Organisational behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisational behaviour - Assignment Example Planning is thus an ability to improve the condition, which could include increasing market share or enhancing profits. It thus suggests that planning is a primary management function aimed at achieving organizational goals and objectives. 2.0 The Planning Environment Every business, regardless of size, must develop a comprehensive plan which would force the management to think of the realties to be faced in the business world (French, Kelly and Harrison, 2004). This should have well-defined format and parts. This conforms to Valdehueza’s (2009) definition that goals are a desired future state that the organization focuses on while plans are the blueprint that specifies the resource allocation, schedules and actions necessary to achieve the intended goals. Organizational goals, mission and objectives symbolize legitimacy to the external stakeholders while plans motivate the employees to perform action, thereby reducing uncertainty. 3.0 Benefits of Planning The benefits of plan ning range from economic benefits to adaptive thinking and can also include integration and control (Appiah-Adu, Morgan and Katsikeas, 1996). Planning benefits could either be utilitarian or psychological in nature. The Utilitarian benefits are the planning capabilities that manifest in enhanced organizational processes, acquisition of knowledge-based skills and coordination of strategic activities (Appiah-Adu, Morgan and Katsikeas, 1996). Psychological benefits demonstrate the values and perceptions of management. The psychological benefits include enhanced morale, motivation and commitment by the employees to the strategic plans drawn up by the management. This is specially perceived in change management when the management the planned the change process before the actual change takes place. Mergers and acquisitions can have a demoralizing effect on employees but with the right planning the objectives of change can me met and resistance overcome. Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries p lc (W&DB) UK took over two breweries within twelve months which resulted in considerable downsizing and closing down of some units (Pollitt, 2006). This can lead to demoralizing of staff resulting in reduced productivity. However, W&DB had strategically planned the change process and could overcome the resistance within a short period of time. The goal of the organization was to avoid imbalance, which is generally expected in any change, with the right organizational strategy. Through transparency, effective communication, removal of management trappings and employee involvement they could achieve the desired goal. They could achieve this because the change process was planned much before the actual change took place. 4.0 Long-Term Planning As uncertainty manifest in the modern business enterprise formal strategic planning took shape in organizations. The purpose of strategic planning is to rationalize and articulate the process of integrated decision making among firms. Planning ca n be strategic or operational where strategic planning pertains to long-term planning and operational to short-term planning. A study of ninety-seven small firms in central Iowa, in the USA was conducted to evaluate the planning/performance relationship (Shrader et al cited in French, Kelly and Harrison, 2004). The study found that planning and performance are