Secrets to Organizational Efficiency, or Marketing Positive Behavior?

A Commentary on the Article Three Secrets of Organizational Effectiveness

Cindy Nguyen
GMGT 1010 University of Manitoba

Secrets to Organizational Efficiency, or Marketing Positive Behavior?

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Introduction
Davis and Newtons article Three Secrets of Organizational Success suggests
that three practices of pride building are essential to ensuring positive motivation of
employees in the workforce, which ultimately result in a more efficient workplace
overall. The three practices are listed as (1) giving more autonomy to frontline workers,
(2) clearly explaining to staff members the significance and value of everyday work, and
(3) providing better recognition and rewards for employee contributions. The items listed
here can be seen as an extension from the proposals of Management 2.0, with the
proposed indication that the study of neuroscience and psychology serves as reasonable
evidence for the proposed items. With the good intensions of the article aside, it is noted
that the article provides no actual empirical evidence for their claims of any sort, nor do
they present any numerical figures suggesting the economic feasibility of the proposed
practices of micromanagement. Therefore it can be said that, while the article does
indeed make a strong point, it simply states an obvious point in virtue without adequate
scientific/psychological studies, and economic feasibility.
Service& (formerly Booz & Company) and PwC
The magazine to which Davis & Newtons article was published in is Strategy&,
which is a company that provides services of advice to other business growth and
development. Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) was recently acquired by PwC
Corporations, which is a corporation whos primary objectives are to seek business
solutions and act as a network for major industries including raw resources and
pharmaceuticals. The article published here, by Strategy& serves in conjunction to
support their parent companys outcomes, particularly providing examples from the
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pharmaceutical department. This does not necessarily represent the entire workforce
well, but appears to shift accountability on department/sector managers, instead of the
administration of a company.
Contributing factors of psychological motivation & a representative sample of the
workforce
This article studies the behavior of a higher-earning group of individuals in the
workforce. There is a problem with this, in which particularly, the contrast of this subject
can be seen in a local grocery market. The customer service experienced at the pharmacy
counter is notably more constant than what would be observed from a deli counter. The
managers all use the same tactics of motivation, at least from the Safeway that I work at.
Not only are there more tasks that come from one department than the other, but
ultimately, at the end of the day the major overall contrast in these two subjects are that
the workers from one department will come home to more financial obligations and
concerns than the other. Resultantly, the argument made by Newton and Davis therefore
consists of a bias in their case study, which suggests thats effectiveness it is not
representative of the entire workforce, as a whole.
An academic study of the subject discussed, that is, psychological incentives to
positively motivate workers, would assess the impact of all related factors scientifically
and economically. The study should present numerical evidence that the suggested
theory is both economically feasible for a wider range of the work force (i.e. broader
range of workers income), with associated figures related to performance in order to
demonstrate the relevance of each associated category (i.e. boosting morale, imitation
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neuroscience, the costs of providing employee recognition). Without associated practice
and results (in terms of figures), the argument is simply a theory, with little viability.
Conclusion
The authors Davis & Newton both bring up a perfectly valid suggestion to the
practice of management in the workforce incorporating pride building and consideration
of imitation neuroscience. While these authors present their arguments effectively, they
do not provide any means of evidence of scientific validity, practice design proposals, nor
do they assess the economic feasibility associated with the associated claims and
suggestions. Readers should also be mindful of the industry to which this articles
magazine is associated with, PWC, which includes industries such as pharmaceuticals
and research and development in life sciences. With the corporations overall industrial
practices, it is not an unreasonable claim to suggest that the non-profit published article
serves to promote for further funding and development in the sectors psychological
sciences department, whilst upholding the companys mission of providing business
strategic advice in management practices and business solutions.