Models Of Organizational Behavior Essay

Teamwork is a vital requirement within organizations. This is because organizations are composed of people who have different backgrounds, with different skills and knowledge. Working together therefore becomes a necessity if the organization is to utilize what everybody brings to the table for the realization the individual as well as the organizations goals (Harris & Hartman, 2001). Working together and effectively will entail the organization’s staff being divided into sub groups or teams for the achievement of the organizations objectives.

However teamwork is not something natural within an organization rather it has to be facilitated by the organization’s management which is a very challenging task.

This is where organizational behavior comes in. Organizational behavior through a systematic approach looks at how people as individuals and groups act within an organization (Harris & Hartman, 2001). The systematic approach entails taking an in depth look at the relationship between the organization and the people within it.

The main purpose of organizational behavior is to foster a relationship that achieves human, organizational and social objectives.

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Organizational behavior takes into account factors such as human behavior, leadership as well as teamwork. Simply put, organizational behavior studies' the actions and reactions of individuals, groups and subsystems in a systematic manner (Harris ; Hartman, 2001). I had an opportunity to work in a coffee shop as an aide within the human resource department and I got the chance to experience what leadership entails.

The coffee shop I was working at is one among ten others found within the state of Miami.

The experience itself was a real eye opener as I got to understand the roles played by different people for the realization of the organizations objectives. Each of the coffee shops has a manager who is in charge each individual shop, a human resource manager that overlooks the hiring of staff, an accounts department in charge of the finances and the employees who consist of cooks and waiters.

Looking back at this experience critically I believe it is important that the coffee shop had designated roles for every individual within that organization. Organizational behavior allows for the division of labor within an organization and bestows upon people tasks to be achieved for the realization of the organizations goals by allocating those tasks according to the capacity each individual has (Harris ; Hartman, 2001). When working within an organization or a business all levels of organization interact at the end.

Sub divisions only enable individuals and groups to achieve the various tasks that need to be fulfilled within the organization but in the end all levels are one. The manager in charge of the overall running of the coffee shop takes in to consideration the ideas of the human resource manager, the accountants as well as the staff. The realization that one is tasked with a responsibility that has an effect on the overall outcome within the organization helped me realize that I was not only working by myself but as an individual within a group.

I believe the others within the organization had a “we” feeling in that we identify with a group. The benefits of group identification within an organization is that the outcome is high productivity levels within the organization because each group wants to pull their share of the tasks assigned and each individual within the group works hard because they do not want to be the weak point within their group. Each of the key actors involved in the coffee shop had a particular perspective as concerns their roles within this organization.

It has been said that a manager is the dynamic life-giving element within an organization (Harris ; Hartman, 2001). This statement could not put it in a better manner because looking back at the experience I had while at the coffee shop, I can now see that is exactly what the coffee shop’s manager was. As I observed, the manager’s decision-making as well as behavior are generally geared towards economic growth of the organization. He also ensures that some of the objectives for instance profit and/or growth of the organization are achieved within the end of a specified period.

In addition, I also observed that the manager is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all other departments within the coffee shop that is the Human Resource department or the Accounts department conform to the standards of the coffee shop. This means that he has to supervise and monitor the decisions made by other personnel in other departments and have the final word. In a nutshell, the manager manages the organization’s resources which include finances, materials and the workers/staff.

The Human Resource department is charged with the responsibility of making sure that the staff hired within the coffee shop will contribute towards the achievement of the set objectives of the organization. In instances whereby recruitment of staff to work in the kitchen department is required, the human resource department ensures that they are qualified enough to be good cooks/chefs and will be in a position to perform their assigned tasks to the best of their abilities.

Due to this responsibility tasked upon the Human Resource department, they also have to ensure that every one employed within that organization is qualified. The same case applies for the accounts department where they have to ensure that the organization’s finances are properly managed and to also ensure that the organization has enough funds to keep it in business. As for the personnel, the waiters and waitresses, they are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring customer satisfaction. Therefore, they have to possess good personal relations skills in dealing with different personalities in their daily tasks.

It is evident that every one involved in the day-to-day running of the coffee shop behaves the way they do because they are well aware that it is necessary for them to perform the required assignments/tasks for the organization’s benefit as well as their own. For instance, if the manager was not to monitor each department’s performance, some of these departments would tend not to put as much effort in their tasks as required thereby leading to a delay in the organization meeting its objectives by the set deadline.

From the above experience, I have learned that leadership entails possessing the ability to motivate a team or a group of individuals having a common objective (Harris ; Hartman, 2001). Leadership is also an element of social interaction involving actors who are both followers and leaders as observed in the case in the coffee shop where the manager was considered the overall leader in charge of other leaders assigned in other departments. In the process, I learned that I am a team player.

I realized that in an organization, it takes the input of different individuals with distinct knowledge and skills to keep the organization running. To be more effective in future, I plan on gaining more experience as concerns management and leadership by working with other teams from other organizations and observing the organizational behavior at various levels. This will in turn enable me to compare and adjust on the areas that I have not yet perfected. REFERENCES Harris, O. J. , and Hartman, S. J. (2001). Organizational Behavior. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge.