Effective and Ineffective Organizational Policies

Arnwine (2002) identified three primary ingredients of effective governance by board: behavior, structure, and expectations. If one of these three key elements break down, the governance of enterprise will be severely impacted and resulting in loss of organizational ability to move forward. Behavior encompass the functioning of board within predefined roles and responsibilities. Respect, openness, confidentiality, conflict of interest, and consensus are important aspects of behavior for optimal and effective governance. Structure is another important aspect which require careful appointment of chairman of board and board members. Prolong chairmanship can sometimes lead to stagnant governance. Lastly, expectations from board and by the board require crystal clear clarifications in a document for effective governance (Arnwine, 2002).

Employee conduct policy in an enterprise laid down guidelines for appropriate behavior (anti-bullying), dress code, workplace safety procedures, computer and internet usage, and harassment (Scott, 2019). Policy also outlines the consequences of violations, resulting in warnings or termination from employment. Policy of equal opportunity ensures fair treatment at workplace without any prejudice and discrimination due to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious or cultural beliefs etc. Substance abuse policy prohibits the usage of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco during work hours, company premises, and company functions. Workplace security policy safeguard the security of all employees, work areas, and intellectual property by using employee identification cards (Scott, 2019).

Papa (2017) highlighted organizational structure as one of the fundamental elements, which can lead to ineffectiveness if not done properly. Organizational structure creates and effective and productive environment for employees, with increased coordination and unity among different departments. Ineffective organizational structure can cause poor employee behavior, which include showing up late to work, not meeting their goals etc. Lack of motivation to work is another outcome of ineffective organizational structure; for instance, employees at their salary cap do not find motivation to improve at their job. Low performance, no teamwork and strained interdepartmental relationship are other outcomes of ineffective organizational structure (Papa, 2017).

Ineffective vacation policy is another important aspect, which can impact performance of employees severely resulting in suboptimal organizational performance (Reynolds, 2015). For example, if employee leave early one day and allowed to make up the following day or not. Absence of adequate time off policy for funeral or illness in the family result in less motivated employees. Ineffective policy towards securing company secrets can have adverse outcome for organization and their end customers. This encompasses unlicensed copies of software, trade secrets etc. (Reynolds, 2015).

References:

Scott, S. (2019). Examples of Company Policies & Procedures. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-company-policies-procedures-10995.html

Reynolds, G. (2015). Ethics in Information Technology, Fifth Edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Papa, N. (2017). Ineffective organizational structure indications. Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/list-6721520-ineffective-organizational-structure-indications.html

Arnwine, D. (2002). Effective governance: the roles and responsibilities of board members. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1276331/