Management

Organizational Behavior

Introduction:

An organization comprises of people who work together to achieve the objectives lain out. Human beings have a tendency of thinking sensibly and sometimes selfishly. The manner in which one person behaves can affect another person, either indirectly or directly. Thus, human behavior is rational and there is need for direction. Any change in leadership is likely to affect both the workers and the organization positively or negatively. This paper looks at how a change in the management of an organization can affect the workers, the organization and the objectives that have been set. It also includes recommendations on how to deal with the change.

John Becker is the new general manager of Regency hotel. He is a firm believer in empowerment, which in his opinion motivates employees. In the previous management, employees had been terrified to take risks and be innovative. Becker implemented his steps on empowerment. Employees were now able to make decision and introduce any innovation they had. After sometime, things went soar. In the beginning, some employees left. Then the employees had problems trying to distinguish minor from major problems. The employees also lost confident in making their own decisions and went back to relying on their superiors. The manager realized he had numerous consultations with the subordinates, which overloaded him.

During the transition, the management failed to plan the strategies used. There was no back up plan in case things did not work out. There was no longer excellence in the service provided to the guests. The guests were displeased. The number of formal complaints increased as compared to the number in the previous management. Faults made by the employees were more than before. Stress level on the employees’ part amplified. Absenteeism increased. The number of employees increased greatly. The good working relationship the employees once had deteriorated. Finger pointing and backstabbing became the order of the day.

In an organization that has been going on for a number of years, there is always equilibrium. Every time there is change, the equilibrium shifts. There will be forces for or against the change. According to the Lewin’s force field theory, there are habits that will develop to characterize the resistances to change (Loosemore, 2000). Yet the earlier they let go the better. In the case of Regency hotel, there was a change in management. Some employees were used to official procedures; this gave them a sense of power. When the bureaucratic system was changed, it was not easy to let go so they left.

Implementation of change:

It is necessary for management to include all the employees in implementing change. This is to ensure that all the employees are dynamically involved (Mc Shane et al, 2010). If some employees are not involved, then there will be lack of unity. This is because the employees will lack a clear definition of their role. In the regency hotel, the new management only introduced the strategies to the senior staff. In the end, the manager found he was trying to implement it alone. This is a consequence of poor communication in an organization.

Communication

Lack of proper communication is one of the factors that led to the poor performance of Regency hotel. The management failed to communicate effectively on minor and major issues (Lawson, 1998). Thus, the number of consultations increased rampantly overloading the manager. When implementing the new changes, the manager only communicated his strategies to the senior staff. He did not consider the junior staff who felt left out. Communication on a change in culture is significant (Mc Shane et al, 2010). The new management did not communicate on cultural issues before the take over. Some of the staff did not share the values of the new management and left the organization.

Power and influence

There was no proper division of power in the regency hotel. The administration levels were vague. The employees were not able to comprehend their place in making decisions. They were therefore not successful in distinguishing between minor and major issues. This was a challenge in implementing the empowerment strategy (Mc Shane et al, 2010). Every time the subordinates made decisions, the supervisors rejected the decisions. This made the employees feel that their decisions were not appreciated. Additionally, a new rule on making mistakes only once was introduced. Since the employees did not want to get in trouble for their mistakes, they started pointing fingers and backstabbing. All this factors led to increased levels of stress, which also increased the rate absenteeism and the employee turn over.

Organizational change and culture

The new management needs to consider that organizational culture and change go hand in hand (Johns, et al, 2005). Previously the regency hotel was Thai owned the new management was American. The organization now had a cultural issue to deal with. When the new manager of regency was introducing changes, he failed to consider and maintain the embedded values and beliefs. Employees will often choose the job roles that complement their culture (Mc Shane et al, 2010). Prior to the transition, no significant research was carried out to deal with the issue of culture. To deal with cultural issues it is important to recruit new employees with similar values (Becker & Mustric, 2008). Their personality should match the job roles.

 

 

Job design and role ambiguity

In the regency hotel the job and role ambiguity were unclear. This can be seen in the way the employees failed to distinguish between minor and major issues. The employees were not able to make their own decisions because their supervisors reversed their decisions. As a result, the manager was frustrated. Supervisors were also uncertain about the issues brought to them. They reversed these issues back to management (Lawler & Thye, 2006). Since the employees were only allowed to make mistake once, they started pointing fingers at others. The roles of the employees were in conflict. Previously, the front desk employees had to pass through the supervisors before making a decision. When this role was changed, there was conflict and most of the workers left.

Job satisfaction:

Job satisfaction is essential in any organization (Mc Shane et al, 2010).The previous management had good packages for the employees. The employees were therefore satisfied with their jobs. The new management introduced empowerment strategies; this allowed the employees to interact freely with management. However, the service provide in the regency hotel was not satisfactory, as is evidence by the increase in the number of complains from the customers. More cases of absenteeism were reported because the employees were stressed.

Recommendations

Prior to a transition in management, it is advisable that a research be done on how to effectively deal with the change in culture. On implementation of a new strategy, it is crucial that all the employees are included (Mc Shane et al, 2010). This is to enable the employees to feel needed in the organization. It is one way of overcoming any resistance to the change motivation is necessary for any organization. Team building exercises can be included as part of the motivation strategy. Team building events to consider include vacations, outings, conferences and workshops. Rewards and acknowledgements for work well done is another way of motivating employees, it shows employees that they are appreciated (Mc Shane et al, 2010) Team building enhances unity in an organization. It increases the productivity level of employees.

Training is also an important tool when dealing with change. In the case of Regency hotel, it was important to train the supervisors on how to respond to the employees on their unit so that when the employees took initiatives the supervisors would encourage. The other important people to train are the subordinates, so that they may be able to differentiate between minor and major issues. Training will help to reduce job ambiguity and job design (Mc Shane et al., 2010).

To deal with absenteeism, the management of an organization is encouraged to develop an attendance culture (Lawler & Thye, 2006). A counseling session is crucial for any employee who is constantly absent. This will provide an avenue for a supervisor to be able to communicate effectively with the subordinate (Raz, 2002). The supervisor can make the employee understand that this is due to concern and not disciplinary in nature. The purpose of counseling is to motivate the employee, communicate the effect of absenteeism and the expectations for improvement.

For a new strategy to be implemented there is need to conduct an audit. This is to find out how the new strategy will affect the job design. The management should encourage communication to be aware of how the changes affect the employees. It is advisable to set up a team to evaluate and analyze the whole process (Stets & Turner, 2007). Employ a counselor to take the employees through the change. The counselor can talk to the employees when they stressed. This will help to reduce negative work emotions. The management can introduce exercises for the employees to help in reducing stress.

Conclusion

The first step to deal with a complain is to listen and acknowledging it. Try to offer the guest something to trade for their trouble e.g. a free meal, extra hours in the swimming pool (Kessler, 1996).An organization should take complains as a way to make their services better. (Becker & Mustric, 2008). To reduce negative work emotions, the management can introduce exercises for the employees to during free time. The best way to deal with changes is by effective communication. The management should ensure that all the employees understand the job description and job design. Team building is an effective tool for communication in an organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Best, R., & Valence, G. (1999). Building in value: Pre-design issues. London, UK: Arnold, a member of the Headline Group.

Becker, H. B., & Mustric, F. (2008). Can I have 5 minutes of your time?: A no-nonsense, fun approach to sales from Xerox’s former #1 salesperson. New York, NY: Morgan James Pub.

Johns, T., Robinson, I., Weightman, J., & Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2005). Managing people. CIPD revision guide. London, UK: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Kessler, S. (1996). Measuring and managing customer satisfaction: Going for the gold. Milwaukee, Wis: ASQC Quality Press.

Lawler, E. J., & Thye, S. R. (2006). Social psychology of the workplace. Advances in group processes, 23.2006. Amsterdam.: Elsevier JAI.

Lawson, J. (1998). How to Develop a Personnel Policy Manual. SI: American Management Association International.

Loosemore, M. (2000). Crisis management in construction projects. Reston, Va: American Society of Civil Engineers.

( McShane, S. Olekalns, M. and Travaglione, T. (2010) Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim Focus, McGraw Hill Irwin: Sydney)

Raz, A. E. (2002). Emotions at work: Normative control, organizations, and culture in Japan and America. Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard Univ. Press.

Stets, J. E., & Turner, J. H. (2007). Handbook of the sociology of emotions. Handbooks of sociology and social research. New York, NY: Springer.