An organisation is not made up of just formal authority relationships but also of informal relationships which add a new dimension to organisational life. While the formal position of an individual determines his role the informal relationship must'be understood in their right perspective in order that the vast potential of every individual within the organisation is directed towards the achievement of organisational goals.
Role
Role may be defined as a social role - a unitary concept within a pluralistic dimensional organisational structure. It is sociological concept which sometimes ignores individual psychological yearnings.
Role conjures up a set of "behavioral expectations" that are associated with one's particular position in a group. The expected behaviour of an individual is determined by three influences :
- the expectations of the individual himself,herself
- the expectation of the formal organisation, and
- the expectation of the informal organisation.
Status
Status may be defined as a social position within an organisation. It refers to the relative position of an individual compared with others in the groups. "Status" is related to but distinguished from "role". Society provides for each status or position of single mould that shapes the belief aid actions of all its occupants.
While "role" is physiological involving functions, adaptation and process, "status" is sociological involving a "location in social space" which implies attitudes, values and behaviour.
Conflict
A position in an organisational structure evokes only a one dimensional administrative concern "how best to get the job done". No one is even concerned about looking at the role from the member's own point of view. The feelings, it evokes, the inherent meaning it holds, the stresses and strains it brings etc. Thus, dilemmas emerge.
The pragmatic approach stems the fact that every human situation further engenders contradictions and problematic features. Every organisation structure is inherently "social" by nature am as such must confront its members with dilemmas of adaption.
There is no "best" or "set" mode of adaption to the demands of an organisational structure. At best there can only be an "expedient" mode of adaption when at the best of times can bring about internal contradiction between the individuals personality structure and the organisation's structure.
Much of the time in organisation, people are not treated as they should be. Often they are treated as individuals always gulden by reason capable of being programmed, motivated by incentives and requiring fairly satisfactory work conditions. However, in reality people are subjective. They like recognition. They enjoy the freedom even if partial to control situations. Rigidity makes people disgusted, unhappy and with no motivation.
Participation
This is possible only if the definitions of goals and expectations are compatible with individuals. It depends on the nature and culture of the work group in which the individual finds himself herself. We need to focus on the actual behaviour of people than on abstract rules on the individuals interaction with his work group, rather than with his interaction with the total organisation. No organisation can survive if its image is reduced to a mechanical system where roles are defined in terms of an "interlocking system of coordinated demands" that ignores the expectations and hopes of the individuals working within it.
Improve Quality of Working Life
It was more than forty years ago that Douglas McGregor formulated his theory on conflicting pull of authoritarianism and humanism. Theory 'Y' advocated a liberal approach while theory 'X' was the bureaucratic approach. "Almost all managers talk in theory 'Y' terms but act in theory 'X' terms", says Prof. Maison Haire of the MIT, USA. However, despite the current debate today, theory 'I" is still. booming in the form of "Quality Circles7'. A Quality Circle, prevalent in many a big companies is a small group of people between 3 and 12 members who do similar work, and who meet together regularly for about couple of hours every week or fortnight in company time, usually under the leadership of their foreman or supervisor, on a voluntary basis, to identify problems, analyse the causes recommended, their solutions to the management and where possible, to implement the solutions themselves.
However, in the 80s and 90s it has become imperative to stress on "quality" where all employees are involved in some storm or the other. This is because econ only has opened out, competition is at its peak and to get international recognition by gaining IS0 9000 certification. This certification is Ule only gateway to the European Community countries to export crowds. This is a programme of work which if initiated will provide greater opportunities for achievement, responsibility and recognition. Improving a performance through people is not only an act. It is above all an experience. This experience coupled with sound thinking will attain the objective of participation and quality in all regards
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