Organizational Behaviour Audit Plan

Organizational Behaviour Audit Plan

Instructions:-

Scenario:

You are employed as an Organizational Behaviour Analyst for a consulting firm that specializes in conducting organizational behaviour audits for organizations. The new CEO of a local company wants to conduct an Organizational Behaviour Audit and has contacted your firm for help. The first deliverable for the project is a Plan for Conducting an Organizational Behaviour Audit that must be presented to the CEO for approval before the actual audit may begin. You have been given the task of producing this plan for your organization.

Write a 3000 word essay (+/- 10%) that provides a comprehensive “Plan for Conducting an Organizational Behaviour Audit.” Your plan must provide the rationale or reason why it is important to understand the organizational behaviour of a company, the areas within the organization that should be assessed in an Organizational Behaviour Audit and the factors that should be evaluated within each area.

In answering the question, you may want to consider the following questions:

1. Why should an organization conduct an Organizational Behaviour Audit?

2. What areas within an organization should be evaluated as part of an Organizational Behaviour Audit?

3. What factors within each area should be evaluated in an Organizational Behaviour Audit?

Why are these factors important? How do these factors influence or affect the organizational behaviour of a firm?

Remember, this assignment is asking you to provide a plan for conducting an Organizational Behaviour Audit. You are not conducting the audit itself. Your response should be tied to theoretical concepts found within the Organizational Behaviour literature and field of study.

Please note that this is an individual assignment and will require the use of resources beyond those found in the module materials. All resources used in the development of this assignment should be referenced using the Harvard Referencing System. All papers will be submitted to Turnitin. Copying and pasting material directly from other sources, without proper paraphrasing and referencing is considered academic malpractice and is not allowed. Proper paraphrasing, writing and referencing skills should be utilized.

Solution

Organizational Behaviour Audit Plan

Introduction

The development of a good organizational audit plan is essential for a better understanding of employees and the improvement of the effectiveness of leadership, human resource management, production and service efficiency, and profitability. According to Fountain (2016, p. 7), an audit plan outlines the importance and guidelines that should be followed in auditing. The plan focuses on giving the auditor sufficient and critical information and evidence on the organization, its processes, functions and systems, and its workforce. Its implementation minimises misunderstandings and promotes efficiency in auditing. Organizational behaviour (OB) auditing focuses mainly on the behaviour, attitudes, interactions, and approaches of people and groups in organizations. An OB audit plan seeks to offer insights for the improvement of organizational effectiveness through a better understanding of people and their behaviour. This OB audit plan discusses the importance of auditing organizational behaviour and outlines the areas and factors within the specific areas that require assessment and evaluation.

Importance Organizational Behaviour

Organizational behaviour plays a fundamental role in defining efficiency in the workplace. According to French (2011, p. 8), OB places emphasis on the application of diverse insights to the creation of sufficient understanding of human behaviour and its management for improved organizational efficiency. The applied focus of OB allows the management to assist in the improvement of performance and the achievement of set goals, personal, team, or organizational. Understanding human behaviour including employee attitudes, concerns, and interactions allows the effective human resource management, enhanced performance, productivity, systems and processes efficiency, and profitability (Mills, 2007, p. 17). Moreover, OB applies the contingency approach to understand and manage people and situations in the organization ensuring appropriate response to unique events and characteristics. The approach considers diversity including cultural differences among other critical factors to outline the most efficient way of ensuring effectiveness in management. Further, OB allows the understanding and integration of other approaches such as discourse, interpretivist approach, observation, and different leadership and management theories and styles in management (French, 2011, p. 9). An audit of the organizational behaviour ensures organizational effectiveness. It allows the identification of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and areas that require attention in an organization. This plan outlines the areas and factors that will be considered in the forthcoming organizational behaviour audit of your firm.

Management of Diverse Identities in the Organization

Organizations employ people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, races and ethnic groups, gender, and sexual orientation among other features viewed as distinguishing. The management of diverse identities therefore remains critical in the promotion of organizational success (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 28). There is a great need for auditing this area in the organization. According to Robbins, et al. (2013, p. 34), diversity influences organizational efficiency significantly by impacting on interactions between employees and other employees and with the management. Effective management and leadership in an organization focuses on the promotion of diversity and reduction of inequality to ensure all employees feel valued (Gröschl, 2016, p. 7). The audit will focus on the assessment of the platforms implemented for promoting diversity and reducing inequality in the workplace. The investigation of the platforms will delve deeper into the assessment of the policies and practices created to respond to concerns related to diversity. The effective management of diversity improves the performance of individual employees and impacts on teams greatly. Robbins, et al. (2013, p. 47) assert that diversity management allows fair treatment and consideration of the rights of every employee thus minimizing mistreatment, discrimination, and conflicts.

Effective diversity management in the workplace ensures that employees from different geographical regions, cultures, religions, ethnicity, nationality, and political affiliations and other aspects of identity can interact effectively (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 37). It promotes cultural competence and ensures talented individuals can work in teams and focus on the achievement of organizational and individual goals. The audit will assess the systems and processes the organization has set in place to promote cultural competence and diversity and their effectiveness in the achievement of the objectives. Other key factors that will be considered in the audit include the ability of the organization to effectively address diversity concerns from the macro, mezzo, and micro levels (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 38). The attitudes and behaviours of the society in which you are located, the organization as a whole, and the commitment and attitudes of the employees will be addressed in determining the organization’s effectiveness in managing diversity. The audit will identify the effectiveness of the processes and systems and outline areas that require improvement.

Additionally, the audit will assess the effectiveness of the legislative framework required for effective management of diversity. The law bestows the organization with the responsibility for the management of diversity, the protection and promotion of employee rights, their health, and wellbeing (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 44). Effective management of diversity demands the creation and implementation of efficient policies and practices aligned with the law. The audit will evaluate how the management understands what the law requires of the organization and its leadership to ensure adherence to the law. A good understanding of the law concerning diversity saves the organizations from costs that may occur due to legal proceedings from employees whose rights are denied or infringed upon. Moreover, good policies and practices ensure the fair treatment of employees, effective interactions, and better attitudes in the performance of duties and interaction with customers. The systems should not discriminate, treat unfairly, or infringe on people’s rights consciously/unconsciously or directly/indirectly because of their ethnicity, religion, gender, or any other aspect of identity (Gröschl, 2016, p. 15). The audit will prove useful in the development or improvement of the systems, approaches, processes or practices used for the management of diversity.

Motivation and Management of Performance

Motivation and performance work concurrently. These areas are key in defining organizational efficiency, productivity, and profit efficiency. They are key areas in organizational behaviour that require significant attention for the enhancement of performance efficiency and the general effectiveness of the organization. French (2011, p. 14) recognizes the importance of effectiveness performance management and a motivated workforce to the organization. The aspect of motivation will be audited in different key sub-areas including employee motivation, the perspectives and theories of motivation integrated intohuman resource management, the different processes of motivation theories, and the interrelation between HRM and motivation. Moreover, the performance management audit aspect will focus on the key performance management and control, systems, and practices. According to (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 113), performance management plays a critical role in the promotion of employee efficiency and productivity. Effective management of performance involves planning, monitoring, and reviewing the work objectives of employees to determine their effectiveness in undertaking their duties and responsibilities (Robbins, et al., 2013, p. 184). Auditing the different aspects of motivation and performance management is essential in promoting organizational and employee effectiveness.

Motivation forms a fundamental aspect of organizational management of human resources. The implementation of effective strategy for the motivation of employees influences the effectiveness of an organization significantly. According to Perkins and Arvinen-Muondo (2013, p. 83), a motivated workforce is effective and results in improved productivity, efficiency, and overall organizational development. The audit will focus on assessing employee motivation by engaging the employees. Most importantly, it seeks to outline the different motivation theories employed by the management in motivating employees. The process will involve the determination of the effectiveness of the motivation theories in promoting productivity, performance, and organizational efficiency. Petri and Govern (2013, p. 36) state that it is important for the management of any organization to implement motivation theories that work perfectly in the organization. Effectiveness of the theories, as Robbins, et al. (2013, p. 194) assert, determines the productivity and efficiency of the organization. These influence profitability and, therefore, are critical for the organization’s achievement of set goals and objectives.

Other factors within the area of motivation include intrinsic/extrinsic motivation and the roles of the human resource managers in motivating employees. Intrinsic and extrinsic job characteristics influence employee motivation and job satisfaction considerably (Thomas, 2013, p. 11). The audit of OB will focus emphasis on the evaluation of the impact of intrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. It will assess the different intrinsic rewards that influence the sense of responsibility, feelings of achievement, and self-worth among employees. Some of these rewards include job characteristics, enrichment model, skill variety, and task identity and significance among others (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo, 2013, p. 85). The rewards motivate employees to work towards the achievement of personal, team, and organizational objectives. Moreover, the audit will focus on extrinsic rewards such as commissions, perks, salaries, bonuses and other monetary rewards and benefits. According to Thomas (2013, p. 12), extrinsic rewards influence extrinsic motivation and ensure compliance. These rewards offer significant value in the organization and thus the need for the management to implement them for improved effectiveness and adherence to rules/regulations. The importance of including these reward systems in the audit is undeniable.

Groups/Teams – Leadership/Communication, Attitudes, and Decision-making

Organizational behaviour audit would be incomplete without auditing whether groups/teams work effectively. The efficiency of teams in an organization impact its effectiveness majorly. There is a need for the audit to consider communication, group decision-making, and attitudes. According to Malakooti (2012, p. 733), teams that work efficiently stand a greater chance of achieving their objectives. Communication, attitude, and decision-making aspects of the groups among other areas determine the success of the groups. The audit will focus on outlining the effectiveness of teams in your organization. It will place emphasis on whether teams communicate effectively and commit themselves towards the group responsibilities. Additionally, it will focus on outlining if the management has developed and implemented excellent communication platforms to aid efficiency in the process. Alexiev et al. (2010, p. 1343) argue that the management must set platforms that ensure team members can communicate and engage effectively in the course of their team work. Chilcutt (2011, p. 1252) supports the author by citing the importance of good communication when working in teams and the necessity of the management to provide the necessary equipment and platforms required for the communication. The process determines the success of the groups in achieving their objectives.

Further, there is a need for auditing decision-making and attitudes in teams to identify their influence on themselves and the organization. The failure or success of the teams reflects on the organization. Therefore, there is a need to audit the teams’ attitudes and processes to determine their influence on the company. A motivated team depicts positive attitudes towards their responsibilities and the management in general. According to Chilcutt (2011, p. 1254), a motivated and positive team manages to achieve its objectives, adapt easily to changes, and put extra work into the group, unlike a team whose members are less motivated and depict negative attitudes such as complaining, whining, and disrespect for other team members. Moreover, teams that have adopted effective decision-making strategies tend to make better, faster, and sensible decisions. The audit will assess and evaluate current team decision-making processes to determine their effectiveness and impact on the organization. Schein and Schein (2017) state that the team decisions influence the organization and affect productivity, performance, and profitability. Therefore, it will be important to audit the attitudes and decision-making processes of the teams as these impact on the organization directly.

Additionally, another factor that must be considered in auditing the groups/teams in the organization is leadership. The leadership of teams influences their performance and success in achieving set goals. According to Borkowski (2011, p. 350), team leadership may include formally appointed or member selected leader. Team members who assume the role of leadership must work to ensure smooth operation and encourage the members to share in the roles for enhanced interaction and extensive discussions. Auditing the leadership of teams will outline the possible weaknesses in teams and set a ground for the development of strategies for responding to the issues. Team leadership plays a major role in making decisions on the objectives, bringing members together for effective discussion, problem-solving, and the management of resources (Chilcutt, 2011, p. 1252). Further, the leadership helps in the evaluation of progress and the resolution of conflicts. All team activities affect the organization as a whole and thus the need for auditing.

Organizational Efficiency, Structure, and Culture,

The management and leadership of the organization determine its production, performance, profitability, employee interaction, and all processes, operations, and activities within the company. Leadership and management efficiency determine the general effectiveness of the organization. Therefore, there is a dire need to ensure the effective auditing of the leadership and management of the company. Borkowski (2011, p. 351) posits that efficient leadership is essential for the promotion of organizational effectiveness. Good leadership and management ensure that the organization runs under clear goals and objectives, well-defined roles, clear communication, and effective decisions. The audit of leadership and management will place emphasis on these elements. The non-existence of these elements limits the capability of leading or managing the company effectively. Clear goals and defined roles ensure that every employee understands the objectives of the organization and the roles s/he must play to lead the company towards their achievement (Bertocci, 2009, p. 12). While this is the case, excellent communication and decision-making ensure proper interaction, dissemination and sharing of critical information, and consensus in undertaking responsibilities and resolving issues.

The leadership and management of an organization influences all factors therein from the development of teams and cooperative relationships to promotion of diversity and the effective management of resources. Good management offers sufficient support to teams and employees, motivates, and develops individual through training for the development of skills (Borkowski, 2011, p. 350). Auditing the aspects of leadership/management will help in outlining the effectiveness of the leadership in dealing with employees and teams. Additionally, auditing the leadership and management of the organization will allow the assessment of the managers’ capability to effectively implement strategies that enhance cooperative relationships, boost diversity, and ensure the good use of resources. These elements impact on the organization’s operations significantly and shape its successes. Therefore, there is a need to thoroughly audit them. Bertocci (2009, p. 11) agrees that leadership and management is fundamental for organizational efficiency. For instance, the failure to promote diversity causes conflicts in the workplace and limits productivity significantly. It may also attract legal liability as employees and management infringe on some people’s rights due to their differences. Such limitation of the leadership and management show the need to audit the area.

The organizational structure and culture influence efficiency greatly. Auditing the structure and culture of the organization will enhance understanding of its employee behaviour. According to Schein and Schein (2017, p. 11), the structure of the organization involves the processes of allocating tasks, coordinating, and supervising for the achievement of the set objectives. On the other hand, the culture of an organization influences how things are done, interactions, attitudes, and perceptions. These two components of the organization involve processes such as the management of human resources and change practices. They impact greatly on the employees, performance, and efficiency. As a result, culture and structure influence profitability and the survival of the company directly (Flamholtz, 2012, p. 22). The impact on the company shows the need for auditing the organizational structure and culture and determining their influence.  

Talent management

Talent management is another factor that influences organizational efficiency. The process involves the selection and development of talented individuals from a diverse pool of people from different backgrounds (Narayanan, 2016, p. 34). The management must have defined systems and platforms for training employees and developing their skills. Additionally, an effective system for rewarding and motivating such employees is critical towards the development of talented, diverse, team players well-equipped for the responsibilities and duties they are supposed to undertake (Robbins, et al., 2013, p. 257). The platforms of attracting, selecting, training, and retaining talented and motivated employees requires auditing to improve their effectiveness and that of the organization in general. According to Wilcox (2016, p. 4), the organization must remain committed towards the recruitment, retention, and development of talented people. The implementation of a system or platform that ensures efficiency in the processes of talent management is critical for the success of the company. Therefore, auditing the processes is important.  

Conflict Management

As a component of leadership and management, conflict management promotes organizational efficiency considerably. All organizations experience conflict that if not duly handled result in organizational challenges, reduced productivity, and strained relationships, less efficiency, and lower profits or losses in some cases. According to Dreu and Gelfand (2013), the avoidance of conflicts is difficult but management is possible and effective if the right measures are undertaken and implemented. The influence of the conflicts on the organization shows the need for effective measures and processes of handling them. The auditing will focus on the systems and measures set in place by the management/leadership, departments, and groups for the management of arising conflicts. The process will make it shed light on the efficiency or lack of efficiency in handling conflicts within the company and make it possible to improve or develop effective mechanisms for conflict resolution.  

Conclusion

Organizational behaviour auditing offers important insights for the improvement of organizational effectiveness. The development of a plan is essential for setting a ground and an understanding of the primary areas and factors within the organization that require auditing. This plan identifies diversity management, performance management, motivation, and groups, organizational structure and culture, leadership and management, talent and conflict management as the key areas that will be audited. Additionally, it outlines attitudes, behaviours, communication, and decision-making other elements and components of leadership and management as critical during the auditing process. The abovementioned areas and elements are important in the promotion of productivity, performance, organizational effectiveness and profitability. That they influence the achievement of organizational effectiveness directly, there is a need for their auditing. The auditing is fundamental for the better understanding of organizational behaviour, employees, their attitudes and perceptions, the management and leadership, and most importantly, the enhancement of organizational efficiency.

Bibliography

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