Managing People & Performance.: Apiit
Managing People & Performance.: Apiit
Managing People & Performance.: Apiit
2011
APIIT
Individual Assignment
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 2 Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of women in the workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and benefits in contemporary organizations. ............................................................................................................... 3 THE PREMISE OF CONTEMPOARY MANAGEMENT THEORIES ........... 3 WEICK AND THE PROCESS OF ORGANISING ............................................. 3 THE TREND ............................................................................................................ 4 The Career Strategy ................................................................................................ 5 AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME- Women Earn Less than Men, Especially at the Top.................................................................................................... 6 ARE WOMEN TRANSFORMING ORGANISATIONS ? ................................. 7 Need for gender diversity in contemporary organisation .................................... 8 Sense-making and organizing ................................................................................. 9 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 10 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 11
Level 3
Individual Assignment
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INTRODUCTION
Today organizations have to adjust too many dramatic changes, ranging from fundamental restructuring to revolutionary shifts in traditional values. These required changes are largely attributed to drastic changes in the way in which organizations respond to the environment in which they operate. Globalization and the resultant advancements in information technology are the two main contributors of modern organizational structuring, both of which pertain to highly complex communication activities and considerations that have become part of the organizations enactment with micro (i.e. inter-organizational activities) as well as the macro systems (i.e. transnational synergies, strategic geographic positioning, etc.). This reflects a paradigm shift from traditionally closed operating procedures (characterized by one-way hierarchical inter-organizational communication) to highly flexible and innovative contemporary organizations which. The paradox here is that organizations need existing paradigms in order to make sense of the current situations and this can trap organizations in current paradigms (Verwey & Du Plooy-Cillers, 2003:2). However, it is important to consider the premise on which contemporary management theories are based. Contemporary theories, such as that of Karl Weick, reflect a deep restructuring of core competencies that values an organizations sense-making processes when they are dealing with environmental equivocality.
Contemporary management theories place emphasis on the interaction process between all components concerned with the organization, as well as adopting a more holistic orientation towards that way in which organizations function and are structured. Cycan is an example of such an approach in that the manner in which they conduct business is reflective of contemporary managerial concerns. This assignment will critically discuss contemporary views of management and organization theories to Cycans current company structuring and operating, focusing on the role of the CEO (Bryan Hatting); the state of their internal communication structures; and the holistic manner in which the organization approaches the decision-making process. Furthermore, the role of technology and communication within Cycan will also be analyzed in terms of how it contributes too and affects the three areas to be discussed.
Level 3 Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation
Individual Assignment
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Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of women in the workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and benefits in contemporary organizations.
Level 3
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Weicks organizing highlights the paradigmatic nature of organizations, as they are something that people accomplish through a continual process of communication and not defined by the positions and roles the members occupy (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005:245). The question of dualism between communication and organizations represents latter as a symbolically realized construction produced by interactional process of the organizations members and the macro system they occupy (Taylor & Robichaud, 2004). These symbolically realized constructions emphasis the importance of interlocked behaviors as they create, maintain, and are adjusted in accordance with the normative competencies necessary to reduce uncertainty or equivocality (Weick in Littlejohn & Foss, 2005: 246).
THE TREND
Women stand at the fore front of disruptive change in the political, social, economic, and technological sectors of most counties. Dr. James Cantons The Extreme Future notes Women will comprise a high percentage of new workers and leaders, forever changing the politics of boardrooms and markets. According to a US Census report, nearly one-third of all married women in the US make more than their husbands. More than 25% of working wives earned more their husbands in 2007 (up from 20% in 1983). Furthermore, women are earning college degrees at a faster pace than men. Between 2000 and 2001, women earned 57% of all undergraduate degrees.
Level 3
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Level 3
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Furthermore, Canton suggests that the most educated, skilled, and experienced employees will be in high demand. Therefore, professional women need better strategies. Means recommends prioritizing whats important: I let go whats not important. Most women get overwhelmed with trying to manage all of the household and family responsibilities while working at the same time. You need to be realistic about what you can do. Its a balancing act. Some women feel that they can have it all without any drop off. Fuller disagrees: There is always a sacrifice because you spend more time away from your family. Although there will be an ever increasing number of opportunities for women in the workplace, women must analyse every career move in a holistic fashion if they want to keep that delicate balance.
AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME- Women Earn Less than Men, Especially at the Top.
In most jobs, the gap between mens and womens earnings narrows greatly when you adjust for factors like career path and experience. But at the top of the income scale jobs paying more than $100,000 the salary gap between equally qualified men and women is still vast.
Below is a look at the median pay of men compared with women in each of the 90 jobs examined, with each dot representing a different job. The diagonal line represents where the dots would lie if men and women earned exactly equal pay. Notice how many of the dots fall below that line, indicating that women earn less than men.
Level 3
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According to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, women business owners are more likely than all businesses to offer flextime, tuition reimbursement and job sharing. Women business owners tend to share their business' profit with employees at a much earlier stage than other businesses: nearly twice as many woman-owned firms employing fewer than 25 employees (14%) have set up such programs compared to all small firms with 20 or less employees (8%).
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Involvement in the professional development of employees is another area where women-owned businesses differ in the benefits opportunities provided. Twenty-one per cent of women-owned businesses offer tuition reimbursement programs, compared with only 8 per cent of all small businesses. "The employee benefits offered by women-owned businesses make it evident that these firms are not only a powerful economic force, but are also an important and influential social force," says Ivan Milojevic. "At every stage in their businesses, even when the organisations are young or small, women business owners provide their employees with a comprehensive package of benefits which set the standard for the rest of society." Patricia Aburdene and John Naisbitt, authors of Megatrends for Women (1992), agree that the trend is toward a women's leadership style, based on openness, trust, on-going education, compassion and understanding. Women are more likely to succeed because women admit they need help and surround themselves with good people: they are cautions, strategic risk takers, whose resourcefulness and resolve increase as circumstance become more difficult (this from a study by Avon Corporation and an American based research firm).
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These include offering incentives to our head hunters for diverse hires including women candidates and extending this incentive plan internally to our employee referral program as well. We have also set up GenWIN - a formal network of women that fosters personal and professional development via experience sharing, networking and providing targeting development programs. We are soon launching an exclusive mentoring program that pairs high potential women employees with Vice President and above level leaders to build positive professional relationships and create career opportunities. Epact has also deployed flexible work practices that provide employees with a range of benefits such as work from home, extended maternity leave, opportunities for spouse, sabbaticals and re-entry programs, an ombudsperson policy, focus on security, health camps, among others. However, these are just levers that can help increase the number of women in an organization. It is imperative for organizations to first fully understand and embrace the gender diversity agenda and become committed to drive it through all available and potential channels.
Level 3
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CONCLUSION
The future is bright for working women as never before. In fact, women will drive most institutions toward major changes in the near term. However, this assignment demonstrated that the road to success for most professional women isnt easy. They must deal with troubles to a certain degree. However, the demands of their professional life have not kept up with the heavy demands of a family and personal life. Therefore, women must develop career strategies in a holistic manner that maximizes their efforts. In turn, society must learn how to embrace womens power in the future if global outcomes of hopes to continue to compete.
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REFERENCES
BAHOUTH, S.B. 1994. Technological readiness as a business strategy. Industrial Management & Data Systems. Wembley: 1994. 94(8): 5-8 p. HATTINGH, B. 2000. Cycan leadership solutions: a detailed profile of Cycans executive coaching programme. 50 p. LITTLEJOHN, S.W. & FOSS, K.A. 2005. Theories of human communication. 8th ed. Belmont: Thomson-Wadswoth, pp.388. MCPHEE, R. D. 2000. The emergent organization: communication as its site and surface. Management Communication Quarterly, 14(2): 328-334. ORTENBLAD, A. 2001. On differences between organizational learning and learning organization. The Learning Organization, 8(3): 125-133. TAYLOR, J. R. & ROBICHAUD, D. 2004. Finding the organization in the communication: discourse as action and sensemaking. Organization, 11(3): 395413, VAN EVERY, E.J. & TAYLOR, J. R. 1998. Modeling the organization as a system of communication activity: a dialogue about the language/action perspective. Management Communication Quarterly, 12(1): 128-147. VERWEY, S. & DU PLOOY-CILLERS, F. 2003. Strategic Organisational Communication: Paradigms and Paradoxes. Heinemann, South Africa. 283 p. WEIK, K.E. & SUTCLIFFE, K. M. 2005. Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4): 409-451. WEICK, K.E. 1996a. Drop you tools: An allegory for organizational studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(2): 301-313. WEICK, K.E. 1996b. Preparing your organization to fight fires. Harvard Business Review, 74(3): 143-148. WEICK, K.E. 2005. Organizing and the Process of sensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4): 409-451.
Level 3