E-ORGS AND GROUP BEHAVIOR
This article I am covering most important aspects of E-Org. that is Decision making, and communication. Already severalprofessional organizations are successfully implementing all the aspects of E-Org.
DECISION MAKING
The traditional approach taken in OB when discussing decision making needs to be modified for e- organization ,Exactly what those modifications should be are not yet fully clear .However, we offer two projections.
First, individual decision-making models are likely to become increasingly obsolete .E- organizations are typically team-based communities .So group decision making models will offer greater relevance.
Second, the thoughtful rational models of decision making--- which dominate the management literature –will be replaced by action models .There are no proven business models for e-organizations .Success goes to firms that value experimentation –those that utilize trial and error, are able to gather data quickly and assimilate it, and who can accept failure and learn from it.
E- organizations don’t have the luxury of trying to fine-tune decisions in search of perfection E-organizations make decisions with often very limited information and, as a result don’t fear making mistakes .Decision in e-organizations are in a continual flux, with past choices being continually modified and even discarded And routine decision programs are essentially useless because few of the decisions that need to be made have been encountered before. So not only do decisions in e-orgs need to be made fast, they have to be made based on little previous experience .This, of course ,increases the probability of errors and the need to be able to recover fast from mistakes and move on.
COMMUNICATION
E- organizations are rewriting the rules of communication .Because they’re designed around comprehensive ,integrated information networks, traditional hierarchical levels no longer constrain communication. E-organization allow, even encourage ,individuals to communicate directly without going through channels .Employees can communicate instantly anytime. with anyone, anywhere .These open communication systems break down historical status hierarchies .They make obsolete interpersonal communication concepts such as the distinction between formal and informal networks ,nonverbal communication and filtering .They also define how activities such as meetings, negotiations, supervision, and “water cooler” talk are conducted .For instance, virtual meetings allow people in geographically dispersed locations to meet regularly. Moreover, it’s now easier for employees in San Franciso and Singapore to covertly share company gossip than those off-line employees who work two cubicles apart .And employees in a number of industries even have Web sites that are coming electronic grapevines.. Young lawyers are going to www.greedyassociates.com to gripe about working condition and pay. Truckers are comparing rigs and routes on www.truckinlife.com .and flight attendants share gossip at www.insidetheweb.com.
The downside of this open communication network is communication over load. A recent poll found that the average US workers receives five phones calls, 36 e-mails .18 pieces of mail. and 18 in-house memos daily .He or she also reads 13 Post-It messages ,14 faxes , and listens to 23 voice mail or cell phones messages .These frequent incoming communication interruptions cost employees valuable time, erode their ability to concentrate , and can negatively effect their work productivity .