Leadership and Performance in the Workplace

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Introduction

The purpose of this report is to show how to use industrial/organizational psychology (I/O) to make recommendations for improving operations in a factory. It refers to Woody’s Veneer Factory. The report shows how to reduce costs, enhance production and spur the factory to profitability. Organizations have used I/O psychology to develop different kinds of operation functions in their units. In most cases, when organizations have challenges with employee relationships and operations, productivity will decline. In such circumstances, the I/O psychology focuses on addressing failures in the system and poor work habits.

The I/O psychology offers concepts, which are useful for addressing group and team concepts, performance improvement and workforce diversity management. In addition, it provides leadership concepts, which are critical in enhancing employee relationship between executives and their juniors, power influences and their impacts on in the organization and the distinction between management and leadership. The issues covered in this report will resolve challenges at Woody’s Veneer Factory.

Different group and team concepts for improving performance and diversity of employees in the factory

Woody’s Veneer Factory should adopt organizational development (OD) to enhance the relationship among its employees. The OD will ensure planned, methodical change in employees’ attitudes, beliefs and values (Spector, 2012). The factory shall adopt action-oriented long-term training programs to address people challenges. OD processes require analysis of the entire organization and its functions to initiate re-organization, establish new units and redistribute roles of employees. However, the factory must identify change agents to manage change processes. This is necessary to avert any possible resistance to change among employees.

Therefore, change agents will create the desire among employees to embrace change in the organization. A systematic assessment of the current situation at the factory should determine the future needs of the organization. The process also identifies employees’ behavior modeling techniques, diversity and sensitivity training. Sensitivity training will create awareness about group dynamics, interpersonal traits and group functions. Consequently, workers at the factory will strive to achieve mature attitudes. The OD shall allow the factory to change and adapt its operations to external changes brought about by market conditions, regulations, globalization and technologies.

The factory shall adopt group cohesiveness to bring about the desired changes in employee relationships and changes throughout the organization. Cohesiveness in organization creates a greater level of interaction and courtesy among executives and employees, social engagement, low rates of staff attrition and absenteeism. This will improve employees’ productivity at the factory. Employees create group cohesion through commitment to work as a team, share responsibilities and achieve their collective objectives. Cohesiveness in an organization promotes a sense of responsibility with regard to a group’s achievement.

Employees have concerted efforts to achieve a common goal. Cohesion results into increased organizational performance (Beal, Cohen, Burke & McLendon, 2003). A cohesive group facilitates employee satisfaction in different organizations and settings. Employees in a cohesive group are optimistic, goal-oriented and experience few cases of social dysfunctions. In addition, employees in cohesive groups have shown positive emotional adjustment, low-levels of anxiety and tension. Group cohesiveness helps employees to management work related stress in a better manner. In addition, group cohesiveness enhances decision-making in different situations (Wheelan, 2010).

Leadership theories and implementing them to improve the relationship between management and floor workers

Woody’s Veneer Factory should adopt the contingency leadership theory. The contingency theory recognizes that leadership depends on an individual, behavior and the prevailing condition. Spector notes that contingency leadership assesses the situation in order to determine specific qualities for the required leader and expected behaviors (Spector, 2012). Many employees at the factory claim that their jobs are boring and lack excitement, uncoordinated and monotonous.

This situation leads to uncertainty about job performances. Employees have developed a habit of crushing good quality veneer. This is unproductive and leads to wastage at the factory. Floor workers do not know what to do or understand the management expectation. In this case, the superintendent and quality department must provide direction to floor workers. Directives from senior executives will ensure that floor workers understand executives’ expectations and they will know how to perform their duties and experience job satisfaction. In other words, effective job outcomes and job satisfaction result from interactions among the prevailing circumstances, employee characteristics and styles of management. Currently, Woody’s Veneer Factory managers have neglected their roles. Consequently, employees decide on tasks at the workplace, which has led to wastage and increased costs and low productivity. Directive authorities from managers will allow employees to act on specific tasks.

Wood’s Veneer Factory can also adopt leader-member exchange theory (LMX). The LMX theory aims to determine relationships between employees and supervisors and effects of such relationships on employees’ behaviors (Spector, 2012).

The theory allows managers to perceive workers as reliable and task-oriented. Conflicts between Ken and Dave affect employees’ outputs. While some of the employees have long relationships developed in high school, they must act professional in the organization. The relationship between Ken and Dave is rather casual and displays a lack of professionalism expected in organizations. Consequently, job performance has declined. The leader-member theory focuses on improving the relationship between workers and their managers. This should result in mutual respect between the parties. Therefore, employees develop a sense of organizational engagement and satisfaction, which should improve job performance.

How the floor workers view the influence and power of management, its impacts on the workplace and recommendation

There is a poor relationship between managers and workers at the factory, which affects production and profitability. Floor workers consider their managers as authoritative and there is a sense of ‘us versus them’ attitude at the factory. Workers spy on their managers and deliberately waste good veneer. The negative perception of influence and power in the organization has led to poor attitudes and behaviors coupled with secrecy and destruction of good veneer. The poor relationship has resulted in poor communication at the factory. Most communications happen through the bulletin boards. Consequently, wastage, conflicts, poor production, high costs and low profitability have increased at the factory.

An I/O psychologist can strive to create unity and good relationship between workers and managers. Recommendations for the factory include the following. First, the organization should improve communication between managers and works to reduce secrecy between the parties. Second, managers require training in employee relationship. This shall improve teamwork, decision-making and strategies among others in the factory. Hence, the team will form a cohesive group. Third, the organization should introduce performance management systems and production goals. There should be rewards for employees who perform well. This will reduce wastage and increase production and profitability.

Fourth, the factory needs to review its policies and introduce zero tolerance to deliberate wastage and vandalism of its property. Employees shall be held personally responsible for such wastage and vandalism. Fifth, the factory should introduce new policies to curb workplace violence and effective mechanism of resolving conflicts rather than “It’s not a big deal, “Don’t worry about it” and “this kind of thing happens now and then”. The factory should not take casual approaches to any forms of workplace violence because they can result in lawsuits, financial compensation and poor relationships. Sixth, employees should have line supervisors to improve supervision and efficiency at the workplace.

The differences between leadership and management

Management techniques have changed rapidly. Consequently, firms have recognized the need to lead employees rather than manage them. Leaders are proactive. Leadership and management are not similar concepts, but complementary. The roles of managers include planning, organizing and coordinating activities in an organization. On the other hand, leaders have the responsibility of inspiring and motivating subordinates. Managers concentrate on administration of employees while leaders focus on innovation (Walonick, 1993).

In other words, leaders develop new concepts for an organization. The main concerns for leaders are people while managers focus on strict structures and organizational systems. While managers use control-and-command strategies to run organizations, leaders develop trust among their subordinates and promote long-term visions in their organizations. Leaders concentrate on higher goals while managers focus on the bottom line. They tend to be original while managers imitate concepts. Leaders strive for change while managers embrace the prevailing conditions.

In the past, it was simple to notice the difference between a manager and a leader. Employees followed orders based on assigned tasks and delivered outcomes. Organizations focused on efficiency. However, currently, such distinctions are rare in the new economy as people at all levels seek to create values. In a knowledge-based economy, it is difficult to differentiate between management and leadership. Employees expect their managers to assign tasks and clarify the purpose. At the same time, managers must coordinate and manage their subordinates to enhance efficiency, develop skills, talents and inspire outcomes.

Scholars had noted such differences as knowledge workers emerged. The new form of workers caused significant changes in the way organizations operated and organized. Consequently, there was no need to manage employee but rather to lead them. Leaders focused on making employees useful based on their specific knowledge and strengths.

Managers can adopt some leadership strategies to improve networking with employees at Woody’s Veneer Factory. However, managers must identify their weaknesses and strengths. Some of the leadership qualities, which managers can adopt to improve networking include flexibility, a focus on long-term goals, employee training and coaching, skills development and effective communications. Managers must learn how to influence employees emotionally and socially rather than relying on command-and-control approaches. In this respect, managers at the factory must learn how to lead employees. They must learn how to influence and motivate floor workers and inspire them to focus on the long-term visions of the factory. Managers should become mentors, role models and encourage employees to be creative and develop new ideas.

Conclusion

This report has shown how to use industrial/organizational psychology (I/O) to make recommendations for improving operation conditions in a factory. It shows that organizations can adopt relevant leadership theories to manage relationships between subordinates and managers. Such theories aim to identify issues and provide the best approaches in any given situations. The report indicates that group and team concepts result in job satisfaction, improved performance and eventually profitability. It also shows how leadership concepts can transform an organization if implemented effectively. Poor relationships between managers and employees affect productivity in an organization. Therefore, it is imperative for subordinates and managers to develop good relationships. Today, knowledge workers have led to the decline of command-and-control management approaches.

Consequently, managers face the challenge of management and leadership at the same time. Managers can adopt leadership styles to improve networking with their subordinates and influence their behaviors and attitudes to achieve organizational goals.

References

Beal, D. J., Cohen, R., Burke, M. J. & McLendon, C. L. (2003). Cohesion and performance in groups: A meta-analytic clarification of construct relation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 989-1004. Web.

Spector, P. (2012). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Web.

Walonick, D. S. (1993). An Overview of Organizational Leadership and Management. Web.

Wheelan, S. A. (2010). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage. Web.

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