Introduction
Motivation and morale are two important components of organizational culture. Changes and improvements at Brampton will have an impact on these two issues under analysis. These meanings may be expressed in organization writings, thought, or language management, and social context, an organization sustains its cultural system of symbols and meanings that can be widely shared by organizational members. To some extent, culture helps govern the interactions among organizational members. The culture will be affected by new principles and norms introduced by Brampton.
Culture
At Brampton, culture helps employees interpret their experiences and guide their actions and can even be instrumental in eliciting commitment to the organization (Bloisi et al 2007). Their interactions develop a certain set of characteristics. If organizational cultures exist as empirically verifiable entities, then one way to identify cultures and cases where goal setting will or will not work is to examine those cultures in terms of their power orientations, that is, by asking how power is exercised in various types of organizational cultures. In this way, clues will begin to unfold that tell about the appropriateness of goal setting. Many highly structured, antagonistic organizations are currently being challenged to adapt as a result of more rapid changes in their external environment. They have the potential to change and become more responsive to both their environment and their employees, but they often are ignorant of where to begin the transformation (Collins and 2004).
At Brampton, where group interests will always be diverse and there will never be agreement, there should be no attempt at a cultural transformation toward goal setting. Goal setting is not appropriate, nor will it ever be an effective management tool in highly politicized organizations. At best, goal statements are a great marketing technique that the politician can use to demonstrate that he or she is truly up-to-date with the latest management fad. Many highly structured union-management organizations in the United States today are struggling to survive in a very competitive international economic environment. The old hierarchical form is not sufficiently responsive to rapid change. The top-down approach is not working, and the old union-management contracts are no longer efficient. High organizations are more clearly focused on goals to produce positive results. To the extent that organizations can agree on core values such as their purpose, goals, and objectives, political activity can be reduced. (Crowther and Green, 2004).
Organizational Settings and Culture
Easier access and better support will motivate employees and inspire them. It is expected that Brampton’s employees will invest in the latest sophisticated technology to improve lateral relations through the use of coordinators, task forces, and matrix designs, together with the use of rules and programs, hierarchy and goal setting; they have created a range of possibilities that can help to reduce uncertainties generated by the environment. Technology has changed the nature and style of organizations by changing how humans interface with each other. In such circumstances, the organization itself increasingly rests in the information system. However, if improved information management is the goal, there must be a system to transmit it–the communication system. The central value system about which we have been talking is embedded in the strategic plan (Campbell 19970. The whole goal-setting process inherent in any strategic plan integrates the principle of the information-based structure. The objectives, which were established in the strategy formulation stage of the strategic management process, are used to measure organizational performance once the strategies have been implemented. Goals and objectives serve as the touchstone for information management in organizations. “Tackling inequality and social exclusion are the second of the Administration’s core requirements. For this reason, it will be a key function of the implementation team to ensure that this aspect of service delivery is at the forefront of the organizational design” (Case study, 2009).
The case of London Borough of Brampton shows that an excellent technique for managing information in teams is to have stand-up meetings of the team “every” morning before “prime time.” Primetime is the normal workday when most managers are deep in the fray. It is the crisis time for which they plan. During the normal day there is little discretionary time available unless managers just close their door and cut off all communication, which is not possible (Delong et al, 2004).
Culture is affected by new principles and norms introduced by management. There is a need to revitalize. If the regenerative forces are not at work, the end is predictable. Means and methods were originally designed to achieve some specific end, but when circumstances changed and new means were called for, the old means paradoxically became sacrosanct. (Hughes 2006). Means become ends in themselves; they are no longer effective, but they are enshrined. It’s called erosion. People forget what they set out to do, so the mature organization ends up with a web of customs, procedures, and written and unwritten rules and regulations that are extremely hard to cut through. Unwieldy bureaucracies develop. Insulated from competition, creativity, and innovation, all too often the founding purposes fade and, finally, the purposes of institutional self-enhancement are what become served. The entire system becomes remarkably resistant to change. People find all this difficult to cope with and feel virtually unable to renew themselves. However, organizations are not living biological bodies and their death is not inexorable. Renewal or change is always possible (Greaver, 1999).
Change. Process
At London Borough of Brampton, change begins by creating a new tomorrow. That means beginning with values as portrayed in the organization’s strategic plan: its purpose, philosophy, mission and goals. Organizations that need to change must first create a new vision. Managers have to organize people toward these values and focus them on changing. Renewal itself must become a major goal. The tool for doing that is the entire goalsetting process (Huczynski & Buchanan, 2007), It includes organizational strategy, teamwork, and empowering individuals–and it must start at the top. There is only one way for an organization to create a dynamic work environment: the CEO must drive it personally. This task is not for the faint of heart. It requires long hours, travel, passionate feelings, and personal involvement. No one person–even the CEO–can drive change. Change must be an institutionalized, natural organizational process. If the leader leaves, the change must continue automatically. To institutionalize change, the next step is to actively involve the top management team. The team must help develop a vision for the future, creating an environment for change and convincing others to join in making the vision a reality. If an organization is sincere about change, it must develop a bold plan, actively sponsor the changes, and support them tenaciously over periods of time (Schien, 1996).
Culture of London Borough of Brampton will be affected by new settings and new rules accepted by the organization (Huczynski & Buchanan 2007), The institutionalization of change begins with the strategic plan, and the values for which the organization stands must be embedded in the plan. Values begin with purpose. Organizations that see the need and want to change must first reexamine the purpose for which they exist. While purpose is an emotional but stable and lasting value, it needs to be revitalized occasionally. Beginning the change process with purpose is like beginning with a rifle rather than a shot gun; the target is a fixed point not a broad one. A clear purpose helps organizations focus and concentrate. It creates a compelling vision, a guide to action. A clear purpose sets the stage for a clear and inspiring vision. Putting resources and people in the right place is still not enough. Every desired outcome is preceded by a process. London Borough of Brampton exists for purposes outside themselves (Wilson 2004. The overriding purpose is to be responsive to customer needs–but who is the customer? The answer to that question is problematic. In the process of fixing the small things, teams tend to become insular and can forget why they exist. In focusing on their particular goal, they forget not only the ultimate customer, but also those teams around them. Worse yet, teams can become competitive, combative, and even destructive to the organization. Goal displacement occurs when activities that were originally intended to help improve organizational goals become ends in themselves (Robbins, 2004).
At London Borough of Brampton, changing to a team form of organization may simply require a change in habits by defining what results are needed and then finding someone in the system who is producing these results. However, for many organizations, teamwork means reorganizing how people work. The use of teams and task forces represents a major change in itself. For one thing it requires a flattening of the hierarchy and revision of the communication channels. Moreover, even beyond the structural elements, teamwork requires a change in culture to facilitate employee involvement. A new corporate culture is difficult to build. It is a time-consuming effort that requires patience and energy. Changing a belief system is a formidable task that is not for everyone (Mullins, 2008).
At London Borough of Brampton, empowering people means helping them grow and encouraging their self-development and training. Spending money on personal growth sends the right message as it helps people change and renew. Training and self-development fit right in with an organization’s need to change and renew as well, and it reinforces the vision. Without training and coaching, people will be reluctant to exercise their authority because they do not know how to perform critical tasks or the fear being punished for making mistakes when they do. Self-development and training are expensive, and many times the payoff is not direct. Renewal is not nearly as difficult as change. An organization that needs to change is already in trouble. If an organization wants change, it needs to make a special effort to empower people. Sometimes change is inevitable. But organizations tend to conceive of many of their problems too broadly (More, et al 2008). They tend to overwhelm people with the change message, and they defeat the capacity to think about what might be done as a first step. Consequently, people revert back to old and familiar patterns. Renewal at its best breaks down big problems into small, doable steps and gets a person to “say yes” numerous times; thus, managers make small wins and progress becomes incremental. It is the basis for learning. In this case, it’s not necessary to change the vision or the culture, because the organization will renew itself from within. Medicine has always understood that major advances are the result of hundreds of trials and errors. Goals are set with individuals just as they were with teams. Small wins decrease resistance to subsequent proposals. In planning a small win, managers identify the place to begin, and they make the project seem doable within existing skills and resources. The goal is perfection, but what makes the process work is that one small win sets forces in motion encouraging other victories (Mabey and Salaman, 2003).
Conclusion
The case of London Borough of Brampton shows that culture will be affected by new moral principles and morale of employees. There is no risk to staff morale and motivation supported by management and the leader. Organizational effectiveness depends on change and renewal which are seen as a journey not a destination. The analogy of the family vacation provides some insight to the process. A destination is chosen, perhaps Grandma’s house. That is the vision. However, to get to the destination requires a number of small steps detailing what road to follow, where to stop for gas, where to eat, how often to stop for the kids and the dog, and where to stay the night.
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