Abstract
Theoretical knowledge related to the efficient performance of the organization is critical because it serves as a basis for future actions performed in the real life. In this work, three articles that consider particular concepts relevant for operational enhancement are discussed. The information provided by their authors is outlined and reconsidered to develop a way of performance improvement that can be successfully maintained in the real world. The concepts of motivation, leadership, and teamwork are used.
Introduction
The efficient performance of any organization depends on various aspects, including decent motivation, leadership, group creation, and teamwork. In order to find out how a company can enhance its operations and improve its current state, it should be considered both theoretically and in the framework of real life. Thus, the information taken from the newspaper articles that relate to the mentioned theoretical concepts should be discussed and used as a source for personal reflections.
Motivation
The article printed in the Globe and Mail that was prepared by Harvey Schachter (2013) is focused on employee motivation. In his work, the author pays attention to the fact that a lot of managers believe that they can motivate the workers only with the help of money while others underline only the value of appreciation and recognition. Harvey Schachter shatters such illusions and explains the process of motivating employees as a multidimensional one, referring to the words of the well-known psychological researcher. The top ten motivators and five clusters of workers (based on the way they want to be motivated) are described according to Ilona Jerabek’s testing.
It can be claimed with no doubts that the article summarized above relates to the theoretical concept of motivation. It explains people’s behavior, pointing out their connection to personal desires and needs. Understanding motivation is critical for employers and managers because they are the ones who should be able to make the workers perform their duties decently and willingly. The concept of motivation is often discussed along with the Maslow’s Pyramid, as it describes what is more important for the employees, identifying in this way the main motivators.
A part of these motivators was used by Ilona Jerabek in her testing so that Harvey Schachter received an opportunity to discuss them. For example, it is mentioned that the most common group of employees, which is known as trailblazers, is mainly focused on the possibility to influence others and leave a mark that deals with the need for esteem.
If some organization has some issues with employee motivation and is willing to improve the current state, it can refer to this article and the work of the psychological researcher, which was used as a basis in order to receive a guideline. It can conduct research to define what motivators are mainly valued by employees and to find out to what cluster they belong to use this information when identifying the most effective and efficient ways of motivating.
Leadership
One of the writers of The Daily News created the article, which describes what one needs to become an effective leader. In her work, Catey Hill (2009) points out the practices managers and other employees who hold positions that require leadership skills should master. The author claims that only a few people are born as great leaders while others need to work extensively to become ones. She names sixteen practices and explains each. Hill speaks about commitment, personal assessment, and understanding of the way one is perceived by others, etc.
Taking everything mentioned into consideration, it can be claimed that this article deals with the theoretical concept of leadership. It focuses on the way one person impacts others with the attempt to meet organizational goals and presupposes a particular manner of interacting with the followers. It is critical to remember that leadership is not only the way people communicate and transfer some information and orders but also one’s skills, knowledge, attributes, and traits.
Hill pays much attention to all these constituents and develops the practices that provide an opportunity to control and improve each of them. Thus, the article is based on the theoretical information that is related to the concept of leadership. She claims that the leader should know what traits the group values the most and develop vision and goals. One is to improve the knowledge and skills related to working practices, organization, and industry, etc.
Hill encourages leaders to learn how to communicate better and enhance their knowledge in the sphere if they want to improve the current state of the organization. She also advises taking into consideration situational leadership in order to develop a leadership style that can bring the most benefit to the particular team.
Groups and Teamwork
Brett Ryder (2016) pays much attention to the way people are working in teams. In his article that was published in The Economist newspaper, the author discusses the fashion for teams and claims that cross-disciplinary ones turn out to be the most efficient. Teams are often believed to be able to reach creative and extraordinary outcomes that are highly valued in the modern world. Still, Ryder says that many scientists underline the possibility of confusion, delays, and other issues connected with the teamwork. Thus, he claims that the organization is to make sure that teams are the best tools for its operations at first. Then they should consider team-building skills and management opportunities.
When working in teams, employees have personal roles, performing in which they cooperate and accomplish organizational tasks. Efficient teamwork assures the quality of the executed work and its benefit to the company. The article deals with the concepts of groups and teamwork, as it focuses on the types of the teams, the way they operate and are managed, their advantages and disadvantages for the organization. The views of scientists on the teamwork and their value for the company are taken into consideration.
The author believes that profound changes can improve poor team performance and make it easier to work with them and coordinate their actions. Much attention should be paid to the way teams are managed. He encourages the leaders to create a strong common culture and give some time for the alteration to bring positive outcomes.
Conclusion
Three reflections mentioned in this work describe three different concepts and are made on the basis of different articles prepared by various authors. Still, they have much in common. These reflections focus on the things that are critical for any organization, especially for those that work in the sphere of business and finance. They show what is needed to make the company improve its performance in the real-life according to the theoretical information and scientists’ experience. The reflections follow the same pattern and can be used when planning organizational change, as they refer to the authoritative source, include explanations and personal considerations.
References
Hill, C. (2009). What makes an effective leader? Web.
Ryder, B. (2016). Team spirit. Web.
Schachter, H. (2013). What motivates employees? It’s not just the money. Web.