The Slade Plating Department Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Slade Plating Department - Term Paper Example In a typical business, a more horizontal structure is usually required in order to gain total work group commitment and satisfy motivational goals for productivity. However, at Slade Plating, this structure brings forward a great deal of management presence that can oftentimes create negativity between high producing employee groups. Furthermore, the relatively low pay that is experienced in the production and operational departments is another problem at Slade Plating, despite the ongoing presence of overtime. There are some work groups at the facility that value overtime and consider it a blessing for lifestyle and needs fulfillment, while other work groups expressed dissatisfaction over the high workload with minimal pay. This division of unity that is occurring at the company continues to erode total work group effectiveness when considering how inter-dependent the production teams are with one another in order to get the job done effectively. At the same time, a far-too-flexible production schedule that continues to become more and more unpredictable due to customer demand angers some less-productive work groups that leads to some level of job dissatisfaction. In terms of the environmental conditions, they are less than favorable for some of the plating room work members. They are forced to work in hazardous environments that are uncomfortable due to design and temperature. As Herman in Sarto’s group identified, it is considerably hard work and there is division between employees in this work group that only serves to complicate social attitudes and also productivity in the long-term. Attitudes regarding Herman by other members of his team clearly impacted his sense of belonging and self-esteem, despite his efforts to at least try to fit in with this in-group having strong social attachments. IMPARTIAL EVALUATION Under Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there is a strong generalized human need for affiliation and belonging. It is only when the need for affiliation has been satisfied that a person can begin to develop a stronger sense of self-esteem and personal recognition that produces higher levels of confidence and control (Gambrel & Cianci, 144). In Tony’s group, several members who have been excluded from engaging in more rewarding socialization continue to drive a rift between productivity and the social environment. It is affecting self-esteem, especially in Herman, who seems to have a strong need for socialization which was apparent by his ongoing presence in many different social activities such as singing, fishing, and athletics. What this has done is created a standoffish attitude where he is psychologically convincing himself that he would rather stay isolated from the group when clearly a need exists for belonging and affiliation. Management theory indicates a phenomenon related to personality and human behavior that involves what is referred to as the locus of control. Essentially, under this theo ry, there are some who believe they are the masters of their own fate and do not blame the external social environment for why they cannot or do not succeed at their goals. They believe they control their own destiny (Treven & Potocan, 642). Those with an external locus of control feel as though they are controlled through outside forces and tend to be more defensive as a result (Treven & Potocan