Name: Eiies Aurora

Topic: The function of groups in influencing human behavior in organizational management

Without a doubt informal groups play a significant role within an organization. They emerge
naturally and are mainly characterized by the common interests and views shared by its
members, which results in tight relationships between those who poses membership. As studies
conducted by the American Psychological Association show, groups perform way better than the
same number of individuals on complex problem solving(2006), therefore their existence within
any organization is not only desired but needed. The psychology behind an informal group is a
tangled web in which the cohesiveness is a key element that ultimately plays the main role in
influencing human behavior within organizational management.

Curtis Copeland’s case study illustrates the impact an informal group can have on the managerial
attempts to innovate certain aspects within an organization. It is easy to make a transition from
the particular to the general starting from a case study. The challenges faced by the new city
manager and the HR manager are realistic and they could therefore be found in real life
situations, which is why reflecting upon them can result in valuable pieces of information which
must be taken into consideration when the situation requires it.

When Drummond, who has been working as an assistant city manager in West Texas, was
named the new city manager of Groveton, the first chance that can easily be spotted is the
difference regarding the approach of the profession’s attributes. If Taylor, the previous city
manager, was characterized by commodity and lack of involvement, Drummond has a strong
desire of making a difference and implementing new measures while making use of the
“management skills he had acquired as a result of hid education and experience in San
Benedict”(Copeland, p.173). This contrasts with Taylor’s story, a city manager who had no
education in public management apart from a few training sessions but who remained
uninterested regarding this field and publicly mocked the new techniques(idem). This is
important because I strongly believe there has to be a balance when managing an organization.
The two figures associated with the city manager role in this study case both tend towards the
extremes. One delegates all the responsibility and does not take the job seriously as long as no
major problems rise, the other one gets his judgement clouded by the desire to make a change,
without taking in consideration the context the book ideas are applied in.

The first challenge Drummond is faced with is related to the public choice. Realizing that
positive changes in Groveton require an autonomous personnel department, Drummond is trying
to convince the council about the importance of this measure, but at the same time he thinks
about other needs like building a new bridge, street repair and the purchase of a new garbage
truck, ideas the council would not manifest any resistence because the council as the city
population focuses on the visible changes(Copeland, p.175). This is one of the problems public
administration is constantly faced with because they somehow must find the balance between the
resources which are limited and the needs which are never ending. I believe it was the right
decision for Drummond to put up with the challenges the decision to reform the personnel
department came with, and the fact that he was able to foresee the problems gave him time to
find the best way of approaching the council, which finally gave him the approval needed.
Drummond and the new personnel director shared similar ideas regarding the reform of the
system. Both well educated, they were able to spot the downsides of the system previously
administrated by Taylor, and agreed on which aspects to prioritize in improving.

Minorities were also a subject not to be neglected, after the results from the social survey showed
that out of 500 employees only 47% were black, and 2% Hispanic, with no blacks ever been
working in neither police or fire department, or had been a supervisor in any other
departments(p.177). Once the two published their plan regarding the personnel reform,
everything backfired. On one side, a committee of black citizens complained to the council about
the city’s hiring record, demanding a speedy end to the pattern they had received from the
newspaper in which the Drummond and Remmens published their plan, threatening to go to the
court otherwise. On the other side, spokesmen from both fire and police department made public
their concerns regarding the municipal hiring policies, stating that the new performance tests
would be catered to the needs of the black community to too great an extent(idem, p.179).

With much fuss created after the publication of the plan, the council requested a meeting with the
two, which proved to be just as problematic, giving the fact that the process haven’t been carried
out in a transparent manner towards the council. Keeping in mind the behaviorist theories, the
reasons why the attempt to reform the system provoked such a reaction are easily to identify.
According to Mayo, “workplace disputes occur because neither the complainer nor the person
receiving the complaint is aware of what lies behind it”. Workers felt like the administration is
doing them injustice, which explain the reaction it triggered. But looking to what lied behind it,
the purpose for all the new procedures was to make the system run more smoothly, which meant
a better personnel selection, and performance bonuses given fairly based on production. At the
same time, all the changes were carried out in the shadows by the Drummond and Remmens. Not
only they did not explain the new measures to the citizens, but Remmens insisted in applying the
Dallas system to Groveton, without taking into account the human factor.

One of the findings of the interviewing program was that “workers seemed to appreciate being
recognized as individuals who had valuable comments to make,[…] to particiape jointly with the
company in its endeavor to improve working conditions and supervision”(Roethlisberger,
Dickson, p.161). This is the first thing that I would have done differently. It is important to let
the workers know their voices are being heard, therefore requesting their assistance regarding
ways of improvement would have allowed them to feel secure and granted them a sense of
freedom. Division between managers and employees can only lead to conflicts, and result in poor
efficiency, which is of course not desired. Organizations are a social system, therefore the main
players are the humans. Neglecting them and expecting no reaction in such circumstances only
shows poor managerial skills, and the outcome cannot be the one hoped for. Just as social studies
have been carried out in order to find the real situation of Groveton, the workers should have
been taken part in surveys. The managers could have use their opinions and requests in order to
shape a new system, which combined with their skills acquired through years of studies and
work experience would have probably had better outcomes.

Problems involving minorities are always difficult to solve out. We find out from the case study
that a high percentage of black people and Hispanic candidates failed either the aptitude tests
given or were taken out once they got to the interview stage. Employee’s needs must be satisfied
in order to assure the best possible production level. As Abraham Maslow categorized them,
deficiency needs are as important as growth needs. Humans need to feel they are part of a
community, therefore excellent working conditions can often fade when put next to the sense of
belonging to a group. Special training could have been provided in order to get skilled workers
from the minority groups and encourage inclusion. I also believe that changes must be made
gradually in order to be successful. Therefore the wanted changes could have been tried out on
the other departments first, and if they were to be successful, then apply them in the fire and the
police department as well.

As seen in Copeland’s case study, informal groups can pressure managers inside an organization,
and their position towards any problem of the workplace or system cannot be overseen. If
conflicts between managers and workers are not solved, the situation can aggravate ending in
strikes, which can hold into place the productivity, with no measures that can be taken against
such a reaction. Being an informal group, relationships are tight and member support each other,
the degree depending on the motivation in achieving group’s goals. This is why informal groups
can be seen as a great tool for the administration to encourage teamwork and cooperation(by
encouraging social interaction), but also as a danger for the organization, reason why managers
usually seek to have leaders’ support before carrying on with any activities which could be
perceived as something to protest against by the workers. Nevertheless, informal groups
contribute the balance needed inside an organization. Not only they are good for social inclusion
at the workplace, but the members can also protect each other from any abuses of power coming
from those who occupy a higher place on the hierarchy scale.
 References

American Psychological Association (2006), Groups Perform Better than the Best Individuals at

Solving Complex Problems, Retrieved from

www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2006/04/group.aspx

Copeland, C., case study: Personnel Changes in City Government

Roethlisberger F.J., Dickson W.J. (1941), Management and the Worker, published in The

Economic Journal vol. 51 no. 202/203, Jun.-Sep. 1941, retrieved from

www.jstor.org/stable/2226267