Directing: Nature and Principles: Organizational Climate

This document discusses the principles of directing and leadership. Directing involves guiding and overseeing employees to achieve organizational goals. It deals primarily with human relationships and elements like motivation and communication. The success of directing efforts determines organizational performance. Effective directing requires creating an environment where employees are encouraged to provide input and enhance their work experience. An organization's climate reflects the needs of its members and is characterized by factors such as autonomy, communication of objectives, and how conflict is managed. Different leadership styles and climates exist, including those oriented around power, clearly defined roles, and a strong task focus of directing all efforts towards goal achievement.

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Directing: Nature and Principles: Organizational Climate

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p.sankaranarayanan

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DIRECTING: NATURE AND PRINCIPLES

Directing and leading comprise the managerial function of guiding, overseeing and
leading people. The primary element in this function is the human element and
deals in personal relationships. This area is primarily geared towards leadership,
motivation, and communication. Since the human element is the central element in
the art and science of managing, the study of human relations has been of major
interest to management.
Direction is concerned with directing the human efforts towards
organizational goal achievement. The success of these directional efforts is going
to determine the satisfactory or unsatisfactory per-formance within the organization.
Accordingly, the directing function is the action function that will test the managerial
capability in running the organization. The satisfactory performance of workers is
going to be partly dependent upon the ‘directional’ ability of the management, but
primarily it is a function of the organizational environment. If the environment is not
conducive to optimum per-formance, the managerial directing in itself cannot bring
in the optimum results. Accordingly, favourable conditions must exist which would
provide for enthusiastic cooperation among all people to work together to achieve
both individual and group goals.
Since the purpose of directing is to make effective use of employees, it is
usually initiated by the higher echelons of management. However, the employee
input into directing decisions would be highly useful, thus creating an organizational
climate where workers enhance the quality of working life.
Organizational climate
Schneider refers to organizational climate as the entire internal environment of the
organization. The climate reflects the needs, desires and aspirations of the people
who form the Environment. In that context an environment has about it a set of
characteristics that are perceived by the organizational members. According to
Litwin and Stringer, some of these characteristics include:
(a) The extent of individual autonomy allowed to members.
(b) The degree to which superiors establish and communicate objectives, rules
and methods to their subordinates.
(c) The types of behaviours rewarded by the organization and the types of
rewards offered.
(d) The consideration, warmth and support expressed by superiors to their
subordinates.
(e) The extent of conflict and how it is managed.
(f) The extent to which the members are allowed to participate in the decision
making process.
Leadership Styles
and Directing
NOTES
Self-Instructional
Material 141
Each organization will be different in the climate as well as in the direction style.
The directional style will depend upon the philosophy, culture and outlook of the
manager. Similarly, the organizational climate is also identified by its culture, its
traditions, history of the organization etc. There are a number of categories that
define the climate of many organizations. According to Harrison, there are four
broad categories. These are:
1. Power-oriented climate: These are organizations that are dominated by
autocratic, leadership. These may be family dominated businesses or an
organization which was started by one person who is still influential in
organizational policy decisions. The power structure is highly visible and
the subordinates are highly dependent upon their superiors for job security
and job advancement. Decisions are made at the top and the instructions
for implementing such decisions pass down along the chain of command.
2. Role-oriented climate: In this type of organization, all managerial and
worker roles are clearly defined. The operative rules and procedures regulate
actions and operations resulting in order and rationality. These organizations
are highly stable and changes are difficult to implement. Responsibility and
accountability are adequately traceable. Individual judgements are influenced
by established rules and regulations.
3. Task-oriented climate: In a task-oriented organization, all efforts are
directed towards goal achievement. For example, if the goal is quality health
care in a hospital, all decisions and efforts are directed towards that goal.
All performances are measured relative to the goal standards. All rewards
are based on the degree of contribution towards that goal. All activities, all
rules and regulations lire designed with only the goal in mind. All unskilled
people relative to that particular goal are replaced or retrained. Any deviations
are taken very seriously. The goals are highlighted. These goals may be
profit-making, capturing a market share, imparting high quality education in
a university etc. Some innovative business companies who hire only the
most professional workers would fall into this category.