How to Cultivate Organizational Effectiveness

Creating a sense of teamwork within an organization can help increase effectiveness.

To cultivate organizational effectiveness, different elements need to work efficiently within the structure. Communication skills are vital, as well the ability to identify individual strengths. An organization is most effective when it has strong leadership components, as well as various contingency plans created for times when the organization needs to adapt. The more cohesive an organization is, the more effective it remains, even when deviating from normal operating conditions.

Instructions

1. Make a list of all personnel and write down each person's strengths. Determining the strengths of the organization's members can be a tool to determining effectiveness. When you understand which members of your organization can handle pressure, for example, you might put them in charge of divisions or departments that require those strengths. In addition to knowing strengths, organizational effectiveness also requires knowing weaknesses. The same person who can handle pressure might not have an understanding of how to handle the emotions of others. Part of understanding strengths is cultivating self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is individual awareness of what a person can accomplish. It is vital when cultivating organizational effectiveness that each member of the team understands his limits. By understanding what a person can or cannot do, personnel can be given tasks which they can best handle.

2. Structure the organization to place those with strengths in handling pressure and being good leaders in leadership positions. As you cultivate your organizational effectiveness, you should examine those in leadership roles. An organization looks to its leaders to help define the goals and milestones within it, as well as be given a clear direction. The vision of an organization starts from the top. Part of leadership is management, and the managers in the organization should be effective team leaders and help the members of the organization efficiently use the materials and resources of the organization to help achieve mission goals.

3. Set up periodic meetings with key personnel to discuss business matters. An element included in cultivating organizational effectiveness is developing interpersonal communication. An organization needs effective communication to thrive. When the members of an organization are taught both how to communicate their needs as well as how to listen to the needs of others, they make the organization stronger and more effective. Distribute important aspects from the meeting to all personnel, either through company emails or bulletin boards.

4. Set up contingency plans whenever conditions begin to change, either within the organization or outside the organization.For an organization to operate effectively, the members of that organization need to be able to adapt. Conditions always change and developing ways to adapt to the changes improves effectiveness. Part of cultivating adaption is clearly communicating the need for the adaptation to take place. Some workers aren't comfortable with change and when a company adapts to new technologies, the employees can feel their job security is threatened. By helping these workers adapt and change, the organizational effectiveness is increased when it's able to use the new technology to help achieve the leadership vision.

References

• Mind Fitness Training Institute: What Sets MMFT Apart?
• TCC Group: Organizational Effectivness: The Four Core Capacities; Peter York, November 2005
• Construction Equipment Distribution: Ten Ways to Help Employees Adapt to Change; Christine Corelli, November 2009
• V3: IT Staff Must Adapt to Changing Business Environments; Dan Worth, February 2011
• "Entrepreneur": Training Motivation in Organizations: An Analysis of Individual-Level Antecedents