According to Pfeffer's article, 'You're Still the Same: Why Theories of Power Hold Over Time and Across Contexts,*' the concept of a hierarchy is something that has not gone away and according to recent research has actually been noted to be the preferred method of dealing with accomplishing some work task. Hierarchies create important consequences for behavior and also enable the concept of social inequalities. Hierarchies also allow for individuals to see who is 'in charge' and for organizational arrangments that include spans of control, degrees of centralization/decentralization, and others. Hierarchies allow for a reporting system from the bottom of the pyramid to the top. The concept of a hierarchy also presents the idea that inidividials want to be near the top and will behave accordingly in order to get there. The implications for management that people like hierarchies is that people enjoy that type of structure within a work environment. It allows managers to know that people prefer structure for work tasks and work in general instead of groups without defined roles. Also it is a way to effectively draw out desired behaviors in individuals who are interested in moving up the pyramid. Do you prefer a hierarchy or a group without defined roles? Do you think a hierarchy is the only effective business model for getting individuals to elicit desired behaviors?
Here are some other qualities of a hierarchy.
The one concept that I find to be really interesting that I enjoyed learning about this past week from the BATNA Basics article is the BATNA itself. BATNA is an acronym for Best Alternative to a Negotiation Agreement. It consists of the following four steps: List your alternatives, Evaluate your alternatives, Establish your BATNA and Calculate your reservation value. A really good definition of a BATNA is the purchase of a new car. What is your best alternative, do you have a reservation value for the most you are willing to spend, what alternatives do you have (can you keep an old car, can you buy a used car, other forms of transportation), how important is this to you, etc? BATNAs are important to recognize and understand in order to effectively negotiate for both your self and your organization. There needs to be a limit as to how much you can negotiate and it helps you to negotiate more effectively knowing what your alternatives are and how valuable they may or may not be. This all boils down to preparation. Going into a negotiation and being prepared for the negotiation can make a world of difference in how successful you can come out. Have you ever preparared for a negotiation in the same way you would for a presentation? How successfully have you negotiated in the past?
In an article by Jennifer Lawler, she discusses the costs of workplace conflict. According to study from 2008, employees in the U.S. spent an average of 2.8 hours per week dealing with workplace conflicts. Based on average earnings of around $18.00, that totals to $359 billion in paid hours. This time includes gossiping, retaliating, recruiting people to one side versus another, planning defenses, and navigating the drama. Costs associated with drama can be attributed to: use of sick days and employee turnover in addition to the paid at-work time that employees utilize for conflict management. The most important thing to do when dealing with conflict is to stay objective and be proactive even with subtle hints of conlift. A lot of the information within this article is fairly reliable with respect to the numbers. The calculations all appear to be correct and accurate, although I don't know if $18.00 was an accurate average hourly wage even in 2008. Some of the other information, such as conflict resolution examples was based off of personal experiences or non-scientific based-information. It would be nice to see some true success rates to give an idea of how successful a certain conflict management intervention may be.
Lawler, J. (2014). The Real Cost of Workplace Conflict. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/207196.
In Week 5, I look forward to working more on the group project and further fleshing out the Evidence-based suggestions in preparation for the final project component. Additionally, I am really excited about learning about culture and change management as these are two big items that take place within the health care arena. It is something that needs dealth with and effectively managed both for the individual and the organization.
Pfeffer, J. (2013, November). You're Still The Same: Why Theories of Power Hold over Time and Across Contexts*. The Academy of Management Perspectives. Retrieved from: http://jeffreypfeffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AcadPerspectives13.pdf.
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