Abstract
Being an interdisciplinary area under discussion, organizational behavior includes sociology, management, psychology, and other disciplines. A number of the features of organizational behavior explained in this research paper consist of organizational structure, organizational development, and organizational change.
The study of organizational behavior tests the control that structures, change, and development possess with regard to performance within a business or organization. In a bid to enhance maintained existence, development, and success of businesses in the contemporary aggressive and varying business settings, organizational change has become an obligation.
Nevertheless, workers are slow in embracing change since they usually see it as invasive and disruptive element of the practices and social affiliations previously relied upon to realize essential undertakings.
Managing change successfully in an organization is a very difficult undertaking due to employees’ resistance to the change endeavors. Some of the methods that managers can employ in successfully bringing about change in an organization include building resources and communicating facts to employees with the intention of winning their support and loyalty.
Introduction
The study of organizational behavior examines the influence that structures, change, development, persons, and groups give on performance within a business or organization. Being an interdisciplinary subject, organizational behavior comprises sociology, management, psychology, and other disciplines.
Organizational behavior harmonizes the scholarly learning of managerial theory (concentrating on organizational as well as intra-organizational subjects) in addition to studies on human resource (more functional and business-centered).
Some of the aspects of organizational behavior discussed in this research paper include organizational structure, organizational development, and organizational change (Hitt, Miller, & Colella, 2010, pp. 125-146).
Organizational change signifies the progress of an organization to move out of its current situation and head towards a preferred future situation to boost its competence and success. This research paper discusses organizational behavior before focusing on resistance to change and the way to manage change successfully in an organization.
Problem definition
For continued existence, development, and success of businesses and organizations in the current competitive and varying business setting, organizational change has become a requirement. Business setting includes different constituents like clients, creditors, suppliers, rivals, governments, investors, and societies.
Because these constituents are dynamic, businesses have to change to keep pace with their settings. Managing change in an organization could be among the most difficult undertakings due to employees’ resistance towards change implementation (Kumar, 2012, pp. 11-15). Managing change in an organizational is the practice of designing and executing the change wisely with an aim of minimizing resistance of workers in addition to outlaying business, while as well maximizing the efficiency of change attempt.
It is a difficult undertaking for managers due to the resistance to changing the status quo. The resistance might take place at any level of the hierarchy in an organizational. The employees at higher ranks oppose change attempts due to the fear that the process might be a risk to their supremacy, interests, and management of resources.
For employees at lower ranks, resistance arises since change brings doubt, which generates insecurity. As a result of resistance, in numerous instances, which are approximated to be as several as 50 per cent of the entire change attempts, organizational change does not deliver anticipated results or meet planned objectives.
Organizational Structure
A structure in organizations involves actions like duty distribution, harmonization, and management that are concentrated towards the attainment of organizational goals. Organizational structure could as well be viewed as the mirror or viewpoint via which employees observe their organization in addition to its setting.
Organizations represent a modification of grouped entities, which could take up different structures in diverse manners depending on their aims (Thompson, 2008, pp. 58-60). Organizational structure decides the approaches in which a firm functions and carries out its endeavors. Organizational structure facilitates in assigning different duties to the different sections of an institution.
The structure of an organizational influences the organizational feat in a couple of critical ways. First, it offers the basis where standard working practices and schedules lie. Secondly, it decides which employees take part judgment making practices, and thus to what degree their opinions form the achievements of the institution.
Organization Development
Organization Development (OD) signifies the orderly use of behavioral discipline at different stages like groups, businesses, and organizations to lead to the desired change. The aim of OD is a superior excellence of work-life, yield, flexibility, and success. It achieves these objectives by altering approaches, conducts, values, policies, practices, and structures for the organization to become accustomed to competitive accomplishments, technology advances, and the quick rate of change in the surroundings.
OD is the practice of bettering organizations. In a bid to benefit the business, workers, and investors, the practice is circumspectly designed and executed. The customer organization might be a public agency, corporation, non-profit organization, aid group, or a smaller fraction of a bigger organization.
The change course maintains development of the business or organization all together. Customers and specialists work jointly to collect statistics, define subjects, and settle on an appropriate line of operation (Thompson, 2008, pp. 61-65). Organizations are evaluated to generate a comprehension of the present state and discover chances for change, which will rally business goals.
The difference between OD and traditional consulting lies in the fact that in OD, client participation is supported all through the entire course. The manners in which individuals converse and work jointly are addressed alongside the technological matters that require resolution.
Importance of organizational development
Excellence of work life, productivity, efficiency, and confidence are elements of interest to the majority of organizations since they influence attainment of organization objectives. There is a rising tendency to make the most of the investment of an organization in its workers. Jobs that formerly necessitated physical sleight now necessitate additional psychological effort. All organizations desire to act smarter and make use of creative plans.
The labor force has as well changed. Workers anticipate more from the work of a single day than only a day’s salary. They desire challenge, appreciation, a feeling of achievement, valuable undertakings, and evocative associations with their bosses and colleagues. Failure to satisfy these requirements results to decline in performance (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2004, pp. 86-99).
The modern customers should constantly improve quality, quick delivery of product or service, quick spin instance on changes, reduced prices and additional aspects that are best accomplished in complex settings by inventive organizational processes. The successful organization should deal with the challenges of each day. Therefore, flexibility, responsiveness, and OD in general are vital for any organization to survive and prosper.
Organizational Change
Organizational change denotes alterations of the present work habits and policies that influence an entire organization and has become a key center of attention in literatures on change management. Whether the consequence of unification, or merely the requirements of an aggressive marketplace, considerable organizational change is a difficult strategy to execute. Organizational change keeps occurring at a great rate in contemporary organizations.
A recent study of international companies accounted that organizational managers hold that just a third of organizational change plans succeed. Even if there are certainly a range of contributing justifications for the high proportion of failure that happens in organizational change endeavors, management studies have progressively come to a conclusion that workers play a key function in the achievement or failure of organizational change (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2004, pp. 86-99).
Prior experimental researches have verified the declaration that the responses of workers to change perform a critical function in its achievement. In this regard, the dedication of employees to change has obtained growing consideration as a significant contributor to change associated organizational results.
Resistance to change
Workers are frequently hesitant to assent to organizational change since they characteristically see it as invasive and disruptive aspect to the habits and social affiliations previously relied upon to carry out essential work undertakings. Employees might as well experience raised workloads ensuing from the handling of new work assignments in addition to existing ones, the necessity to change to new work associations, and very frequently, the institution of fresh strategic objectives.
Prior studies substantiate the reality that participation in designed change in an organization is a lengthy, psychologically forceful, demanding, and fatiguing practice for the majority of employees (Miner, 2002, pp. 23-26).
The constancy of such results has made a number of scholars to suggest that the severe negative sentiments experienced by most workers during the execution of change in an organization make them become reluctant to change and unwilling to enact encouraging conducts towards achieving objectives set by the leaders of different organizations.
The view of change is terrifying to the majority of employees, whether logically or otherwise. The resultant terror of change frequently generates resistance in organizations during the anticipation or pronouncement of change. If executives do not sufficiently foresee or prepare for the reactions from their juniors to a planned change, the change might be far more unsettling than is necessary (Miner, 2002, pp. 27-36).
Nevertheless, the agents of change have the chance to groom the employees in the organization for the intended change, and hence minimize possible organizational distraction and manage the condition as a chance for competitive restructuring and development.
Managing change
Build resources
One technique of boosting and maintaining dedication of workers to change is by building up their personal resources before the commencement of the process of change. An example of building resources is coming up with coalitions to serve as a policy that frequently occurs all through the entire phase of executing the change (Jaros, 2010, pp. 79-81). Support is collected from every corner that will be involved in the change process and from various levels within the organization.
A reward plan that strengthens the desired conduct is as well vital for a successful program of change. The build up resources can help in reducing the tensions and pressures often related to organizational change. The resources could also drive the dedication of employees to change.
Such resources might not just have a constructive influence on worker mindsets and conducts, but might as well generate encouraging organizational results through these mindsets and conducts (Jaros, 2010, pp. 81-84). Therefore, it appears quite significant that managers study the function that individual workers play in determining their dedication to, and participation in, the process of change.
Communication
Workers often see the process of change as unsettling. A triumphant change plan necessitates that workers comprehend why the necessity for change is essential so that they accept the change plan. With lack of understanding, employees think concerning how change will profit or perhaps harm them.
By giving exact information to each employee simultaneously, chances for rumors that cause resistance are eradicated. Failure to communicate facts to employees before execution of change is the worst blunder an organization could make (Jaros, 2010, pp. 85-98).
Communication helps in reducing anxiety and worry. In the case of organizational restructuring, it is vital to explain new roles with the intention of raising concerns in a neutral way and evade disorder when change is in progress. Finally, change has to be carefully managed to produce sustained outcomes.
Conclusion
The study of organizational behavior checks the control that structures, change, development, persons, and groups bestow on performance within a business. For maintained existence, development, and success of businesses and organizations in the contemporary competitive and varying business setting, organizational change has become a requirement.
Workers are frequently hesitant to embrace organizational change since they normally see it as invasive and disruptive of the habits and social affiliations previously relied upon to carry out essential undertakings. Managing change in an organization could be a very difficult undertaking due to employee resistance to the change attempt.
Some of the ways that managers can use to bring about change in an organization include building resources and communication in a bid to win the support of the employees. Nevertheless, Jaros (2010) insists that change has to be well managed for employees to embrace it willingly.
References
Hitt, A., Miller, C., & Colella, A. (2010). Organizational behavior (3rd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Jaros, S. (2010). Commitment to organizational change: A critical review. Journal of Change Management, 10(1), 79–108.
Kumar, S. (2012). Challenges of Managing an Organizational Change. Advances in Management, 5(4), 11-15.
Miner, J.B. (2002). Organizational behavior: Foundations, theories, and analyses. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Schermerhorn, R., Hunt, G., & Osborn, N. (2004). Core concepts of Organizational Behavior. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Thompson, L. (2008). Organizational behavior today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.