Human Behavior in Organizations Reflective Essay (Essay Sample)

Human Behavior in Organizations Reflective Essay
Name
Institution
Reflective Essay
I find how the theory of organizational behavior has stood the test of time and its growing relevance through many applications quite fascinating. In our contemporary society and in whatever organizational setting one finds them in, it is near impossible to rubbish the behavioral effects individuals have on team performance, which I could readily attest. The levels of concerted efforts made by team members are dependent on numerous factors that weigh in on the results. This reflective account will be based on my experiences as part of a diverse group of classmates undertaking group assignments in an international institution of higher learning.
Given that my institution is of an international caliber, it was expected that a good number of the student body formed a diverse group consisting of students with a distinct cultural, ethnic, and religious background. Expectedly, members of our group consisted of international students and natives since the selection was conducted randomly hence allowing demographic diversity. Prior to our first group engagement, we were tasked with coming up with solutions to the group-delegated problem. The group turnout was dismal as only four out of seven members showed up, and the brainstorming exercise appeared to be somewhat of an uphill task. A subsequent group meeting was called a week later to ensure the entire group's full participation in finding a solution to the problem. Throughout the team participation, I made some fascinating observations.
First and foremost, there were unwarranted misunderstandings that could have been misconstrued as constructive arguments. Another appalling observation was that members were tense. Those hailing from the same countries or a shared ethnic or religious background were inclined to work with each other and appeared indifferent towards the rest of the group. Lastly, two members exited the group discussion midway without any logical explanation as the other members grew restless and unmotivated before the collaborative efforts bore any cognitive gains. The three incidents I observed made me distraught whilst leaving me wondering how future engagements could be ameliorated to achieve more fruitful and fulfilling academic interactions. (Slide 1)
Throughout the course, I learned about how much human behavior impacts the concerted efforts made by a group towards a common objective. It was apparent that socio-cultural differences impeded the goal we were trying to achieve as a group. Group diversity played a pivotal role in leaving the group lacking cohesiveness, rampant cases of member dropout from the group, and heightened hostility among members. The lack of cohesion stemmed from the fact that there was a lack of familiarity from the onset. The group was primarily made up of strangers who lacked any social interactions prior to the group discussion. Initially, the members met up during formal occasions like attending lectures or talks and almost no interactions outside the sphere of academia. Conflict among group members cropped up what I perceived as environmental conditioning effects influencing how different individuals approach problems. On the other hand, the apparent hostility could have emanated from different norms, cultures, creeds, practices, and races. The members who did not identify with each other either on a nationality, religious, ethnic, or cultural context appeared averted. (Slide 2)
Diversity in a group setting could foster the realization of positive results through creativity and innovation (Slide 3). On the other hand, it brings about a lack of cohesiveness, increased conflict, and member dropout due to a lack of interest. According to Love (2018), demographic diversity, to some, extent adversely affected group dynamics, and that cohesion would hardly be achieved. Moreover, demographic diversity leads to an instantaneous categorization of team members based on innate and unique traits like ethnicity, nationality, and religion. Group members unconsciously stereotyped other group members creating sub-groups within the main group, creating divisions within the group. Subsequently, the sub-groups shared information among themselves as opposed to the whole group. According to Dipillo (2019), conflict within diverse demographic groups is the direct result of diversity. Conflict mushrooms from the tension within the group members may take a toll on group effectiveness as it did ours. The subgroups created could create a superiority contest based on divergent views on a solution to a problem.
Consequently, the tussle between the subgroups brings about hostility and could correctly be regarded as emotional conflict. On the other hand, my team members' commitment to group tasks was disheartening, which could have been attributed to a lack of proper engagement. The in-groups and out-groups created brought about a lack of collaborative i