The Oilwell Cable Division is a part of TRW, a diversified multinational manufacturing team. Bill Russell is the Oilwell Cable Division’s new general manager who is expected to lay off 20 employees or achieve an equivalent reduction in labor costs. The case study reveals that the organization faces many problems, including some middle managers’ failure to perform their duties, decreasing productivity, and more mediocre financial performance, while specific concepts are suitable to address these issues.
In the beginning, it is necessary to comment on what specific problems the selected organization is witnessing. Firstly, middle managers have some difficulties because it is challenging for them to be facilitators as opposed to bosses as in traditional approaches (Newstrom, 2015). This issue can result in the fact that some managers leave their positions. Secondly, the organization suffers from decreasing productivity; the productivity index keeps falling after it experienced its maximum in the third year (Newstrom, 2015). Thirdly, the previous problem is essential, leading to more mediocre financial performance. As a result, the Oilwell Cable Division is currently in a poor economic state, and a decline in the cable market even intensified this negative outcome.
Furthermore, it is rational to identify specific course concepts that can explain why the problems above exist. The first issue with managers’ roles is present because role conflict and ambiguity affect their performance. These terms stipulate that a problem exists because employees are not sure how they should behave in particular situations (Newstrom, 2015). The source of the second problem, decreasing productivity, can be found in reduced motivation. Newstrom (2015) stipulates that motivation is of significance because it refers to appropriate forces that make individuals engage in specific behaviors. Since the case study under analysis does not specify that the organization provided workers with various motivational drives, the absence of these elements could result in lower performance levels. Finally, the more mediocre financial performance can be attributed to outside factors. The case study has explicitly stated that the demand for the Oilwell Cable Division’s products depends on oil prices (Newstrom, 2015). This information implies that the organization does not have any control over this issue, but it can implement specific steps to mitigate adverse consequences.
The organization can follow a few appropriate recommendations to ensure that the problems and their contributing factors do not significantly affect the organizational environment. The information above has demonstrated that middle managers experience difficulties because of role conflict and ambiguity. While the case study has revealed that training sessions were organized to address the problem, it is also reasonable to have mentors. According to Newstrom (2015), these individuals can provide middle managers with required advice on how they should act in this or that situation. The introduction of this position will provide employees with sufficient support to overcome the existing challenges.
Appropriate steps can also be taken to ensure that employees have sufficient motivation levels. Newstrom (2015) clarifies that there are achievement, affiliation, and power motivational drives. In particular, they stipulate that individuals are motivated when they have clear goals to achieve, are complimented for their contributions, and are personally interested in adhering to prescribed behaviors, correspondingly (Newstrom, 2015). It is of significance to draw attention to this issue to ensure that employees and managers are interested in completing their tasks. A lack of motivation is a threatening factor, and it should receive adequate attention when it comes to assessing organizational behaviors.
As has already been mentioned, outside factors lead to the organization’s worsened economic performance and the necessity to find ways to reduce labor costs. Since the Oilwell Cable Division cannot impact the market, the organization can adequately respond to its fluctuations. For example, a suitable solution is to establish the collegial model of organizational behavior. According to Newstrom (2015), this model results in the scenario when the climate of partnership exists, meaning that numerous employees can actively participate in decision-making processes. This information demonstrates that Bill Russell can rely on this model to solve the issue because this approach stipulates that a decision should be made in cooperation with teams. This methodology is appropriate because it shares responsibility between numerous stakeholders and ensures that the final decision will be suitable for at least a part of the organization’s staff.
In conclusion, the Oilwell Cable Division is subject to a few problems, including a failure of some middle managers to perform their duties, decreasing productivity, and worsened economic performance. The concepts of role conflict and ambiguity explain why middle managers have the problem above, denoting that it occurs because they do not understand precisely how they are expected to behave. The decreased productivity can be associated with insufficient attention paid to employee motivation. Finally, the market processes contribute to the more mediocre financial performance of the organization. Even though various phenomena contribute to the issues, it is possible to take specific steps to address the problems. In particular, the recommendations include establishing mentors, implementing achievement, affiliation, and power motivational drives, and creating the collegial model of organizational behavior.
Reference
Newstrom, J. W. (2015). Organizational behavior: Human behavior at work (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin Company.