Learning Activity #1
Relate to the class an experience that you have had at work or with an organization to which you are familiar (church, school, club) that is illustrative of why we study organizational behavior. Be sure to explain the relationship between the behavior and its effect on the organization.
Learning Activity #2
Based on the ideas presented in the future of work material this week, what job do you see yourself performing in ten years? Can you describe the workplace environment?
Use only class materials in your responses.
THEME #1: Why Does the Study of Organizational Behavior Matter?
Organization behavior is the study of the functioning and performance of individuals, groups, and teams within organizations as well as the organization.
Based on scientific research and empirical data, organizational behavioral theorists attempt to understand, predict, and influence behavior at all levels within the organization to make the organization more efficient (Weinclaw, R.,2013)
Have you ever had a job or an organizational experience where people didn't get along, nobody knew what to do, everyone did nothing or what they wanted to do, and the manager or leader was difficult to get along with or just so nice no one needed to pay attention? If you have had such a job or position it wasn't very pleasant was it?
The idea of getting up and going to work or going to the next meeting was painful and the temptation to stay home, leave early, or do as little as possible to get through the day was imperative.
Now, imagine an experience in which everyone was friendly. In this instance you are more likely to be interested in going to work, doing your best, taking pride and being committed to what you do. Job performance and job commitment are critical to the success of any organization regardless of whether its purpose is making money or healing the sick.
At the heart of the study of Organizational Behavior scientists and practitioners look at workplace behavior so that they can encourage and replicate the behavior that makes you want to get up and go to work. Behavior that will make the organization efficient and profitable.
Here are a few workplace examples which illustrate why it matters to study the behavior of people at work:
An engaged employee is 44% more productive than a satisfied worker, but an employee who feels inspired at work is nearly 125% more productive than a satisfied one. The companies that inspire more employees perform better than the rest. (Vozza S., 2017)
85% Percent of employees worldwide hate their jobs. 70% in the US and 94% in China hate their jobs according to a Gallup Poll take in 2017. (85% of people, 2017)
About 3 million Americans quit their jobs each month. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Employees who believe they have been treated unfairly on the job are more likely to steal from their employers and reject the policies of their organizations than those who believe they have been fairly treated. (Archibald, J., 2014)
Productivity improves by 20-25% in organizations with connected employees. (Sanders, G., 2017)
Employees who exercise their strengths on a daily basis are 8% more productive and 6x more likely to be engaged. (Sanders, G., 2017)
Teams with high employee engagement rates are 21% more productive and have 28% less internal theft than those with low engagement. (Sanders, G., 2017)
High performing employees have three things in common: talent, high engagement, and 10+ years of service within the company (Sanders, G., 2017)
Employee productivity grew .3% a year over the last five years, from 2011 to 2016 (Sanders, G., 2017)
Employees who are engaged are 27% more likely to report "excellent" performance.(Sanders, G., 2017)
57% of employees who said they were very stressed at work felt less productive and disengaged, while only 10% of low-stress employees reported feeling this way. (Sanders, G., 2017)
Work overload decreases productivity by 68% in employees who feel they don't have enough hours in the day to complete their tasks. (Sanders, G., 2017)
Read:
Organizational Behavior Essay Wienclaw
Theme# 2: Understanding the Impact of the New Workplace on Organizational Behavior
The transitional business organization of today is often a hybrid between the hierarchical organization of the last century and the new flatter more collaborative structures seen to be needed for the future.
In studying organizational behavior for the future, it is important to understand how business organizations are changing and how people's performance in the workplace is and will change.
This week's themes have you exploring the current and future workplace so that you will be able to imagine the behaviors needed to constitute successful performance and commitment from employees today and prepare for the years to come.
Catalysts for Change in Organizational Structures and Workplace Environments and its Relationship to Organizational Behavior
Understanding the factors that are creating changes and will continue to create change in how we do business and behave in the workplace are critical. The major causes for change in the business organization are globalization and the global shift in business ownership, the rise of service industries, and disruptive technology.
Globalization has shifted global business ownership from the developed nations in Europe and America to include developing nations across the world.
The entrance of new players has changed the face of the current economic models. Where once the wealth of a country focused on the export of a nation, it is now dependent on the market presence its businesses have around the globe.
Business and their host country can no longer depend on cornering the market in their home territory as that market is shrinking. Globalization has mandated business sustainability to include markets across the globe to remain competitive.
The effect of this phenomena is both uplifting and vexing for developed economies like the US. There is now a growing global middle class.
More goods and services can be sold than ever before to more people who can afford to buy them. While the global middle class is increasing the developed nations such as the US have a shrinking middle class. Why? Because workers in developed countries are now competing with their global counterpart.
Competition for jobs stretches far beyond the immediate area in a global marketplace. From technology call centers in India to automobile manufacturing plants in China, globalization means that workers must compete with job applicants from around the world. (Smith L., 2007)
How then does globalization play out in workplace behavior? Businesses must balance the wants and needs of their employees from all over the globe with the needs of the organization to increase effectiveness.
Managers will a need a variety of ways to approach staff and staff will need a greater awareness of the expectations and norms of people from other cultures, age, gender and education. (Maughn, M., n.d.) The manager who is culturally intelligent will be competitive and perform better in the workplace which in turn will make the company more effective. Managers must be able to work with diverse employees.
The second major influence on the change of organizational behavior is the decline in manufacturing businesses. Manufacturing having once been the primary source of jobs in any given economy is no longer a significant source of jobs. In 2017 US manufacturing comprise 8.8% of the workforce as compared to 1970 when 22% worked for a goods manufacturer. (CNN, 2017) Today's businesses have knowledge services as their principal product.
New knowledge creates competitive edge for many businesses as it is the mother of innovation. Workers who can develop, exploit and market the innovations knowledge can create will be well rewarded. (Maughn, M., n.d.) Managers who can create an environment where innovative knowledge is harnessed and embraced is likely to make money for the business.
The third major influence on workplace change are the major advances in communication technologies. New ways to communicate with others have sped up the transmission of information for organizational decision making and the structural way people interact within the organization. (Maughn, M., n.d.) People no longer must wait for the decision from the top of the hierarchy. Flatter organizational structures have teams making decisions and implementing them in one fell swoop. Moreover, technology is increasing the use of network organizational structures in business.
A business will look for the accomplished free-lance contractors or other organizations to complete singular tasks or projects. Managing on a day to day basis is going by the wayside and will be passé in years to come. Managers are likely to manage contracts rather than large organizations. (Maughn, M., n.d.) While the traditional organizational structures are not likely to become extinct, managers will have to be flexible and comfortable understanding of those with whom they work and behaviors like the water cooler discussion is less likely to be a successful way to interface with colleagues in the workplace.
Demonstrating personal flexibility, sensitivity for others and understanding the complexities of virtual communication are managerial skills caused by technological innovation. (Maughn, M., n.d.)
The disruptive nature of technology is giving people longer lives resulting in changing attitudes toward the length of working, career orientation, pension benefits, health care and job satisfaction. Workplace conflicts and stress can evolve as generations are competing for job satisfaction. Demonstrating personal flexibility, sensitivity for others and understanding the complexities of virtual communication are managerial skills caused by technological innovation. (Maughn, M., n.d.)
Artificial intelligence is perhaps the most daunting of the spearheads for workforce change. While AI has already displaced many unskilled workers, its influence on mid-level jobs and organizational structure is soon to be felt. Presently, AI in the workplace reinforces the need for an increased number of knowledge workers.
Matt Gould, chief strategy officer at Arria NLG, U.K.-based company offering AI technology in data analytics and information delivery, explains that AI can distill expertise into the machine. "Knowledge work, for the first time, can be produced at volume from NLG-AI systems," Gould says.
"Far from killing the jobs of knowledge workers, this tends to free them up to do what they are paid to do-innovate, model, refine, and improve on the expertise of their business." (Dishman, L., 2017) AI will bring different tasks for employees and open new revenue areas for employers. One example is the 24/7 customer service center. Instead of using call centers with vast numbers of employees, bots will be able to offer customer advice daily.
As mentioned in this week's materials the complexity of managing future workplace behaviors requires personal sensitivity from those managing the workforce.
Managerial success will require workers who themselves are developed in emotional intelligence and self-monitoring, and knowledgeable of the impact upon individual and team behavior of personality traits, values & attitudes, perception, communications, conflict and culture.
Each Week the reading will be supplemented with ideas on how workplace trends are affecting the manager's ability to work with employee behavior. The application to future trends will often be the source of a learning activity or assessment topic so be sure to read these side bars.