MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS

Managing People and Organizations

Comparative Analysis of Case Studies: People, Organizations and Management

Introduction

This assignment seeks to identify how different organizations operate and the way in which they are managed, with respect to the two organizations that are given to us in the form of case studies. We will go through the case studies and provide a comparative analysis on their strategies for managing the people (employees), and organizations. In this study, we will mainly focus our discussion on the following three themes:

Teamwork and team working

Organizational design and structure

Organizational culture

The two organizations are wholly different in their management of organizational affairs including the way in which members of the organization experience their work. We will be presenting a detailed analysis of each company and provide comparisons as to how their policies and strategies differ, and what are the outcomes associated with each. We will also be relating our comparison to the theories and concepts that we had previously learnt, in order to establish a thorough exploration of each situation together with the analysis for future implications. The case studies are based on real organizations, which will help us in gaining an understanding about real-time situations and their critical aspects for effective management of people and work.

Comparison of Approaches to Teamwork and Team working

Before we explain the contrasting elements between the two case studies with respect to teamwork and team working, let us first assess the two terms separately. Teamwork has become an essential part of corporate affairs and employers look for people who have teamwork skills and interactive capabilities (Kesler, Kates, 2010, 209). Teamwork promotes organizational relationships and creates an atmosphere of trust, cooperation and enthusiasm for the attainment of organizational goals. Most companies realize that teamwork is important because either the product is sufficiently complex that it requires a team with multiple skills to produce, and/or a better product will result when a team approach is taken. It is a common management observation that employees are more encouraged for greater productivity if they are involved in doing the task and in social interactions. Teamwork has produced significant improvements within the overall organizational climate in almost all sectors of business. It has reinforced employees' spirits and motivated them to outperform others while keeping mutual respect intact (Foss, 2003, 331-349).

Teamwork is translated in a variety of attitudes and behaviors that are not related solely to teams. It must be understood that teamwork qualities can be displayed by a person in a committee or any other group. For a person to have teamwork skills, it is not necessary that he has to belong to a team. Teamwork is normally taken in the spirit of willingness towards achieving the common goals and expressing commitment through dedicated efforts. On the other hand, team working signifies a group of people who work as a team towards a set of common objectives. A team may or may not have teamwork skills. It is not necessary that if some people are working as ...