The Influence of National Culture and Organizational Culture - Assignment Example

Organizational Change and Stress Management Name Institution Table of Contents A) Introduction 3 B) Questions 4 1. What do you think caused Deborah react in such a manner towards Melinda? Do you think these reactions were justified? 4 2. What could Melinda have done to better resolve this issue with Deborah? 5 3. Is organizational change more stressful for team members or team leaders? Identify the possible stressors for organizational members experiencing change in the workplace as depicted in the case study. 7 4. How might the situation be influenced by organizational or national level-culture? 9 C) Conclusion 11 D) References 12 A) Introduction In today’s world, conflicts have become a key issue in many organizations. In many cases, conflict wastes valuable human resources that would be better utilized to enhance the organization’s effectiveness. Research demonstrates that practicing managers spend most of their time resolving conflicts. This case analyzes the strained relationship that followed when Melinda, a close friend of Deborah was promoted to a more senior promotion as an executive support manager. The matter was so serious that the friendship ended finally, and they never talked to one another. The change in management structure was a blow to Deborah who refused to accept the decision of the executive director. She had to be moved to another department in order to cope with the change that took place. B) Questions 1. What do you think caused Deborah react in such a manner towards Melinda? Do you think these reactions were justified? Deborah had been used to taking her time in carrying out her duties and also left at her own time in order to attend to her personal affairs. She arrived late for work and took extra hours during the lunch break (Tee & Ashkanasy, n.d). She was already accustomed to this kind of life and changing from it would be more than she could handle. Moreover, there were policies introduced to effectively steer the organization towards the right direction. They were strict, and time consuming to a point that the members of staff would have to work late in order to accomplish them, a thing that Deborah was finding hard to cope with. In addition, the appointment of Melinda to supervise them was unacceptable in the eyes of Deborah as she knew that her friend would push them to work hard in order to impress her boss and meet the goals of the organization. Melinda would not favor her at the expense of the other staff, and her attempts to work on her own routine were fruitless. She had to extend when the need came and finish her designated job. She maintained fairness and would ensure that all worked in accordance with the set policies. Alternatively, Deborah held that Melinda did not deserve the position that she was bestowed since she had only worked for a period of two years. This is a clear indication that she was jealous and felt unappreciated after working for a period of at least fifteen years. She probably felt she was the right candidate for the position. Deborah’s reactions were unjustified and selfish. The issue of Melinda getting a bigger position was part of the changes that happen from time to time in organizations. There was nothing personal about the promotion or the measures that Melinda was implementing in order to meet the proposed standards and job requirements. It was part of the management plan to ensure that employee contribution was well observed in order to realize the benefits. Deborah should have been ready and willing to adapt to these changes and form part of the team that would see the results realized. Alternatively, Melinda did not promote herself. It was the executive director's decision to put her in a senior position. Therefore, Deborah was not justified to make so much fuss about her new position and also make other employees believe that she only thought about herself. The deals that were denied would question the morals and ethics of the job as other employees would start complaining and cite favoritism on the part of Melinda if she let herself be misled by the Deborah. 2. What could Melinda have done to better resolve this issue with Deborah? Stress can affect productivity and attention to detail ultimately leading to poor results. Melinda should have been lenient with Deborah in order to make her feel comfortable and help her overcome the new policies with time until she was used to it. The sudden change coupled with Melinda’s stamp of authority to implement the same contributed to Deborah’s stress. To begin with, Melinda should have offered an emotional support to Deborah during this time of need (Ross & Altmaier, 1994). She should have stepped down to her level and reason with her about the changes and show her that they could do it together. Alternatively, her supervision should have shown a sense of understanding and not authority in order to make Deborah feel at ease. As a result, communication would have been easy, and Deborah would have been able to speak her fears out, and Melinda would, in turn, find a way to help her. Her citations that she had the duty of making sure that the workers worked the contracted hours and that she wanted to show the director that she was the right person was a show of selfishness and lack of understanding. Though this was the case, the manner in which she passed on the message to Deborah was likely to signify that she had no friend in Melinda to count on. She should have explained humbly what was happening and assured her of her support whenever possible. Guidance and counseling should have been the order of the day for Deborah so as to give her strength and courage. The meetings they had during coffee hours should have been dedicated to this practice as well as show her how to deal with the changes. Deborah requested for a flexible working schedule, and Melinda denied without much thought. This was wrong. As long as she was to meet the deadlines stipulated within the policies, she should have been allowed to give it a trial and then accustom her to the new program slowly, and before she knew it she would be fully in the outlined curriculum. Being given authority to contribute in making decisions makes employees feel appreciated, and they in turn work hard and are more positive for the organization. Organization change may be difficult to handle for employees like Deborah who were accustomed to their own working schedules for a period of fifteen years. Therefore, Melinda should have organized for training programs to be administered to her counterpart in order to assist her alleviate the levels that she was experiencing. This should have been facilitated by a professional with the know-how of handling personal problems. Another approach would have been to call a forum where she would allow all employees to air their opinions about the new policies. She did not have to do it as exactly suggested by the director; she could have adopted her own approach with the employees' views integrated in order to make them feel part of the change. Deborah should have probably suggested a method, and they could have together come up with one amicable solution supported by all. 3. Is organizational change more stressful for team members or team leaders? Identify the possible stressors for organizational members experiencing change in the workplace as depicted in the case study. Organization change affects team leaders more than the team members. The team leaders act as intermediaries between the top management pushing for change and the group that has to conform to the proposed measures. The duty is theirs. When the team members fail, the leader has failed, as well. When policies are established, the management delegates them to the team leaders and looks upon them to realize results. Therefore, the team leaders have to work extra hard and mobilize the employees to achieve results. They have to come up with strategies that not only lead to achievement of results but will also have to find a way to handle the employees to realize the results effectively without compromising their job specifications. Therefore, all the pressure descends on them when the management seeks to know the performance of the organization, and they get all the blame for anything that happens. They have to analyze the guidelines given to them by the top management and break them down to be realistic in the schedule of the workers. The results are the team leaders’ responsibility, and they are answerable for any irregularity that goes on and not the employees. Stressors are three fold, and they include organizational, environmental and personal factors. Environmental factors come in various forms for instance a team leader must be innovative and smart enough to handle both parties well. This represents the technological advancements that are needed to keep the facility competitive. Also, Deborah is worried that the changes that have taken place could make her to be forced out from the system as she finds it hard to cope with them. This would economically affect her, and she would have financial strains. In addition, she has not been regarded after having served for a long period and fears that she will be mistreated by Deborah as she finds it hard to conform to the new policies. The attention around her would be gone as it would be focused on the newly promoted person and other members would have politics to discuss and demean her. On the other hand, organizational change (factor) is difficult to handle at first and many employees have a hard time conforming to the requirements and tasks. The team leader has to work along with them to ensure that they achieve their goals. Another difficulty that they experience is resistance from some of the employees who want to do things their way, therefore, giving them a hard time. These are termed as personal factors. No matter how much conflict they have with the employees, they have to keep pushing them to a point of even breaking the relationships that they previously had. Moreover, each and every employee responds differently to the changes, and the team leader has to cope with each and every one of them while maintaining work ethics. Amongst them are die hard cores who make it hard to implement the policies. Unless the team leader is creative and tolerant, they are likely to suffer very much as they are not only dealing with the stress from the superiors and subordinates, they, too, have to adapt to the changes. Deborah and Melinda are the two parties used to show how organizational change can cause stress. Melinda’s promotion called for more work by supervising other members whom she was working with. The new roles assigned were different from what she was used to doing, and therefore, had to learn them under pressure as she could not afford to make mistakes being the center of attention. Moreover, the increment in workload was another source of stress for her, and she could not express her fatigue to other people as she was the person effecting the change. Deborah also stressed her by not willingly accepting the change and the attitude she formed against her as if she, Melinda, had made up the changes herself. Deborah, on the other hand, was used to too much freedom, and the tightening the rules was a blow to her. She even went ahead to show contempt to the person who simply facilitated the policies. She distanced herself, complained from time to time and was even avoided by other staff members for her constant gossip about Melinda. 4. How might the situation be influenced by organizational or national level-culture? Culture entails shared values by a group of people and also the guidance that they receive from the same in implementing their goals. The introduction of new policies and rules as well as someone to oversee their facilitation meant that some things had to change, and the workers had to adapt to them. To begin with, the daily schedule was interrupted. The workers were used to a flexible and lenient program. This is the basis under which they worked and delivered results. However, when the change was introduced, the workers had to work extra harder and spend more time at the work place than they were supposed to. Adapting to this change was a challenge for a number of employees. For instance, Deborah was used to having more free time than was desired. They had to restructure their work patterns and fit in the new schedule. In the process of doing, productivity was most likely to be affected (Joiner, 2001). Alternatively, there are customs that are adhered to by establishments for instance the guideline to follow when carrying out promotion. This could be considered in terms of the years worked or the contribution made by the person in question. In Deborah’s view, Melinda did not deserve a position after working for a period of only two years. Alternatively, Deborah believes that authority should come with the number of years worked. She firmly believes that she should have been the person in the position that Melinda was offered. Another issue that was realized when Melinda was promoted was the holding of power in the hands of only the top people. The junior staff had no say in running the affairs of the establishment. They simply needed to be told what was required and then act without much thought. This was unhealthy according to Deborah who argued that each and every person deserved to be heard and probably contribute to the schedule as they too, had their plans for their time. C) Conclusion Changes in organizations should be taken seriously, and employees should be involved in making decisions in order to avoid conflicts that are the breeding grounds for stress. Alternatively, the management should come up with policies that will govern their institutions and also build a strong rapport that encourage productivity and unity amongst the members of staff. D) References Joiner, T. (2001). The Influence of National Culture and Organizational Culture on Job Stress and Performance: Evidence from Greece. Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp229-242. Australia: MCB university press. Ross, R. & Altmaier, E. (1994). Intervention in Occupation Stress. London: Sage. Tee, E & Ashkanasy. (n.d.). Integrative Case Study: Change and Stress Management at HIA. Read More