Management of Organizational Behavior-Utilizing Human Resources
An organization is a social unit that is made up of more than one person and also consciously coordinated to enable the individuals to work towards achieving a common objective. Additionally, it has the role of acquiring resources, developing ways of using the resources in an orderly manner and configuration of duties to achieve the goals of the organization (Miner, 2005). Some of the examples of organizations include churches, hospitals, manufacturing companies, and ministries of governments. On the other hand, behavior can refer to something which people carry out and can be measured or be observed. Therefore, Organizational Behavior is an area of study that plays the role of investigating the individuals’ impact, groups’ impact, and behavioral structures in organizations. On the other hand, human resources signify the human labor that a body has while utilization of human resources is the proper use of human labor that is available in an organization. The core objective of this paper will be to present an analysis of the management of organizational behavior and the utilization of human resources in an organization.
Disciplines that Contribute to Organizational Behavior
Organizational behavior is an area of study that encompasses some social science subjects that deal with human behaviors such as sociology, psychology, political science, cultural anthropology, political science, and economics.
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Causes of Behavior
Behavior is a function of both the environment and individuals who belong to the environment. Therefore, the environment and an individual must be in existence for the occurrence of human behaviors. Environmental and personal factors interact to establish the behavior of individuals (Miner, 2005). The environment not only changes the characteristics of individuals but it also affects their actions directly. Employees of an organization are given instructions on how to carry out the activities of the organization and as a result, certain aspects of behavior are acquired by the employees. It is also essential to note that organizational behavior takes place in a roles’ system that is formal. For instance, the organizational behavior will occur in areas where work associations are already developed through procedures, policies, job description, and rules and regulations. On the other hand, organizational behavior can also be caused by informal structures that exist in formal systems.
The understanding of human behavior in an organization can take two approaches that encompass cognitively and reinforcement approach. The cognitive approach is concerned with the cognizant mental commotions that include understanding, knowing, thinking and concepts of the mind such as beliefs, attitudes, and expectations. On the other hand, cognition is the manner in which an individual recognizes another person. Such a scenario occurs because a person is incapable of directly observing the understanding and thinking of other people. Additionally, an individual cannot see the values, attitudes, beliefs of others. Cognitive theorists propose that the initiation of behavior takes place through stimuli.
Reinforcement approach regarding the understanding of human behavior emphasizes on the outside factors that include punishments, rewards, and stimuli (Miner, 2005). The rewarding of behavior due to the response to a particular stimulus can result in the repeat of the behavior. On the other hand, the punishment or lack of rewarding behavior that responds to a particular stimulus may not lead to the recurrence of the behavior. The reinforcement approach emphasizes a lot on processes that are measurable such as responses, stimuli, and outcomes. A stimulus that can be observed will lead to the occurrence of visible response which will then be accompanied by results that can be measured.
Values, Perceptions, and Attitudes
The knowledge of human beings is a critical component of organizational behavior. Understanding comes out as a process that is complex because what humans perceive can be influenced through various ways that can eventually result in misunderstanding and perceptual misrepresentation. The manners in which humans organize perceptions rely on the object’s characteristics or the event that is being identified. Additionally, social and physical environments where perception occurs can manipulate what is manipulated and the manner in which it is manipulated (Price, 2011). The attitudes of an individual can be influenced on a great deal by values and thus, know the value system of a person can give insight into the person’s attitudes. Managers can always apply the hierarchy of the seven-level to categorize workers who have the potential because of the differences in values of individuals. Also, managers can find out if the benefits of the workers are compatible with the organization’s values and if not then the managers can come up with appropriate measures that make employees and the organization’s goals to be consistent. As such, there will be effective utilization of the human resources that organizations have.
An attitude is a tendency that is persistent on how a person acts in a certain manner and feels towards particular objects. An approach is made of emotional feelings, beliefs, and tendencies in behavior. The acquisition of attitude by people takes place via experiences, association with people and objects, and by learning through other individuals (Miner, 2005). As a result, attitudes can be essential in reinforcing, organizing data, expressing values, and serving to shield people from anxiety. It is critical to note that employees with a positive attitude towards the organization and their colleagues will always work towards achieving the goals of the organization.
Group Behaviors
The important traits of a group are the presence of people who interact with each other, share similar ideologies, and consider themselves as a group. Individuals get into groups for status, personal security, affiliation, self-esteem, achievement of organization’s objectives, and power. There are standard stages through which organizations establish such as norming, storming, performing, and forming. Groups are commonly formed in organizations to assist in solving the problems in an organization, and thus, managers should be well conversant with the panel processes and the roles that they are intended to carry out. Additionally, decision making in groups should be efficient and should depend on the individuals, the type of the organization’s tasks, and social influences. Also, the employees of an organization should be in a position to adjust their behaviors in a manner that meets the group’s expectations. Teams play an essential role in performing duties that require a top notch level of interdependence of socio-techniques.
Organizational Structure
Most of the structures of organizations are never similar. Organizations mostly use structures such as linking-pin, bureaucratic, matrix, and project. It is notable that bureaucratic structure is the one that is commonly applied in the management of the designs of organizations. The coordination that is most needed within work groups can be realized via the structures that are hierarchical. On the other hand, when the environment becomes much dynamic and complex, structures of organizations take forms that are more complex (Miner, 2005). The structures of the linking-pin promote the contribution of functional experts in the process of decision making. The structure of the product or the project is applied in the organizations whose goods or projects are identifiable and that require special attention. A matrix organization can superimpose the structure of a product or project on a functional structure whose design is to facilitate the information flow between the groups and between the functional departments. Matrix structures are normally applied by organizations whose operations are in environments that are dynamic and complex.
Importantly, most organizations employ the division of labor in the management and completion of their tasks. The distribution of labor allows for specialization among employees and thus, the employees will be in a position to carry out duties that they can perform best. A worker will just perform the tasks that fall under his specialization (Price, 2011). Organizations do find the division of labor effective because it gives room for differentiation among the groups of professionals. Additionally, employees who perform certain tasks on a regular basis are in a position of being proficient and thus, the efficiency of production is most likely to increase. Also, the complex jobs can be made easier by dividing them into units that individuals can carry out with lots of ease to the level of accomplishment.
The efficient performance of the tasks of an organization will rely on the design of the structure of the organization. Furthermore, it is significant to understand that, an organization is made up of a system that is socio-technical which is composed of tasks, individual groups, and controls of management. To achieve the organizational goals and to increase the efficacy of the organization then the socio-technical systems must be compatible with each other. The importance of an organizational design is to structure the activities of an organization to ensure that other components of the organization such as and the demands of the environment are all compatible with each other.
Work Motivation
Individuals work for organizations because of the need to satisfy their needs and therefore, they get engrossed to organizations that have the capability of giving them the satisfaction that they desire. The comfort can come in the form of rewards or incentives. Incentives and rewards are frequently used by organizations to induce their employees to put most of their effort in the organization and help the organization achieves its set goals. The organization’s existence for a long duration will rely on its capability to pull people and motivate them. Motivation is used by organizations to direct, energize, and sustain the characters of employees. The satisfaction of the needs of the employees will eventually lead to more efforts put on the tasks of the organization by the employees. Motivation revolves around some of the theories that have been developed such as the equity theory, the theory of motivation-hygiene, theory X and Y, reinforcement theory, the expectancy theory, and the needs hierarchy theory.
The needs hierarchy theory explains that safety, physiological, self-actualization, esteem and socialization are the most critical needs that employees value, and they get motivated when they get the needs. Theory Y views the human nature in a positive way regarding the tasks of an organization whereas theory X views the human nature negatively regarding the responsibilities of the organization. The theory of motivation-hygiene insinuates that the factors of hygiene rarely soothe employees. The theory of reinforcement gives emphasis to the patterns that administer rewards (Miner, 2011). The theory of equity postulates that motivation of a person decreases when he feels that hi input produces a lot to the organization as compared to the input of others who give little to the organization yet motivation is the same. The expectancy theory is an argument that acting in a particular way with the same strength will just continue if the outcome of the input is attractive to the person who puts his efforts. Most organizations use money and promotions to motivate their employees. It is imperative to note that money and promotions drive employees to a limited extent that they are viewed as satisfying the goals of the employees and also perceived as dependent on the criteria of performance. The management of an organization will just be in a position of utilizing its human resource to the fullest if it finds best ways of motivating its employees. Such motivations can always come in the form of promotions and pay increase.
Job Design in Organizations
Job design is the manner in which an organization combines tasks to create jobs that are complete. An organization can have routine jobs because of the standardization of tasks as well as their repetitiveness. There are jobs in organizations that require skills that are very diverse and varied whereas other jobs are narrow in scope (Miner, 2005). Additionally, some posts constrain workers because of the exact procedures that are required to be followed by workers whereas other jobs give employees the freedom in the manner in which they carry out their duties. Also notable is that some jobs can just be accomplished in an efficient manner if carried out in groups or if employees work as a team while other jobs require that employees work independently. Job designs come about because of the differences in the combination of the tasks.
Some organizations make work attractive to employees by enriching the jobs that the employees carry out in the organizations. Job enrichment is associated with various concepts of job design such as matching, rotation, enlargement, and simplification of employment in a manner that fits the desires and the competent of employees. By so doing, jobs will be more satisfying to the employees (Price, 2011). Job enrichment can be done by finding the best manner in which the employees, the job, and the organization fit together. The matching of the organizational components then the employees of an organization will find their tasks more meaningful and challenging though it might be difficult to locate the match. It should be noted that workers who possess the skills required for a job and lack the desire to be part of the authority that is responsible for management and responsibility be allowed to participate in the enlargement of the jobs that require managerial tasks. On the other hand, employees who lack skills can be given the tasks that are simple to carry out because their motivation is driven by motivation from their income and the job tenure but not because of the job.
The efforts of job enrichment can fail to give results that are positive because of the failure of an organization to identify the cause of the problems of employees that emanate from other situations that are different from the challenges of the job (Miner, 2005). It, therefore, becomes difficult to solve the problems if the problems are not as a result of the job and changing the components of the job might not bring any solution. Applying one or combining the following in an organization can increase the potential of motivation:
Designing important units of work
Formation of the groups of work
Combination of the elements of task that are related
Permitting workers to manage pace and methods
Encouraging employees to develop relationships with clients
Permitting employees to control their work
In case the employees and the organization are not ready for the enrichment of the jobs then the management should have its concentration on improving the conditions of employment and the relationships between employers and employees instead of changing the components of tasks. The improvement of the conditions of service and the relationships between employers and staff can be enhanced by applying the following:
Matching of employees with their desirable jobs
Satisfaction of the existing requirements of employees
Developing climate that is supportive
Promotion of the flexibility of an organization
Expunging the status symbol
Training of employees
Importance of the Concepts of a Job Design
Job simplification improves the methods that are in place in a manner that enhances work performance as well as simplification of work. Job enlargement increases the number of a variety of operations that a job needs as well as the rate of which the cycle of the job is repeated (Miner, 2005). Job rotation gives room for employees to expand their activities, break monotony, and avoid boredom. Additionally, matching workers with jobs enhance the motivational job’s potential.
Organizational and Individual Characteristics
Individual Characteristics
Task attributes effects on the behavior of employees can be moderated by organizational and personal factors. Some of the factors include pay, job skills, job tenure, needs, and work ethics. The factors that individuals hold high influence their reaction towards the works that they do in the organization (Price, 2011). Such factors include work ethics, needs of higher order, knowledge and job skills, and dimensions of personality. Employees whose needs are of higher order such as achievements, self-esteem and autonomy prefer to carry out enriched and enlarged jobs. The task attributes that include the identity of tasks, feedback, task variety, and self-reliance assist employees in satisfying the needs of the higher order.
It is critical to note that the key managerial tasks of an organization involve the matching of the employees’ necessary knowledge and skills and the tasks of the organization in a manner that enables the employees to accomplish the tasks. Employees will always be frustrated when they are assigned to carry out organizational duties that they do not have the qualification to perform. Such frustrations arise because the employees’ skills, abilities, and knowledge are not well utilized, and they feel as though they are not appreciated. The meaningful of jobs are realized when the necessary knowledge and skills of workers match with the jobs that are assigned. Also, the workers should be willing and able to perform the tasks that are assigned to them.
Employees value work ethics and an organization that promotes work ethics is likely to achieve its objectives. Work ethics is founded on the conviction that work possesses both spiritual and moral values. The spiritual aspect of work ethics explains that employees who work hard glorify God. Additionally, employees who value work ethics are in a position to respond in a positive way to jobs that is demanding and those that require responsibility and hard work. On the other hand, workers who do not value work ethics are perceived as lazy individuals who are not hard working and fear responsibility.
Dimensions of personality do influence the reaction of employees to their works. Dimensions of personality have two aspects that affect such attitudes of employees towards their job, and they encompass the type of character and control locus (Price, 2011). Individuals who possess the internal control locus are more receptive to the management of participation and also tend to get satisfaction from their job than the persons with the control locus that is external. Individuals who possess internal control locus are in a position to get attracted to the situations of work that give opportunities for personal achievements as compared to the persons who have the external power. Individuals with neuroticism or a higher affinity for anxiety perform well in situations that present a well-structured job though they may go through serious stress in performance situations that are not structured and ambiguous.
Characteristics of an Organization
The success of the efforts of job enrichment is influenced by the factors of an organization such as flexibility of an organization, climate that is supportive as well as pays and work tenure.
Job Tenure and Pay
Employees will reasonably respond to the job enrichment concepts if they are satisfied with their job tenure and pay. Failure to satisfy such needs will make workers get occupied with other means that can give them satisfaction. For example, it is usually difficult for the management to make employees understand that that job enrichment will benefit them if the organization’s workers get less pay and lack job tenure as compared to their colleagues whom they work within the same industry and also in the same society.
Climate that is Supportive
Programs of job enrichment need a high level of openness and trust among the members of the organization. The association between the attributes of tasks and motivation to work is affected by the satisfaction of employees towards their supervisor and workmates. When employees do not trust their colleagues and the supervisor, then they are most likely to in-cooperate in exchanging the information that is much needed in the work place (Price, 2011). Additionally, the employees will also fail to set higher goals for themselves. On the other, supervisors who do not trust the people they supervise and also lack confidence in them will never be in a position to share their objectives and their managerial privileges. Programs of enrichment ensure that the supervisors’ duties change from supervising the activities of employees and issuing orders to the creation of work groups that are productive. Additionally, the supervisors should also help the work groups in conducting their duties. Lack of a climate that is supportive hinders the efforts of enriching jobs. It is critical to put down that an atmosphere that is supportive encourages supervisors and employees to work together and mutually and thus, the supportive environment ensures that an organization utilizes the human resource.
Flexibility of an Organization
Enrichment of job requires flexibility when structuring relationships in an organization. When employees have the responsibility and the authority to manage their work, then they should also be allowed some level of flexibility and autonomy in providing the definition regarding the goals of their tasks, also, choosing the means of realizing the goals and assuming goals that are appropriate in the process of goal attainment (Price, 2011). Organizations should provide flexibility to their employees so as to enhance the effectiveness of the programs of job enrichment. The performance and job satisfaction of employees will be at the top notch when there is a flexible environment in an organization. It is essential to nota that the top notch level of performance by employees is normally attributed to the flexibility in an organization. The flexibility will ensure that the employees accomplish even the tasks that are complicated to carry out.
Conclusion
To conclude, efficient management of an organization can just be realized through proper utilization of human resources in an organization. As already stated in the paper, employee motivation can take the form of promotion or pay increment. Additionally, the organizational and individual characteristics, as well as a proper job design, are some of the factors that any organization can explore to ensure that proper utilization of human resources in an organization is realized. The job should be done in a manner that ensures that ensures that employees are allocated the tasks that match with their skills, knowledge, experience, and capability. As such, employees’ performance will improve on a serious note, and an organization will be in a position to utilize its human resource in a way that brings more output to the organization.
References
Price, A. (2011). Human resource management . Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA.
Miner, J. B. (2005). Organizational behavior: Vol. 2 . Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe.
