Unit III OB Discussion board

DBA 7420, Organizational Behavior and Comparative Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Examine challenges and opportunities in applying organizational behavior concepts. 3.1 Apply behavioral concepts to organizational challenges and opportunities.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 17–25 Article: “Introduction to the Brave New Workplace: Organizational Behavior in

the Electronic Age.” Unit III Essay

Reading Assignment Chapter 1: What Is Organizational Behavior?, pp. 17–25 In order to access the following resource, click the link below. Gephart, R. P. (2002). Introduction to the brave new workplace: Organizational behavior in the electronic age.

Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 327–344. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=bsu&AN=7181571&site=eds-live&scope=site

Unit Lesson Introduction The world as we know it now is much different than it was 100 or even 50 years ago. Without change, the world, businesses, and life would become stagnant. Stagnancy is not where you want to be. The problem herein is that one cannot expect to get different results, such as improved productivity, efficiency, or profitability, if we continue doing the same things we have always done. Businesses especially want to better their best. They want to get more with less. They want greater profits. As the wants continue to grow, the world continues to evolve. If you do not change, surrounding businesses will continue to change and evolve, and you and your organization could be left behind. In this unit, we will explore a few of the many challenges faced by any business. While some of those challenges may pertain to economic pressures, demographics, diversity, networked organizations, and ethical behaviors, there are even more. This unit will focus on the economy, globalization, technological advancements, and social media. However, any of those challenges mentioned leads to additional opportunities to be explored. Each situation presents an opportunity. It is what you choose to do when faced with those challenges and opportunities that can make all of the difference. A Gamut of Challenges Let us look at the economy and its impact on an organization. To begin, you need to think of a business as a dynamic entity that changes and reacts to its environment. In this sense, all organizations change and adapt to what the economy is or is not doing, and, because of this, organizational behaviors change. Some examples of these changes in behaviors are when the economy is bad and a company suspends pay raises or bonuses. When an organization’s profits tank or are much lower than predicted, the company can

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Challenges and Opportunities in Applying Organizational Behavior Concepts

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choose to do nothing and ride out the event, which in the long run may cost the organization’s ability to expand or grow to the benefit of its workers when the economy rebounds and the profit margins come back. The understanding is that doing nothing now may have far greater impacts on both the standing of the company and its workers morale than a short-term freeze on increases or bonuses. Some examples of changes in behaviors when the economy is good are items like increases in allocations for schooling or education, increases in staff and worker positions, or an overall increase in investing in the growth of the organization. Many of the actions you see organizations do are the direct result of these outside influences. It is not much different than how we react to the times when money is tight or when we have some excess income. Do we not guard our expenses closely when times are tough? Would we avoid new expenses even if that investment would put us into a better position to get a better job, like education? As we examine this more, you will see that organizations react in a lot of the same ways as we do to these outside influences. As organizations expand around the globe, people are put in situations where they must interact with people from different cultures, paradigms, time zones, and a host of other diverse environmental factors (Robbins & Judge, 2019). While these factors are different among people, the differences do not make them wrong. Instead, they are merely different. Organizations must find a way to operate consistently across these elements and more to be open to change in order to find an organizational structure that will work for the new globalized organization (Rizescu & Tileaga, 2017). One example of this is the fact that most organizations have some sort of diversity training where they learn to look at other cultures and ways of doing things with less fear of the unknown and more of an understanding of why people may think or act the way they do. Even living in different time zones within the United States can result in people across the country having different ways of thinking. With globalization and the need to interact with people from all over the world, both individuals and organizations need a greater understanding of each other to communicate and work together well. Technological advancements are yet another contributing factor that can pose a challenge (Gephart, 2002). Many organizations permit employees to work from home. The virtual environment enables the employer to look far beyond the immediate area. Still, might there be challenges in ensuring employees are meeting the necessary requirements and taking breaks as appropriate to avoid burnout? Might there be other challenges? For instance, employers often monitor email traffic to ensure proper use of company time and resources. The speed with which information can be communicated from one party to another can present yet another challenge. Once an email is sent, it can be difficult to retrieve it if corrections are needed. It only takes one person to see and save the message for it to be sent to others. Some employers also evaluate the social media presence of job candidates (Robbins & Judge, 2019). People are free to say just about anything. People claim it is their right. Nonetheless, the ramifications for such actions, especially if posting negative, unethical, or derogatory comments about individuals within an organization or the organization itself, can have lasting impacts. What is an employer to do? Some people have actually lost their jobs as a result of such actions (Robbins & Judge, 2019). Opportunities and Making Ethical Decisions For each challenge encountered, there is an opportunity to be found. Although it may seem insurmountable at the time, we need to ensure we are making not only decisions, but ethical decisions. Doing so requires three specific things: moral awareness, moral judgment, and moral character (Bateman & Snell, 2009).

Moral awareness involves understanding the issue and its associated ethical implications. Moral judgment relates to knowing what possible courses of action are morally defensible. Moral character involves one’s own ability to act in an ethical manner despite the challenges it presents.

Moral Awareness

Moral Judgement

Moral Character

Making ethical decisions requires moral awareness, moral judgement, and moral character.

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The decisions we make will influence the ethical climate in which we conduct our business. Using moral awareness, moral judgment, and moral character, we can progress through the ethical decision-making process. It begins with understanding the various moral standards in place and defining the actual problem (Bateman & Snell, 2009). If we do not understand the problem, then it is not likely that we would truly be able to identify and implement a feasible solution. As we do this, we need to recognize all moral impacts. For instance, which people do these options benefit or harm? Are people able to exercise their rights? Are anyone’s rights denied? Addressing these questions will enable us to understand the scope of the moral problem (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Next in the ethical decision-making process, we need to identify our options. As we consider each alternative, we must also consider legal requirements to ensure full compliance and the economic outcomes, including both costs and potential profits (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Some of the costs associated with unethical behavior are obvious such as fines and penalties. Others, like administrative costs and corrective actions, are less obvious. There can be huge effects on customers, on employees, and in government reactions. Being fully aware of the potential costs can help prevent people from straying into unethical terrain. Evaluating your ethical duties requires looking for actions you would be proud to see widely reported on the evening news or even be willing to see others take the same action if you were the victim (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Another way to determine if you might be making an ethical decision would be to ask yourself if you would mind if your grandmother heard about your actions on the television. Might that make a difference when deciding what to do? Indeed, making ethical decisions is complex, but reflecting on all these factors should help you to develop the most convincing moral solution. Leading Change Regardless of the alternative or the most convincing moral solution selected to resolve a problem, successful change requires managers to actively lead it (Bateman & Snell, 2009). One suggested method is to use the Kotter model on leading change. Within this model there are eight steps that must be completed to lead change successfully. These steps include:

 establishing a sense of urgency,

 creating the guiding coalition,

 developing a vision and strategy,

 communicating the change vision,

 empowering employees for broad-based action,

 generating short-term wins,

 consolidating gains and producing more change, and

 anchoring new approaches in the culture (Kotter, 1996). Conclusion Life and business continue to move forward whether we are ready for it or not. It is happening, so why not embrace it? Despite the challenges that we may encounter, much can be said for the way in which we handle any situation. By being aware of the challenges, we have ample opportunity to prepare for how we may react when faced with those challenges. Using a process for making ethical decisions and leading the change effort, we can ensure our organization is postured for many more future successes.

References Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2009). Management: M start here. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Gephart, J. R. P. (2002). Introduction to the brave new workplace: Organizational behavior in the electronic

age. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 327–344. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=edsbig&AN=edsbig.A86739291&site=eds-live&scope=site

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Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Rizescu, A., & Tileaga, C. (2017). The effects of globalization on the transformation of organizational

management. Journal of Defense Resources Management, 8(1), 135–140. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=tsh&AN=125259753&site=eds-live&scope=site

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational behavior. (18th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.