Abstraction
This research paper looks at the organisational construction of Initech office in the film Office Space. The paper makes mention to the film in analysing organisational behaviour in footings of motive, group kineticss, and organisational construction and civilization. The paper critically analyses these facets. The manner in which these elements have been exposed in the paper is besides brought out.
Plot Summary
The film Office Space revolves around the Initech office where Peter Gibson works. He is an office drone and merely like other employees he hates the humdrum in his life. His attitude towards work is farther altered by the decease of the occupational healer that he used to look up to. When asked to come to work on weekends he responds by describing to work when he feels like, in instance he reports to work on weekends he spends the full clip playing computing machine games and doing different agreement of the office furniture to give himself a better position. The company associates this curious behaviour with good managerial accomplishments, so alternatively of being fired, he is regarded as a possible director. His life is helter-skelter since apart from being suffering with his occupation, his girlfriend is rip offing on him and he happens to hold a really intolerable neighbour ( O’Brien 2006 ) .
Motivation
The on the job environment at Intitech is non contributing. White ( 2006 ) notes, that working conditions have to be favourable so that the employees can experience motivated to work. The writer describes the working environment as soulless. The employees are non proud to be associated with this topographic point. Milton complains that he has to invariably travel to the cellar that is infected by cockroaches yet he no longer receives payroll checks. The on the job environment does non prefer Gibson and his workmates. Although the environment might non be the chief factor as to why these employees hate their workplaces, it is a conducive factor. Milton ‘s act of torching the edifice shows that he loathes the workplace. He was heard stating independently that he would torch the edifice and he did precisely that.
Harmonizing to Leczkowski ( 2007 ) , the occupation of the director is to acquire the work done by the employees. Advocates of the motivational theory are of the position that troughs have the power to actuate their employees. Squire ( 2004 ) suggests that for one to understand the art of motive, it is of import to understand human nature foremost. Foremans determine the grade of motive that the employees are traveling to expose. The four workmates viz. Gibson, Milton, Michael and Samir are invariably harassed by the direction peculiarly Bill Lumbergh, the frailty president. The survey of human nature can be really simple but at the same clip really complicated. The grasp of this facet is of import since it enhances employee motive in the work topographic point. The fact that the frailty president humiliates employees shows that he does non hold the cognition to larn the demands and wants of single employees, this is a de-motivating factor since as Khurana ( 2010 ) confirms, employers who openly show disgust to the employees act as the de-motivating factors. Employees will non execute undertakings good since they do non anticipate congratulations even when they do the work quiet good.
The issue of holding inordinate direction is uncalled for hence the freshly appointed experts are non of import. Firms merely need a individual direction panel to work out the issues environing the company. Employees become confused on whose orders to follow and who ‘s non to. Aniston ( 2010 ) sees the issue of holding more that one director as unneeded unless the house is excessively large to be managed by one trough. There are really many factors in Initech that are non pleasant and this tops the list. Companies that have a simple direction are likely to be more organized than one that is managed by many directors. Effective direction does non depend on the figure of people in the direction squad, instead the accomplishments of those in charge of the direction is what matters most. The facet of functioning two Masterss is difficult ; one has to take what maestro to function. It is hard to delight all of them hence it is of import to do a pick.
Promotion in work topographic points comes approximately after one shows that he or she is ready to manage harder undertakings. It is ironical to see that Gibson is promoted despite his negative attitude towards work, he does non work. Further, he tells Joanna obviously that he hates his occupation. He does non merit a publicity since the qualities that he displays are those of person who is non willing to work. The writer states that he ( Gibson ) spends his clip gazing at his desk alternatively of making the work that he is assigned to make. Any worker looks forwards to the clip when he or she will be promoted. Harmonizing to the Accwl-Team ( 2010 ) 1s attitude towards the occupation assigned play a large roe in finding how the occupation is traveling to be done. One admirations if other employees need to act like Gibson in order to gain a publicity.
Gibson ‘s publicity decidedly acted as a de-motivating factor to those who had been working difficult to be promoted. Such people cease to see the demand to work hard since their attempts are non reinforced, this will decidedly hold a negative consequence to the company. There is no work related virtuousness in Gibson that other employees can copy ; he can be a incubus to any employer. The policies that govern the company can be put into inquiry. The puting off Samir and Michael can non be understood good, they are among the most industrious employees of the company. It is ironical that the experts lay off difficult working employees and promoted a lazy individual who is less concerned about the work. The experts do non see his hapless attending record, indolence and defiance at the work topographic point.
Salary Acts of the Apostless as a motivation factor for employees ( Igbal 2010 ) . Four of Gibson ‘s workmates do non love the work topographic point but since they are paid at the terminal of the month they opt to stay at that place. They complain about the hapless on the job conditions and the torment from the foreman but the issue of wages is non talked about. It is apparent that if this was voluntary work, none of the employees would hold opted to go on working at that place ; therefore the issue of salary Acts of the Apostless a motivation factor that encourages them to go on working since their attempts will be reinforced even if the foreman does non experience that they put a batch of attempt to do things run swimmingly. Gibson realizes that he needs the occupation since he has to pay measures although he hates making so. This makes him non to discontinue his occupation at the minute since he realizes that the wage he earns is really of import.
Gibson feels de-motivated to the point that he starts taking points from work topographic point to show his melancholy. He does non see the demand to go on working since he hates his work and his foreman. He even removes inspirational streamers since he does non experience divine, all he wants is to discontinue working and make nil ( Contreras 2007 ) .
His life long dream of ‘doing nil ‘ motivates him to try to go forth his occupation. At his work topographic point he does non execute the responsibilities assigned, he merely wants to remain idle and make nil this is what he has wanted to make ever. He absents himself from work for no evident ground bespeaking that he does non care about his occupation. Motivational factors depend on how bad we want to achieve our ends ; we follow the way that is reenforcing so as to achieve our ends. The impression of go forthing his work and remaining idle is prompted by the fact that through this, he will recognize his life long dream.
Group Dynamics
Group kineticss are the attitudinal and behavioural features in a group. They can impact organisation public presentation if the employees have negative attitude towards their work topographic point. These groups are common where the employee public assistance is non taken attention of ; this is largely the instance if the direction fails to go to to complains of the employees. Mr. Bill Lumbergh is cruel in the manner he treats his employees, he does non give them the intervention that they deserve. This makes the employees to team up and program to assail the company. Fair intervention of the employees can non take to the formation of groups that protest the direction.
Gibson, Milton, Samir and Michael hate their workplace for different grounds. Gibson hates his work because he hates to work here, Samir gets irritated that no 1 in the company can articulate his last name right, Milton murmurs to himself about how his workmates borrow his ruddy stapling machine and his program to torch the workplace, Michael on the other manus complains that he portions his name with a celebrated vocalist whom he hates. These are personal attitudes of the characters in this film, apart from holding different complains, these persons portion one thing in common ; they hate the company they are working for. They have ailments that they would instead maintain to themselves instead than show them to the direction. This is a consolidative factor that brings them together with the purpose of conveying the company down.
They decide to interfere with the accounting system. They successfully interfere with the system although they end up stealing more than they intended to due to a misplaced denary point. The three come together to convey down the company since they have been oppressed in the yesteryear. The three had agreed to steal a smaller sum but the displaced denary makes them to get more that they could hold of all time wished for. This was a manner of acquiring back with the company direction for the bad intervention that they have tolerated over the old ages. The three besides steal a fabrication facsimile machine and stop up destructing it in the field. They have all faced hard times under the direction hence they see this as a good opportunity to acquire back at the company.
When group kineticss are bounded together by a will make execute societal immoralities, so the driving force is really high. This may hold been impossible if it were one of them who were cabaling to execute such as act. When people are in a group, the motive to set about societal immoralities is really strong since the group members encourage each other, besides the agreement that the group members sign irrespective of the fact that it is unwritten or written farther thrusts them into set abouting the act. Each of the members must demo committedness by at least making something that contributes to the successful completion of the procedure ( Nicoteria & A ; Clinkscales & A ; Walker 2003 ) . The thought behind the formation of such groups is to hold a strengthened brotherhood that works together to carry through set ends.
The three employees were an plus to the company. The writer presents Michael and Samir as among the most industrious people in the company, the fact that they were laid off agencies that the company lost two dedicated employees. The publicity of Gibson was a farther waste of the company resources since he was non up to the undertaking. He hated both his place and the company he worked for hence he could non be lured into working fore the company by advancing him. What he needed was clip off this occupation since there was some other work that he believed he could make better.
The three employees of Initech wanted to see the ruin of the company easy. The virus infected into the system is supposed to deviate merely a little sum of money to their histories. The three were hence non be aftering to derive maximal benefit at one time ; they wanted to convey down the company easy without anyone noticing. In most cases, groups that do non show their sufferings to the direction program such jokes that will enable them to convey down the company so that the direction can experience injuries due to the prostration of such a house. Revenge is the driving force that motivates them to transport out the societal immorality, they are fed up with how the direction has been handling them hence they see this as a good opportunity for the direction to suit into their places. Apart from fiscal addition, the three friends were willing to travel at any length to guarantee that the company is rendered weak in that it will non be in a place to transport out its operations usually, by and large, the three friends wanted to slowly but wholly paralyze the operations of the company. Their engagement was seen as a manner of contending for their right which the company had failed to detect over the old ages.
When employees are driven to destruct the company, the economic system is affected since these persons seldom work towards achieving company ends, the undertakings they perform are completed because they have to but non because of their will. When willingness lacks in an person, so undertakings can non be performed efficaciously. They either fail to work or make the work half heartedly. The formation of such groups serves as a consolidative factor that brings them together to carry through what they set out to make. White ( 2006 ) sees that group kineticss as an effectual manner of showing sufferings and doing demands known to that direction, if the direction fails to mind to that conditions set, so the group can use force to achieve its aims. This is fundamentally because employees are of import in any concern since success and failure of the company mostly depends on them.
Organizational public presentation and productiveness mostly depends on the attitude of group kineticss. If the employees develop a positive attitude towards that direction, so they are likely to bring forth quality work, this is determined by how the employers have been handling them. Employee intervention determines the relationship between employers and employees, if the employees receive just intervention, so it will be easy for them to air concerns when they feel that certain factors are non prefering them. On the other manus, hapless employee intervention is unsafe since employees are likely to organize groups that aim at destructing the company ‘s repute every bit good as interfering with the success of the company. Khurana ( 2010 ) notes that if the employees are comfy at their work topographic points, so organisational public presentation and productiveness will decidedly bring forth positive results.
Organizational Structure and Culture
Effective organisational construction facilitates the working relationships between the key participants in the organisation. Organizational construction refers to the manner that undertakings and subtasks necessary for the formation of a program are arranged. The organisational construction is supposed to give a general thought on who performs given undertakings within the company. The organisational construction of Initech does non look effectual as the employees are non comfy with the work that they are making ( Igbal 2010 ) . It would look like the employees were merely fixed to work in the assorted sections without sing their makings and involvement. This may be the root cause of all complains that the employees were showing.
The organisational construction has non efficaciously handled the issue of a contributing environment for workers. Milton complains that the cellar that he is on a regular basis forced to see is infected with cockroaches. The on the job conditions are non favourable since the Vice president of the company publically harasses some of the employees for no evident ground. The employees are hence under force per unit area since apart from working in hapless conditions, the direction of the company continues to handle them below the belt. This is really de-motivating particularly to hard working persons such as Samar. The employee may experience demeaned hence feel like the company does non appreciate single attempts. Advocates of support theory suggest that behaviour that is reinforced is likely to happen once more while the likeliness of return of behaviour that has non been reinforced is low ( Igbal 2010 ) . The absence of sort words of grasp or gifts to those who have performed good deficiencies, on the contrary, Michael and Samar who are regarded as really industrious persons are fired while a really unworthy Gibson is promoted.
The environment around which Gibson and his friends work is really de-motivating. While the on the job conditions are hapless, the company does non use realistic schemes in offering publicities. It is apparent that Gibson is lazy since he ne’er does his work, it can be argued that the company is likely to regress since it is clear that Gibson hates working in this company and that no sum of publicity will oblige him to execute his responsibilities. The company allows external forces to do major alterations to the organisational construction yet it is the direction that would be best suited to make this since it knows its employees good.
Harmonizing to Aniston ( 2010 ) the values of any given organisation govern the interactions between the key participants. There seems to be communication breakdown in this company since employees use arch agencies to acquire what they want. This has been fueled by the fact that employees and employers have non been pass oning good. The lone manner that the frailty president can pass on with the employees is through usage of rough words and torment. This can non be regarded as communicating within an organisation since the predicament of the employees is non looked into. Communication helps to raise concerns and issues to the concerned governments for reappraisal. This company seems to hold a history of ignoring the positions of its employees even on issue that affect them.
The regulations that govern the behaviour of the employees are non rigorous. Gibson fails to describe to work often and when he does, he fails to execute the responsibilities assigned to him. One would oppugn the regulations set since any given organisation ought to purely follow the regulations and ordinances set by the company, failure to make this could set down the company in danger since the grade of productiveness may travel down. The frailty president of the company does non hold any rights to over exert his authorization, this act has been traveling on for a long clip, hence the company ‘s committedness towards guaranting that their public assistance of employees is taken good attention of deficiencies. Aniston ( 2010 ) confirms that where regulations and ordinances are observed purely operations run swimmingly since the regulations govern the behavior of the employees.
The current organisational civilization of Initech reflects the past organisations. The description of the company creates a mental image of an old edifice that has non seen any inventions since history. Michael ‘s complains show that the working conditions have been hapless for a long clip. The hiring of two efficiency experts was uncalled for since the experts did non convey any good to the company, their expertness in analyzing the best individual for the publicity was non satisfactory. The so called expertness deprives the company of two really hardworking employees and to do the affair worst, they grant the publicity to the most unworthy employee in the company.
Decision
Office Space is a amusing film that revolves around the working status of Initech Company. Peter Gibson, the supporter hates his occupation that he does non execute the undertakings that are assigned to him, wholly he does is stare at his desk and kick about how much he hates his occupation. The direction and the environment around this company does non offer any motive to the workers since the public assistance of the employees is non looked at good. Despite being lazy, ill-mannered and rebellious Gibson is promoted while hardworking persons such as Michel are fired.
