Influence of People and Structure in an Organizational Setting

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Abstract
As every organization strives to achieve its various goals, there are a number of factors that influence such ability. The structures and the people within an organization are a major factor that influences the ability of an organization to achieve her projected goals. It is of paramount importance that the structures within an organization are in such a way that they are aligned towards achievement of projected goals. Employees in an organization also play an important role and form the backbone of the success of every organization. One of the main reasons why organizations struggle to achieve their goals is failure to strategically place employees in their rightful positions. A lot of emphasis appears to go towards achievement of the goals without putting proper measures in places to ensure that those responsible are motivated.
Recruitment and training of employees is one of the areas that has left a huge gap in organizational management. Although researches that have been carried over time have helped resolve some of the major problems in organizational managements. Huge gaps and loopholes still exist. For instance, the mentality of employers that the only way to motivate their employees is through money is misplaced. Most organizations will invest heavily in paying hefty salaries neglecting other areas that could easily motivate employees. One such area is the organizational culture. A culture of an organization by and large dictates the values and the environment. If the culture is hostile, it means that it is not possible for employees to work well.
Introduction
Employees and personnel within any organization form the bedrock of the organizational success. More often, a lot of emphasis is put on customer attraction and retention through quality delivery hence satisfaction of the end user. This is always done at the expense and neglect of employees of the organization. Most organization appears to forget that the employees form an important part, as they are the driving force and are the ones who actualize the goals projected. There is a lot of literature that has been written regarding management of personnel in organizations. Though diverse, all this information all boils down to the same point. There is a need to have proper regard for employees of the organization mainly because of the role they play. Even those organizations that appear to have regard for employees, they only concentrate on the reward aspect. Yet, there are various aspects of employee welfare that have a direct bearing on the employee performance. Most organizations do not have proper and conducive working environment (Capelli, 2009). They subject their employees to work in environments that do not motivate them into productivity. Employees must be motivated not only through money but also through organizational culture. Management of employees must also learn to treat employees as rational human beings as opposed to slaves. More often employers establish a relationship of master - slave that has a negative connotation. The people and structures within an organization influence the achievability of the goals set. It is crucial to understand that even when an organization has put in place various strategies aimed at achieving certain projected goals, without the workforce, these goals just remain that, pure theory. The people within an organization, therefore, play a crucial role in helping actualize the goals, aspirations of the organization. This discussion takes an in-depth look on the manner in which people and structures in an organization have a direct bearing on its performance. To help demystify the issue further, the discussion shall take a review of various literatures that have been written regarding the same. The discussion shall engage the thoughts and arguments of different authors regarding the issue of the role and place of employees in organizational success.
Literature Review
In their book Personnel selection in organizations, Bormann and Schmiit (2009) argue that there are a number of issues affecting selection of personnel in organizations. These factors have a direct effect in shaping the direction and practice in organizations. According to the authors of this book, research has played an enormous role in helping identify some of the unmet needs when it comes to selection of personnel in organizations. The authors note that over time, there have been several gaps that have existed and have been left unfilled. This has occasioned a situation where there is need to conduct researches so as to bridge the said gaps. Although research is ongoing, some of the unmet needs have already been identified and measures are already in place to bridge the gaps. The expectations of this is a positive impact on the organizational success as it is ideally meant to ease a great deal some of the processes and procedures undertaken by organizations.
An article by Capelli & Rogovosky (2009) also agrees with Bormann and Schmitt (2009). The argument of the authors of the article asserts that research has been largely fundamental in shaping the practices of personnel selection. In addition, the authors of the article argue that some of the gaps that have previously existed in the field of employment employees are often excluded and decision-making is left to the top organ. Employees are seen as having little or nothing value to give towards an organization's realization of projected goals. Yet they are the ones who are hands on in trying to actualize the theory that has been put on paper regarding the goals of the organization. What follows then is a decision made in their absence and resolutions made. The proposals are therefore viewed as impositions considering that the opinion of employees is not sought. Cappelli therefore reinforces the argument by Bromann and Schmitt (2009) that all stakeholders should be brought on board. According to the authors, when employees are directly involved in decision making in organizations, they tend to have more of a positive attitude. This increases employee performance because they feel that they have a crucial part to play towards the success of the organization.
Katz & Khan (2011) concurs with Capelli (2009) arguing that motivation and involvement of employees is key to high output. For employees to perform well in an organization, they ought to feel that they are part and parcel of the organization. In addition, employees must also feel motivated as this helps to give them morale of working. Whenever employee motivation is mentioned, most organizations associate it with money. Yet, the authors of The Social Psychology of Organizations note that money is not the only employee motivation. There are many other aspects within an organization that can serve to either motivate or de-motivate among employees. The culture of an organization can either motivate or de-motivate employees. An open door policy has been seen as one of the most effective methods of bringing employees on board. This is where the management of an organization creates a forum that allows employees to openl...