Environmental as well as organizational pressures represent an integral part of any work structure. The pressures produce a powerful impact upon the procedures and strategies that are used within certain organizations. Moreover, such influences may change a general direction of the work.
The nature of the types is completely contrastive, since environmental pressures are usually the revelations of general drawbacks of an organization. Organizational pressures, however, serve as the outcomes of certain structural problems that are created either by the employees or by the managers.
The factors that evoke various types of pressures are multifaceted as well. Thus, according to Ramanathan, Poomkaew, and Nath (2014), the major impact upon the shaping of environmental as well as organizational pressures is created by internal stakeholders. Suchlike pressures, due to the authors’ opinion, give birth to a farther economic crisis and reform the regulations (p. 169).
This paper explores three major organizational pressures and typical environmental pressures that normally arise within the retail trade organizations. Specifically, a target of the work is a modern grocery store. In this respect, it is possible to identify such environmental pressures as unexpected competitor move, disruptive technologies and short-term focus (Table 1).
In general, every food industry creates a consistent space for a number of environmental pressures. Thus, foodservices are the initial proponents of water and air emissions, food safety concerns and solid waste generation (Davies & Konisky, 2010).
The first pressure type that is regarded in this paper is an unexpected competitor move, which predetermines a strategy change that is used by a competitive organization in order to attract its counterpart’s clients. Since the change produces an overall impact upon the organization’s work, it requires a complex reaction that treats all the spheres of production and creates a response to the competitor moves’.
An unsuccessful follow-up of the environmental pressure can a budget shortage, for a number of customers reveals an organization’s well-being. Moreover, the pressure development results in a lowered productivity as well as funding decrease, because an organization with a weak strategy discourages the external investments.
The disruptive technologies pressure implies a sudden breakage in the work of particular tools, which can have a perilous influence on the organization. If one views this pressure as a grocery store problem, it can be exemplified by a breakage of cash registers or terminals. The pressure, naturally, becomes the main source of drastic budget shortages, since the process complicates any money transactions. Another side of the environmental pressure is an introduction of innovative technologies that are not assimilated into the work processes.
Thus, the workers of an organization can not cope with the basic operations. Naturally, it slows down certain work procedures. Both types of a disruptive technology pressure reform the work of separate structural units that function within an organization. In the first case, it is required to conduct instant repairs while, in the second case, one has to embrace an active adaptation of the new technologies so that to enhance the work efficiency. As a result, the disruptive technology pressure can lead either to a budget decrease or to its increase.
The third environmental pressure that is reviewed in this paper is a short-term focus. The problem is rooted at the wrong strategic politics. Therefore, if the management of a grocery store sets the goals that do not lead to an overall development of an organization, the workers of an establishment do not progress. Short-term focus implies a concentration upon some occasional needs and purposes. The pressure leads to a gradual decadence and lowers an overall productivity.
The short-term focus environmental pressure requires individual prevention. According to Sanz-Menendez and Cruz-Castro (2002), the relevance of individuals within any working organization is huge, since their involvement into profession guarantees a continuation of work activities (p. 6). Consequently, if the management motivates the workers to embrace some consistent long-term goals, it can eradicate the problem and prevent a strategic crisis in an organization.
Organizational pressures are usually faced either by the whole staff of a particular organization or by some members of separate organizational departments. Thus, according to the structural sources of such problems, one can distinguish team, department and management pressures (Table 2).
Team pressures may be caused by various organizational defects. The primary cause of such pressures is a disorder that characterizes the whole group’s work. Thus, if a team pressure arises in a grocery store, it refers to a lack of understanding and collaboration between the cashiers, administrators, retailers, collectors and even the cleaning staff.
Since the pressures are usually provoked by particular employees, the changes imply a budget distribution, which places some individuals in a better position over the others. The overall situation stimulates psychological destabilization and, consequently, lowers the productivity of an organization. The possible reaction that can be expresses in order to discard the pressure is staff reorganization. It usually predetermines a change of the workers’ roles.
Department pressures arise within separate organizational units and treat certain groups of workers. Due to various circumstances, food industry departments may lag in development for such reasons as internal conflicts between the workers, instability of work procedures, technology breakages etc. The pressure produces a damaging influence upon the work and leads to a financial crisis as well as decreases productivity.
It is assumed that a core reaction that should be embraced so that to prevent farther department problems is reorganization. Thus, it is offered to target certain systems that create tensions within the departments. If the pressure is evoked by internal conflicts between the workers, it is desirable to initiate some staff substitutions in order to release the possible tensions that exist within the departments.
Finally, management pressures serve as an eviction of a low quality administration. Thus, the leaders who are not able to take up any consistent long-term objectives as well as those managers who lack initiative and do not come up with creative work decisions slow down the organization’s progress.
The problem leads to a budget shortage and requires constructive actions. The concept of a management pressure is quite multifaceted though. For instance, it may be stimulated by some psychological disorders and tensions that prevent the administrators from an effective work. In this case, it can be offered to use stabilization as a reaction to the pressure.
The strategies that can be embraced so that to eradicate organizational and environmental differ. For instance, to prevent an organization from the disruptive technology pressure, a management can create a special department that would control the supplies’ functioning. Concerning organizational problems, it is beneficial for an organization to employ at least one professional psychologist who would concentrate upon the internal conflicts that arise within work environments.
The pressures that hinder the work of particular organizations may be created by numerous factors and erroneous decisions. It is crucial for the management of any establishment to be able to meet the problems and create some consistent solutions for them.
References
Davies, T., & Konisky, D. (2010). Environmental implications of the foodservice and food retail industries. Resources for the Future.
Ramanathan, R., Poomkaew, B., & Nath, P. (2014). The impact of organizational pressures on environmental performance of firms. Business Ethics: A European Review, 23(2), 169-182.
Sanz-Menendez, L., & Cruz-Castro, L. (2002). Coping with environmental pressures: Public research organizations responses to funding crisis. Web.