What is Organizational Management - Assignment Example

Organizational Management Organizational Management DQ What is Organizational Management? Organizational management describes the process of organizing corporate resources, creating plans to utilize those resources, supervising the performance of workers and controlling corporate processes with the aim of achieving organizational objectives. In organizations, managers are tasked with overseeing corporate operations on a daily basis. Paul Hawken’s statement that ‘good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them’ was a good sign of what the capabilities of managers should be. Hawken was essentially stating that a good manager has the ability to find creative ways of presenting problems to workers and colleagues so that they lose the threat factor (Yukl, 2010). A good manager will also inspire his or her workers to such an extent that they will want to participate in the most challenging jobs as they perceive them not as being potential problems, but as being opportunities for proving their capabilities. Leaders and managers are both entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing operations and directing corporate functions. However, they are essentially different in their methods of guidance. According to Bennis and Nanus (2007) leaders are people who are born with intrinsic leading abilities while managers are appointed to run business organizations. A manager may be entrusted with making use of a company’s resources in an efficient manner. Managers’ functions tend to be orchestrated while leaders have inborn abilities to inspire others without needing to refer to others for examples (Bass, 2010). Managers tend to bring about consistency and order by instituting orders that they enforce. Leaders are different because they have the innate ability to be able to identify practical qualities among their workers. They then align their workers, inspire them, communicate about the importance of performing to the expected level, and reap the benefits of their talents in the achievements of their subordinates. DQ#2: Creating Shared Value To remain relevant in the present competitive business scene, the majority of professional organizations require the suggestions of business models in order to thrive. In the United States Marine Corps, there is a need for better communication about the processes that are central to the upkeep of different divisions. These are factors that are addressed in the business theories such as the ‘reasoned action theory’. The theory of reasoned action is important because it takes into consideration different factors when seeking to cement relationships between individuals across hierarchical levels and who come from different cultural backgrounds. The theory of reasoned action takes into consideration factors such as social norms, individual attitudes, and personal intentions. The theory also holds that human actions can be predicted through behavioral intention that is characterized by social norms as well as relevant beliefs. According to Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010), there are nine steps which companies can use to reach their expected proceeds. This model recommends the creation of distinctions between an organization’s infrastructure and offering. This model is not suited to the United States Marine Corps because it is more geared towards the accomplishment of financial objectives. The article’s findings proved that inclusive models of business are different from social models in regards to the governing systems that are used and even the potential social risks that could be experienced. What is evident is that each organization has to conduct extensive studies before investing in one particular business model. In some cases, it would also be possible for a large organization to use multiple business models to meet its objectives as long as none of the models negatively affect each other’s operations. DQ#3: Applcation of Theory   One of the most constructive business models is the Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) model. The approach of the business process re-engineering model is aimed at creating conditions that can generate improvements by enhancing the effectiveness of different operations. Usually, the organizations that seek to implement this type of model, are those which are looking to improve three main areas- business process, business plan, and business information. It is essential for these three aspects to be aligned so that the process of re-engineering can be realized (Hajer and Yusof, 2012). Once the re-engineering is accomplished, the firm in question becomes more competitive. Usually, the business process re-engineering model is used to improve organization’s information systems. In a large scale organization such as the United States Marine Corps, for instance, the business process re-engineering model can be used for the purposes of generating strong links between the organizations business systems so as to be able to improve information flow (Ayd nl , Brinkkemper, and Ravesteyn, 2008). The business process re-engineering process also helps in managing processes as it assists in the re-organization of business processes by identifying inefficient processes and focusing on core activities. This will promote engagement activities between marine corps and result in better communication between different levels of marines. The improvement of the scheduling of the core activities of the marine corps will also help the personnel to be able to focus better on their own duties (Mansar and Reijers, 2007). It can also improve relations between senior personnel and junior personnel in the marine corps as it reduces an officer’s response time. DQ#4: Personal Reflection Regarding a Management Lesson One factor suggested by Drucker which has proved to be quite helpful and practical is the one that has to do with seeking disagreement more than consensus from colleagues. Naturally, most people, including leaders, tend to fear confrontation. This is because disagreement can quickly spiral into physical confrontation of character attacks; particularly when dealing with emotionally immature individuals. However, the reality is that when managers or even people in ordinary life circumstances are able to push past the pain of disagreement, they tend to reach more exceptional decisions. On the other hand, having constant consensus can cause an individual to erroneously presume that he or she has reached the best option when the opposite is true. This point is particularly important because managers have to learn how to deal with different kinds of situations while remaining unmoved by the things they experience. If a manager is scared of confrontation, it will not augur well for his or her organization as only the simplest or most uncomplicated decision will be made. The manager will constantly choose the easy option instead of focusing on pushing past existing disagreements to find the best option. One fact that Drucker has suggested that I hope to implement in my work life has to do with the management of my time. Drucker observed that it is important to manage one’s own time because one cannot only depend on memory. The only way in which to determine how one’s time is sent is through logging it. One way in which I could seek to manage my time better is by maintaining a journal or record keeping device in which I would document all the processes that I go through on a daily basis. This would help me to discover the responsibilities or activities that take the most time. It would also help me to understand where I can save time and where I can streamline processes in order to be more efficient in the discharge of my duties. DQ#5: Application of Theory----Play It Again Another important theory that can be used in he management of organizations is the equity theory. This theory proposes that an individual needs to invest as much as his or her colleague so long as there remains a balance between benefits and contributions. In addition, the activities of workers have to be recompensed with equal benefits or pay. According to Bing, Davison, Garner, Ammeter, and Novicevic (2009) the equity theory holds that when organizational personnel perceive that their efforts are rewarded in accordance to their outputs, they become contented. For satisfaction to prevail, the personnel’s efforts have to be directly proportional to the rewards they receive. There are numerous other theories that fall under the equity theory. Some of these include: Vrooms Theory- which is based on the notion that efforts from workers result in better performance which then results in negative or positive rewards (Hatfield, Salmon, and Rapson, 2011). Negative results result in less-motivated workers while positive rewards inspire workers to be highly motivated. Maslows Theory of Hierarchy- in which Maslow proposed the notion that there are five levels of workers’ needs such as physical needs, security needs, security needs, and self-actualizing needs (Westerman, Park, and Lee, 2007). Skinners Theory- which stipulates that it is possible to use initiatives that allow for constructive outcomes to be repeated and negative outcomes curtailed. According to the Skinner theory, managers or supervisors in any organization ought to use positive reinforcement to encourage constructive outcomes and not negative reinforcement which could result in unconstructive results. In an institution such as the United States Marine Corps, promotions or benefits can be used by senior officers to reward junior officers or provide inspiration for others to aim for giving their best performances. DQ#6: Personal Process Using the Canvas The business model canvas, which is a model that was created by Yves Pigneur and Alex Osterwalder , assists organizations to be able to comprehend, create, and even improve business models. This theory has approximately nine building blocks, which have to be considered in order to realize corporate objectives. These nine blocks include value propositions, customer segments, channels, revenue streams, customer relationships, key activities, key resources, cost structure, and key partnerships. According to Pigneur and Osterwalder (2010)the business canvas model assists individuals to be able to improve different corporate functions. In an organization such as the United States Marine Corps, the business model canvas can be used to launch new endeavors, enhance communication processes, and even innovate the standard method used to conduct ordinary operations. This model can be used in league with other business models; and this is why it is so fitting for business organizations. The United States Marine Corps is a large scale organization that has different divisions which fulfill different agendas. This could be likened to having different products. To fulfill the objectives of the different divisions, different business models could be used. The canvas model allows for this scenario without necessarily suffering a setback. In the canvas model, different business models are connected together and their combined capacities will only improve the organization further. DQ#7: Metaphor Review   According to Van Engen (2008) metaphors are basically multifaceted expressions. This means that they are somewhat similar to organizations which have many divisions and multiple production processes. Similar to organizational divisions, the many aspects that are included in the making of metaphors generate complexity, while also providing clarity. Metaphors also function as descriptive instruments which expands language. According to Van Engen (2010) the use of metaphors can actually help people to be able to understand different facets of an organization. Metaphors help corporate executives to be able to describe their firms to potential colleagues as well as clients. Even in their conversations with their workforce, metaphors can help employers to be able to generate positive cultures, and create better communication principles between coworkers (Jensen, 2006). When describing the different facilities of an organization, metaphors add a variety of dimensions which make organizational objectives easier to understand. The use of figurative language to describe organizational processes is beneficial in all cultural backgrounds. In many nations across the world, different cultures will use different metaphors to emphasize on certain points when describing organizational processes. The only scenario in which metaphors can cause confusion is when the people partnering in business operations come from different cultures (Gaddefors, 2007). The United States Marine Corps is a large scale organization that has personnel in different parts of the world. The use of metaphors, particularly those that are relevant to the surrounding community, is something that engenders trust in communities in foreign nations. DQ#8: A Metaphor at Work One of the metaphors in Morgan’s writings is the expression, ‘psychic prisons’. This expression is used to describe how business organizations subconsciously and consciously develop different ethics as well as work cultures which then prove to be nearly impossible to alter even when it is for the good of the organization. In many organizations, the factors that cause them to succeed when they are first launched, are not able to keep sustaining that success in the future. This means that organizations can become irrelevant unless they examine their own ‘psychic prisons’ and look for ways to overcome them. In the United States marine corp, there has always been a determinedly macho character which has served the soldiers well when they are sent to foreign nations to engage in conflict. However, this macho culture has also been responsible for allowing the existence of a kind of subtle misogynistic culture within the marine corps. In addition, many heads of departments in the marine corps encourage aggressive behaviours because these are behavioural characteristics that will help the soldiers when they are finally facing serious enemies. However, the continued enlistment of female soldiers means that the organization now has to revise its attitude towards subjects that concern women and not just men. For instance, it is a known fact that there are numerous cases of sexual assault that senior officials in the marine corps have been reluctant to address. The ‘psychic prison’ of ultra aggressive masculinity has to be eradicated before issues concerning women are satisfactorily addressed in the marine corps References Ayd nl , Ö. F., Brinkkemper, S., & Ravesteyn, P. (2008). Business Process Improvement in Organizational Design of E-Government Services. Relation, 10(1.21), 4057. Bass, B. (2010). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Bennis, W. 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