Fundamental Issues in the Case Study
Discuss about the Organizational Behaviour for Journal of Contemporary Hospitality.
Organizational behaviour refers to how employees interrelate within an organization and the way they work towards meeting the defined goals of the organization. The interaction within the organization can promote or frustrate the success of an organization. Operation within a company’s management and the staff forms a pattern of behaviour which can influence the company’s performance. Employees may behave differently in an organization than they do in the social environment due to the structure of the organization. Company structure and policies also influence the behaviour of employees within an organization. Management effectiveness greatly influences the organizational behaviour as it can inspire the employees to work harder or contribute to the failure of the business (Agarwal, 2014). Hospitality business involves staff directly serving the customers, and therefore the organizational behaviour is very crucial in ensuring the success. According to Landy & Conte (2016), most service and hospitality business rely on motivated and passionate employees to deliver the quality service to the customer. In a restaurant business where enthused waitress, cooks are willing to go an extra mile in serving the customers, the profit and the growth of restaurant can be enhanced. The development of quality organizational behaviour can increase the competitive edge of the company and the market share of customers.
In the Con and Voula case which are both managers of restaurants which are jointly owned by their parents and uncles, managers are given the freedom to manage the two restaurants where Con and Voula have two different styles of management and power structures. Power is a crucial element within an organization, and an organization cannot operate without power which helps in achieving the objectives of the company (Barry& Wilkinson, 2016). Con has adopted an autocratic type of leadership where there is a division between the leader and the employees. When Con tries to unite the employees in serving a customer, it seems impossible, and this is a clear indicator that there is a division between the management and the staff. Voula has adopted the participative style of leadership where management offers direction and guidance to its staff while considering individual staff input. In Voula’s restaurant when a customer comes in everyone is expected to play an essential role in serving him or her. Vince who is Voula vice manager is the one who greets customers and shows them a list of best wines. He also participates in washing glasses in the kitchen, and there is a lot of teamwork within Voula restaurant.
Key Theories Demonstrated
In Con’s restaurant, employees require supervision to perform their duties. When a customer arrives, and perhaps the manager is in the kitchen, they ignore the customer as though it was not their problem. Voula restaurant staff works under less supervision as everyone contributes to the effectiveness of service delivery. For an organization to run efficiently, management must ensure teamwork is enhanced by the employees (Johns & Saks, 2001). Another fundamental issue within the business is the issue of motivation where Cons staff members are not motivated, and they are in conflict while Voula staff is enthused and there is less supervision. Motivation enhances what employees are supposed to do and the energy they will put in ensuring that the work is accomplished. Employees who are motivated will perform more effectively, and this will have a positive impact on organizational behaviour. According to Murata et al. (2017) motivation is related to the job satisfaction within an organization.
The research on how employees behave within an organization reveals that the amount of organizational output is not dependent on the quality of workforce but the effectiveness of the workforce (Karanges et al. 2015). First is the Neo-human relation which focuses on the structure of an organization and it also gave rise to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs which indicates that workers are motivated to satisfy their needs. According to Maslow, ones a need is satisfied, an individual is motivated to seek needs at the next higher level. The theory specifies that managers can read their employees need and identify them and this leads to the motivation of employees. In Con and Voula case the neo-human relation is evident in that Voula can identify and understand the needs of his employees and motivates them by involving management teamwork within the restaurant. This has brought about the Voula’s trust to the employees. Cons team is filled with conflicts, and it is not motivated. The Herzberg’s factor determines the factors related to workers satisfaction which is related to the environment in which the staffs work. These factors include growth, recognition, and advancement.
McGregor’s theory x and theory y also focus on employees need and on nature of manager behaviour. The theories assume that manager’s perception of employees influences the performance of employees. In theory, x manager assumes that the employees require supervision and they are pushed to perform their duties. Acting on this assumption Con ensures there is maximum supervision of employees despite them not being motivated. Theory y assumes that staffs are willing to perform their duties and can accept more responsibility if they are given the freedom. Voula and his management are giving the staff freedom depending on their interest and are willing to delegate more authority.
Communication
The second type of theory is the system approach theory which measures organizational behaviour as an input within the organization system. According to Shafritz et al. (2015), the theory allows modification of system so that the firm can manage and allocate its resources. The fundamental of system approach theory involves division of labour, the span of control, centralization, and decentralization. The third theory is the decision-making approach which focuses on the decision making importance. Decision makers choose alternatives that satisfy rather than seeking optimal solution. Lastly, the Expectancy theory which was developed by Victor Vroom assumes that the employee’s efforts are influenced by the outcomes they will receive for their work. According to O’Neill et al. (2016) employees who are satisfied with the reward they get from the job have the quality performance.
Communication is a component of organizational behaviour which is observed through group behaviours, and it is a key to the overall organizational success. Communication is the process of passing the information from one person to the other. The objective of communication is to connect employees of a given organization to reach a common goal (Aaltonen, & Ikävalko, 2002). Communication plays a great role in employee’s management and customer relations within the business. Communication should be effective within an organization to meet clear expectations for employees and customers as well. According to Deer and Jago (2015), good communication can help manage employees expectations by building good working relations with the management. In Voula’s case, some of his staff meet and discuss the issues relating work and come up with recommendations for resolving them. Effective communication can build up strong relationships within the workplace which is brought about by trust between the management and the staff. In Voula’s restaurant, the management has earned the trust of its employees as a result of communication within the workplace. Effective information boosts trust and loyalty within the business by providing information feedback (Johnson et al. 2018). Effective communication also enhances ideas and innovation within the organization as in Voula’s restaurant where staff comes up with the idea of resolving the previous day matters. This has been brought about by the restaurant leader having an open mind and being responsive to their feedback. Effective organizational communication ensures that there is strong teamwork and enables employees at all levels to work towards a common goal (Pugh & Hickson, 2016).voula’s staff have been equipped with the structure and positive work environment which has led to teamwork, unlike con’s restaurant.
The two restaurants should come up with measures that encourage the employees for the business to succeed. First, the Con’s restaurant should enhance more on teamwork, and this will increase motivation by creating teams and setting a particular goal to achieve. This will increase staff involvement in the activities of the firm, and it will help the employees to be self-directed. At the same time, it will help the restaurant’s staff to make decisions concerning the plans and accomplishment of their given tasks. Secondly, the restaurants should enhance worker empowerment which will help in increasing responsibilities of the staff and their involvement in achieving the success of the business. This is done by involving the employees in decision making and thus allowing the employees to come up with their own goals and come up with ways of achieving their set goals. Thirdly Con’s should enhance job rotation which is a program that ensures that employees are assigned to the new positions. This will help reduce the concept of staff feeling safety in numbers.
Conclusion
Organizational behaviour is the study of the individual group behaviour which is related to elements of communication and the organizational structure. Organizational structure influences the behavioural pattern within an organization, and it enhances managerial perception towards the employees. An organizational theory improves and affects the motivation of employees and the relationship with their leaders. Con’s and Voula restaurants which have the same structure have different organizational behaviour patterns and which have significantly impacted their business.
References
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