Organizational Behaviour A Case Review of When You Are Stuck Working with a Slacker

Organizational Behaviour: A Case Review of When You Are Stuck Working with a Slacker

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A. Key Lessons from the Case Study

From the case study, When You’re Stuck Working with a Slacker, there are several things that one can grasp in relation to organizational behaviour and working with different people having distinct personalities within the working environment (Knight, 2021). In line with the modern systems theory, the key lessons from the case study include the fact that a small change or decision in one area of the organization will lead to another larger or variable change that would impact the organization (Cioruta and Coman, 2019). The case study also point to the fact that organizations operate as open systems within a dynamic equilibrium (Sijan et al., 2019). This calls for a need to keep adapting and readjusting to the changes that occur in the environment.

First and foremost, every workplace environment is different from the other. Even though they may have certain similarities, each corporation is made up of diverse individuals, leading to distinct personality groups. For example, JD.com and Taobao are both giants in the Chinese e-commerce sector, yet their companies are distinctively unique. Whereas every company is different, there are some commonalities that can be described as a “typical” modern work experience (Aswathappa & Reddy, 2009). Recognizing personal characteristics is essential for forecasting behaviour and figuring out how conditions affect people. JD.com follows a different strategy compared to Taobao or Alibaba.

Secondly, identifying somebody with distinct personal characteristics might be useful in some contexts. Interpersonal relationships with opposing personality might make it difficult for each individual to view things from a distinct point of view. Different personality characteristics are vital in the workplace for developing a multicultural environment where innovation and different ideas can flourish (Cross & Carbery, 2018). At the same time, its critical to surround oneself with individuals that one shares basic values, views, and objectives. If one is normally optimistic but chose to associate with pessimists, then s/he will most certainly develop pessimistic attitudes. This kind of toxic character feature can have a negative impact at work.

The third lesson is that recruiting workers with their personal traits in mind (via behavioural-based interview questions, personality tests, and so on) can contribute to a more inclusive and cheerful workplace. COVID-19 has forced companies like Taobao to rely more on their workforce in terms of interacting with the customers without the traditional supervision structure. Thus, identification of personal characteristics that are important to the organization has been a major lesson from the case study. While personal characteristics and other personality factors are significant, we must remember that conduct is influenced by both the person and the environment. Certain circumstances bring out the best in individuals, and a terrible employee in one field may transform into a stellar performer in another.

B. Ways the Module has Helped in Understanding Organization BehaviorThe module has helped me comprehend organizational behaviour and its relevant strategies to work with different individuals within the organization. In the long term, utilizing personality characteristics to establish task forces and groups can be immensely helpful (Nuckcheddy, 2018). Diversity is important for survival, as it has been seen from the previous modules. Simultaneously, bringing together like-minded people can significantly boost effectiveness and cooperation. Using personality characteristics and test results to shape teams can aid in the formation of a harmonious group. It is indeed important to remember, though, that monitoring someone’s personality several times can give one a better understanding of how they operate. It really is critical to use newly discovered information and observations to reorganize team dynamics. Personal qualities by themselves are insufficient to predict the behaviour. Circumstances also play a major role in defining how someone will behave.

Particular situations and contexts can have a positive or negative impact on an individual’s day. A usually happy person could become more negative relying upon the situation. A typically pessimistic individual, on the other side, may have seemed to be more optimistic (Butler & Rose, 2011). So, how did this happen? One must have had both successes and setbacks in his or her life, and whether s/he actually realised it or not, they almost certainly influenced the way s/he operated and shaped his or her character during that time. It is human nature for emotional responses and personalities to change in response to different events in of lives. Even if people are unaware of what others are going through, it is logical to assume that particular events in everyone’s lives have an effect on their personalities.

The module has also helped me comprehend in acknowledging folk’s behaviour in the workplace is critical to a firm’s proper management. Clearly, a variety of factors play a part in determining this behaviour and its overall organisational implications. It is essential to have a model that arranges and streamlines the aspects involved in order to comprehend the roots and attributes of these variables (Wood et al., 2019). The straightforward identification of organization inputs and outputs is the initial aspect of the model. Corporations, in other words, get inputs from the outside world in the shape of capital, raw materials, manpower, societal or government backing, and so on. Organisations also have or produce specific results, such as (1) organizational goal achievement, (2) group performance and efficiency, and (3) personal efficiency and development. As a result, businesses and the individuals who work in them are always in flux, absorbing and converting inputs from the environment and delivering those changed inputs in the form of final products and services, stockholders’ equity, employee wages, and so on. In a nutshell, it really is a dynamic system.

C. Suggestions to Change a Situation and Attain Effectiveness in the Organization

There are a number of ways that one can deal with slacking co-workers. One of them is ignoring their conduct and stopping making excuses for them. The majority of individuals have a difficult time dealing with lazy people since they feel obligated to cover for their shortcomings. And besides, one worries about his or her co-workers and doing high-quality work. One would not want this one slacker to pull the rest of the team down and jeopardize the group’s outcome (Rao, 2010). So, one jump in and take care of things, but this is the incorrect reaction. This consumes one’s important time and energy, which might negatively impact own productivity. However, one will also be teaching the slacker that his or her behaviour is not only tolerable, but also insignificant. They do not have to cope with any negative consequences. In essence, they can get away with their negative behaviours. Disregard the slacker’s poor performance if it is not adversely affecting personal task. It may sound harsh, but one already has enough to worry about without attempting to change or hide for one’s co-workers’ negative conduct. Allow the dirt to fall wherever they may for this individual.

Have a department or team-wide policy on performance. One cannot know exactly what is going on in the lives of others unless they inquire. If an individual is not keeping their word, it may be essential to figure out what the issue is. By conversing with the slacker, one can make the slacker aware of the consequences of his or her actions. Discuss the repercussions and see if causes can be figured out. Undoubtedly, some slackers are simply unmotivated. Others, on the other hand, may be unaware or mired in wasteful, ineffective systems. One might be able to make some suggestions to help the problem. A courteous, professional dialogue, inconsiderate of the motivation, can put the colleague on alert. They will be aware that their actions are unsatisfactory. 

References

Aswathappa, K., & Reddy, G. S. (2009). Organisational behaviour (Vol. 20). Mumbai:

Himalaya Publishing House.

Butler, M., & Rose, E. (Eds.). (2011). Introduction to organisational behaviour. Kogan Page

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Cioruţa, B., & Coman, M. (2019). From Classical Systems Thinking to Modern Dynamic

Systems Theory: beyond the definitions and conceptual delimitations. Hidraulica, (3), 76-85.

Cross, C., & Carbery, R. (2018). Organisational behaviour: an introduction. Bloomsbury

Publishing.

Knight, R. (2021). When You’re Stuck Working with a Slacker. Harvard Business Review.

Retrieved 26 October 2021, from https://hbr.org/2021/05/when-youre-stuck-working-with-a-slacker

Nuckcheddy, A. (2018). The effect of personality on motivation and organisational

behaviour. Psychology and Behavioral Science International Journal, 9(2), 1-5.

Rao, P. S. (2010). Organisational behaviour. Himalaya Publishing House.

Šijan, A., Karabašević, D., & Rajčević, D. (2019). The importance of the general system theory

for the modern world. Trendovi u poslovanju, 7(2), 87-94.

Wood, J., Zeffane, R., Fromholtz, M., Wiesner, R., Morrison, R. R., Factor, A., & McKeown,

T. (2019). Organisational behaviour: Core concepts and applications. John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.