Work and Quality of Life


Book Description

Employees have personal responsibilities as well as responsibilities to their employers. They also have rights. In order to maintain their well-being, employees need opportunities to resolve conflicting obligations. Employees are often torn between the ethical obligations to fulfill both their work and non-work roles, to respect and be respected by their employers and coworkers, to be responsible to the organization while the organization is reciprocally responsible to them, to be afforded some degree of autonomy at work while attending to collaborative goals, to work within a climate of mutual employee-management trust, and to voice opinions about work policies, processes and conditions without fear of retribution. Humanistic organizations can recognize conflicts created by the work environment and provide opportunities to resolve or minimize them. This handbook empirically documents the dilemmas that result from responsibility-based conflicts. The book is organized by sources of dilemmas that fall into three major categories: individual, organizational (internal policies and procedures), and cultural (social forces external to the organization), including an introduction and a final integration of the many ways in which organizations can contribute to positive employee health and well-being. This book is aimed at both academicians and practitioners who are interested in how interventions that stem from industrial and organizational psychology may address ethical dilemmas commonly faced by employees.




Organizational Behaviour


Book Description

Andre/Taplin is designed for one-semester courses that focus on skill-building for career preparedness. Andre’s unique problem-solving approach presents students first with the real-life problems individuals face in organizations and then explores the research findings that can help people meet these challenges. Andre leads with the problem, applies the OB solution, and then explores the theories behind the application. Note: MyManagementLab is not included with the purchase of this product.




Organizational Pathology


Book Description

Organizational Pathology draws an extended metaphor that the life cycle of an organization is akin to the biological life cycle. Like all living things, organizations will encounter problems that lead to decline and eventual failure. This work discusses the basic problems and life threatening diseases responsible for organizations' failure and death, including organizational politics, organizational corruption, and organizational crime. The book also contains a critical look at crises and fixations; failure and survival; and processes of disbandment and closure of dying organizations. The consideration of these issues follows a diagnostic model of failure. Yitzhak Samuel argues that if the problems that lead to failure can be predicted or diagnosed early, their severity can be assessed and possible remedies can be implemented to avoid escalating crises. At the very least, an understanding of why and how decline happens can be gained from this analysis. This book offers facts about the causes and consequences of organizational downfall and clues about diagnoses of certain symptoms of abnormal behavior, and how to identify early signs of decline or failure. In order to illustrate these abstract arguments and concepts, Samuel uses various real-life examples of events that have occurred in cross-country contexts. In this way, Organizational Pathology: Life and Death of Organizations should serve a variety of readers. Although primarily intended for students and scholars in the social and behavioral sciences who are familiar with the study and the practice of organizations, this book's informal style makes it easily accessible to a wide range of readers. Just as Samuel's previous book on organizational politics led to new lines of research and theory, this book will encourage similar studies in organizational pathology and institutional malaise.




Constructing Organizational Life


Book Description

This book proposes a perspective of social-symbolic work that integrates diverse streams of research to examine how people purposefully work to construct organizational life and the identities, careers, boundaries, strategies, and social practices that define their organizations.




The Unconscious Life of Organizations


Book Description

This book offers a contemporary psychodynamic view of organizational life. Michael Diamond stresses the unconscious dimensions of hierarchic and other work relationships in organizations. From these relationships, he argues, come not only organizational cultures but also organizational identities. The book transcends the common technical rational approach to organizational behavior by isolating and then analyzing the nonrational side of organizational experience. Diamond illustrates how different characteristics of organizational life emerge from the dynamics of shared and projected emotions between leaders and followers, managers and subordinates, and among workers. The author suggests that these complementary unconscious feelings anchor the definition of organizational membership in interpersonal relationships at work. The result is, what he calls, the emotionally grounded structure of organizations--the organizational identity. What distinguishes this book from other psychodynamic approaches to organizations are the following: (1) an up-to-date synthesis of object relations, self psychology, and interpersonal psychoanalysis based primarily but not exclusively on the work of Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, Heinz Kohut and Harry Stack Sullivan; (2) a discussion of psychoanalytic organization theory and the application of psychodynamic concepts in organizational behavior; (3) a psychodynamic critique of organizational culture, the structure of values and rituals at work, and the introduction of the structure of organizational emotions, what the author calls organizational identity; (4) a psychoanalytic explanation and typology of regressive behavior in work groups; (5) a discussion and illustration of the role of language and communication in organizational consulting; and (6) a variety of case studies drawn from over ten years of organizational research and consulting. Finally, this book offers the organizational theorist and consultant a variety of psychodynamic tools to apply in understanding and positively changing organizations. This book will be of interest to organizational development consultants, human resource professionals, organizational theorists and researchers, organizational psychologists and psychodynamically oriented social and behavioral scientists, and psychologically informed managers and executives.




Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work


Book Description

Organizations accomplish results when they powerfully engage employees and capture their discretionary time. This is more important than ever during this period where employees are facing unprecedented time poverty. Technology has blurred the lines between employees’ work and personal lives, and they are faced with the challenges of successfully navigating and integrating work and personal demands. When organizations provide the right benefits, policies, and cultural practices, they win and they serve employees in the process. Using examples and real-world experiences from senior executives and employees at all levels, author Tracy Brower shows readers the importance of work-life supports and how they lead to more engaged and fulfilled employees. Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work is your go-to guide to work-life support, providing easy-to-read strategies for building and implementing your organization’s strategies to harness work-life supports, increasing positive impact to your bottom line.




The Secret Life of Organizations


Book Description

Universities may teach you many things, but they often neglect to tell you the key unwritten rule of career success: that doing well in your workplace is as much about knowing how your organization functions as it is about understanding your job and yourself. In The Secret Life of Organizations, expert HR professionals Shalini Lal and Pradnya Parasher tap into decades of experience and observations from working with prominent firms across the world to steer you through the fascinating inner life of companies as they answer these questions and more: • How do you effectively transition from student life to a high-stakes work environment? • How do you navigate hidden patterns of corporate culture? • How do you capitalize on your personality to be most effective at work? • How do you prepare for the unknowns of a fast-evolving work environment? Sharp and effective, this enlightening guide to overcoming early challenges at the workplace gives you an insider view of what makes organizations tick, and helps you take the smart path to the top.




Working Below the Surface


Book Description

The chapters contributed to this book have been written by the staff and associates of The Tavistock Consultancy Service, whose distinctive competence is in the human dimension of enterprise and the dynamics of the workplace. The intention is to identify and explore some of the key themes that have emerged, such as the emotional world of the organisation and the dynamics of resistance to change, and how these affect and influence the understanding of leadership and management in contemporary organizations. No attempt is made to reach a consensus, but rather to raise and map out a territory of continuing question and debate. Contributors:David Armstrong; Andrew Cooper; Tim Dartington; William Halton; Sharon Horowitz; Linda Hoyle; Clare Huffington; Kim James; Sarah Miller; Anton Obholzer; Jane Pooley; and Nick Temple. Part of the Tavistock Clinic Series.




The Secrets to Happiness at Work


Book Description

A compelling and practical guide, tailored to help you achieve balance, fulfillment, and joy in your professional life. The Secrets to Happiness at Work book brings together proven strategies from positive psychology, mindfulness, and personal growth to transform your work experience. Dr. Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRw is a sociologist and an award-winning speaker and has over 25 years of experience working with global clients to achieve business results. Her work has been featured in TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and Fortune.com. Within the pages of this transformative guide, you will discover: Key principles of positive psychology to help you improve job satisfaction Practical mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and improve focus Personal growth strategies to unlock your potential and improve performance Tips on achieving work-life balance to enhance overall well-being Insights on fostering a positive work culture and nurturing professional relationships This guide is not just for those feeling dissatisfied in their current position, but for anyone seeking to boost their happiness at work. From managers aiming to improve workplace morale, to individuals seeking personal growth and satisfaction, The Secrets to Happiness at Work is an invaluable tool for creating a more positive and productive professional life. An ideal read for career coaches, HR professionals, corporate trainers, or anyone looking to improve their work life.




Reinventing Organizations


Book Description

"The way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date. Deep inside, we sense that more is possible. We long for soulful workplaces, for authenticity, community, passion, and purpose. In this groundbreaking book, the author shows that every time, in the past, when humanity has shifted to a new stage of consciousness, it has achieved extraordinary breakthroughs in collaboration. A new shift in consciousness is currently underway. Could it help us invent a more soulful and purposeful way to run our businesses and nonprofits, schools and hospitals? A few pioneers have already cracked the code and they show us, in practical detail, how it can be done. Leaders, founders, coaches, and consultants will find this work a joyful handbook, full of insights, examples, and inspiring stories."--Page [4] of cover.