Observing and Interpreting Behaviour in Organisations

This assignment is about managing people in an organisational setting, focusing on observing and interpreting behaviour. The learning objectives include identifying and evaluating an experience to use as a basis for the first assessment, clarifying the rationale for the selected experience, applying concepts, theories, and models to examine the chosen experience, and considering the importance of assumptions, values, and perceptions in understanding experiences involving misunderstanding or conflict.

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HRM39 MANAGING PEOPLE Lecturer: Barry Lee Scherer
Observing and Interpreting Behaviour
Workshop - Week beginning 5 December 2016
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this session you should be able to:
  Identify and evaluate an appropriate experience to use as a basis for your first assessment.
  Clarify the rationale for your selected experience.
  Identify appropriate concepts, theories and/or models that will help you with your observations and
interpretation of behaviour in an organisational or work setting and apply these;
  Consider the importance of assumptions, values and perceptions in understanding experiences
involving misunderstanding or conflict.
  Identify key elements in the organisational setting, the task and the group that help to understand
and
explain what took place.
WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT TASK?
  “Select one or two appropriate and authentic experiences. Rationale for the selection: what was the
context? What were the managing and developing people issues involved? How were you involved?
  “Application of appropriate concepts, theories and/or models to examine the chosen experience(s) to
create a multi-dimensional analysis of the selected experience(s)”
PROGRESS REVIEW:
1. HAVE YOU IDENTIFIED AN APPROPRIATE EXPERIENCE?
 Briefly identify the experience (involving who and what issues?)
2. RATIONALE
  Why and how is this important to you?
  What learning? From what did you learn?
  Authentic experience with opportunity for analysis and reflection
  Fits assignment brief? Managing people issues? Which models do you draw upon?
Your model of managing people?

DRUCKER
  Setting objectives and goals
  Dividing the work
  Motivating (rewarding), communicating
(integrating)
  Measuring – establishing goals and
targets; analyse, appraise and interpret
performance
  Developing people: developing human
assets
TORRINGTON
● Staffing objectives -‘getting the right people in the right jobs at the right times’
● Performance objectives: assisting the organisation to motivate its employees and ensure that they perform
well. Includes training and development, reward and performance systems
● Change management objectives includes recruitment and development of people with the necessary leadership
and change management skills, and rewards to underpin change.
● Administration objectives include the maintenance of accurate employee data: recruitment, contracts,
performance; attendance, training; organisational compliance with legal requirements (law, health and safety
3. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS - AN INTEGTRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS
1

Organisational and group setting
 What did you observe? Provide illustrations and evidence.
4. ANALYSIS AND CHOICE OF FRAMEWORKS. SUGGESTED FRAMEWORKS:
  Concepts from previous workshops: Groups, models of group work; emotional intelligence;
leadership, influencing and persuasion; experiential learning; learning cycle framework; reflection and
professional practice
  ADDITIONAL FRAMEWORKS: Gabarro, John and Kotter, John 1993 “Managing your boss”
Harvard Business Review May-June

  Luft, Joseph 1961 “Johari window” Human Relations Training News (reprint)
http://www.convivendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/johari-window-articolo-originale.pdf
5. CONCLUSIONS AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
1
Based on: Homans, George C 1998 The Human Group (Routledge), and Ancona, Deborah
B 1992 “Bridging the Boundary” Administrative Science Quarterly Vol 37 p. 634, and
McCaskey, Michael B “Framework for analysing groups” Harvard Business School case
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