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participation.docOrganizational Behavior, Ch. 15
Outsourcing v. Offshoring
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Jan 22, 2014, 8:58 PM
I'm the first to admit that I have always used outsourcing implying the book's definition of offshoring, but I think a lot of us do so: even the media uses outsourcing when describing call centers in India. There is even a movie called "Outsourced" not "Offshored".
It is also a surprise to learn that people do not mind outsourcing as much as they dislike offshoring. In either case there is an employee losing its job: no matter where that job goes. I understand the need for offshoring and given that the world has many people capable of producing goods and services at a low cost when compared to our own products and services is almost logical. However, I have read that we're buying more Made in America products and also that the giant retailer Walmart is also embracing this, not so recent anymore, trend. Considering that I'm not a Walmart enthusiast and I hope the effort keeps the quality of the products that have the "Made in USA" stamp.
Organizational Behavior, Ch. 16
Discussion on this Learning Activity
Organziational Culture
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 22, 2014, 6:44 AM
This chapter has focused on organizational culture which I feel is important for employees to understand in the nature of their business. Organizational culture defines the organization and separates it from other places. There are different types of leadership that many companies have that set them apart from their competitors. There are also several different characteristics that define an organization's culture. Many must be innovative and can be risk takers, which should be encouraged by the organization's leadership. Attention to detail is another element in defining an organization's culture. It is vital to the company's success to follow each detail outlined in the company's mission statement. Outcome orientation is another part of identifying organizational culture. This means that management should focus on the results instead of how they are achieved.
People orientation is another way to see organizational culture to a company or business. This says that management decisions should guide the organization's employees. Team orientation is another element in the process. This focuses on team building cultures rather than just dealing with the individual. Aggressiveness focuses on the tenacity of the employees instead of just coasting through the job. Lastly, stability is considered an important piece of the organization's culture. All of these steps are important to understand as a manager and leader of the company.
Re: Organizational Culture
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Jan 22, 2014, 10:48 PM
What if you get into a company and you realize you don't like the culture? Do you think you would/could try to adapt or would you decide to part ways with the organization? I think it is difficult to understand the company without being in it: even if one does one's job of researching the company. There are elements of the organization that don't transpire from the mission statement or the products the company offers. As a manager is important to embrace the company's culture so he/she can contribute to its evolution.
Re: Organizational Culture
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 23, 2014, 6:46 AM
Good morning Helena. I do agree that in order to understand an organization's culture, you do have to be apart of the organization itself. You have to interact with its employees and members to fully understand how they operate. Depending on the situation, I do not think in many cases, it is a good idea to cut and run. I see this at my present agency. Our agency has an extremely high turnover rate. The agency spends a lot of money to train its officers, but there are about 20-30 a year that leave the agency because morale is so low and there is not much the agency will do to change that. It is really discouraging to learn in this class about how an organization and managers should treat its employees, and when going to work, the complete opposite is done. It is also discouraging to come in to work and see so many officers on job search websites and the agency does nothing to improve the morale here. They just seem to feel that the more officers they hire, they will weed out the people that do not want to be here.
Re: Organizational Culture
posted by AMY ANDERSON
Jan 23, 2014, 7:38 AM
Helena,
Along with Michael, I do agree that you have to be part of the organization itself to understand its culture. You can always to do research regrading the organization but not everything is published publicly. You are also not going to get an unbiased opinion from someone that works there. When it comes to learning a organizations culture, a person needs time. Depending on the organization and the position, it can vary in time even up to a few years.
Organizational Behavior, Ch. 18
Discussion on this Learning Activity
Stress Managment
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Leadership in Organizations, Ch. 4
Jan 22, 2014, 6:51 AM
This chapter described the impact that stress can have on an organization. Stress management is important when dealing with the stress that could occur to an organization and its employees. Also what I felt that was interesting about this chapter was the part where it described the amount of people who had to be disciplined over social networking. I can relate to how important this can be for an organization because I work for the federal government and work in the Pentagon. From a CounterIntelligence point of view, this can be extremely dangerous to post a status while inside this building. There are so many people that may not be who they say they are on the computer, so it is important to only stick to people you know. There are employees inside, due to the sensitive nature of their work, that cannot have a social media outlet and that is totally understandable. We have to attend training every now and then about some of the dangers of being involved with social media.
Getting back to stress management, I believe that this is an important issue to deal with in terms of the effectiveness of an organization. Depending on the organization, many companies have different ways of addressing the stress their employees can be exposed to.
Re: Stress Managment
posted by JOEAL VENKATESAN
Jan 22, 2014, 8:22 AM
Great perspective Michael! I agree, depending on the career and profession a person is in defiantly has an impact on the work stress they will encounter, which will affect other areas (work, personal life). I spent some time at FGGM, so I understand your perspective from a security point of view. What seems normal to most can cause you some trouble.
As manager, you are charged with creating and fostering culture for change---which creates the scenario for stress and stress management. I particulary like Kotter's 8 step method (see below)
K otter's Eight-Step Plan for Implementing Change
1. Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.
2. Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change.
3. Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.
4. Communicate the vision throughout the organization.
5. Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging
risk taking and creative problem solving.
6. Plan for, create, and reward short-term "wins" that move the organization toward the
new vision.
7. Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the
new programs.
8. Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and
organizational success (Robbins, 2013).
It seems that when working with employees in departments or across an organization, they don't mind change, but will heavily stress about the approach and the leadership that is guiding the change.
Reference:
Organizational Behavior, Fifteenth Edition, by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge. Published by Prentice Hall, page 587.
Re: Stress Managment
posted by MICHAEL BLACK
Jan 22, 2014, 6:12 PM
Hello Michael and Joel. Great posts. I actually experienced this when I was younger.
I had an employer that would motivate us with highly energetic music and encouraging pep talks before we left to sell Kirby Vacuum cleaners. We made commission and a minimum wage. The hours were unorthodox. We were given a list of addresses from dispatch, go there, perform a demo (scrub a carpet, vacuum a room, etc.), try to sell the vacuum, and get referrals to others whom might be interested in buying a Kirby. The number of references determined how late we worked (or how early we went home.) While there was no set limit of demos or sales to complete per day, we were encouraged to work the entire list and not leave until getting at least two sales. Not only was this challenging (the vacuums cost well over $1500 dollars), it was stressful! We needed to make sales and gather referrals to make a living. If we did not make a sale, we made no money for that day. All expenses gas, food, etc... were on us!
I confronted the boss about this one day. He was willing to help us to make sales (he was paid for each sale we made as well as through other avenues.) He basically implemented a plan that followed Kotter's eight steps as Joel stated above. This actually worked and I never stressed out at this job after our discussion! While I enjoyed the job, it was not for me and I eventually left to pursue other fields of interest toward myself!
· Leadership in Organizations, Ch. 4
Re: Stress Managment
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 23, 2014, 6:39 AM
Hello Michael. I have also heard of this kind of ''selling'' to customer and I refer to it as Pyramid sales. I worked at Aflac some years ago and this was the way that they chose to sale their services to people. We would receive a list with possible leads and we would have to go door to door and call people off of this list. I didn't last long with the company because I felt that with all of the time, gas, and expenses, I was not the one that was profiting, but the company was. There are some people like my best friend, who have worked at these companies, learned the trade, and now he has started his own insurance company business because he made it work for him. At the time, I really needed the money and a steady paycheck to stay afloat. I do believe that Kotter's 8 Steps is an excellent outlook on how to approach a business. If it is followed correctly, then it should provide the employee with the right amount of motivation.
Discussion on this Learning Activity
week five paper
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 21, 2014, 7:44 AM
There can be a number of changes that can take place within an organization. Certain factors such as economics, attitudes, and people can have either a positive or negative influence to an organization. I currently work at the Pentagon as a Police Officer and this past year, our agency has gone through a lot of budget and economic changes. In 2013, our agency has gone through two furloughs and it has a lot of financial burden that officers have had to deal with it because of this. In terms of attitudes, morale has certainly been affected as well. By putting federal employees through this, while the executive level of government has received a significant raise, it can effect the attitudes and morale of federal employees in a negative way. When you undervalue or show your employees that they are not appreciated, you are always going to get negative results. Another thing that has burdened our agency is the high turnover rate at our agency. There is a 86% turnover rate at our agency, all because officers feel that they are not treated or respected by upper level management. Our agency does not want people to think for themselves, but look to control their employees and micromanage them. When you have people that have military, prior law enforcement, and formal college education, it can be a problem when a supervisor who has none of the above pokes their chest out just because they feel that they are more important than the people they are supposed to supervise.
