Organizational behavior is a field of study that focuses on the impact of organizational structural on behavior in businesses. The field of organizational behavior incorporates others, such as sociology, psychology, management, and communication. To a large extent, the concept of organization behavior complements organizational theory. Organizational theory involves the study of structures and patterns that enable an institution to maximize performance, solve problems, and meet or exceed expectations of the shareholders (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2015). Therefore, one can use the concepts to implement the best ways to run the organization to achieve success. For that reason, it is important to discuss diversity management, values and job satisfaction, organizational socialization, change management, and motivation in Aquinas High School (AHS) as some of the main topics discussed in the course.
Motivation
AHS is one of the institutions that have been able to reinvent themselves to achieve its objectives and satisfy the needs of the learners. With regards to motivation, Aquinas does not offer incentives, such as increased pay and professional development. Every teachers main motivation is the students. Therefore, there is a need to add incentives, such as rewards and bonuses to teachers to motivate them to achieve better performance. Currently, the board of trustees, the board of directors, and the president are the main decision-making units of the school. With the aim of increasing motivation, the school administrative leaders should expose teachers to professional development to enhance their willingness to work in a dynamic environment (Pinder, 2014). Additionally, the leaders should strive to maintain communication with them to ensure that they participate during decision-making. However, under the leadership of the newly appointed president, the workers have the opportunity to discuss important aspects of the organization with the top leaders
Diversity
Aquinas High School is highly diverse, as it attracts learners and professionals from different cultures. Interestingly, the alumni are still part of the faculty, staff, and administration. The fact that the school has been in existence for more than 90 years is an indication that it has a very diverse population of workers and students (Aquinas High School (AHS), 2017). Although it is a small facility of approximately 30 workers, it attempts to manage diversity to achieve satisfaction of all stakeholders. However, some respondents noted that the school does not appreciate new ideas, new approaches, and concepts, thus, limiting diversity. For instance, the institution is not open to new religions and doctrines. It largely relies on catholic traditions and beliefs that have been in existence since it started. The manager, who is a catholic, has been leading the school for quite a long time. Importantly, Aquinas still uses the old methodologies to teach the current students. In other words, it has not incorporated new strategies to meet the needs of the diverse population of learners.
However, it is quite commendable that Aquinas has lately employed Anna Parra, who has an extensive experience in managing catholic high schools and non-profit organizations, as the president of the institution. The designation of the new president is critical for the school in terms of diversity management since the previous one was a catholic who served for approximately 40 years (Aquinas High School (AHS), 2017). It appears that the school has started to appreciate diverse talents and leadership. Noteworthy, Anna Parra is non-religious, Latino, and Dominican. Indeed, Anna Parra has led to remarkable changes in the institution because she has a different style of management.
Anna Parra has an inclusive approach to management since she allows employees from the lower levels of management to interact and discuss with her (Altman, Valenzi & Hodgetts, 2013). Therefore, many people feel that she is likely to improve the performance of the school financially, academically, and increase the number of enrollments. Currently, Aquinas enrolment level has reduced significantly, possibly because of poor management.
Change Management
Change management involves the ability to understand the past issues, current position, and project the future of the organization. Based on the history of AHS, it appears that the school was among the leading learning institutions during the initial years of establishment. Since inception, AHS has been a centre of attraction for New York residents who include African Americans, Latino, Italians, and the Whites, especially because of continued commitment to quality. In the 1990s, the school invested heavily in technology by constructing modern laboratories, purchasing hi-tech equipment, and providing internet connection to classrooms (Aquinas High School (AHS), 2017). Consequently, the institution managed to achieve remarkable success in academic and extra-curricular activities. However, over the years, there has a decline in the level of enrolments and achievements in sports. The exit of the former president may require the school to implement new strategies to manage change.
Organizational Socialization Process
Currently, Ms. Parra has increased the number of professionals in the development department as part of her change. For instance, through the newly appointed Director of Advancement, Parra aims at rebranding the school through social media campaign, increasing fundraising efforts, and re-engaging with alumnae. These activities are part of the organizational socialization process, as Parra intends to embed a different culture, values, and reinforcing the belief system of the organization. She has embarked on maintaining meaningful communication and interactions with the parents, faculty, staff, students, and community. In particular, one can identify that the president intends to accommodate all members to become part of the community and growth in the school. In particular, Ms. Parra has managed to enhance the financial position of the school owing to the fact that AHS has raised approximately 200000 in about three months.
Teachers help the organization to work well, and to achieve the pre-determined objectives. The staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders make positive contributions to the school. Additionally, the stakeholders believe in the ability of the school to become one of the best institutions in the United States. It is interesting that many Parra attempts to work in collaboration with all stakeholders to enhance performance. As a major recommendation, Parra should organize events to increase donor outreach through face-to-face meetings. Additionally, it is paramount to allow community members to participate during special events (Luthans et al., 2017). Interestingly, Parra can create more fun events to allow students, faculty, and staff to build a cohesive network of all Aquinas family.
Values and Job Satisfaction
There are various causes of job satisfaction. First, the emotional or affective response to a persons facets of the job may increase satisfaction (Week 2 MBA 633 slides). Secondly, it is pivotal to ensure that the characteristics of the job allow the individual to meet his/her needs. Thirdly, it is important to investigate the extent at which the job or roles resonate with the persons values (Week 2 MBA 633 slides). Fourthly, some workers feel satisfied if they are treated equally or fairly with the others. Some of the correlates of job satisfaction include job involvement, job performance, life satisfaction, customer satisfaction, perceived stress, and organizational commitment (Week 2 MBA 633 slides).
Based on the interview with Ms. Parra, the president of AHS, it is clear that she intends to work collaboratively with the staff and faculty to increase value and job satisfaction. For instance, she indicated that she would like to create an environment where teachers and staff feel secure in their positions. She notes I would like employees to feel secure in their positions and know there is a healthy enrollment (Anna Parra). Additionally, the president and the board have a strong commitment on quality, and want to increase the experience of their clients (students). On a similar note, Calaste Calabro notes that AHS gives workers equal opportunity to perform effectively. The other aspect of job satisfaction is that the school makes one feel comfortable and secure, especially because it is a community of individuals who are willing to help. Calabro is an alumni who went back to work at AHS because of its culture and uniqueness. She believes that the standards of AHS are not subject to change because the ultimate goal is to provide quality education to the young girls (Calabro). Therefore, AHS has a particular level of commitment to customer satisfaction, which is one of the important correlates of job satisfaction. Most importantly, AHS values teamwork, honesty, and integrity based on its strong Christian foundation
References
Altman, S., Valenzi, E., & Hodgetts, R. M. (2013). Organizational behavior: Theory and
practice. Elsevier
Aquinas High School (2017). A community of faith and learning. Retrieved 30th October, 2017
from http://www.aquinashs.org/
(C. Calabro, personal communication, October, 2017)
Luthans, F., Luthans, B. C., & Luthans, K. W. (2015).Organizational behavior: An evidence-
based approach. IAP
(P. Ann, personal communication, October, 2017)
Pinder, C. C. (2014). Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press
Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (2015). Classics of organization theory. Cengage
Learning
Week 2 MBA 633 slides. Organizational behavior in a global society
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