Chapter 9 Notes: Social Processes in the Workplace

Chapter 9: Social Processes in the Workplace

Introduction

• The capacity to collaborate effectively is vital for new hires.

• Groups and teams play a significant role in achieving organizational objectives.

• Organizations can be seen as groups working towards a shared vision and strategy.

• I-O psychologists and HR practitioners need skills to help groups and teams thrive.

Viewing the Organisation as a System

• Organizations interact with their environment, transforming inputs into outputs. Success requires optimal social (individuals, groups) and technical (tools, processes) systems.

Organisational Design

• Organisational structure is planned when organisations are founded or when changes are needed.

• Decisions consider the business's nature, size, complexity, and goals.

• The design should align with the organisation's vision and mission.

• The result is an organogram (organisational chart) showing tasks, responsibilities, workflow, and authority.

• Organisational structure impacts mechanistic(Structured) or organic (Flexible)design through:

  • Work specialisation.

  • Multi-skilling and teamwork.

  • Standardisation.

  • Departmentalisation.

  • Chain of command.

  • Span of control.

  • Centralisation and decentralisation.

Traditional Organisational Designs

• Bureaucracy:

  • Standardises work through policies and rules.

  • Uses specialised departments for specific functions.

  • Enables efficient standardised activities, economies of scale, and efficient control.

• Matrix structure:

  • Combines functional and product departmentalisation.

  • Has dual lines of authority.

Contemporary Organisational Designs

• Virtual Organisation:

  • Virtual teams consist of geographically dispersed co-workers working toward a shared goal.

  • Supervisory support and trust are critical.

  • Communication is shorter and lacks non-verbal cues.

  • Asynchronous work and physical distance can lead to psychological distance and distrust, hindering performance.

  • Strong organisational culture is essential.

• Team-Based Organisations:

  • Team structures lead to flatter organisations.

  • Teams are responsible for their output with minimal supervision.

  • Cross-functional teams bring together members from various levels and departments to address problems or projects.

• Future Organisations & Networks:

  • Organizations focus on value networks rather than value chains.

  • Strategic partnerships enhance efficiencies and competitiveness.

  • Industry 4.0 initiatives combine IT, production, operations, engineering, and R&D outside traditional structures.

  • Network organisations are built by people with an ecosystemic perspective.

Groups

• In open systems, individuals, groups, and teams interact with organisational processes to respond to environmental influences.

• A group has:

  • Social interaction

  • Common goals

  • Group structure

  • Group identity

Group Development

• New groups need time to become productive.

• Maturity develops over time.

• Understanding psychological processes helps manage remote groups.

• Groups develop in five stages or via the punctuated equilibrium model.

• Understanding group development allows proactive management for quicker high performance.

The Five-Stage Model of Group Development

1. Forming - team comes together

2. Storming - conflict and disagreements may happen

3. Norming - team starts working well together

4. Performing - team is productive

5. Adjourning / mourning - team breaks up

The Punctuated Equilibrium Model

• Groups experience shifts at specific points:

  • The first meeting. - team meets and sets the plan

  • Inertia.- slow progress following the plan

  • The transition.- halfway point , team picks up speed

  • Second phase of inertia. - steady work continuous

  • Last meeting.- final push to finish project

Organisational Culture

Organizational culture is an interdependent set of beliefs, values, and tools, including both observable (e.g., dress code, myths) and unobservable (e.g., values, beliefs) characteristics.

How Organisational Culture Is Formed

• Founder's philosophy starts the culture.

• Management actions shape it.

• Company type affects it.

• Employees adapt to it.

  Management influences through actions.

  Organisation's nature matters.

  Employees respond accordingly.

Organisational Socialisation and Onboarding

• Socialisation: new employees learn values and customs.

• Onboarding: adjusting quickly to values.

The process of organisational socialisation

• ORGANISATIONAL SOCIALISATION - creating a fit between employee and organisational values

  • Anticipatory socialisation/ pre-arrival

    Employee:

    • Forms expectations through questions, dreams, and research.

    Organization:

    • Provides a realistic view via recruitment, selection, and placement, matching skills to job profiles.

  • Encounter

    Employee:

    • Experiences the job, relationships, and organizational values.

    Organization:

    • Provides orientation, training, challenging tasks, and broader system exposure.

  • Adjustment

    • Employee integrates work-life balance and values, while the organization values the employee as a role model.

Organisations and Social Change

• Globalisation, diversity, technology, and ethics impact organisations.

• Humanistic organisations respect human potential.

Types of Social Interventions

• Unfreezing: recognise the need for change and prepare the organisation.

• Movement: develop and implement change strategies.

• Refreezing: reinforce new performance levels.

• The development of the individual

  • empowerment, interpersonal skills training, career-life planning and wellness strategies

• The development of teams

  • Team strategies are aimed at identifying and solving problems such as a lack of communication, conflict, or poor decision-making and at helping teams set goals and allocate tasks

• The development of the organisation as a whole

  • Interventions aimed at the organisation