Organizational Behavior: Individual Independent Variables

Organizational Behavior: Individual Independent Variables

In analyzing organizational behavior, variables are divided into two categories; dependent and independent. Independent variables are those factors that are directly related to the organization and determine its overall success. According to the OB model discussed in the text book, independent variables are divided into three categories. Individual, group and organization systems levels all of which are direct determinants of dependent variables. In this case study, there are specific individuals concerned with the problems affecting the companies. The two independent individual variables that are to be discussed in this paper are motivation and perception.

Motivation is describes as one of the most important variables in ensuring employee productivity and overall success of the organization. In many organizations, many resources are put in place in order to motivate employees. This is a practice that has been adopted to ensure that employees are satisfied with their work and that they complete the tasks assigned to them accordingly. The lack of employee motivation often leads to decreased productivity and affects the company’s overall success. In this case, Ann is the newest employee at Kiwi Cleaning Services. All other employees have been in the company since its inception and it has become difficult for her to fit in accordingly. Motivation is playing a big factor in determining whether Ann completes the tasks given to her with zeal as it is expected of her. Ann’s lack of motivation is related to the lack of adequate advancement in her career. Ann feels that Margaret being the firm’s administrator does not allocate cleaning jobs fairly. The first issue here is that Ann has only been here for six months and gets jobs that are considered not as good as what other cleaners get. Secondly, Ann also feels that Margaret does not relate to her the same way that she relates to the other employees in the company. Secondly, the company is doing little or nothing to motivate Ann into continuing to work for the company. The managers, Stewart and John do not seem committed to ensure Ann’s satisfaction with her job. In fact, they have never talked to her about how she feels about the job that she is currently doing. This situation has eventually led to Ann’s lack of motivation and dissatisfaction with her job. This directly affects her productivity and the quality of cleaning services that she offers the company’s customers.

Another individual independent variable that is critical to this case is perception. A person’s perception of oneself and of others usually determines the relationships that are formed in an organization. In this case, Ann perceives herself as a hard worker who should advance in her career according to her performance. Ann’s self perception encourages her to work hard and give extra attention to her clients. Additionally, Ann expects her hard work to be noticed and rewarded by her employers adequately. However, this has not yet happened and has led to her change of attitude towards her work.

Secondly, Ann’s perception of others in the company is also influencing the development of the current problems at the company. Firstly, the fact that the relationship between her and Margaret has never been warm or friendly is highly determining her perception of Margaret. Ann perceives Margaret as being uninterested in creating a good rapport between them. Additionally, Ann thinks that Margaret does not like her and this is the reason for giving her the odd jobs at the company. Another reason why Ann feels afraid of the performance appraisal is that Margaret is Stewart’s wife and this may largely influence the decisions that Stewart as a manager will make. In general, the perception that Ann and Margaret hold towards each other influence the overall success of the company. Perception also affects communication in the company and despite that the company holds a friendly working atmosphere, Ann does not experience this. Without the resolution of these individual independent variables, the problems cannot be resolved.