Leadership
and Performance in the Workplace
Introduction and Overview
Woody’s Veneer Factory is a manufacturing company in need
of professional guidance. Because of countless issues in different departments
throughout the company, it has been losing money and inventory, and production
is constantly decreasing. The employees don’t get along and constantly fight,
and management doesn’t seem to know how to take control of the situation. There
are acts of vandalism and violence happening on a daily basis, and although
actions like these should be unacceptable in a work environment, management
hasn’t dealt with the situation properly. Because of previous relationships
that go back to high school times, employees can’t set aside their differences
and act professionally, and the constant fights and conflicts are hurting the
company. To reverse the situation and take the organization to a new higher level,
Woody’s Veneer Factory is in need of the services provided by an I/O
psychologist, who can apply theoretical concepts into the workplace in hopes of
boosting morale and increasing productivity.
When a strong sense of leadership is present in the
workplace, the relationship amongst employees can be successful and harmonious;
and when workers feel appreciated and respected, they will perform better in
return (Spector, 2012). Because of this, the services of an I/O psychologist
can help improve the quality of life in the workplace while at the same time
increasing productivity and profits. This essay will present different
leadership theories as well as concepts and methods to improve the
relationships between worker and colleague, and worker and company.
Group
and Team Concepts
There are many different group and team concepts that
could be beneficial to Woody’s Veneer Factory if applied properly. When a group
of employees works together in a cohesive way, both the employees and the
organization can experience the positive effects. By teaming up individuals who
balance each other’s weaknesses and strengths, tasks and projects can be performed
successfully, increasing profits and reducing costs.
Lack of team work is one of the
biggest problems at Woody’s Veneer Factory. Individuals put their personal
needs and feelings before the collective needs of the group, causing tension,
fights, and an overall dissatisfaction at the workplace, resulting in low
productivity and all the other negative situations the company sees itself in.
When it comes to group and team concepts, Spector (2012) explains that there
are four crucial group concepts and two team concepts that compose team and
group behavior. “The first three (roles, norms, and group cohesiveness)
describe important aspects of groups and teams that help us understand how they
operate. The fourth (process loss) is concerned with what sorts of things
happen in work groups and teams that prevent people from putting all of their
efforts into job performance” (p. 304). Although all these group concepts listed
by the author are valid and useful in Woody’s Veneer Factory’s situation, the
two team concepts are the ones that the company is missing the most. First,
team commitment, which represents how strongly an individual is involved in the
team and how hard that individual is willing to work for the team. The
employees of Woody’s Veneer factory seem to have completely forgotten the
importance of this concept, and assessing which employees are willing to make a
change and commit to the success of the team will be crucial in determining
which employees should stay and which should leave. The second concept, team
mental model, “refers to the shared understanding among team members of the
task, team, equipment, and situation” (Spector, 2012, p. 308). By working on
strengthening the team mental model in the factory, the team will perform
effectively and conflicts will arise less often.
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Conclusion
In
conclusion, after analyzing the current negative situation of Woody’s Veneer
Factory and the many concepts and theories that can be applied in the work
environment, it is safe to say that there is definitely hope for this
organization. By getting the employees involved and committed to working as a
team, boosting their morale and presenting them with incentives to work hard,
it would be possible for this organization to see a change in its productivity
and profits. Employees who fail to comply with the newly established team rules
should be punished, and if negative behaviors repeat, they must be fired. Only
employees who understand the importance of team and group work should be kept
in the company, ensuring this way a positive and effective work environment.
“There is a widespread belief that group performance is superior to individual
performance for many tasks. This belief is based on the notion that something
emerges in the interaction among people that enables a group to be better than the
sum of its members” (Spector, 2012, p. 308). This idea can only be true if all
the members in a team share the same commitment and respect for the
organization, and are willing to sacrifice some personal needs for the
well-being of the team. Leaders must be able to inspire and guide the group
through a successful path, showing them respect and leading by example. If that is accomplished, employees and
organization will be able to collect the positive effects of a well-functioning
workplace.
References
Spector,
P. E. (2012). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice
(6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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