Rationality of Behaviors: A must-be ingredient for strategic organizational performance

7/28/2019 Rationality of Behaviors: A must-be ingredient for strategic organizational performance

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Rationality of Behaviors:A must-be ingredient for strategic

organizational performance

A Hypothesis

Sohailuddin AlaviCapacity Building and Institutional Development Consultant

Karachi, Pakistan || Email. [email protected]


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Dilemma

Many a times work-behaviors fall short ofhitting in the Bulls Eye. Put it simply,

individuals perform their given tasks, yet

results fall below the target. Even moretroublesome is the situation when the

behaviors become ends in themselves

and results are grossly displaced.

Monday, April 22, 2013 Sohailuddin Alavi 2


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Dilemma

The scenario leads to a situation whereAuthority is perceived as a right to act

at ones will and a reflection of position in

the hierarchy, instead of it being seen asa resource in discharging the role-

responsibility

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Dilemma

As a consequence behaviors tend tobecome ritualistic and personal interests

replace the organizational rationality

In this hypothesis it is aimed to analyze

the dilemma from rather unexplored

orientation



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HypothesisWhat causes irrationality to our behaviors

Behaviors are the outcome of interactions

between personality makeup, formal work

environment and the emergent (informal)

relationships

Let us analyze the effect of each variable

separately



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Personality makeup

Beliefs* and values that are not subjected toempirical assessment, revisiting and validation

are the major contributors to ritualisticbehaviors

Higher valance for and probability of securing areward** or in other words instrumentality ignites

the motivation nevertheless iteclipses theorganizational rationality in many situations if notall

* This does not include the religious faith

** Expectancy Theory of Motivation by Victor Vroom of Yale School of Management 1964.3/11/2013 Sohailuddin Alavi 6


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Formal Environment

Employees are given task list alone, not theexpected outcomes (goals) cause behaviors to

become irrational

Employees are given operating goals, but haveno systemic view of their team (department)goals or overall goals of the organization tend tocause irrationality in behaviors

Employees are given operating goals withoutbenchmarks to measure achievements thereofcan also cause irrational behaviors



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Cross Function Hopping

Organizations run dominantly by administrative

mindset (Theory X) define management

positions as (administrative authorities) with orwithout regard to functional core competencies.

The incumbents consequently, operate as

administrators rather than managing thefunctional process.



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Even more sadly, the incumbents are there to

stay for a short period (three years on average)

which neither provides them enough opportunity

to develop a long term vision or to learnfunctional core competencies nor the need for it.

Instead they articulate there behaviors in a

fashion that secures them personal career

advantages generally at the cost oforganizational effectiveness and employees

performance and morale



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HypothesisWhat causes irrationality to our behaviors?

When authority to make decisions and

access organizational resources is

divorced from role-responsibility, it tends

to be interpreted as a prerogative (right)thus can be leveraged for personal

gratification, which makes behaviors

irrational


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Rationality of Behaviors: A must-be ingredient for strategic organizational performance