Organizational Behavior Analysis (Research Paper Sample)

Organizational Behavior Analysis
Name
Institution
Introduction
Organization behavior analysis is essential for every company as it aims at studying human behavior as individuals and groups and the effects their conduct has on the organization and its objectives. Understanding the progress of organizational behavior and how this identifies with the organization is also required as it fosters relationships that are better to not only attaining the goals of the organization but also, to attaining human and social objectives. The values of an organization are connected in a way that there exists integration between the personal goals of employees and the goals of the organization. Organizational behavior hence brings about the society of the organization and helps to provide information that can then be utilized to enhance the viability of the company. The analyses lead to organizations that are more efficient and effective. Thus, this essay will prove how the behavior of an organization actually affects the productivity of that organization.
The organization: Merck Company Inc.
Globally, Merck Company is one of the biggest public companies that deal with pharmaceuticals (Vagelos & Galambos, 2004). The main products provided by this company are vaccines, medicines, biological therapies, and animal and consumer products. The head office of the company is located in New Jersey and it operates in 140 countries all over the world. Before I left, the company merged with Schering-Plough and as a result, 15 percent of the employees operating around the world were laid off as part of the restructuring program. The merger and the layoffs factors would probably affect the behaviors of the employees of Merck and in turn, their conduct would affect the productivity of the company.
Modes of communication in the organization
The dominant form of communication in the organization is written. The company understands that management needs to retain a form of communication that is open with its employees for the smooth running of the company. Communication is important in retaining the culture of the organization as well. Lack of proper communication with employees may lead to spread of false rumors that may cause the employees to lose morale in their work, and instead, start focusing on personal interests. Thus, proper communication helps to bridge the gap between the individual interests and interests of the company (Fielding, 2005).
The merger process in the company provides a good example of how the company effectively communicated with its employees. The management of Merck Company communicated to its employees about the merge through making the company’s business strategy public in the 2009-2010 Corporate Responsibility Review report. The progress of the merge process was constantly communicated to the employees through different kinds reports posted in Merck’s website. The employees were thus kept up to date with what was happening in the company and no room for speculation was left. These communication strategies clearly show that the company emphasizes on open communication as it aims to spread messages of transparency and honesty.
Type of culture
The mission statements of a company and its values and ethics can be used to identify the culture of an organization. Merck’s Company mission statements depict a culture of pluralism. The statements clearly state that the company aims at providing unique products and service that save and enhance lives and satisfies the needs of consumers. The company also aims at being known as a great place to work and a place that provides investors with great returns. The mission statements go on to show the importance at which the company values the contributions of its employees for its advancement. Also, the culture of pluralism is depicted in the way the organization employs many employees from different parts of the world with different cultures. Even though these employees have different cultures, the Merck Company has mutual respect for all of them and it encourages these workers to develop their skills and commit to high performance. Employees are trusted to make decisions affecting the company without necessarily having to wait for their supervisors to consent. Employees are included in the decision making process. This has a positive impact on the behaviors of employees as they are made to feel important and part and parcel of the company. As a result, they are able to focus on improving the company and moving it forward. Employees having disputes about an issue in the company are allowed to report these grievances to their supervisors first before airing them out to others. In addition to this, the employees can even confide in someone they trust about their grievances.
The organization has Merck Office of ethics as well. This is a place where employees who are afraid of their supervisors can go to and air out their concerns. Additionally, Merck Company has a code of conduct whose purpose is to guide anyone holding any kind or responsibility in the company, employees and directors inclusive. The code of conduct comprises of ethical questions and the process that should be utilized for decision making. This is a show of transparency and giving employees the go ahead of making decisions for the company. As a result, employees are happy more productive.
Group discussions are also encouraged. In Merck Company, constituency and employee resource groups are part of the strategies the company uses to practice diversity. The global constituency comprises of individuals hailing from different geographical regions, and with diverse cultures, professions and religion. These employees work together towards achieving the goals of the company. The employee resource groups comprise of volunteer employees who network together and work as teams. These groupings are a good aid in comprehending people. During the merger, the groupings played an essential role in providing support as they would meet and discuss issues that concerned them. Eventually, the groups enabled the employees to feel that they have regained control of their individual goal.
The culture of pluralism was also shown in the merging process. For instance, during the post- merger stage, the Merck Company management developed a plan that would make sure that there was a smooth integration between the two cultures. The company aimed at unifying its culture with that of Schering-Plough. Even after the merger the company still continues to value its employees from diverse cultures. For instance, the company has a compliance officer who safeguards the privacy of individuals among other roles. This move of safeguarding the privacy of individuals shows that the company respects its employees. As a result, employees feel motivated as they feel appreciated and hence become more productive and become better at their performances.
Nature of authority (i.e., recognized social rank)
The nature of authority of an organization can have a great impact on its behavior. The impact may either be negative or positive depending on social rank (Scherer & Palazzo, 2008). Merck Company has over the years been high up in the social rank. The company boasts of numerous awards and recognitions for its comprehensive approach to corporate responsibility. Human and social behavior is highly motivated by higher positions in social ranking. This means that the high social ranking associated with Merck Company is a great motivation for its employees.
The employees, therefore, work harder to maintain this social ranking and the company continues to become better and better at what it does. The company employees are known to be efficient in their work and this has seen the company receive rewards and recognition across the world.
Motivational techniques
Just like everyone else, businesses and in this case the Merck Company have the desire to succeed and in order to do so, they need to have motivation. Motivation represents psychological processes that lead to the arousal, direction and persistence of actions that are voluntary and are goal oriented. Like many companies operating in the pharmaceuticals, the sales force at Merck Company follows the pay for performance model. Pay for performance is the incentive used here in order to motivate the sales force to yield results. Pharmaceutical sales are a very addictive field and this can be attributed to this pay for performance model. A majority of the brand-name pharmaceuticals products produce excessive profit margins and this means that the people in sales get to earn enormous commissions. The mission statement of the company and culture depends heavily on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The sales team thus gets its motivation from the money and the recognition the company gives its top performers.
Another way the company motivates its employees is through provision of social benefits that comprise of health and accident insurance as well as qualified annual health-check programs. Therefore, employees do not have to worry about health expenses and this enables them to better focus on working towards achieving the goals of the company. In addition, the employees get to feel that the company cares for their welfare and are thus motivated to work harder.
The company also offers rewards to employees who have performed well in their various areas of specialization. Employees who get these rewards get to see that their efforts are recognized and appreciated. As a result, they get motivated to work hard even more to get recognition and rewards. Rewarding good performance creates the maintainable advancement that provides a framework for employees that is secure as well. In addition, it enables the organization to offer highly qualified jobs in the...