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reply to three terms
To complete your replies:
1. Read the below postings of your peers and the articles which are referenced (This is why it is imperative that the articles be accessible via working URL links). Expect to spend some time each day reviewing all threads and replies, even those in which you are not involved.
2. Write at least 200 words to 3 or more classmates’ threads. You should expect to answer questions posed within each discussion thread. Student interaction is key to success in this course.
W.H.R
BUSI 340-B05
DB 1:
Values
Definition: Organizational Behavior states, “Values are relatively stable, evaluative beliefs that guides our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations. Values help us know what is right or wrong, or good or bad, in the world” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008, p. 15-16).
Summary: The article entitled “Business Values Lead to Profits? Let’s Prove It” written by Paul Spiegelman confronts the issue on a company’s values and overall purpose. Throughout this article Paul discusses the importance of forming clear-cut values and a foundational purpose in a business. He lists four monumental benefits a business could inherit through forming a business model based on values and purpose. Companies with a clear and concrete values model allow a business to, plot your team’s course, define decision-making, resolve conflicts and lead to increased profitability.
Discussion: I can’t begin to explain the monumental impact that values have on a business. The world operates on and by the decisions of others; every decision has an impact on someone’s life and even by not making a decision a decision is formed. “The stakeholder perspective states that to manage the interests of diverse stakeholders, leaders ultimately need to rely on their personal and organizational values for guidance” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008, p. 15). In the Organizational Behavior text we read about values anchoring our thoughts and motivating our actions, not just as an individual but also as groups of people. Do any of you enjoy working on something that is meaningless? When I am apart of something that I hold dear to my heart and value, I enjoy it. Can you imagine what working at an office that shared common values to you would be like? I can imagine it would feel like you were never working. When companies post their values and purpose you get a glimpse into the little world they are trying to create. Think about it, no one creates a company just to create a company; there is always an initial purpose in creating something. As a future employee I want a company to value what I value in my life. Their can’t be anything worse in this world then doing something that you were not designed to do. First of all, you would be miserable and second of all, you would never get anything done. How many of you struggle with mathematics and then decide to change your major to mathematics? No one would ever do that, because people are passionate about what they value in this world. Having similar values as a company would cause me to do my best work at all times, I would become the best employee I could be because I would be passionate about what I was doing. “When your employees know that you and the company stand for something special, they connect to a purpose larger than the task at hand” (Spiegelman). When a company posts their values for the entire world to see certain people are attracted to it. The people that are attracted to it are the ones that have the same values. A business posting their values is of monumental importance because it brings them the most dedicated and spirited workers who will work long hours in order to see a mission accomplished. When a company has employees who have similar values that business will have workers who enjoy coming into work and giving it all they got, that resolve conflicts and accomplish the mission at hand, leading to increased profitability and a successful business.
References
McShane, S., & Von Glinow, M.A. (2013). Organizational behavior (6th ed.).New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Spiegelman, Paul. (2012). Business Values Lead to Profits? Let’s Prove It. Inc.com.
Retrieved from:
http://www.inc.com/paul-spiegelman/business-values-lead-to- profits-lets-prove-it.html
Term:
High-Performance Work Practices
Definition: “A perspective which holds that effective organizations incorporate several workplace practices that leverage the potential of human capital” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 13-14)
Summary: The article called High Performance Work Practices is an article that explains what high performance work practices are. In addition, the article also talks about how to develop a high performance work culture within a company. This article states that high performance work practices start with the employees, Human Resources and rewards.
Discussion: High performance work practices are used in many different companies. Many employers have found ways to make employees perform at a more efficient level. This increase in efficiency has helped many companies. There are three main areas that affect high performance work practices; employees, human resources and rewards.
First, high performance work practices start with the employees. An employee must be able to trust and communicate with his/hers employer. Employees that are able to do this, “tend to have higher levels of motivation, leadership, communication and teamwork” (Ebejer). If an employee is disgruntled, then their work performance will be low. However, an employee who is happy will have a higher and more efficient work performance. “The study found that high performance work practices had a significant, positive effect on the attitudes, and the attitudes in turn enhanced the organizational citizenship behavior of the employees” (Simmons).
Secondly, high performance work practices can be affected by human resources. Human resource should be involved with the employees. They should implement a specific recruitment process (Ebejer). This process would allow them to hire the correct person for the job. Next, human resource should design a training and development strategy. This would allow the employees to learn and become more involved in their company. Finally, Human resources should develop a long-term business strategy. A long-term business strategy would keep a company or business on the right path.
The final area that affect high performance work practices are rewards. “Family-friendly policies, flexible work, equal terms and conditions, career progression plans and subsidized training opportunities all have a significant , if not higher, effect of creating a sense of commitment” (Ebejer). Employees want to know that they are valuable. Job security is one way of making sure the employees feel valued. “A study that used high performance practices showed that a high percentage of employees were more likely to report relatively low turnover rates and high productivity” (Cheng-hua). There are also financial rewards that can help out. “Financial rewards, such as profit -sharing and share options, offer a sense of belonging to the company, as employees become shareholders within the organization” (Ebejer). The company that I work for has an incentive program. The incentive program is based on one’s attendance, attitude, performance and quality. An employee is evaluated every two weeks. If the evaluation is good, then there is a certain amount of money added to the paycheck. However, management and human resources have to be careful about how the incentive program works. Sometimes, the incentive program can demoralize an employee and then that employee’s performance may diminish.
Overall, high performance work practices are great tools for companies. Many times it increases the moral of a company and the employees feel more appreciated. An employee that feels appreciated and valued tends to perform better thus making the company have a bigger profit.
References:
Cheng-hua, Tsai. Employment Modes, High Performance Work Practices, and Organizational Performance in the Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from:
Ebejer, Claire. (2010) High Performance Work Practices. The Sunday Times. Retrieved from:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100404/business/high-performance-work-practices.301105
McShane, Steven., & Von Glinmore, Mary Ann.(2013) Organizational Behavior (6th ed.). NewYork, New York: McGraw-Hill
Simmons, Bret. High-Performance Work Systems Affect Employee Attitudes and Group Performance. (2011). Retrieved from:
http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2011-08/high-performance-work-systems-affect-employee-attitudes-and-group-performance/
Job Burnout
Definition: The process of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment resulting from prolonged exposure to stressors.
Summary: Curt Rosengren is a noted author and speaker in the business world. His passion is helping people find the career that “energize and inspire them.” (Rosengren. 2011) In his article for US News he covers some of the basic precautions of job burnout as well as some helps that are more practical.
Discussion: Stress comes in many forms and fashions. A very common and easily avoided stress is job burnout. The internet is full of warnings and cures for job burnout. Rosengren’s article had a couple not so common cures for this most common ailment. First understanding why you are burned out is key to the problem. Avoid vague and unclear complaints. Narrow down what the cause of the burnout is. Some exact reasons could be, too many hours, restricting creativity and dislike of tasks at the moment.
Rosengren also cautions against limiting ourselves to just two solutions for whatever situation we find ourselves in. Finding your energy source was a third point in the article. Figuring out what energizes you about or into your workday and then putting more of these types of things in it will help alleviate burnout. For example, I am a food service director for a non-profit organization. I spend much of my time analyzing and planning the menu for our clients. This can become an extremely tedious task and after about 20 hours can quickly bring on a feeling of burnout. One aspect that I enjoy of my job is creating and testing new recipes for our clients. For example this past holiday season left me teetering on the edge of burnout. To combat this I spent a whole day tinkering with different cheesy potato recipes until I was able to adjust the ingredients and get the nutritional numbers, flavors, texture, and look I was pleased with. The next day I was ready to sit at the computer for another 20 hours to finish a dreary task.
The last point I would like to discuss from this article is the need to look at the 360-degree picture. Too often when one finds themselves suffering from job burnout they fail to look at the rest of their lives to see if there is burnout happening across the board. Each person is made up of many pieces and only when all the pieces are taken care of and working in unison will a person feel truly relieved from burnout. Rosengren encourages people to look at “all the areas of your life, including work, relationships, and health.”
References
Mayo Clinic Staff. Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. Retrieved from:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/burnout/WL00062
Smith, Melinda M.A., Segal, Jeanne Ph.D., and Segal, Robert M.A. (November 2012) Helpguide.org. Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm
Rosengren, Curt. (2011, September 15) How to Overcome Career Burnout. US News.com
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/09/15/how-to-overcome-career-burnout
Great post, and great summary of the topic of Job burnout which is a subject often overlooked yet very critical for optimal production. Simply put, we are very limited as people and need rest, food, etc. Therefore, it is common sense to realize that all of us need breaks and relaxation from our often stressful lives. Though stressors are ultimately vital to a productive and an enjoyable life and we cannot properly function without them, we need to understand that they need to be balanced out with time of rest. One of the main reasons why God himself instituted the concept of a sabbath was because he knew that his limited creations were going to need rest in order to create such a dependence on that, food, and of course, himself.
