Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want - Essay Example

Student name: Instructor’s name: Course name: Date of submission: "Turn the job you have into the job you want" Organizations have seen the importance of job design because it is of practical significance. Hence, a job that is well-designed increases the well-being of its employees, which also sets the stage for thriving. This implies that individuals, on a personal level, will be able to surpass work challenges and grow from them (Strümpfer, 2006). According to Grant and Parker, job design is a description of how roles are structured, jobs, enactments, tasks and modifications are made on a group, individual and outcomes of an organization (2009, p5). On the other hand, job redesign is a process where the supervisor, in this case Fatima (mid-level manager), has decided to change some things in the job, roles and or tasks of individuals in the organization. Berg, Dutton and Wrzesniewski assert that employees start customizing their jobs to fit their preferences and need rather than reactively perform the job ascribed to them by the organization (2008). As such, employees become responsible for their work outcomes. Job crafting is the creation or initiation of change to the job as opposed to responding or reacting to change in the job. The process of job crafting involves employees being proactively changing boundaries comprising their jobs. For example, introducing a social media to the multinational foods company, Fatima adds tasks to her junior employees that include planning learning events. By so doing, she managed to alter existing relationships through meeting and collaborating with new colleagues. Therefore, she was able to see her job differently as it allowed her pursue her social marketing passion or even gradually unfold over long periods (Petrou, Demerouti, Peters & Schaufeli, 2012). Another good example of job crafting is the one told about Ivan, who directs his efforts to special projects. He saw an opportunity that would better the relationship he has with the global operations head of the Latin America group. He managed to focus on creating value for others, identified the people who would be able to accommodate her and built trust. Ivan also managed to figure out how to change his job for the better just like Fatima did by giving focus to tasks then on relationships in the organization. Job crafting is an organizational psychology aspect being applied by many people globally because it has helped employees, employers and organizations in both good and bad economies. Moreover, in order to gain support from other in the organization, gives focus to deploying the strengths of an individual or organization with the aim of creating value. In the case of Ivan, the Latin America group was side-lined and thus, he found a way of meeting their organizational objectives. Fatima, on the other hand, managed to position her work and enhance what the other teams in the organization or department were doing. Secondly, trust is an important aspect that needs to be emphasized among all employees in the organization. Fatima’s supervisor was getting worried that some of her tasks would be left unattended to, but she assured her that, in fact, some of the tasks would become central to the organization. In Ivan’s case, he managed to align his efforts carefully with his role and this meant that she was building his trust with the head of Latin America group. Lastly, the crafting job of any employee of the organization was to direct efforts toward those who are more likely accommodative. Fatima managed to reach out to Steve Porter, who was interested in Fatima’s plans of bringing technology into the job tasks heart. Ivan also realized that he had a toxic relationship, but decided to focus on ones that are more promising. In conclusion, the article fully describes all aspects of job crafting and advises that organizations need to master this skill in order to motivate others and thrive in their business. Hence, job crafting is a process bound to enable organizations achieve a competitive advantage during this period where global warming is growing. Fatima and Ivan used challenge demands since the demands of these individuals are work motivation and goal attainment. "The kind of capitalist you want to be" Capitalism became dominant in the global economic system after the fall of the Soviet Union. Around the world, it is evident that capitalism became popular due to the unparalleled economic productivity in industrial economies over more than two centuries. Industrialization and the development of industrial strategies contribute to the success of capitalism. Capitalism gives emphasis to narrow individual self-interest and complemented to strategies of the industry like standardization, specialization and consolidation of control. In human history, material wealth has been achieved by many organizations due to a combination of industrialism and capitalism. However, in the 21st century, the negative ecological aspect of capitalism and its social impacts have raised serious sustainability questions. As such, people have raised questions of whether capitalistic economies are able to become sustainable over time, socially, ecologically and economically. Industrialization came with negative impacts to the environment in the 1960s, which resulted in the formation of a movement that would protect the environment. Company’s bottom line and future prospects increasingly impact on environmental and social issues. They have managed to present opportunities and risks, which can have important implications for competitiveness, stakeholder relations, strategy, business resilience and risk management. Water, climate change, energy, scarcity and quality, human rights, food safety and production, corruption and poverty are some of the environmental and social issues often interdependent and interconnected. In Australia, the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments. It aimed at improving the total quality of life by maintaining ecological processes since life depends on it. The strategy’s objectives include enhancing the well-being of the community and individual as they follow an economic development path, which safeguards future generation welfare. Secondly, provision of equity within and between generations. Thirdly, provide protection of the biological diversity and maintain ecological processes and life support systems that are essential. Many companies around the globe have looked into sustainability and included Deloitte, Atos Origin and Accenture among others. Today, companies have the quest for sustainability because it transforms their competitive business landscape and forces organizations to change the way they think concerning their products, business models, processes and technologies. Mackey’s column emphasizes that one should become the capitalist they want to be and that requires a reservation to create more value for suppliers you buy from, hired workers, customers you trade with, and the world of your business operation (2013, p34). The article articulates that the business aims at making a profit, but also looks into the aspects of social and environmental sustainability. In Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation is a leading company on earth that is sustainable because they saw it as a concept that is multifaceted that can do more with less. That is, they are able to squeeze more output from every input of capital, and also include human, financial and natural capital. However, a sustainable enterprise has a hallmark that denotes the efficiency, mechanisms to encourage diversity, long-term planning, innovation and meritocracy. Nevertheless, there are those corporations that do not consider sustainability as a concept to be beneficial to their business operations. Starbucks for instance, disobeyed the social responsibility aligned to sustainability because it gave its consumers coffees that were not of fair trade. Therefore, a boycott was organized by the Organic Consumer Association, which decreased their profits. It is important to note that sustainability puts a company on a different scale, and consumers also play a vital role in sustainability issues of the company. Additionally, companies need to incorporate environmental sustainability in their day-to-day operations because the reputation and brand of the business is at stake. In conclusion, by undertaking social and environmental sustainability, companies stand to gain a lot because their customers will be satisfied. Hence, become loyal and willing to continue building the company’s brand by buying more of their products. For example, Woolworths looks into four areas – water, packaging, climate change, Green stores and waste, sourcing. Australians have the knowledge on what climate change is because they were faced by Cyclone Larry and impacts on pricing and availability of staple food items. Hence, they have implemented an Australian Emissions Trading Scheme plus their increase on public awareness (Woolworths Limited, p12). "Code switching between cultures" Organizations cater for the needs of different individuals and are from varying cultural background. Therefore, it is the duty of managers to ensure that the organization cuts across cultural context of their employees in delivering quality service to their employees. Diversity in the workplace is something vital for the growth of many companies in the globe because managers need to have international work experience to be able to solve arising problems. The managers of organizations who can identify their problems and find solutions to them benefit; and so do their employees and organizations. Organizations that embrace code switch in their organizations have managed to build careers and brought success to their companies. As such, companies wanting to foster code switching need to first diagnose the existing challenges they face. Marco’s case in the article is a good example that shows how empowering of employees has been a hindrance for the organization. The leadership style employed by the management, but on realizing that the top-down style also is good in meeting company deadlines. Secondly, reducing distress will need organization to adapt employee behavior, which implies making meaningful adjustments even though small as it will cater for values. The other step is appreciation of values related to code switching. Hence, consideration is given to desired outcomes, which aligns to personal goals and values irrespective of the behavior. Here, the implication is that code switching is relevant for organizations to adopt because it helps them view the culture of other people in the society. In today’s society, organizations need to be culturally fluent to enable them enter a new context by mastering their norms (Molinsky 2012, p140). At the same time, they should feel comfortable in all they do and enjoy the perspective because it adds value to their business. Furthermore, global leaders in the business realm have managed to maintain their status quo in society by adhering to code switching, which has given them an added advantage in a competitive business world. The other aspect presented by code switching between cultures is the ability of organizations to adapt to the society's norms and values. Hence, they are able to perform activities that look into the tastes and preferences of the society, which means that the society is satisfied happy with the operations of the business. By so doing, organizations raise awareness to the public concerning their brand and their reputation is strengthened, which means that competition becomes their strong toll among other business operations. Cultures have different values, and organizations need to put into consideration other cultures values and viewpoint concerning certain aspects because it reflects greatly on their day-to-day running of business operations. Organizations that run smoothly in the global arena attribute their success to code switching that has looked into other cultures. By incorporating the cultures of others in the society into the business, operations have promoted growth and sustainability issues in the nation’s economy. Managers have the knowledge concerning code switching that has enabled them move to foreign boundaries because they are motivated, with the right mind-set and are well-informed. Furthermore, they have the ability to manage psychological challenges, which is crucial when it comes to reading the culture of others in the society or community (Molinsky 2012, p141). There are also situations where employers of a food outlet were unable to incorporate other cultures into their menu. The top executive management always blamed the problem on the employees, but in the real sense it is them that created the problem. When the business was set up, they ignored the minority groups in the society and yet they contributed to the success and smooth running of the business. Therefore, the firm faced serious problems of having left-over’s that got spoilt. It was because a few people they considered when opening the business have gone to other food outlets to try on other cultures cuisines. The problem arising can easily be solved if the top management put into consideration the views and opinions of members in the organization holding lower positions. They are subordinates, but have ideas that can spearhead the organization into greater heights. It is important for organizations to involve subordinate members of the organization in planning business operations because they interact more with customers and have an idea of what they are expecting. In conclusion, code switching between cultures is essential for business organizations that want to enter into the international market to engage in business activities. Cultures have different values that need to be incorporated into business operations because they represent different people in the society. Furthermore, code switching has enabled many foreign companies solve problems that arise in their organization because they are aware of the behavior of their employees and market at large. Customers are the biggest shareholders of the organization and consideration should be made geared towards meeting their needs in a manner that is efficient and effective. References List Berg, J.M., Dutton, J.E., & Wrzesniewski, A 2008, ‘What is job crafting and why does it matter?’ Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/POS- Teaching-and-Learning/ListPOS-Cases.htm Grant, A. & Parker, S 2009, ‘Redesigning work design theories: The rise of relational and proactive perspectives’, The Academy of Management Annals, vol. 3, pp.317–375. Mackey, J 2013, ‘The kind of capitalist you want to be’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 91, no. 1 p.34. Molinsky, A 2012, ‘Code switching between cultures’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 139-143. Strümpfer, D 2006, ‘The strengths perspective: Fortigenesis in adult life’, Social Indicators Research, vol. 77, pp.11–36. Wrzesniewski, A., Berg, J. & Dutton, E 2010, ‘Turn the job you have into the job you want’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 88, no. 6, pp.114-117. Woolworths Limited Sustainability Strategy 2007-2015, Read More