Organizational Behavior & Workplace Diversity

This assignment delves into the complexities of organizational behavior, particularly focusing on workforce diversity and workplace challenges. It analyzes how organizations like Woolworths and Zara address these issues through initiatives promoting equality, motivation, and a diverse work environment. The study highlights the importance of managing diversity and fostering a positive work culture for organizational growth.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational Behavior
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2ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational behavior refers the way of interaction between the individuals or between
the teams in an organization. The human behavior towards an organization is the major part of
the organizational success. The organizations tend to diversify by mitigating the workplace
problem. In order to bring success in an organization, it is crucial to bring change in the
organizational behavior as well as the employee behavior. Team conflict, employee motivation,
workforce management are the major issues that occur in an organization (Wilson 2017). Lack of
open communication is the major factor of such issues. In the recent years, workforce diversity
and workplace management are the basic two organizational behavior issues that affect the
growth as well as productivity of an organization.
One of the major challenges that the managers of an organization face are dealing with
different people belongs from various cultural backgrounds (Qureshi 2017). This issue hampers
the workforce diversity management in an organization. Every team in an organization has a
common goal which can be fulfilled by maintaining workforce diversity. The organizations are
trying to be cosmopolitan. However, many still many people are not able to accept the cultural
differences in an organization. A difference in gender is another reason, which hinders the
workforce diversity management in an organization (Palmer et al. 2017). However, due to the
gender discrimination growth of the organization is affected. Organizations have lost their
competitive advantages due to workforce diversity challenges. On the other hand, workplace
challenges include employee motivation and employee rights. Often the employee expectations
are changes due to change in workforce demographics. In the current period, employees have a
demand for empowerment and quality of the status from the management this creates a big
barrier to the organizational performance.
Several organizational behavior theories are applied to the organizational settings to
enhance the performance of an organization by satisfying the employees. One of the vital
theories of organizational behavior is the attribution theory. According to this theory, people
need to understand the way about how to judge an individual and how to behave with them
(Gelfand et al. 2017). By following this theory the managers in an organization can understand
the behavior of an employee and they can identify the internal or external cause of this particular
behavior. This theory is helpful for the managerial heads of an organization to identify the
current organizational problem based on the employee behavior.

3ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Maslow hierarchy of needs is another theory that is associated with the organizational
behavior. This motivational theory is helpful to motivate the employees in an organization,
which is a big organizational behavior problem at the present time. Physiological, safety, social,
self-esteem and self-actualization need are the major components of Maslow's theory (Healy
2016). Application of theory is beneficial for the managers to recognize the differences between
the individuals. This theory allows the managers to identify that each employee is different from
one another and they have different needs and personality. As a result, the managers are able to
make a match between the people and the job. This reduces the employee conflicts in an
organization. On the other hand, the organization is able to motivate the employees by
identifying their different needs.
Job design is a big factor to enhance the productivity of an organization and to motivate
the employees. Job specification makes the critical job into the simple form. As a result, each
individual can perform over a select number of tasks through the repetitive process (Pinder
2014). In order to design a job, it is important for the managers to make a proper job description.
However, the job description is detrimental to the performance of employees. However, the
managers need to design a job as per the need of the employees. This will highly motivate the
employees as well as increase their performance. On the other hand, working condition is
another big factor that is associated with the performance of the employees and organizational
growth. However, the establishment of a friendly working environment is crucial for an
organization to lead their employees to feel comfortable. However, if the employees are not
feeling comfortable in their work then it will be difficult for them to continue. In order to
establish a good working condition, the managers need to keep the employees right in the
organization (Gagné 2018). The managers should assure the employees about their job security
and treat each employee equally. This will be helpful to reduce the workplace conflict and issues
regarding the workplace diversity. Goal setting is another factor that has a big impact on the
productive performance. To give the shape a business objective it is crucial to set the goal. In
order to reduce the gender inequality, workplace challenges and challenges regarding the
workforce diversity can be reduced by the managers by setting a goal to establish a collaborative
work in the workplace.

4ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
From the above discussion, it has been found that maintaining of the workforce diversity and
reduction of workplace issues are the main challenges of the organizational behavior. However,
employee conflicts, gender discrimination, and racism are the rising issues of the organizational
behavior. To mitigate such issues reward and motivation are an effective way. However, due to
gender discrimination and racism, it is hard for the managers to manage workforce diversity
(Lazaroiu 2015). Hence, to reduce this it is important to motivate the employees highly to
enhance their performance. To motivate the employees one of the effective methods is the
reward program. The managers need to motivate the employees by performance appraisal and
giving a financial and non-financial reward. However, it is important for the managers to manage
the intervention program as well as reward program with sensitivity to ethical, cultural and social
concern. The managers need to provide a similar appraisal to all employees those are working in
the same designation.
Discrimination should be reduced from the workplace and equality should be maintained
while providing a reward. In order to maintain the workforce diversity, it is important for the
managers to give similar value and respect to the employees belongs from different religion and
cultures. Establishment of the collaborative work between the employees of different ethnic
backgrounds will be an effective approach for the managers to reduce such workplace conflict
(Blader et al., 2017). On the other hand, an organization of the social events in the office
premises will be beneficial to reduce the workplace conflict. Managers should give equal right to
the employees belong from the different cultural backgrounds. Giving equal promotion to each
employee of the same designation is beneficial to enhance the diversity in the workplace. A
reward is a good tool to motivate the employees as to reduce the organizational behavioral issues
employee motivation is crucial. Employees are the sensitive part of the organization and
associated with the organizational behavior (Cyert and March 2015). To motivate the employees
it is essential to meet their needs as each employee has different needs. For this reason, it is
important for the managers to identify the needs of each employee come from various ethnic and
cultural backgrounds. This will help the managers to manage the cultural diversity in an
organization.
Implementation of the organizational behavior strategy is helpful for an organization to
bring development in the organizational behavior. As for example, in Woolworths has a low

5ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
level of employee motivation. This is the main issue of their organizational behavior. Hence,
Woolworths has been increasing their remuneration program as the organizational behavior
strategy to motivate their employees. The managers of Woolworths introduced a range of
incentives programs such as short-term incentives, cash-based incentives, and equity-based
incentives. This organizational behavior strategy helps Woolworths to attract and retain the
employees besides enhancing the cultural performance (Woolworths.com.au 2018). However,
such organizational behavior strategy ensures that employees are motivated by providing them
reward and equity in an organization, which can reduce the organizational behavior issues such
as employee conflicts and workforce diversity management. Another example focuses on the
maintenance of equity and diversity in the workplace of Zara. However, managers of this
organization have taken responsibility to maintain the labor rights and the promotion of the
human rights in their workplace (zara.com 2018). This is a good initiative of this organization to
bring development in the organizational behavior. Implementation of the diversity and the
human right in the workplace are the good examples of the development of organizational
behavior as it reduces the racism and manages the workforce diversity.
The entire study reveals the organizational behavior and the issues related to this. It has
been found that one of the major issues of organizational behavior is the management of the
workforce diversity and the workplace challenges. In the recent years, these two issues are more
prominent in the organization that affects the growth of an organization. The managers of an
organization need to take more initiative to motivate the employees by giving them reward and
keep their right in the organization. However, reduction of the discrimination based on the
gender and the culture can be done by the implementation of the workforce diversity. On the
other hand, Woolworths and Zara focus on the motivation, equality, and diversity in the
workplace that ensures the development of the organizational behavior in these two
organizations.

6ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
References
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Gagné, M., 2018. From strategy to action: transforming organizational goals into organizational
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Gelfand, M.J., Aycan, Z., Erez, M. and Leung, K., 2017. Cross-cultural industrial organizational
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Healy, K., 2016. A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham H. Maslow–reflection. The British
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Woolworths.com.au. 2018. Woolworths. [online] Available at: https://www.woolworths.com.au/
[Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].
zara.com. 2018. ZARA. [online] Available at: https://www.zara.com/ [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].