Organizational Development & Human Resources Term Paper

Organizational Development & Human Resources - Term Paper Example As such, the topics which will be analyzed relate to performance evaluations, successful management, treatment of difficult situations, and issues relating to recruiting and compensation. The first concept that this student would like to discuss relates to the issue of performance evaluations. Whereas the performance evaluation is an oft dreaded part of many jobs, the key concepts that were learned within the class helped this student to approach the issue with a new mindset. The fact of the matter is that performance reviews are not in and of themselves a negative; rather, employees have been conditioned to think so due to a number of factors. The first and most prescient of these, as has been demonstrated within class, is the fact that the performance review process is often ignored up until the very last minute. In this way, the employee oftentimes has positively no indication of how their performance has been gauged for the entirety of the period in question. Accordingly, what th is affects is a situation in which dread is the primary emotion with which the employee greets the process (Muller 2009). However, as the readings and course work have demonstrated, a far superior model whereby to engage employee and/or shareholder buy in within such a process is to make the entire performance review process something that is straightforward, clearly enumerated, and transparent. In this way, the element of the unknown is removed as the employee is able to engage with the employer (and vice versa) as a means of understanding the extent to which obligations, goals, and metrics were met during the period in question. Rather than seeking to fundamentally redefine the performance review process, the best model of improvement is contingent upon all parties involved keeping clear lines of communication open throughout the period so that when the review comes up, no clarifications will be necessitated. The role of management within a given firm or organization is a topic th at has encouraged a great many professionals and writers to expound upon better and more sophisticated models. Yet, as has been learned within this particular class, there is not a definitive definition of correct management; rather, there is a litany of examples of incorrect management. Such is the case due to the fact that the field of management and managerial practice is so broad and nuanced as a result of the host of different personalities that different managers bring to the process. Moreover, the fact that there are clearly discernible incorrect management practices is more helpful in guiding and directing the practitioner towards methods and applications that would minimize these incorrect practices and steer the process back towards a more appropriate direction. By means of understanding this, the reader/researcher and/or student can and should understand that although a litany of best practices are existent within the realm of management, the best method of directing the proper application thereof within the current workplace is to ensure that the smaller subset of negative management practices are avoided at all costs. These include but are not limited to: micromanagement, hands off approaches, the development of non-professional employee-boss relationships, unhealthy power dynamics, and many, many others. As a way of being mindful and understanding

The IAT Demonstration Tests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The IAT Demonstration Tests - Essay Example However, it is hard to know if this actually measures what it says it measures, as the responses were so quick and I made a few mistakes because I got confused about which button corresponded to which category. It was interesting to complete the tests, however, and I am definitely pleased with my results.  The Understanding Prejudice links were surprising in a way because it completely categorized every type of prejudice, and it is sometimes hard to remember that there are so many different types in the world. When I think of prejudice my mind automatically goes to racism and homophobia, but the links about genocide, anti-semitism, and stigmatization were definitely interesting. Some of the links about sexism were troubling particularly because this seems to be a type of â€Å"hidden† discrimination, as women are generally considered to be equal, but when we really think about it and use the information in the links, this turns out not to be true. It is interesting to see ho w often homophobia and related prejudice is linked to religion, but this type of attitude is also a type of prejudice (grouping all religious people together) in itself. Overall, there is a lot of value although I would have liked to have more information about the treatment of disabled people, people with mental illness and those from other â€Å"sexualities† that were not often mentioned.