Organizational
Behaviour is one of the most used and researched topic in the theory and
practice of management. Organizational Behaviour (or, “OB” as it is popularly
referred to) is the study of human behaviour in organizational settings
including the interface of human beings among themselves, the interface of
human beings with their and other external organizations, and the behaviour of
organizations themselves. From the time of Barnard, C I (1938), experiments and
theories of OB have spawned management literature. OB as has traditionally been
understood includes all of the terms now treated as separate topics or subjects
such as motivation, leadership, decision making, productivity, culture, competency
building, team building and job satisfaction. OB has seen several management
stalwarts such as Elton Mayo, Douglas McGregor, Frederick Herzberg, Rensis
Likert, and Peter Drucker, to recall just a few names.
While segmented
theories of organization such as business policy, strategic management, competitive
strategy, core competence, lean and several others have served to focus on
specific aspects of management and leadership, they are more focussed on
business organizations, and also do not
offer a holistic solution for organizational vitality. It is important that OB
is brought back to its prime position as a total solution for enhancing
organizational vibrancy of any entity, not just business organizations. This must
also be accompanied by a generic prescription that is enduring for all kinds of
business contexts (from growth to turnaround, for example), administrative settings
(urban or rural), and hierarchies (apex level or bottom of the pyramid). A
healthy and positive OB will enable individuals and organizations achieve
relentless growth with unquestionable equity. This blog post proposes a unique
organizational behaviour model with the acronym of ECOLOGI.
ECOLOGI defined
Enterprise,
Collaboration, Organizing, Learning, Objectivity, Galvanizing and
Implementation are the seven components of the ECOLOGI model. If employees,
including managers and leaders, are able to appreciate and absorb the full
import of the ECOLOGI model and follow it in their day to day working, they
would be institutionalizing a vibrant organizational behaviour. These components are discussed below.
Enterprise
Enterprise is
the ability to think of new projects or new ways of doing things and make them
successful. It is the ability to demonstrate initiative to succeed. For a
vibrant organizational behaviour, the culture of an entity should promote enterprising
behaviour on the part of every employee. Certain companies such as DuPont and
3M have made enterprise an integral part of employee DNA. While all employees
may not display the same level of enterprise at the time of recruitment, a culture
of empowerment and enablement would help employees discover and develop the
spark of enterprise in them. To foster enterprise, Japanese companies have made
daily team meetings an integral part of their work routine and Kaizen
(continuous improvement) an essential part of their thought culture. While the
Japanese employees are known to be highly disciplined and logically conformist,
they are not lacking in any way in demonstrating new ways of doing things.
Collaboration
Collaboration is
the essence of human living. Even at just an individual level, collaboration
between the body and mind is essential for healthy and positive living. Within the
body itself, there must be collaboration between different limbs while within
the brain, there must be collaboration between left brain and right brain! It
is self-evident, therefore, that collaboration between different individuals is
essential for an organization to progress successfully. The culture of challenge,
competitiveness and even conflict advocated by certain theorists and practitioners
is patently inferior to the positive energy and bonding that would be generated
by a collaborative work culture. As with enterprise, collaboration must be
fostered from the time an employee is on-boarded into an organization.
Organizing
Organizing, in
the context of ECOLOGI model, does not refer to the creation of the physical
structure of an entity (and most certainly, it does not refer even remotely
refer to an organization chart). Organizing is the ability to plan for, and
arrange for, something to happen. From organizing one’s thoughts to organizing
the resources required and the activities to be performed is a critical
capability of an individual. Organizing has to be the core competence of every
employee, not merely that of a manager or a leader. The ability to organize
matures and mellows for an individual with experience. The moment a task is
thought of, the individual with due thought and experience can visualize the
whole spectrum of activities to be performed. While skillsets such as program
management are now promoted as a discrete discipline, every employee has the
right and responsibility to be organized.
Learning
Learning is a
lifelong activity. The fundamental requirement for learning is neither
intelligence nor teaching; it is receptivity! Learning helps one develop
knowledge and skills that are required to meet current business or
administrative requirements. Organizational ecosystems must be particularly
designed to promote learning as a continuous activity. While encouraging
employees to learn, learning disabilities (beyond lack of receptivity) that
could be acting as barriers to learning need to be identified. Every learning
and development programme must have a learning effectiveness check at the end
of the programme. It should be conducted by an independent, confidential
on-the-spot survey at the time of conclusion of the programme and followed up
with another similar survey three to six months after return to the regular
work.
Objectivity
Objectivity is
the ability to judge and decide on any issue or a person based on facts and
without getting influenced by personal or others’ influences and biases. Basing
on facts does not mean that emotional aspects are ignored. If consensual
decision making is a part of a country culture, objectivity requires that such
manifestation is integrated into the evaluation and decision processes. Objectivity
is not simply lack of subjectivity; it requires a quest for factual data and
information. These accrue through not special studies but simply through
perceptive observation. For objectivity to be a hallmark of organizational behaviour,
organizations must promote discerning and discriminating capabilities in
individuals. This can be developed with simulation exercises and role play for
employees under the guidance of experienced managers and leaders.
Galvanizing
Galvanizing is
the ability of a person (usually a leader or manager) to excite others to take
concerted and inspired action to achieve a goal. The most profound example of
galvanization is that of Mahatma Gandhi galvanizing all of India into a
relentless nonviolent movement for independence. While such examples are
legendary rarities, it is required for every individual, not limited to
managers and leaders, to galvanize co-employees into collaborative actions. It is
also possible for employees of lower rank to galvanize employees of higher rank
through demonstrable example-setting. Leadership has a strong component of
galvanizing but the ability to galvanize and willingness to be galvanized for
objective causes is an important aspect of positive organizational behaviour.
Implementation
Implementation
is the end result of all of the six attributes talked about so far. To be
execution-focused and delivery-focused is the critical attribute of winning
organizations. Aggressive implementation has been one of the principal reasons for
Korean manufacturers to steal a march over the intrinsically more innovative
Japanese manufacturers. In good organizational behaviour, implementation is the
responsibility not merely of frontline employees but that of all team members,
including managers and leaders. Implementation at times requires innovative
mind-sets. The global success of Indian information technology companies has
been attributed to the development of a global delivery model. India’s new
credo of “Make in India” clearly requires excellent implementation capability,
backed by all the other six ECOLOGI facets.
Holistic ECOLOGI
To be fully
beneficial, the ECOLOGI model has to be absorbed and followed in its totality
throughout the organization. Each component of the ECOLOGI model is mutually
reinforcing with the others. In one important sense, ECOLOGI model of
organizational behaviour ensures a positive ecological balance in the
organizational ecosystem! Enterprise,
for example, is not necessarily a genetically acquired attribute; it is
developed through collaboration that gives mutual reinforcement and also from
learning which opens up one’s mind and hands to new knowledge and skills.
Enterprising people are essential to galvanizing others, and also to be
galvanized. Implementation is the logical endpoint of galvanizing. Enterprise
also helps people overcome any obstacles that are encountered in organizing.
Organizing and collaborating are essential factors for successful
implementation.
Among the
seven dimensions of ECOLOGI, objectivity is a key value-based objective. To be
tactically influenced by one’s own biases or others’ opinions is a common human
failing. It requires certain core values for a person to be completely
objective in all aspects of functioning. Objectivity, however, is a behavioural
value worth inculcating. The ability to galvanize others into action depends to
a large extent on how objective the individual or leader is known to be.
Objectivity is also a key driver of successful external stakeholder
relationships. Objective leaders tend to evoke respect of even competing
firms. Given that ECOLOGI is a holistic
experience, individuals must devise their means of scaling themselves on each
of the dimensions to achieve high levels uniformly. Any entity which follows
the ECOLOGI model would have a positive and virtuous organizational behaviour
that ensures competitiveness in commercial business or administrative service.
More importantly, as an aggregate impact it would ensure sustainable growth
with equity for India as a vibrant nation.
Posted by Dr CB
Rao on March 29, 2015
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