Reflective Journal Organizations Behaviour

Question: Discuss about the Reflective Journalfor Organizations Behaviour. Answer: This was the first week of the 10-week course, Organizations Behaviour (OB), Structure and Processes. On the first day, I was provided with the course outline which entailed various aspects to be covered during the ten week period. The introduction part involved familiarizing with the tutor, course requirements, the number of assignment to be submitted, recommended reading materials and students participation. I learned that to pass this course; I had to familiarize with my course mates as far as the group presentation and report is concerned (Robbins Judge, 2017). After the introduction, the tutor presented us with the course objectives. For instance, I was able to understand the definition of organizational behaviour and why it is important to the operations of a company (Baker, 2013). Likewise, the lecturer stated that organizational behaviour is related to other practices such as organizational change and growth, employee motivation, management among others. Conversely, I realized that there are three levels of OB which play distinctive roles in the company operations (Knights Willmott, 2012). During the subsequent days of the week, I was taken through the roles, responsibilities, and skills that should be possessed by a manager. The managers behaviour has a huge impact on the performance of the employees. First, a manager should have technical skills which refer to the ability to apply specialized expertise or knowledge. Second, the ability to manage and motivate the employees. And third, the mental ability to effectively handle complex organizational situations (Chandan, 2010). Generally, a managers roles are divided into four namely; networking, communication, human resources management and traditional management. Lastly, some of the current trends on the topic are ethical choices and dilemmas, workforce diversity and positive organizational scholarship (Baker, 2013). As a person who has always interested understanding the dynamics of organizational behaviour, I found the introduction fascinating. I am interested in learning more about the topic and understanding how it influences the performance of a manager, the employees, and a company as far as productivity, personal and organizational growth and profitability is concerned. During the second week of the study, I was introduced to the chapter of the course which was addressing the diversity in organizations. According to the tutor, workforce diversity is classified into age, gender, disabilities, religion and race and ethnicity. Workforce diversity not only entails the views people have on themselves but also their opinion on other people (Powell, 2010). The perception that people have to themselves and others do affect the companys performance. The HR personnel should learn the best ways of dealing with issues such as communication, change, and adaptability effectively. I can understand why successful company invests in immediate actions by spending resources on managing their workforce diversity (Robbins Judge, 2017). I also learned several benefits of workforce diversity. First, increased adaptability; a company with diversified human capital can have a variety of solutions to a given problem challenging its operations. Employees coming from diversified groups bring different experience and talents to the company which can be beneficial to the group if managed well. Second, diversified workforce brings about collective experiences and skills that enable the company to serve customers globally (Fu Deshpande, 2014). Third, a company with diversified workforce allows sharing a pool of experiences and ideas. The company can pool these ideas to meet its business and customer strategies. The last benefit is to help the company execute its plans effectively (Robbins Judge, 2017). Amid the benefits, I also understood that several challenges affect companies with a diversified workforce. First, ineffective communication brought by language, cultural and perpetual barriers might result in low morale, confusion and lack of teamwork. Second, some employees resist change when it touches on their cultural and social coexistence. Last, workforce diversity can only be successful if a culture that supports diversity is put in place. The culture should then be implemented in the organizations departments and functions (Baker, 2013). Finally, I can now understand the importance of utilizing diversified training and development programs as well as promoting a culture of trust and openness in the company. An organization should as well come up with a customized workforce satisfaction survey which would help in diversity management. Learning during the third week covered the concepts of attitudes and job satisfaction. The two factors are correlated in that employees attitude influences their productivity. When employees have a positive attitude about their job, they become satisfied and increase the productivity. The instructor covered different concepts (Fu Deshpande, 2014). First I now understand that our feeling towards something or someone influences our relationship with them. The three elements of attitude are cognitive, affective and behavioral. The three components influence employees feeling, action, and evaluation of their supervisor and management. When employees have a positive attitude towards their jobs, they tend to be involved more in executing their duties and organizational events. I understand that employees get a commitment to a company when the values held by the organizational also take care of their individual well-being. Employees deserve fair rewards, being involved in decision making and having support from the management and supervisors. The more the employees attitude is positive towards the organization, the higher their job satisfaction and performance (Robbins Judge, 2017). Conversely, employees engagement is also important in promoting their attitude. Employee engagement refers to the degree of employees satisfaction with their job, involvement with their jobs and how passionate they are when performing the job (Bakker, A Schaufeli, 2008). I have come to realize that there are four types of job attitudes namely; enthusiastic stayers, reluctant stayers, enthusiastic leavers, and reluctant leavers. Each method influences job satisfaction differently. To understand how employees perceive their job, the topic outlines that companies should come up with employees attitude evaluation survey. This will help understand effective ways of satisfying the employees (Murphy, 2011). Lastly, I have noted that a workforce is the best asset to any organization. They connect the company to the outside world. They are advocates of the company. They can easily build or destroy a companys brand, perception, and image. This is an asset that should be treasured. Having them engaged in the companys activities and the decision can enhance their job satisfaction and positively impacting its productivity and profitability (Robbins Judge, 2017). References Baker, A. (2013). Feedback and organizations: Feedback is good, feedback-friendly culture is better. Canadian Psychology, 54(4), 260-268. Bakker, A, Schaufeli, W. (2008). Positive organizational behavior: Engaged employees in flourishing organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 147154. Chandan, J. S. (2010). Organizational Behaviour (WBUT),. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing . Fu, W., Deshpande, S. P. (2014). The impact of caring climate, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment on job performance of employees in a Chinas insurance company. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(2), 339-349. Knights, D., Willmott, H. (2012). Introducing organizational behavior and management. Andover, Hampshire, U.K: Cengage Learning EMEA. Murphy, M. (2011). Hiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude. Pennsylvania, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Powell, G. N. (2010). Managing a Diverse Workforce: Learning Activities. London, UK: SAGE Publications. Robbins, S., Judge, T. (2017). Organizational Behaviour. Pearson.