Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on December 19, 2023
Burnout at work is not always an individual problem. Often, being burnt-out correlates with organizational culture issues and problems, especially regarding work-life balance and work-life integration for hybrid and remote personnel.
Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on December 19, 2023
Emotional regulation is the ability an individual possess to exert control over their emotional state. Such emotional regulation, especially at work, can help an individual change the way he or she feels after experiencing an emotion — no matter how big or small it may seem.
Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on December 19, 2023
In organizations, when there is diversity without inclusion, the knowledge of marginalized groups, including people of color, neurodiverse people, LGBTQ+, and women, is worthless because it is not accessible.
Thus, organizations must focus on both sides of the equation by building diversity and emphasizing inclusion if they are going to amplify the voices of marginalized groups.
Dr. Steven Whitaker – Posted on June 27, 2021
What is an Organizational Climate of Change?
An organizational climate of change is the context that accompanies or is conducive to change whether developmental, transitional, or transformational changes. Within organizations, this climate of change is instrumental for change as lens through which organizational members form perceptions of practices, policies, and procedures that encourage, support, and value change-related behavior. As it turns out, a climate of change is a method to motivate organizational members change-related behavior. Interestingly, a climate of change is also the foundation that connects organizational members during difficult times of change.
Goal-Setting Theory (GST)
Goal-setting theory (GST) holds the basis that a high goal can lead to a higher degree of performance than any low goal(s); thereby, there is a linear correlation between performance and the degree difficulty of a goal. Noted in GST are moderators such as the capability for degrees of knowledge and skill for performing a task, such as creating an organizational climate of change. GTS, derived from empirical research, informs that when human beings reach their limit of capability of high goal difficulty level, and performance levels off. However, persistence and effort serve as mediators; whereas the effects of the degree of goal difficulty on performance can lead to increased persistence and effort, rather than goals that are less difficult. GST could serve as a motivator to foster creating an organizational climate of change, for organizational members of business organizations, as does human motivation theory.
Human Motivation Theory
Human motivation theory holds the basis that humans fulfill basic needs before motivation for achieving higher-level needs. This theory has a hierarchy of five clusters of needs. Physiological needs include sleep, clothing, shelter, water, food, and breathing, including the fundamental elements and tools organizational members require to meet first-level needs. Safety and security needs include social stability, family, property, employment, and health including a sense of familiarity and comfort that organizational members must have to meet second-level needs. Love and belonging needs include a sense of connection, intimacy, family, and friendship including a sense of belonging and having others accept that organizational members must have to meet third-level needs. Self-esteem needs include the need to be a unique individual, respect of others, achievement, and confidence including the need to be respected and valued by others that organizational members must have to meet fourth-level needs. Self-Actualization needs include meaning and inner potential, experience purpose, acceptance, spontaneity, creativity, morality needs, and intrinsic learning, including helping organizational members become all that they are capable of becoming to meet fifth-level needs.
Organizational members that fulfill self-actualization needs develop positive affiliations and feelings of empathy for others within business organizations. Therefore, self-actualization will allow for effective communication, which, is a significant tool when organizational members listen to the personal obstacles of managers of business organizations. Such as when managers seek to create an organizational climate of change. Additionally, organizational members are more receptive to solve problems that coincide with helping managers create a climate of change. Furthermore, self-actualization is not an end state, but instead a means of adaptive growth behavior and unlimited self-expression like self-determination.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Self-determination theory (SDT) holds the basis for what motivates human behavior, and why and how motivation occurs. SDT is the framework for the study of human motivation and supports humans’ tendencies (intrinsic or natural) for behavior. In SDT, basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) identify the means of support for healthy development and functioning. Such identity fosters a volitional form and high quality of motivation and engagement for various activities, such as performance and persistence for creating an organizational climate of change. Thus, organizational members could develop an effective self-determination plan within their business organizations. Through GST, the self-determination plan could relate to creating an organizational climate of change, which, could involve taking action, the choice targets (goals), and the means to express each target (goal) that is meaningful for organizational members.
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Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on June 14, 2021
Literature rooted in action and feminist research noted that individuals had differing perspectives regarding affairs; and that is a need to listen to and share these differing perspectives for successfully carrying out organizational development (OD) and change processes. Thus, learning from others and dialogical methods establish the fundamental aspects of these processes. As a democratic and participatory process, action research focuses on the development of practical knowledge in pursuing significant human purposes, well-grounded in a participatory worldview. Action research intends to bring practice and theory and reflection and action together in participation with other individuals and in pursuing a practical solution to any issues of significance to human beings. The aim of action research is creating new methods of understandings and working toward practical outcomes, and there is a participatory tradition as well.
The aim of the participatory tradition of action research is toward empowering human beings, giving them a platform, and a voice for participation and aims towards hearing and making use of their experience(s) for generating changes. The linguistic turn in the social sciences influenced researchers toward applying dialogical methods in the undertakings of action research. The basis of such methods is on differing theoretical backgrounds that concern organizational change and dialogue. Feminist action research shares similar ideals of action research.
Numerous feminist action researchers adopted a dual agenda for change and addressed gender equality issues in business organizations. This dual agenda suggested such organizations could develop strategies for increasing the amount of interactive and diverse organizations. In effect, this would lead to improvements in the capacity for meeting the fundamental goals of organizations. Although, this would involve risks that the business-piece of such an approach would have a higher degree of legitimacy than the gender-piece, and gender could be a forgotten thought. Therefore, researchers would need to behave particularly careful regarding the method of representing their goal(s). First, accessing the organization could be dependent on the framing of the objectives and second, because of the ambiguity in any goal(s), researchers could perpetuate, instead of combat, organizations’ inequalities.
Combating organizations’ inequalities and internally working on gender issues is difficult regarding changing embedded systems of power and engaging organizational members to address the aspects of life within organizations that are an unwelcome influence. Additionally, it is a challenge because any change could be threatening and uncomfortable for organizational members, or possible at least for any member(s) in a position of privilege. In the change process, the concept of gender can effortlessly get lost since individuals would rather not discuss it or keep such discussions at the society or policy level. However, action research and feminist action research still attempts to address these issues.
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Dr. Steven Whitaker – Posted on September 14, 2020
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. Psychologists actively participate in the study of the human mind and behavior to understand mental processes, brain functions, and behaviors. Psychologists attempt to explain these processes, functions, and behaviors through research and statistics. The application of research and statistics have increasingly significant implications in this field of psychology and diverse sub-fields, especially concerning human behavior.
Research
Research derives new abstract principles or equations from existing principles or equations through a sequence of mathematically valid and logical methods. Psychologists use these methods in research to systematically form and enhance understanding of a particular phenomenon, such as human behavior, by asking and answering research questions related to behaviors. However, without statistics, psychologists would not understand the whys of human behavior or discover patterns in behavior. Without statistics, the whys of human behavior would go unanswered, and the complex nature of behaviors would remain unknown.
Statistics
Statistics are procedures for summarizing research sample information (descriptive statistics) and making inferences beyond research samples (inferential statistics). Statistics in research are critical for determining if related findings are of substantive significance and statistical significance or not. Psychologists use statistical procedures to make sense of and statistically analyze numerical data, and provide evidence about behavior in broader populations. Statistics affords psychologists the ability to find patterns in numerical data and present findings in a clear and precise manner that others can read and understand.
Applied Research and Statistics
By relying on the scientific method, psychologists employ the application of research and statistics to conduct systematic inquiries and analyses related to discovering knowledge of human behavior. Discovery of this knowledge can lead to confirming or refuting theory, refining or adding to existing theory, or expanding theory by providing new knowledge about the application of theory to understand the whys and complex nature of human behavior, as well as the intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation for behavior. Without the application of research and statistics, psychology may not exist.
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Dr. Steven Whitaker – Posted on July 26, 2020
An organizational climate of change is the context that accompanies or is conducive to change whether developmental, transitional, or transformational change. Within organizations, this climate of change is instrumental for change as lens through which organizational members form perceptions of practices, policies, and procedures that encourage, support, and value change-related behavior. As it turns out, a climate of change is a method to motivate organizational members change-related behavior. Interestingly, a climate of change is also the foundation that connects organizational members during difficult times of change.
Change is unavoidable, nearly constant and represents the intrinsic nature of development within organizations. On the one hand, change is a significant step in strategic planning, and on the other, a complicated process. For instance, as noted in the research literature, there is a 75% failure rate for change initiatives and projects within organizations. Incidentally, during periods of change to address this failure rate, it is fundamental for organizational members to be knowledgeable of their climate of change to adopt new change-related behavior that facilitate change. Thus, during these periods of change, when change is more than the exception, organizational members’ aptitude to change behavior has become increasingly significant in order to transform organizations from the current to the desired state.
How to Develop an Organizational Climate of Change
The development of organizational climates of change can occur through the use of theory. Using a theory provides a theoretical orientation to understand and change human behavior. Depending on the preference there are various theories to use for developing organizational climates of change.
Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Abilities, and Reinforcement (ADKAR) Model
The ADKAR model is a theory based on both individual and organizational. At the individual and organizational levels, this model is applicable for change for individuals and the entire system of organizations. In this model, there are five phases to plan, implement, and execute change within organizations; however, there is no need to progress through these phases to develop an organizational climate of change. Instead, what needs to occur is to identify the reasons for the change, develop the concepts and designs for any desired change, implement the change, and evaluate post-implementation change as organizational members transition through the five phases elements. Last will be to develop an initial awareness task force to bring attention to how organizational members may transition through each phase at the same rate to develop an organizational climate of change. Then continue through the five phases to implement change.
8-Step Change Model
The 8-step change model is a theory based on changing individuals’ behavior by connecting with their emotions. In this model, there are three-phase of eight steps through which to implement change and transform organizations from the current to the desired state. In this model, it is only necessary to progress through the first phase of the first three steps, establish a sense of urgency, form a guiding coalition, and create a vision to develop an organizational climate of change. Then continue through the other two phases of five steps to implement change.
Change Management Model
The change management model is a theory based on the transformation of human behavior and organizations. In this model, there are three stages to change human behavior and organizational practices, policies, and procedures to fit current societal and organizational standards and lend support for interventions for managing organizational members’ perceptions of change. In this model, it is only necessary to progress through the unfreeze stage to develop an organizational climate of change. Then continue through the other stages to implement change.
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Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on July 24, 2020
Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology is an applied discipline focused on the scientific study of organizations and the human behavior in organizations. The origins of I/O psychology date back to the early 20th century based on the works of Hugo Münsterberg (1863–1916), James Cattell (1860–1944), Lillian Gilbreth (1878–1972), Robert Yerkes (1876–1956), Walter Bingham (1880–1952), and Walter Dill Scott (1869–1955). Through their work, such as when Münsterberg published his book Psychology and Industrial Efficiency (1910), regarded as the first textbook of I/O psychology, these individuals developed the structure and tone of I/O psychology; which, became a sub-field of psychology.
Industrial Psychology and Organizational Psychology
I/O psychology is a combination of the distinct areas of industrial (I) psychology and organizational (O) psychology. The I represents the industrial side of I/O psychology; which, concerns the personnel of organizations. Particular study areas within the I include job analysis, performance evaluation, talent management, and training. The O represents the organizational side of I/O psychology; which, concerns the social and psychological context of organizations. Particular study areas within the O include human behavior (individuals and groups), culture, leadership, and organizational development, effectiveness, and change. As a result, Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologists utilize both the I and the O to develop initiatives to maximize workplace psychological well-being and organizational, departmental, and individual development.
Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychologists
I/O psychologists are scientist-practitioners who use the scientific method to design and execute research within organizations by making observations for the intended purpose of describing and measuring human behavior and investigating issues and problems that affect organizations. I/O psychologists apply their knowledge of human behavior and the scientific method to design and execute empirical research to understand behavior to develop solutions to critical issues and problems that occur within organizations. As scientist-practitioners, I/O psychologists are positioned to leverage psychological principles and theory to solve real-world problems and inform theory about the best practices for I/O psychology. Additionally, I/O psychologists design and execute research as professors (assistant/associate) in academic positions at colleges and universities and private institutions to better understand behavior in organizations and develop changes in the world of work to reduce global poverty.
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Dr. S. Steven Whitaker Ψ 