One of my sociology classes is all about community. One of the main ideas is that communities can either be "stuck" which is where members turn on each other and only focus on the problems or they can be "restorative" where everyone comes together and focuses on their strengths.
Lately, I have realized more and more that an organization is a community that all of us choose to be a part of. Are organizations working to have their employees focus on what people can do and not what they can't? We have talked a lot about the environment of a workplace and how to get many different personalities to work together. With diversity, we talked about how it will either generate new ideas and take the company to whole new levels, or it will cause conflict between the members.
As I stated, we all choose to be part of this organization's community and we can choose to leave, but how do we make sure that we are choosing the right community to be a part of? In Chapter 2 of the book, it talks about person-organization fit and how it is important to match a person's personality traits, values, and goals to that of a company. I believe this is so important because if it is a good fit, both the organization and the person can benefit from coming together. The individual will be able to grow and thrive in the environment. From this, the organization will also thrive because the people working there want the whole organization to succeed; it will create an emotional attachment from the individual to the company.
There can be serious consequences if a person is not compatible with the organization: Employee burnout, creation of a hostile environment, conflicting personalities. How many times has corruption and bad decision making come from a person just not being a good fit for their company?
So, I guess the question is: how do organizations choose the people that will best fit the community of the organization? I don't know if there is an actual way to determine this, but are there ways to do it after people are already in the job? Are we encouraging people to stay where they aren't happy, just because they can do the job competently and the organization doesn't want to work to find someone else to fill the position? How much more productive would corporate America be if everyone was with an organization's community that they fit with? How many problems in the business world are because of this reason?
Many of these questions have no answer, but it would be interesting to me what would happen if we could get every worker into an organization that they were compatible with. Could we change how people view their work? Would people want to go into work instead of dread it? How many corruption problems and bad decisions could we avoid if we could make everyone feel like they are an important part of the organization, if we could increase loyalty?
Casey Zimmerman
You make an interesting argument and bring up some pretty good points. I just posted a blog about how McDonald's use something called talent management to recruit diverse employees. With this type of management they recruit individuals who are not only capable or doing the work but who are also in favor and are willing to comply with the company's policies. I do believe this is one way company's can create job satisfaction for employees. When they recruit them they can mention company policies, their corporate culture, and other factors that play a role in the environment at work and the employees overall satisfaction at work. For employees that are already at work they can use surveys and different methods of receiving feedback in order to create a positive and productive workforce.
ReplyDeleteQuasheena Ellis
Team 2
This is a great point, that people should fit in well with organizations. I think if organizations find people with great personalities that will fit within their culture, they should hire them and find a place for them. Fitting in is important and as long as someone is hardworking and fits in, with the standard degree or experience needed, they should be hired. I think this brings more success than just hiring by qualifications and would also reduce turnover.
ReplyDelete-Team 4
Kelsey Van Gieson