An organization is a social entity such as an institution or a company comprising one or more people that is structured and managed for a particular purpose (Saks, A. 2011). According to the GM case study, an organization is described to run into trouble when its management is not well structured and without proper coordination. In the GM case study, the primary organization strength is that the management made a timely move to add more investigators to the team for quick identification of the problem and permanent solution to be worked on. Weaknesses of the organization are seen to be hesitation in raising and reporting issues when they arise. Almost none of the organization member is ready to take up responsibility, thinking it is someone else’s.
Organizational Modeling
The organizational model has it that it is difficult for members to observe or implement measures to change their mode of action and behavior for something they don’t see (Kreitner, M. 2002). An organization is one entity that is affected adversely by a diverse culture. As the Volukas report has it, culture is the most potent force in an organization. An organization must have strong management that can give direction to the workforce in times of crisis. Whenever there are issues, the proper protocol must be followed to address the problem in the organization.
Other Models and Differences
The supportive model is entirely focused on organization management in giving the employees or workforce a conducive environment to meet their individual and organizational goals. Under a supportive behavioral model, the whole scope is based on leadership and not money or authority. It means that the workforce of an organization is given the appropriate environment to grow and achieve their goals. In the GM crisis and leadership, the supportive behavioral organization model is seen to be partially met by the workforce. Members don’t fully resume their responsibility in executing duties. They believe that the mandate to take action over individual and organization safety was someone else’s responsibility. However, under this supportive model approach, the management tried to ensure that members have taken individual actions to meet their personal and organizational goals.
The organization is responsible for ensuring the workforce is well endowed with the needed motivation in accomplishing this. On the other hand, the custodian model is based on the economic resources with oversight of the organization management. The workforce is motivated by the security and benefits of the organization.
The collegial model is based on the notion that the management builds a relationship with the workforce and for it to appear that they are partners at the organization rather than the boss and employee kind of relationship. This collegial model makes employees feel recognized and consequently takes personal responsibility and self-discipline. This aspect of leadership was missing in our GM case study.
The supportive organization model focuses on the management, helping the workforce realize their goals and those of the organization. The management makes this possible by ensuring that the employees are endowed by the required moral support (Kreitner, M. 2002). In the GM case study, Mary Barra was committed to ensuring that the employees were responsible enough in ensuring their safety and that of the organization, despite cultural problems that were deeply rooted. The management needed to do this as the top leader of the organization. However, the other organization models, such as collegial and custodian models, would have worked, but based on GM’s set and history, the supportive model was appropriate.
Current Impact of Culture
Culture is a powerful force in both the society and in organizational setups, according to the Volukas report. And this is true. Culture is the social norms and characteristics of people in communities. In other words, this is a way of life people in a given societal set up are used to. Clearly, in the GM set up, there is a seen trend in how people behave and carry themselves about.
This way of life came to affect them adversely, including contributing to the crisis that happened. For instance, despite the ignition switch being a potential threat, for the entire 11 years, nobody showed concern or urgency to address this issue. It happened even when the very switch got to be touched by various people, including engineers and lawyers at the organization. The culture of ignorance and failure to take individual responsibility affected the supportive model put in place by the GM CEO Mary Barra. The same impact of the culture on this supportive model used could potentially have affected the other models used.
Organizational Model uniqueness
The key to organizational success and prosperity is coordination and collective responsibility. Each member of the workforce executing specific duties with personal motivation to attaining individual and organization goals. This is what organizational model advocates for. However, the GM case study has not been lived up to. The spirit of coordination and togetherness is not among organization members. The workforce is deliberately ignoring primary responsibility and consequently leading to a crisis.
Motivational Models
According to (Nicholson, 1977), motivational models have it that individuals are well understood when their needs are met. In other words, employees behave differently according to how they are treated. The motivational models might have shifted a bit according to the GM case study. Some 15 members of the workforce are fired for a slight mistake of not complying with some regulations. Their needs were not listened to, and grievances attended. It is thus apparent that the motivation model has genuinely shifted.