1.2 RELATION B/W ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE
The literature has suggested that structure and culture in organisations exist in close alignment. Structure is one of the determinants of culture; conversely, culture has been shown to have an influence on the organisational structure and operational systems in an organisation.
Both are mechanisms for the coordination of organisations: structure as an integrating mechanism for organisational activities, and culture as an integrating mechanism concerned with behaviour and values within organisations.
Organisations and individuals need an understanding of these mechanisms in order to manage uncertainty in the face of ever-changing markets and business conditions. An effective alignment of structure and culture provides a means of getting people to work together to reach strategic goals and achieve an organisation's vision.
Together they provide a focus to enable organisations and individuals to reduce uncertainty, variability and ambiguity, so providing a framework for acting in a consistent manner. Structure and culture have overlapping functions, but one mechanism is not necessarily a substitute for the other. Both are needed.
The literature also shows no one pattern or 'right way' for the development of a relationship between structure and culture. However, it offers many examples of this relationship generated by a range of variable factors inside and outside organisations.
In one example, O'Neill, Beauvais and Scholl (2001) propose that different organisations face different problems in reducing organisational variability. Variable structural factors such as the complexity of tasks and the geographic dispersal of employees act to increase uncertainty. They demand different responses even within similar cultures.
Likewise, differences in organisational culture can explain why organisations in the same industry, with similar structures, can be quite different. This goes some way to explain why TAFEs, with similar structures, and which exist in the same system, can still vary widely in the way they operate.
From another perspective, Hodge, Anthony and Gales (1996) observe that while an organisation might 'authorise' a formal structure, an informal structure not necessarily sanctioned by the organisation also exists. This informal structure, whose interactions are shaped by culture and sub-cultures, comes about in part because of ambiguity in the formal design or because of changes in conditions the organisation faces. This further explains some of the operating variability within RTO's. [4]
1.3 FACTORS INFLUENCING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT WORK
It is the quality of the employee's workplace environment that most impacts on their level of motivation and subsequent performance. How well they engage with the organization, especially with their immediate environment, influences to a great extent their error rate, level of innovation and collaboration with other employees, absenteeism and, ultimately, how long they stay in the job. Many studies have revealed that most employees leave their organization because of the relationship with their immediate supervisor or manager.
So, what are the workplace environment factors that need to be taken into consideration by any serious manager? Described below are the key factors and how each can be utilized by supervisors and managers to boost performance.
Workplace Performance Factors
Goal-setting
Involve employees in setting meaningful goals and performance measures for their work. This can be done informally between the employee and their immediate supervisor or as part of an organization's formal performance management process. The key here is that each employee is actively engaged in the goal-setting process and takes ownership of the final agreed goals and measures.
Performance feedback
Regularly feed back to employee's information on how they are performing. This should consist of both positive feedback on what the employee is doing right as well as feedback on what requires improvement.
Role congruity
Work to ensure that the role that the employee is required to perform is consistent with their expectations on joining the organization and any subsequent training. The organization's role expectations are typically reflected in formal documents, such as Job Descriptions and Role Specifications. These expectations should be consistent with tasks allocated by the employee's immediate supervisor.
Defined processes
Many errors, defects and customer complaints are the result of poor process management. Constrain the variability of how work is actually performed through documenting processes and communicating such expectations to employees. Verify on a regular or random basis that the work is actually performed in the way required. Along with goal setting, getting employees to help define and improve processes is a powerful opportunity for engagement.
Workplace incentives
Determine what motivates your employees in particular and set up formal and informal structures for rewarding employees that behave in the way required. Rewards may consist of a mix of internal rewards, such as challenging assignments, and external rewards, such as higher compensation and peer recognition.
Supervisor support
Act as advocates for employees, gathering and distributing the resources needed by them in order for them to be able to do a good job. Immediate supervisors and managers need to display the interpersonal skills required to engage employees and enhance their self-confidence. This includes providing positive encouragement for a job well done.
Mentoring/coaching
Make available to employees skilled and respected people to help them perform better in their current role and to assist them develop further into a future role. Mentors and coaches may be internal to an organization or external. Either way, they will need to possess the necessary facilitation skills to assist employees apply existing sills and develop new skills.
Resource availability
The vast majority of employees take pride in their work and try hard to do a good job. Make sure that individual workloads and organizational systems and processes do not hinder employees from applying established skills or from practicing newly learned skills. Adequate time and material resources need to be available to enable them to perform to the best of their ability.
Money is not a sufficient motivator in encouraging the superior workplace performance required in today's competitive business environment. Managers and supervisors will need to be comfortable with working with the whole gamut of workplace factors that influence employee motivation. Last but not least, to drive their organizations to peak performance managers and supervisors must put out front the human face of their organization. Paramount here is the human-to-human interaction through providing individualized support and encouragement to each and every employee [5]
