Birkman Team Strengths Reflection Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Birkman Team Strengths Reflection - Case Study Example This report is prepared with the aim of evaluating the strengths, diversity, motivation factors and effectiveness of a team from the point of view of organizational behavior through the use of the Birkman Assessment framework. Teams are essential components of any organization. The functioning of individual teams in a company adds up to form the total capability of an organization in terms of performance, efficiency and effectiveness. It is essential to capitalize on the diversity, personality and strengths of the teams within a company to ensure that the company is able to attain the maximum possible performance targets. Developing an understanding of the present situations and dynamics of the teams operating within a company can be greatly advantageous for the overall organizational setting and culture and fro developing future organization behavior strategies and solutions within a business. A team consisting of four to six members is selected and analyzed through the use of the organizational focus based on color bars and the interest based grid coordinates developed by the Birkman international Inc. This analysis encompasses an identification and evaluation of the motivations, strengths, weaknesses, diversity as well as the areas of interest and lack within the team. This helps to gauge the effectiveness and capacity of the team to perform in a value adding manner as well as add to the overall capabilities and performance levels of the organization (Gundry, Kickul and Prather, 2004, p.44). An understanding and insight into the different types of factors that directly or indirectly impact the behavior and capability of a team helps a company to promote innovation, foster creativity, improve the organizational performance levels and take suitable business and corporate decisions (Thompson, 2003, pp.96-109). The Birkman’s lifestyle grid of

The Lawrence Textile Strike, known as the Bread and Roses strike Essay

The Lawrence Textile Strike, known as the Bread and Roses strike - Essay Example The paper tells that for many decades, Lawrence has been one of the most important centres of textile manufacturing in USA. In 1900s, the textile industry in the area was well developed. The American Woollen Company ‘owned the mils in Lawrence and employed approximately 40,000 people’. In the context of the industrial revolution, the company decided to proceed to the mass replacement of skilled workers with un-skilled workers, the compensation of whose could be quite low, compared to the skilled workers. At the same time, the rents in the buildings where the workers were staying, were continuously increased leading the workers to severe concerns in regard to their capability of covering their basic needs. Workers in other regions were also suffered similar problems. The owner of the mills, the American Woollen Company, had no intention to step back in regard to the demands of the workers, as it was made clear through its reaction to the workers’ efforts. The reluc tance of the company to provide fair wages, to keep the working hours stable and to ensure health and safety in the workplace has led to the development of the Lawrence Textile strike, known as the ‘Bread and Roses’ strike, the success of which was just temporary, as explained below. The union that joined the workers, the Industrial Workers of the World, has failed in securing the duration of the strike’s benefits, a fact that led to the decrease of the union’s power globally.... At the same time, the rents in the buildings where the workers were staying, were continuously increased leading the workers to severe concerns in regard to their capability of covering their basic needs (Brenner et al. 2009). Workers in other regions were also suffered similar problems. The owner of the mills, the American Woollen Company, had no intention to step back in regard to the demands of the workers, as it was made clear through its reaction to the workers’ efforts. The reluctance of the company to provide fair wages, to keep the working hours stable and to ensure health and safety in the workplace has led to the development of the Lawrence Textile strike, known as the ‘Bread and Roses’ strike, the success of which was just temporary, as explained below. The union that joined the workers, the Industrial Workers of the World, has failed in securing the duration of the strike’s benefits, a fact that led to the decrease of the union’s power gl obally (Greenberg and Watts 2009). 2.2 Key events of the strike - Parties The strike in Lawrence has begun in the 11th January of 1912 by workers in Everett cotton mills (Brenner et al. 2009) as ‘a reaction to the reduction in wages’ (Brenner et al. 2009, p.146). More specifically, the Polish women working in Everett cotton mills noted that their wages in January was further decreased, with no previous notice of the company. The women responded immediately: they left the workplace (Brenner et al. 2009, p.146). Shortly, workers in other regions joined the strike; the union, the Industrial Workers of the World, decided to take initiatives: a letter was sent to the company with the demands of the workers; the company did not respond (Lib organization 2006). The union decided to organize