Deep level diversity organizational behavior

Running head: NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 1

NoJax Organizational Behavior Analysis

Rasmussen College

Author Note

This research is being submitted on October 6, 2019, for Dr. Hentge’s MAN4240 CBE

Section 01 Organizational Behavior Analysis course.

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 2

Introduction

Organizational behavior is an area of study that explores how individuals, groups, and

structures impact behavior within organizations (Robbins & Judge, 2018). The purpose of

organizational behavior is to be able to apply knowledge learned about how the behaviors affect

the organization to improve its effectiveness (Robbins & Judge, 2018). This analysis will discuss

observations I made about NoJax on a micro, meso, and macro level, as well as the level of

dissimilarity.

Observations Made on The Micro Level and Their Potential Impact on The Organizational

Behavior of The Company Paying Attention to Surface Level Diversity

One positive observation I made about the seven managers at NoJax is the racial diversity

that is present among the managers. Three of the managers are Caucasian, and two are African

American, one Hispanic, and one Pakistani (Rasmussen College, n.d.). I am impressed with the

racial diversity, especially for such a small company. NoJax does not demonstrate the typical

white male leaders that once dominated businesses.

The education level of these employees was another interesting observation I made. The

managers have different levels of education, and most have varying degrees. This allows them to

bring their unique experiences and knowledge to the company to provide a more holistic view of

the organization. Six of the seven managers have some type of college degree, with one having a

high school diploma and 40 years of work experience (Rasmussen College, n.d.). There are two

marketing degrees, but one is a bachelor’s level, and one is an associate’s level (Rasmussen

College, n.d.). There are three other managers with a bachelor’s degree, each in a different

specialty, and one with a master’s degree, also in a different specialty (Rasmussen College, n.d.).

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 3

The variety of knowledge and background of each of these managers certainly displays diversity

within NoJax.

The level of diversity within an organization will directly impact its organizational

behavior (Rasmussen College, n.d.). These demographics reflect surface-level diversity, which

can lead to employees perceiving other individuals through assumptions and stereotypes

(Robbins & Judge, 2018). Stereotyping is the act of judging someone based on one’s perception

of the group that the person belongs to (Robbins & Judge, 2018). People are not as concerned

about surface level diversity traits if they learn that they share more deep-level diversity

characteristics, such as values and personality traits (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Employees with

diverse cultures and backgrounds can look at problems with a different perspective and discover

solutions that are unique to their backgrounds (Rasmussen College, n.d.). Because the managers

are racially diverse, each one might have a stereotype about another manager, which could

potentially impact their behavior towards that person. Unfair discrimination could also be

experienced by the managers, meaning that someone judges an individual based on stereotypes

regarding their demographic group (Robbins & Judge, 2018).

Observations Made on The Meso Level and Their Impact on Organizational Behavior of

The Company Considering Groups That Work Together and Potential Behaviors

After viewing the NoJax’s employee profiles on the meso level, I observed that all four

product managers are female. This is another excellent example of NoJax going against the

traditional business norms of white male leaders dominating the organization. Studies have

found female management teams to be associated with stronger social commitment and a more

participatory leadership style (Castro, Justo, & Delgado-Márquez, 2018). Females tend to care

more than males about maintaining a balance between family and work (Castro et al., 2018).

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 4

With females in management roles, they are more likely to influence human resources (HR)

policies for more balance between work and family (Castro et al., 2018). Studies have found that

there are no consistent differences between male and female’s problem-solving ability, analytical

skills, or learning ability (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Men and women have been rated equally as

effective leaders from a meta-analysis of 95 leadership studies (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Gender

biases and stereotypes still exist (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Gender bias is still apparent in hiring

(Robbins & Judge, 2018). When hiring for a male-dominated occupation, men are usually

preferred, especially when men are the ones doing the hiring (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Even

though men and women are equally effective leaders, men are still more likely to be chosen for

leadership roles (Robbins & Judge, 2018). With most of the managers being female, NoJax is

doing their part to empower women.

Another observation I noticed was with the department managers’ ages and experience

levels. Alice Bloom is 62 years old with 40 years of work experience, Janet Johnson is 27 years

old with five years of work experience, and Orlando Grant is 29 years old with four years of

experience (Rasmussen College, n.d.). The stereotype of older workers is that they are not up to

date with the times and are perceived as inflexible, less adaptable, and not as motivated to learn

new technology (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Orlando and Janet might have this perception of

Alice. Despite perceived assumptions, some studies have found that older employees perform

better than younger employees (Robbins & Judge, 2018). An example of this was seen in a four-

year study of 3,800 employees at Mercedes-Benz in Munich (Robbins & Judge, 2018). The study

found that the older employees were more knowledgeable with knowing how to avoid severe

errors (Robbins & Judge, 2018). David Galenson, a researcher who studied ages of peak

creativity, found that individuals in their 40s, 50s, and 60s created their best work through

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 5

experimentation and wisdom (Robbins & Judge, 2018). While some of the younger managers

might have stereotypes and assumptions of the older managers, but age does not reflect how well

an individual is able to perform.

Observations I Have Made on the Macro Level After Viewing the Company Policy Section

and Their Potential Impact on the Organizational Behavior of the Company

An observation of NoJax’s company policy from a macro level involves the company

monitoring its employees. The company heavily monitors its employees through weekly status

meetings with managers and daily activity reports that every employee is required to fill out

(Rasmussen College, n.d.). NoJax believes this will make their employees as efficient as possible

(Rasmussen College, n.d.). Monitoring can play a significant role in the organization’s overall

productivity, but the frequency of NoJax’s monitoring seems excessive. Yes, monitoring can

help the organization to measure productivity through activity reports and meetings, but most of

the time, employees resent it (Bhaduri, Raj & Sharma, 2017). Studies have found that while

monitoring can produce positive effects for the company, it can inhibit employees’ intrinsic

motivation (Bhaduri et al., 2017). It is proven that the least effective way of managing employee

performance is through close monitoring (Bhaduri et al., 2017).

This then falls into my next observation with the yearly employee evaluations at NoJax.

Their process is to rank all employees each year, with awarding the highest ranks with raises and

the lowest ranks without a raise (Rasmussen College, n.d.). Those at the lower end might not be

bad performers, but rather, they are competing with extremely high performers. This could be

very discouraging to the low rank employees. The constant monitoring and ranking of employees

ends up creating a process that creates high-performance standards and expectations for

excellence and compares individuals to the best employees (Bhaduri et al., 2017). This can be

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 6

beneficial for highly competent and self-motivated individuals, but it makes employees feel

overwhelmed with reaching such high demands (Bhaduri et al., 2017). Organizational behavior

at the micro and meso level would definitely be impacted both positively and negatively,

depending on where the employee ranks and their personality type. Organizations with the least

control and monitoring have a very positive effect on the company’s climate and business

performance (Bhaduri et al., 2017).

Another observation involved NoJax’s centralized power and decision making structure.

With the centralized structure, decisions are made by the approval from direct managers and then

from the senior management team that consists of the two owners, Noah, and Jaxson (Rasmussen

College, n.d.). It takes about 48 hours for decisions to be made (Rasmussen College, n.d.). The

decision process is not quick and can delay essential business operations (Vitez, 2019). A

centralized structure makes sense for NoJax’s small company that consists of 50 employees

(Rasmussen College, n.d.). They will have to consider changing their structure to a more

decentralized structure if they want to continue to grow and expand globally (Vitez, 2019).

An Opinion on the Level of Dissimilarity Seen Within NoJax's Surface Level Diversity and

If I Believe the Current Level Has a Positive or Negative Impact on Organizational

Behavior and How I Came to That Conclusion

In my opinion, I think there is a high level of dissimilarity within NoJax’s surface-level

diversity. I base this conclusion by comparing the surface-level diversity demographics of the

department and project managers of the company. These managers demonstrate a racially diverse

group of individuals with four different races among seven individuals (Rasmussen College,

n.d.). What I find even more important is that these racially diverse individuals are in

management roles and are the ones to influence the organization directly. Gender diversity is

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 7

apparent, with six managers being female and three being male when including the two male

owners (Rasmussen College, n.d.). Despite gender stereotypes that might exist, the male owners

chose many females to be leaders. Age is another surface-level diversity characteristic that also

demonstrates a high level of dissimilarity. Of the seven managers, there is at least one manager

in each decade age group from their 20s to their 60s (Rasmussen College, n.d.). The educational

level of the managers also demonstrates dissimilarity. The education levels range from high

school diploma to a master’s degree (Rasmussen College, n.d.). The degree specialties also vary.

I came to the conclusion that NoJax demonstrates a high level of diversity, and it

positively impacts the company’s organizational behavior. I came to this conclusion because of

the range of differences among many of their surface-level characteristics. Coworkers might

notice their surface-level differences right away. As they get to know each other, they learn more

about each other’s deep-level diversity characteristics and will realize they share more in

common at this level (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Employees might share deep-level

characteristics, such as their way of solving problems, their preference to work collaboratively,

or their commitment to their families (Robbins & Judge, 2018). This positively impacts

organizational behavior. Once they realize this, their perceptions and stereotypes of individuals

of different racial backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, genders, ages, and educational

backgrounds can be overshadowed by the more important deep-level similarities (Robbins &

Judge, 2018). The different generations provide the organization with different opinions,

insights, experiences, and ways of doing things. The varying educational degrees also brings

different knowledge to the organization. The managers can each contribute their own unique

skillsets and expertise, fostering an ongoing learning environment.

Conclusion

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 8

NoJax demonstrates a company that is inclusive to individuals with many different

surface-level characteristics. The micro, meso, and macro levels of diversity and high level of

dissimilarity within the company all positively contribute to NoJax’s organizational behavior.

While the diversity levels within the company are great, this does not mean the company should

avoid making changes. Change is necessary to maintain success, especially with the desire to

expand and grow.

NOJAX ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 9

References

Bhaduri, A., Raj, V., & Sharma, A. (2017). Employee monitoring – boost to productivity or

threat to privacy. Retrieved from https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/

technology/employee-monitoring-boost-to-productivity-or-threat-to-privacy-16210

Castro, J. de, Justo, R., & Delgado-Márquez, L. (2018). Female Leadership: The Impact on

Organizations. Retrieved from https://www.ie.edu/insights/articles/female-leadership-the-

impact-on-organizations/.

Rasmussen College. (n.d.). Module 01: Organizational behavior analysis. In MAN4240CBE:

Organizational Behavior Analysis: Fall 2019. Retrieved from

https://rasmussen.mycourselabs.com

Rasmussen College. (n.d.). NoJax Company Background. In MAN4240CBE: Organizational

Behavior Analysis: Fall 2019. Retrieved from https://rasmussen.mycourselabs.com

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2018). Essentials of organizational behavior (14th ed.). Harlow:

Pearson Education.

Vitez, O. (2019). Centralized vs. decentralized organizational structure. Retrieved from

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/centralized-vs-decentralized-organizational-structure-

2785.html