Organisational Behaviour – Meaning, Challenges and Opportunities

What is Organisational Behaviour?

Organisational Behaviour involves interactions between individuals within an organisation and how these interactions influence the organisation’s progress towards its objectives. It scrutinises the effects of various elements on behaviour within an organisation. The primary emphasis of organisational behaviour is on boosting employee productivity. According to the research study, when employees feel recognised and important, they tend to work harder and be more productive. This increased productivity can directly contribute to the organisation’s profitability. In addition, organisational behaviour also explores how organisations can more effectively manage, modify, and enhance behaviour to attain desired results, such as productivity, employee well-being, or job satisfaction.

Geeky Takeaways:

• Understanding what motivates individuals to perform well in the workplace is a key aspect of organizational behavior.
• Under organisational behaviour, organizations are asked to focus on creating a motivating work culture by aligning individual and organizational goals

Challenges for Organisational Behaviour

Organisational Behaviour faces numerous challenges that are constantly evolving to improve efficiency and achieve business goals. While the nature of jobs changes, some problems persist.

1. Lack of Clear Direction: Leaders may either seldom discuss or outline a deliberate future direction or strategy, or they may fail to communicate a coherent message about this strategy to all organisation members. Organisations often have numerous activities to carry out but lack the synchronisation needed to generate the momentum necessary for the organisation to modify, adapt, and shape its future.

2. Integrating Multiple Personalities: The difficulty of integrating multiple personalities into a cohesive and unified team is a significant challenge. The mix of backgrounds, judgements, views, and experiences can pose challenges for teams trying to come together and work harmoniously.

3. Development of Key Capabilities and Behaviours: Despite the presence of many hardworking individuals with good intentions in any organisation, creating a high-performance organisation often remains elusive.

4. Poor Communication and Feedback: Challenges arise when people either do everything possible to avoid confronting others and holding them accountable, or seize any opportunity to berate people, belittle them, and crush their spirits.

5. Absence of Perception: Building a viable organisation requires hard work and a keen understanding of the culture and environment that exist in a business. A clear understanding of market requirements and market forecasts is essential. The absence of these can result in significant losses in every sector.

6. Turnover: This is all about how frequently people leave a company and need to be replaced. A high turnover rate can often be traced back to the work environment or the style of leadership. This situation demands recruiters invest more time and resources in the hiring process. Companies need to focus on keeping their employees satisfied, as this helps in retaining talented professionals and attracting suitable candidates for open positions.

7. Productivity Issues: This challenge comes into play when there is a lack of motivation among the staff, leading to a reluctance to fulfil their job responsibilities. This can slow down the company’s operations and make it more difficult to achieve set goals. Productive employees have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them, and they put in the effort to meet these expectations.

8. Limited Innovation: This refers to a company’s struggle to come up with new ideas and get ahead of its competitors. This can also have an impact on employee motivation. Employees who are not passionate about their roles may not feel driven to perform them. As time passes, a company should change its approach. Shaking things up in the workplace can lead to the emergence of fresh ideas and reignite passion among employees.

9. Dealing with Workplace Conflicts: In any organisation, conflicts can emerge due to varying opinions, personalities, attitudes, and objectives. Such conflicts can hamper teamwork, lower productivity, and decrease employee satisfaction. However, by establishing a conflict resolution process and offering conflict management training, these conflicts can be effectively managed.

10. Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities: Non-clarity in roles and responsibilities can lead to confusion and inefficiencies among individuals, resulting in errors and overlapping tasks. It is crucial to clearly outline each person’s roles and responsibilities. Additionally, establishing effective communication channels can help in seeking clarification and avoiding misunderstandings.

Opportunities for Organisational Behaviour

1. Developing Skills: The intricate dance of organisational behaviour is pivotal in honing the skills of individuals, ultimately contributing to more effective management within the organisation. It sheds light on the specific skills employees can harness in their roles, delving into aspects like job design and the art of crafting cohesive teams.

2. Navigating Diversity in the Workforce: Picture the organisation as a canvas, woven with a rich tapestry of diversity, race, gender, age, personality, communication style, occupation, organisational function, education, and background. Organisational behaviour steps in as a guiding compass, skillfully navigating the complex nuances of these differences. It not only identifies but also charts effective strategies to address and harmonise the challenges that arise from this diverse mosaic.

3. Enhancing Customer Service: Organisational behaviour serves as a backstage pass, offering glimpses into the desires of our customers, their preferences, timing, and expectations. This deep understanding becomes the cornerstone for elevating the value we provide to customers, refining our service delivery, and subsequently breathing life into business improvement.

4. Improving Quality and Productivity: Quality and productivity stand as pillars of competitiveness, especially in economies with an open market ethos. Organisational behaviour goes beyond merely observing individual behaviour; it casts its net over tasks, streamlining regulations and processes within the organisation to maximise efficiency.

5. Adapting to Globalisation: The global stage is now commonplace for businesses, facilitated largely by the interconnected world of the Internet. Organisational behaviour is the linchpin that enables this global dance. Beyond deciphering individual behaviours, it dives into understanding cultures, a crucial aspect influencing global business dynamics. This nuanced understanding aids in navigating the diverse landscapes of sellers, customers, and their purchasing choices.

6. Fostering Innovation and Embracing Change: In the ever-evolving landscape of successful organisations, innovation and adaptability reign supreme. Organisational behaviour, with its insightful grasp of people’s behaviour and overarching cultures, becomes the catalyst for stimulating innovation and driving change. This understanding fuels the dynamic process of developing products aligned with market demands.

7. Conflict Resolution: The tools provided by organisational behaviour are crucial for comprehending and addressing conflicts within an organisation. Quick conflict resolution is key to enhancing relationships, fostering teamwork, and ensuring smooth operations.

8. Talent Retention: A positive work environment fostered by organisational behaviour aids in retaining skilled employees. The organisation’s care for their well-being and provision of a conducive work environment motivate employees and increase their commitment. This reduces employee turnover and cuts down on recruitment and training expenses.

9. Leadership Development: Organisational behaviour assists in identifying various leadership styles and determining which are most suitable for a particular organisation. It equips leaders with the necessary skills and tools, helping them to motivate and inspire their teams effectively.

10. Improved Decision Making: Organisational behaviour plays a key role in improving an organisation’s decision-making process. By obtaining some meaningful insights concerning social and psychological aspects that influence decision-makers, decisions can be made more effectively. This approach helps us to remove any biasing possibility in the decision-making process.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1What are the key challenges faced by organisations in managing diversity within the workforce?

Organisational behaviour acknowledges the mosaic of differences within a workforce. Challenges often arise in effectively managing diversity, encompassing factors like age, gender, cultural backgrounds, and communication styles.

How does organisational behaviour contribute to overcoming resistance to change within an organisation?

Change is inevitable, yet resistance to it is commonplace. Organisational behaviour plays an important role in understanding the psychological dynamics behind resistance to change. By addressing these factors, it provides opportunities to create strategies that facilitate smoother transitions and encourage organisational adaptability.

What opportunities does organisational behaviour present for enhancing employee motivation and job satisfaction?

Employee motivation and job satisfaction are crucial components of organisational success. Organisational behaviour provides a lens through which managers can comprehend individual and group dynamics, tailoring strategies to boost motivation and job satisfaction.

In what ways does organisational behaviour contribute to effective leadership and management practices?

Effective leadership is fundamental to organisational success. Organisational behaviour offers insights into leadership styles, communication strategies, and team dynamics.

How does organisational behaviour address the challenges posed by a rapidly changing business environment and technological advancements?

The business landscape is continually evolving, driven by technological advancements and market dynamics. Organisational behaviour helps organisations adapt to these changes by fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and agility. It provides opportunities for organisations to leverage technological advancements and navigate the challenges of staying relevant in a dynamic environment.