Compare and Contrast 2 Different Theories of Organizational Behavior
In this paper, the author chose two different theories that are directly related to organizational behavior. The two theories that were chosen to be discussed in this compare and contrast essay were the Systems Theory and the Economic Theory of an Organization, namely the Theory of the Firm. The focus of the comparison and contrast discussions would be on the applicability of the two theories in the healthcare setting.
The systems theory is one of the most versatile theories that are being used to explain not just organizational behavior but other aspects of organizational management as well. What it offers is an interdisciplinary approach when it comes to studying organizational behavior. This theory is grounded on the notion that suggests that organizations are structured and therefore behave like systems, hence the name of the theory. A system (i.e. an organization) can be defined as an entity that is made up of interlacing elements. The broad application of this definition is what makes the systems theory versatile. Within the realm of the systems theory, the holy grail is a perfectly self-regulating system. This can easily be applied to the context of most healthcare organizations.
The optimal state for an organization is one where it is already capable of regulating itself. The challenge, however, is how exactly that self-regulating system of organization management and behavior can be developed. There are numerous systems theory-related tools that can be used to accomplish this in a healthcare setting. There is, for example, the option of applying systems psychology, which is basically a branch of psychology that is solely focused on engineering the behaviors of people within an organization (i.e. the system) in a way that would benefit the stakeholders (e.g. the patients and the organization itself). The goal of an organization’s manager when it comes to using systems theory is to establish a higher level of control over the organization and its members. This can and is often done through the use of behavior modification tools. Some examples include positive and negative reinforcement, i.e. the use of rewards and punishment, improving the level of employee engagement, among others. In most literatures, it is emphasized that the organization’s leader should put a significant amount of time and effort in knowing the needs of the organization and the individual needs of its members (or in this case, the healthcare workers), and knowing what attributes and characteristics can be improved that, in turn, will be met with a positive response .
Theory of the Firm
The theory of the firm focuses on five important aspects of organizational behavior and management namely: existence, boundaries, organization, evidence, and heterogeneity. The idea is that the way how an organization would exist, and how its members would behave can be more precisely studied if the person doing the analysis can define the organization in question in terms of these five aspects. Of the five, the one that is the most closely related to the management of organizational behavior in a healthcare setting would be the organization (third) aspect. Some concepts that are typically covered under this element of the theory of the firm include: whether the organization operates in a centralized or decentralized manner, and whether the type of relationships that exist are formal or informal (or mixed), both of which are important in the management of organizational behavior in a typical healthcare system.
Applicability to Employees Working in a Healthcare Organization
A healthcare organization is usually composed of departments, each of which has its own role to play. Within each of the departments are teams and within each of those teams are individual healthcare workers and staff members. In an ideal scenario, individual healthcare workers and staff members cooperate with each other in order to attain the highest level of efficiency (and productivity) and provide the highest quality of service possible to the stakeholders, especially the patients. However, as in most cases, that does not always happen, and so certain organizational behavior modification tools are necessary.
Between the two theories that are related to organizational behavior that were discussed (Systems Theory and the Theory of the Firm), the Systems Theory is the one that is more applicable. Essentially, they focus on the structure of the organization and how it affects the behavior of its members. However, the application of the Systems Theory in a healthcare setting has already been proven. This has been carefully observed in numerous studies and most of them suggest that a healthcare organization should be seen and treated like a system composed of interlacing elements in order for it to be more systematically managed, organizational behavior included .
Works Cited
Clancy, Thomas, Judith Effken and Daniel Pesut. "Applications of complex systems theory in nursing education, research, and practice." Nursing Outlook (2008): Print. 248-256. Jan 2017.
Kannampallil, Thomas, et al. "Considering complexity in healthcare systems." Journal of Biomedical Informatics (2011): Print. 943-947. Jan 2017.
