For Harvard Writer: Class Participation
lken82
participation.docOrganizational Behavior, Ch. 13
Organizational Behavior
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 28, 2014, 4:09 AM
Individual factors such as personality traits of high self monitors are the personality traits of most managers; having studied the DISK assessment profiles personality traits all seem to be the same. Once someone has been hired based on personality traits organizations need to monitor behavior and have well defined rules so that those who would seek to abuse power are not able to do so. I have seen different levels of political behaviors between General Motors and working at a smaller company Haworth. At General Motors there were times when abuses were rampant and here at Hawoth I believe behavior of managers is monitored to include fitting the culture. At General Motors there were times where you knew managers were taking advantage of those under them by verbal abuse and sexual remarks. Haworth's culture would not tolerate that type of behavior by anyone on the floor or in the office it is based on respect and values.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 28, 2014, 9:34 AM
Good morning Terisa. I agree that when an organization hires these employees to work within their company, it should be important to them to monitor them to see how they work with others and under pressure. At my agency, we have to go through a one-year trial probation that monitors employees who show a pattern of calling in sick and show patterns of abusing their leave.
I can remember going through the interview process at my job, they use what is called Behavior-based Interviewing. The questions they ask applicants are very unique and there is not a text book answer that can be given for them. Basically, these questions that are asked want to know how an applicant has performed a job or had an example of a time where they needed to take charge or initiative. I feel that these questions should show how a potential employees has acted in the past to try to get an idea of what kind of employee they will become with their organization.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 28, 2014, 10:19 AM
Michael,
Here at Haworth we also use behavior-based interview questions however without monitoring of the companies culture and set expectations for behavior I do not think it would be much different than the old culture at General Motors. I believe it is the expectations of the leadership of the company that defines the behavior and culture of the organization. Here unethical behavior would not be tolerated and that member would be discharged. I can not speak as to how General Motors runs today but five years ago there was still a good deal of the old leadership in place and accountability still depended on who the person was or was related too.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 28, 2014, 2:49 PM
"The millennials," a wistful F. Scott Fitzgerald might have written today, "are different than you and me." Managers accustomed to using certain practices to engage boomers are going to have to change their ways - and practices - if they hope to engage and retain the newest heavily scrutinized employee cohort, the millennials. This author recently completed an important study and he offers valuable advice that managers can use to make millennials feel wanted and respected. ( iveybusinessjornal.com )
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 29, 2014, 11:45 AM
Hi Terisa. Lately, there has been a lot of changes at my agency as far as the organizational change. A lot of people have been promoted and there are a lot of people moving around. We now have a new chief and hopefully we will see a lot more changes for the officers here. A big problem that we have here is the high turnover and retention rate here. It is anticipated by the agency that they will be losing about 30-40 officers this year and it is only January!
Some officers feel that the leaders of the agency are not addressing some of their issues and the top brass does not bother to here what officers have to say. In my opinion, we are working the building each day and many of us have ideas that could improve the agency, but it falls on deaf ears. Many do not stay long at this agency and just hitting my year mark the other day, I can understand why. The sad part about taking this class is to learn about how an organization should operate and treat its employees, but the reality of it is that it does not happen that way.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by MICHAEL BLACK
Jan 29, 2014, 8:30 PM
Hello Michael.
I can relate to your post. I have personally never had to take one of these personality assessments to get hired, but many of my friends have done so in the past. While I understand the reasons why these tests are administered (usually as part of the employment process), they are merely nothing but a waste of time. I have known people who failed these tests but actually had higher work ethics, values, standards, and morals along with more than adequate experience for the job. They were not hired because the psychological quiz results were not what the employer was looking for. In a way, this is a form of discrimination: not everyone is good with taking tests. Personally I think that people should be given a trial period to see how well they actually work and/or learn before hiring them (or not hiring them). Some people are gifted workers and their talents are never recognized due to poor test taking abilities!
You mentioned that this class teaches us how an organization should be run versus how they are really run. We can learn what to strive for if the
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by AMY ANDERSON
Jan 29, 2014, 9:12 PM
I can relate to your post about taking personality assessments to get hired. I have taken a few in the past and have not gotten hired or an interview after taking it. I believe these tests can help employers in knowing the background of the employees but these tests wont say how you will actually perform on the job and it is true that not every is good with taking tests. Most companies have a probation period and I believe that it is during this time you can see how they will work with others and other skills related to the position.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 30, 2014, 9:31 AM
Hello Michael. I would agree to some point when you talked about disagreeing with the behavior-based interviewing process. In terms of my job as a Police Officer, there has to be some way to evaluate what kind of officers someone will be to this agency. I mean, the scary thing is that there are some officers here that should have no business carrying a gun.
Being in this job has a lot of responsibility. In an instant, a crisis could occur and you want the right person with the right state of mind on a post with you if something were to pop off. A lot of the people I work with have prior military and law enforcement experience and there are some people who just look good on paper. On the flip side, it can be discouraging to not be chosen for a job based on the fact that they are not good test takers. I am one of those people who do not test well, but I can apply the things that I have learned to solve the problem. Anything within the federal government does not make sense at all times, but I am glad I went to the military first to see the issues that go wrong in a department like this.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Jan 30, 2014, 5:27 PM
I agree! Some people just aren't good at taking tests. When I was first dating, my now ex-husband, he had to take a psychology test to get into school for law enforcement. He failed the test and had to meet with a psychologist to recommend that he would be able to deal with some of the things that he would encounter in LE. He finally was able to register after talking with the psychologist and them knowing he had been an MP in the army and had experience as a LE officer. Anyway, school was hard for him as I had to help him with a lot of studying and quizzing so that he would understand the information. He did graduate and is in LE and does a good job. So, I don't really agree that testing really can tell what a person is really like at job. I think you have to get a feel for their personality but also see them in action.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by ALEXANDRIA GATES
Jan 28, 2014, 9:27 PM
Organizational studies encompass the study of organizations from multiple viewpoints, methods, and levels of analysis. For instance, one textbook divides these multiple viewpoints into three perspectives: modern, symbolic, and postmodern. Another traditional distinction, present especially in American academia, is between the study of "micro" organizational behavior -- which refers to individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting -- and "macro" strategic management and organizational theory which studies whole organizations and industries, how they adapt, and the strategies, structures and contingencies that guide them. To this distinction, some scholars have added an interest in "meso" scale structures - power, culture, and the networks of individuals and i.e. ronit units in organizations -- and "field" level analysis which study how whole populations of organizations interact.
Whenever people interact in organizations, many factors come into play. Modern organizational studies attempt to understand and model these factors. Like all modernist social sciences, organizational studies seek to control and prefict and explain.There is some controversy over the ethics of controlling workers' behavior, as well as the manner in which workers are treated (see Taylor's scientific management approach compared to the human relations movement of the 1940s). As such, organizational behaviour or OB (and its cousin, Industrial psychologyhave at times been accused of being the scientific tool of the powerful. Those accusations notwithstanding, OB can play a major role in organzational development, enhancing organizational performance, as well as individual and group performance/satisfaction/commitment.
One of the main goals of organizational theorists is, according to Simms (1994), "to revitalize organizational theory and develop a better conceptualization of organizational life An organizational theorist should carefully consider levels assumptions being made in theory,and is concerned to help managers and administrators.
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 29, 2014, 2:30 PM
Organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structures have on behavior within an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organization's effectiveness. (Wikipedia)
Re: Organizational Behavior
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 30, 2014, 6:55 PM
Class,
Are there ANY advantages to creating a more cutthroat political culture in the workplace? Are there any scenarios where you think this would be a good cultural match for the work that is being done?
Susan
The Strategy Process, Ch. 6
Managing Strategic Change
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 29, 2014, 6:03 PM
When change is needed for your business to remain profitable there is no one set strategy that fits all situations or gets all of the company's members to buy in. Managers need to address individual cases and take into account the degree of change and resistance of the population of the members involved. When the stakes are high a mix of all of the different types of strategies may be needed. Kotters eight steps to transforming your corporation for managers starts at the top to develop a sense of urgency and works within the organization to assemble a group with enough power to lead the change. Without this ability to continuously change organizations can not grow.
diagram
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 29, 2014, 2:36 PM
This is a cycle that could really help in business if you apply it to the problem that may occur. In business you need to look at all aspects of a situation to make sure you have every point covered.
Week 6
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 28, 2014, 9:29 AM
This was an interesting chapter. It explained the impact that strategy and change can have on an organization. What I really paid attention to was the ''Eight Steps to Transforming your Corporation.'' All of these steps are necessary for change to an organization with managers and leaders. Certainly, creating a sense of urgency by examining potential opportunities and realities is something that an organization would have to look out in order to see a change. Next, forming a powerful coalition by putting together a group that is open to and create change is another important element for change. Creating a vision for change is also important to a company's success.
Communicating the vision to all members of the organization is necessary to implement change as well. Next, encouraging risk taking and empowering your employees and managers to accept change is another important step in the process. Planning for short term changes and creating them is important to a company looking to implement change. Lastly, consolidating improvements and producing more changes and instituting these changes to ensure development leadership and success are the last two steps in transforming change. This ideology is the way that organizations are able to adopt change in their company.
Re: Week 6
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 28, 2014, 2:56 PM
When we make a change, individuals may be asked to take on unfamiliar or uncomfortable new roles. Life becomes less predictable and less controllable. Individual status and standing is affected as those who used to be considered experts become learners, just like everyone else. By examining and discussing an organizational change in light of how strongly it impacts individuals and how they are likely to react can provide valuable insight into risks associated with resistance, non-acceptance, poor morale, fear, turnover, etc. While the project team can take an initial pass at this, participation by affected individuals from multiple organizational levels will provide a more realistic perspective as well as valuable input around mitigation strategies.( daptiv.com )
Re: Week 6
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 29, 2014, 11:53 AM
Hello Jameelah good point you made about organizational change. It could possibly spark fear into people who have been doing the same job over and over. In many instances, change can be a good thing for an organization, but there may be people who may not accept it at first. At my agency, there has been a lot of changes in the leadership. People are getting promoted and moving on to other positions, but the selection process is looked at as unfair to the officers.
Promotions come slow at the officer's level and there is not much change here at the bottom. Morale is low right now and management is not doing much to improve that at this point. As you mentioned the turnover rate in your post, there is a big issue with that here. As they continue to hire more and more officers, the rate that they are leaving is alarming. There are a lot of other agencies that end up taking the good officers because our agency has spent so much to train them. They are anticipating that this year over 30-40 officers will leave this year.
Re: Week 6
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 29, 2014, 2:28 PM
Whether the result of a merger, or just the demands of a tough marketplace, significant organizational change is one of the most difficult strategies to implement. Organizational change is often an overwhelming challenge for business leaders. The need for change -- or changes -- may be the result of market shifts, economic environment, technology advancements or changing work force skill-set demands. ( thegizette.com )
Re: Week 6
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Jan 30, 2014, 5:33 PM
I agree that change can be very scary and overwhelming in different situations. I worked at a company that we were continually changing but we had to in order to keep up with the industry. It was fast paced and everything was different all the time. I learned to adapt quickly and I think what change has taught me the most that rather than looking at it as a threat to really embrace the change and think of it as a learning device. I believe we constantly are evolving and everything that we learn now builds on what we need for the future and so forth. I do think if more people could have this philosophy where change is concerned it wouldn't feel so overwhelming but a person would realize it's benefiting them in some way.
Re: Week 6
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 29, 2014, 5:45 PM
Michael,
I really agree with your post that managers need to create a vision for the change and empower the members to help and control as much of the change as possible. When members feel that they have ownership in the change it helps gain buy-in and getting the team on board with the change. Also managers need to stay positive and supportive, to help the members see how the change will benefit them.
Re: Week 6
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 30, 2014, 9:39 AM
Terisa, I think that there is a big organizational change that needs to occur within my agency. I agree that managers should be able to stay positive to help the employees see how the change could benefit them as you said. It is really discouraging when you catch your supervisor on USA Jobs looking for another job. A lot of officers here feel undervalued and I would have to say so myself. The agency does not offer any programs for officers to input ideas that could help and benefit the agency.
There is a wide variety of officers here with prior military and law enforcement experience and it falls on deaf ears. I do not mean to sound that I am always complaining or downing my agency, but what I learn in this classroom is the opposite that happens every time I go to work every day. There are many here with no leadership experience at all, but they are put into a manager's position just because they are friends with the their supervisor. It is sad to see many of our talented officers looking for employment somewhere else. I am one of those people as well because having a combination of military, law enforcement, and formal college education, I know that I will be a valuable asset to an agency that knows how to utilize someone like me to my full potential.
Re: Week 6
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 30, 2014, 2:52 PM
Being happy at work can boost your performance and help to advance your career. And it's a fact backed up in a recent report by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) . In our survey, the happiest managers were also the best performing and had the most positive outlook for their future. Conversely, the lowest performing managers were the least happy and displayed ambivalence about their place within their organization.
With increasing pressure to achieve results, under-staffed teams and uncertainty about the future, happiness at work can be hard to sustain. But there are a number of things that managers can do to stay positive, perform to the best of their ability and deal with new challenges as they make their way up the career ladder. ( theguardian.com )
Re: Week 6
posted by AMY ANDERSON
Jan 30, 2014, 9:05 PM
Michael,
I can agree that it is sad to see when those that have the talents and education are not put into management positions but those that are friends of management are. I see that at the organization that I work for. We had a supervisor that went on leave for a few weeks and one with not much experience in the department and no management experience was put into that position when others were willing to that had the experience and knowledge.
Being happy at your job can have a big influence on what you do at work. Hopefully there will be a time when those at your work are happy with their position and are no longer using work time to search for other employment opportunities.
Classroom Discussion
Week Six - Message One
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 28, 2014, 4:38 PM
Describe a political behavior you have observed. What caused the political behavior? How did it influence the organization in a positive or negative way?
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by JOEAL VENKATESAN
Jan 28, 2014, 11:41 PM
I really liked this part that the text mentioned...
Not all groups or organizations are equally political. In some organizations, for instance, politicking is overt and rampant, while in others politics plays a small role in influencing outcomes. Why this variation? Recent research and observation have identified a number of factors that appear to encourage political behavior. Some are individual characteristics, derived from the unique qualities
of the people the organization employs; others are a result of the organization's culture or internal environment (Robbins, 2013).
At one time I worked in sales and the text points to the culture of the organization that, by its nature creates a political environment. I lasted about 2 years and never looked back. I didn't mind the competition and the push to make sales. The most frustrating part was the fact that it was very cut throat even back at the main office and, definitely at all the branches. Many of the veteran employees would take credit for the sales of newer employees and move in and across each other's territory. And for those of you in sales, that breaks the cardinal rule. Needless to say that was 15 years ago and the turnover was so high, they have probably had a new staff ten times over.
Reference:
Organizational Behavior, Fifteenth Edition, by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc, page 428.
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 30, 2014, 5:46 AM
Joeal,
I agree I liked that part of the text book too; and you have to wonder why politics are so rampant at some companies and not at others. At General Motors the culture was very political and promotions depended on who you were aligned with as a manager. If your plant or division manager was successful then chances are you would be taken care of also. I truly believe that it did not matter whether you did your job or not. At Haworth it is still political but not as rampant and if you are doing a good job others seem to take notice. I believe that because of the values of the company and the known culture it makes a difference.
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 30, 2014, 6:50 PM
Terisa and Class,
I think that you have hit on a key characteristic - the values of the organization. If there are no negative ramifications for aggressive political behavior and benefits, people will start behaving in ways that allow them to be successful. Or, they will leave because it is not a good match for them with respect to values/culture.
Can you think of an example where you or someone you know had to change their behaviors against their preference in order to be successful in an organization? How long were they able to maintain this behavior against their preferences?
Susan
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by AMY ANDERSON
Jan 30, 2014, 8:55 PM
When you are in an area of work that is limited, I believe that people will change their preference in order to be successful in an organization. I have seen that with one of my co-workers. One of my co-workers was having a difficult time with his job and trying to play the politics that is involved. Last year he began working on his bachelors degree and in his class is one of the supervisors. I have noticed that since taking this class, my co-worker has changed in his view of work and is no longer having a difficulty time.
So I believe it is possible to change your preference in order to be successful especially when you work in a field where there is limited opportunities. If one is really wanting to keep the position, they most likely will maintain it.
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by MICHAEL BLACK
Jan 29, 2014, 8:15 PM
I have seen a lot of politicking in my lifetime. One recent example occurred at my current job. Our company was run under the old owner. His Production Supervisor was clueless as to how to perform his job duties. He would always take credit for others work (if they did a good job) or blame the workers (even if they were just following his orders) if the job was done incorrectly! This supervisor would always brown nose or kiss-up to the boss. He did this so much that he was able to hire his close friends and family members at the factory. Eventually, the new owner took over and kept the supervisor. He built his own "cabinet" (comprised of friends and family) and finagled his way into a higher seat of power.
This politicking affected the company
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 30, 2014, 6:52 PM
Michael,
Wow! It is a shame that the new owner was not able to see through the supervisor. It sounds like this has made the company's future vulnerable.
Susan
Re: Week Six - Message One
posted by AMY ANDERSON
Jan 29, 2014, 9:01 PM
I believe there are a lot of organizations there is some type of political behavior that is going on. For example, there was a veterinary clinic that I worked for for awhile. A new manager was brought in that had no experience in running a veterinary office and was a former manager of a t-shirt store. Shortly after he was hired, he then began hiring new managers for front office that had no experience in receptionist work or working in a veterinary clinic and that had worked under him at the t-shirt store. Many that were working at that time were very disappointed in that decision due to there were those that had many years of experience working there but did not get the positions. Fortunately many have stayed on at this clinic and have been able to maintain the clinic and even take it to a higher level.
Classroom Discussion
Week Six - Message Two
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 28, 2014, 4:39 PM
How does organizational culture influence organizational change? Provide specific examples.
Re: Week Six - Message Two
posted by JOEAL VENKATESAN
Jan 29, 2014, 11:42 PM
Understanding organizational behavior has never been more important for managers. Take a quick look at the dramatic changes in organizations. The typical employee is getting older; more women and people of color are in the workplace; corporate downsizing and the heavy use of temporary workers are
severing the bonds of loyalty that tied many employees to their employers; global competition requires employees to become more flexible and cope with rapid change (Robbins, 2013). All of these dynamics have a strong impact (positive and negative) on the culture of organizations. Unless the impact creates an immediate need for an organizational change on the culture, the change can often times be slow. In my organization, just some of the process changes that we went through in the past year we faced resistance and is seemed like a common reason was that people would say that their process had always worked in the past. What they didn't realize was that, when measured, they were working through a process that actually took more time and incurred waste.
Reference:
Organizational Behavior, Fifteenth Edition, by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge, page 15
Re: Week Six - Message Two
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 30, 2014, 5:56 AM
Organizational culture has a dramatic affect on change and I have been moved for the next three to four months to a plant which is closing and being relocated to the main campus. Culture here at this plant is very laid back compared to the main campus so part of my job is to help members here get ready for the change. Members are nervous and want to know what date they are changing locations these members are not used to flexing or rapid change. This plant has been here for 40 years and most of the members have worked their entire lives on the same job they all know each other and their families. Haworth strives for members to be self directed and involved so the first thing that I have done is put up a time line for these members to refer to and allow them to start owning the change. We will begin to talk weekly about who's moving the following week and what those members need to know or what needs to be packed up.
Re: Week Six - Message Two
posted by Susan Frear
Jan 30, 2014, 6:44 PM
Terisa,
What a great thing that your organization has had the foresight to put someone in charge of helping with this cultural change! And, that you have taken such a proactive and positive approach to helping the staff acclimate to their new environments. With any change event, communication is definitely the key. Congratulations for earning the trust of your employers to take on this crucial role! Your work will make all the difference!
Susan
