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In business, making appropriate decisions is absolutely crucial to the organization’s success. Decision-making is so important that many researchers have even devoted their lives to understanding what leads people to make the best decisions possible. For example, is it better to make an important decision using the long-term expertise of those who have worked closely in the organization or is it better to use an outside perspective? Continue Reading →
In human resources and other related fields, we often focus on improving employee performance. This is usually directed toward managers and how they should teach their staff to be more effective. But what about the managers themselves? It seems that the higher an employee is in the hierarchy of an organization, the fewer sources of feedback he or she receives regarding performance. So what can be done to inform managers about their own performance more effectively? Continue Reading →
In previous posts, we have focused on the negative consequences of workplace bullying. Workplace bullying can have lasting impacts on employees and cause problems in the office. What about women specifically? Is bullying amongst women even more prevalent in the workplace? Continue Reading →
The hospitality industry is a unique one that exists to serve customers in their recreational time. This time is often spent in the form of lodging and travel, amusement parks, cruises, and more. To best serve customers’ needs, there are a vast variety of employees that staff businesses in the hospitality industry from entertainers, to customer service representatives, to maintenance staff. Unfortunately, these employees tend to have a high turnover rate that has long been unexplained (Hinkin & Tracey, 2000). Continue Reading →
Leadership is both a popular and important subject of research with industrial/organizational psychology because all organizations must include some system of leadership in order to run smoothly. There are a multitude of different theories that describe what it takes to be an effective leader ranging from the trait perspective, to the behavioral perspective, to the contingency perspective. Each of these understandings of leadership provides unique insight into who makes good leaders and what kinds of behaviors a good leader should exhibit. Continue Reading →
While both constructs are very similar to one another and are often used interchangeably in psychological research, there are important differences between organizational climate and culture that would affect one’s success in attempting to manipulate them.
While organizational culture is considered to be the lens through which employees interpret their organizational environment, organizational climate can be described as how the employees tend to evaluate these interpretations (Neal, Griffin, & Hart, 2000). Continue Reading →
With the first quarter of the new year comes new changes in businesses across the globe. Many companies look to develop current leaders’ skills in such a way that provokes change and progression in the company, while other organizations may be looking for new talent to place in leadership roles. Either way, some trends have emerged for effectively developing old and new leaders that can be summed up in a few succinct pointers. Continue Reading →
Take a moment to reflect on the relationship you have with your supervisor. Are there defining features that make this relationship positive? What about the relationship makes you feel tense or uncomfortable at work? The relationships we have with our supervisors can greatly impact how we feel on the job, employee engagement at the forefront. Continue Reading →
Are you interested in re-vamping or creating a performance appraisal process for employees? The performance appraisal process is a tricky one that involves a great deal of planning and thought. Moreover, no performance appraisal system can be perfect so leaders in organizations tend to be on the look for the latest trends and best practices in the field. While I may not be able to provide a fool-proof answer to all performance appraisal problems, I can share some tips on choosing sources of performance appraisal feedback based on my studies.
To begin with, consider: who should have input when rating an employee’s performance at work? The supervisor? A subordinate? A peer? Oneself? The following are a few advantages and disadvantages to obtaining information and ratings from these sources that should help managers decide which sources would be most appropriate in their organization. Continue Reading →
http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1038128
When most people hear the phrase “pep talk” with regard to the workplace, a common reaction is to roll their eyes. Employees across the globe have had to endure pep talks of all kinds that are usually intended to motivate or increase morale. These can range from the very mundane to very bizarre in which employees are left feeling awkward and even embarrassed for the “motivator.” This is an unfortunate reality of many workplaces. The bad news is, pointless pep talks are going to continue to happen, particularly in work environments that are led by uninformed management. The good news is, not all pep talks have to be painful and they can be greatly improved in one very simple way. Continue Reading →
Successful organizations become successful for many different reasons. Top organizations do not maintain high status by simply maintaining the status qua and sitting idle. Instead, successful organizations are constantly looking at different aspects that can be improved. Continue Reading →
I strongly believe that every department within an organization serves an important purpose in ultimately the success or the failure of the organization. Every department serves a purpose and if one department crumbles, the entire organization may fall. Let’s turn our attention to the HR department for a moment… Continue Reading →
Have you ever felt that your organization’s human resource department lacked a certain human quality? If so, you aren’t alone. Especially since the enormous trend toward social media as a major communication tool, human resources departments (as well as most other departments, to be fair) have become very technologically based in an attempt to expedite and streamline processes. As busy working adults, we spend so much time trying to utilize our vast technological resources to our advantage that developing personal relationships can often fall by the wayside.
A recent TNS global survey data revealed that only 55% of workers felt that their supervisors cared about them as individuals. This tells us that many employees feel undervalued as people within their organizations. Clearly, this disconnect between supervisors and their employees should be remedied in order to help workers feel valued, respected, and engaged. But how?
Sometimes all it takes is a very small personal gesture to establish a positive interpersonal connection. If you manage a group of employees, take the time to ask a staff member how his or her day is going and really listen. Tell an employee how much you appreciate the work he or she completed that day (but only if you mean it). Deliver a hand-written note to someone’s desk as a thank you. These types of simple, but absolutely essential, behaviors could make the difference between an employee staying or leaving an organization. Establishing solid connections with coworkers is also a great way to build morale and engagement.
Regardless of how you go about it, consider holding off on your next tweet until after you take a moment to talk to a coworker face-to-face to build a real connection. In a technology driven society, a little compassion in the workplace goes a long way!
When you are working hard and putting forth your best effort everyday at work, what is it that you want to hear from your boss? Do you want to hear that you have done something wrong or have cost the company money? Of course not! We all long to be recognized for the effort we put into our work. Continue Reading →
We all have different relationships with our supervisors. Some of us have supervisors that we do not feel comfortable talking with and others have great relationships fostered by trust and mutual understanding. Our relationships with our supervisors are a vital part of how we may view not only our jobs but also our organization, as our supervisors are often our most direct connection to the organization as a whole. Continue Reading →
It is extremely difficult to be part of a team that has no direction. Imagine working in a team that has to build something but has no plan for the task. Without any clear direction or plan, the team will not be successful. Add in competition from other teams and the task becomes that much more difficult. The same can be said for organizations without a clear direction. Continue Reading →
There will never be a way around it. Employees will always have their own opinions toward senior leaders within organizations. How can opinions be so different? Every employee has different values in the workplace. As humans, we all perceive one another differently. The key is that senior leaders work to portray the image that they want to present. Continue Reading →
The word “team” is often associated with sports. We often think of a soccer team or basketball team. The word is meant to describe a group of individuals working together to win a game. This does not mean that all teams are free of challenges and obstacles. Continue Reading →
When we are hired for a job we sign countless contracts, agreements, and policies. These documents outline what is expected of a new employee. The main purpose of these documents is for legality, but what other purpose do they serve? Verbal agreements are often easy to break, but signed agreements tend to keep people more accountable. Continue Reading →
