University of the Philippines Cebu School of Management BA 251 Organizational Behavior – Section B 1st Trimester, AY 2020-2021 GROUP REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 6 Topics: Future Trends, Issues and Concerns in Organizational Behavior (Students’ Names) In our study in leadership development, different companies were perceived to be challenged to have good performing leaders. Management urges its managers to attend training and to expand one’s horizon. There are also some who would send their managers to school as one the benefits for personal development. There are even some companies who spend a lot of pesos to send their managers outside the country for training and job exposure. All these strategies imply that leadership training and development is indeed important. Why? It is because the leadership process is the most crucial process in an organization. Companies nowadays are willing to invest so that its managers and department heads will be equipped with the right and relevant technical, relational and communication skills. Now the demand for executive education grows and different kinds of learning platforms are emerging. During this pandemic period, several online learning tools existed and have been offered by different organizations which leads us to a conclusion that knowledge is not always learned from the four walls of the class room. The discussion related to PLC or Personal Learning Cloud has been a very common objective. Management encourages its employees to be part of this learning environment which was believed to be the right tool to enhance different managerial skills. Based on one of the group members' experience, PLC is also a good learning environment wherein members of the organization are encouraged to learn and interact together. Few weeks ago, we experienced how this is done. At first it was boring but when the activity concluded, positive responses from leaders were achieved. One of the most interactive parts is when participants are given different challenges and must respond to the challenge based on personal involvement. What is very good with PLC is that an individual will be learning different skills at its own pace. Significant behavioral change was also noticed during the discussion. Meanwhile, quality does not come cheap, it may always come with a cost. In one of the group members’ experience, she just recently heard this from the mouth of her child when she was complaining about different clothing brands which are very expensive as it is displayed in department stores. As she said, her child would always remind her that if you want something of good quality then you must spend more. Nonetheless, choosing the right training and development for management and its executives must be selected meticulously. As quality training and development comes with a price, every organization should plan it carefully and ensure that it will be applied and would subsequently be of great advantage in order to attain the organization’s objectives. Usage of Smartphones in the Workplace We can’t deny that in this generation, smartphones are somehow part of our basic needs. As the world reaches the digital age, all basic processes for a person to live are embedded into technology especially on our mobile phones. We need our smartphones everywhere we go. Be it at home, in school and even at work. As of 2020 there are 79.05 million Filipinos who rely on smartphones for their daily activities (Sanchez, 2020). An average person will check his/her phone 110 times a day (Wallaston, 2013). Admittedly, even ourselves can’t imagine living without smartphones at this time. Meanwhile, despite the sorts of disadvantages of using smartphones in the organizations most of us were allowed to use phones in our respective workplace. The age group that allot a big amount of time for smartphones are the millennials. 50% of the overall workforce of the Philippines are millennials (Cullimor, 2020). So based on the data, the group thinks that it is very common nowadays in the workplace to allow the use of phones, except for those that handle sensitive information, such as some BPOs, Financing Institutions and Banks to name a few. On the other hand, we need to use smartphones in the workplace to be updated immediately in case of emergency or as a leeway to escape from boredom while at work. Admittedly, as employees we believe that bringing smartphones in the workplace is somehow beneficial, however there are also negative effects if it will not be implemented properly. The primary issue of using smartphones in the workplace is the disruption of productivity. In one group member’s experience, doing some work and needing to finish a process in order to continue, he uses his phone as past time while waiting for the process to be finished. But once he uses his phone, his focus on the work will be transferred to scrolling in social media or games and somehow forgot the time even if the process has already finished. He also observed that most of his workmates are also doing the same way especially on playing games during work hours, but the management is seemingly okay with this provided that employees would be able to meet its corresponding deadlines. Another example given by one of the group members was that, using a smartphone at work could also disrupt a workmate's attention. This happens particularly when the user finds out an interesting news or post and upon knowing it, when the user couldnt contain his/her emotion he/she tends to share the event/news to his/her workmates. This type of discussion could last longer and eventually could cause a decline in productivity. Using a smartphone in the workplace can also affect one’s expense budget. Since most of the work tends to be very tiring and stressful you might need something to relieve from it. Nowadays, social media is stacked with ads like online shopping, so when you scroll and you see a variety of trending items including foods and beverages or whether it could be items you’ve been wanting to have, due from stress, then it would most likely result in impulsive buying. Insights It is worthy to ponder that over time studies on the aspect of organizational behavior is evolving. There have been interesting developments in the organizational life from the past and undeniably, it will continue to evolve in the future. We have learned from this week’s topic that there’s a great need to recognize and understand the transformation of organization’s behaviors amidst the trend of technology. We have observed that as organizational behavior becomes diverse and complex, we must also welcome the fact that more innovations will emerge in the future that could make or break an organization’s performance objectives. Ultimately, whether we like it or not, there’s great need to be responsive to the changes of phenomena. Corporate leaders must design programs as well as enrichment of human capital that would benefit both employees and the company. Including utilization and strategizing resources available at hand. Moreover, given the pervasiveness of the use of technology, it is relevant to implement an environment that encourages efficiency especially to millennials for them to thrive and contribute. The use of technology may cause harm more than the benefits to the company if not implemented wisely. As there may be imminent threat to employee’s job performance especially when the attention and focus of the employee towards their work will be diverted. Nevertheless, usage of technology could also be a tool for enriching a company’s performance objectives if implemented effectively in the workplace. As future corporate leaders, there must be assessment and setting of rules that must be upheld for the company to restrict the use of technology for personal matters on working hours while encouraging usage of technology that would most likely leverage employees productivity and efficiency at work. How will it be done? Apparently, it is easier said than done. Given the concept that one size does not fit for all, there should be alignment of rules and regulations in accordance to the respective company’s dynamics and functions. Eventually, this challenge of corporate leaders on the use of technology at work, may become complicated in the future that is why being proactive at the current situation while recognizing what may come ahead is essential right at this moment. Hence, it is very crucial to understand characteristics especially of millennials in order to provide a workplace to which these sectors of employees will be motivated to obtain their optimum potential. Conclusion It is indeed essential for an organization to be responsive. Innovation becomes certain in the foreseeable future that is why there is also a substantial need to foster positive work and personal outcomes among employees amidst integration. We have learned that we must uphold rational thinking about the change in phenomenon and establish productive ways to continue to learn about the behavior of individuals within the organization and also to the organization as a whole. In this study, we learned that the past years in setting up job design may not be what it is now and what it will be in the future but the issues and research from the past has contributed greatly in the transformation of organizational behavior today. As we believe that the journey is more important than the destination, the indispensable thing to ponder in this study of the future of organizational behavior is that it has transformed to where it was and the challenges and adversities provide avenues for growth to where it will be in the future. What it was may not be the same as what it will be and somehow along the journey, challenges and adversities may come across, but how we are able to surpass it and the learnings we gained from those setbacks will pave the way for the organization in cultivating a better and effective work environment. References: ● Pitichat, T. (2013). Smartphones in the workplace: Changing organizational behavior, transforming the future. LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University, 3(1), 13. ● Sanchez, M. J. (2020). Number of smartphone users in the Philippines from 2015 to 2019 with a forecast until 2025. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/467186/forecast-of-smartphone-users-in-thephilippines/ ● Wallaston, V. (2013). How Often Do You Check Your Phone? MailOne. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2449632/How-check-phoneThe-average-person-does-110-times-DAY-6-seconds-evening.html ● Cullimor, R. (2020). Filipino Millennials Are Changing The Workplace. Manila Recruitment. Retrieved from https://manilarecruitment.com/manila-recruitmentarticles-advice/filipino-millennials-changingworkplace/#:~:text=It's%20said%20that%20by%202020,will%20shoot%20up%20to %2075%25. ● Kim, S. (2018). Managing millennials’ personal use of technology at work. Harvard Business Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2017.11.007 ● Moldoveanu, M. & Naravandas, D. (2019). The Future of Leadership Development. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/03/educating-the-nextgeneration-of-leaders ● O’Connor, D. (2001). The organizational behavior future search. Journal of Management Education, 25(1), 101–112. ● Oldham, G. R., & Hackman, J. R. (2010). Not what it was and not what it will be: The future of job design research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(2–3), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.678 ● Pitichat, T. (2013). Smartphones in the workplace: Changing organizational behavior, transforming the future. LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University, 3(1), 13.
