Organization and Leadership Analysis Essay

The Company chosen for this analysis is Cummins Inc. and I am confident the description that follows will give a better understanding of the organization for any third party considering a career with this organization. Clessie Lyle Cummins built his first steam engine in rural Indiana with the backing of banker William G. Irwin in the year 1919. These men together built the first company that would take advantage of the technology developed by the German Engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1880’s. From that early beginning thru today Cummins Inc. has been a world leader in Diesel power engines and service products with sales and service locations in 197 countries and gross sales of over nineteen billion dollars  in 2015 (Cruikshank, 1997). I have Chosen Ericka Rodriguez Eastern Distribution Center Site Material’s Leader for this analysis. I chose both the company and one of its leaders as they have carved a niche for themselves in the field of diesel technologies and s ervice products. It has been an inspiration to learn from the leader ship style portrayed by Ms. Rodriguez. Organization Description The Company chosen for this analysis is Cummins Inc. and I am confident the description that follows will give a better understanding of the organization for any third party considering a career with this organization. Clessie Lyle Cummins built his first steam engine in rural Indiana with the backing of banker William G. Irwin in the year 1919. These men together built the first company that would take advantage of the technology developed by the German Engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1880’s. From that early beginning thru today Cummins Inc. has been a world leader in Diesel power engines and service products with sales and service locations in 197 countries and gross sales of over nineteen billion dollars in 2015 (Cruikshank, 1997). I have Chosen Ericka Rodriguez Eastern Distribution Center Site Material’s Leader for this analysis. I chose both the company and one of its leaders as they have carved a niche for themselves in the field of diesel technologies and serv ice products. It has been an inspiration to learn from the leader ship style portrayed by Ms. Rodriguez. Organization Description Cummins Inc. was founded over ninety years ago with a vision of revolutionizing the concept of how diesel power was produced and serviced. This organization has been the global leader in diesel technologies and services for over 75 years and its products have been emulated by several other global companies. These advances were only achieved by the whole hearted dedication of its workforce. The customers and stakeholders show immense support of Cummins Inc. and it is because of their belief that Cummins Inc. is the leading enterprise in the diesel technology and service ecosystem. Customer are now able to obtain the power needed in the quantities needed over a variety of business fields. They have facilitated the process of selling and servicing there markets ensuring the success of  the company for years to come. Cummins Inc. has three overarching business objectives: 1.) Achieve Financial target over the quarters. To succeed and grow into the future, we must demonstrate performance by consistently meeting or succeeding our financial targets. 2.) Be the first choice of customers. Cummins success depends solely on our customers. As we succeed in our ability to help them, they will view Cummins as a partner in their success and we will then become their first choice in our competitive market place. 3.) Be a great place to work. The ability of Cummins Inc. to achieve these objectives is based on our workforce. Cummins Inc. must be able to attract, develop and retain the skills need to pursue the first two objectives (Hanafee, 2011). Aspiring to fulfill their objectives helped Cummins Inc. maintain its position in the diesel power and service market and over time ensuring its success. The commitment to customers, communities, and partners they serve, and the employees with diverse employment cult ure has positioned Cummins Inc. to maintain that global first choice power leader status. Leadership Practices I interpret Ms. Rodriguez leadership style as situational, she is skilled at mentoring individuals, sharing her vision, and motivating her employees. She has portrayed situational leadership style and this can be rationalized from the following three examples: 1.) Coaching – Ms. Rodriguez has portrayed this attribute, and has successfully been able to lead her group in achieving the strategic objectives of the organization. She coaches her employees by providing detailed instructions while encouraging her subordinates, requesting feedback and explaining the decision making process to them. She gives specific feedback to all individuals on their metrics and how there metrics can be achieved to meet overall organizational objectives and goals. Situational leaders reduce their involvement in daily activities as the dynamics of her group changes and matures. Ms. Rodriquez gives her people the freedom to do their work. The most productive work can be accomplished by people given th e space needed and are entrusted by the organization to be of the highest quality. Ms. Rodriquez is a leader of the highest integrity, though she is portrays a situational leader she does not change her approach to take advantage of the situation. She is seen to adapt to the is most appropriate practice after considering factors such as level  of maturity, organizational structure and culture, and the business metrics. She works with integrity and is not motivated by a desire to capitalize on a weakness of her team or organization 2.) Flexibility- The fundamental nature of a situational leader is to move their style in the business environment of an organization and encourage the thoughts of innovative employees. Ms. Rodriguez is more adaptable to the various changes that occur and welcomes innovation in her group. Rather than abiding by the typical views of a leader and not adapting to change. She is a risk taker and seems to enjoy the freshest concepts brought to her attention. She faces many challenges but still enjoys her work and the people who work for her. The people who work for her are likely influenced by her nature and work ethic and will mirror this behavior and expectations in their own work. 3.) Courage- Ms. Rodriguez as a situational leader is never afraid to take on new challenges because of the fear of incurring losses. She portrays a clear vision and takes complete charge of where and how the team is moving forward. She takes it upon herself to mentor, lead, delegate responsibilities to employees on a personal level and have each person accountable for their metric within the organization. This leadership style allows her to determine and embrace most behaviors and strategies to get the goal achieved. Her projects humility at various levels and as a key leader does not claim to have all the answers. She encourages participation of all level of employees and makes sure that her group has ample scope of engagement and remains close with them. The above mentioned attributes lead me to conclude that she is a true leader, and because of this leadership many employees at different sites across Cummins Inc. would like to work here. Ms. Rodriguez treats her employees as family. Cummins Inc. offers diverse career opportunities for people to enhance their skills and ensure growth not only for the company but employees as well. She recognizes that investing in vast amount of resources for overall development for her work force will only enhance the employee experience as a whole. This spirt of family acknowledges that she has the full support of her team which ensures good will amongst her them Relationship Between Leadership and Organizational Culture A leader’s beliefs and values shape the culture of any organization. Talented people from around the world come to work at Cummins Inc. because of the diversity it represents. The opportunity to eclipse other companies in an atmosphere that has numerous opportunities, a fast pace, and leaders that motivate, inspire and invent new technologies. Cummins Inc. offers uncommon career advancement opportunities regardless of the ethics, gender, and race. Employees chosen to work from Cummins Inc. are results oriented, entrepreneurial and independent. . People do not join a company simple on the brand name it offers, it is the culture and atmosphere that binds the work place together. People thrive under the growth, guidance and opportunities that an organization provides. Each employee wants to connect with an organization that facilitates, engages, and cares for its employees and their families. It is impossible to invest employee time and energy to the best interests of the organization without proper support to their families. Cummins rewards exceptional performance are direct results of exemplary employees and customer success. Ms. Rodriguez is always encouraging first class performance from her group and helps them understand the value of the hard work. She redirects her groups work when necessary to make sure the work is aligned with the company culture and strategy for long the term health of Cummins Inc. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats revolving around a corporation. This analysis involves determining the objective of the corporation and identifying the internal and external environmental factors expected to benefit or burden the achievement of company objectives. After the business identifies that objective a SWOT analysis is performed to examine the strengths and weaknesses(Internal factors) and then considers the opportunities posed by business conditions(external factors) By identifying the company strengths, a company will be better able to think of strategies that will take advantage of new opportunities. Identifying current weaknesses and the threats, a company will be able to identify changes needed to improve and protect its current operations. Organizational Strengths The strengths identified for Cummins are summarized in that they are a market leader for diesel technologies and products? One of the most important strength is that the company has a strong and loyal customer base across the globe. Its ability to reach around the globe with its master and regional distribution centers is clearly an advantage against their competitors. A second important strength is the yearly improvements made in the research in new diesel technologies. I emphasize yearly because competitors can take multiple years to produce results that Cummins Inc. routinely makes year over year. Lastly Cummins Inc. financial stability and security is a major strength. The company consistently maintains market position, financial disciplines and operational strengths to contend with cyclical nature of its business. The Financial Stability of Cummins Inc. is a key strength of this organization with Moody’s assigning an A2 rating. Moody’s determined that Cummins will maintain its market status, operational durability, and the financial self-restraint necessary to deal with the substantial cyclical nature of its business. Cummins Inc. recognizes that the cyclicality in the market it serves and maintains a high degree of financial discipline that is characterized my low levels of debt and a healthy liquidity profile (Park, 2014). Organizational Weaknesses Weaknesses that have been identified at Cummins Inc. are the weak profit margins on Diesel engine filters. A low profit margin will leave little room for them to lower their selling prices. Which is sometimes necessary to gain a competitive edge against competitors. A low margin means little funds available for profits and expenses. Reducing your selling price without a corresponding and proportionate reduction in the cost of goods sold will further reduce the funds available for expenses and profits. The biggest disadvantage for Cummins Inc. is that of a low profit margin is poor operational efficiency. Profit margins are lower than the industry average are indicative of a need to improve performance. The lack of improvement results in a lower level lower than would normally be attainable. Heavy dependence on a few suppliers is also another weakness with the Cummins Inc., strategy. The supplier will have the opportunity to take advantage of the company. When they are at the opportune time they may drive up prices because they understand that they are the supplier of choice at Cummins Inc.  even though they are contracted to do otherwise. Cummins will also be vulnerable to losing company technologies and research because suppliers are part of that information flow during the development process. Lastly a significant disadvantage is the supplier capable of meeting the future capacity of the company. Suppliers may withhold this information until product launch and once the launch of the new product is complete there may become capacity constraints with their production lines. Organizational Opportunities With the Cummins product Market environment consistently changing due to continuous improved product offerings need to adapt and change to what the customer wants. To be able to maintain the growth and profits of the business it is of vital importance to safeguard and diversify its product range. Possible opportunities to explore are capitalizing on the growth and expansion of diesel technologies. Product growth in this area can be a key imitative. Cummins takes the lead with these technologies. Cummins should also be able to, because of significant capital reserves, undergo strategic acquisitions and synergies, for example overseas dealerships that are privately owned and also undertake strategic alliance with competitors like Parker-Racor Corp for an interdependency that will cater to a wider consumer base. Organizational Threats The outlook for Cummins still looks positive but there are also are threats to the business that need monitored and/or addressed. China has enjoyed rapid growth for the past few years but is has been noted that diesel trucks purchased in China are down ten percent. China is the second largest market behind the United States in sales and any prolonged sales weakness there would have a large impact on Cummins Yearly performance. Secondly, with the long term in mind, emerging technologies in artificial intelligence could pose another threat. Self driven vehicles may possess a significant long term danger to Cummins. While this seems far off, one has to consider the limitations of human driven trucks. Simply put is that automating a truck fleet would put less trucks on the road because you would not have down time as you do now with humans. Leadership Evaluation My choice for the Leadership Evaluation is situational leadership theory, it is representative of the leadership form characterized by Ericka Rodriguez for her organization. It is pertinent from this background characterization and can be attributed to its overall success of the leadership qualities she exhibits. Leadership Strengths The scholarly sources that I have chosen are listed below: 1. Blanchard, K. (2010). Leading At A Higher Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Blanchard Management Corporation. 2. Hanafee, S. (2011). Red, black and global: The transformation of Cummins, 1995-2010. Columbus, IN: Cummins. 3. Winkler, I. (2009). Contemporary Leadership Theories Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag Heidelberg. Cummins Inc. is prospering by becoming the leading diesel engine builder and service provider in addition to maximizing its workforce and develop world class business leaders. Under Ms. Rodriguez the Eastern Distribution Center has grown from a regional parts Distribution center to a facility services the globe. She exhibits situational leadership style and are justified from the following instances; 1.) Coaching, participating, directing- Ms. Rodriguez has portrayed these attributes, and still successfully directs all her employees into achieving the strategic goals of Cummins Inc. She coaches, encourages, inputs solicitation, and explains why she has made certain decisions. She gives out specific instructions about what the objectives are and how the goals are achieved. As a situational leader Ms. Rodriquez gradually reduces her involvement in the day to day activities of her employees. She works with the highest integrity and never appears motivated by a desire to capitalize on the weaknesses of the team or Cummins Inc. She gives her employees the freedom to do their work to the best of their abilities. She does not change her approach to merely take advantage of the situation as she visualizes it but rather to take advantage by adapting to how the employees  visualizes and coaching accordingly(Winkler, 2009). 2.) Flexibility- A fundamental nature of a situational leader is to be able to flow with the changes in the environment of an organization and encourages thoughts from different people. These are the people who take risk. They enjoy new concepts, take challenges and enjoy their chosen profession. Employees enjoy working under Ms. Rodriguez. These employees are more than likely influenced by her working style (Blanchard, 2010). 3.) Ms. Rodriguez consistently encourages improvement of performance in her group and helps them to better understand the value of hard work and consistently motivates them to direct their work towards the strategies of the organization with humility and grace. Leadership Weaknesses Leadership: Situational leadership style exhibited by MS Rodriguez has certain perceived weaknesses. The Situational leadership style may be exhibited as a management technique instead of a leadership style. A vision of a manager maybe limited but a leader has a broad vision. This is a drawback that Ms. Rodriquez on occasion portrays a lack of long-term vision. The lack of vision has allowed competitors to capitalize in servicing our customers. Awareness: Ms. Rodriquez is a situational leader who can be manipulative. She fails to understand the perception of her employees. This perception may lead to the employees considering Ms. Rodriquez as a dictator. This form of leadership is unacceptable in the company culture of Cummins Inc. This will reduce the credibility and trust of the employees towards Ms. Rodriguez. It will be to her benefit if she is more transparent towards her employees (Hanafee, 2011). External factors: The decision making of Ms. Rodriguez may be affected by certain external factors. A situational leader is successful if they take into consideration external factors. There is a fair chance that there will change be in the situation with a change in leadership. It is the capability of the leader to adapt to this change and then adapt to these new circumstances. This capability is lacking in Ms. Rodriquez. Recommendations for Leadership Development I would suggest the use of situational leadership projected by Ericka Rodriquez, Eastern Distribution Center Site Materials Leader, on the fact that under her leadership productivity and employees moral has increased immensely since her hiring. I respect her strategies and completely take into account the knowledge that I have learned in the process of completing this assignment. The knowledge that I have attained can be summarized as follows- 1.) Delegation: Ms. Rodriquez is a considerate leader. Her decision making style is seasoned. She is a flexible leader but on occasion lacks the broad visions necessary to be a complete leader. A broad vision is essential to maintaining a business that is organized and efficient. Engaging with employees is also crucial for the essential for the continued success of Cummins Inc. This organization must work as a team. 2.) Ms. Rodriquez should adopt different styles of leadership according to the requirement. She must be able to provide confidence to the employees in times when Cummins Inc. is not attaining its organizational goals. Her employees will find confidence in these situations if she addresses these situations effectively. The will build and maintain a positive mental feeling (Northouse, 2013). 3.) Ms. Rodriquez leadership style must maintain an open commutatively rather than portrayed as a dictator. Situational leaders have a tendency to be manipulative. Ms. Rodriquez must reduce her dictatorship and take into consideration employees ideas. This will help keep her employees motivated (Brackett, 2011). These strategies of situational leadership are implemented will ensure the viability and sustainability of the Eastern Distribution Center for Cummins Inc. References Bass, B. M., Bass, R., & Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. Blanchard, K. (2010). Leading At A Higher Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Blanchard Management Corporation. Blanchard, K. H., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi, D. (1985). Leadership and the one minute manager: Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership. New York: Morrow. Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 88-103. Connolly, R., Pico, M., Henderson, K., Bodine, T., & Blankenship, S. (2012). Strategies for success. Training, 49(4), 48-52 Cruikshank, J. L., & Sicilia, D. B. (1997). The engine that could: Seventy-five years of values-driven change at Cummins Engine Company. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Darling, J. L. (2011). The key for effective stress management: Importance of responsive leadership in organizational development. Organization Development Journal, 29(1), 9-26. Graeff, C. L. (1983, April 1). The Situational Leadership Theory: A Critical View. Retrieved March 9, 2015, from http://amr.aom.org/content/8/2/285.short GURUFOCUS. (2014, December 14th). Cummins Inc Financial Strength Rank. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gurufocus.com%2Fterm%2Frank_balancesheet%2FCMI%2FFinancial%252BStrength%2FCummins%252Binc Hanafee, S. (2011). Red, black and global: The transformation of Cummins, 1995-2010. Columbus, IN: Cummins. Hargis, M. (2011). Developing leaders: Examining the role of transactional and transformational leadership across business contexts. Organization Development Journal, 29(3), 51-66. Lanz, K. (2013 ). The art of self-awareness. Training Journal, 65-69. Momeni, N. (2009). The relation between managers’ emotional intelligence and the organizational climate they create. Public Personnel Management, 38(2), 35-48. Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice Sixth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Nyman, M., & Thach, L. (2013). Coaching as a new leadership development option. Supervision, 74(2), 23-26. Park, J. B., & Jankowits, R. P. (2014, December 8). Moody’s raises Cummins’ rating to A2; outlook is stable. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moodys.com%2Fresearch%2FMoodys-raises-Cummins-rating-to-A2-outlook-is-stable–PR_313739. Rooke, D. R. (2005). 7 Transformations of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 83(4), 66-76. Winkler, I. (2009). Contemporary Leadership Theories Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag Heidelberg. Zenger, J. (2013). Developing lea ders. Leadership Excellence, 30(8), 24.

The Shawnee Tribe

The Shawnee Tribe Did you know that the Shawnee Indian tribe is a fascinating tribe? I recently have learned that they are nomads. Nomads are people who travel instead of settling in one place. Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania were a couple of states they once lived in. Until around 1660 Iroquois drove out the tribe to southern Carolina, Tennessee’s Cumberland basin, eastern Pennsylvania, and southern Illinois. They had tried to return, but again they were forced to leave by American settlers.The settlers pushed them first to Missouri and then to Kansas, but the Shawnee people settled in Oklahoma after the Civil War. The Shawnee survived using various methods of hunting and gathering. Both men and women had responsibilities in providing food. They hunted many animals including deer, squirrel, turkey, raccoon, bear, muskrat, rabbit, and ducks/geese. They set traps for the animals, and they disguised themselves to blend in with their surroundings to get clo se enough to club or shoot them. People never wasted anything; they used all the different parts for different things.In January and February they hunted beaver for their pelts and meat to trade with the settlers. In the summer time they, and during fall, groups of men and women would leave the village and hunt. Small temporary lodges were used. Another way to get food was to plant or gather it. They planted beans, squash, corn, pumpkins, and melons but corn was their main food. They gathered wild berries, nuts, maple, roots, and wild honey. In the springtime women planted crops and summer through fall they gathered wild plants and fruits.Tapping maple trees for sap was another thing they did. Raiding beehives was also popular to get honey. The women were mostly responsible for planting, harvesting, and taking care of crops. Roles for people are very important because the people would know what their job was and what other’s jobs were. Men were very important because they mos tly hunted, carved wood into ladles, bowls, and spoons, were in charge of politics and war, and were warriors. Women had many roles, but some were harder than others. They built homes and fires, dressed the game, cooked, lanted crops, scraped skins and tanned hides, made clothing, wove blankets, and made vessels of clay. They also served as advisors of peace and war. They managed all farming activities and ceremonies in the village. Both men and women took part in storytelling, artwork, music, and traditional medicine. Young girls learned from their mothers how to gather wild foods, plant crops, care for children and perform household duties. Boys were taught to hunt and fight from their fathers. At age nine, boys began special training and self-discipline. Parents were strict, and the children were seldom punished.They were expected to be the judge of their own behavior. However, the parents expected high standards of behavior and responsibility. Special jobs of the Shawnee tribe i ncluded being a chief. Chiefs would handle problems and activities, good or bad and also dealt with problems that could not be resolved by individuals or families. War chiefs protected the tribe from enemy attack and decided when to go to war. They had to prove themselves in battle as leaders and warriors. Chiefs inherited their positions as peace, clan, or war chiefs. Peace chiefs could also call-off a war.The Thawikila and Chalaakaatha divisions were in charge of governing the people and chiefs came from one of the two divisions. Membership for one of the five divisions was inherited by the father’s side. Clothing of the Shawnee was homemade and you had to make your own clothes in order to stay warm. Deerskin clothing was what most Shawnee people wore. During the winter, men and women added loose shirts and leggings and would also wrap themselves in buffalo robes or fur cloaks made of bear or moose skins. Decorations were important to the tribe. They dyed clothing, porcupin e quills; and feathers and points were also used.Men wore headdresses made of animal fur and decorated them with feathers from a bird of prey such as an eagle, hawk, or owl. Men mostly wore shirts and leggings and women wore shirts with leggings or dresses. After contact with the European traders, the Shawnee began to own glass beads which they used on their clothing. Jewelry included silver pins, necklaces, and bracelets for women. Men liked to wear silver nose rings and earrings. Dances, music, and ceremonies were all important to the Shawnee tribe. Spring held a dance named â€Å"Spring Bread Dance† in which they prayed for plentiful crops.In the summer they held the â€Å"Green Corn Dance† in celebration for the growing of corn. Fall held the â€Å"Fall Bread Dance† where they prayed that game would be plentiful also and gave thanks for the harvest. Musical instruments included skin drums, gourd rattles, deer-hoofed rattles and sometimes reed flutes. Many di fferent tools were used by the Shawnee and they needed them to survive. They used hammers made of stone or other hard substance, some had handles and some did not. Knives and saws were made of shells, stone, or other materials. Borers were natural tools used for making holes in soft or hard objects.An axe was another tool made of shells, iron, or copper. The blade could easily turn at a right angle. It was held with your hands or attached in various ways to a handle by a rawhide. Some other weapons are bows and arrows, stone tomahawks, spears, and chipped flint arrow points. Homes and shelters were another item that was needed by the Shawnee. The home they lived in was called a wegiwa which were tree poles covered by bark or animal skin. The frame of the house was made of sapling tied together and covered with bark from elm or birch trees.When bark was not available animal skin was used. There were no windows and there was only one opening in one end for a door and a hole in the mid dle of the roof for the smoke from the cooking fire. In a pit in the middle of the floor is where they burned the fire. Inside walls were lined with raised wooden platforms that were used as beds. Homes were sometimes furnished with shelves, benches, and tables. The Shawnee’s way of life came to an end by splitting into small bands and moving away from others. The Shawnee had many wars with American settlers over land rights.One Native American named Tecumseh, who was an excellent communicator and military strategist, was admired greatly by the Shawnee. They followed his every command. During the Battle of Thames in 1813, Tecumseh was shot and killed. With his death the Shawnee people lost their spirit to fight. They then scattered and drifted in small bands into Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Some remained in Ohio. Between 1825 and 1900 the United States Government took more land rights away through various treaties. This led to more movement and most Shawn ee became part of a non-native society.The Shawnee tribe is so interesting and amazing. Shawnee people believe in one female God, Our Grandmother, and she created the earth and made people. When people grew old she scooped them up in nets and brought them to the sky. Also, the most sacred spirits to the Shawnee were Tobacco, Fire, Water, and Eagle. Daniel Boone was one of the most famous prisoners taken in war and was held for several months. During that time he made friends with them and participated in their games. When he went back to the settlers he realized that the Shawnee tribe was a friendly tribe.Another interesting fact about the Shawnee is that parents would plunge their babies into snow or freezing cold water every day for several months because they wanted to make their children tougher. The Shawnee tribe was fun to study and I learned a lot about their way of life and history. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bial, Raymond. The Shawnee. Tarrytown, New York. Benchmark Books, 2004. Flanagan , Alice K. The Shawnee. Canada. Children’s Press, 1998. Mattern, Joanne. The Shawnee Indians. Manakato, Minnesota. Bridgestone Books, 2001. Yacowitz, Caryn. Shawnee Indians. Chicago, Illinois. Heinemann Library, 2003. Additional research includes many websites

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Aging in the Work Place Research Paper

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Aging in the Work Place - Research Paper Example Such classifications also tend to associate individuals of the same groups with particular characteristics ranging from physical to social characteristics. This inherently leads to different perspectives held by the society concerning aging; and is particularly inherent in the workforce. Individuals of different ages are perceived differently in the workforce and the perceptions significantly vary across history, with the historical perspective of aging differing from the contemporary perspectives (Armstrong-Stassen & Schlosser, 2011). The United Nations indicated that the world’s elderly population exhibits the fastest growth rate ever. The projections indicated that by the year 2050, more than two billion people will be aged 60 and over (Brooke, Taylor, Mcloughlin & Biase, 2012). The aging populations particularly in the workforce have been described by terms such as ‘old age tsunami’ and ‘demographic time bomb’. The apocalyptic language indicates that historically, the elderly population has been small compared to the contemporary society. Those who are 60 and above are hugely talented, have the relevant experience as well as the necessary skills and knowledge. The most likely challenge that will arise in the future will, therefore, be how to maintain and capitalize on the potentiality of this age group without disposing them away in retirement. This has seen efforts by countries such as Germany and France to increase the retirement age to 62 from 60 by 2018 (Brooke, Taylor, Mcl oughlin & Biase, 2012). Historically, the elderly in the workforce have been largely subjected to voluntary or forceful retirement and entrenchment. This was in effort to accommodate the growing youth populations with better talents, skills and knowledge and who have undergone better training and educational courses. In the contemporary society, the then youthful population is now increasingly making up the elderly population. With their essential capacities, the

The Key Strategic Issues That ABB Company Is Facing Coursework

The Key Strategic Issues That ABB Company Is Facing - Coursework Example This research tells that in today’s world, global organizations and companies are changing day by day due to the ever-increasing world changes across all sectors. This has led to the emergence of different strategies of doing business by different companies. Based on researches carried out on various case studies including ABB, key strategic issues ought to be addressed in order for companies to overcome the difficulties and problems they face. According to De Wit and Meyer, the concept of mergers and acquisitions (M& A’s) has been seen as the way out to the globalization of economies. Globalization of economies is identified as a key strategic issue faced by ABB given that Companies are competing more and more in relation to costs of raw materials, operational costs, cost of labor and technological advancements. Concern on competitive advantage by ABB like other companies is used for testing better and effective strategies to counter increased competition in the market . Although it has led to improved and better performance in ABB, other companies have been faced with difficulties resulting in financial crisis hence closures. High rates of competition have presented companies to external as well as internal economic forces. Moreover, clients have experienced low-quality service and product delivery due to the use of poor management strategies. Financial crisis resulting from a competitive advantage on other hand has catapulted competition forces between market segments. All together management strategies and associates impact general economic growth and development to national economies. The aspect of inside-out strategy has enabled companies like ABB to create the organizations newly through mergers or acquisitions. Also, capability building through strategic management provides appropriate market opportunities to companies. Therefore, economic sustainable growth and development become an issue in relation to management strategies. Using the bri efings that you have prepared for the tutorials apply the key points from your briefings to the case study ABB case study presents globalization as argued by Haberberg and Rieple, referring it as whereby global economies, societies, and cultures practice economic integration id different perspectives. Companies have embarked on forming global networks in the name of attaining development goals in major sectors of transport, trade and communications. Based on the ABB case, internationalization is identified as a significant factor in the development, management and growth of the business. Globalization faces criticisms from the negative perspective of its resultant activities. it is argued that the concept has led to the increased disparity between the rich economies and the developing poor nations. According to the researches carried out, this has contributed to increased global competition between companies. The field of electrical and management within relevant organizations such as ABB are not left out in the consideration of planning strategy towards standardization. Thus, poor and developing economies continue to experience difficulties at the expense of the developed ones in the name of globalization.

MOVIE ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MOVIE ANALYSIS - Essay Example rrios in Los Angeles, US where football was not given much importance hence, he felt that his dream to be a professional footballer would not be fulfilled and will remain a dream. Even his father felt that it will be an impossible task for him to become a professional footballer and hence, forced him to join the gardening business. With the turn of events, Glen Foy, an ex-footballer an a well wisher of Santiago manages to convince the Newcastle boss to watch Santiago’s play and give him a chance to play for the Newcastle team in England. The boss of Newcastle liked Santiago’s play and they wanted him to go to England to join the club but Santiago did not have the sufficient fund to go to England. His father had stolen his hidden fund to invest in his gardening business, but Santiago’s grandmother arranged the fund by selling off some of her jewelry. He had few initial failures in joining the club but eventually, joins the club but for that he had to hide the fact that he had asthma from the club officials. The asthma problem led him to lot of trouble and even his performance became poor. He was dropped from the club but with support of one of his teammates he regained his position in the club. He practiced very hard and finally got the chance to play for the team in a match against Fulham owing to the injuries of many key players. He utilized the opportunity and scored a goal from a penalty, which finally led Newcastle to win the match. His performance was watched by his father back home in US, who felt very proud about his son’s success. But unfortunately, Santiago’s father died of heart attack just before the important final match of Newcastle against Liverpool. This incident completely demoralized Santiago but he decided to stay back so that he can play in that match. Roz Harmison, who was the nurse of the club also became Santiago’s girlfriend, informed him that his friend Jamie had tore a ligament, and will never be able to play football anymore.

Cogn. week3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cogn. week3 - Essay Example The relation to theories is done with good understanding of the concept it entails. The social and cultural factors in terms of a gap in perception is one that I can relate to my own example of the difference in context of culture that acts as a barrier to perceiving another persons point of view. Assignment # 3 Write a brief explanation of the extent to which you think perception involves learning. After reading up on Sternberg’s (2009) literature on perception we can come to the conclusion that learning and perception are intertwined. Just look at what we mean when we use the term learning, it is basically a moderately permanent modification in one’s behavior resulting due to some experience or a practice. This change encompasses concepts such as classical and operant conditioning as well as perceptual learning. Now let’s look at what we mean when we use the term perception. It usually relates to one’s awareness of things, experiences or events that stim ulate ones senses. So we can rightfully say that when one perceives something through the environment, he is learning from it and then putting it into practice (Hulse, Deese & Egeth, 1975). Look at the visual aspect of learning which is highly dependant on the brains tendency to organize various stimuli into objects which are seen as figures. The basic development of an individual is greatly impacted by the things he perceives which he does by learning. Most of everything that we learn in our daily lives takes root from a learning resulting from new perceptions; with our present perception being impacted by our prior learning, especially when there is an emotional meaning attached (Hochberg, 1964). This can be best explained by the aid of an example. A gun might be perceived a lot differently by a woman who has seen someone being shot as compared to the innocent way a child might look at it. The child would view it as a toy and associate it with fun and play whereas the woman will p erceive it as a deadly weapon associated with feelings of fear and danger. Another relevant example can be that of an infant learning how to walk. Initially he will fall as he tries to balance in order to walk. He experiences a fall while he is at it however he still practices to learn how to walk. So in this way he is learning from his mistakes. Look at a blind man trying to learn how to walk. Him learning to walk around on his own lies greatly on his perception of spaces and figures hence without one he cannot achieve the other. That is how greatly the two concepts are connected. References Hochberg. J. Art, Perception and Reality. The representation of things and people. The John Hopkings university press. 1972. Pg. 47. Hulse, Deese & Egeth. 1975. The psychology of learning. McGraw-Hill, 1975 Sternberg, R.J. (2009). Cognitive psychology, (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage

DB-5 Intellectual Property Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DB-5 Intellectual Property Law - Research Paper Example However, it does not affect the validity of the patent acquired by Omni Chemical Co. in State Y because â€Å"patents are specific to particular jurisdictions† (Patent Lens, n.d). Since Bumpkin had published his discovery without patenting it, any person or business was free to use this discovery or any of its contents without prior permission. The Green Chemical Ltd. may argue that this discovery had been made available worldwide and hence it could be considered as general information. However, the case scenario specifically states that the journals which published the discovery of Bumpkin in State Y had never been checked or used by anyone prior to 1992. In that situation, the Omni Chemical Co. attained a patent in 1988 for their production formula, which included this discovery in State Y and hence no other individual or business in this State has the right to use this compound. The argument that Nitrophos has not been separately patented in State Y is not valid as this information is a part of the Omni Chemical’s production formula. Intellectual property right laws clearly define various rights of a patentee. Patent right â€Å"is an exclusive lic ense or right granted to a company or an individual to produce a particular product or use a particular technology on the basis of its claim to be the discoverer of the product or technology.† (Nayar, 2010, p.143). Referring to this definition, it is clear that the Omni Chemical Co. has obtained a license over its fertilizer from the State Y Patent Office and hence the company has the sole right to manufacture and distribute the product across state Y. Such a license would serve Omni Chemical Co. as a tool to prevent unauthorized reproduction and distribution of the patented product. Patent laws do not allow third parties to use any content of the patented property and therefore the Omni Chemical Co. has complete right over its fertilizer called Fast Grow39. The fact that Omni Chemical Co. is a

Infosys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Infosys - Essay Example Infosys is facing a lot of global marketing issues especially in the past decade or so. The issues are related to business model as well as strategy. Infosys is globally perceived as an IT Technology company which provides low cost advantage to its clients due to global labour arbitrage. A lot of IT companies in developing countries have been using this model to earn handsome revenues (NASSCOM, 2007). Infosys has been consciously trying to come out of this image and move up the value chain (IBEF). This was evident because of its focus on end to end solutions in the late 1990s. During this phase, Infosys developed some highly successful industry solutions such as Finacle (Finacle, 2011) and SAP retail (SAP Retail, 2011) products and marketed them well. However, a major challenge has been to go one step further and provide high end consulting services. Infosys has developed the capabilities required to do so by hiring fresh and qualified talent over the past years but marketing the same has been a challenge. The major reason for this is the presence of well reputed competitors in the market who were early movers in this domain. Infosys has always believed in maintaining long term relationship with its clients. This has resulted in client loyalty and satisfaction. However, 80% of Infosys’s revenues come from existing clients. No doubt, retaining old customers is very important but it is equally important to acquire new clients for continuous progress and to increase bargaining power while negotiating contracts. Infosys has shifted its focus towards business domain excellence. While it is of no harm, most of the clients over the world believe in best of breed approach where they outsource their operations in parts to most suitable vendors and also avoid hundred percent sharing of data with a single vendor. Therefore, business domain excellence may not prove to be a very fruitful idea. For further analysis of the global marketing issues, it would be justified to consider the various aspects of Business and Business marketing and the issues Infosys is facing in each of them (Boon, Kurtz): I. Product In B usiness to Business marketing, as in the case of Infosys, the products are highly technical in nature (Boon, Kurtz). Their form is not fixed and may vary from supplier to supplier. Especially in Business to Business Services marketing, this holds true. Infosys has primarily been providing outsourcing services at low rates. But over the years it has developed end to end products which are high performers in the market. Infosys is also known for its services. It has always exceeded client expectations on the 3 evaluation parameters i.e. Quality, Timeliness and Reliability. However, Infosys has struggled in marketing its high end services over the years. It wants to address this issue in its dealing with PFS. II. Promotion In Business to Bu

Community Health Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Community Health Nursing - Essay Example Quality of life really depends upon not only what the family can do, but about what the community health nurse can impart to her patient. In the case of Mrs. Thomas, making her comfortable is going to be the nurse’s primary concern. It seems that Mrs. Thomas is on a regime that includes Vicodin, but she doesn’t seem approving of using medication for pain management. However, it is okay for the nurse to reassure Mrs. Thomas that this will help her make a smooth transition in the process in which she is going through. She is in a lot of pain, and managing the pain will definitely take a lot of pressure off of Mr. Thomas knowing that his wife feels better. Unfortunately, many times pain is undertreated by physicians in the U.S. Since Mrs. Thomas is a cancer patient, it only makes sense that she is going to feel badly with the metastasis of the cancer to her lung—and indeed, it probably is as painful as she has described to the nurse. However, not treating the pain i s going to leave Mrs. Thomas without other recourse, and in the process, Mr. Thomas may become severely affected, seeing his wife in pain and feeling powerless to do much about it. Therefore, the best decision seems to be to treat the pain. This is going to be the greatest help for Mrs. Thomas as she now goes through the dying process. B. Discuss three strategies that you could use in the Thomas’s situation to improve the quality of life for Mrs. Thomas and her husband during this illness. Community health nurses definitely can have a positive impact on being able to improve the quality of life for terminally ill patients such as Mrs. Thomas. According to Larsen and Lubkin (2009), â€Å"By evaluating the extent to which nursing interventions improve quality of life for clients and families, nurses are in a position to [help their clients with this]† (pp. 156). Of course, many times people may argue about what does quality of life mean. According to Sinclair (2007), â €Å"Referring to quality of life†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢its definition is notoriously problematic.’ The tendency toward superficiality in measurement of quality of life in palliative care has been [criticized]† (pp. 62). Three strategies that could be used in order to improve Mrs. Thomas’s quality of life would include the following: have her listen to music; make sure she has good hygiene and grooming; and making sure Mrs. Thomas has some visitors so she can get some social interaction, perhaps with her family members who live out-of-state. Music can be a quite calming factor, especially when one is not feeling well. Something light and airy, or classical music, might be especially soothing. In addition, Mrs. Thomas should be very well-groomed and be helped to maintain good personal hygiene so that she doesn’t get any kind of infection. Third, perhaps visits from her family members from out-of-state might be a nice touch, if the nurse could get in contact with th em and see if they’d like to visit her. Or, alternatively, the nurse might like to arrange a visit or two from a minister of Mrs. Thomas’s faith or a volunteer who cares for hospice patients. Volunteers who work in hospice might best serve Mrs. Thomas if at least one person came to see her on a regular basis so she could maintain some social contact with others outside her husband. C. Create a holistic nursing action plan appropriate for managing Mrs. Thomas’s care at home by doing the following: ? 1. Discuss ways to optimize Mrs. Thomas’

Writing assignment of auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assignment of auditing - Essay Example In my opinion, I think it is appropriate that the cash balances are confirmed under the U.S. Auditing standards. This is mainly because cash amounts are the most liquid part of the business and can easily be stolen from the firm or misrepresented (Kieso 77). Moreover, it could be termed as a control measure to ensure that no cash is lost between the time of recoding and auditing. It may also be trick especially because businesses are in operations whereby the cash balance is expected to vary with business activities. The procedure for cash balances auditing may be a bit different as compared to other forms of audits yet so closely related. The first step is to identify the main purpose of the cash audit; which in this case is to ensure that the balances indicated in the cashbook correspond to the cash balances. This is to ensure than no cash is lost between the time of recording on the balance sheet and the time of auditing the records. The second step is taking into consideration the relevant developments for the cash account. Such developments could be as a result of sales or expenditure among other things. Finally the audit process is conducted to ensure that the balance is consistent. Finally, bank reconciliation may or may not be made. The cash account is one that is under constant risks. To start with, being the most liquid asset, cash can easily be stolen from the company by either the workers or the management. Moreover, it is more likely to be misrepresented due to the fact that it is constantly changing. When controlling cash related risks, caution is taken to avoid confusion with the bank account. More often than not, some transactions are conducted using both accounts and often recorded as one. Additionally, proper planning must be taken into consideration to avoid any risks that might occur in the process (Kieso 77). These risks can be classified into the fraud triangle which has

Different Views on Ethical Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Different Views on Ethical Perspectives Essay We, as human beings are more often aware of our actions. Before we make decisions critical analysis comes with a great consideration. We are able to analyze these things because are considered as rational beings and we have the ability to think to the highest level we can. We opt to consider whether these things are good or not, if it’s right or wrong and if it’s really needed or not; this we often consider as ethics. Ethics is an issue of morality. There are things that we do that others consider wrong, but others may consider righteous. According to the society we should act as what it considers right; norms are one of the foundations of ethics and we should act accordingly. Norms can be a basis of what is morally right or wrong. There are four perspectives to be discussed in this paper, each of them having their own characteristics and each of them having their strong points and their weaknesses. The perspectives are universally known as the character or virtue, deontology or the perspective of obligation, the theory of utilitarianism and the equity or principle of relativism. The theory of utilitarianism points out two things; one thing is better than the other if we could gain more pleasure from it, and the other thing is not that good, or better yet to say evil, if we could only gain pain from it. This theory also states that we do things voluntarily, that one is considered as the pilot of his own decisions and that such consequences could have not taken place if only he did or did not do such actions. The amount or quantity of pleasure or pain takes into a great consideration in the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is better understood as having the maximization quantity of benefit and less quantity of bad or the pain it can cause. A person would have two distinct choices, the first one is that if he does the action he would gain more pleasure or shall I say he can maximize the benefits of the action; the other is that if he does the action he would have to gain more risks and consequences. The first choice would be most favored because we, as human beings would not want to suffer from the choices we make, we do not want to be suffering from the consequences of our actions so what we do is do the thing that would give us the most favorable and maximum quantity of pleasure (Moore, 1912). Virtue is an ethical perspective that tackles about the actions that we make and the ideals we have in life that we should strive for and that these ideals help us in developing our highest potentials as human beings. This focuses on the traits or character that one has, the dispositions in life and the attitudes whether be it bad or good. Virtues are acquired through doing it everyday, they become a person’s characteristic when they are practiced for the longer time. There are a lot of characteristics and virtues a person can have; truthfulness, patience, honesty, and courteous are some of these. Virtue would help us in pursuing the ideals that we have in life (C. A. Manuel Velasquez, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer 1996). The theory of ethical relativism states that morality is based on the culture of a society. It singles out that one can either be wrong or right, bad or evil depending on the society the person belongs to; the society is the one concerned in creating its own culture. This theory is basically called relativism because being good or bad is relative of the kind of society a person belongs to; the society dictates whatever thing is perceived as good or bad. Every single society shares a common culture, this culture defines good and bad and the people should act with accordance to the standards of the society they belong. This theory is often argued because of the fact that every single society has its own culture and therefore has its own perception of bad or good. However, this theory is useful in exploring the reasons behind the differentiation of culture among societies (C. A. Manuel Velasquez, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer, 1992). Obligation perspective holds the golden rule â€Å"do not do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you†. It simply states that we should do what is only right and not what is wrong. It holds the principle of doing what is good because of the obligation. Say for example, a person should tell the truth because that person is bound to have an obligation to tell the truth because he doesn’t want other people not to trust him and because he upholds the value of truthfulness. This perspective is sometimes being pertained to utilitarianism, but it is totally different. While obligation is obligatory, utilitarianism is a voluntary act. After taking the ethical awareness test, I have known that what ethic perspective dominates in me is the obligation or the deontology. My perspective is based on my obligation or duty to do what is morally right. With this, I am to consider a thing as ethical if I choose how I act and what rules I am willing to oblige. It is also stated in my ethical perspective that the people should not be treated as a means to justify an end, simply stating â€Å"the end does not justify the means†. I also believe that every single individual should be given the respect that any man should have and therefore I won’t be able to comply with the policies and social traditions aimed at the best interest of the society as a whole. However, my approach to ethics requires legal and humane limits, I simply believe that people should be allowed to make their own choices and I advocate policies that have the intention to ensure equal opportunities for all as well as equal respect. My ethical perspective upholds the principle of doing things in accordance with the standards of right and wrong. However, though my ethical perspective aims to do what is morally right I am faced with numbers of dilemmas with regards to work. These problems would somehow cause me frustrations and may lead to a more devastated life in the future for it is not only concerned in the present but it also pertains to the future. One of the problems I am going to face with this perspective is that the people I work with might argue that some people within a society are not able to act in their own best interests. I may find this a fallacy because it was once used in the denying of the equitable treatment to women and the minorities. This somehow would result to frustration. The second problem I am to face with this perspective is that what I perceived to be morally right may not benefit most of the people. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if I have perceived a thing to be morally right it would maximize the good or pleasure. This would cause me another frustration because if I had made a decision which I perceived to be right and it didn’t work to be beneficial I may have doubts when I make a decision again. It might cause greater problems in the future. Another dilemma I am to face with this perspective is that defending this may end up in economic hardship; in worst cases I can be terminated. Say for example, in a working place several employees should be terminated because the company is having low production because these people are handicapped or they are simply not productive, the best action would be to terminate them but I, as a moralist would say that they should not be terminated because they have children. In the long run, if these people would be in the company and the company has still a low productivity the company would have losses and it may lead to closure because of the losses. Having things perceived as morally right may not be totally right; some may be beneficial but some can create more problems. We as human beings should act accordingly to whatever it is that we perceive because these choices are free of charge, because God created us with the opportunity of having what we call free will and should be practiced. We should not depend on what others may in making our decisions but we should also be ready for the consequences that accompany our decisions. Whatever action we do we should think of it twice, we should think that there are always two sides of a story. We should not be bounded by obligations because this might cause us greater frustrations in the future and this may lead to a very low self-esteem. We don’t want these to happen that’s why we should think critically and make decisions wisely because we are the pilot of our own lives.

Importance of individual differences in understanding behaviour

Importance of individual differences in understanding behaviour If you go into any job no matter where you are in the world you will come across a multitude of different personalities and behaviours. An individuals personality doesnt just affect the individual, but everyone around them. Organizations consist of people who work together. Differences between individuals based on personality traits, may be an incentive for the development of creativity and a source of conflicts and other problems existing in the organization. Managers need to be able to measure personalities in order to make useful hiring decisions and they can do this by giving personality test and evaluating the results. This essay will cover information about the individual differences and behaviour at work. Also will give examples of method of measure of personalities and theories. Main Body The word personality derives from the Latin persona, meaning mask ( J.Maltby, L.Day and A.Macaskill, 2007). Psychological definition of personality, define personality in terms of characteristics, or the qualities typical of that individual (J.Maltby, L.Day and A.Macaskill, 2007). Psychologists are interested in what people are like, why they behave as they do and how they became that way.à Ã… ¸Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã‚ »Ãƒâ€˜Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€˜Ã‹â€ Ãƒ Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€˜Ã…’ à Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã‚ ° à Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã‚ µ There two main attributes of the individual differences: ability and personality (C.Cooper, 2002). Ability is one of the traits that distinguish one person from another. There are found in the speed, depth and strength of mastery of methods and techniques of some activities and are internal mental regulators (C.Cooper, 2002). Personality stable system of philosophical, psychological and behavioural symptoms, personal feelings, thinks, behaves, that characterize the person (C.Cooper, 2002). According to information above, people differ from each other is obvious. Each person is different from any other their individual psychological peculiarity. The identity of each person is endowed with a combination of traits and characteristics that form the personality a combination of psychological characteristics of people that make up its identity, its difference from other people. Individuality manifested in the character traits, temperament, habits, the prevailing interest, as cognitive processes, abilities, individual style of activity. Studying individual differences is especially important ability for leaders and managers, enabling them to understand and relate well to others as well as understand themselves. It helps effectively promote functions and well-being among employees, because how employees will participate at work will depend on the production, reputation, quality of company or organization where person is working. There are so many different tests which can help to predict or describe personality. For example, there are two popular methods ( J.Maltby, L.Day and A.Macaskill, 2007), which managers can use to help them to determine which type of individual they want to bring to the organization or how to effectively manage the people. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and The Big Five Personality Model, they used to measure personalities. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is the most widely used in the world. MBTI is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Individuals are given a 100 question personality test that asks them how they would react in certain situations. Based on the results from the test they are rated as an introvert or an extrovert, intuitive or sensing, feeling or thinking, and perceiving or judging person. Management would rate a quiet or shy person as an introvert and a person that is outgoing, assertive and sociable as an extrovert personality. And intuitive person often looks at the big picture and a sensing person has attention to detail and often likes routine and order. A feeling type of person relies on emotion and values and a thinking person uses simple reason to handle situations. A perceiving individual would be able to handle flexibility and be spontaneous, and a judging individual likes control and ofte n prefers things to be structured. The Big Five method is a research method in which it has five basic dimensions that measure human personality. Personality is an important determinant of how a person thinks, feels, and behaves; it is helpful to distinguish between different types of personality. This method uses five factors which are extraversion a person that is positive emotional and feel good and world around one, neuroticism a person that is negative emotional and view the world around negatively, agreeableness which is a person that is tendency to get along well with others, conscientiousness is a person who is responsible and organized, careful persevering, a person that has openness to experience is creative, original, has broad interest and sensitive. Depending on what the individual scores it will determine which type of personality that they have (S. Wood, M. West, 2010). If the psychological test was carefully chosen it can help organisation or practically manager to do their work easily. General personality measures may well produce some important information about candidates; however, without clear ideas about what to look for, based on a detailed job analysis and other sources (The Psychology of Personel Selection). Each person is unique and has different types of personality that may be suited to different kinds of organizational situations. Characterize human it is not enough to know his temperament and style of the nervous system. Even with a very good knowledge of someones cognitive ability and personality it would impossible, because most of factors depend on situations (The Psychology of Personel Selection). For this reason, it is not enough to spend a few tests to know as individual difference. Good manager should understand and learn how to deal with people and find right way to manage them (à Ã‚ ºÃƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ Ã‚ ºÃƒ Ã‚ ° à Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾ OB) . Dispositional factors play a considerable role in our everyday life and there seems no reason to expect that they will not have some effects on work performance Teamwork has become an important part of the working culture and many businesses now look at teamwork skills when evaluating a person for employment. Therefore, it is important that students learn to function in a team environment so that they will have teamwork skill when they enter the workforce. As I dont have any work experience I want to discuss the individual differences according to my team working experience. Starting from, that I actually dont like working in group, because you depend on your group mates, you cannot work at yourself, all time you have to common concept. On other side, there are some positive sides of working together, you can find new friends and some time just make conversation with new people. In my experience I have a lot of team projects, some of them I was enjoyed, some of them were absolutely terrible, because group working is not easy as it looks in reality, you working not with friends or people with whom you prefer to work, but with people who was selected by someone, in my example it was undergraduate office. In group team all people have different inelegance, different character, some of them hardworking, some lazy. According to my group work experience, it easy to say that in this world everything is not as easy as it look like, because sometime you have to do work which you dont like but unfortunately you have to do it. First of all, in my group work were four people including me, all of us were different nationality. In our group were conflicts, difference of opinions, discrepancies, we make decisions, sometimes not quite correct, but we did them together, so its fault belong not to one person, its belong to whole group, because decisions in group make together, because the group is one and decisions should taken collectively. It was difficult to arrange time of our meeting because everyone has different time table But when we were learn about each as some information, it was easier to work In our project most of us participate, but we had one girl, she actually didnt attend most of our meetings, we e-mail to her, called, but she didnt replay on. So we had discussion in our group and decided that we going to gave her that 10% of final work. In fact it was really useful decision, because at the final presentation she was so active, tried to participate in all decision. But our group decided that her it going to be useful lesson for future. As well as, in our group was one person, who was responsible for finance, he was really intsiastics he all time In the conclusion, Importance Of Individual Differences In Understanding Behaviour Importance Of Individual Differences In Understanding Behaviour With globalisation becoming increasingly important, the corporate world is attracting a more diverse workforce and hence an increase in individual differences. An organisation is made up of people and individual differences are a key aspect in any organisation as each and every person brings along their own personal and unique differences. Much of psychology involves finding rules that describe how people behave in general. (Cooper, 2002) Understanding and triggering the best out of the individual differences is crucial for organisations to keep a competitive edge in todays fierce business environment. However managing individual differences is a complex issue as it relates to a number of human factors such as differences in attitudes, values, perceptions of the situation and self. There are diverse roles and research to support the findings of individual differences. However, for the purpose of this assignment I shall focus on how people respond differently to particular motivation interventions. Secondly this essay will also aim at examining individual differences in regards to how motivation affects performance. Studies have shown that motivation is a key influencer in job performance for individuals within their organisation. According to Stevens (2005) motivation is central to most human activities because it governs the choice of behaviour and attitudes. Motivation at work is complex because it relates to a number of interrelated human factors and organisational factors such as individual difference in work competence and organisational procedures, reward systems and communication framework. The higher motivation one has for the job, the more probable they will be to put more effort and work more efficiently. There are various ways that organisations adopt when ensuring that their employees are constantly motivated in their job. A decrease in motivation not only affects the employee and their productivity but the organisation as a whole, as the products will not be produced to the highest quality possible. The various ways that certain methods can be implemented in organisations to increa se the motivation are; increase in wages, bonuses, increase in holidays, days out, etc. However with reference to Taylors theory of motivation, Taylor claimed that money was what the worker wanted most (Locke, 1982). This cannot be proven to be a completely correct, with the research and evidence from individual differences, this contradicts what Taylor claims. Each individual has their own preferences and therefore not will be motivated in different ways Motivation enables one to have a different outlook on their performance of any sort, they will feel a different emotion when completing a task. A number of theories have been proposed to explain the impact of motivation on attitudes towards work and job performance. Reinforcement theory demonstrates that any behaviour that is rewarded would be repeated. This is known as positive reinforcement. An example of this in the workplace could be any monetary or non monetary reward, praise, approval, promotion or access to decision making process. However, it is necessary to consider the balance of the value of rewards to avoid potentially risky behaviour. For example, an individual will be motivated to achieve the greatest reward thus deliberate omission of complying with risk management practices. According to Skinner (1938) managers giving praise to others for working to minimise risk act as a strong motivator to comply with risk management practice and encourage involvement and responsibility. Moreover Social Learning theory contends that an individual are motivated not only by reward and punishment but by observing others receiv ing rewards and punishment. Individuals are motivated to imitate the behaviour of others if they observe they are being rewarded for their behaviour. Hence, managers can lead by example to gear the individual differences into the desired behaviour. However, given that each and every individual is unique, the managers must ensure not to promote discrimination while leading through example. Goal theory shows that people are money through reward systems and involvement in goal setting. Locke (1968) argues that employees are motivated to achieve specifically stated goals which are perceived as personally achievable. Hence understanding the individual differences is vital to help the organisation set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals to create a win-win situation. There are diverse motivation methods in which todays organisations use. There is a growing concern that more and more employees tend to increase the number of turnover within a company thus In order to keep the turnover low, managers need to find new innovative ways to keep individuals within the organisation motivated. The reality is that we can only hypothesise that people are motivated by some particular thing by looking at their behaviour and seeing if there is anything different when the particular thing is involved. (Weightman, 1999). This theory helps to reinforce the fact that understanding motivation of individuals is key in a work environment, this can help determine and predict an individuals performance within the job role. 2. In the war for talent, managers have to keep an even closer eye on staff morale and motivation. (Personnel Today, January 2001) Individual differences are seen all around; in the way each of us reacts to certain situations is a perfect example of differences. There are many diverse ways in which personality can be measured at work. Conversely to measure ones personality can be hard to define. The Big Five Model is a well known technique which explains how different personality traits link together. The Big Five Model has five diverse stages which help to identify the personalities of people, these are; Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness/ Intellect. Extraversion- this goes more into depth about how comfortable one feels around others, and also takes into consideration how sociable and outgoing a person is versus a quiet and reserved person. The more a person is sociable and outgoing, and a person who seeks out status, the more extrovert we say a person is. Agreeableness- This measures the extent to which a person is warm and trusting and open to others, versus someone who is less open and unfriendly. This can also show how a quickly a person can adapt being put in diverse situations and how friendly and welcoming they are to meeting new people. Conscientiousness- This shows the extent to how a person is organised and dependable, versus a person who is unorganised and impulsive. This will show how a person thinks and their feeling towards how they carry out certain tasks. Emotional Stability- This shows the extent of how a person is calm and stable versus a person who is more neurotic and nervous. When placed in certain situations we all experience various feelings and this can help show ones first instinct and how they adapt when placed in certain situations. Openness/ Intellect- This shows the extent to which a person is imaginative and innovative with regards to their ideas and openness to new and diverse experiences versus a narrow-minded and unimaginative individual. To fully understand the various personalities of individuals we need to know and understand all of the five different factors within the big five model. Only then will we be able to understand which category one fits into and thus can determine the way in which they are likely to react when placed in certain situations. Creating a great place to work meant developing an environment where self-motivation could take root and flourish. (Personnel Today, January 2001) When it comes to motivation within peoples careers or jobs, then employees do not want to feel that they need many incentives of motivation in order to be productive, self-motivation from within can also generate high efficiency from an individual and higher overall productivity. The pleasure of being to complete something and wanting to do well and succeed is a perfect example of self-motivation. The want or need to complete something successfully from start to finish and obtain a feeling of satisfaction, is a perfect exam ple of self-motivation at its best. LOOK IN BOOK AND ADD THE DIAGRAM AND TALK ABOUT THE MOTIVATORS FROM BOOK, AND LINK IN WITH INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. Reflective Report-From a personality report created from questionnaires which I filled out with regards to my personality. There were several questions which responded to thirteen different categories of characteristics these are; Sociability, Leadership, Optimism, Cooperation, Compassion, Sensitivity, Stability, Calmness, Order, Industry, Intellect, Culture, and Achievement. Each of these characteristics helps determine an individuals personal traits and behaviour. Both I and a peer completed the questionnaire which would help to outline individual differences in action, and show whether the way I perceive myself would be the same as the way in which my peer perceived my characteristics to be. The results in some cases show that the way in which I have seen myself, can in many cases be completely different or sometimes similar to the way in which others perceive myself. Relevant research helps to support the individual differences theory and helps one to understand how they are perceived by others and the difference in how a person might perceive them to be. Whether introvert or extrovert, all of these traits and personalities are what makes us different, and the way in which we see ourselves on a day-to-day basis can be seen completely different by someone who sees us on a day-to-day basis. Another example of how personality theories have supported certain situations that I have been placed under is doing group assignments at University. I was placed within a group of individuals that I had never previously met. After a few weeks of starting to understand one another, we all felt that we had similar qualities and personalities. Conversely weeks gone by, I started to notic e that people that I originally thought had the same personality in some certain aspects to myself, turned out to be completely different. For example, everyone in the first instance was very agreeable, which in most cases is always true, because we were all aware that this was group work and we had to work together in order for this to be completed. However after meeting often with the group, I noticed people were a lot more extroverts with their feelings, and were not afraid to let their feelings be shown, even if this was negative. In addition to this after several meetings after people who I perceived to be like-minded would be completely opposite to what I thought earlier for example; they would turn up to meetings late or not at all, whereas I am a punctual person and thought they were too from initial meetings, they were very laid-back in approach to their work, and took their time whereas in the beginning showed enthusiasm in wanting to get the work complete. In addition to this, from my personality report, it has been proven that the way in which I perceive myself to be a much organised, conscientious type of person, my traits have been perceived by others to be the same, and that others agree to an extent that I am a very conscientious person. Within the group, there were many who at first gave the impression of being very conscientious however as time went on, I found that they were quite the opposite and more impulsive. Working in a group with such diverse and in most cases opposite personalities to my own was at first daunting and quite a difficult task to ensure each person can remain motivated and get the work completed, however being able to adapt to situations proved to be a strong trait of mine, enabling me to get my message across to all people, in a positive way. Another previous experience of mine showed that I perceive myself to be a good leader in one way or another in being able to apply my thoughts across to my peers and when dealing w ith group work, I am an organised person which helps in being a good leader. From the feedback of the personality report, a friend perceived me in the same way, and thought likewise, as well as this, being in a group with students whom I had never previously met, after receiving a high result in the work, feedback came unknowingly from peers claiming they were glad I was the leader and I made an excellent leaderall credit goes to you. Which helps to show evidence that in some cases we can see ourselves and know most of what our personality is like and what others may also perceive however in many cases many people can get the wrong message about one another. The reflective report helps to support my theory of personality traits within a working environment. My experiences within working at university in group assignments and the peer profile helps to show that personality is key when understanding individuals. Personality helps to determine the outcome of an individual and what is expected of them. Recommendation- There are diverse ways in which work processes can be improved in the future, an example of this is; for managers to schedule regular one-to-one basis meetings, where employees will be able to express their concerns if they have any. On one hand, some employees prefer interaction and want to feel like they have a voice within the company. If a manager is able to effectively understand the employees needs and provide new innovative ways of implementing new systems so that can help employees to feel more motivated, they will thus achieve a better response of motivation. There are individuals who differ, which shows a clear demonstration of individual differences. Thus, some individuals will prefer to have clear guidance and a supervisor or manger to conduct regular meetings, however some may not prefer this technique. Therefore, it is the duty of the manager to get the balance right and ensure that they are able to respond to employees wants and needs. As mentioned abov e, there are various techniques of motivation interventions which can all contribute to the overall performance of an individual. By implementing these motivation factors and putting them into practice in a working environment such as; doing a group project at work, using different techniques which can be creative and not tedious can increase motivation, productivity and the overall efficiency. The downfall of having so many motivation interventions is that due to individual differences within a group, it may be difficult to know which method is the best to pursue. This can have an adverse and opposite effect leaving some members feeling rather de-motivated and generally un-interested, which creates a further problem of trying to re-motivate and create responsiveness in the group. Give advantages and disadvantages to the recommendation when being introduced in an organisation. Bibliography Fincham R, Rhodes P, (2005) Principles of Organizational Behaviour, New York: Oxford University press Inc. Furnham, A. (1992) Personality at Work: The role of individual differences in the workplace. London: Routledge Mazerolle, D, M. James, R, L. (2002) Personality in Work Organizations, London: Sage Publications Inc. Schermerhorn R. J. Jr, Hunt. G. J, Osborn. N. R (1991) Managing Organizational Behaviour, Ohio University: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Organizational and Management Theories

Organizational and Management Theories Introduction: Organizational behavior is the backbone of any business. It is used to study about the internal character and the external character of the people in the firm. Organizational behaviour is the study of how individuals and groups perform together within an organization. It focuses effectively on managing individuals, groups, organizations, and processes (Steven Stralser, 2004). Organizational behavior is convenient shorthand that refers to the numerous interrelated influences on and patterns of behaviour of people within organizations. (Porter, Lawler and Hackman) The culture of the organization can be measured in the terms of the individuals, group as well as from the whole organization. So for the purpose of analyzing the factors that affect the organization we need to analyze the factors that will affect the character of the individual, group as well as the whole organization. The organization will run in different ways inside. Most of the times this is formal and sometimes this is informal as well. Most of the problems residing in the company are based on the interpersonal problems. To over come the problems within the employees the company has managed to come up with few ideas. Understanding Organizational Behavior Evolution of management: Classical organization theory evolved during the first half of this century. It represents the merger of scientific management, bureaucratic theory, and administrative theory. (David S. Walonick, Ph.D.) Scientific approach of management: (1) (2) The scientific management was formulated by Frederick Winslow Taylor (often called Taylorism) in the years of late 19th century in order to increase the productivity in the firm. His theory had four basic principles: 1) find the one best way to perform each task, 2) carefully match each worker to each task, 3) closely supervise workers, and use reward and punishment as motivators, and 4) the task of management is planning and control. Most of the principles are applicable to almost all the organizations and it was widely accepted by the firms in that time. The main objective that stands with this theorem is to gain economic growth by improving the labor productivity. All the things needed to increase the productivity of the firm had been included in this theorem. Taylor noticed most of the problems with the workers in terms of the intelligence, creativity, talent, motivation, skills and more. These differences are the main reason for the low productivity in the firm. Taylor was a lathe operator and foreman. The scientific approach developed by the Taylor is the first to use the science to weigh the value of the individual workers. He said that taking the decisions of the industry just by the wish of the decision maker and the thumb rule should be omitted and the importance should be given more to the careful study of the process of taking the decision. More analysis has to be done before taking any kind of decisio n. It created new era in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Most of the firms in those days accepted the theorem as the new way to increase the productivity rather than taking the decisions by using the old imposed methods. The Taylors theorem was first coined as the term shop management or process management. Later it was changed to the name scientific management. This method is implemented in most of the firms to reduce the wastage of the resources and increasing the productivity in the company. Most of the industries in those days were based on product development. There were fewer firms based on the services oriented. So it was well applicable to those time period/ but later it was falling in the negative side, as it was giving more importance to the part of improving the productivity that the human value. For example, during one of Taylors own implementations, a strike at the Watertown Arsenal led to an investigation of Taylors methods by a U.S. House of Representatives committee, which reported in 1912. The conclusion was that scientific management did provide some useful techniques and offered valuable organizational suggestions, but it gave production managers a dangerously high level of uncontrolled power. After an attitude survey of the workers revealed a high level of resentment and hostility towards scientific management, the Senate banned Taylors methods at the arsenal. (3) Certainly Taylorisms negative effects on worker morale only added more fuel to the fire of existing labor-management conflict, which frequently raged out of control between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. Thus it inevitably contributed to the strengthening of labor unions, which was the opposite of any of Taylors own hopes for labor relations. That outcome neutralized most or all of the benefit of any productivity gains that Taylorism had achieved. Thus its net benefit to owners and management ended up being small or negative. It would take new efforts, borrowing some ideas from Taylorism but mixing them with others, to produce a winning formula. Classical theory of management: The classical theory of management has done most of its work on the flow of the control and the decision making capacity in an organization. It splits the organization into three levels based on the power they are having in changing the firm with their decisions. They are classified as top level management, middle level management, and Low level management. The top level management comprises of the directors and other board members who have the authority to take the decisions of the firm by themselves. In might include any acquisitions to be made, opening new departments, expanding in the international markets, applying innovations to create a new product, closing productivity of existing products etc. All the strategies that are going to affect the firm in a major aspect will have its birth from the table of the top level management. The middle level management is the supervisors who carry the decisions made by the top level to the bottom level. The middle level management is there to manage the decisions taken and to process those things to split the work among the different personnel across the organization. The low level persons are the real workers of the firm. They are the ones who execute the plans and the decisions of the top level management and the middle level management. These bottom line workers are the labors who were working for the hourly wage or sometimes as contractors. Most of the individuals in this level are low thinkers and capable of doing things they got expertise in. Hawthorne studies: (4) The Hawthorne effect an increase in worker productivity produced by the psychological stimulus of being singled out and made to feel important. Along with Frederick Taylors work, this study gave rise to the field known as Industrial Psychology as social group influences and interpersonal factors must also be considered when performing efficiency research such as time and motion studies. The major finding of the study was that almost regardless of the experimental manipulation employed, the production of the workers seemed to improve. One reasonable conclusion is that the workers were pleased to receive attention from the researchers who expressed an interest in them. The study was only expected to last one year, but because the researchers were set back each time they tried to relate the manipulated physical conditions to the workers efficiency, the project extended out to five years. Four general conclusions were drawn from the Hawthorne studies: The aptitudes of individuals are imperfect predictors of job performance. Although they give some indication of the physical and mental potential of the individual, the amount produced is strongly influenced by social factors. Informal organization affects productivity. The Hawthorne researchers discovered a group life among the workers. The studies also showed that the relations that supervisors develop with workers tend to influence the manner in which the workers carry out directives. Work-group norms affect productivity. The Hawthorne researchers were not the first to recognize that work groups tend to arrive at norms of what is a fair days work; however, they provided the best systematic description and interpretation of this phenomenon. The workplace is a social system. The Hawthorne researchers came to view the workplace as a social system made up of interdependent parts. Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs Abraham Maslow developed a theory of personality that has influenced a number of different fields, including education. This wide influence is due in part to the high level of practicality of Maslows theory. This theory accurately describes many realities of personal experiences. Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs. Beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist. These include needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied or the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on. Maslows basic needs are as follows: Physiological Needs These are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the persons search for satisfaction. Safety Needs When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviours, the needs for security can become active. Adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). Children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe. Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging. Needs for Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless. Needs for Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a persons need to be and do that which the person was born to do. However, it is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. (from Psychology The Search for Understanding by Janet A. Simons, Donald B. Irwin and Beverly A. Drinnien West Publishing Company, New York, 1987) The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization as below: The above theories give rise to the necessity of Human relations and team dynamics which play a major role in the successful performance of a company. Human Relations: (5) Human relations can be defined as the cordial atmosphere in an organization in which people practice the art of living in such a way that they communicate, act, interact and transact in a cordial manner recognizing each others needs, views, values and temperaments so that every interaction and transaction which takes place in an organization would have concern for each others interests and feelings leading to better motivation and morale of people at all levels in the organization. The business organizations of today, and days to come, must employ and manage educated and enlightened human beings in their work force, in place of traditional, illiterate and less ambitious man power. Team dynamics: (6) Team Dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. It is the responsibility of the manager to look into the group regarding the communication issues. The managers have to make sure that there are no personal disputes in the group and the communication mode is perfect in making the decisions within the group. And the authority given for a person is used in the right way and has never been misused. The responsibility to make sure that the ideas of any individuals are freely opening in the group resides with the manager. The group is made of individual characters. Hence the dispute between any two of the characters will lead to the destruction of the whole team. The team is made up of different people, different gender, from different location so they have to develop the skills to learn from each other. They should find the opportunity in the difficult times. Thats the real way to learn the things. People from different location can learn each others way of living, way of habit, their cultures and more. Even there may be difference in t he way of learning. So, all the things will be helpful in a team. The size of the team will also sometimes influence the way of attraction or the way that is causing the dispute between people. If the size of the team is too small in a single digit, then managing that group is somewhat easier than the other. Some of the people in a group will actively participate in all the works of the group. But others used to avoid such things. They wont actively participate in the team events. Some of the positive aspects about the team dynamics are as follows: This drags others in the team to get into the discussion, So that the team friendliness increases. Will increases the social feel to the group and the people start taking the things at ease. Remove their hesitation to play and having fun with other. And that kind of friendship asks them to be more informal and make their minds free of the stress. So the people will not have to expect the motivation and encouragement from any of the formal persons or through the beneficiary acts. Their team members are there to please them at the needed time. But it has some negative effects too. If two people were friends in a group, then the other people might find it difficult to get between them. So eventually there will be two sub groups. Most of the information passed through these groups is not passed to other group. Social culture within them gets spoiled and the people are not actively participating in each others activities. The decision making of the group is to be done without the intervention of one of the groups. The miscommunication within the team will lead to the poor performance from that team. At the time of problem the members of the group have to find the solutions as a team. This will reduce the processing time of the problems as well as bring out lots of alternative solutions for a single problem. Likewise the solution may be innovative and smart and sometime it will reduce the amount of resource we need to reduce. Thus it reduces the cost of implementing the solution. Let us consider an example to understand team dynamics: Suppose in a small team of six people working in one office there are two people who have a particularly strong friendship. This friendship is a natural force that may have an influence on the rest of the team, and can be manifest in various ways, either positively or negatively. The positive effect of a strong friendship in a team might be: The friends communicate a lot together which naturally results in other members being drawn into the discussion which results in a good social feel to the group which makes people enjoy being in the group which improves motivation and commitment The negative effect of a strong friendship might be: To cause the other four people to feel excluded which means they are less likely to include the two friends in decision making which means that there are likely to be two sub-groups which means that information may not flow across the whole group, but only within the subgroups which means that miscommunication may lead to misunderstanding and poor collective performance Case Study: To discuss the organizational structure and its patterns lets look into the following case study on Wipro Technologies Wipro Technologies is one of the largest IT services firm in India that has been started in the year of 1985, by Azim Premji. The Wipro Technologies is the subsidiary of Wipro limited started first as the company that produced the sunflower oil and 787 laundry soap. The IT services of the Wipro are being providing its services to the companies in Europe, America, Japan and almost all the parts of the world. The company majorly operates in three segments such as Global services India and Asia pacific services Consumer care and lightning The company is having it services in almost all the parts of the business such as health care, insurance, banking, military, hospital, mobile, finance, media, business management and more. The services provided by the Wipro are as database management, customer relationship management, business consulting, business intelligence, network management, testing services, enterprise application development, security applications and more. Wipro is one of the IT firms that is giving importance to the innovations of the tag line Wipro Applying Thought Wipro is having more than 40 centers of excellence that provide solutions to the number of industries across the nation. With its unmatched business solutions through the process excellence, service delivery innovations innovation, Wipro is the first company to receive the CMMI level 5 in the software services company. And also to receive the IEEE software process award by a company that is outside of the United States. Wipro has strong faith in the innovation and according to them the innovation will act as a significant partner in developing the business and achieving high goals. The top management of the Wipro was keen in looking for the innovation within the organizations. The top management believes that to become top most in the IT servicing firms, it has to make lots of changes in the innovative way. Some of the innovations made within the company as per the recent trends are introduction of home networking, wireless communications and workplace collaboration. Wipro is the first company to make the multiprocessor systems in India and making mini computer along with the compiler that was written in India. In the later years the company made its step into the IT related services. By the years of 1990s it became one of the notable firm in providing the IT related services. After the Infosys and the Tata consultancy services, Wipro is the major software exporter of India. After globalization started making impact on the world market, the IT service providing in India got a boom. Wipro was one among them to take their ship in that wave and was successful eventually. However, just like any other organizations, Wipro has its own flaws and was not an exception, where the employees face the same challenges as any other IT firm would face. Below are some of the common problems faced by the individuals in a software firm: Benching: Whenever the software industry is in need to get the status of the multi national company they will have to show some internal status to get that MNC grade. For that they have to implement their offices for development as well as marketing in other nations also. Likewise they have to show the certain number of employees working in their company. Accordingly, more than the required number of employees will be employed for the projects. As some of the employees would not be assigned to any of the projects, they will be idle and this process is called being on Bench. During the bad economic times and recession they will terminate the employment of those who are not assigned to any of the send out the persons who were not assigned with any of the projects. The job of a person in the MNCs is not safe. But that person is provided with the huge salary. Technical up gradation: Most of the people in the software firm fail to update themselves with the software field needs updating frequently. Without the up gradation of knowledge no one can survive in the field. Since it is the emerging domain, employees have to keep themselves well prepared. The firms will keep on training the persons with new technology and keep on appraising on the basis of their knowledge. The persons showing poor result during the appraisals would be de-promoted or thrown out of the firm at any time. So, unless and until the employees keep themselves updated with the growing needs, their jobs are in danger. Inadequate Time span: The employees are getting less time to finish their projects and the companies are looking for cutting the unwanted cost and to gain more. The employees are stressed more to accomplish the tasks. So the software engineers are expected to put more hours to work which not only affects the potential of the individuals but also the work-life balance of ones life. Lack of training: Most of the people in the software firm are not getting enough training when they are placing them in new project with new technology. They are supposed to learn all those sort of new technologies by themselves. So their work will not have perfection. High stress: It is not the kind of job for the people who are not capable for solving their solving their stress. Because the software domain jobs are highly payable, it also produces more stress in you than other jobs. People work on their computers for longer periods of time without any movement around and cannot be felt relieved from stress. Though the entities are concentrating on the stress management programs, employees are not able to find value in them, as at the end of the day the project work is your first responsibility. Recommendations for effective Management for the above discussed problems: (6) Developing effective management skills to deal with specific challenges and problems of each organization is the urgent needs of many businesses and organizations in the global competitive environment, rapid changing of technology and environment. The new tendency of training and development of successful organizations over the world today is developing effective skills in dealing with specific challenge of their own organization to reach their own mission and objectives in the new organization that characterized by networked, flat, flexible, diverse, global organization. An effective management should have the following skills. Creative Problem Solving Skills: This includes identifying the cause of the problem, analyzing the problem and developing and implementing a creative and sensible approach for the problem Communication Skills: The effective communication should ideally include listening, presentation and report writing skills where the employees should be provided adequate training and awareness on. Conflict Management Skills: Management should capable of identifying any sources of conflict, understanding the style of conflict resolution and should be able to choose the best strategy for dealing the conflict Self-Awareness and Improvement: The management should emphasize on the concept of self-management and the effectiveness of self-management. This can be done by developing a holistic thinking and understanding the emotions in the work place of the employees Traditional versus Contemporary Organizational structure and Culture: (7) Traditional organizations emphasize a strict division of labor, top-down decision-making, and extensive rules and procedures where as on the other hand the contemporary design flattens the traditional pyramid structure, facilitates the flow of information to all parts of the organization and reduces response time to external and internal demands. It is to be noted that the traditional organization is a pyramid with a president at the top, a few vice presidents, and layers of management and the majority of employees at the bottom. Jobs are specialized, and information and authority flow from higher to lower levels. Wipro Technologies has been following the traditional organizational structure when it has first started with the production of sunflower oil and laundry soaps, until it entered the IT market. However, as the times passed by, due to the expansion of the firm in to global market with a variety of services, it chose to follow the modern organizational structure to grow as per the industry standards. In the modern times, especially for an organization like Wipro where it has emerged in to the global markets, the contemporary or the modern organizational structure suits the best as it is in par with the changing times. Conclusion: Thus, it is very evident that all the organizational and management theories put forward are to help the organizations to be successful in terms of their individual employees, groups, management and environmental changes. The organizations choose the type of organizational structure to be followed, either modern or traditional depending on the vision, industry and the market approach of the firm. It is no be noted that the individual employees contribute to the major part of the firms success and therefore the management should always bear in mind the human relations and team dynamics with in the organization while effectively managing the groups.