Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

Organizational Behavior

University of Phoenix Online

Gary Denney

January 8, 2006

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

The world today is very aggressive and diverse; in order to be successful, organizations must have a good understanding of their employees. Companies must learn the varied behaviors, cultures, diversity, communication, effectiveness, and the learning styles that make up their organization. In order to understand how the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) operates I will look at the qualities of my agency.

Organization Behavior

Organizational behavior is the behavior of people, not the behavior of an organization, but more accurately the behavior of the people in an organization. This can be anything from a family at home to a church or to a group within a company. Some of the things that make behaviors challenging in today's workplace are high-performance demands, ethical behavior, productivity improvement, technology utilization, quality, diversity, work-life balance, and the global economy, (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2005).

DHEC's organizational behavior is controlled by the policies and procedures set by the different divisions we have, which are also controlled by the different public services we perform. The main divisions that make up DHEC is Women and Children's Services, Environmental Health and Quality Control (EQC), Public Health Preparedness (Bioterrorism), and STD and HIV Services. Some of our services are controlled by Federal guidelines (WIC and Family Planning services). Even though income controls these services, we do not turn clients away if they are unable to pay when providing our day-to-day clinic services.

Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is having the benefit of the same actions, values and beliefs in a group (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2005). Again this can be as small as a family and the culture they live by and as large as a country and the culture they live by. Organizations are made up of a diversified group of individuals from different cultures. It is important organizations to know or understand the different cultures that are in the workplace.

DHEC's Strategic Plan established a foundation for excellence and recognized the mission, vision, and values by which they work. DHEC's mission: To Promote and Protect the Health of the Public and Environment is an inclusive state of their purpose Ð'- who they are and why they exist. DHEC's vision of Healthy People Living in Healthy Communities guides the organization for the present and the future. Their values are well-established beliefs and behaviors that describe how DHEC conducts itself while carrying out the mission and achieving goals. The DHEC values from the 1995-2000 are Customer Service, Teamwork, Cultural Competence, Use of Applied Scientific Knowledge for Decision-Making, Local Solutions to Local Problems, and Excellence in Government (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 2005).

Diversity

Diversity as defined in our text as the differences-based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation (Schermerhorn, 2003, P. 1). Today's workforce is continually changing and emphasis is put on the management of a diverse workforce. Looking at diversity as each individual is a spoke on a wheel and each spoke is different. In order for the wheel to work the spokes must be straight and aligned with the others' to make the wheel stay straight

At DHEC we have a diversified workforce and everyone gets along with the other because of the respect we have for each other's culture. One of the things that DHEC insists on when someone is hired, they must attend a day of Cultural Competence training. At this training you learn about different cultures and how to relate to each. After this initial training we are required to have an annual training to reinforce the understanding of diversity and how it relates to our Agency.

Communication

Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing or behavior (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005). 2000). Communication is such a vital part of an organization that it is something that cannot be avoided. When a customer is greeted by acknowledging them with a smile or saying hello; speaking to a coworker; sharing an email; or answering the telephone. Effective communication is an important ingredient in administering and maintaining a successful organization.

At DHEC we use email as a primary means of sharing information and data

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