Managing People and Organizations - Essay Example

Managing People and Organizations Organizations are controlled by humans, not by machines – machines are there to follow our commands. But humans commit mistakes or errors: we are what we are. The world has been interpreted by theorists, thinkers and researchers who made sense of things in very different ways. This essay will discuss the concept and theories of management and organizations in the context of human and organizational behaviour, innovations and change. This will include the fundamental blocks for managing culture and the values that we acquire in our socialization activities that have become a part of culture. Apart from this is the personality that we also possess to include human inadequacies, creativeness, eccentricity and everything that makes us unique. It has been observed by many commentators and researchers that the status of managers has fluctuated over the years. Management is in a period of decline, particularly in the middle management (Scarbrough and Burrel, 1996, cited in Brocklehurst et al., 2009, p. 7). The decline can be due to many factors, one of which can be traced to our personality and relationship: our relationship with people is affected by our uniqueness as humans. Clegg et al. (2008) deal in their article the complexities of human nature: we can relate this with the decline of the middle management, on the relationship of managers versus employees. Yet what makes this managing unique is that there is no exact definition of successful organization, or “failure” organization. Organizations will continue to exist for as long as man continues to socialize. The problem is how people behave or interact with each other; the effect is on the organization. In our socializing activities, we commit errors, but which are not really errors – they are a part of our being human. Examples of these errors are stereotyping, self-fulfilling prophecies, the ‘halo’ effect, attribution error, cognitive dissonance, and so forth. These affect our managing people. ‘Stereotyping occurs most commonly in the absence of enough social cues in order to make an informed assessment’ (Kawakami et al., 1998, cited in Clegg et al., 2005, p. 57). The most common issues concerning stereotyping center on culture and race. People have been asked to suppress their stereotyping behavior. ‘Self-fulfilling prophecies’ effect how we perceive others and how we act when we interact with them. If we look at others the way we think of them, they may act the way we perceive of them. We have also to consider the values we have acquired that have become a part of our culture. In an organization, there can be more than one culture that exists, and the problem is on integration. One solution is the promotion of a cohesive force. Hofstede et al. (1990, cited in Cray & Mallory 1998, p. 8) argue that national culture is derived from early socialization, while the corporate or organizational culture springs from specific organizational practices Professional or industrial groupings may also develop distinct cultures which vie with those based on corporation and nation in influencing behaviour. Hofstede (1980, 2001, cited in Fischer et al., 2005, p. 28) introduced four dimensions of national culture that can be used to describe cultural differences and guide managers in their efforts to make sense of cultural diversity. The four dimensions of individualism – collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity have attracted much attention, but in particular individualism–collectivism (Kagitcibasi, 1997; Triandis, 1995, cited in Fischer et al., p. 28). Researchers Kanungo and colleagues (1990, 1994, cited in Fisher et al., 2005, p. 29) argued that socio-cultural variables such as individualism-collectivism and power distance influence the internal work culture of an organization, which in turn influences human resource management practices such as work and design performance management reward system. A theory on organizational behavior is McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y which explains organizational change in the context of workers’ behavior in the workplace. Theory X assumes workers’ dislike for job or work: workers regard job as distasteful. Managers in companies that accept Theory X build a top-heavy organization with many levels of managers who are planning, deciding, and policing what everyone is doing (Fournies, 1999, p. 33); work is regarded as an obligation, or a punishment (Firth, 2002, p. 16). Theory Y assumes that when people are motivated, they accomplish goals. Workers become productive when they are motivated: to be a part of the team, to be a part-owner of the organization, and to be creative in their work. Theory X versus Theory Y could have a fascinating conclusion which should not be about workers but about managers: “Managers do what they do for or to workers because of what they believe about workers” (Fournies, 1999, p. 34). Relative to McGregor’s theory on the subject of organizational behavior, referring to people’s regard for work, as effected by innovations and change, a German-born psychologist, Kurt Lewin (1890-1947, cited in Firth, 2002, p. 83) expounded on group dynamics. His most influential piece of research suggested that democratic groups work more effectively than those led by command and control, which is not really remarkable now, but during those times in 1944, in an era dominated by corporate dictatorship and scientific management, Lewin’s work was phenomenal. A manager, Lewin said, is not like a King forcing his will on others, he needs to be an amateur yet accomplished psychologist, understanding what people need and how they operate, in order to influence them effectively. In group dynamics, the behaviour of any particular individual is a product of the pressure which the group norms and values bring to bear. Successful change is only achievable where groups discard or unlearn their usual patterns of thought and behaviour. (Collins, 1998, p. 59) Lewin has the concept of force fields with opposing forces, with driving forces such as ambition, goals, needs and fears either move the group away from something they do not value or towards something they do. In order to create change, we must strengthen the driving forces towards a better goal. Introducing financial incentives to increase a team’s conversion of sales is one alternative. The “restraining forces” can be removed by training the team in better closing techniques, thereby reducing the difficulty. Managers of today have to cope with many changes occurring in organizations, for example technological advancement and continuous innovations, which have forced organizations to reorganize, re-evaluate and reprogram outdated functional responsibilities and activities, and realign them to the present trends for improvement and competition. Personnel and field people, ordinary employees, including middle-level and top management have to be refocused along the line of technological innovations. External and internal environments in organizations are becoming complex; thus they are handled with a globally-oriented brand of management. References Brocklehurst, M., Grey, C. & Sturdy, A., 2009. Management: the work that dares not speak its name. Management Learning 2010; 41; 7. DOI: 10.1177/1350507609347590. Available at: http://mlq.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/41/1/7. Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. & Pitsis, T., 2008. Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd. pp. 50-82. Collins, D., 1998. Organizational Change: Sociological Perspectives. London: Routledge. p. 59. Cray, D. & Mallory, G., 1998. Making sense of managing culture. London: International Thomson Business Press. pp. 8-9. Firth, D., 2002. Life and Work Express. United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing. pp. 16-23, 83. Fischer, R., 2005. Organizational behaviour across cultures: theoretical and methodological issues for developing multi-level frameworks involving culture. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 2005; 5; 27. DOI: 10.1177/1470595805050823. Fournies, F., 1999. Coaching for Improved Work Performance. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 33-34. Vaill, P., 2007. F. J. Roethlisberger and the elusive phenomena of organizational behavior. Journal of Management Education 2007; 31; 321. DOI: 10.1177/1052562906298444. Read More