Introduction
The work of a large company resembles a complex mechanism, each link of which performs an essential function for further activities. Organizational dynamics is a significant aspect of the company’s operation, which contributes to an organization’s successful performance and development. The main principle is to improve the interaction of employees, which directly affects the degree of business success. It also applies aspects such as resource sharing, goal setting, and workforce allocation.
The selected organization is Walmart, one of the largest retail chains in the world, with thousands of shops, hypermarkets, and department stores selling food and industrial products. One should dissect aspects of organizational dynamics and what impact it has on the activities and development of the company on the example of a specific meeting. Further, it is important to note the issues arising in organizational dynamics and possible proposals for their solution.
An example of a meeting in working conditions in the selected company and its details, which formulate the group’s purpose and performance, will be elaborated. The main theories of organizational dynamics will be analyzed, and the degree of their implementation in the selected company. Among the other goals of the work is to note how aspects of organizational dynamics are related to the group’s work, the application of the related theories, and possible solutions to appearing issues. While central organizational dynamics theories will be mentioned, it is essential to describe the details of the meeting session to identify its connection with the theoretical base.
Connections between the Meeting and Organizational Dynamics’ Concepts
The business meeting is an essential process for the company’s activity since one may develop strategies of the organization’s activity and evolution within the group. Generally, the meeting session involves gathering at least three people discussing developing plans and procedures, solving issues, and stating opinions/ideas (Scheithauer, 2018). The company’s meeting in which I was involved took place in a similar format, and each participant had to express a rough plan for solving the chosen problem. The issue to solve was formulated by the drop in sales in our department, and we attempted to remedy it by suggesting ways of minimizing losses.
The type of membership is a trade association, and the group’s main task is to propose strategies to solve the current issue or suggest developmental strategies. The company started its activity in the 1960s, and the group I am engaged in was formed a year ago. Meetings occur every Monday, formulating an effective start of the week and stimulating for effective work, which is in accordance with main organizational dynamics objectives. There were twelve participants in the group, four of which were females. Five members were African Americans, the other were European Americans, and the median age of the group was 24. The issue of the chosen meeting was the falling sales in our department, which occurred a week ago. The key purpose was to propose interventions to cope with the issue and frame its implementation process.
One of the principles of working dynamics lies in collective performance, which promotes contrasting views on the issue, thus, creating more variables. Comparing and contrasting are the main principles of organizational dynamics’ foundations (Allcorn & Stein, 2021). It also formulates the connection with the chosen meeting session, namely the collating proposed issues solving methods. Thus, during the meeting, I suggested that all proposed strategies should be based on the implementation of discounts on non-tradable, which would encourage people to buy products and help dispose of unprofitable items. However, my colleagues said that one has to conduct reorientation of production since it constitutes the issue’s roots. However, the final solution was completed based on both my and others’ proposals, thus, the comparing principle promoted double-effective resolution.
Besides, it is also important to note that the purpose of our meeting was to strengthen the relationship of employees through the exchange of views and information. With each new session, the mental interaction between the department members in a group setting strengthens each other’s bonds. Organizational dynamics is a science whose fundamental purpose is to define the solid strategies of effective collaboration (Griep & Hansen, 2020). It formulates the primary ratio of the group’s key task and organizational dynamics’ goals, namely, creating ways of establishing relationships based on human behavior and the individual’s feeling as a part of the group.
Dynamics and the Best Practices within the Organization
Furthermore, researchers distinguish two main approaches to study organizational dynamics. There are differential approaches, namely how individuals differ from one another and between-person relationships, and general process-oriented ones, which focuses on the relationships in the group aspect (Griep & Hansen, 2020). Therefore, it also formulates the connection between theoretical fundamentals of the organizational dynamics and the meeting session. The relation is constituted by the fact that managers aim to solve current issues during meetings and strengthen connections between employees. Appointments are effective for this purpose since every member of the group interacts with others, offering ideas and reflecting on another’s.
Moreover, several types of dynamics are distinguished, namely individual, group, and organizational. All of the above classes are interconnected, as they occur in the context of organizational dynamics as a whole. Thus, individual dynamics characterize a person’s performance, and group dynamics represent the performance of each member in the context of interaction with the group. Finally, organizational dynamics includes the performance of all of the above, thereby, both individuals’ and groups’ activity throughout the company. Business meetings effectively improve the performance of all types of dynamics since they also formulate the stimulating aspect.
It is also worth noting the best practices within the organization, namely cross-functional, multi-functional, and virtual teams. The first two practices have a similar principle of work, namely the gathering of individuals from different specializations and departments to work on the common goal. This approach encourages a broader range of suggestions and ideas, as people from diverse work settings are involved. Virtual teams imply the work of people from other geographic locations. It is also an effective practice within the organization since it concerns a variety of mindsets, habits, and outlooks on life in working towards a common goal. Thus, a wider functional spectrum leads to more ideas and techniques, which is essential in business.
Furthermore, one should also be aware of risk-taking, tolerance for mistakes, and team ideation, since these factors contribute to business evolution. Risk-taking is the process of opportunity evaluation, in other words, how much one is ready to pay for development. Certainly, risks are accurately calculated within great organizations to minimize losses and obtain maximum profit. Tolerance for mistakes means the opportunity for its employees to be more initiative since workers are not afraid of making errors. It promotes the development of the company since employees are feeling more confident, although one should formulate frameworks of activity since a too reckless approach may lead to significant losses. Finally, team ideation characterizes an essential balance between the worker’s own searching activity and the employee’s following the ideas of others. All these aspects are also considered in my company, thus formulating their importance for all organizations.
To the point, there are some studies in the context of the virtual team issue. Moreover, researchers identify the main issues and solutions regarding virtual enterprises. Thus, the interaction of enterprise information systems should adapt for changes of virtual enterprises often, since VEs have temporary nature (Efosa, 2019). In other words, the modern tool of an organization’s performance, namely the virtual technology, requires constant refinement and changes tracking. It also formulates the application of organizational dynamics concepts, as these notions promote the ability of the individual, group, and the company as a whole to keep up with the times and follow modern trends. Similarly, it corresponds to the nature of the meeting I was engaged in, namely managers’ encouraging employees to keep in mind the technological development paces.
Connections between the Group’s Work and Organizational Dynamics’ Notions
Considering all of the aforementioned theoretical foundations of organizational dynamics, one may identify several directions of their relationship to the group’s work. The first direction characterizes one of the main goals of organizational dynamics, namely establishing and strengthening relationships between employees. Thus, it is worth listing some details of the meeting, namely the scheme of conducting and correspondence with the theoretical foundations.
As it has been already mentioned, the main task of the meeting was to frame the solution of the problem and proposals for the company’s development. The issue was formulated by the declining sales in our department, evidence of which appeared a week ago. Based on this, the meeting was held in the format of the alternate statement from each group member. In the beginning, we were presented with the core of the problem and its possible reasons for more efficient proposals. After everyone expressed their ideas, a brainstorm was held, which is an effective technique for solving a problem. Brainstorming implies fast, sequential sentences from everyone, while the order might not be fulfilled. On the basis of a short sentence of one speaker, another one formulates its own. Thereby, the group and I were able to formulate several practical solutions to the issue.
Thus, the meeting format corresponded to the concepts of organizational dynamics in terms of both individual and group performance. Due to each member of the group having the opportunity to state personal ideas and proposals, the development was elaborated in the aspect of individual dynamics. The discussion of ideas, and the brainstorming held after stating the recommendations, characterized the aspect of group dynamics since several people were taking part. Moreover, the interaction of all group members and management formulated the concepts of organizational dynamics as a whole.
One should also mention the nature of the discussion and evaluation of the ideas identified by each participant. Firstly, the exchange of information took place in a respectful and polite tone, which contributed to each speaker’s confidence. Further, the criticism of the proposal was formulated based on relevant arguments, and thus, the speaker had the opportunity to find out helpful information for oneself. Finally, the whole meeting took place in a friendly and mutually respectful atmosphere. In addition, especially useful suggestions were praised by management, which gave additional motivation for diligent work. All of the above formulates the basic principles of organizational dynamics as factors contributing to effective performance.
Group’s Limitations and Areas of Successful Work
As effective as group work may seem at first glance, it has its limitations. The most common negative aspect of working in a group is potential conflicts between participants. It can be formulated by both personal and workflow factors, and their leveling is also within the organizational dynamics’ competency. Conflicts are one of the main threats for the company as it has a negative impact on productivity. Personal factors include disagreements outside of work settings, such as different outlooks on life or political beliefs. Work factors can be provoked by one of the participants’ envy or the desire of the employee to get a higher position.
In any case, the task of management as the executive body of organizational dynamics is to avoid such situations. For this, leadership must have a detailed characteristic of each participant in order to place potentially conflicting employees in different departments. Moreover, the task of the management is to analyze the first meetings within the group, noticing the psychological indicators of the possible hostility of one of the participants. It formulates the abovementioned aspect of organizational dynamics, namely team ideation. In other words, it includes the process of creating the most favorable environment for each employee in order to achieve maximum productivity.
Among the areas of successful work of the group is the development of issue-related solutions and proposals for further growth. Group settings are most effective for these purposes due to the wider functionality spectrum and range of ideas. It constitutes the primary purpose of the meeting in which I participated, namely to resolve the issue of sales declining. As it was mentioned, due to the data exchange and brainstorming application, one was able to develop the most effective strategies related to the problem.
Conclusion
To conclude, one identified that organizational dynamics is an essential and complex process. According to the related literature, there are three main concepts of dynamics in the enterprise environment: individual, group, and organizational. Individual dynamics implies personal performance, and group one characterizes personal activity within the group. Organizational dynamics involve the abovementioned parts in the context of the company workflow. Each of the dynamics’ types plays an essential role in the organization’s running and development.
Further, it was possible to identify how these concepts relate to the meeting I was involved in. The company in which the meeting was held is Walmart, and the issue was formulated by sales drop in our department. Thereby, individual dynamics were performed by means of each participant’s ideas statement. Group dynamics involves the discussion and criticism of presented ideas and brainstorming conducting. Finally, the organizational dynamics were formulated by the positive influence of the meeting on the company and the current issue. Namely, the group was able to develop effective methods of dealing with the problem, moreover, the meeting strengthened the interconnection between employees.
References
Allcorn, S., & Stein, H. F. (2021). Psychoanalytic insights into social, political, and organizational dynamics: Understanding the age of Trump. Routledge.
Efosa, I. C. (2019). Handbook of research on social and organizational dynamics in the digital era. IGI Global.
Griep, Y., & Hansen, S. D. (Eds.). (2020). Handbook on the temporal dynamics of organizational behavior. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Scheithauer, E. (2018). Business meetings and leadership: A quantitative study about levers to enhance the perceived performance trajectory. GRIN Verlag.