Read the following case study and answer the questions that follow.
Read through the case study and answer the questions that follow:
Case study
For the last 20 years your workplace has experienced sporadic conflict. Despite management’s best
efforts to deal with the conflict, it remains a problem and affects the performance and well-being of many
employees. The solutions proposed by management only seem to help temporarily, after which the
problems tend to recur. The labour unrest and conflict are mostly related to perceptions around
employment discrimination, gender issues, gender inappropriate facilities, cultural differences, health
issues, organisational and management structures, pay and fringe benefits as well as career
development and promotion issues. It appears that the organisational climate is characterised by endless
accusations and criticism from both inside and outside the organisation. The management team, who
are older tend to be more conservative, have requested you, the I-O psychologist and HR manager, to
urgently look for workable solutions that will bring long-term stability. The organisation with a diverse and
multicultural workforce of 1000 employees, was established in the 1940s and now finds itself in the
context of a new South Africa with its different realities and complexities, which include socio-economic
and political challenges. Your initial response is that the situation requires greater collaboration between
management and employees, between employees themselves as well as amongst the various
organisational departments. However, upon further reflection, you realise that the current work situation
and the organisation reflects a micro-cosmos of South Africa and that the situation may be more complex
than your initial assessment.
Case study excerpt from Bergh, Z (2017). Frameworks for thought and practice in I-O psychology. In Z.
Bergh (Ed.), Introduction to work psychology (pp.44-87). Cape Town: Oxford.
Questions
1. Identify the different thinking frameworks related to employee and organisational management which are scientific organisational management approach and the complex living socio-techical systems that play a role in this case study and provide examples from the case study to substantiate your answer.
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One thinking framework related to employee and organizational management in this case study is the scientific organizational management approach. This is demonstrated by the management team's request for the I-O psychologist and HR manager to find workable solutions that will bring long-term stability. The scientific management approach focuses on finding efficient and effective methods for improving organizational performance, which aligns with the goal of finding solutions to the ongoing conflict in the workplace.
Another thinking framework related to employee and organizational management in this case study is the complex living socio-technical systems approach. This is implied by the mention of the organization being a micro-cosmos of South Africa and the recognition that the situation may be more complex than initially assessed. The complex living socio-technical systems approach recognizes that organizations are influenced by various socio-economic and political factors, as well as the interactions between employees and different departments within the organization. It emphasizes the need for collaboration and understanding of these complex systems in order to address organizational issues effectively.
In the case study, there are two different thinking frameworks related to employee and organizational management:
1. Scientific Organizational Management Approach: This approach focuses on applying scientific methods to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace. In the case study, the management team's request for an I-O psychologist and HR manager to find workable solutions indicates an acknowledgment of the need for a systematic approach to addressing the conflict. The temporary solutions proposed by management also align with a scientific approach, as they aim to identify and implement specific interventions to resolve the conflict.
2. Complex Living Socio-Technical Systems: This framework recognizes that organizations are complex systems influenced by various social, cultural, and technological factors. In the case study, the conflict is rooted in a variety of issues such as employment discrimination, gender inequality, cultural differences, and health issues. These issues reflect the complexity of the organization's socio-technical system, which involves interactions between employees, management, and the broader socio-political context.
Overall, the case study highlights the need for both a scientific approach to address specific conflict issues and a broader understanding of the complex socio-technical dynamics at play within the organization.