HUMAN ASPECTS OF ORGANIZING

Review
Steps in Staffing Technical Organizations
1. Human Resource Planning
2. Personnel Selection (effective rsums, employment application,
campus interviews, reference checks, plant visits,
job offer)
3. Orienting and Training New Employees and Performance Evaluation

Nature of Authority
Sources of Authority and Power
Importance of Status and Culture
System of assignment, delegation and accountability
Committees and Meetings (Reasons for using, problems, and methods
for making them effective)
cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Staffing Technical Organization

Finding, attracting and keeping personnel of the quantity and quality
needed to meet organizational goals
A. Human Resource Planning
Process of hiring technical professionals
1. Personnel on hand
2. Need: Estimate number of professionals needed (6 months to year)
3. Estimate expected attrition (resignation, transfers and promotions,
retirements etc.)
4. Establish need for increase
(increase=need-personnel on hand+attrition)
5. New College Hires
6. Experienced Professionals
7. Technician Support
8. Other Sources (outsourcing)
cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Hiring Managers
Similar plan needed for staffing management positions
Most middle and upper level management positions filled by promotions
A healthy organization needs large number of first line managers each year

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

B. Personnel Selection
Essentially a filtering process
* Rsums or applications are reviewed
* Potential candidates are screened in campus or telephone reviews
* References are checked
* Company interview and tests if necessary
* Starting Salary and Job offer

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Rsum and Cover Letter
1. Name, address and telephone numbers
2. Current Job Position
3. Current and longer term employment objectives
4. Summary of education
5. Employment Experience
6. Publications, presentations and patents
7. Awards and honors
8. Professional Affiliations
9. References (available by request)

Writing effective Rsum is an important skill.

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

C. Orientation and Training/ Performance Evaluation
Orientation and Training
Personnel Departments duty
About the work, mission, objectives, quality and safety
Performance Evaluation
Many techniques. Oldest one is rating technique
- Define a table of questions
- Give Rating for each row in table from Outstanding to inadequate
For example,
1. Knowledge of the work
2. Quality of the work
3. Quantity of the work
4. Attendance and Punctuality
5. Carrying out instructions
6. Overall Evaluation
cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Nature of Authority
Formal Authority
Legitimate power, the right, based on ones position in an organization,
to direct the work of activities.
Similar approach is in whole society
The rights are guaranteed in the constitutions of societies
Acceptance Theory of Authority
If a directive communication is accepted by one to whom it is addressed, its
authority for him is confirmed or established.
Why majority of requests are obeyed, or complied with in organizations?
Orders
Unacceptable
cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Neutral

Zone of indifference
(unquestionably acceptable )

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Sources of Power
1. Legitimate or position power (authority)
2. Reward power, the power to reward others for cooperation
3. Punishment power, stemming from fear of punishment
4. Expert power, stemming from a persons capability and reputation
5. Referent power, based on an attraction to or identification with another
individual that makes the follower want to behave or believe as the other
does. Called charisma, a special personal gift for inspiring others.
6. Power through access to important individuals
7. Power obtained through ingratiation or praise
8. Manipulative power
9. Power of persistence or assertiveness
10. Power via coalition
The first three are sufficient to obtain adequate response.
Power is ability to cause action, politics is the art of obtaining power.
cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Status
Two Types of Status
1. Functional Status: Derives from ones type of work or profession
2. Scalar Status: Due to ones level in the organization.
Culture: Collectivity of some practices and habits
Try to establish a culture that will be most effective in achieving the goals
of the organization

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Assignment, Delegation and Accountability

Manager
Assigns duties
to

Delegates
authority
to

Exacts (requires)
accountability
(responsibility) from

Subordinate
Authority should be commensurate with responsibility.
You cannot delegate responsibility.

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Reasons for Delegation

1. Delegation relieves the manager

2. The subordinate is given a chance to develop his skills
3. Tends to locate decision making closer to work being performed

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Barriers to Delegation for Engineers

Engineer is trained in a discipline.

When he becomes manager he will be responsible for others.
He has the responsibility to train his subordinates.
Insecure managers load themselves with subordinates problems.
Problem: Who has got the monkey?
Boss, We have a problem

Monkey=Problem

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Barriers to Delegation for Engineers

Insecure managers load themselves with subordinates problems.

Problem: Who has got the monkey?

I am busy now.
Send me a memo.

Monkey=Problem

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Barriers to Delegation for Engineers

Insecure managers load themselves with subordinates problems.

Problem: Who has got the monkey?

I am busy now.
Send me a memo.

Monkey=Problem

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Barriers to Delegation for Engineers

Place the monkey on the desk between you and subordinate

and
figure out together how the next move might be subordinates
(try to put the monkey back on the shoulder of subordinate).

Monkey=Problem

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Decentralization
As organizations become larger, it no longer is effective (or even
feasible) to make all decisions at the top.
Better decisions are possible due to closeness to problem.
The dangerous result is loss of control at the top.
Effective Balance of Decentralization and Centralized control of key decisions
Allocation of Major financial resources have to be central.

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Committees and Meetings
Committees
c

Probably most maligned but one of the most common forms of

organization structure
A committe contains two or more people who are officially designated to
meet some specific purpose
Found in every type of organizations; small or large, public or private etc.
Committee is defined as a group of men who keep minutes but waste hours.
So be careful with committees

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Committees and Meetings
Reasons for using Committees
c

Policy making and administration

Representation

Sharing knowledge and expertise

Securing Cooperation in execution

Pooling of authority

Training of participants

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Committees and Meetings
Problems with Committees
c

Tendency to produce compromise solutions

Committee decisions are inferior

Inability of holding one person responsible

SOLUTION
Treat committee as advisory one
and hold responsible someone
(usually chairman of committee)

Usually Delay in solving Problems

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner

Human Aspects of Organizing

Making Committees Effective
c

Committee Purpose and Chair

Committee Size and Memberhip

Preparation for the meeting

Meeting follow-up

Conduct of the meeting

c

Task functions
1. Initiating (tasks, ideas, or procedures)
2. Information or opinion seeking
3. Information or opinion giving
4. Clarifying (status of discussion)
5. Summarizing
6. Testing for consensus

Group Relations functions

1. Encouraging
2. Expressing group feelings
3. Harmonizing
4. Modifying (according to group)
5. Keeping communication open
6. Evaluating

Meeting follow-up

cetinerg@itu.edu.tr

Dr.B.G.Cetiner