ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Organizational behavior is the study of individuals and their actions within the context of the organization in a workplace setting. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication, and management; and it complements the academic studies of organizational theory (which is more macro-level) and human resource studies (which is more applied and business-related). It may also be referred to as organizational studies or organizational science. The field has its roots in industrial and organizational psychology

ELEMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

The organization's base rests on management's philosophy, values, vision and goals. This in turn drives the organizational culture which is composed of the formal organization, informal organization, and the social environment. The culture determines the type of leadership, communication, and group dynamics within the organization. The workers perceive this as the quality of work life which directs their degree of motivation. The final outcomes are performance, individual satisfaction, and personal growth and development. All these elements combine to build the model or framework that the organization operates from.

FOUR MAJOR MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

There are four major models or frameworks that organizations operate out of, Autocratic, Custodial, Supportive, and Collegial (Cunningham, Eberle, 1990; Davis ,1967): 

Autocratic: The basis of this model is power with a managerial orientation of authority. The employees in turn are oriented towards obedience and dependence on the boss. The employee need that is met is subsistence. The performance result is minimal. 

Custodial: The basis of this model is economic resources with a managerial orientation of money. The employees in turn are oriented towards security and benefits and dependence on the organization. The employee need that is met is security. The performance result is passive cooperation.

Collegial: The basis of this model is partnership with a managerial orientation of teamwork. The employees in turn are oriented towards responsible behavior and self-discipline. The employee need that is met is self-actualization. The performance result is moderate enthusiasm.

Supportive: The basis of this model is leadership with a managerial orientation of support. The employees in turn are oriented towards job performance and participation. The employee need that is met is status and recognition. The performance result is awakened drives.

Although there are four separate models, almost no organization operates exclusively in one. There will usually be a predominate one, with one or more areas over-lapping in the other models. 

The first model, autocratic, has its roots in the industrial revolution. The managers of this type of organization operate mostly out of McGregor's Theory X. The next three models begin to build on McGregor's Theory Y. They have each evolved over a period of time and there is no one best model. In addition, the collegial model should not be thought as the last or best model, but the beginning of a new model or paradigm.

How to Prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI)

Offices are considered a very low-riskenvironment for injury, at least compared with construction, factory and other jobs. But that doesn't mean physical problems don't happen. Although acute injuries are easier to diagnose and treat than the chronic arm pain that many computer workers suffer from, it’s just as important to take precautions for repetitive stress injuries. 

 General tips to prevent RSI

• Take regular breaks from the repetitive task that you are undertaking. If you are computer based, you could set yourself reminders to take breaks at regular intervals. Reminders can usually be setup using your email client or alternatively there are various forms of specific RSI software that is designed for this job
• Regularly stand up and stretch as well as stretching your arms and wrists and also straighten your fingers
• If you are office based try to look at objects in the distance occasionally rather than continuously starring at a computer screen
• It is important that you listen to your body. If you feel fatigued, take a break before you begin to experience any RSI symptoms
• Learn muscle relaxing breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing
• Try to keep in as good physical shape as possible and eat and drink healthily
• Do not smoke as smoking can adversely affect blood flow

Tips to prevent RSI in the office workplace 

It is not only in your employers’ interests to attempt to prevent repetitive strain injuries amongst staff, but it is also a legislator requirement in many countries. Your employer should have guidelines for the prevention of RSI injuries in the office – here is our list of RSI do’s and don’ts in the office environment. 

• Ensure that your workstation is ergonomically sound. This will involve adjusting the height of your chair so that it is relative to the desk and so that you have lumbar support
• When seated attempt to retain a good posture (no slouching!) Ideally your head and back should form a straight line from your ears to your pelvis
• When typing you wrists should not be bent to one side, try to keep them pointing in a straight line with your forearm
• Try not to hit the keys on your keyboard too forcefully
• Learn to touch type is possible. This will involve using all of your fingers which will lessen the load of typing across all fingers and it will eradicate the need for having to constantly focus on your keyboard
• Learn all the computer keyboard shortcuts to save you from unnecessary typing
• Do not grip the computer mouse tightly and have it located close to your keyboard so you do not need to stretch
• An option maybe to consider a trial of voice recognition software to cut down or even eradicate the need for typing entirely
• Ensure that the office is heated appropriately
• If you use the telephone regularly you should obtain a headset rather than attempting to balance the headset between your ear and shoulder whilst typing
• Use ergonomic equipment

The Value Of Exit Interview

An Exit interview is an interview conducted by an employer of a departing employee. They are generally conducted by a relatively neutral party, such as a human resources staff member, so that the employee will be more inclined to be candid, as opposed to worrying about burning bridges. Exit interviews are conducted by paper and pencil forms, telephone interviews, and in-person meetings or online through exit interview management systems. Some companies opt to employ a third party to conduct the interviews and provide feedback.

Sometimes the circumstances as to why an employee leaves can’t be influenced by the organization. The exit interview may be conducted through a variety of methods. Some of the methods include: in-person, over the telephone, on paper, and through the Internet. Exit interviews are a start in the right direction to work towards achieving this. Generally exit interviews are not contemplated until an employee resigns, however used wisely and correctly can be a very helpful and practical tool for your firm moving forward.

There are occasions where an employee leaving can be beneficial to an organization. For example, it could provide the opportunity for new skills to be brought into the business to meet a new business need; or allowing a high performing employee to replace a poor performing employee. It gives a business the opportunity to make positive changes, for example, restructuring or re-designing jobs to meet business objectives. In these circumstances the costs of replacing the employee do not come into play but it is still useful to gain feedback from the departing employee about their experience working for the organization. 

In conclusion the process of an exit interview is possibly your last opportunity to gain valuable information from the exiting employee about your work culture, office environment and the effectiveness of your internal procedures. Advise the employee of why the organization wants them to participate and what the information will be used for.  Advise the employee that what they say will not prejudice their remaining time in the business or any reference the business may provide. By doing this the employee will feel more comfortable about being up front with their feelings, opinions and ideas without the worry of negative repercussions.

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, coined and defined by Robert K. Greenleaf (Born 1904 in Terre Haute, Indiana; died in 1990) and supported by many leadership and management writers such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max DePree, Scott Greenberg, Larry Spears, Margaret Wheatley, James C. Hunter, Kent Keith, Ken Jennings, Don Frick and others. Servant-leaders achieve results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve. Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization's resources: human, financial and physical.

Characteristics of the Servant-Leader

Listening:Leaders have traditionally been valued for their communication and decision-making skills. While these are also important skills for the servant-leader, they need to be reinforced by a deep commitment to listening intently to others. The servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps clarify that will.

Empathy:The servant-leader strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique spirits. One assumes the good intentions of coworkers and does not reject them as people, even if one finds it necessary to refuse to accept their behavior or performance.

Healing:One of the great strengths of servant-leadership is the potential for healing one’s self and others. Many people have broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts

Persuasion:Another characteristic of servant-leaders is a primary reliance on persuasion rather than positional authority in making decisions within an organization. The servant-leader seeks to convince others rather than coerce compliance.

Conceptualization:Servant-leaders seek to nurture their abilities to “dream great dreams.”The ability to look at a problem (or an organization) from a conceptualizing perspective means that one must think beyond day-to-day realities. For many managers this is a characteristic that requires discipline and practice. Servant-leaders are called to seek a delicate balance between conceptual thinking and a day-to-day focused approach.

Foresight:Foresight is a characteristic that enables the servant leader to understand the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequence of a decision for the future. It is also deeply rooted within the intuitive mind. Foresight remains a largely unexplored area in leadership studies, but one most deserving of careful attention.

Clearly, leadership is an issue that affects all of us. Not only are we impacted by it, but also, we are all called upon to exercise it. Whether we are called upon to be involved in leading government or business, guiding young minds, leading a family, standing for what is right, or organizing a dinner, a carpool, or a household, everyone has a leadership role to play. We are each thrust into many different leadership roles again and again, throughout our lives. We are each called upon to be custodians of what is right and good, lasting and of value, for those in our care.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can't keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are "response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

It is based on imagination--the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 1 says, "You're in charge. You're the creator." Being proactive is about choice. Habit 2 is the first, or mental, creation. Beginning with the End in Mind is about vision. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together. It happens day in and day out, moment-by-moment. It deals with many of the questions addressed in the field of time management. But that's not all it's about. Habit 3 is about life management as well--your purpose, values, roles, and priorities. What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established in Habit 2.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!

A person or organization that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits:

1. Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments
2. Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others
3. Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone

Habit 5: Seek First toUnderstand, Then to Be Understood

If you're like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. And in doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you're listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. "Oh, I know just how you feel. I felt the same way." "I had that same thing happen to me."  Because you so often listen autobiographically, you tend to respond in one of four ways: 

Evaluating:	You judge and then either agree or disagree.
Probing:	You ask questions from your own frame of reference.
Advising:	You give counsel, advice, and solutions to problems.
Interpreting:	You analyze others' motives and behaviors based on your own experiences.

Habit 6: Synergize

To put it simply, synergy means "two heads are better than one." Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. But it doesn't just happen on its own. It's a process, and through that process, people bring all their personal experience and expertise to the table. Together, they can produce far better results that they could individually. Synergy lets us discover jointly things we are much less likely to discover by ourselves.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples of activities:

Physical:	Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting
Social/Emotional:	Making social and meaningful connections with others
Mental:	Learning, reading, writing, and teaching
Spiritual:	Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service

CULTURE SHOCK

In today′s business world the importance of international negotiations and cooperation is steadily growing. Every company from middle-sized family operations to large Multi National Companies is somehow involved in international business and therefore has to deal with intercultural issues. 

Due to increasing international competition, worldwide marketing activities, new market access opportunities and a fast growing number of international mergers and acquisitions, managers and employees are necessarily confronted with international projects and assignments, or becoming an expatriate working and living abroad.

Culture shock is the common name of the affliction that results when people become confused and anxious in a strange environment with different customs and beliefs from their own. The term Culture Shock refers to the feelings of distress and unease when being exposed to a foreign culture. Besides this narrow definition of the actual shock the expression is also used in order to describe the whole process a sojourner goes through during an international encounter. They experience homesickness, depression, irritability and frustration for an extended period of adjustment. 

The Four Phases

Outlined below is an example of the stages people go through with culture shock:

Stage 1 – Honeymoon

The individual experiences a holiday or 'honeymoon' period with their new surroundings.

They Feel very positive about the culture, overwhelmed with impressions to find the new culture exotic and are fascinated and they are passive, meaning they have little experience of the culture 

Stage 2 – Culture shock

The individual now has some more face to face experience of the culture and starts to find things different, strange and frustrating.

They find the behavior of the people unusual and unpredictable and Begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behavior they Feel anxious, Start to withdraw and Begin to criticize, mock or show animosity to the people

Stage 3 – Recovery

The individual now has a routine, feels more settled and is more confident in dealing with the new culture. They Understand and accept the behavior of the people and Feel less isolated and Regains their sense of humor

Stage 4 - Adjustment

The individual now feels 'at home’, They Enjoy being in the culture and Prefer certain cultural traits of the new culture rather than their own they Adopt certain behaviors from the new culture

A very significant aspect in the field of intercultural management is the issue of Culture Shock, which is discussed in this work. However, before starting to go into detail on Culture Shock, its causes, consequences and possible solutions it makes sense to define the term culture in general.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Throughout the world, organizations increasingly function on an international basis. Multinational corporations require not only coordination of international strategy, but also the people and organization to implement it. Outlining the consequences of internationalization both for management and generally, and for human resource policy and practice in particular.

 International HRM (IHRM) is the process of Procuring, Allocating, and effectively utilizing HUMAN RESOURCES in a Multinational corporation, while balancing the integration and differentiation of HR activities in foreign locations. A multinational corporation varies from firm to firm. It also depends on whether the manager is located in a global corporation’s headquarters or onsite in a foreign subsidiary. The main Objective of IHRM is to reduce the risk of International human resources is,

1. Avoid the cultural risks.
2. Avoid regional disparities. 
3. Manage Diversifies human capital.

In simple terms, IHRM is concerned about managing human resources at Multinational Companies (MNC) and it involves managing 03 types of employees namely,

1. Home country employees- Employees belonging to home country of the firm where the corporate head quarter is situated.
2. Host country employees- Employees belonging to the nation in which the subsidiary is situated.
3. Third country employees- These are the employees who are not from home country/host country but are employed at subsidiary or corporate head quarters. As an example, A American MNC which has a subsidiary at India may employ a French person as the CEO to the subsidiary. The Frenchman employed is a third country employee.

When compared with domestic human resource management, IHRM requires a much broader perspective on even the most common HR activities. This is particularly so for HR managers operating from a MNC’s headquarters (HQ). In IHRM there will be a more involvement in Employees personal life’s (spouses, children’s).  The number and variety of IHRM activities are daunting. International HR managers must deal with issues as varied as international taxation; international relocation and orientation; various other administrative services for expatriates; selecting, training and appraising local and international employees; and managing relations with host governments in a number of countries around the world.