Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Paper

4. Briefly describe the elements of the formal and the informal organization. Give examples of each.

The World is a diverse place; changing demographics, globalization and generational gaps. Diversity is the mix of people who make your organization. The workforce, including leadership should represent and look like the community in which business is conducted. Work place diversity is the key to survival and growth and is an essential business tool. Diversity promotes inclusion within and across business units and help all employees understand and respect individual differences and the value of everyone’s unique talents. Different types of people bring different talents and competencies to the table. Inclusion allows people to be themselves at work and letting them know they are valued regardless of their age, gender,

Diversity is known as individuals which are representing more than one national origin, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, beliefs, and age which create a diverse workforce environment were some feels valued at all costs and was skill sets are being used to develop goals within the organisation.

As the term indicates, organizational behavior describes how people interact in a workplace setting to achieve a common goal or purpose. In this regard, Kelly and Kelly (1998) emphasize that, "Organizational behavior is essentially concerned with what people do in organizations" (p. 4). Therefore, defining organizational behavior requires a consideration of how people actually behave in workplace settings at a given point in time as well as over time (Miner, 2002). As Kelly and Kelly point out, "A good working definition of organizational behavior is the systematic study of

Workforce diversity addresses differences among people within an organization. Workforce diversity means that organizations are becoming a more heterogeneous mix of people from different categories. Diversity refers to the co-existence of employees from various socio-cultural backgrounds within the company. Diversity includes cultural factors such as race, gender, age, colour, physical ability, ethnicity, education, language, lifestyle, beliefs, economic status, etc. Diversity requires a type of organizational culture in which each employee can pursue his or her career aspirations without being inhibited by gender, race, nationality, religion, or other factors that are irrelevant to performance. Managing diversity means

In order to better understand the concepts of organizational behavior, several key terms need to be defined and explained. Some of these key terms include organizational behavior, organizational culture, diversity, communication, organizational effectiveness and efficiency, and organizational learning. To get a better understanding of each of these terms, examples will be given for each term as it applies to National Gypsum Company.

Organizational culture creates a unique identity that diversifies an organization from its opposition. Ogbonna & Lloyd (p, 32, 2002) defines organizational culture as “the collective sum of beliefs, values, meanings and assumptions that are shared by a social group and that

Research has indicated that a diverse workforce can lead to several benefits. A varied group of employees provides the organization with access to a larger pool of knowledge and to differing points of view. Additionally, the creativity and productivity

Diversity is no longer exclusive to recognizable differences such as race, gender, and culture; diversity now includes the viewpoints and methods of observable and unobservable variances a group offers to the workplace (Hewins-Maroney & Williams, 2013). Multicultural work environments add to the complexity of a diverse workforce because the units consist of three or more

Being successful at managing workforce diversity involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For managers it means learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Successful management of workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels. It requires managers to first recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization.

Diversity in the workplace and how communication is the driving force behind it. Workplace diversity can be described as “all the differences in age, gender, sexual orientation, education, cultural background, religion, and life experience” (Okora & Washington, 2012, as cited in Mulkeen, 2008). Another functional definition of diversity is being cultural, racial, or sex-based. An organization’s definition and viewpoint concerning diversity guides the strength of its employees to connect and communicate adequately and profit from the betterment of diversity (Lambert, 2016).

Workforce diversity includes the obvious differences we see when we look around: race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion and ethnicity. But it’s also the less obvious traits, the subtle differences that often register with us unconsciously, such as socioeconomic status, marital status, educational background, language, accent and appearance. We all have something that makes us unique, some special talent or ability that we bring to the table that differentiates us from our colleagues. That’s diversity at its best.

According to Longenecker, Petty, Palich, & Hoy (2013), workforce diversity is the “differences among employees in the dimensions of gender, age, race, and ethnicity”. Differences among employees can be challenging and beneficial in a business. The benefits of attracting a diverse pool of candidates are; “improved effective recruitment methods, good relations maintenance with increasing heterogeneous customer base, varying perspectives to bear on business challenges, workplace innovation, and positive problem solving” capabilities (Longenecker & Petty, et al., 2013, p. 538). These benefits all contribute to the overall success of an organization.

When most people envision diversity, the first things which come to mind are age, sexual orientation, race and gender. In Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource, diversity is defined as: “otherness or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet present in other individuals and groups.”

One major corporation that is affected by organizational behavior is the west coast based 24 Hour Fitness, Inc. The company operates and owns more than 300 fitness centers that offer aerobic, cardiovascular, and weight lifting activities to the company’s more than 2.7 million members. Some locations offer even more amenities than those listed. The fitness centers are located in 16 states as well as Europe and Asia (www.hoovers.com).