Introduction
Organizational behavior is a very important phenomenon that modern organizations cannot downplay. The phenomenon facilitates the development of healthy relationships amongst employees and employers in organizations. In present times, issues relating to organizational behavior have influenced the performance of employees and their relationship with their employers.
The issues need timely redress so that organizations enjoy success occasioned by healthy association among employees and the management. The solutions required are those that cut across the organizations and address issues experienced by the organization as well as those advanced by employees. It is within this backdrop that the essay discusses issues and concepts of organizational behavior and proposes solutions that can help in addressing the issues.
Issues in Organizational Behaviour
Employee Diversity and Privacy
Modern organizations are more diverse as compared to past enterprises. The diversity evident in contemporary organizations emanate from the increased mobility that has facilitated the movement of people across various parts of the world. The movement has triggered a scenario where individuals from different countries work together in a particular organization.
Hoch and Kozlowski (2014) explain that, currently, individuals who have different religious, cultural, and ethnic variations work together in organizations. When employees from diverse orientations interact, they are likely to demonstrate conflicting ideas and, in some cases, disagree. Ideological differences and disagreements affect the overall productivity and quality of products that the subject organizations offer to their clients. Therefore, diversity is a behavioral issue that modern organizations cannot downplay.
Another issue that has become challenging in the field of organizational behavior is the issue of privacy. Modern employers focus on performance and productivity. To ensure that employees deliver in line with the set goals, some managers interfere with their privacy. According to Yam, Fehr, Keng-Highberger, Klotz, and Reynolds (2016), some of the acts that managers execute, which interfere with employee privacy, include monitoring phone usage and controlling their relationships. By doing the aforementioned acts, the organizations instill a negative attitude in the minds of employees, a factor that lowers their willingness to deliver their best.
On the other hand, some employees can take too much time monitoring their managers and leaders and, in the process, encroach into their private lives. Although instances of employees encroaching into the private lives of their employers are minimal, there are scenarios when they engage in activities that compromise the privacy of their leaders and managers. Apparently, the issue of professionalism and privacy is a behavioral challenge that requires well-articulated solutions.
Real-Life Examples of Organizational Behaviour
Privacy and Diversity
Rachel is an organization that buys and sells electronics such as phones, laptops, and televisions. The company’s marketing team is a composition of five members, three men and two women who devise strategies that Rochep Company should use to increase its market share. Notably, four members of the marketing team are Christians, while one is a Muslim.
Recently, John, who is a Muslim, complained that the team that is highly composed of Christians, utter statements that compromise Islam. The utterances, according to him, have affected his willingness to work, and he wants to resign from the team. In his perspective, John explains that the other team members are unwilling to respect and uphold values that do not compromise his religious belief. The example is a practical demonstration of a company that suffers from the issue of diversity among employees.
In the context of privacy and professionalism, the example, which resonates well with the issue, is one demonstrated by Hype Research Centre, a company that provides counseling services. Recently, the company noticed that its employees were spending most of their time chatting with friends and surfing the internet. The issue was a concern because it affected performance and service delivery.
To address the issue, the company introduced a regulation that compelled its employees to leave their phones at a collection desk each time they reported to work. Although the company expected to address the issue, it interfered with employee privacy. Instead of witnessing improved service delivery, the company realized that its employees were reluctant to work, and the quality of counseling decreased. Apparently, the employees complained that the company interfered with their rights when it instituted the policy. The private nature of mobile phones is one of the factors that the employees used to compound their argument.
Organizational Behaviour Concepts
Heterogeneity, Privacy, and Perception
The concepts evident from the aforementioned issues and examples comprise heterogeneity, privacy, and perception. Heterogeneity is a concept that is evident in the first example. The concept indicates the relevance of appreciating the various differences present in organizations. McShane and Von (2012) explain that heterogeneity is a concept that modern organizations cannot avoid.
Increased employee mobility and exchange programs are bound to amplify the number of heterogeneous employees working in various organizations across the continent. In the example, the concept is evident from the team members who do not appreciate and interact well with a colleague who professes a different religion. It is clear from the example that failure to appreciate the orientation of the individual affected his performance and initiated his decision to resign.
Privacy is another concept that is evident in the essay. The issues discussed to explain the essence of privacy in modern organizations. In the second example, the collection of employee phones in the Hype Research Centre triggered a negative feeling from the employees who believed that the act interfered with their rights. The complaints raised by employees revolved around the concept of privacy and employee rights.
Hoehle, Zhang, and Venkatesh (2015) allude that while employees have a right to access their mobile phones at all times, their use should not affect the execution of their duties. Therefore, the decision made by the company was one that infringed on the rights of employees. As such, the concept of privacy is one that modern organizations cannot avoid because it affects organizations and their employees.
The third concept that is evident in the issues and examples is perception. Remarkably, perceptions of employers and employees are very critical in behavioral issues. For instance, in the first example, John’s perception made him believe that others did not respect his religion. The perception forced him to contemplate resignation.
In the second example, the perception held by the organization took effect because it believed that the use of mobile phones affected employee performance. The perception informed its decision to have employee mobile phones collected and stored in a singular location during working hours. On the other hand, after implementing the decision, the employees working in the Hype Research Center perceived that the company was infringing on their rights. Therefore, the concept of perception is evident all through the essay.
Solutions
Awareness Creation and Institution of Policies
To address the issue of employee diversity in the workplace, as evidenced in the first example, modern organizations should create awareness among employees and institute policies that govern workplace ethics. Awareness creation and policies are solutions that can be useful in addressing the issue of diversity that, at times, affect employee interaction. The importance of the solutions in the field of organizational behavior is because they improve the relationship and interaction of individuals in the organization.
By improving interactions in the workplace, the solutions play a pivotal role in improving the quality of products offered by a particular company. When organizations educate their employees on the importance of appreciating and embracing the diversities that exist among them, they refrain from undertaking activities that demoralize their colleagues (McShane & Von, 2012). Consequently, policies that govern workplace ethics reduce instances occasioned by individuals who continue perpetrating activities that compromise the liberty and freedom of others in the organization.
Employee Education and Minimal Supervision
The solutions required in the case of privacy comprise employee education and minimal supervision. These solutions are practical in the management of employees without infringing on their rights. It is important to explain besides cushioning employees and helping them enjoy their freedom; the solutions also help the organizations deal with dishonesty among employees.
In the second example, the organization experienced challenges associated with the use of mobile phones and the internet. The quality of counseling services delivered decreased, leading to a decision to collect employee phones during working hours. By using the proposed solutions, the organization would successfully manage employee behavior and minimize their addiction to mobile phones, especially during working hours.
Primarily the organization should begin by educating the employees and the management on the importance of professionalism and using their time in the workplace wisely. The management and employees need education on the fact that service delivery should be a priority during working hours. Organizations should also train supervisors on how to utilize professionalism when overseeing role execution.
Secondly, the organization can install video cameras and use them to monitor how employees deliver services to clients. Those employees who do not refrain from phone addiction after education should receive the requisite disciplinary action and serve as examples to others. The solutions are useful in addressing organizational behavior because they help in ensuring that employees deliver their best without feeling that the organization is compromising their rights.
Conclusion
The relationship among employees, organization, and management is crucial to the overall success of a company. Poor relationship leads to failure, whereas a healthy relationship is an ingredient that initiates success. To enjoy the benefits occasioned by a healthy relationship, organizations need to adopt the concepts highlighted in the subject of organizational behavior. The cornerstones used by organizational behavior are vital in facilitating beneficial relationships and interactions among employees, management, and the organization. To address the issue sufficiently, the essay highlighted various organizational behavior issues that require solutions.
The essay also advanced some real-life examples and proposed solutions that are useful in the management of the issues. By using real-life examples and outlining issues and concepts espoused in the field of organizational behaviour, the essay plays an instrumental role in elevating the understanding that marketing scholars have in organizational behavior. Moreover, the essay helps in ascertaining the role that organizational behavior plays in improving product quality, retaining employees, and satisfying clients.
References
Hoch, J., & Kozlowski, S. (2014). Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(3), 287-390.
Hoehle, H., Zhang, X., & Venkatesh, V. (2015). An espoused cultural perspective to understand continued intention to use mobile applications: A four-country study of mobile social media application usability. European Journal of Information Systems, 24(3), 337-359.
McShane, S., & Von, G. (2012). Organizational behaviour: Emerging knowledge. Global reality. (7th Edition). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Yam, K., Fehr, R., Keng-Highberger, F., Klotz, A., & Reynolds, S. (2016). Out of control: A self-control perspective on the link between surface acting and abusive supervision. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(2), 292.