Conflict and Change - Concepts in Organizational Behavior

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Organizational Management Analysis

The Organizational Management Analysis is an essential element of organizational development. An OMA report presents a compilation of the information obtained from the individual Checkpoint results of a group of managers. The report provides a factual summary of the perceptions of a management group with input from the manager's bosses, peers and direct reports. The value of the Organizational Management Analysis is in providing a description of where are we now. This has been described as "the fifth point of the compass". The "fifth point" concept means successful management decisions regarding the direction to take a company must be predicated on knowing where you stand now. False assumptions often lead to wasting time, effort, and resources. The OMA report is a guide to future development based on statistically accurate data. When you know where you are and where you want to go, you can chart your course with confidence and certainty. The Organizational Management Analysis process examines a company's culture and provides insights to the alignment of management groups with the company's goals and objectives. This information is used to analyze the human capital aspects associated with an organization's long-term strategic objectives. The report also provides an analysis of organizational development priorities and defines organizational training needs.

Flat Organizations Work Better Than Vertical Organizations
Integrated jobs--highly trained personnel
Few pure supervisors
Employees are empowered to solve problems and serve customers
Problem solving is participative and staff records and helps institutionalize and implement improvements.
The perfect size for an organization is about 50. Provides depth, optimum relationship between overhead and work, allows nimbleness, etc. As you get smaller, you become more vulnerable to being swamped by surges, torpedoed by personnel turnover, etc. At about 100 persons, organizations begin to stiffen due to the tendency to begin to add another layer of management.
Why is organizational diversity important?

Historically, diversity in the workplace has been recognized as an employment equity issue. Now, however, diversity in the workplace is being recognized as a benefit that will contribute to an organization's bottom line. Increased employee and customer satisfaction end up as increased productivity, all of which are measurable outcomes (Goff, 1998). Diversity goes beyond employment equity to nurturing an environment that values the differences and maximizes the potential of all employees, one that stimulates employee creativity and innovativeness (U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (U.S. MSPB), 1993). To create an organizational culture that supports workforce diversity involves several important elements. These elements include a needs analysis, administrative and management support and commitment, education and training, culture and management systems changes and continuous follow-up and evaluation.
Goff, L. (1998). Making the case for diversity training: Confronted by growing criticism,
Consultants focus on bottom line. Crain's New York Business, 14(23), 27.
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. (1993, September). The Changing Face of the
Federal Workplace. A Report on the Proceedings of a Symposium on Diversity.
Needs Analysis

In many of my resources, a needs analysis was the second crucial element after senior management support and commitment. I feel a needs analysis should be prepared first to provide information to senior management in sequestering their support as well as to adequately determine workforce and organizational needs for creating a diverse workplace. First, find out what employees are concerned about. Most often used for this are focus groups and surveys. The needs and expectations of a diverse workforce can vary by organizational and functional levels, location, ethnicity, and gender (Baytos and Delatte, 1993). Second, determine the needs of the organization. By asking certain questions, an organization can determine its needs based on its culture and resources (U.S. MSPB, 1993). Does the organization have trouble retaining employees who would add to its diversity? In an organization with diversity, which, if any, areas of the workforce are being treated inappropriately? Has the organization impressed upon its leaders and managers the benefits that come from managing diversity appropriately? By using a survey that focuses on these questions you can ascertain where administration and management feel the organization presently is regarding diversity.

Baytos, L., & Delatte, A. P. (1993). 8 guidelines ...