Factors Impacting Productive Performance In Organizations

Organizational Behavior and its Impact on Productive Performance

In order to encourage productive performance from employees, care needs to be taken with the design of jobs, working conditions, setting of goals, motivation and rewards.  Explain how and why all these factors impact upon productive performance and evaluate how a manager may be able to impact upon the processes across the organisation.

Organization behavior (OB) is mainly a wide branch of business study that evaluates how employees in an organization function and what organizations can further do to motivate their employees to perform in certain ways that is advantageous to the company (Robbins and Judge 2012). There are various factors, which influences organizational behavior, which are the organization’s structure, policies, goals, management, communication, job design, working environment, motivation as well as rewards (Miner 2015). However, in this essay, the discussion will mainly be arguable focusing on the essay topic and further the factors of OB will be explained that has an effect upon the productive performance along with the role of management who has an impact on the processes all over the organization.

The aim of this essay is to understand in depth about organization behavior in workplaces. The main support in this arguable essay will be that to encourage productive performance from the employees emphasis should be given upon their job designs, working conditions, setting of goals, motivation and rewards.

Theories as X, Y and Z in OB are the ones, which are mainly associated with employees’ motivation as well as management. Douglas McGregor in 1960s introduced Theory X and Y, which states that a average human is mainly lazy, very much self-centered, does not have any ambition, does not like any modification and needs to be told beforehand what they needs to be done. Whereas, on the other hand, theory Y believes that humans are active builders of themselves as well as their surroundings. Therefore, they wait to grow as well as accept responsibility (Mohamed and Nor 2013). According to theory Z that is also known as, ‘Japanese management’ is based on enhancing workers loyalty to the organization by giving them a job for life along with a powerful focus on the welfare of the worker both on as well as off the job. Another theory of organizational behavior, which can also be effectively applied to the organizational setting, is Abraham Maslow’s Needs of hierarchy theory, which declares that every employee in their workplaces progresses through a sequence of needs in relation to their employment where they move from the very basic needs for survival to the final need of self-actualization (Lester 2013).

Theories of Organizational Behavior

However, it is under this theory that permitting employee’s time so that they can utilize it in increasing their job roles as well as advancing their careers become important. Then there is expectancy theory, which is also applicable in the workplace setting that, suggests that employees always put an effort in comparison with the reward that they will gain. Therefore, this theory in the workplace can make employees engage along with time-management development and boost their ability on the job to the area where as a result their compensation will enhance. In any organization under this particular theory it has been observed that time is managed so that productivity is increased. Lastly, another theory of observational behavior, which can also be used in a workplace situation, is Fredericks Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene theory. As per this theory, the factors contribute to motivation or the ones which guides towards job satisfaction are different as well as discrete from one another (Yusoff, Kian and Idris 2013).  Moreover, it further states that in an employee’s motivation will come through the job itself while on the other hand, the job satisfaction will come from the surrounding issues like schedule of works, illumination and companionship.

The culture in any organization can create potential organizational problematic situation has it has various impacts on an employee’s performance as well as motivation levels. Frequently it was observed that employees work hard to obtain the goals of the organization if only they consider themselves part of the corporate culture (Ahmad 2012). However, having diversified culture in the in an organization can have an effect on the performance of the employee. Therefore, suppose an organization keeps a reserved “talk when necessary” culture in their organization where employees work accordingly. Moreover, on the other hand, if companies permit one area like for instance the sales team to be vocal as well as active socially then in such scenarios their might be conflict among the areas. Therefore, it can be said that permitting an area to flourish in his or her own culture can have an impact on the employee’s performance. However, the managers can help in these situations and can enhance performance by structuring their recruitment process by attracting as well as involving the officers with similar beliefs as well as values which constitutes the culture of the organization. Managers should also verify that they associate corporate culture along with the performance management systems in the organizations. If in any organization there is no association between culture and management then managers are responsible to associate them so that the behavior of the employees’ are redirected towards achieving the goals of the organization, which will increase productive performance (Theodosiou, Kehagias and Katsikea 2012).

The Role of Culture and Work Ethics in Productive Performance

Another issue that plays an important role in productive performance is work ethics. Both ethics as well as performance is very closely related for which those employees who have strong work ethics are able to deliver better outcomes as well as total performance in the organization. Therefore, employees having a good work ethics can actually help in delivering physical, mental as well as emotional effort to the job so that job expectations are met. Employees who have stronger work ethics in comparison to their co-workers are found to have been more productive. Here also managers can enhance the work ethics of their employees so that their performance is enhanced (Michaelson et al. 2014). Managers should know that what is expected of them and should work accordingly. If managers fail to do their jobs or come up with inventive ways to avoid their work then chances are that other will follow him as employees always has a tendency to mimic the behavior of their higher authority. Managers can further motivate their employees for good work ethics, which can act as a great performance enhancer as people thrive, or recognition as well as appreciation, and both of these are strong motivating factors.

Truxillo et al. (2012), in his research article has clearly stated that job design has an impact on the job satisfaction, engagement as well as performance. Supporting this view Wood et al. (2012) is another researcher who has also related job performance with two dimensions of a high performance work system, which are mainly job design as well as high involvement management (HIM). Thus, implicating that not only job design alone can have an impact on performance but HIM also plays a major role. On the other hand, Bakker, Tims, and Derks (2012) through their research have stated that the extent in which the workers proactively balance their work environment can easily manage to stay focused and increases their performance in the organization. Cerasoli, Nicklin and Ford (2014), through their research the focus is on motivation and performance. As their findings, suggest that intrinsic motivation is channel towards a powerful predictor of performance. They further suggested that motivation enhances the quality of performance where as rewards predicts the quantity of performance. On contradiction to this Fernandez and Moldogaziev (2012), have said that motivation, rewards, goals or even the environmental settings are all secondary when it comes to encouraging an employee to give productive performance.

The Relationship between Job Design, Working Conditions, and Productive Performance

Empowering employees is among the primary factors in any organization, which can widely improve an employee’s productive performance. As per the findings, the researchers have further stated that empowering employees will have a control on their work and will be open enough to share their suggestions as well as ideas regarding their work or about the organization as a whole. When employees will be empowered, they will have the confidence to find creative ways through which they can make their task productive as well as innovatively correct their errors. Thus, this will surely increase their performance in the organization (Fernandez and Moldogaziev 2012). According to Bakker, Demerouti and Lieke (2012), there is a relationship between the work engagements with job performance. Thus, it has clearly stated that through employee’s engagement is mandatory but it will not come from the workplace environment alone rather the work itself needs to have certain source of interest which will make the employee more hard working, careful as well as goal oriented which in a way enhances productive performance of the employee. The findings of this research have further stated that work engagement has a positive correlation with the performance as well as active learning mainly with employees who are high in their conscientiousness.

Thus, to conclude the essay it can be said that a depth of understanding regarding organizational behavior in the workplace has been reached. X, Y and Z, theories in OB have bestowed the idea that these are mainly connected with employee’s motivation in organizations. Moreover, there is also another theory, which was introduced by Abraham Maslow known as Hierarchy of Needs theory. This theory has stated that employees in any workplace progresses through the ladder of needs. Moreover, as the literature states that though factors like job design, working conditions, goals, motivation as well as rewards encourages productive performance, but other factors are there as well like job engagement, employee empowerment as well as management motivates employees to give their best and increase their level of performance.

References

Ahmad, M.S., 2012. Impact of organizational culture on performance management practices in Pakistan. Business Intelligence Journal, 5(1), pp.50-55.

Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E. and Lieke, L., 2012. Work engagement, performance, and active learning: The role of conscientiousness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(2), pp.555-564.

Bakker, A.B., Tims, M. and Derks, D., 2012. Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human relations, 65(10), pp.1359-1378.

Cerasoli, C.P., Nicklin, J.M. and Ford, M.T., 2014. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: A 40-year meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 140(4), p.980.

Fernandez, S. and Moldogaziev, T., 2012. Using employee empowerment to encourage innovative behavior in the public sector. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 23(1), pp.155-187.

Lester, D., 2013. Measuring Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Psychological Reports, 113(1), pp.15-17.

Michaelson, C., Pratt, M.G., Grant, A.M. and Dunn, C.P., 2014. Meaningful work: Connecting business ethics and organization studies. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(1), pp.77-90.

Miner, J.B., 2015. Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge.

Mohamed, R.K.M.H. and Nor, C.S.M., 2013. The relationship between McGregor’s XY theory management style and fulfillment of psychological contract: A literature review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3(5), p.715.

Robbins, S.P. and Judge, T., 2012. Essentials of organizational behavior.

Theodosiou, M., Kehagias, J. and Katsikea, E., 2012. Strategic orientations, marketing capabilities and firm performance: An empirical investigation in the context of frontline managers in service organizations. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(7), pp.1058-1070.

Truxillo, D.M., Cadiz, D.M., Rineer, J.R., Zaniboni, S. and Fraccaroli, F., 2012. A lifespan perspective on job design: Fitting the job and the worker to promote job satisfaction, engagement, and performance. Organizational Psychology Review, 2(4), pp.340-360.

Wood, S., Van Veldhoven, M., Croon, M. and de Menezes, L.M., 2012. Enriched job design, high involvement management and organizational performance: The mediating roles of job satisfaction and well-being. Human relations, 65(4), pp.419-445.

Yusoff, W.F.W., Kian, T.S. and Idris, M.T.M., 2013. Herzberg’s Two Factors Theory On Work Motivation: Does Its Work For Todays Environment. Global journal of commerce and Management, 2(5), pp.18-22.