Chisel Prime Constructions

Assignment 1

Organization overview

Chisel Prime Constructions

Chisel Prime Construction is a consortium of construction professionals including Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, contractors, construction managers as well as Real estate Agents, , offering the most comprehensive business dissertation help. the organizations main course of work include designing and developing buildings and other structures such as roads and bridges professionally and safely. Given the availability of virtually all professionals within the construction industry, the organization takes up a project in its entirety thereby enabling clients to enter into an agreement with just a single organization other than different organizations which takes time in their management and is costly for their payment. As such the organization structure adopted include a functional organization structure which enables all the professionals to work under different departments including, design, finance and actual construction as well as management.

While these departments operate individually and differently from one another, upon the contracting of a construction project they all have to come together under a projectile organization structure given the need of all their inputs in the process of project development. Working together in a single project may sometime lead to conflicts due to the chain of command and politics within the organization. For instance, engineers and architects in the design process report to the head architect at all times, but in the scenario of a project all involved employees regardless of the department are to report to the project manager. This confusion with regards to the chain of command may be problematic and limit development within the organization as such necessitating the need and development of an organization culture to guide employee behavior and influence an effective working environment.

Organization Culture

An organization culture encompasses different values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of a business or organization. McLaughlin and James (2018) emphasize that it alludes to the shared beliefs, ideals and values that guide the behavior as well as conduct and ethics of all the employees within an organization and is developed with the input of the organization leader as well as all the other employees who are to subscribe to it. The organization culture at Chisel is quite effective given its attributes towards advocating for controlled and hierarchy information sharing.

Given the division of the organization into different departments related to the kind of work that professionals and employees within the department take up, including: the design department which includes majorly Architects and Engineers, the financial department which include quantity surveyors and real estate and other departments such as construction management and legal departments, information within these departments flow in easily to the head of the department and various personnel within these departments are free to interact with one another at will and in any time as long as they report any major occurrences or findings to the department heads. However when it comes to project management, different departments in addition to working independently must also be accountable for the whole organization which requires them to report to the project manager.

In this organizational set up politics with regards to chain of command, including who should receive any piece of information first is critical and can easily bring conflict and stall the development of the project as such an effective organization culture with regards to the chain of command in information dissemination is critical to ensure effective organization functionality.

The organization culture within Chisel as such allows employees to discuss and share information amongst themselves within departmental gatherings and meetings however, any information requiring the attention of the project management team is disseminated to them via the departmental leaders and not any other employee or personnel within the department. The organization structure as such allocates power to departmental leaders and influences the behavior of the entire organization through ensuring proper information dissemination and communication in relevant channels to the project leader. This minimizes any conflicts or misinformation that may arise due to lack of proper communication channels and ensures the continued functionality and success of the organization.

Motivational theories and Techniques

Meier (2011) points out that motivation is a key function for the ability of humanity to make things happen. Regardless of the task at hand, with enough motivation, individuals will always find the ability to engage and complete it. Trivikram (2016) defines employee motivation as a psychological force responsible for the behavior of an employee within an organization; this can be achieved in a wide number of ways and techniques including: simplifying task designs, offering remunerations for work done, employee bonuses and allowances as well as promotions all depending on the motivation theories that an organization subscribes to. Among the major motivational theories highlighted by a majority of scholars include: Maslow’s hierarchy of need, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Vrooms expectancy theory as well as the Hawthorne’s effect (Badubi, 2017).

Given the evaluation of the organization structure and culture at Chisel constructions, the most suitable motivational theory used is Vrooms expectancy theory. According to Badubi (2017) Vroom’s motivation theory highlights that individuals draw motivation to perform a specific task given the expected outcome of the task which should be beneficial to them. This theory is based on three concepts including valence, expectancy, and force. Employees work towards fulfilling the goals if they believe or perceive that their efforts will lead to the achievement of the objectives. The organization as such uses motivation techniques of setting up goals for different departments to be achieved within specific periods of time after which the departments which have managed to achieve the goals are rewarded with bonuses, and allowances on their regular remunerations. This motivational technique has been significant to the company’s achievement of its profitability and success give that employees are impacted by the need to achieve and win their rewards.

The pending rewards and allowances influence employee behavior to increase their work intensity and even work overtime with an elevated team performance for the eventual attainment of the set goals. As such the motivational techniques and theories applied by Chisel contractors indeed impact employee behavior and consequently organization success.

Reflection

The discussions were indeed quite insightful highlighting impacts of having effective organization cultures as well as matching motivational techniques in being able to influence employee performance and eventual organization success. While both organizational culture and motivation are critical aspects which influence employee behavior and organizational success, the discussions revealed to me that the two are in fact not mutually exclusive, in that one cannot have an organization culture that is effective and works without the employment of a motivation technique, and similarly, application of motivational theories and techniques without a properly structured organizational culture may lead to unhealthy competitions which eventually significantly impact organizational success despite elevating individual performance.

One specific insightful point that I carried away from the discussion includes the relevance and importance of an organization culture. In addition to providing relevant ideals and values with which all personnel within an organization should adopt and agree to and as such influence employee behavior in performance, minimize conflict and enable easier collaboration among different departments within an organization. Organization culture also presents a form of adhesive to the team spirit and togetherness of the organization. Through and organization culture, different employees can view each others as members of a single team working together towards the achievement of a common goal which is the company’s success rather than as an individual in pursuit of their own dreams and career progression. This makes all the difference given that employee behavior and endeavors are all directed towards the prosperity and success of the company other than the individual.

After the development and adoption of a successful organization culture that is essential and useful for all the employees, the leaders can now apply motivation techniques using virtually whichever motivation theory they see fit. It is the organization leader’s responsibility to be aware of each and every employee within their organization so as to enable their understanding of the best motivational techniques to apply in order to impact their behavior for the best. And while bonuses and allowances might be effective motivation for a majority of employees, others may find other motivational techniques such as job enlargement, job simplification, rotation as well as verbal advice quite motivating and impacting to their eventual performance and behavior.

I learnt that motivation techniques need not always be monetary or some form of physical rewards but at times acknowledgement and appreciation of work done by an employee goes a long way towards motivating them to further success. All in all however, organization culture and motivation despite being among the major factors impacting employee behavior and performance as well as organization success are not exactly the only factors to be considered in ensuring effective organization management and eventual success. Careful selection and recruitment process of employees also goes a long way in ensuring an organization has the right kind of employees who are not only committed to their own growth and success but rather are also committed to the eventual success of the organization that they work for.

Assignment 2

Team Dynamics

While individuals have been able to achieve much in the world of business and other disciplines simply on their own without reliance on specialized teams, the current working environment that grows complex by the day requires critical team performance to be able to achieve set tasks and rise above different competitors. However team work in itself is quite complex and their management may present a big problem if appropriate team dynamics are not put in place and adhered to. Based on Mindtools.com (2019) team dynamics refer to the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the direction of a team’s behavior and performance. This includes behavior towards one another and towards the collective eventual achievement of the teams’ goals and responsibilities. Team dynamics can influence positive of negative results depending on the level of cohesion of the team members and whether or not everyone is aware of their responsibilities and perfoming them effectively (Myers, 2013)

I consider the team I was assigned, to be quite effective, given that each member had quite an in-depth understanding of not only their role within the team including the group leader leading and the moderator ensuring effective communication between the team mates, but also because each member was inherently aware of the teams eventual goal and the understanding of their part and contribution towards the achievement of the goal. All members effectively conducted required research in their areas of focus and allowed each other ample time for expression and presentation of findings towards the collective achievement of the team’s goal. This highlights effective team dynamics which also enabled members of a team to supplement one another’s task by chipping in additional information or engagement in further discussion of any presented findings. Given the orderly manner with which the team leader conducted the team session as well as the respect and support that each member afforded the other during their presentation time, I would surmise that the group had an effective positive team dynamic, where each member was effectively aware of their role in the grand scheme thereby enabling effective team performance.

Relevance of Team development Theories

In the team work scenario presented a wide range of theories could be used in the development of these teams including: Tuckman’s five stage team development theory which highlights the theory used in my scenario. According to Technofunc (2018) these five stages include: Forming, Storming, Norming, performing and adjourning. While in the development of a team no specific theory is paramount for use, the use of these team development theories significantly contribute towards the increased cohesion and success of the team eventually thereby describing their relevance.

The theories not only enable a deeper insight into the team and topic to be studied but also provide a background through which a team can determine the most effective and efficient way with which the team can work together (Chapman, 2013). For instance in the Forming stage, members of a team take time to explore and understand the behavior of the various team members, making an effort to understand their expectations and thus charting a way with which they can all fit in and work together as a group. Carrying out this phase already significantly offers an introduction and bonding session for the team which eventually enhance their performance and ability to work together.

The storming stage inspires internal competition among the group members with different members understanding each other’s behavior and competing for different roles within the team. Interpersonal conflicts arise and are solved before the team gets to their major function thereby enabling the settlement of each individual in a role and position they are comfortable and justly deserve. This inspires a level of respect and confidence among team members prior to engaging their tasks which eventually impact overall good performance (Technofunc, 2018). Eventually in the norming phase the members are moving in a cohesive manner and establish a balance of effective group norms and consensus that are critical for the task performance thereby inspiring effective cooperation and performance in the actual performance phase. Eventually the team development theories are significantly relevant in establishing team dynamics and effectively enabling effective and efficient teamwork for the ultimate achievement of the groups’ goals.

Impact of organization behavior

Eventually organization behavior is a critical element in the performance of a team. given the organization behavior concept is derived from an organization culture perspective, it is likely to influence different group dynamics such as cooperation of members during group sessions and activities. Through the development of an organization culture that is adopted by all the employees within the organization, most of the employees develop a sense of responsibility towards the organization and the achievement of its goals. As such they are inclined to behave in a manner that is positively influential in the achievement of organization goals and objectives

This implies that the most qualified individual perform the task for which they are most qualified for in a bid to optimize the use of resources and increase organization profitability and productivity. As such when it comes to teamwork, this attitude and behavior is transferred into the team which is now considered as the organization. Individuals within the team treat each other with respect and acknowledgment of their roles within the team leading to the clear distinction of team members’ roles. A clear definition of each individual’s roles coupled with a respectable organization behavior which allows each member the opportunity to fulfill their duty impacts a favorable team dynamic which is critical in the eventual team performance and the achievement of the teams’ goals and objectives.

References

Badubi, R. (2017). Theories of Motivation and Their Application in Organizations: A Risk Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 3(3), pp.44-51.

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