OBHRM

1. What is Organisational Behaviour? Discuss the impact of globalisation

and information technology on Organisational Behaviour? (15)
Organisational Behaviour is the study and application of knowledge of
how a person or group behaves or executes within the organisation. A detailed
study of Organisational Behaviour determines the impact of human behaviour
on job structure, performance, communication, motivation and leadership. It is
a multidisciplinary field which is growing out of developments from various
fields like sociology, psychology, medicine, political science, anthropology,
engineering and management.
Identification and fostering of behaviour which is conducive for survival and
effectiveness in an organisation form the main focus of organisational
behaviour. Organisational behaviour explains people-organisation connections
in terms of individual, workgroups, organisation and the whole social structure.
Some factors affecting individual behaviour are learning, attitude,
personality, perception, family background, job satisfaction, values and ethics.
Group behaviour may be affected through communication, group dynamics,
environment and culture of the individual in the organisation. Relationship
between superiors and subordinates, power, organisation's structure, conflicts,
position and culture affects a person's behaviour in the organisation.
Impact of Globalisation on Organisational Behaviour
The seamless and integrated manner of movement of goods, people and
service across the world is termed as Globalisation. Before globalisation
businesses were easier to run and monitor. Globalisation has exposed the
organization to many challenges. An economic challenge for an organisation is
the growth of global trade, the flow of funds, migrating labour across borders.
This has led to increased competition for customer and markets, vast resource
suppliers, technological transfer and movement of people and organisation
across borders.
The world being a global village, the workforce in organizations has become
culturally diverse. People with different backgrounds, beliefs and culture are
working together in an organisation for a common objective. An employee may
need to work with people of different cultures at an individual level. As a group
comprising of members from different cultural backgrounds, teams may face
challenges concerning decision making. Mergers and acquisitions can be one of
the challenges faced at an organizational level due to cultural differences. In a
diversified workforce, where employees may have varied beliefs, values and
ethics keeping them as a single unit can be a challenge for leaders.
Globalisation may force a need to improve quality and productivity due to
ever-changing demands. The drastic shift in the expectations of customers and
the behaviour of competitors has led to a focus on developing new products
and services in the organisation. Another consequence of globalisation is a rise
in collaborations among organisations than holding power.
Due to the dynamic change in business, political and technological
environment, the skills and competency of the employees in the organization
must be improved. It is important to train and upgrade the skills of employees
as per the changing needs by facilitating timely knowledge management
practices.
Work-life balance is another factor impacting organizational behaviour due
to globalisation. Demanding work schedules due to time differences can pose a
problem to employees. Incorporating work from home and flexible work-
timings can help achieve work-life balance.
Increase in alliances and partnerships have led to increased use of teams to
operate on higher standards. Cross-functional teams and global virtual teams
are now formed to reduce centralised control thereby giving the group more
autonomy to function effectively.
Managerial work in a globalised era requires enhancing their judgemental
power and people skills. Managers must effectively manage varied individuals
and mould their behaviours keeping in mind the organization's core values.
While a diverse workforce is advantageous the above impact of globalisation
need attention to work in an efficient manner in an organizational setting.
Companies must develop an efficient organisational culture to adapt to the
competitive environment.
Impact of Information Technology on Organisational Behaviour
Intense competition has forced organizations to become more effective and
efficient. The business can gain a competitive advantage through the use of
Information technology. The globalisation of business operations has led to
greater use of IT to reduce time and space barriers. Technological innovation in
an organisation can increase opportunities and business efficiency.
Communication is faster and easier with the help of technology. However,
electronic communication via text may be complex to comprehend as opposed
to face to face communication.
The organisational environment focuses on changing organizational structure
which affects the change in people, tasks and technology. Virtual organisations
have made it possible for people from different geographic locations to work
from the comfort of their home using technology like video conferencing and
emails without being physically available in the company. Companies using
virtual organisations can respond better to customer demands and market
changes as their employees are spread geographically. On the contrary, due to
the accessibility of technology, there is increased pressure on people to be
responsive to concerns leading to frustration at work.
A company can maintain its competitive advantage with Organisational
intelligence. Reliance on technology can improve problem-solving, managing
communications and giving quick feedback to clients and employees. We can
store and analyse a huge amount of information through ICT which is
otherwise humanly impossible to achieve. At an individual level, the learning
process is accelerated with access to information through devices like laptops
and smartphones. Employee training can happen online and at the individual's
convenience. At a group level, the interaction between employees happens
through tools like emails and web conference. Another development is the
automation of administration and team coordination tasks through Artificial
Intelligence.
IT systems provide the business with the required tools to help simplify the
process of decision making. With these required tools group of people can
make informed decisions.
Therefore, organisations must embrace technology and provide its human
resources with the necessary skill to gain increased efficiency and success in
the longer run.
2. Briefly discuss the challenges faced by HR professionals in today's Global
Management (15)
As an organization, it is extremely important to create an environment that is
welcoming and supportive of a global workforce. Some of the possible
challenges an HR Professional may face while operating in a world of global
workforces are:
Knowledge of Labour laws is essential for any HR professional who has a
diverse workforce. Since employment laws vary from one country to another
HR team must be aware of each country's legislation concerning recruitment,
remuneration and federal laws. Complying with the regional privacy laws and
adapting to new labour laws and tax liabilities becomes extremely important.
Being well-informed of the legal requirements for business operations can help
reduce complexity thereby lessening chances of landing into legal trouble.
Talent acquisition is probably the first challenge an organisation faces when it
seeks to expand in new markets. Some recruiting challenges that may pose a
challenge are the candidate's attitude, the mismatch between skill and job
requirement, diversity at the workplace. The HR professionals must
understand the educational qualifications a candidate must possess for a
certain role as they differ from one country to another.
Secondly, HR's must understand the job description while interviewing a
candidate. HR's can have a value-added assessment system in place to recruit
the right international candidates. The company must also value the
international experience a candidate brings and suggest career plans for these
candidates. The orientation of the candidates to the organisational culture will
help in finding the right talent. Even the candidates understand the need for
collaborating with a diverse workforce to achieve organisational objectives.
Benefits and compensations must be considered by paying close attention to
the law of the country. Programs like flexible work timings, extended holidays,
paternity and maternity leaves, on-site child care must be implemented as a
part of International HR. Flexible work timings help employees have a work-life
balance. Implementing these benefits on a local scale becomes the
responsibility of the HR professional.
Professional development programs such as specific competency programs,
global training seminars, conferences and networking events are provided for
the employees to understand the way a company functions. Training programs
are given to employees to gain on-the-job skills to do business internationally.
It is the duty of the HR to keep a track of trainees' needs and be sensitive to
their cultural background while upskilling them.
Collaborating and scheduling work across different time zones can be equally
challenging when going global. HR must understand the cultural diversity and
value system each individual brings and be able to communicate with
employees at different locations and accomplish business goals.
Retaining Talent HR needs to find ways of retaining critical talent in the
organization. A very high turnover can be disastrous for an organization and an
HR professional must find ways to motivate and retain people who really make
a difference to the organisation's success.
Managing a multicultural team inclusively and sensitively in one of the many
concerns faced by HR. Feeling of connectedness, belonging and inclusion of a
global team with the organisation pose a serious challenge for the
professionals. Due to this there may also be difficulty in sourcing and hiring
talented candidates for global teams. HR must encourage socialisation so team
members build friendly relationships. Regular staff meetings with clear
communication can help boost team morale, build trust and improve the
quality of teamwork.
Cultural diversity and communication is another salient issue in smooth
international HR operations. Working with different people belonging to
different locations or varied backgrounds means modifying the business's work
style according to new ideas, new ways of communicating and new social
practices.
Managing change is another important role HR professionals play. Bringing
change in the organizational processes and ensuring its effective
implementation is the responsibility of HR. They must ensure the employees
are not affected negatively by change. They must counsel the employees by
communicating the vision of the company and train them to upgrade to the
new technology. A smooth technological transition within the organisation
determines the success of the HR department.
Conflict Management in a global team must be resolved tactfully by the HR.
When a conflict occurs, HR must listen to both the parties and convincingly
offer advice to avoid further conflicts in future.
 It is therefore the responsibility of human resource professional to build and
nurture their global team. Demonstrating an understanding of local culture,
establishing communication practices that make the team feel included and
valued and on par with employees in the headquarters can help in retaining
the global team on board for longer.

3.Write short note on any one of the following.

Abraham Maslow's need "Hierarchy Theory".
Factors Governing Recruitment.
(10)

Abraham Maslow's need "Hierarchy Theory"

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is considered as one of the best-known theories
of motivation. According to the theory, our actions are motivated to achieve
certain needs. The hierarchy suggests that people feel motivated to satisfy
their basic needs before proceeding to more advanced needs. This theory
arose out of Maslow's interest to learn what made people happy and the
things they did to achieve them.
The Motivational theory is a five-tiered model of human needs depicted as a
pyramid with hierarchical levels as shown below:

Copyright © https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
The Five Levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
1)Psychological Needs are the primary needs which are vital for survival like
food, water, sleep, breathing etc. Apart from the basic needs like nutrition, air
and temperature regulation psychological needs include clothing, shelter and
sexual reproduction. These needs are given importance as they are instincts
and all other needs become secondary until and unless this need is fulfilled.
2)Security and Safety Needs at the second level become a bit more complex.
People want control and order in their lives. They desire financial security,
health and wellness and safety against accidents and injury. Therefore, the
shift in on having a safe environment. Finding a job, contributing to a savings
account, obtaining health insurance and health care, moving to a safer
neighbourhood are actions done to fulfil safety needs.
3)Social Needs (Belongingness or love needs) are placed at the third level.
These are less essential as compared to the first two. At this level, the
behaviour is driven by need for building emotional relationships. Love,
affection, acceptance, belonging, friendship, families, social and community
groups, religious organizations help satisfy this need.
4) Esteem Needs are classified into two categories: 1) esteem for oneself 2)
desire for respect and recognition from others. Once the psychological and
social needs are fulfilled Maslow observed that people look for self-respect
and appreciation. The esteem needs were found to play a prominent role in
motivating behaviour. People have a strong desire to feel recognized for their
accomplishments. Participation in professional activities, team participation
and academic accomplishments play a role in fulfilling esteem needs. People
with satisfied esteem needs to feel confident and see their contributions and
accomplishments as valuable. Unsatisfied esteem needs lead to feelings of
inferiority.
5)Self-actualization needs are at the peak of the pyramid of Maslow's
Hierarchy. People with satisfied self-actualization needs tend to be self-aware.
They are concerned with personal growth and achieving their full potential and
less concerned about the opinion of others. Maslow further explains that self-
actualization needs are unique for everyone. He says it is rare to achieve self-
actualization as it's a feeling of fulfilment and doing what one is meant to do.
 Maslow believes that needs lower in the hierarchy must be satisfied before
individuals attend to needs that are higher up. From the bottom of the
hierarchy upwards: psychological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-
actualization needs. Of the five tiers, the first four tiers are referred to as
deficiency needs whereas the topmost or the fifth tier is known as growth
need. Deficiency needs, arise out of deprivation and are often the needs which
motivate people. The longer the deprivation the stronger the motivation
becomes to fulfil such needs. It must be noted that when a deficit need is
almost satisfied our activities become habitually directed towards meeting the
next set of needs which are still deprived. On the contrary, growth needs do
not stem from deprivation. They arise from the desire to grow. Such needs
when satisfied help attains a higher level of self-actualization. Maslow
observed that every human being had an innate wish to reach self-
actualization. He believes that we need to learn new information and to better
understand the world around us to meet our needs. Additionally, Maslow
observed that one action could meet two or three needs.
While several researchers have been strongly influenced by Maslow's theory
and have built on it others could not substantiate the idea of the needs
hierarchy. They believed that needs did not follow a hierarchy. The felt the
theory could not be measured or tested scientifically. The theory also fails to
explain about individuals who are motivated by external factors e.g.: money.
Despite the several criticisms, Maslow's theory of needs remains an influential
and important shift in Psychology. Needs indeed are powerful motivators of
Human Behaviour though not necessarily in Maslow's hierarchical form!
References:
OBHR, Nelson, Quick, Khandelwal, Denisi, Griffin, Sarkar
Impact of Globalization on Organizational Culture, Katja Palovaara
A theory on Human Motivation, Maslow A.H
Organisational Behaviour Changes caused by ICT, Khaled Al Majzoub