APIIT

Managing People & Performance.

TAZMIR

2011

APIIT

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 1 of 11

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 2 Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of women in the workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and benefits in contemporary organizations. ............................................................................................................... 3 THE PREMISE OF CONTEMPOARY MANAGEMENT THEORIES ........... 3 WEICK AND THE PROCESS OF ORGANISING ............................................. 3 THE TREND ............................................................................................................ 4 The Career Strategy ................................................................................................ 5 AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME- Women Earn Less than Men, Especially at the Top.................................................................................................... 6 ARE WOMEN TRANSFORMING ORGANISATIONS ? ................................. 7 Need for gender diversity in contemporary organisation .................................... 8 Sense-making and organizing ................................................................................. 9 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 10 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 11

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 2 of 11

INTRODUCTION
Today organizations have to adjust too many dramatic changes, ranging from fundamental restructuring to revolutionary shifts in traditional values. These required changes are largely attributed to drastic changes in the way in which organizations respond to the environment in which they operate. Globalization and the resultant advancements in information technology are the two main contributors of modern organizational structuring, both of which pertain to highly complex communication activities and considerations that have become part of the organizations enactment with micro (i.e. inter-organizational activities) as well as the macro systems (i.e. transnational synergies, strategic geographic positioning, etc.). This reflects a paradigm shift from traditionally closed operating procedures (characterized by one-way hierarchical inter-organizational communication) to highly flexible and innovative contemporary organizations which. The paradox here is that organizations need existing paradigms in order to make sense of the current situations and this can trap organizations in current paradigms (Verwey & Du Plooy-Cillers, 2003:2). However, it is important to consider the premise on which contemporary management theories are based. Contemporary theories, such as that of Karl Weick, reflect a deep restructuring of core competencies that values an organizations sense-making processes when they are dealing with environmental equivocality.

Contemporary management theories place emphasis on the interaction process between all components concerned with the organization, as well as adopting a more holistic orientation towards that way in which organizations function and are structured. Cycan is an example of such an approach in that the manner in which they conduct business is reflective of contemporary managerial concerns. This assignment will critically discuss contemporary views of management and organization theories to Cycans current company structuring and operating, focusing on the role of the CEO (Bryan Hatting); the state of their internal communication structures; and the holistic manner in which the organization approaches the decision-making process. Furthermore, the role of technology and communication within Cycan will also be analyzed in terms of how it contributes too and affects the three areas to be discussed.
Level 3 Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 3 of 11

Using practical examples, critically evaluate how the increase of women in the workplace has influenced the provision of rewards and benefits in contemporary organizations.

THE PREMISE OF CONTEMPOARY MANAGEMENT THEORIES

Contemporary management theories recognize the importance of communication in creating and maintaining a successful organization. Through aligning communication and organizational goals we are now able to better interact with all levels of a company and the context in which they exist. This section will cover three main areas of contemporary management including Weicks theory of organizing; the role of technology in contemporary organizations and knowledge management.

WEICK AND THE PROCESS OF ORGANISING

Communication has been defined in a number of specific schools of thought and its conceptualization as a term has proven to be contextual as opposed to an allencompassing explanation, in this vein communication will be defined as a mode of exchange and a mode of knowledge production (Taylor & Van Every in McPhee, 2000: 328-329). The notions of exchange and production are evolutionary terms used to describe the transference and creation of information in order to assess environmental interaction and the process of sense making in organizations. Therefore, organizations are a process of communication activity in which they are formed and reformed by communication discourse between the context in which they operate (i.e. the global economy) and the resultant organizational texts and culture. This dialogic process represents the double interact that lead Karl Weick to reformulate the notion of the organization to that of organizing.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

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Weicks organizing highlights the paradigmatic nature of organizations, as they are something that people accomplish through a continual process of communication and not defined by the positions and roles the members occupy (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005:245). The question of dualism between communication and organizations represents latter as a symbolically realized construction produced by interactional process of the organizations members and the macro system they occupy (Taylor & Robichaud, 2004). These symbolically realized constructions emphasis the importance of interlocked behaviors as they create, maintain, and are adjusted in accordance with the normative competencies necessary to reduce uncertainty or equivocality (Weick in Littlejohn & Foss, 2005: 246).

THE TREND
Women stand at the fore front of disruptive change in the political, social, economic, and technological sectors of most counties. Dr. James Cantons The Extreme Future notes Women will comprise a high percentage of new workers and leaders, forever changing the politics of boardrooms and markets. According to a US Census report, nearly one-third of all married women in the US make more than their husbands. More than 25% of working wives earned more their husbands in 2007 (up from 20% in 1983). Furthermore, women are earning college degrees at a faster pace than men. Between 2000 and 2001, women earned 57% of all undergraduate degrees.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

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The Career Strategy

Progressive women need to develop critical career strategies in a holistic fashion. Balancing work and family is difficult. In general, some men are already taking this transition personally. Some men are opting for the domestic life while their wives become the principal breadwinners. Therefore, society watches gender role reversals and wonder how it will endrelational success or failure? For working women, any results are often problematic anyway. Yenissei Alonso and Vickie Brent, authors of the article Women in the Workplace, argue that women still deal with institutional barriers that keep them from being successful. For example, women in general are making less than their counterparts doing the same job with the same experience. Alonso and Brint note, Since nearly half of the workforce is comprised of women, it stands to reason that woman should be enjoying the same success as their male counterparts in terms of advancement opportunities and earning capacity. Princeton researchers in a 2003 study concluded that college-educated women who hold higher expectations for their potential mate may lower their chances for getting married. In fact, some men may be uncomfortable with having a woman who has more education and makes more than them, postulate some theorists. Sue Means is a professional engineer in a highly competitive consulting industry. She sees challenges for professional women. She notes that men are treated differently. Means explains, Some of my colleagues talk about how pretty I am. They comment on my clothes and make suggestions regarding what I should wear. That would not happen to a man. Liza Fuller is a government program manager with a decade of experience in handling difficult environmental issues. She exists in a mostly male dominated industry. Fuller notes, Women are still expected to work harder than men to prove themselves and avoid criticism. Attractive women still get grief about being promoted for reasons other than their own merit and its not fair.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 6 of 11

Furthermore, Canton suggests that the most educated, skilled, and experienced employees will be in high demand. Therefore, professional women need better strategies. Means recommends prioritizing whats important: I let go whats not important. Most women get overwhelmed with trying to manage all of the household and family responsibilities while working at the same time. You need to be realistic about what you can do. Its a balancing act. Some women feel that they can have it all without any drop off. Fuller disagrees: There is always a sacrifice because you spend more time away from your family. Although there will be an ever increasing number of opportunities for women in the workplace, women must analyse every career move in a holistic fashion if they want to keep that delicate balance.

AN ISSUE THAT AROSE IN RECENT TIME- Women Earn Less than Men, Especially at the Top.
In most jobs, the gap between mens and womens earnings narrows greatly when you adjust for factors like career path and experience. But at the top of the income scale jobs paying more than $100,000 the salary gap between equally qualified men and women is still vast.

Below is a look at the median pay of men compared with women in each of the 90 jobs examined, with each dot representing a different job. The diagonal line represents where the dots would lie if men and women earned exactly equal pay. Notice how many of the dots fall below that line, indicating that women earn less than men.

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Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

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ARE WOMEN TRANSFORMING ORGANISATIONS?

"In the future, institutions will be organized according to the networking model (as opposed to the pyramid structure)," she said. "The top responsibility of managers will be creating a nourishing environment for personal growth, providing holistic development and motivation. The management style of women is ideally suited to these people priorities."

According to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, women business owners are more likely than all businesses to offer flextime, tuition reimbursement and job sharing. Women business owners tend to share their business' profit with employees at a much earlier stage than other businesses: nearly twice as many woman-owned firms employing fewer than 25 employees (14%) have set up such programs compared to all small firms with 20 or less employees (8%).

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 8 of 11

Involvement in the professional development of employees is another area where women-owned businesses differ in the benefits opportunities provided. Twenty-one per cent of women-owned businesses offer tuition reimbursement programs, compared with only 8 per cent of all small businesses. "The employee benefits offered by women-owned businesses make it evident that these firms are not only a powerful economic force, but are also an important and influential social force," says Ivan Milojevic. "At every stage in their businesses, even when the organisations are young or small, women business owners provide their employees with a comprehensive package of benefits which set the standard for the rest of society." Patricia Aburdene and John Naisbitt, authors of Megatrends for Women (1992), agree that the trend is toward a women's leadership style, based on openness, trust, on-going education, compassion and understanding. Women are more likely to succeed because women admit they need help and surround themselves with good people: they are cautions, strategic risk takers, whose resourcefulness and resolve increase as circumstance become more difficult (this from a study by Avon Corporation and an American based research firm).

Need for gender diversity in contemporary organisation

While organizations need to take a stand on gender equality on their turf, there is much that women themselves can do to help themselves. Generally speaking, it is believed that women need to assert themselves more and be better negotiators to reach senior leadership positions. It is also advisable to find mentors and learn from experience sharing, adapt their style to the needs of the organisation, build skills to become more self-confident and make conscious choices that enable them to achieve success. Accepting opportunities with inherent risks and networking with others will also enable women to enhance their career prospects. At Epact, we have come a significant distance in our gender diversity journey and have been introducing strategies that drive inclusiveness.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 9 of 11

These include offering incentives to our head hunters for diverse hires including women candidates and extending this incentive plan internally to our employee referral program as well. We have also set up GenWIN - a formal network of women that fosters personal and professional development via experience sharing, networking and providing targeting development programs. We are soon launching an exclusive mentoring program that pairs high potential women employees with Vice President and above level leaders to build positive professional relationships and create career opportunities. Epact has also deployed flexible work practices that provide employees with a range of benefits such as work from home, extended maternity leave, opportunities for spouse, sabbaticals and re-entry programs, an ombudsperson policy, focus on security, health camps, among others. However, these are just levers that can help increase the number of women in an organization. It is imperative for organizations to first fully understand and embrace the gender diversity agenda and become committed to drive it through all available and potential channels.

Sense-making and organizing

The equivocality experienced in the process of organizing results in the organization explicitly comprehending problematic circumstances into words that serves as the basis for action, a process known as sense-making (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2005: 409). Sense-making starts with chaos, and an organizations ability to create systems for meaningful action (in response to chaos) acts as a precursor to its adaptability. Adaptability is determined by the nature of communication held by its members as they attempt to order the intrinsic flux of human action to channel it towards certain ends (Tsoukas & Chia in Weick & Sutcliffe, 2005: 410). This highlights the role of the communicative individual within the system of organizing as he/she contributes towards the shared understanding that permits collective response to equivocality.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

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CONCLUSION

The future is bright for working women as never before. In fact, women will drive most institutions toward major changes in the near term. However, this assignment demonstrated that the road to success for most professional women isnt easy. They must deal with troubles to a certain degree. However, the demands of their professional life have not kept up with the heavy demands of a family and personal life. Therefore, women must develop career strategies in a holistic manner that maximizes their efforts. In turn, society must learn how to embrace womens power in the future if global outcomes of hopes to continue to compete.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation

Managing People & Performance

Individual Assignment

Page 11 of 11

REFERENCES
BAHOUTH, S.B. 1994. Technological readiness as a business strategy. Industrial Management & Data Systems. Wembley: 1994. 94(8): 5-8 p. HATTINGH, B. 2000. Cycan leadership solutions: a detailed profile of Cycans executive coaching programme. 50 p. LITTLEJOHN, S.W. & FOSS, K.A. 2005. Theories of human communication. 8th ed. Belmont: Thomson-Wadswoth, pp.388. MCPHEE, R. D. 2000. The emergent organization: communication as its site and surface. Management Communication Quarterly, 14(2): 328-334. ORTENBLAD, A. 2001. On differences between organizational learning and learning organization. The Learning Organization, 8(3): 125-133. TAYLOR, J. R. & ROBICHAUD, D. 2004. Finding the organization in the communication: discourse as action and sensemaking. Organization, 11(3): 395413, VAN EVERY, E.J. & TAYLOR, J. R. 1998. Modeling the organization as a system of communication activity: a dialogue about the language/action perspective. Management Communication Quarterly, 12(1): 128-147. VERWEY, S. & DU PLOOY-CILLERS, F. 2003. Strategic Organisational Communication: Paradigms and Paradoxes. Heinemann, South Africa. 283 p. WEIK, K.E. & SUTCLIFFE, K. M. 2005. Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4): 409-451. WEICK, K.E. 1996a. Drop you tools: An allegory for organizational studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(2): 301-313. WEICK, K.E. 1996b. Preparing your organization to fight fires. Harvard Business Review, 74(3): 143-148. WEICK, K.E. 2005. Organizing and the Process of sensemaking. Organizational Science, 16(4): 409-451.

Level 3

Asia Pacific University College of Information & Innovation