Challenges in Managing Employee Behavior
Employees are an important asset in any organization. Therefore, it is important to ensure that employee behavior is effectively managed to ensure successful operations. Explain the challenges that managers are likely to face in the process of managing employee behavior. Suggest any five solutions to the challenges you have identified.
In present competitive world, the key behind success of organisations largely depend on customer satisfaction and thus organisation’s top priority becomes servicing customer needs. However, many organizations fail to understand the importance of employee’s satisfaction that can also be considered as internal customers of firms. In other words, employees act as an important asset of organisations for which employers need to recognize employee’s participation effects and motivate them for higher profitability (Gabcanova, 2011). Redundancy is major epidemics that are emerging in many countries where employers hire fresh talent while dismissing older ones in rapid manner to ensure success of organisations. Although manager’s tries to manage their people effectively while ensuring success of the firm but, there are times managing employee’s behaviour becomes more difficult. This essay will focus more on challenges that might be faced by contemporary managers while maintaining employee’s behaviour along with providing possible recommendations for it.
Organisational behaviour is evaluation of human dynamics in organisation that help human resource departments and managers of firm to understand relationship between employees and themselves. It reveals the process through which they interact with each other and what behaviour is possessed by each individual (Erdogan & Bauer, 2012). Although organisational behaviour may vary from one firm to the other, behavioural aspects carries a significant role in organisational success. Organisational behaviour is based on company’s aspiration, goals and ethics which fuel the nature of organisation and course it takes. Misguided and ineffective organisational behaviour can cripple an organisation’s success for which challenges of organisational behaviour must be reduced and avoided (Ayiekoh, 2013). Although there are many issues that managers are likely to face while managing employee behaviour, few challenges related globalisation, work force diversity and ethical behaviour challenges constantly remains matter of concern for them.
Globalisation has become a common trend in today’s organisation which has also given rise in issues among people within workplaces. Organisations that were once national and followed traditional form of management are the ones who are likely to face extreme difficulties while coping with present employee’s behaviour in globalisation process. They need to manage international personnel along with diversified cultural backgrounds people comprising different work ethics and principles. The challenge in understanding organisational behaviour of personnel as well as international departments becomes constant and thus many managers become resistant by global subsidiaries workplace cultures. Second challenge which is immensely faced by present employees and is likely to face managers in future even is challenge related to work force diversity.
Globalization
Diversity is apparent and thus proves significant for companies as diverse environment can benefit people by learning from others ideas. Diversity also recognises different prerequisites for continuous and high performance that enhances organisation’s effectiveness and creativity. However, challenges related to it are also important to consider as it brings impacts on behaviour of employees in work place. Diversity can be referred to differences in gender, religion, race, age, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. Number of women and minorities hired by companies is increasing day by day. Imbalance is created by changing demographic composition of people in work places as more minorities and women are likely to enter in organisations (Frey, 2013). To improve performances and for the success of company, managers need to implement diversified workforce by inducing more resources and talent. According to researchers, decision made by diverse employees proves more fruitful and richer and thus many managers provide rewards and promotions to credible employees. Although managers interact and gives fair chance to all employees, conflicts and mistrust seems to appear between employees as they may not like minorities or women getting participated in decision making processes. Therefore, sensitive challenges are faced by managers that require them to develop flexible approach while maintaining employees or else constant conflicts may reduce work effectiveness.
Effective organisation’s culture encourages ethical behaviour. Ethical behaviour on the other hand may bring additional cost to organisations and thus organisational culture that encourages ethical behaviour is more compatible with current culture values which make a better sense. Overall, ethical behaviour creates and maintains organisational culture from which organisations ensures success. But, challenges related to ethical behaviour also seems to continue in society, individuals and organisations that impacts organisational cultures and values. The reason behind it can be insufficient exploration on ethical behaviour needed by organisations and thus managers have to face difficulties in dealing with ethical behavioural issues. This challenge needs to be sorted by organisations if they are concerned about future competitiveness and survival. Managers needs to understand what their employees must know while dealing with ethical issues in their day to day work lives or else any unwanted attempt made by them can ruin entire organisation’s reputation (Kang et al., 2010).
Other challenges can be due to lack of skill and expertise in managers while with dealing employee relationships. During many times, finding talented and skilled people becomes difficult which is the reason organisations take high precautions in retaining their skilled staff by applying incentive and empowerment theories. Coping with continuous change in markets needs skilled managers who can react positively at the times of difficulties. Reshaping organisational culture and strategic decisions requires experienced and knowledgeable manger that can make work sound easier in front of employees along with reducing overhead costs for initial solutions. Since, retaining qualified employees have become difficult for organisations, mangers induce motivational and inspirational behaviour within themselves to motivate employees. Managers require understanding what motivates the employees for which they get involved with their employees in work places like a team. If managers become rigid in work principle and poses more of authoritative nature than motivating, it affects entire behavioural pattern of other employees (Robbins et al., 2009).
Workforce Diversity
After finding challenges that are likely to face mangers while managing employee behaviour, few solutions to it can be applied by managers to minimise effects of the challenges. Firstly, dealing with globalisation related challenge, organisations can find out different factors related in global operation to understand what kind of behavioural challenges they might face during global setting. During globalisation process, things become very complex as value of work force differs from one place to the other. Coordination problems while matching current employees work with global environment related work becomes problematic. Global learning is the most effective remedy for meeting with globalisation issue during management of employee behaviours. These learning may consist acquiring of knowledge, skill and sound organisational behaviour principles that can assist managers in becoming a global competitor (Luthans & Youssef, 2007). Emigrant employees who works for the company in abroad countries can assist managers about resources present over there that can even bring best cost reduction policy along with making these employees feel a part of parent company.
Work force diversity is also an important issue for which managers have to face many challenges in which retaining prerequisites for superior performances become difficult for companies. Even diversity has bad impacts over employee’s behaviour in work places for which managers need to maintain healthy work environment by involving employees in frequent interactions and constant communication between each other. Sometimes, even gestural efforts also bring positive results that reduce employees stress, especially among fresh recruiters. Manager’s key role is to direct employees towards companies’ objectives along with providing them other motivational factors like incentives, rewards, promotions and frequent appraisals. Women and minority shall be given priority in organisations and to minimise challenges related to it, managers can infuse among employees about importance of having them in organisations (Srivastava & Srivastava, 2014). Under ethical laws and regulations, all people shall be given equal opportunity and thus keeping such norms at base, manager’s needs to develop equal job opportunities for men, women and minorities.
Challenges related to ethical behaviour also needs consideration in which managers needs to focus giving attention while performing activities in work places. Leaders and mentors becomes role model for employees and they become more depended on them regarding work place principles (Danely, 2005). Therefore, managers need to perform ethically in work places to avoid unethical moves from employee’s side. Guidelines can be provided to employee’s regarding code of conduct in workplace and any unethical behaviour shall be monitored and met with instantly to avoid further misinterpretations. Resolving confusion during such circumstances becomes important or else employees tend to lose work effectiveness and thus manager’s role becomes important in solving inner conflicts as well (Trevino & Nelson, 2016).
Employees are important element of organisations and are considered as significant assets of firms. Recognising their efforts and achievements becomes necessary for organisations due to which managers makes constant effort in making work places more effective. Contemporary manager’s faces many challenges in process of managing employee’s behaviour which is likely to get increased in upcoming years for which present managers need focusing more on it. To build a successful team and achievement of organisational goals, cultivating sense of responsibility and superior managing power is required by mangers of firms to handle intense situations with strategic considerations. Employee’s behaviour effects work production and thus require to be maintained strategically to ensure success in firm’s operations. The above-mentioned challenges and possible solutions to it can assist manager while considering management of employee’s behaviour in organisation through which success can be realised in best possible manner.
References
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Danely, J.V., 2005. Ethical Behavior for Today’s Workplace. PACRAO, p.6.
Erdogan, B. & Bauer, T., 2012. Organizational Behavior. In An Introduction to Organizational Behavior.
Frey, K.L., 2013. Financier Worldwide. [Online] Available at: https://www.financierworldwide.com/encouraging-ethical-behaviour-in-multinational-corporations/#.WwOPhe6FPIU [Accessed 22 May 2018].
Gabcanova, I., 2011. The Employees-The Most Important Asset in the Organisation. Human Resources Management & Ergonomics, 05, pp.1-12.
Kang, K., Oah, S. & Dickinson, A.M., 2010. The Relative Effects of Different Frequencies of Feedback on Work Performance: A Simulation. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 23(04), pp.21-53.
Luthans, F. & Youssef, C.M., 2007. Emerging Positive Organizational Behavior. Journal of Management, pp.321-49.
Robbins, S.T., Judge, T.A. & Hasham, E.S., 2009. Motivation: Concepts and Applications. In F. Gibbons, ed. Organizational Behavior. Arab World Edition ed. Harlow: Pearson. pp.114-46.
Srivastava, J.S. & Srivastava, A., 2014. Ethics and Values in Dealing with Issues of Women at Work. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, pp.01-06.
Trevino, L.K. & Nelson, K.A., 2016. Straight Talk about Managing Business Ethics. In L. Johnson, ed. Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk about How to Do It Right. John Wiley & Sons. p.12