Employee Behavior

Proper understanding of employee behavior in a workplace is key to maximizing the potential of an organization. Proponents of scientific behavioral approach argue that, the use of scientific methods in dealing with employee productivity in an organizational set up is the key to success. Behavioral- science approach theorists, Mary Parker Follet, Hugo Munsterberg and Elton Mayo laid much emphasis on the human and psychological factors which are likely to effect the workers. Considerable notions of these theories are employee relationship and motivation, information processing and organizational development. The trio are considered pioneers in the field of organizational psychology and behavioral approaches in the theories of management. Follet is an American social worker, a pioneer in the organizational theory and organizational behavior fields also a management consultant. Her theory criticized the micromanagement of employees and argued that, managers should stop being authoritative but instead, grant their employees the freedom to collaborate, socialize and work in teams with minimal supervision. Munsterberg, on the other hand argued that hiring of workers with the right personality and mental capabilities for performing certain jobs is key. Moreover, increased employee motivation, job performance and employee retention is very imperative. His theory suggests that matching of the correct jobs and skills to employee personality very significant for employee productivity. Elton Mayo, the founder of human relations movement is best known for Hawthorne studies which was conducted at western electric company. His theory was based on the soft ways for successful management. He recommended that individual's work performance depends on both social matters and job satisfaction. He contributed significantly on behaviorism movement in the management field. However, despite of criticisms from other proponents such as Marx, Weber and Taylor, modern behavioral pioneers, Follet, Munsterberg and Mayo contributed immensely on the contemporary management perspectives. Their arguments that successful management stem from understanding how best to treat and motivate employees upholds. Furthermore, application of the theories has made employees to become more efficient in their jobs.Organizational structure.Organizational structure defines how organizational activities are coordinated, and directing supervisions of the allocated tasks towards the achievement of organizational goals. Major types of organizational structure includes functional, divisional and matrix. Functional structure refers to grouping of the organization departments according to purposes. It is useful for small organizations with flexible departments which can solely rely on the skills, talents and knowledge of employees. Divisional structure is used by large organizations which operates in different geographical areas. The organization is divided into divisions which areas separately managed towards achieving the common set goals. It is useful in the sense that its desires can be met rapidly and more specifically since each division operates independently. Last but not least is the matrix organizational structure. This forms a combination of both functional and divisional structures. It is typically used in large multinational organizations and enjoys the benefits of both functional and divisional structure under one umbrella. Personality test Everyone in a work place possesses different personalities. The use of personality test immensely employs the use of the big five personality traits which includes openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism. In a work place, personality traits can help in revealing strengths and weaknesses of the employees. Moreover, it helps in determining levels of emotional intelligence among employees, a key tool for efficient communication. In addition to this, personality traits helps in creating awareness and enhancing excellent team work among employees. Finally, personality traits it helps in promoting deeper understanding of employee capabilities based on their strengths and capabilities, thus making it easier to delegate the duties. Perceptional DistortionsPerceptual distortions refers to the variations of a person's response to a stimulus from the common perception. Majorly, it occurs as a result of intellectual biasness of an individual. The major causes of perceptual distortions includes but not limited to stereotyping, halo effect, pre-deposition, recency effect, pre-deposition effect, primacy effect and prejudice. An example of perceptual distortion is that of an individual who is suffering from anorexia and holds a biased self-image. Such people see their bodies as overweighed and unsightly whereas others perceive them as the undernourished as well as underweighted. Impression Management Motives and Basic Governing FactorsImpression management refers to a self-presentation system which focuses on improving a person's image in the eyes of others. Typically, it refers to a process in which people attempt to influence the perception of others. Managers synonymously implement the use of impression management to present themselves to their employees, the public and to their peers as a way of influencing the perceptions of their appearance. The underlying motives and basic governing factors of impression management culminates on the awareness of being a potential monitoring instrument and the kind social status. Additionally, cultural norms, personal goals and social perspectives forms other impression motives and governing factors for managers. The duo reveals the assertions which leads to a dynamic way of presentational aspects. Managers tend to impress their employees, peers and the public through the types of clothes they put on, which have specific designs and fashions. Politicians wear nice suits, curries an expensive suitcase and move in expensive cars so as to impress the public as they woe for votes. Christianity is another strategy used by managers to impress peers and the public alleging that their ways are pure. Workplace Stress.Stress refers to a hypersensitive response of the body to any kind of emotional strain. It occurs as a result of personal conflict between the job workload or demands and the little amount of time an employee has to meet these demands, hence lack of control. The common demands that may lead to stress in the workplace includes poor organization of the work, poor work design, poor working conditions, poor management and lack of supervisory support. Moreover, job monotony and excessive work load are also sources of stress in a workstation. The general responses to stress that can be experienced are majorly classified into physical, Emotional responses. Physical stress occurs in the general body and includes pains, aches and other diseases that may be caused by stress. Physical stress is accompanied by frequent headaches, chest problems, back pain and aching stomach. It is also characterized by insufficient sleep and high blood pressure. On the other hand, Emotional responses are experiences involving feelings and thoughts during stressful circumstances. Such responses include depression and anxiety, withdrawing socially and becoming more forgetful. Anger, lack of focus and becoming more restless are other emotional responses to stress. Too much stress is fatal and prevention measures should be put in place. In order to deal with stress, one should first trace the origin and know the causes of stress and develop healthy responses to curb the situation. Relaxing the mind and having sufficient sleep are important techniques suppressing stress. Avoid being lonely, talk to other people and seek for their help. Finally, talking to the supervisor about the stressing issue can help solve the situation. This can be done improving the working environment and the working conditions. Employee Behavior A proper understanding of employee behavior in a workplace is key to maximizing the potential of an organization. Proponents of scientific behavioral approach argue that the use of scientific methods in dealing with employee productivity in an organizational set up is the key to success. Behavioral- science approach theorists, Mary Parker Follet, Hugo Munsterberg and Elton Mayo laid much emphasis on the human and psychological factors which are likely to affect the workers. Considerable notions of these theories illuminate employee relationship and motivation, information processing and organizational development. The trio is considered the founders of organizational psychology and behavioral approaches in the theories of management.Follet is an American social worker, a pioneer in the organizational theory and organizational behavior fields also a management consultant. Her theory criticized the poor handling of employees and argued that managers should stop being authoritative but instead, grant their employees the freedom to collaborate, socialize and work in teams with minimal supervision. Munsterberg, on the other hand, argued that hiring of workers with the right personality and mental capabilities for performing certain jobs is key. Moreover, increased employee motivation, job performance, and employee retention are very imperative. His theory suggests that matching of the correct jobs and skills to employee personality very significant for the employee performance. Elton Mayo, who started human relations movement is best known for Hawthorne studies which were conducted at the western electric company. His theory was based on the soft ways for successful management. He recommended that individual's work performance depends on both social matters and job satisfaction. He contributed significantly to behaviorism movement in the management field. However, despite criticisms from other proponents such as Marx, Weber, and Taylor, modern behavioral pioneers, Follet, Munsterberg and Mayo contributed immensely to the modern viewpoints in management. Their arguments that successful management stems from understanding how best to treat and motivate employees upholds. Furthermore, application of the theories has made employees become more efficient in their jobs.Q2: Organizational structureOrganizational structure defines how organizational activities are coordinated, and directing supervisions of the allocated tasks towards the achievement of organizational goals. Major types of the organizational structure include functional, divisional and matrix. Functional structure refers to the grouping of the organization departments according to purposes. It is useful for small organizations with flexible departments which can solely rely on the skills, talents, and knowledge of employees. Divisional structure is used by large organizations which operate in different geographical areas. The organization is divided into divisions which areas separately managed towards achieving the common set goals. It is useful in the sense that its desires can be met rapidly and more specifically since each division operates independently. Last but not least is the matrix organizational structure. This forms a combination of both functional and divisional structures. It is typically used in large multinational organizations and enjoys the benefits of both functional and divisional structure under one umbrella.Q3: Personality testEveryone in a workplace possesses different personalities. The use of personality test immensely employs the use of the big five personality traits which includes openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. In a workplace, personality traits can help in revealing strengths and weaknesses of the employees. Moreover, it helps in determining levels of emotional intelligence among employees, a key tool for effective communication. In addition to this, personality traits help in creating awareness and enhancing excellent teamwork among employees. Finally, personality traits it helps in promoting a deeper understanding of employee capabilities based on their strengths and capabilities, thus making it easier to delegate the duties. Q4: Perceptional DistortionsPerceptual distortions refer to the variations of a person's response to a stimulus from the common perception. Majorly, it occurs as a result of intellectual biases of an individual. The major causes of perceptual distortions include but not limited to stereotyping, halo effect, pre-deposition, recency effect, pre-deposition effect, primacy effect, and prejudice. An example of perceptual distortion is that of an individual who is suffering from anorexia and holds a biased self-image. Such people see their bodies as overweighed and unsightly whereas others perceive them as the undernourished as well as underweighted. Q5: Impression Management Motives and Basic Governing FactorsImpression management refers to a self-presentation system which focuses on improving a person's image in the eyes of others. Typically, it refers to a process in which people attempt to influence the perception of others. Managers synonymously implement the use of impression management to present themselves to their employees, the public and to their peers as a way of impelling the insights of their appearance. The underlying motives and basic governing factors of impression management culminates in the awareness of being a potential monitoring instrument and the kind social status. Additionally, cultural norms, personal goals, and social perspectives form other impression motives and governing factors for managers. The duo reveals the assertions, which leads to a dynamic way of presentational aspects. Managers tend to impress their employees, peers and the public through the types of clothes they put on, which have specific designs and fashions. Politicians wear nice suits, carries an expensive suitcase and move inexpensive cars so as to impress the public as they woe for votes. Christianity is another strategy used by managers to impress peers and the public alleging that their ways are pure. Q6: Workplace StressStress refers to a hypersensitive response of the body to any kind of emotional strain. It occurs as a result of personal conflict between the job workload or demands and the little amount of time an employee has to meet these demands, hence lack of control. The common demands that may lead to stress in the workplace include poor organization of the work, poor work design, poor working conditions, poor management and lack of supervisory support. Moreover, job monotony and excessive workload are also sources of stress in a workstation. The general responses to stress that can be experienced are majorly classified into physical, Emotional responses. Physical stress occurs in the general body and includes pains, aches and other diseases that may be caused by stress. Physical stress is accompanied by frequent headaches, chest problems, back pain and aching stomach. It is also characterized by insufficient sleep and high blood pressure. On the other hand, Emotional responses are experiences involving feelings and thoughts during stressful circumstances. Such responses include depression and anxiety, withdrawing socially and becoming more forgetful. Anger, lack of focus and becoming more restless are other emotional responses to stress. Too much stress is fatal and prevention measures should be put in place. In order to deal with stress, one should first trace the origin and know the causes of stress and develop healthy responses to curb the situation. Relaxing the mind and having sufficient sleep are important techniques suppressing stress. Avoid being lonely, talk to other people and seek for their help. Finally, talking to the supervisor about the stressing issue can help solve the situation. This can be perfected by improving working conditions.