Organizational Behavior Q/A
1. Based on the text, it could be conjectured that a skewed distribution of power has created a power-shift imbalance between manager and subordinate. When given a worker-manager relationship, the manager possesses the power (and possible volition to) exercise what may be defined as harassment or bullying. In essence, when in the ‘business world’, the manager could decide the plight of the employee’s future — a quandary ‘the rest of society is fortunately deprived of.
Inversely, imputations of power-dynamic harassment oftentimes are not observed outside of the workplace. This phenomenon may be related to the power distribution skew. When given reality, in most scenarios, the power dynamics where one is defaulted absolute power — such as observed in workplaces — does not exist in ‘real-life’. An avowed fact furthermore affirms this postulation to reality: occurrences of skewed power distribution harassment are far more likely when given a subordinate-followership role, such as in the workplace or prison.
And since such subjugation occurs mostly within a subordinate-followership role, it is fair to affirm that the conjectures levied by ‘those some experts’ are likely true. Tantrum fits and bullying could be more pervasive within the office when compared to the rest of society.
Are you something of a perfectionist? Are you easily frustrated? How well suited are you at this point in your life the task of managing other people?
To answer the question: yes, I am a perfectionist- but to the degree that is far from extremism. For myself, the fear of being imperfect manifests from past experiences of being an impecunious young adult and struggling with indigency. So, being that I am a partial-perfectionist, I try to channel fear-driven action to build a more palatable future. The essence of my partial perfectionism can be summarized in:
‘My room may be messy, but my tools are sharp.’
Freedom is not an a priori condition. Life continues without freedom. Being a perfectionist, my emancipation from self has realized a life structured within self-betterment and hard work.
Perfectionism is a double-sided sword that motivates many and cripples’ others. Whether the actions are productive or the persons crippled by nuanced thought, most perfectionists are intrinsically fear-driven. And with these idiosyncrasies being commonalities across the vast spectrum of personality traits, I would conjecture most perfectionists — such as myself — are not well-suited for management. Myself bearing the responsibility of others mistakes would frustrate me.
At the risk of engrossing chauvinism and possibly erring to the side of presumptuousness: I am not a manager, nor am I follower, but somehow- people seem to be attracted to me, with some defaulting to a quasi-followership role. It is an unwelcome phenomenon. This phenomenon does not indicate my management skills, but rather showcase the duality an INTJ personality and management scieince — wherein affirming that I am a not well-suited for management.
How might attitudes, values, and perceptions affect the behaviors illustrated in this case?
There are two sides to the story, and then there’s the truth. And with every action comes an equal or opposite reaction; therefore, one’s attitude, values, and perception, especially when one’s onus is judicial-management, are clearly reflected in their behaviors, thereby affecting the emotions/behaviors of others, such as in the case study.
Though the manager believes he is encouraging healthy discussion, the reality of the majority holds the opposite: they fear retribution from the boss, especially during performance discussions. A toxic work environment as such broods many presumptions, where anecdotally, workplace productivity has lapsed. Such an environment may lend itself to employees committing fraud, such as puffery on P&L-related inquiries
Opinion:
Given that the manager in our case-study needs to do performance reviews, and the fact his attitude during reviews is indicative of poor performance, it can be speculated that his management style is indeed flawed.
Being an INTJ with a preference for solitude, I know that managing people would frustrate me. In an alternate sense, if I did fall into a management position, I would make the best effort to encourage subordinate-leadership roles, which would lessen my managerial burdens, such as people asking me question or having to do performance reviews.
In creating the followership role, I would encourage openness and inclusion, where the only punition incurred by a workman is from egregious behavior, bad attitude or proverbially accepting mediocrity.
I would avoid focusing solely on an individual’s performance, being that an individual’s performance is only one metric to overall organizational efficiency
4. How would stress come into play?
Stress is by far, and in large, the single largest factor affecting the quality and effectiveness of today’s workman. Given the case study, it is apparent the employees are under high stress when conducting performance reviews. Though stress and duress are interrelated, they are not mutually exclusive events. Being that stress is an emotional subset of fear. Given the high work-related stress environment, stress could act as duress in an extreme case, wherein an employee commits fraud to avert personal disaster with their boss.
