POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

both academicians and business managers by trying to anticipate the possible future changes and trends in the field of organizational behavior.

Keywords: Organizational behavior, Future trends.

1. POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Over the years, the business world has seen various changes such as the increase in competition and the changing consumer demands. This, in turn, has led to various other changes in the structure of the organizations and the management styles as well. Apart from this, as the technology has become more advanced, various other changes have been observed in the work processes and the work systems. The advancements in technology have specially created a major impact on the methods of communication that are used in the work place environment. For instance, a few decades ago, the organizational structures were mainly based on very strong and strict hierarchy systems which had a very strong line of command. In such structures, there is very little or no room for flexibility for the employees. As a result, the work processes become very routine and the managing authorities play a very controlling and authoritative role in the work setting.

However, in the present time, the importance of flexibility has been realized for the business environment. The organizational structures of the present time are therefore based on much more flexible work methods and systems. This is particularly helpful as the dynamics of the business world have also changed (Kickul & Lyons, 2020). That is, there is a higher level of uncertainty in the market which is caused by factors such as the changing market trends, shifts in the economy or because of the high level of competition in the market (Kundu, Sarkar & Bhattacharya, 2020).

With each passing day, the level of uncertainty continues to increase as new players continue to enter the market and the preferences of the customers continue to change (Darvishmotevali,

Altinay & Köseoglu, 2020). The organizations are therefore required to use contingent work systems and processes which can help the company in adjusting to the changing factors of the economy. In the future, it is expected that the structures shall be therefore based on much more flexible structures.

A particular type of organizational structure which can be adopted by the organizations is the matrix structure. In this organizational format, the structure of the company is based on a hierarchy which is divided according to the product or project teams (Goś, 2015). The matrix organizational structure is flexible and is believed to be comparatively more favorable for effective communication and improved work performance of the employees as well (Egelhoff, 2020).

One of the main advantages of using this organizational structure is that it is a combination of two or more types of organizational structures. In this structure, the employees are responsible for reporting to two or more managers that supervise different domains of a project, instead of a single manager supervising the entire project (Goś, 2015). In this structural format, an employee reports to the primary manager along with one or more managers that oversee the project. This allows the managing authorities of the company to monitor and control the work performance of the employees more closely (Egelhoff, 2020).

In the future, organizations that are based on such flexible structures are expected to become more common. Also, it is expected that the methods of communication shall also become more integrated than they are at the present time. One of the main factors which could lead to this development is the fast-paced changes and advancements that are taking place in the field of technology (Sheoran, 2012).

For instance, in the present time, the methods of marketing have changed completely. Ever since the methods of digital marketing and social media marketing have become popular, the old methods of print media marketing have become outdated and are not generally a preferred choice of the marketers. In the present time, the marketers prefer to send messages and notifications to the consumers using instant messages and e-mails as they have become very convenient and cost-friendly.

Also, in the times to come, it is expected that different aspects of augmented reality might get integrated into the methods of communication that we use on a daily basis. This could completely change the way we communicate in the present time (Strickland, 2010). For example, in the future, the augmented-reality systems might allow the people to get a glimpse of the world while sitting at their homes through technological overlay. Also, the use of augmented-reality glasses might also become common in the future to get a close-up view of the distant people or objects.

If such methods of communication can be successfully implemented in the work place environments, the methods of communication would be better able to work from remote locations without sacrificing collaboration among the members of the team. The collaboration of work activities would become even more convenient with the use of such systems as the real- time information can be shared through these systems along with visual information. It is also expected that the use of smart devices would also become very common in the work place which helps to automate and enhance the work processes (Khadonova et al., 2020).

Moving on, considering the fact that in the present time we already have fingerprint scans and retina scans, it is expected that in the future, this technology shall become more advanced and the movement of each and every individual in the workplace can be monitored. This could lead to the collection of important information related to the behavior of people in the work place

and how a certain motion or number of movements can lead to an impact on the performance of the employees.

The use of such systems can help in the performance management and evaluation of the employees. This is because, by using such technologies, the managers would be able to collect reliable information. Based on this information, the managers can then prepare advanced and more specific performance management strategies for the employees.

However, it is important to note that although such systems can help in monitoring the movement and the work activities of the employees, these systems should not be used to reduce the level of flexibility in the workplace. This is because, the lack of flexibility can lead to low creativity as well as poor work performance of the employees (Dai, Chin & Rafiq, 2019). Moving on, the relationships among the employees are also expected to experience an impact as the structure of the organization and the methods of communication become different. A highly integrated and interactive setting is expected in the future work environment, however, it is likely that these employees will be working remotely in the years to come. I believe, that the present coronavirus pandemic situation has highlighted how it is actually possible to shift various work roles and responsibilities to the remote methods of working.

The method of work-from-home can also reduce the costs of the employer as the overhead costs are reduced and the cost of equipment and other work tools and systems is also reduced. Nonetheless, despite the distances, a high level of collaboration is expected among the employees along with frequent communication among them. This would also help to make sure that all employees in the work place are aligned and are working to achieve the same goals (Waizenegger et al., 2020). This is important as it can also lead to other beneficial outcomes for the company, such as improved work performance of the employees.

Moving on, the team structures and behavior of employees in a team are also expected to have an impact. At the present time, a typical team is composed of a group of people that are bound by the organizational structure and function on an ad hoc basis. Teams are therefore required to perform the necessary roles and responsibilities which require collaboration among the team members. As a result, the true spirit of a team and teamwork may or may be present as a crucial organizational principle. Rather, teamwork becomes a behavior pattern which merely helps in collaborating among the team members.

In the future, it is expected that small and flexible teams will be designed in response to the shifting work patterns, methods of working, time frames, and other uncertainties. It is also expected that the businesses will be encouraged to establish simpler and smaller team structures that have a higher level of autonomy.

The formation, action plans and dismantling of the teams might also be at the disposal of the team leaders for smooth transitions and handling of different projects. As a result of autonomy and trust among teammates, the use of such team structures is likely to reduce the need for human capital to form and manage the work performance of different teams in the workplace. Also, considering the fact that the technologies are changing at such a fast pace, a learning environment is likely to be maintained in all organizations. The members of the team and in fact all employees in the organization will have to maintain a learning attitude. This is because of the expectation that in the future, there will be a high demand for enhanced cognitive and technical skills.

Other most sought-after skills might include; digital skills, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and creativity. And considering the fact that technologies are advancing so rapidly

and that the business world is evolving, the employees will be required to consistently review and enhance their digital dexterity to meet the emerging needs.

2. CONCLUSION

The advances in technology, increase in competition, changing preferences and the emerging social trends have created a major impact on the business dynamics. In response, shifts have been observed in the organizational structures and organizational behavior.

For instance, theorganizational structures and management styles have become more flexible to deal with the uncertainties. Simpler and smaller team structures are preferred that are given a higher level of autonomy. A learning environment and higher collaboration among the team members is encouraged and advanced means of communication are being integrated into the work systems.

Overall, the business processes have become highly automated which has helped in improving the work performance. In the future, it is expected that augmented reality might also be used for business communication. It is also expected that even after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, various job posts might be permanently shifted to remote working methods.

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