CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Challenges and opportunities for organizational behavior are massive and rapidly changing for improving productivity and meeting business goals.
The nature of work is changing so rapidly that rigid job structures impede the work to be done now, and that may drastically change the following year, month, or even week.
Improving Quality and Productivity
Quality is the extent to which the customers or users believe the product or service surpasses their needs and expectations.
For example, a customer who purchases an automobile has a certain expectation, one of which is that the automobile engine will start when it is turned on.
If the engine fails to start, the customer’s expectations will not have been met and the customer will perceive the quality of the car as poor. The key dimensions of quality as follows.
- Performance: Primary rating characteristics of a product such as signal coverage, audio quality, display quality, etc.
- Features: Secondary characteristics, added features, such as calculators, and alarm clock features in handphone
- Conformance: meeting specifications or industry standards, the workmanship of the degree to which a product’s design or operating characteristics match pre-established standards
- Reliability: The probability of a product’s falling within a specified period
- Durability: It is a measure of a product’s life having both economic and technical dimensions
- Services: Resolution of problems and complaints, ease of repair
- Response: Human to human interfaces, such as the courtesy of the dealer « Aesthetics: Sensory characteristics such as exterior finish
- Reputations: Past performance and other intangibles, such as being ranked first.
More and more managers are confronting to meet the challenges to fulfill the specific requirements of customers.
To improve quality and productivity, they are implementing programs like total quality management and reengineering programs that require extensive employee involvement.
Working With People In Different Cultures
Every organisation has employees who differ from each other in terms of race, culture, religion, gender, and ethnicity. Employing a person with distinct cultures help organisations in getting fresh & new talents and potentialities. Maintaining peace & cooperation among its different employees is a challenging task for every organisation
Every employee working in an organisation wants to retain their own values & cultures although they are working in the same company where they need to follow some rules & regulations.
The same decision of organisation may be welcomed & accepted by people of one culture & opposed by people from another culture. Therefore managers need to treat every employee differently as per their individual differences in order to ensure cooperation & increase productivity.
Improving The Skills Of People
Skills of people need to improved & upgraded as per the requirements from time to time. In the business area, there are always lots of changes that occur at a faster rate in terms of technology, environment & structure.
These changes need to be addressed in order to achieve efficiency & increase productivity. Employees & other executives of the organisation should possess the required skills in order to easily adapt to these changes.
Failure to adopt these changes will make it difficult to achieve targeted goals timely. There are basically 2 sets of employee skills that are technical & managerial skills. Managers should, therefore, focus on designing a proper performance appraisal program consisting of various training & development programmes for their employees. This will help them in improving their skills.
Empowering People
The main issue is delegating more power and responsibility to the lower level cadre of employees and assigning more freedom to make choices about their schedules, operations, procedures and the method of solving their work-related problems.
Encouraging the employees to participate in the work-related decision will sizable enhance their commitment to work.
Empowerment is defined as putting employees in charge of what they do by eliciting some sort of ownership in them.
Managers are doing considerably further by allowing employees full control of their work.
Movement implies constant change an increasing number of organizations are using self-managed teams, where workers operate largely without a boss.
Due to the implementation of empowerment concepts across all levels, the relationship between managers and the employees is reshaped.
Managers will act as coaches, advisors, sponsors, and facilitators and help their subordinates to do their tasks with minimal guidance.
Stimulating Innovation And Change
Today every business needs to focus on innovative ideas in order to bring changes to beat the tough competition in the market. Businesses should always focus to differentiate their product from their competitor’s products. It will help them in getting more & more customers.
The business will fail & eventually be forced to shut down if unable to keep flexibility as per market demand. It should always bring innovative products & services to market with minimum cost. For example, MI is presently beating the tough competition in the market by presenting a wide range of innovative products at a minimized cost,
Dealing With Globalisation
Today globalization of business is something that is increasing worldwide at a great pace. Now the operations of the business are not limited to one particular location or nation, but they are performed internationally.
Business nowadays is conducted beyond the national boundary of one country & have their presence in different countries of the world.
Products of companies are sold more by various online portals over the internet rather than by their physical outlets. Faster transportation & communication network have an efficient role in providing services to customers via online portals.
The online presence of companies becomes the most emerging requirement of every business. For example, Amazon conducts the majority of its business operations worldwide via its internet portals rather its physical outlets.
Improving Ethical Behaviour
Better ethical behaviour in working culture is a must for an organisation to increase its productivity. It should always be ensured that employees behave positively & abide by all rules & regulations of the organisation. A healthy working environment for employees with minimal ambiguity should be created.
This will help in increasing their productivity & reducing conflicts. Clear-cut instruction should be given regarding what is right behaviour & what is wrong. All unethical practices like the use of insider information for personal gains should be avoided. Managers should organise various workshops, seminars & training programmes in order to improve the ethical behaviour of employees.
Improving Customer Service
Business is unsuccessful if it fails to treat its customer well & provide them with better service. If businesses have a large number of satisfied customers it will help it in enjoying large profits in the long run.
They need to develop a better understanding with their customers to easily recognize their needs & wants. Employees should meet with customers in the most friendly manner & try to address their problems properly.
It will help the management in creating a customer-responsive environment in business. Organisational behavior has a key role in establishing a better understanding of employees & ultimately with customers.