Organizational Behavior Trends Essay

Organizational Behavior is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations. Organizational Culture is the basic pattern of common assumptions, values, and beliefs leading the way employees within an organization think about and act on problems and opportunities. Organizational Trends are patterns of change over time in some variable of interest. In this paper we will evaluate two trends in organizational behavior. The influence of ethics on decision-making and the impact of technology on work-related stress will be examined. Organizational Behavior Trends There are several trends in Organizational Behavior. One trend is globalization, which requires corporate decision makers to be more sensitive to cultural differences as they venture towards a wider variety of employees and clients. Another trend in organizations is the increasingly diverse workforce. Diversity potentially improves decision-making, team performance, and customer service, but it also presents new challenges for the company. The values and ethics of the employees, enable organizations to apply certain principles in a global environment, and are under pressure to abide by the ethical values and higher standards of corporate social responsibility. Ethics on Decision-making Ethics on decision-making is difficult, it is critical for leaders to develop a code of ethics and establish disciplinary actions and procedures for ethical violators. Most importantly, leaders should also develop a process in which employees are rewarded and publicly recognized for having positive ethical behaviors. It is also important to have employee involvement when trying to identify ethical issues. â€Å"When it comes to the ethics of decision making, the criteria individuals use to define problems and the values that underlie these criteria must be considered. Moral conduct is involved in choosing problems, deciding who should be involved, estimating the impacts of alternatives, and selecting an alternative for implementation. Moral conduct does not arise from after-the-fact embarrassment†. (Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, 2005). Overall, ethical decision making, is learning about ethical dilemmas in business and examining the process for identifying common influences in the decision-making process. Once the trends are found, leaders and subordinates must demonstrate and understand how to make an ethical decision in which all possible solutions are attempted equally and without any judgment. Impact of Technology on Work-Related Stress â€Å"Work-related stress can be defined as a pattern of emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological reactions to adverse and noxious aspects of work content, work organization and work environment. It is a state characterized by high levels of arousal and distress and often by feelings of not coping. † (www. eiro. eurofound) Work-related stress is a serious issue at many companies. People should be aware of their stress levels and communicate stressful situations to their employer before stress develops into a problem. For this to happen, employers need to ensure that the organizational culture is one in which employees can openly and comfortably talk about work-related stress without any repercussion. There are many components that make up stress. With the world of technology racing news and information around the world as quick as we can blink, many more organizations are becoming sophisticated in applying information technologies. Nobel Laureate and decision scientist Herbert Simon is convinced that computers will someday be more intelligent than humans†. Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, 2005) How does that make you feel knowing that one-day a computer could replace your job? There are always two sides to any debate; the one on stress is no exception. Is being stressed a sign of weakness within your job indicating that you can no longer handle it or is being stressed a sign of an effective working behavior of getting the job done? There are many employers that want to support their staff to the highest level that can be offered but resources and effective training is sometimes limited. As a result, many employees are â€Å"stressed†. The use of technology is needed in all businesses and with this advanced technology some organizations rely heavily it. I know that with the computer system we have at our organization it makes it much easier and less stressful for us. Maybe someone who is not proficient with computers would become stressful to the new system, but for the most part I think technology has a positive impact on work-related stress. Conclusion In conclusion, the influence of ethics on decision-making and the impact of technologies on work-related stress are only two components of many in organizational behavior. With so many changes to how one must work and the many difficult decisions that have to be made according to your organizations ethics only. I personally think that as companies evolve, the employees must chose to either evolve with it or take another course of action to make life stress-free.