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A P I I T

2011

Managing People &

Performance.

TAZMIR

APIIT


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Managing People & Performance Individual Assignment Page 1 of 11

Level 3 Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 2

Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of women in the

workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and benefits in contemporary

organizations. ............................................................................................................... 3

THE PREMISE OF CONTEMPOARY MANAGEMENT THEORIES ........... 3

WEICK AND THE PROCESS OF ORGANISING ............................................. 3

THE TREND ............................................................................................................ 4

The Career Strategy ................................................................................................ 5

AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME-Women Earn Less than Men,Especially at the Top. ................................................................................................... 6

ARE WOMEN TRANSFORMING ORGANISATIONS ? ................................. 7

Need for gender diversity in contemporary organisation .................................... 8

Sense-making and organizing ................................................................................. 9

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 10

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 11


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INTRODUCTION

Today organizations have to adjust too many dramatic changes, ranging from

fundamental restructuring to revolutionary shifts in traditional values. These

required changes are largely attributed to drastic changes in the way in which

organizations respond to the environment in which they operate. Globalization

and the resultant advancements in information technology are the two main

contributors of modern organizational structuring, both of which pertain to highly

complex communication activities and considerations that have become part of

the organizations enactment with micro (i.e. inter-organizational activities) as well

as the macro systems (i.e. transnational synergies, strategic geographic

positioning, etc.). This reflects a paradigm shift from traditionally closed

operating procedures (characterized by one-way hierarchical inter-organizational

communication) to highly flexible and innovative contemporary organizations

which. The paradox here is that organizations need existing paradigms in order to

make sense of the current situations and this can trap organizations in current

paradigms (Verwey & Du Plooy-Cillers, 2003:2). However, it is important to

consider the premise on which contemporary management theories are based.

Contemporary theories, such as that of Karl Weick, reflect a deep restructuring ofcore competencies that values an organizations sense-making processes when

they are dealing with environmental equivocality.

Contemporary management theories place emphasis on the interaction process

between all components concerned with the organization, as well as adopting a

more holistic orientation towards that way in which organizations function and are

structured. Cycan is an example of such an approach in that the manner in which

they conduct business is reflective of contemporary managerial concerns. This

assignment will critically discuss contemporary views of management and

organization theories to Cycans current company structuring and operating,

focusing on the role of the CEO (Bryan Hatting); the state of their internal

communication structures; and the holistic manner in which the organization

approaches the decision-making process. Furthermore, the role of technology and

communication within Cycan will also be analyzed in terms of how it contributes

too and affects the three areas to be discussed.


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Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of

women in the workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and

benefits in contemporary organizations.

THE PREMISE OF CONTEMPOARY MANAGEMENT THEORIES

Contemporary management theories recognize the importance of communication

in creating and maintaining a successful organization. Through aligning

communication and organizational goals we are now able to better interact with

all levels of a company and the context in which they exist. This section will

cover three main areas of contemporary management including Weicks theory of

organizing; the role of technology in contemporary organizations and knowledge

management.

WEICK AND THE PROCESS OF ORGANISING

Communication has been defined in a number of specific schools of thought and

its conceptualization as a term has proven to be contextual as opposed to an all-

encompassing explanation, in this vein communication will be defined as a

mode of exchange and a mode of knowledge production (Taylor & Van Every

in McPhee, 2000: 328-329). The notions of exchange and production are

evolutionary terms used to describe the transference and creation of information

in order to assess environmental interaction and the process of sense making in

organizations. Therefore, organizations are a process of communication activity in

which they are formed and reformed by communication discourse between the

context in which they operate (i.e. the global economy) and the resultant

organizational texts and culture. This dialogic process represents the double

interact that lead Karl Weick to reformulate the notion of the organization to that

of organizing.


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Weicks organizing highlights the paradigmatic nature of organizations, as they

are something that people accomplish through a continual process of

communication and not defined by the positions and roles the members occupy

(Littlejohn & Foss, 2005:245). The question of dualism between communication

and organizations represents latter as a symbolically realized construction

produced by interactional process of the organizations members and the macro

system they occupy (Taylor & Robichaud, 2004). These symbolically realized

constructions emphasis the importance of interlocked behaviors as they create,

maintain, and are adjusted in accordance with the normative competencies

necessary to reduce uncertainty or equivocality (Weick in Littlejohn & Foss,

2005: 246).

THE TREND

Women stand at the fore front of disruptive change in the political, social, economic,

and technological sectors of most counties. Dr. James CantonsThe Extreme Future

notes Women will comprise a high percentage of new workers and leaders, forever

changing the politics of boardrooms and markets. According to a US Census report,

nearly one-third of all married women in the US make more than their husbands.

More than 25% of working wives earned more their husbands in 2007 (up from 20%

in 1983). Furthermore, women are earning college degrees at a faster pace than men.

Between 2000 and 2001, women earned 57% of all undergraduate degrees.


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The Career Strategy

Progressive women need to develop critical career strategies in a holistic fashion.

Balancing work and family is difficult. In general, some men are already taking this

transition personally. Some men are opting for the domestic life while their wives

become the principal breadwinners. Therefore, society watches gender role reversals

and wonder how it will endrelational success or failure?

For working women, any results are often problematic anyway. Yenissei Alonso and

Vickie Brent, authors of the article Women in the Workplace, argue that women still

deal with institutional barriers that keep them from being successful. For example,

women in general are making less than their counterparts doing the same job with thesame experience.

Alonso and Brint note, Since nearly half of the workforce is comprised of women, it

stands to reason that woman should be enjoying the same success as their male

counterparts in terms of advancement opportunities and earning capacity. Princeton

researchers in a 2003 study concluded that college-educated women who hold higher

expectations for their potential mate may lower their chances for getting married. In

fact, some men may be uncomfortable with having a woman who has more educationand makes more than them, postulate some theorists.

Sue Means is a professional engineer in a highly competitive consulting industry. She

sees challenges for professional women. She notes that men are treated differently.

Means explains, Some of my colleagues talk about how pretty I am. They comment

on my clothes and make suggestions regarding what I should wear. That would not

happen to a man.

Liza Fuller is a government program manager with a decade of experience in handling

difficult environmental issues. She exists in a mostly male dominated industry. Fuller

notes, Women are still expected to work harder than men to prove themselves and

avoid criticism. Attractive women still get grief about being promoted for reasons

other than their own merit and its not fair.


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Furthermore, Canton suggests that the most educated, skilled, and experienced

employees will be in high demand. Therefore, professional women need better

strategies. Means recommends prioritizing whats important: I let go whats not

important. Most women get overwhelmed with trying to manage all of the household

and family responsibilities while working at the same time. You need to be realistic

about what you can do. Its a balancing act. Some women feel that they can have it

all without any drop off. Fuller disagrees: There is always a sacrifice because you

spend more time away from your family. Although there will be an ever increasing

number of opportunities for women in the workplace, women must analyse every

career move in a holistic fashion if they want to keep that delicate balance.

AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME-Women Earn Less thanMen, Especially at the Top.

In most jobs, the gapbetween mens and womens earnings narrows greatly when you

adjust for factors like career path and experience. But at the top of the income scale

jobs paying more than $100,000 the salary gap between equally qualified men

and women is still vast.

Below is a look at the median pay of men compared with women in each of the 90

jobs examined, with each dot representing a different job. The diagonal line represents

where the dots would lie if men and women earned exactly equal pay. Notice how

many of the dots fall below that line, indicating that women earn less than men.


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ARE WOMEN TRANSFORMING ORGANISATIONS?

"In the future, institutions will be organized according to the networking model (as

opposed to the pyramid structure)," she said. "The top responsibility of managers will

be creating a nourishing environment for personal growth, providing holistic

development and motivation. The management style of women is ideally suited to

these people priorities."

According to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, women business

owners are more likely than all businesses to offer flextime, tuition reimbursement

and job sharing. Women business owners tend to share their business' profit with

employees at a much earlier stage than other businesses: nearly twice as many

woman-owned firms employing fewer than 25 employees (14%) have set up such

programs compared to all small firms with 20 or less employees (8%).


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Involvement in the professional development of employees is another area where

women-owned businesses differ in the benefits opportunities provided. Twenty-one per

cent of women-owned businesses offer tuition reimbursement programs, compared with

only 8 per cent of all small businesses.

"The employee benefits offered by women-owned businesses make it evident that

these firms are not only a powerful economic force, but are also an important and

influential social force," says Ivan Milojevic.

"At every stage in their businesses, even when the organisations are young or small,

women business owners provide their employees with a comprehensive package of

benefits which set the standard for the rest of society."

Patricia Aburdene and John Naisbitt, authors ofMegatrends for Women(1992), agree

that the trend is toward a women's leadership style, based on openness, trust, on-going

education, compassion and understanding. Women are more likely to succeed because

women admit they need help and surround themselves with good people: they are

cautions, strategic risk takers, whose resourcefulness and resolve increase as

circumstance become more difficult (this from a study by Avon Corporation and an

American based research firm).

Need for gender diversity in contemporary organisation

While organizations need to take a stand on gender equality on their turf, there is

much that women themselves can do to help themselves.

Generally speaking, it is believed that women need to assert themselves more and be

better negotiators to reach senior leadership positions. It is also advisable to find

mentors and learn from experience sharing, adapt their style to the needs of the

organisation, build skills to become more self-confident and make conscious choices

that enable them to achieve success. Accepting opportunities with inherent risks and

networking with others will also enable women to enhance their career prospects.

At Epact, we have come a significant distance in our gender diversity journey and

have been introducing strategies that drive inclusiveness.


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These include offering incentives to our head hunters for diverse hires including

women candidates and extending this incentive plan internally to our employee

referral program as well. We have also set up GenWIN - a formal network of women

that fosters personal and professional development via experience sharing, networking

and providing targeting development programs. We are soon launching an exclusive

mentoring program that pairs high potential women employees with Vice President

and above level leaders to build positive professional relationships and create career

opportunities.

Epact has also deployed flexible work practices that provide employees with a range

of benefits such as work from home, extended maternity leave, opportunities for

spouse, sabbaticals and re-entry programs, an ombudsperson policy, focus on security,

health camps, among others.

However, these are just levers that can help increase the number of women in an

organization. It is imperative for organizations to first fully understand and embrace

the gender diversity agenda and become committed to drive it through all available

and potential channels.

Sense-making and organizing

The equivocality experienced in the process of organizing results in the

organization explicitly comprehending problematic circumstances into words that

serves as the basis for action, a process known as sense-making (Weick &

Sutcliffe, 2005: 409). Sense-making starts with chaos, and an organizations

ability to create systems for meaningful action (in response to chaos) acts as a

precursor to its adaptability. Adaptability is determined by the nature of

communication held by its members as they attempt to order the intrinsic flux of

human action to channel it towards certain ends (Tsoukas & Chia in Weick &

Sutcliffe, 2005: 410). This highlights the role of the communicative individual

within the system of organizing as he/she contributes towards the shared

understanding that permits collective response to equivocality.


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CONCLUSION

The future is bright for working women as never before. In fact, women will drive

most institutions toward major changes in the near term. However, this assignment

demonstrated that the road to success for most professional women isnt easy. They

must deal with troubles to a certain degree. However, the demands of their

professional life have not kept up with the heavy demands of a family and personal

life. Therefore, women must develop career strategies in a holistic manner that

maximizes their efforts. In turn, society must learn how to embrace womens power in

the future if global outcomes of hopes to continue to compete.


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REFERENCES

BAHOUTH, S.B. 1994. Technological readiness as a business strategy. Industrial

Management & Data Systems. Wembley: 1994. 94(8): 5-8 p.

HATTINGH, B. 2000. Cycan leadership solutions: a detailed profile of Cycans

executive coaching programme. 50 p.

LITTLEJOHN, S.W. & FOSS, K.A. 2005. Theories of human communication.8thed. Belmont: Thomson-Wadswoth, pp.388.

MCPHEE, R. D. 2000. The emergent organization: communication as its site andsurface. Management Communication Quarterly, 14(2): 328-334.

ORTENBLAD, A. 2001. On differences between organizational learning andlearning organization. The Learning Organization, 8(3): 125-133.

TAYLOR, J. R. & ROBICHAUD, D. 2004. Finding the organization in thecommunication: discourse as action and sensemaking. Organization, 11(3): 395-413,

VAN EVERY, E.J. & TAYLOR, J. R. 1998. Modeling the organization as asystem of communication activity: a dialogue about the language/action

perspective. Management Communication Quarterly, 12(1): 128-147.

VERWEY, S. & DU PLOOY-CILLERS, F. 2003. Strategic OrganisationalCommunication: Paradigms and Paradoxes. Heinemann, South Africa. 283 p.

WEIK, K.E. & SUTCLIFFE, K. M. 2005. Organizing and the process ofsensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4): 409-451.

WEICK, K.E. 1996a. Drop you tools: An allegory for organizational studies.Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(2): 301-313.

WEICK, K.E. 1996b. Preparing your organization to fight fires. HarvardBusiness Review, 74(3): 143-148.

WEICK, K.E. 2005. Organizing and the Process of sensemaking. OrganizationalScience, 16(4): 409-451.