Organizational Behavior: Structure, Motivation, Conflict & Job Satisfaction

Organizational Behavior: Structure, Motivation, Conflict and Job Satisfaction

Organizational Charts and Power

Organizational chart: A system that organizes the roles, places and functions of people within the organization in a formal way.

Weber's dominance types:

• Traditional
• Legal/regional/formal
• Charismatic (one can give the top of the hierarchy to a dominant figure)

Strategic Analysis

Strategic analysis aims to understand how interactions work inside the organization and how to respond to them.

• Principles: People own their strategic relations and freedom; there is no single best way.
• Concept: The function of the organization can be understood through biological, natural, mechanical and mathematical models, under uncertain conditions (complex environment, human behavior).

Sources of power in an organization:

• Formal authority
• Expert knowledge
• Control over resources
• Social network and alliances

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics involve norms, adherence, attraction (synergy and social loafing), commitment (low, medium, high) and affective dynamics.

Intergroup Dynamics: Sherif's Theory

Conflict arises from competition over limited resources. To manage it, organizations should improve communication between groups, reduce win-lose mentalities and foster cooperation.

Social Identity Theory

People define themselves through their group, see other groups negatively, and a strong social identity can work for good. Identity has three stages:

1. It is not static
2. It differs
3. It is recognized

Forms of identity: social (real vs. virtual), personal (innate characteristics) and ego (inner self).

Identity at Work

1. Internal and external identity
2. Belonging (company, section, profession)
3. Attributes (how we think of ourselves)
4. Expectations and projections

Work Identity

1. Social roles and group affiliation
2. Levels and stability
3. Changes that promote or reassign roles
4. Organizational identification: identified, disidentified, ambivalent, neutral

Motivation

Motivation cycle:

1. State of equilibrium
2. Stimulus
3. Need
4. Tension between what I have and what I do not have
5. Action
6. Satisfaction

Content theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland) explain what motivates people. Process theories explain how behavior is directed, energized, sustained and stopped, through three variables: choice, effort and persistence.

Analysis of motivation:

• Vroom's expectancy theory: expectation of reward plus its elements
• Equity theory: satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and feelings of guilt

Attitudes and Job Satisfaction

Attitudes are personal and social behaviors that express how we feel at work. They are composed of four arguments: cognitive, mean, relative, functional and measurable components, which together relate personality, measurement of attitudes to improve work, and organizational culture.

Job satisfaction is a positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job. Key areas include three gaps to evaluate.

Influences on Employee Attitudes

1. Disposition
2. Cultural influence: individualism/collectivism, uncertainty/risk, power distance, feminine/masculine orientation
3. Intrinsic characteristics of the job: work seen as interesting and challenging

Results of Positive and Negative Job Satisfaction

• Job satisfaction and job performance
• Job satisfaction and life satisfaction
• Job satisfaction and behavioral withdrawal

How Measures Influence Employee Attitudes

• Influencing factors: job description, pay, promotion, co-workers, supervision
• Global: capture overall job satisfaction

Closing the three gaps for HR evaluation:

• Gather information (research, understand and improve, use it, take action)
• Understand employees from a numerical perspective
• Apply return on investment (ROI)

Bureaucracy and Web Advantages

Advantages: efficiency, clear rules, impersonality, protected systems.

Disadvantages (Michels/Crozier): fear of face-to-face interaction, vicious cycles, excessive routine, rigid authority.

Rationality

1. Limits: emotion, pressure, uncertainty, buying cars and promotions
2. Absolute rationality: game theory, predicting others' behavior, perfect knowledge, most effective strategy

Decision making: safe decisions, risk, uncertainty, competition.

Power and Organizational Structure

Mintzberg's structure: integration, interdependence and stability. Key elements of organizational structure: efficiency, division of work and coordination.

1. Simple structure (start-up): strategic apex and operating core; coordination through direct supervision
2. Machine bureaucracy (large, ruled): technostructure and support staff; coordination through standardization of work
3. Professional bureaucracy: professional areas; operating core; coordination through standardization of skills
4. Divisional structure (Unilever): middle line; coordination through standardization of outputs
5. Adhocracy (creative industries): operating core and support staff; coordination through mutual adjustment

Conflicts

Conflict stages: background, notice, action, escalation, evaluation.

Managing conflict in the organization:

• Look at superordinate goals and manage conflict broadly
• Use a structural approach: have someone reduce interdependence
• Interpersonal conflict resolution styles:
  • Competition (high assertiveness, low cooperation)
  • Avoidance (low assertiveness, low cooperation)
  • Collaboration (high assertiveness, high cooperation)
  • Accommodation (low assertiveness, high cooperation)
  • Compromise (intermediate levels)

Key HR Question

Are measures of employee attitude used as important information for the business? Do employee attitudes and job satisfaction move in the desired direction? The answer depends: job satisfaction brings benefits, but it can sometimes have negative effects, such as resistance to change.