Analysis of Organizational Behavior & Recommendations for Wal-Mart
Organizational behavior (OB) entails development of relationships aimed at achievement of social, human and organizational objectives. The discussion of OB can be categorized into three clusters for any organization as it is done for Wal-Mart. The American retailer comprises of a chain of discount stores and warehouses. These facilities offer a wide variety of products. A total of 8500 stores are run by the company under different names in 15 different countries.
Because of this high level of international business, the company has about 660000 employees across the world. This makes it imperative to have an OB culture that fosters diversity. Wal-Mart was begun in 1945 and has been growing steadily through the years. The study of OB focuses on personal and group behaviors. The importance associated with OB in the organizational set up include: it helps to enhance competencies by understanding individual behavior (Ashraf 156); organizational behavior also helps to be aware of employee needs and thud align them with the work objectives.
In examining the OB of Wal-Mart, the first cluster to be considered involves group dynamics, team building and effective communication. Effective communication is essential in any organization as it fosters communication with and between the management. On the other hand, group dynamics improve team by providing ways of problem solving particularly through communication. Team work helps to develop better individuals. Consequently, the first OB cluster helps to develop the organizational culture.
The second cluster involves motivation, perception and job attitude. Motivation is imperative for managers to get employees to perform effectively. This can only be achieved through understanding the behavior of employees and using methods such as positive reinforcement to influence employee behavior. Job attitude is influenced by the level of satisfaction gained from the job. The attitude is developed through an evaluation of the employer, job and the work conditions (Saari and Judge 399). Perceptions are also influenced by many factors, key of which is communication.
The third cluster comprises of decision making, values and culture and personalities. The personality of individuals determines their ability to create relationships. The personality of any individual can he determined through the five factors method (Woody 11). Decision making influences the level of success associated with the business while values and culture differentiate organizations (Daft and Anand 11).
Through a survey carried out for Wal-Mart employees, the OB clusters were determined to be geared towards success. First, Wal-Mart has a strong culture that all new employees are incorporated into. In order for a clear understanding of the culture to be developed, internal communication provides a very essential tool to Wal-Mart. The company treats its employees equitably through consideration as partners.
The management at Wal-Mart also strives to motivate employees through mentorship. This is in addition to the motivation achieved through recognition of individual employee contributions to organizational success. On the darker side, Wal-Mart practices gender based discrimination of employees. In order for Wal-Mart to continue benefiting from OB, it is recommended that employee motivation should be increased, inculcate an atmosphere that fosters free communication with superiors as well as horizontally and improve employee attitudes and perceptions about the business. The improvement of employee perceptions is critical as it can influence employee retention. It can be concluded that Wal –Mart has made an effort to take control of the businesses through various aspects of organizational behavior.
Works Cited
Ashraf, Camp. “Organizational Behavior.” Organizational Management Journal 1.1, (2001):155-168.
Daft, Richard & Anand, Daft. “What is the Right Organization Design?” Organizational Behavior Journal 1.3 (2007):1-13.
Saari, Lise and Judge, Timothy. “Employee Attitudes and Job Satisfaction”. Human Resource Management Journal 43.4 (2004): 395-407.
Woody, Allan. “Why Personality Matters in the Workplace.” FoxBusiness. FoxBusiness, 7 March 2011.Web. 22 February 2013.
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