EMPLOYEE REFLECTION REPORT

10 ECT’S (280 HOURS)

PRODUCT
SELF-REFLECTION REPORT
WHAT
TOPICS LEARNT IN EACH MODULES
HOW
LEARNT IN-CLASS TRANSLATED IN WORKPLACE
SKILLS
CONCEPTUAL, ANALYTICAL, AND REALIZE
YOUR TASK
KEEP NOTES AND/OR TAKE NOTES IN EACH CLASS
PAGE COUNT
EACH TOPIC NOT MORE THAN ½ A4 PAGE. FIGURES NOT INCLUDED

Employee Reflection Report

Student: Viorel Cretu

Student number: 500863214

Group: L20 – IE1A

Program: Management and Organizational Behavior

Program coach: Moosa/Resing

Chapter 1 –Company Description

 Background of your company

  History and culture
 Mission
 Vision
 Goals
 Objectives
 Structure
 Products and services

Company structure

Your function

Chapter 2 – Management and Organizational Behavior

2.1 THE NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational behavior (OB) is concerned with the study of human behavior. It involves the
understanding, the prediction and control of behavior of people within organization setting .

2.1.1 Importance of organization behavior

An organization is formed out of people. They represent the source of any organization,
therefore, currently understanding human behavior at work is essential for organization living
and triumph. Organizational Behavior can be considered as the key to any management
organization and vital for any decisions making. The OB as Robert P. Vecchio suggests has three
reason of behave:

 Important practical applications meaning to know how to apply your skills and
knowledge of OB with other people
 Personal growth that shows motivation to understand our colleagues at work but also
the people outside the workplace. Personal growth teaches us how to correct mistakes
and becoming strong emotionally, and mentally positive.
 Increased knowledge about your fellow’s colleagues at work

2.1.2 Multidisciplinary Approach

 Companies nowadays recognize the importance of multidisciplinary behavior, and the
contribution that have made to the organizational behavior. A multidisciplinary approach is
composed out of three disciplines:

 Psychological approach – is focused on the individual as a whole person and what kind
of feelings he is experiencing, such as, perception, attitudes, motives, emotional pain .
 Sociological approach – is concerned with a wider emphasis of human behavior in
society. The main attention is on the analysis of social structure and positions of those
structures, such as the relation between the behavior of leaders and followers .
 Anthropologists – more concerned with the science of humankind and the study of
human behavior. Its focus is in the cultural system, the beliefs, customs, ideas and values
within a group or society.

How OB relates to my company? To illustrate, in the company that I work for OB is

essential for its survival. OB will help the management to improve relationships with employees,
maintaining a good energy at work, and will increase the work-effectiveness. Multidisciplinary
approach is a good start for any manager to improve relation with employees .

Critical view. Now, regarding my own organization, due to its fresh beginnings the
management board is focused more on making money, and consolidate their job-position,
rather than work organizational as a team. In addition, the missing of the Human Resource
department makes it even more difficult for employees to find understandings in their work-
related-problems.

2.1.3 Social Exchange Theory

Is an important feature that underlies the behavior and interrelationships of people
organization. The central core of social exchange theory is human interaction and the
exchange of social and media resources that comes with along the way.

 How Social Exchange Theory is taken in consideration in organizations?

The viability of social exchange theory relies on the assumption that individuals will engage in
reciprocity and recognize the needs and wishes of other people. The nature of social exchange
theory impacts upon many other features of the people- organization relation and psychological
contract, patterns of communication, group behavior, leadership and management, control and
power, and organizational culture.

For instance, in my company Social Exchange Theory plays a crucial role in maximizing the
benefits and minimizing the costs. Maintaining a healthy social exchange balance depends on
the trust relationship we can build between organization and every single individual who is part
of it.

Critical View – Within my organization, managers barely show interest in knowing their staff,
therefore some of the individuals don’t show interest to the clients and their main goal is just to
come at work and go as fast as possible. On the other side, supervisors who show interest in
communicating and create relationships with their colleagues get to have a team that is more
motivated in satisfying their customers, and even creating relationships with them. In this way,
the customer will appeal again to the company services, benefiting to its success .

2.1.4 The Psychological Contract

One significant aspect of OB and the people-organization relationship is the concept of
psychological contract. This has its roots in social exchange theory and the relation between the
individual and the organization. The psychological contract covers a series of expectations of
rights and privileges duties and obligations that have an important influence on people’s
behavior. Psychological contract is also an important factor of new members of staff to the
organization. People organization relationship have a major effect on individual’s perception of
the organization as a place to work and the quality of management, and can have major
influence on job satisfaction, attitude and levels of performance.
Process of Balancing – Stalker suggests that successful companies can balance the needs of
their employees with the needs of the company. These companies use a simple formula of
Caring, Communicating, Listening, Knowing, and Rewarding.
An advantage of the psychological contract for my company and any organization is the close
connection between the management and the individual.

Critical view – Unfortunately, in my organization, since both of the parties failed to respect
their promises the results of the psychological contract were negative in attitude and behavior.

2.1.5 The Peter Principle

Peter Principle refers to the study of occupational incompetence and the study of hierarchies.
Employees competent in their position are promoted and competence in each new position
qualifies for promotion to the next highest position until a position of incompetence is reached.

2.1.6 Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law states that the amount of time that you have o perform a task is the amount of
time it will take you to complete the task.
For companies in order to increase productivity and quality should pay more attention in how
their employees spend and manage their time.
2.1.7 Hofstede dimensions of culture
Geert Hofstede the most significant contributors of knowledge on culture and workplace
difference. He identified five dimensions of culture: power of distance, uncertainty
avoidance, individualism, masculinity, and long-term/short-term orientation.

Nowadays, managing culture within a firm became the most important pillars of management,
specially for those who look to expand the firm’s boundaries.

2.2 APPROACHES TO MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

The main approaches to Management and Organization are:

 Classical Approach – attention is given to division of work, clear definition of duties

and responsibilities, and maintaining specialization and coordination. Emphasis is on a
hierarchy of management and formal organizational relationship. Classical approach is
one of the oldest approaches in management based on the prototype industrial and
military organization and represents the traditional thoughts about organizations. The
optimum way for any firm to implement Classical approach in their organization is to
understand the its main principals:
o Company leadership should develop a standard method for doing each job using
scientific management
o workers should be selected for a job based on their skills and abilities
o work need to be planned to eliminate any interruption
o wage incentives should be offered to encourage increase output

HOW – within my company Classical Approach is very clear regarding the hierarchy of
management, but many times is the unclear definition of duties and responsibilities of the
employees that is misled them to complete their goal.

 Human Relation Approach – human relation management are based on Hawthorne

studies conducted by the professor Elton Mayo.
o The Hawthorne effect is the increased motivation and productivity found in
employees when placed in a team or a group setting.
o Recognition of the Informal Groups – the informal organization will influence
the motivation of the employees to work well and their performance at work .
o Hierarchy of Needs – according to Maslow thy are five levels of needs:
physiological needs, safety needs, needs of belongings, esteem needs, and self-
actualization needs.
Within an organization human relation is influenced by the work environment and work group
leader. In general, when the employee needs are satisfied the work environment becomes
positive, therefore goals and productivity are easier to achieve. Work environment, leadership,
the individual and work – group are factors that influence how an organization works, hence is
imperative to have knowledge about it.

Inside my company individual needs are frequently postponed and the employees fell that they
are not taken seriously when they express a certain need or opinion, therefore their interest to
achieve their goals drops. On the other side, the work group atmosphere is often positive, due
to a good guidance of their supervisors. Listening, giving people goals, and being able to
understand different personalities, generates a good atmosphere and conducts people to be
positive and achieve their goals.

 The System Approaches – the organization is seen as a whole and part of a vast

environment.

The focus is on the work organization and the interrelationships of structure and behavior.
Within an organization they are five basic, individual components of the organizing system: the
individual, the formal and informal organization, patterns of behavior coming from the leaders
of the organization, role comprehension of the individual, and the physical environment. This
approach refers to any business on the market, economies, any kind of organization.

 Contingency Approach – concentrates on the significance of structure as an

essential effect on organizational performance. Contingency approach to management
attest that is no general solution to multiple questions because organizations,
individuals, and situations vary and change over time.
 Critical view –

CH 3 – Organizational Environment
The environment represents all the factors that can have an impact on the organization
elements. The nature of work organization is an ongoing product that keeps on developing over
the time.

3.1 Classification of Organizations by major purpose:

 Economic – such as business, partnerships

  Mutual – co-operatives or building societies
 Public Service – governments departments, local authorities and hospitals
 Social Enterprise – fair trading
 Protective – military, trade unions, police forces
 Social or Associative – clubs or societies
 Religious – churches, monasteries
 Political – political parties, pressure groups
 Educational – universities, colleges and training centers
 Voluntary and Community - Citizens Advice Bureaux, hospital radio

3.2 Private and Public Sector Organizations

 Private-Enterprise Organizations- are financed by individuals, partners or shareholders,

and they accountable to their own members. The nature of work is leaded towards
profit, return on capital, or sales level.
 Public-Sector Organizations – are created by the government and includes departments
with no profit goals. The work is directed in the service of the community.

3.3 Common Features of Organizations - The basis of any organization is formed out of
the interaction of people in order to achieve objectives. The interrelationship of people,
objectives, structure and management of non-human and human resources, will determine the
success or failure of the organization its effectiveness.

3.4 The Open System model – management organizations gather resources from the
environment, transforms them and then returns it into the environment in form of outputs such
as profits, goods or goals of the company.

3.5 Analysis of Work Organizations – organizations need clear aim and objectives that
will determine the nature of inputs. Basic principles of management apply in any organizations.
For instance:

 Attention to the design of a suitable structure

 Management clarification of goals, planning, organizing, directing and control
 Execution of essential financial, legal, human resources and administrative functions.

3.5 Formal and Informal Organizations

  Formal Organization – it is a pattern of roles, hierarchy of authority and responsibility.
The goal is represented by activities. Formal organizations are well planned, rational and
stable.
 Informal Organizations – represents the interaction of people working in the
organization. The Informal group has a flexible structure, and the individuals are
spontaneous. One specific aspect of the informal organization is the possible effects of
personal friendships and relationships at work, and a possible conflict between the
informal and formal group.

Critical View

3.6 Organizational Conflict – in an organization, conflict is seen as an impediment for other

person to reach their goal.

3.7Sources of Conflict:

1. Differences in perceptions 6. Limited resources

2. Departmentalization and specialization 7. Nature of work activity
3. Inequitable treatment 8. Violation of territory
4. Environmental change 9. Bulling and harassment
5. Role definition 10 Organized conflict

3.8 The Management of Conflict – controlling conflict requires time and effort but trying
to create a climate of trust, consideration and respect is worthwhile. Clear vision of goals
and objectives, non-monetary rewards, group activities, interpersonal skills development,
Human resource management; all these are aspect to take in account for organization to
manage conflict.
3.9 Organizational stress – stress is a possible source of tension and frustration, that can
come from multiple influences on behavior, such as individual, the group, and environment.
Stress sometimes can be a motivational factor, but also very harmful if not well controlled.
The difference between stress and pressure is that pressure can be positive and motivate
the individual, while stress occurs when the pressure becomes excessive. Kate Cobb refers
to two separate kind of stress: Pressure that comes form outside such as working on
deadlines even though you have other tasks to do; or pressure form yourself; for example,
the perfectionist type of person.
3.10 Coping with Stress – effective communication and conversations can help people to
overcome the level of stress. When an individual is a has a good social relationship at work,
it is less likely for him to be stressed or anxious.
3.11 HSE Management Standards – The Health and Safety Executive Has developed the
Management Standards Approach to handle work-related stress. The Standard are a set of
conditions that it will improve the individual life and performance at work.

o Identify the stress risk factors understand the management standards

o Decide who might be harmed and how, gather data
o Evaluate the risk, explore problems and develop solutions
o Record your findings, develop and implement an action plan
o Monitor and review the action plan and access effectiveness

3.12 Frustration-induced Behavior – Conflict in a group or at work can lead to

the individual frustration and furthermore it will make him unable to perform
at work. Two possible sets of outcomes of frustration: constructive behavior –
a positive reaction which can lead to problem fixing or restructuring the plan;
and Frustration – a negative reaction and the result is a defensive form of
behavior.
3.13 Critical View –

Chapter 4 – Individual Differences and Diversity

4.1 Recognition of Individuality – the individual represents the core of an organizational

behavior. Individual differences encourage to creativity, to satisfaction at work and enjoy your
workplace, but it can be a reason of conflict or frustration. For this reason, managers need to be
well trained in selecting the right candidates for their company.

4.2What factors creates individual differences? – individual character can be

influenced by many factors and the impact of early family life and the country which we live
in weighs heavy on our identity. Differences among individuals: personality, ethnic origin,
physic, gender, social and cultural factors, national culture, motivation, attitude, intelligence
and abilities, social and cultural factors, perceptions.
4.3 Personality traits and Types – studies of personalities can be separated in two main
approaches:

 The Nomothetic Approach – observe how an individual reacts in a particular situation,

or in a different environment. Nomothetic theorist sustain that genetics is the core of a
person and it will remain resistant to change.
  The idiographic Approach – studies the characteristics of each individual and what is
unique about it. For managers, to observe the characteristics of an employee, they need
to analyze him in detail. The environment and early learning experiences have an
essential contribution to the personality development.

4.4 Nomothetic Approaches of the main Writers

 Hans Eysenck – he believed that personality is something we inherited, and we are born
with different differential tendencies. He identified two individual differences
extroversion and introversion, to which he added two more dimensions of neuroticism
and stability to define personality type: stable extraverts, unstable extraverts, stable
introverts, and instable introverts.
 Carl Jung – in his theory, he combines the psychoanalytic approach with modern
approaches of personality design. He identifies life energy as concerned with hopes and
goals of the future and just on the past. Carl Jung describes three levels of personality: a
conscious level, an unconscious level, and a collective unconscious level. Carl Jung
personality types:
 ST (sensation-thinking) – a more practical person that is interested in facts
and demands order and precision
 SF (sensational-feeling) – the person is more sociable and interested in
other people but has less time for reflection.
 NT (intuition-thinking) – an inventive person, who can see future
possibilities. Comes with ideas, and is positive to change, and enthusiastic
with other people
 NF (intuition-feeling) – an artistic personality, warm and enthusiastic that
does not like rules or hierarchies.
 Raymond Cattell – identified two personality characteristics: surface traits and
source traits.

4.5 Idiographic Approaches Main Writers

 Erik Erikson – he viewed personality development as continuing through life. He

recognized the importance of early childhood in influencing personality, but he also
claimed that stages in life produce different tensions and conflict. As they grow older
people must go through all these eight stages of life.
 The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – this assessment tool was designed by
Isabel Briggs and Katherine Briggs. The MBTI sustain that as you grow, your personality
 can shift into a different type. The MBTI particular research is the connection between
the personality type and management style.

4.6 Personality and Stress at Work

 Type A – very competitive persons, who like to work long hours, can handle high levels
of stress, high need for achievement, and tend to move and speak fast.
 Type B – considered to be opposite to type A. Their characteristics: rarely impatient,
more relaxed, and tendency to speak slowly.

1.7 The Big Five Personalities

 Openness – the individual is more creative, eager to learn, flexible and autonomous,
which will result in performance in training, enhance leadership and is more adaptable
to learn
 Conscientiousness – greater effort, disciplined, better organizing and planning, that
will make the individual to have higher performance, good leadership and greater
longevity
 Extraversion – a person who is social dominant, express emotions, and has better
skills which will help in the individual life satisfaction
 Agreeableness – pleasant person, more compliant and conforming, that furthermore
has positive influence in performance and behavior
 Neuroticism – less negative thinking character and less hyper-vigilant, that will bring
life satisfaction, lower the stress and more chance for a higher job.

CRITICAL VIEW –

Chapter 5 Learning and Development

5.1 The Nature and Importance of learning – learning is the sum of knowledge that
leads into a change of behavior. Individuals may have changing behavior due to their
experiences in their daily life.
Main form of learning and development are:
- Classroom - Social learning
- Action learning - E learning
- Work-based on the job - Mentoring and Coaching
Learning, therefore, relates to the social word and it can be personal but also social experience.
The learning process is influence by multiple external and internal factors.
 External factors: relationships, rewards and punishment, environment, methods such as
facilities or tutors;
 Internal factors: perception, memory, motivation, attitudes, ability level, emotions,
personality.

5.2 Behaviorist Theorist of Learning – main theories of learning:

  Law of exercise and association – refers to the process when two responses are connected and
repeatedly exercised.
 Classical conditioning – how reflex could be conditioned to respond to a new state and a new
stimulus. Ivan Pavlov demonstrated the strength of association, and how we can relate his
experiments on work. In Pavlov theory reaction may be conditioned by previous association of
pain, guilt or fear. Smells and sounds may also release physiological reactions. Training may
depend on the learning association and automatic reactions, such as fireman. They are trained
to have immediate reaction when the bell ring.
 Law of Effect – pays attention to the result of learning. Edward Thorndike notes that if an
action was successful and led to a reward, the behavior most likely will repeat.
Operant conditioning – Skinner’s experiments on animal showed the effect of learning
when the animal is rewarded. Opposite to classical conditioning, learning was
compensated after each positive response. He proved that a response will be learned
when the animal made the connection between response and reward, and it could be
broken with a punishment. The reward system together with negative reinforcement and
punishment-reward, proved to be essential in animal learning.
o Partial reinforcement - enforces the stimulus -response bond and the learning behavior
is more time-resistant, and the recompence seemed to have even a bigger importance
and effect when the reward was given constantly
 Negative reinforcement – reveals the importance of stimulus-response bond,
but the compensation is to prevent something painful or bad to occur. Negative
reinforcement can be seen in human’s behavior in many ways such as: Aversive
stimulus – a person reaction to stop someone else from being angry, or to stop
complaining; or behavior stimulus
 Positive reinforcement – works by motivating the stimulus of the individual and
make the result behavior more resistant in time. Rewarding the individual every
time when achieves his goal is a positive reinforcement and it will create a
repetitive behavior.
o Punishment – is trying to break the stimulus- reward bond.
 Positive punishment – works by having a negative reaction to an undesired
behavior, averting from happening again.
 Negative punishment – involves taking away a certain reinforcing object, to
stop happening again.
5.3 Operant Conditioning in Work Situations – the technique of controlling
behavior and the finding of the stimulus-response bond can be also applied in work
 environment. The power of rewarding can be illustrated in many work environments.
Rewards such as bonuses, commissions, awards, contribute to the stimulus of the
individual.
 Intermittent reinforcement – skinner’s research suggest that repetitive positive rewards
will diminish the individual work-performance.

5.4 Cognitive Perspective of Learning

 Social learning theory – is based on the premise that people learn form social groups,
by imitating or interacting with others. Social influences such as culture, family, friends
or social class, will influence individual to develop learning, values, attitudes or skills;
furthermore, will influence his interactive behavior (what, how, when, where, with
whom).

 The Kolb learning cycle Concrete experiences stage: perception of the world
objectives observational and reflective stage: beginning of internalization Abstract
conceptualization stage: step back form reality and draw conclusions and
generalizations Active experimentation stage: check out theories and hunches by
testing in new situations. Kolb learning styles:

- Accommodative – active experimentation, hands-on kind

- Divergent – likes to be concrete, but to reflect experiences from different
perspectives
- Assimilative – prefers to change between reflection and conceptualism
- Convergent – prefers to apply ideas and practice

 Honey and Mumford styles of learning styles:

o Activist – enthusiastic, open to new ideas
o Reflectors – likes to be organized
o Theorist – is deductive, logically disciplined
o Pragmatism – practicable, open to try new ideas

5.5 Mentoring and Coaching

 Mentoring – aim is to guide the individual to achieve his maximum potential, to
enhance their performance and career advance. Mentoring can be used to encourage
people to manage their own learning, so they, develop skills, improve themselves and
become the person they want to be
 Coaching – aim is to develop the individual knowledge and skills relating to a specific
activity. Coaching in organizations can be used in support the employees, for personal
 development, improving performance, focus on productivity, motivating individuals to
change aspect or their behavior at work.

Critical zone – add in which category your colleague fits

Chapter 6 Perception and Education

6.1 The importance of perception. Perception is a mode of selecting, organizing,
and the way an individual interprets information; it is how reality of the world
around is perceived by every individual apart. Perception is very complex and
stays on the base of our understanding, behavior and actions.
6.2. The perceptual process. the perceptual process is when our human senses
get in contact with stimuli from the outside world, then it’s selecting and
perceiving the