Generalizations are often used to predict behavior. That approach is fast, but unreliable. Decisions about organization, group, and individual behavior must be accurate to increase the likelihood of attaining common goals at the lowest cost.
Reliable decisions can be fast and efficient.
We studied significant behavioral interactions, which in turn underlie best practices or principles for organizations, groups, and individuals.
Then we developed a behavior interaction model to show how organizational principles influence each other. Its flows have valuable information; How can we change behavior? What else is influenced?
A diagram of the "Behavior Interaction Model" is included in the author's Bio. The 'General Principles' illustrated there are described below. Use them together to find opportunity, modify behavior, and improve efficiency.
Culture Principles
Our perception of cultural values limits our behavior. These values include tolerance for risk and risk-taking, where and how an employee can seek support, how and what information is shared, the degree of acceptable autonomy or conflict, standards for reward, and the expected patterns of work.
Individual satisfaction is related to the degree to which an employee has socialized organizational and group values; that person's fit within the organization. The culture of an organization helps determine which employees will be recruited or retained. Since national culture bounds organizational culture, it is more likely that individuals raised within the same national culture as the organization will be more satisfied than employees from other cultures, especially in terms of expected roles and rewards. It's the duty of an efficient culture to maximize every resource, including the advantages of diversity.
The organization is most efficient when culture fits the technology. An informal, tolerant atmosphere matched with routine technology will result in higher productivity for the organization. Risk and conflict are not desirable in a stable environment, but they are a requirement for survival in an organization experiencing a dynamic environment.
Groups within an organization may have a great deal of cultural variance. Expectations and group norms for employees in Accounting are different than those in Research. In the end, the organizational culture is preponderant and will take precedence over group norms - a Research budget will be approved if research is essential for organizational survival.
Mission Principles
An organization's mission is reinterpreted into group objectives and goals, which are once again communicated into individual tasks. Measuring the individual, group, and organizational ability to attain goals provides feedback on ways to improve performance, gives each level the opportunity to measure goals in progress, allows timely changes to objectives and strategy, assists in long-range planning, and facilitates communication to increase efficiency and flexibility. A clearly defined and measurable mission is essential to an organization's success, particularly in a dynamic environment.
Leadership Principles
It is the responsibility of organizational leadership to create strategies that align with the mission statement and then communicate those strategies to the group leadership in the form of group guidelines. Organizational leaders are effective when they have the vision to interpret the environment and form proactive strategies. Group leadership can maximize individual accomplishment through group member commitment to goals, a purpose and role in alignment with the organizational mission, and allowing the open contribution of ideas. Group leadership is most efficient when the group attains its goals with the best utilization of combined group capabilities and resources.
Group effectiveness is increased through leadership communication and the promotion of teamwork. These attributes result in higher orders of conflict resolution and the establishment of group direction. A group running smoothly toward its objectives has higher productivity, is more likely to benefit from rewards both for individuals and the group, and provides more satisfaction for its members.
Leadership can increase employee satisfaction, a measure of effectiveness, by increasing job value. Job value is increased by norms and structure that promote risk taking and still encourage employee longevity. Employee productivity is increased through a structure that fosters creativity coupled with the tools to bring ideas to fruition, by communicating expectations and providing individual feedback on performance, especially with large groups, and by providing appropriate rewards for increased employee productivity.
Structure Principles
Performance is directly influenced by how well the structure develops to fit organizational strategies. The form of an organizational structure must be appropriate for functional employee roles in order to coordinate and control those functions. Horizontal, informal, organic organizations are appropriate when the purpose is to specialize, solicit input, and increase reaction from employees; beneficial traits if the environment is uncertain or the technology utilization is high. Vertical, formal, mechanistic organizations are efficient when many employees have established roles and input or change are discouraged; the best employee traits when the environment is stable over a long period of time or a low technology is used.
Groups within an organization may take on various structures, much as they develop norms appropriate to their function. And like norms, group structure tends to follow the organizational as closely as function can allow.
Horizontal, informal, organic organizations tend to provide the highest individual satisfaction. Employee group size is smaller, decisions are made at a lower lever, and the organization is more flexible, adaptive, creative, and responsive. These organizations are also prone to problems communicating and coordinating between groups. Opposed to vertical organizations, which experience difficulty communicating the mission between management and individuals.
Resource Principles
Resource allocation within the organization and groups is controlled by availability and norms. In some organizations it would be appropriate to distribute resources equally among groups or individuals, while at others the allocation formula strictly follows need or perhaps best use to meet objectives. Individual satisfaction is highest when resources are allocated by a combination of need and best utilization. Groups are most effective when there are adequate resources available to accomplish objectives and when the individual members are satisfied.
Individual performance will increase when hardware and capital specific to a task are made available, however there is more to resources than this. There are also gains in individual productivity when appropriate rewards are provided for increased performance, when skills are developed to increase efficiency, and when interest are an integral part of the organization. The highest group productivity is possible when group tasks are combined with the requisite skills to accomplish them.
Environmental Principles
Change in the environment external is relentless. Change is found in enhanced capabilities to communicate and transport to a global market, increasing utilization of technology in the work place, shifting demographics and characteristics of individuals performing work, legislation and court decisions, and the ability to focus production to meet the needs of even smaller market niches. Competition is fierce for market, resources, and information. Because of this, most organizations must maintain a competitive mix of culture, mission, leadership, structure, and resources in order to survive, even over the short run.
Groups need many of the same attributes to be effective. To improve performance they must evaluate performance, be flexible enough to develop alternatives beyond accepted controls in the face of obstacles, and have the information and capability to make informed changes. The key, groups must change in response to environmental change or they, and the organization, will become less effective and perhaps obsolete.
An individual is a composite of inheritance and environment. A person is born with a range or ability to perform different activities, however the degree to which that individual performs any given activity is determined by environment. Effective organizations and groups provide the best environment for individuals in line with the costs of resources and the expected gains in productivity.
Summary
Organizational behavior is a blend of influence and responsibility. Every role has an impact, its influence depending on level.
You are much more likely to make your goals with reliable decisions. Knowing the significant influences on a behavior quickly and accurately narrows the alternatives. You can improve any objective; individual, group, or organization.
Follow the "Behavior Interaction Model" link in the author's Bio for a copy of the diagram referenced in this article.
~o~
Copyright © 2002-2008 OP!DEV ®, All Rights Reserved
Manage for Improvement - Part Three 'Involvement' - To learn more about this author, visit Jerry Hemmerling's Website.
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