Organizational Behavior Essay PDF

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Organization Behavior Application Project Otoniel Padron Jr California State University, Long Beach HRM 360 Organization Behavior

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Organization Behavior Application Project Organizational Behavior In this paper I will be discussing about organizational behavior in relation to stress, motivation, and communication. I believe these are important factors in the workplace which will help us understand the behavior of individuals, why they make certain decisions, and ways we can improve problems in the workplace. As we dive deeper in the essay, stress will be the first topic to explore where I will describe the influences of stress, the consequences of stress, and the importance of coping with stress. In addition, I will connect stress to personal experiences and how I can manage my behavior for the better with the new knowledge presented. The next topic will be about motivation in the workplace. This is another important factor to explore and understand what motivates others to perform well in the workplace. Motivation such as setting clear expectations, giving positive feedback, and encouraging others will all contribute to the success of an individual and workplace. It is important to maintain a positive environment because this will reduce stress, satisfied employees, and an increase in work performance. In relation to motivation, I will implement a personal experience and discuss my take on what motivates me and other factors that could help enhance my daily life to be more productive and disciplined towards my goals, education, and workplace. The third topic will be on communication. Communication is an important factor in the workplace because it influences to stress in a positive or negative way but also motivational factor. Managers with good communication skills can help managers and employees understand each other more effectively and fulfill goals of the company. Regarding my personal experience communication is important to me because it is a way for me to work more effectively in any task I am doing. These three factors mentioned are useful concepts we can benefit from and understand how each take a role in an organization. Lastly, I will discuss my reaction and reflection upon the three selfassessments we have taken. The first will introduce managerial assumptions followed by how much feedback are you getting from your job, my personal values assessment and lastly conclude my analysis. Stress Stress is an important factor in the workplace. Stress is consisted of emotional and physical responses that causes individuals to feel discomfort that can be a negative effect on our work performance or day to day life activity’s. The goal is to be able to know how to manage stress by applying balance for a healthier lifestyle. Some influences on stress in the workplace are known as, role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload. These roles are typical stressors that are faced by individuals. Role Ambiguity. Role ambiguity is when individuals there is no clear direction or communication to meet organization expectations. Employees are left with unclear duties and in return brings them to feel stressed about their job. According to the textbook “Organization Behavior” further consequences will appear such as “employee turnover and absenteeism, poor coordination and utilization of human resources, and increased operating costs because of

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inefficiency” (Organizational Behavior, 2019). Some people handle role ambiguity in different ways but those with low tolerance are affected more because of the dissatisfaction and unorganized job duties given without guidance. A lack of motivation and work performance would be shown, which effects the organization as well. Good managers will communicate expectations and goals with their employees. Role Conflict. Another stressor in the workplace is known as role conflict. Similarly, to role ambiguity role conflict occurs when a person is in a situation where two or more tasks are place upon them. This type of conflict puts a strain on employees and overall cause dissatisfaction in the job. These negative effects can potentially produce health consequences such as anxiety and burnout. Many people take role conflict differently but, in the textbook, it states that those who are introverts and are not flexible with job duties will tend to have a more negative responses to role conflict and therefore acquire negative health consequences (Organizational Behavior, 2019). Role Overload. The next factor is role overload. Here individuals are asked to perform more than time permits. Employees jobs start to become too quantitative or qualitative meaning that their duties can consist producing more or produce in a quality sense. Sometimes the task can be to difficulty for the employee to encounter without the proper resources and guidance and there is only so much an employee can produce in a given day. When managers set unrealistic expectations, this can cause stressful work environments which can decrease job performance and increase absenteeism. Coping with Stress Stress can be hard to manage and deal with. Some strategies that can help eliminate high levels of stress can be exercising, listening to music, developing new hobbies, and improving one’s self-awareness. According to the text when you start to exercise it helps your body to be more effective when dealing with stress. It can reduce one’s tensions, improve one’s mood, and even improve one’s sleep. Exercising overall will promote to a healthier lifestyle. You will be energized and have great work performance when be fully rested with a positive mindset. Although work related stress can appear anytime of the day your body will be capable of handling more effectively. Another great strategy is to develop new hobbies outside from work and your daily routine. The text mentions that this could help take the mind off work and relief that build up stress many acquire over time because of work. Learning a new hobby such as playing a sport, exercising, meeting new people can improve one’s state of mind for the better. In addition, the text also states to that improving your self-awareness can be a healthy method to prevent stressful situations from escalating (Organization Behavior, 2019). For example, when an individual knows their limits they will step away from the situation or find a way to better counter the situation. This method is great because when an employee is in an unpleasant situation seeking help from your managers and communicating the issue can help cope levels of stress. Communication is key and managers should support their employees and acknowledge their work. Sometimes stress can come from lack of communication and therefore employees will feel unmotivated to perform at their best potential.

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Personal Experience with Stress Stress is very un-healthy and a personal experience we can all relate to is the recent pandemic making learning all online. At first, I enjoyed learning from home because I was able to wake up in my pajamas and join the class lecture. I did not have to deal with getting ready and deal with traffic when driving to campus. It did save me lots of money on gas but in the long run online classes have been super overwhelming and effecting my mental health. Before the pandemic I had a routine which involved various tasks but now my only tasks consisted waking up attend class lecture and catch up on homework. These tasks got super repetitive, boring, and very unmotivating. I am more of a visual in person learner because all the extra help you can receive and the interaction with your peers. During these times I have notice my stressed levels have increased then before. Being in my room all day was causing me to feel burnt-out, frustrated, and unmotivated which overall effected my school performance. I was able to pass all my classes but in returned developed lots of stress. Throughout the semesters and this organizational behavior class I learned that it is healthy to take small breaks and get your mind off work. I would go on drives and treat myself with my favorite food and drink which always made my day better. I learned to be self-aware and know what triggers me to feel stressed and take a break by listening to music, going for walk, or talking with a friend. When feeling overwhelmed the best thing to do is to walk away of the situation and come back it later. That’s what I learned during the past semesters with online classes. I will apply this new knowledge to the workplace to reduce stress levels and overall have great communication with employees and managers to understand organization expectations and be in the same page as needed. Work Motivation Motivation is an important factor in the workplace. Motivation is when individuals show positive energy and perform the best they can to achieve their goals and meet organizations expectations. Motivation comes from things people love to do because it brings them satisfaction. While at work motivation comes from a positive work environment where leaders show importance to their employees and recognize their hard work. In the article “9 Ways to Inspire Motivation in the Workplace” states that a way to motivate employees is to know what they want. Many people approach motivation differently but building trust and interaction with employees is the start of making satisfying a need for the individual (Heathfield, 2021). Theories of Motivation. Some important theories mentioned in the text are known as hedonism and manifest. Hedonism is when individuals are motivated to satisfy their own needs in other words, we like stated in the text we “seek pleasure, avoid pain” (Organizational Behavior). When we set goals, we get motivated to reach them goals but when it no longer satisfies our needs, we move onto the next need that will satisfy us. In addition, manifest needs are what motivate us the most, which takes over other needs we may have. In the workplace motivation is acquired when an organization has realistic goals and a clear direction for employees to follow through by. This will make employees work more efficient and be more productive. Another key element that drives employees is when an organization values and recognizes their employees hard work by rewarding them or simply giving them words of

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encouragement. People are motivated when there is an incentive, opportunities for growth, and feeling valuable and acknowledged in the workplace. Motivators. Rewarding your employees when they accomplish and meet companies’ expectations is a great motivator. Whether it’s a gift card, bonus, a raise, or words of appreciation will always brighten up someone’s day. When employees feel appreciated and recognized for their input this will benefit both the organization and the employee. Satisfied employees will feel comfortable and trust and will work more efficiently and productive. On the other hand, some workplaces work in fast pace environments and in return many individuals may feel overwhelmed due to lack of feedback, support, and communication. With proper training and words of encouragement employees will be motivated to try their best due to the opportunities and room for growth there is. If a manager notices an employee unmotivated or lacking productivity communication is the first step in identifying the issue. An employee can be unmotivated or unhappy with its current job for many reasons. If employees’ expectations of the organization are not being met such as growth opportunities, lack of recognition, and poor working conditions this will increase employee turnover. Personal Experience with Motivation I think motivation plays a big role in growing as a person. During my personal experience in CSULB motivators that helped me to keep moving forward is knowing that hard work pays off. Some motivators that helped me keep going is the support from my family and friends. Getting my degree and achieving my goal has been something I have worked for and put lots of time and effort. Knowing that I will be graduating this semester makes me excited and powered to achieve other goals on the list. These past semesters during the pandemic have been a difficult process to adapt with online school but my key motivator was that I am close to victory and to hang in there. The environment you are in can impact one’s motivation, but as long has you delivered direction and intensity into what you want to achieve people will succeed. In terms of motivation in the workplace motivators that will inspire me to do great is knowing that my contribution is being valued and acknowledged. It feels great knowing that you are being recognized for your efforts. Having clear communication with managers and the trust and support from them helps improve job performance. Great leaders that show support and what their employees to succeed in the workplace overall delivers a positive environment for all. This can reduce absenteeism, role ambiguity, and simply increase one’s satisfaction in the job. Communication Communication in the workplace is an important way to interact with your employees at all various levels. An effective manager will implement their communication skills to influence “the opinions, attitude, motivation, and behaviors of others” as mentioned in the text (Organization Behavior, 2019). Communication is a great form asking for clarification and reassurance in the workplace when having to get a certain task done. There will be times as an employee a task will have you uncertain and asking for clarification and feedback will have an individual feeling more certain and accomplish expectations needs. It is important in an organization to use motivation and effective communication skills to inspire employees to work more efficient and develop a positive environment. Applying all three effectively can result into increasing team building and job satisfaction within an organization.

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Types of Communication. Communication comes in different types of ways. The most used methods in organizations are oral communication, written communication, and nonverbal communication. Oral communication is the best way to get your spoken ideas and concerns out for a better understanding of any given situation. Although oral communication is the most efficient written communication it is an easy and fast way to get your message through faster it is mainly used during important company changes within their policy as stated in the text (Organizational Behavior, 2019). Lastly nonverbal communication is when neither spoken nor written communication but body language. This can be individuals’ facial expressions, and one’s gestures. Communication Skills. Good communication skills prevent conflict and misunderstanding information. When an organization sets clears goals, realistic expectations, and proper resources for their employees this will lead to a more productive and efficient workplace. According to the article “The power of Good Communication in the Workplace” mentions that conflict can come when employees feel that they are not being supported with their emotional or resource needs. For instance, employees may feel that their hard work is not being valued or taken into consideration or don’t have that proper resources to get the job done. When managers show trust and support to their employees, they are connecting with them in a greater level. Communication allows you to understand a person better on what skills they have and what motivates them. The article states that when employees have a good relationship with their mangers and leaders “employees are more engaged in their work and can better align with company objectives and goals” (Bosworth, 2021). Personal Experience with Communication In relation to my personal experience has a college student communication plays a big role in understanding the expectations in passing a class. While learning the subject online I needed to decode and make sense of what was being taught by listening carefully and going over lecture notes. There were times where a certain task was unclear to me and brought anxiety and stress upon me. To get myself out of doubt I would email my professors for clarification and made sure I was doing things correctly. Not to mention group projects can be disorganized and lack communication. Throughout the semester I was lucky to have great team members where communication was used properly to resolve and understand our roles for the project. Good communication brings everybody close together and more engaged into the roles they are assigned and when someone is uncertain or lost, we can help each other out by finding more resources or tools needed to complete the task. We applied techniques such as tackling tasks where we felt the most confident in. This made projects more efficient and able to work more strategically to get things done. As I move on into the workforce, I will use these concepts to maintain positive and effective interactions with co-workers and managers to motivate others and work as a team. At the end of the day great communication skills influences better results in the workplace and satisfied employees.

Managerial Assumptions

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One of the assessments I choose was what are your managerial assumptions. Some of the statements that stood out to me was if managers should help employees advance and grow in the workplace. I chose yes for this because employees appreciate a helpful manager that is willing to support and watch you succeed in the job. This type of encouragement is beneficial for the organization because a satisfied employee means more productivity. Another statement that stood out to me was “do most people work only as hard as they have to”? This statement has me in the middle because there are people who have strong work ethics and are self-motivated and want to grow within the company but sometimes a company may not meet an employee’s expectation based on their morals and values. When a company does not value their employees or lacks communication and have unclear expectations people will feel less motivated which will result in less productivity. Employees are looking for appreciation, support, and matter to the company. Another statement mentioned was if people are the happiest when off the job and I believe this can be a yes and no answer. When off the job people can be the happiest because they get their minds off work and perhaps had a stressful day especially if it’s a job that an employee does not enjoy. On the other hand, an employee may enjoy his job and be happy because of the organizations culture and values towards their employees. Personal Values This assessment showed values that reflect in me. While taking the personality test it indicated that I’m a person who likes feeling secured in life and when my needs don’t meet, I experience anxiety. I can relate to this because I’m the type of person who likes to get my things done and not feel clueless or lost. Another value that was accurate is that I’m able to keep myself motivated and accomplish my goals. Things that make me motivated are always on my priority list. This other value is also a big one for me and it is to maintain my mental and psychical health conditions good. This is important to me because there will be negative obstacles on the way and coping with stress and being self-aware is things, I try to implement in my life to stay healthy. The assessment pointed out that close relationships is something I value as well. This is correct because when you have people by your side supporting you and acting as a motivator it helps me become a better person. This personality test really did hit a lot of things that I can relate to. Personality Test The personality test identified that I have type a personality. The textbook mentions that type a personality which is when a person is experiences lots of stress, is competitive, and focused on getting the job done. I can relate to these traits because I do find myself stressed out when I have many tasks to complete by a deadline. Just knowing that I have lots of work to do has me constantly thinking about how I’m going to manage my time. The textbook mentions that ty...