating a resolution of the problem (Edelman, 2006). Not everyone is equipped to handle conflict situations, however, I believe that conflict management involves taking a leadership position and acting as a mediator to aid in reducing disputes among group members. When individuals in groups argue about situations that are relatively insignificant, sometimes it takes a skilled negotiator to ease the tension between members and establish the similarities between those in conflict to remove the emphasis about what they perceive as a irreconcilable difference to effective communication. Pointing out factors such as how well they have contributed to a project goal or how they both have valid points can lessen the anxiety between them. A person who can successfully manage conflict can stop a stalemate between two professionals who refuse to work with one another. If a situation is handled well, it is an opportunity to work together in a way that brings out each person's strengths in pursuit of shared objectives (DuPraw, 2006). The end result: A company where everyone remains focused on the same goal. Negotiating a solution to a difficult problem, in my opinion, is the most arduous portion of conflict management as it involves establishing an equitable answer that satisfies both parties. Sometimes this is impossible and there will be one party who is victorious while the other perceives failure in being recognized. However, a skilled conflict manager pays careful attention to the personality attributes of the conflicting parties, as well as the reasoning for why the disagreement began, and then begins to use psychological principles to gain an advantage in negotiating an agreement. Enhanced Work Environments 9 Conclusion This review of organizational behavior and the utilization of conflict management techniques along with effective communication reinforced that I am well-versed in the tools available to enhance performance in the workplace. There are valid concepts and theories available to make the most out of professional relationships and, hopefully, establish a reputation as a career professional able to thrive in a corporate environment. Upon return to professional environment, I will take these lessons with me so that I stand out both in terms of my core competencies and my ability to perform in diverse organizational settings as a business leader. Enhanced Work Environments 10 References DuPraw, Marci. (May 2006). 'Cut the Conflict with Consensus Building'. Training. Vol. 43, Iss. 5, p.8. Edelman, Andrew. 'Take Your Feet Out of Your Mouth: Avoiding the Most Common Managerial Communication Pitfalls'. Business Credit. New York: Vol. 108, Iss. 8, p.57. Gomez-Mejia, Luis R., Balkin, David B. & Cardy, Robert L. (2005). Management: People, Performance, Change. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Irwin: p.33. Padgaonkar, Abhay. (Aug 2006). 'Looking in the Mirror'. Leadership Excellence. Provo. Vol. 23, Iss. 8, p.19. Read More