Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example Organisational Behaviour is a vast subject, catering to studies pertaining to employees; their motivation strategies, their productivity, their dedication to the organisation they work in, their emotional complexities, the role of workplace environment and peers. Indeed Organisational Behaviour is a detailed research-based subject for determining the factors influencing workplace settings and employees and how to increase their productivity. Hence, for organisational welfare, the knowledge of organizational behavior is unquestionably important. Traditional Organisational Behaviour theories, or initial theories, had been sufficient to cater to the traditional organisational settings. Originally, before the technological advent of computers and the never ending internet connectivity, organisations meant a workplace divided into numerous cubicles with the employees milling about their regular office chores, only leaving their cubicles during lunchtime, and at times working overtime thro ugh the night in their respective offices. Supervision was generally done by observing the employee performance through the tinted cubicle glasses, providing assistance and motivation on spot. However, with rapid technological advancements in the form of software developments and easily available internet connectivity, the typical meaning of â€Å"organisation† and â€Å"workplace† has also evolved. Dictionary.com now defines ‘organisation’ as â€Å"a business or administrative concern united and constructed for a particular end†, with no reference to the physical aspect of the organisation. Technological advancements has made â€Å"work-from-home† possible, just as â€Å"carrying office around† is possible due to the development of gadgets. People do not spend night time working in offices, and most organisations do not have an office space for all their employees – â€Å"working at a distance† has gained popularity as a part of increasing efficiency and cost-cutting strategies of all businesses. This has posed significant challenges to the traditional organisational behaviour theories, posing contemporary issues evolved due to the change in work environments. Firstly, due to technological developments, work can hardly be uniquely distinguished from life. Organisations have undergone immense structural reforms like de-layering, outsourcing, atomisation, casualisation, horizontal linkages, devolution etc. (Murray, Poole & Jones, 2006, p.18-19). Each of these reformations have caused a change in organisational and employees’ behaviour and hence posed challenges to the organisational behaviour theories. De-layering implies the elimination of middle level management due to technical support, flattening the organisational structure of hierarchy and increasing lower level management coordination directly with the top-level management (Murray, Poole & Jones, 2006, p.18-19). Traditionally, middle le vel managers have served the purpose of buffering the communication between the upper and lower levels of management. Outsourcing implies part of an organisation’s value chain being produced by other organisation collaboratively (Murray, Poole & Jones, 2006, p.18-19). This phenomenon has recently spring to light after the worldwide economic crisis