Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
The overall goal and objective of any company or corporation is to achieve success and
prosperity in all its daily endeavors. This is considered a very essential part of business since it
ensures that the needs of customers are met and subsequently satisfied. This duty is delegated to
employees who are trained on handling different forms of clients within the competitive market. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
The operations of one organization always vary from one to the next meaning that also the
problems faced differ at great lengths. This is why it is crucial to study the behavior and
character of employees so that managers can draw optimum performance and productivity from
them. This paper is a brief essay that discusses the importance of organization behavior with
regards to a case study provided and uses human theories and concepts to analyze issues facing
the affected firm.
Article Chosen for Analysis.
“Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad.” Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
Body of the Essay
i) Root Cause Case Study Analysis
a) Identify root causes of known organizational issues from a human behavior perspective.
The organization in question is a business that deals with the manufacture of mirrors for
cars and tracks for quite a long time. However, the company has faced numerous issues with its
employees being the most affected. To begin with, the firm has been dealing with a productivity
problem that had impacted negatively on the rate of performance of the firm (Beer and. Collins,
2011). The fact that most products could not be assembled on time meant that the customers
were not satisfied with the firm’s slow pace of operation. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
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This resulted in a drastic reduction of loyal clients with the company only having the
privilege of two assured top clients. Further, the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant was also struggling
with the issue of certification since most of their products were being produced and shipped
immediately without inspection. This process could easily led to a lot of compromise such that
the mirrors manufactured would be of lesser quality (Schein, 2007). In fact, the plant manager
was already worried that product quality issues were beginning to creep in slowly into the daily
activities of the company. This is because they had stopped most of the inspection activities and
were directly shipping mirrors to clients without first confirming whether they were in good
condition (Beer and. Collins, 2011).
The challenge with the employees of the company was perhaps of the largest one because it
was threatening the healthy working relationship between the firm and themselves. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper. The 209 or more employees felt that the organization had been shortchanging them when it comes to
payment of bonuses under the Scanlon Plan. The latter is one of the incentive plans that exists in
America and it is used to pay bonuses to workers based on their level of performance (Beer and.
Collins, 2011). The Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant had not been following this plan since most
employees were complaining that they had not been paid their dues for several months. What’s
more, the business had made good returns and profits for over seven years and despite this fact,
the employees had not been paid their bonuses. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
This was beginning to affect their morale such that the firm began to register a decline in
production (Beer and. Collins, 2011). The process of laying off some of the workers also
reflected negatively on the company and most employees were felling that the firm was not
appreciating them. Further, they developed their own suspicions and anger as to why their right
of receiving regular bonuses had been taken away from them (Beer and. Collins, 2011). The fact that they were accustomed to receiving them as extra payment made them feel that the Engstrom
Auto Mirror Plant was duping them knowingly. This is why the plant manager and his assistant
were desperately looking for a solution that would restore the previous levels of productivity and
ensure that quality products would be manufactured. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
b) Analyze root causes from a human behavior perspective and validate the analysis with
supportive research evidence.
The main problems and challenges that are facing the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant are
directly related to matters of human resources. This in turn results in negative impacts on the
organization where productivity, performance and quality of commodities manufactured. These
issues actually arise out of the fact that the managerial team rarely consulted with its employees
on the best ways of running the firm. This assertion is supported by the contingency theory
which explains the importance of organizational behavior in terms of the factors that affects the
relationship between employees and their direct supervisors (Lawrence et al, 2005). Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
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Further, this theory gives a detailed explanation of how a company can be able to
understand the behavior of its staff members, assess it and even come up with ways of
motivating them to work more effectively (Ramírez et al, 2014). It is obvious that this private
firm was facing the numerous problems with its employees since it had deprived them of their
only source of motivation. The bonuses and extra payment that most workers had been getting
was actually inspiring them to work harder and ensure that they had completed their delegated
tasks promptly.
The contingency theory also explains that motivation can also be non-monetary where
leadership in an organization factors all the thoughts and opinions of the workers (Cavanagh et
al, 2011). In this case, the employees were locked out of all matters related to control and management such that the top executives were the only ones who were finding solutions to their
issues. They did not permit their employees to take part in brainstorming or decision making
sessions and this made them feel that the company did not value them. Human beings thrive on
being appreciated and this virtue can make them perform to the maximum level of their abilities.
c) Explain the resulting impact of poorly aligned and administered human behavior theories
and concepts. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
The analysis of human behavior with regards to the employees working at Engstrom
Auto Mirror Plant shows that their main issues revolved around employee motivation and
leadership management. The fact that bonuses under the Scanlon Plan had been temporarily
halted without the consent of the employees made them feel that they were being denied their
rights. This directly affected their level of morale such that production declined drastically
(Bodla et al, 2014). The issues of leadership stemmed out of the fact that the plant managers and
his assistant were deliberating on the best ways to improve product quality and performance
without consulting the rest of the team. The best approach of solving all of these issues is to
invest in the suitable ways of motivating employees and also incorporating them when it comes
to decision making. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
In conclusion, organizations face numerous problems due to the failure to address the
concerns and needs of its employees. The Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant is not an exception and it
is struggling to understand the behavior of its employees in the wake of its productivity
problems. The contingency theory would come in handy in assisting the management to tackle
these issues so that they can create the much need sustainable and positive change within their
own organization. This would go a long way in improving the relationship of the employees and
their leaders while at the same time optimize production.
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References
Beer, M. and. Collins, E. (2011). Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in good and bad
times. Harvard Business School. 2175. Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.
Bodla, M, Afza, T, & Danish, R 2014, 'Relationship between Organizational Politics Perceptions
and Employees' Performance; Mediating Role of Social Exchange Perceptions', Pakistan
Journal Of Commerce & Social Sciences, 8, 2, pp. 426-444, Business Source Complete,
EBSCOhost, viewed 16 June 2016.
Cavanagh, G, Moberg, D, & Velasquez, M 2011, 'The Ethics of organizational Politics',
Academy Of Management Review, 6, 3, pp. 363-374, Business Source Complete,
EBSCOhost, viewed 16 June 2016.
Lawrence, T, Mauws, M, Dyck, B, & Kleysen, R 2005, 'The Politics Of Organizational
Learning: Integrating Power Into The 4i Framework', Academy Of Management Review,
30, 1, Pp. 180-191, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 June 2016.
Ramírez Solís, E, Baños Monroy, V, & Orozco-Gómez, M 2014, 'The Inner Circle: How Politics
Affects The Organizational Climate', Journal Of Organizational Culture,
Communications & Conflict, 18, 1, pp. 65-87, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost,
viewed 16 June 2016.
Schein, VF 2007, 'Individual and employee Behaviors in Organizations: An Inadequately
Explored Reality', Academy Of Management Review, 2, 1, pp. 64-72, Business Source
Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 June 2016.
Harvard Business Review Articles
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Organization Behavior- A Case Study Paper.