Human Relations Theory and Organizational Performance Essay

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KELLY Youth Services is a non-profit organization that operates group homes in Ohio. It was founded by a former NFL player, Joe Kelly, a first-round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. The organization focuses on providing support and empowerment for youths and the community as a whole. The mission of the organization is “to educate, stimulate and motivate youth into becoming self sufficient, responsible and employable citizens in the community” (KELLY Youth Services, 2016). KELLY Youth Services is designed “to assist in the rehabilitation of its residents by providing a structured disciplined environment based upon basic behavioral principals, educational standards, counseling, treatment care and role modeling” with the goal being to “increase each resident’s likelihood of becoming successful independent productive adults” (KELLY Youth Services, 2016).

Organizational Theories

Human Relations Theory and Social Exchange Theory can explain KELLY Youth Services by focusing on the motivation of employees (inspired by a social good, as identified by Human Relations Theory) but also by the negotiation of an exchange so that it is a win-win situation for all parties (as is explained by Social Exchange Theory). KELLY can be understood in the light of these two theories because it offers individuals with a civic mind who want to give back to the community the opportunity to assist youths in need. It also enables workers to benefit from their service by giving them experience, training, and the tools needed to develop their own social work skills.

Human Relations Theory states that attitudes of workers and stakeholders, relationships and style of leadership are all instrumental in how well an organization performs. The key concept of the theory is the aspect of “human”—i.e., what aspects of the human are instrumental in making the workplace efficient (O’Connor, 1999). The theory holds that while employees will always be incentivized by financial reward (pay, salary, bonuses, etc.), they are not wholly motivated by this alone. There are, in other words, numerous social factors or variables that also play a part in how hard an employee will work to achieve the organization’s goals. These variables include: 1) having a sense of belonging, 2) taking pride in one’s work, 3) receiving praise and positive feedback, 4) having the ability to enjoy feelings of success. The key concepts of this theory are that individuals should feel like they have a social benefit to their work, one that is both personal and relational. This theory helps an organization to focus on human capital.

Social Exchange Theory states that the key concepts of relationships are self-interest and interdependence. These two variables are what determine how interactions are effected. This theory asserts that social behavior is the result of a give-and-take phenomenon that can be described in terms of a cost-benefit ratio. The theory asserts that rewards and costs are what determine relationship or workplace decisions, and so outcomes may be both social and economic in nature (Lambe, Wittmann, Spekman, 2001).

These two theories apply to KELLY Youth Services’ functions, rules and procedures in terms of how the organization views its role in the community and how workers there respond to the needs of youths in the community.

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Human Relations Theory explains how KELLY encourages individuals to work for the organization by calling on people who have skills in tutoring and/or various therapy treatments. The theory explains how the organization puts the needs of its clients first and supports workers by providing them with positive feedback for making a difference in young people’s lives, via praise, and via relationships established in the workplace.

Social Exchange Theory explains how KELLY provides benefits to workers for their commitment to the organization and to the The functions that KELLY provides to youths requires 24-hour care, and in order to secure workers for 2nd and 3rd shifts, the organization offers benefits to workers that provide them with personal incentives for working these hours. Since the organization is a group home, the organization recognizes that workers want incentives such as health care to work with the youths, and this trade-off is explained by the social exchange theory.

KELLY and the Structure Continuum

The organization is structured to fall on both ends of the continuum by offering both structured continuum and unstructured continuum options. In terms of structured, it is more on the functional end of the continuum than on the project end, which means it is oriented towards providing services that individuals can access rather than tailoring and developing a specific project for a client (Goubko, 2002). KELLY aims to provide individual youths with the right therapy that they need, but this is often delegated to counselors who possess experience in dealing with particular issues. The organization’s standard programs that it offers are maternity-oriented, adult services, transitional living services, and youth mentorship to facilitate life goal development.

In terms of unstructured, the organization’s focus on human individuality and well-being on one end of the continuum is balanced by its focus on objective, efficient completion of tasks on the other end. KELLY wants every client to reach his or her potential and to that end, it focuses on the unique needs and talents of the individual and identifies ways that the client can grow. For this reason, it seeks to promote individual workers who are dedicated to this pursuit. At the same time, it wants to achieve real results with tangible effects, so there is also a focus on measuring outcomes and monitoring development.

Diversity

The two theories used herein both attend to diversity issues well enough: Human Relations Theory identifies that different individual workers and clients from different backgrounds will celebrate meaning in different ways. The organization embraces diversity and seeks to let individuals define their own terms of success within a larger overall accepted framework that is socially approved within the

Social Exchange Theory also supports diversity in terms of how it explains this organization. KELLY Youth Services offers workers incentives to be committed to the organization’s aims and practices, and the programs that are offered to the public will not work unless they are assisted by real professionals who are dedicated to the job. The….....

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