Leaders: Avoid Communication Missteps to Nurture Organizational Growth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Self-identity, status, self-image, and environment affect organizational behavior by encouraging misperceptions and perceptual errors. Thus, the leadership of organizations should critically assess communication messages and actions to avoid making members of the organizations feel side-lined as in the case of Rochelle Beauport. After Syd Gilman read about the improved sales at Hy Diaries in the category of gourmet ice cream brand, he decided that he would appreciate Beauport by offering her a position of research coordinator that was recently vacated. He believed that the position is a reward and would be a way of promoting Beauport since the position would also lead to a modest salary increase. However, when Beauport was informed of the offer, she was not excited. She viewed it as a way of side-lining her to a back-room job and the bottom-line activities of the organization. Also, she believed that it was the company's usual way of removing women and minority groups from top management. Therefore, this paper argues that stereotyping and social identity leads to perceptual errors; hence, organizations should use policies to guard actions and decisions, and encourage open organizational communication.

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Application of Knowledge in Stereotyping and Social Identity Theory

The case study shows personality traits and occupations gender stereotypes. Personality traits gender stereotypes involve expectations of women to be accommodating, laid back, and emotional. Beauport's employer did not consider the possibility of her declining the offer because it is a department that has been occupied by most women both within and other organizations (Chegg Study, 2019). Also, when Beauport was offered to be the organization's research coordinator, she did not show her displeasure because of fear to appear critical of her boss. Therefore, she appreciated the offer. Meaning, she was acting in line with the expectations of women being accommodating and laid back.

Occupations gender stereotypes involve perceptions that some professions fit women while others fit men (Forsman and Barth, 2017). The Hy Diaries practices occupations gender stereotypes by setting aside some jobs for women and limiting female employees from becoming part of the leadership. Beauport feared that the research coordinator would limit her visibility in the activities that directly lead to the profitability of the company (Chegg Study, 2019). She believes this because of the assertion by her previous employer, who said that women could not handle the pressure of brand marketing management; hence, they should only be hired in technical positions.

According to the social identity theory by Henri Tajfel, a vital part of an individual is group membership. People identify others and themselves in classes of 'us' or 'them' (Farmer and Van Dyne, 2017). The identification includes 'out-group' and 'in-group.' Also, the theory provides that in in-group always focuses on finding negative aspects of out-groups hence leading to prejudice (De Roeck and Maon, 2018). Such form of identification is evident in the case study in the form of how Beauport views the offer to be the research coordinator and perception of her former employers regarding the job market.

Beauport considers her identity as a woman and believes that men in management do not want women and other minority groups to occupy leadership positions. For example, when she is offered the position to be the research coordinator, she believes that the move is inspired by the patriarchal system within the management to stop women from ascending to leadership positions (Chegg Study, 2019). Admittedly, being that Beauport admits that she fears to be critical of her boss because she does not know him well, it shows that there may be errors in this perception. Similarly, there is an error in this perception because the Beauport's boss was pleased by the increase in sales of the gourmet ice cream brand and had been looking for ways to reward her (Chegg Study, 2019). Thus, when the research coordinator position became vacant and had higher pay, he believed that it would be the best way to appreciate her.

Similarly, Beauport's former employer has a prejudice against women because he considers the job market as a 'man versus woman' industry. Part of the reason Beauport was not pleased with the offer to be the company's research coordinator involves assertions by her former employer that women cannot handle the pressure of brand marketing management (Chegg Study, 2019). Thus they should be only occupying positions that involve technical support tasks.

Perceptual Errors

The perceptual errors in the case study are halo and primacy effects. Halo effect involves applying an impression that was created in another situation to a different situation hence leading to errors. An example of a halo effect in the case is Beauport applying the views of her former employer to analyze the actions of her current boss. She believes that the offer to be the research coordinator is a way of the management to sideline her from visible activities that directly lead to the profitability of the company because her former boss said that women could not occupy brand management positions (Chegg Study, 2019).

Primacy effect involves one forming a judgment based on earlier actions or information instead of recent actions and information (Pillai, 2010). Beauport does not believe that the position offer is connected to the recent increase in sales in the gourmet ice cream brand (Chegg Study, 2019). Rather, she believes that is the management way of side-lining women from visible and impactful positions just as was done by her previous employer.

How Organizations Can Minimize Misperceptions in These Situations

Organizations can minimize misperceptions by using organizational policies to guard decisions and actions. It will help employees to understand the motivations of actions by the management (Szayna, Larson, O'Mahony, Robson, Schaefer, Matthews, and Marcellino, 2016) The case study shows that Beauport contributed to an increase in sales. Although her boss was impressed by her performance, the case reports that he has been researching on ways to reward her for the good work (Chegg Study, 2019). Meaning, the company did not have a policy of rewarding employees who achieve the goals of the organization. Therefore, having the policies will help employees understand and appreciate the actions of the management.

Also, organizations should encourage open communication to avoid misunderstandings that result from misperception situations. Although Beauport was not pleased by her boss' offer, she feared to tell him because she did not want to appear critical of him (Chegg Study, 2019). Meaning, the communication culture of the company did not allow employees to criticize or disagree with the staff (Scholtz and Saayman, 2018). Open communication will enable organizations to ensure that employees and leaders freely interact and address issues affecting them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, stereotyping, social identity leads to perceptual errors and misperceptions in organizations. The case study has shown that although the actions of employees please and encourage management to reward them if there are no policies and no provision for open communication, the employees will feel negatively targeted and limited.

References

Chegg Study. (2019). Hy Dairies, Ltd. Retrieved from Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/read-case-study-31-textbook-answer-discussion-questions-follow-hy-dairies-ltd-syd-gilman-r-q18449842

De Roeck, K., & Maon, F. (2018). Building the Theoretical Puzzle of Employees' Reactions to Corporate Social Responsibility: An Integrative Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(3), 609-625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3081-2

Farmer, S. M., & Van Dyne, L. (2017). Organization-specific prosocial helping identity: Doing and belonging as the basis of "being fully there." Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(6), 769-791. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2166

Forsman, J., & Barth, J. (2017). The Effect of Occupational Gender Stereotypes on Men's Interest in Female-Dominated Occupations. Sex Roles, 76(7-8), 460-472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0673-3Pillai, K. G. (2010). Managers' Perceptual Errors Revisited: the Role of Knowledge Calibration. British Journal of Management, 21(2), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00646.x

Scholtz, M., & Saayman, M. (2018). Diving into the consequences of stakeholders unheard. European Journal of Tourism Research, 20, 105-124. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hjh&AN=132690456&site=ehost-live

Szayna, T. S., Larson, E. V., O'Mahony, A., Robson, S., Schaefer, A. G., Matthews, M., ... Marcellino, W. (2016). Considerations for Integrating Women Into Closed Occupations in U.S. Special Operations Forces. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1437227&site=ehost-live