Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management - Example

Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management Name Course Institution Professor Date Executive summary Organizational behavior forms quite an integral part within an organization. It is understood to be a field of study that tries to examine how specific individuals in organization, groups of people or the organizational structure may impact on the behavioral perspectives in the organization. All this is aimed at ensuring the organization operates in the most efficient and effective manner (Robbins, Stephen, Judge and Timothy 2007, p.170). Due to the fact that this is a study that constitutes different fields being its building blocks the human resource management is but among them. It concerns how the workforce of an organization is managed. Human resource management complements organizational behavior concepts and perspectives through the engagement in ensuring that certain responsibilities such as the selection, assessment, attraction, training and remuneration are executed and in the right way. Also certain aspects arise when looking at organizational behavior and human resource management in an organization. This includes matters concerning both leadership and culture and ensuring that employees adhere to the set rule and regulations put forth under the employment and labor laws. This paper seeks to provide a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the behavior of humans within an organization and how they affect the set goals and objectives of an organization. It also looks forward to clearly defining certain theoretical concepts which have undergone testing and may be used to ensure that behavior within the organization is controlled. Another aim of this paper is but to aid in the process of improving employee quality in relation to their productiveness which is basically through a process of empowerment for individuals in the organization that may be facilitated through the implementation of programs and design structures within the organization for achievement of success with ease (Weightman 2008, p.23). Further more various insights relating to the DSS consulting firm are presented in relation how employees should be handled by their managers. Guidance is also demonstrated here in for the purpose of creating an organizational climate that is ethically healthy. There is also the demonstration of how an organization may face challenges more specifically with their employees and learning through innovation how to cope with them. In addition, behavior analysis within the DSS consulting has been presented involving certain major issues such as organizational culture, team work, the management style, training, change, leadership communication and how best the organization can deal with difficulties that may arise. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Table of Contents 4 Introduction 5 Overview of challenges within DSS consulting 5 Organizational structure 6 Team work 7 Organizational culture 8 Management style 9 Communication 10 Training 11 Leadership 12 The proposal 14 Statement of the problem 14 Action plan 15 Strategic plan 16 Recommendations 16 References 18 Introduction The DSS is a consulting firm that involves the execution of various activities in relation to offering consultancy services to district schools. The firm facilitates the aspect of providing a bridge through which information and knowledge may be transferred to the clients through having a better understanding of their needs. This forms the basis towards understanding what work do consultants do Within the DSS consulting organization. Employees or rather consultants within this organization have very special duties (Merkle and Judith 2002, p.44). They are seen to involve high costs of coordination internally in the organization. For instance, wide changes within an organization or the introduction and implementation of new technologies may have quite a great impact on the behavior of employees. Overview of challenges within DSS consulting Over the past few years, the DSS consultation firm has been experiencing quite a lot of drawbacks in various aspects relating to its management. This has been the major hindrance of the realization of success within the organization. To begin with supervisors or rather the superior staff within an organization plays very significant roles. They are involved in the overall management of the organization of the organization straight from the planning phase, coordination, controlling directing and organizing phase (Goldthorpe, Lockwood, Bechhofer and Platt 2000, p.70). Most importantly regardless of how the management process of any kind is carried out the structure of the organization need to be clearly defined in order to be able to know what kind of management style fits the organization most for it operate with ease and achieve its objectives in the most appropriate manner. Organizational structure Organizational structure is but the relationship patterns that exist within an organization in line with the various positional levels in the organization. This basically demonstrates relationship among the individuals in the organization and how they interact with one another. It forms the basis of creation of a framework under which orders and commands are given with the aim of ensuring that activities in the organization are organized in the best way possible Thomas and Jane 2004, p.89). The DSS consulting firm has the tall management organizational structure. This structure is characterized by a chain command that is long and hierarchal leading to restrictions being imposed on the subordinates in such a manner that they lack responsibility and freedom. Though the management stricture is clear the process of decision making is quite hectic. It is quite slow due to the fact that it takes a lot of for any decision made to be approved since consultation need to be made to all the levels of authority within the organization. Though the organization has clearly defined lines of control and responsibility communication goes through several layers of management necessitating that there be quite a reliable mode of communication to ease information sharing and exchange. In this case regarding the DSS consulting organization major challenges and problems have centrally been experienced in relation to how managers execute their management responsibilities. Being the human resource director need arose to ensure that the matter about the welfare of employees is not overlooked. The human resource department has its sole purpose being to look at the welfare of employees within the organization. This department facilitates how human resources are managed in order to boost performance of the organization by increasing productivity within the organization. Over the past few years various complaints have been presented implicating the human resource manager as being incompetent from the employees. A good example is the complaint from Chris Peterson her removal from her responsibilities by his manager Meg Cooke. This case presented a situational problem with an employee whereby the manager reused to critical assess and evaluate the viability and workability of the ideas and opinions from the employee. This issue is understood to relate to the goal setting theory in that there is lack of motivation to the side of the employee to be able to set their own goals and target in relation to the responsibilities that they have within the organization (Robbins, Stephen,Judge, Timothy 2007, p.158). Meg did not ensure the work effort of his employee was stretching though critical analysis indicates that the main objective that Chris had for the organization was I line with the goals and objectives of the organization. The problem in this case calls for Meg to loosen his control and give Chris the opportunity to continue with the project and his responsibilities which proves to be strategically planned for a better future of the organization (Weightman 2008, p.25). Team work Teamwork is quite significant in an organization. There are certain and objective within an organization that can only be achieved through members of the organization working as team and not as individuals (Weightman, 2008, p.27). Certain problems arose in regards to how teams operated within the DSS consulting organization. It is presented that the team under the leadership of Chris was involved in two main activities which involved putting together forms purposely meant for the organization of planning and budgeting and developing instructions that were to be presented to the consultants which the team members did not have answers to. Seeking for consultations was accompanied by a wide range of challenges among them being experiencing distractions in their working. This problem could be rectified by the management of the organization taking the initiative to offer specialized training to the employees in order to cut down costs of the need to have to deal with outside consultants. Training of employees has some quite major positive impacts on how employees view their tasks and responsibilities. It is a major contributing factor towards cultural development in an organization through the enhancement of skills of the employees (Robbins, Stephen, Judge, Timothy 2007, p. 160). The behavior of employees is also fostered such as that the employees feel that they have a sense of belonging in the organization feeling motivated such that their personal development is not overlooked. In this the contingency under contemporary perspectives is the best approach. This approach demonstrates that managers should have an approach that varies in line with the situation of the environment as well that of the individual. In this case the situation was seeking for consultancy services from DSS specialists which the managers should rectify through coming up with new ways to handle the challenge that come with the same. Organizational culture The DSS consultancy had issue with the dynamics in relation organizational culture. It is understood that the role of organizational culture comes into play when an organization is bound to adapt to competitive environments by either being in support of the changes or rather resisting them. The inability of this organization to adjust its cultural perspectives with changing environment has contributed to most of its failure. It is thus necessitated that the management of the organization should be flexible enough to initiate change in the organizational culture in order to ensure that at each and every specific time the culture in the organization fits the new demands considering the fact that culture too may change with certain strategic changes (Robbins, Stephen, Judge, Timothy 2007, p.169). When culture changes within an organization the implication is that the organizational beliefs and values and how things are done are bound to change. Such a scenario in this organization has resulted to disruptive circumstances such that the organization is not able to operate anymore towards the set goals and objectives. The manner in which change is perceived by most individuals in the DSS consultancy organization leads to extremely poor performance. Some individuals are seen to view the change as being unfair or rather unethical. It is therefore deemed important for the management team of the DSS consultancy to ensure that considerations are made in line with ethical dimensions as far culture change is concerned and how information may be shared with the employees concerning the change to avoid misalignment in the organization. Management style The management style that is practiced by managers in this organization raises quite some very significant issues regarding various aspects of employee motivation. The fact that the employees are denied both responsibility and freedom by their managers is one factor that highly seems to de-motivate them in their working. The employees are not able to present their ideas on how they can aid in the decision making process and how best performance can be improved within the organization (Carlson and Heth 2009, p.40). The decision making process is understood to be quite slow due to the many managers who need to be consulted. Due to the fact the management costs are very high due to the remuneration of managers the organization has some form of imbalance in line with the revenue that is obtained and the money used to rewards individuals in the organization. To change this state of affairs it is advisable that the management should change into that which allows free interaction between the managers and their subordinates to foster sharing of ideas and opinions which are ultimately crucial for the betterment of the organization. Communication Communication is essentially important within any given organization. It is what facilitates exchange and sharing of information and data within the organization. The DSS consultancy firm has major problems with its communication systems. Efficient and effective Communication between the employees and their superiors does not exists due to the poor channels of communications and due to the rest5arints that have been imposed on the employees as far as their participation in the decision making processes in the organization are concerned. Basic essential of communication are not enhanced within this organization. Managers lack the capacity to deliver accurately correct information to their employees in line with what job and task specifications as well as issuing of commands and orders (Jablin and Putnam 2000, p.146). This leads to wasted efforts for the employees. Another aspect is that there is timely delivery of information no matter how urgent it may be hence leading to shifting of blames among the managers and conflicts arising among the managers themselves. Employees suffer within such an environment where they operate under conditions of uncertainty. Most communications within this organization are not in the right sequence and the contents are usually incomplete. This is a major factor that kills employee morale making them to give their bets as they execute their duties (Carlson and Heth 2009, p.42). Progress is slowed within the organization also due to the fact that for any communication to take effect it has to follow several management layers which finally leads to loosing of opportunities which could other wise have been exploited on time. In this case the management team of the DSS consultancy has to make immense changes in the aspect of communication within the organization and ensure that all the essentials of communication required to foster better communication in the organization are in place. Employees will greatly be motivated to work under clear, accurate and understandable which are not bound to change in the course of executing their duties. Training The Training process within an organization is very crucial. It aims at ensuring improvement in both the skills and knowledge of individuals in organization solely aiming at ensuring that the general performance within an organization is improved. Within the DSS consultancy organization there is lack training of employees much less of the managers despite the changing world where by there is introduction of new ways of doing things. The main implication here is the changes that occur due to the use of new technologies and new theories that serve quite a great purpose in ensuring that the organization is not outdated and operates at per the level of competition that is currently in place in order to be able to survive in the market (DeGraff 2010 p.51). It is quite important if training is to take in an organization to begin from the top level management team. This is due to the fact it is the management team that creates the foundation of how all operations with the organization are to be carried out beginning with the process of planning the objectives and goals of an organization. The DSS consultancy organization thus needs to incorporate the concept of training for it s members which basically will serve the purpose of leading the organization to higher heights. This case may be reflected by the expectancy theory of motivation which implicates that the benefits that accrue from one action definitely lead to another action. In this case training is bound to have a lot of benefits for the employees as said earlier on being improvement of employee’s skills as well gaining knowledge on how best certain activities may be carried out. These benefits that accrue from the training process are what may lead to employees acting positively for the well of the organization (Merkle and Judith 2002, p46). Such actions that may result from the training process include improved time management, commitment and dedication of employees in their work, employees become loyal developing more trust to their superiors and they may as well develop open mindedness hence being able to identify opportunities on how they can improve on how they carry out their duties. Leadership Leadership implies to the tactical and strategic process through which employee’s are influenced to become followers towards a certain course of action for the purpose of achieving a common objective or rather purpose (Thomas and Jane 2004, p.88). The kind of leadership that is being parctised within the DSS consultancy organization does not have the capacity much less the ability to induce employees to become loyal followers with the interests of the organization at heart. Managers in this organization have very poor leadership skills. They are characterized by the lack of both energy and enthusiasm. This is demonstrated by Meg who seems to see new initiatives as being a kind of a burden with a lot of fear to be overwhelmed about a ne w opportunity. In line with this theory X may apply from the perspective that it demonstrates that human beings on average are lazy and naturally do not like work and incase given a chance they will definitely avoid it (James 2001, p.50), they have poor judgment capacities in the way they make their decisions to the extents of their subordinates identifying and recognizing that whatever conclusions are deduced from the judgments are not at all for the best interests of the organization, they reject new ideas which would be of great benefit to the organization and the generally the entire environment around it, they make mistakes and never learn from them since they never setbacks to enable them to make improvements and that they don not walk the talk in that the already set standards under which individuals within the organization are supposed to act according to they are at the forefront towards violating them. In this manner they lack integrity (Carlson and Heth 2009, p.45). Another characteristic from the DSS consultancy managers who are supposed to exercise leadership is the fact that they do look forward towards developing other people. They solely focus on themselves and no not the development of their subordinates leading to the disengagement of teams and groups working together in the organization. This is the point whereby training is necessitated to ensure that managers know what leaders is all about it can be positively utilized to lead an organization to higher heights. Change Change is an inevitable aspect in an organization. Changing situations and circumstances in an organizations environment either favors it or rather is against its progress. The DSS consultancy organization lacks the ability to cope up and adjust to changes whenever they occur especially those relating and leading to changes in the organizational behavior and culture (DeGraff 2010, p.57). It is therefore for this reason that the organization needs to identify ways on how to manage change immediately it crops up within its environment. It has to evaluate and see what kind of change is being experience within the organization. For instance is it operational change or strategic change. These changes usually have a great impact on the organization’s issues that influences its future. Some of the issues that necessitate proper understanding of change within an organization are very sensitive and could highly lead to great failure in the organization if overlooked. They include changes in the economic and the social environments, capabilities of the organization, culture and structural change in the organization and change in relation to the competitor’s strategies. From there the organization is thus in a position to analyses why the change may be under resistance by members of the organization (DeGraff 2010, p.59). This the organization is bound to have a basis under which it can be able to develop ways of dealing and adjusting to the changes especially through shaping employee perspectives and view of the change. Basically, the equity motivational theory may come into play in this case whereby the members within the organization because of the change feel fairness is not being exercised in the correct manner (Weightman 2008, p.28). This may be due to the idea that the new change doe not create a balance between the inputs of employees and the outputs that are realized thereafter hence feeling that their efforts are wasted and not being appreciated as it should be. This theory reflects the perspective that individuals will always seek to reduce their input efforts whenever dissatisfaction arise feeling that the inputs are not fairly rewarded by the expected outputs. The proposal Statement of the problem It is the desire of any given organization to do well and achieve success in the long run. This is a plan meant to look into the future of Chris Peterson, Meg Cooke, and the Southwest Region team DSS organization. The DSS consultancy as already has had issues here and there regarding the general behavioral within the organization and the manner employee welfares are handled by the management. It is quite important for the management of this organization to consider all aspects within the environment of the organization that are bound to impact to the future prospects of the organization (Kotter 2003, p.32). This therefore follows the process and evaluation of the internal and the external environments in order to be able to come up with reliable and workable decisions concerning how to eliminate the drawbacks presented here in. Action plan To begin with, if the organization is to realize success, gain competitive advantage, obtain a good market and be assured of its survival n the future a process will have to be put in place that will involve an in depth analysis of the dynamics within the environment of the organization. With such an approach solutions will be sought with utmost ease thus making it easier for the organization to survive and at the same time offer the best and conducive environment for its employees (DeGraff 2010, p.55). It is with no doubt that success is bound to be achieved in an efficient and effective manner since the cooperation between the employees and their superiors will have been improved. If at all the DSS consultancy organization is to gain trust and be able to retain employees who are very good at their work there is need for it to develop strategies and ways of rewarding good performance. This way employee will do their bets in their duties. The most applicable theory that relates to this scenario is theory Y which puts it that the fact that employees are committed to the set objectives relates directly to the rewards that accompany the success that is realized (James 2001, p.46). The main idea is that generally people through a learning process under conditions that are favorable look forwards to seeking responsibility. The theory reflects that employees usually develop the capacity and ability to become imaginative and creative in the activities and responsibilities that they engage in. this way the organization is bound to experience high productivity form its employees with employees having certain benefits such as developing their talents as they work since they are provided fro the opportunity to use their imaginations and creativeness to do their work in the bets way possible worth rewarding. Strategic plan The Future of the DSS consultancy organization is very essential hence need for the strategic planning process that will enable the organization have a promising future. The process may encompass a definitive approach that presents ways through the objectives of the organization may be achieved considering the position it wants to occupy and safeguard in the future (Kotter, 2003, p.34). Essentially the welfare of the employees is an important consideration due to the fact that they are the key forces that drive an organization towards success due to their participation in the overall activities in the organization. Recommendations In order for the DSS consultancy organization to do well and survive to the future there are certain options that are worth consideration to aid in its strategic planning process. They include; Ensuring the management style that is in place complements the organizational culture perspectives. This will make it easier for the organization to manage its human resources among other resources in an appropriate manner to achieve success. Developing ways to facilitate employee motivation and increasing the morale of their employees for instance through rewarding good performance. Arranging for training programs for both the management team and the staff to ensure that they develop a broader and better understanding of the dynamics within the environment of the organization and how best performance may be improved not forgetting individual development. Encouraging free interaction between the supervisors and the staff so that they may be able to share opinions and ideas geared towards the achievement of goals and objectives within the organization in the best way possible. Conclusion In conclusion, this case regarding the DSS consultancy organization has presented a comprehensive outline of how the behavior of people in an organization may impact the goals of the organization. It also has highlighted how some theoretical concepts are seen to seen to apply and relate to an organization’s working and the influence that they may have on the general behavioral practice of the members within the organization. This paper has created a baseline through which the quality of employees and the manner in which they work may be improved by basically empowering them through various such as motivation. Various insights have been put forth that serve the purpose of ensuring that the DSS consulting organization meets challenges or problems that it may experience with ease safeguarding its future and gaining a competitive advantage over its competitors. References Carlson, N and Heth, C 2009, Psychology the Science of Behaviour, Toronto, Pearson Education Canada. DeGraff, J 2010, "The Changing Environment of Professional HR Associations", Cornell HR Review. 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