Organisational Awareness
Definition
Organizational awareness is a level of understanding different aspects of the organisation including workings, structure, and culture of the organization. It also consists of the understanding of political, social, and economic issues affecting the organization ("Competency: Organizational Awareness," 2011).
In accounting industry, being organisational awareness requires accountants to acknowledge the mission, policies, and structure of the organisation; and corporate with other workers in order to work effectively.
In accounting industry, being organisational awareness requires accountants to acknowledge the mission, policies, and structure of the organisation; and corporate with other workers in order to work effectively.
Importance
Organisational awareness is the most important factor in managing proactive change in organisation. It helps to improve staffing decisions, team building, communication, culture, and leadership effectiveness. As a result, it can help to increase revenue and profitability by establishing competitive advantage and creating consistent results (Northup, 2007).
Being competent in organisational awareness means the employees are able to get things done easily in the organisation, recognise most of events in the organisation, rarely make mistakes due to misunderstanding the organizational structure, and act in appropriate ways to the organisation (Still, 2012).
Organisational awareness is also a critical aspect which employers consider when recruiting new employees. It because of the roles of organisational awareness include understanding of the company, the current issues affect the industry and job roles within the company. In addition, organisational awareness also shows your commitment to the job you are applying for ("Commercial Awareness," 2012).
Being competent in organisational awareness means the employees are able to get things done easily in the organisation, recognise most of events in the organisation, rarely make mistakes due to misunderstanding the organizational structure, and act in appropriate ways to the organisation (Still, 2012).
Organisational awareness is also a critical aspect which employers consider when recruiting new employees. It because of the roles of organisational awareness include understanding of the company, the current issues affect the industry and job roles within the company. In addition, organisational awareness also shows your commitment to the job you are applying for ("Commercial Awareness," 2012).
Development
The training program, which focuses on organisational awareness, is for every employee from all department of our accounting firm.
1. The program is based on general meeting of the whole company and within each department. There are two main types of information need to be covered:
a. Organisation structure, dynamic, culture, goals, mission, strategic plan.
In this area, number of meetings can be held both for whole company and each department. The company is planning to have two meetings for the whole company in first weeks of the month in a period of two months.
The first meeting will cover organisation’s goals, mission and strategic plan in general. It will take approximately three and a half hours, including half hour break. First part is about organisation’s goal. The second hour of the meeting, a manager will cover the mission part. After the break, strategic plan will be covered. The second meeting will cover organisation structure, dynamic and culture.
After each general meeting, each department will have its own meeting in one week time. These meetings should be more specific regard to the structure, culture, goals and strategic plan of each department ("Organizational Awareness: Competency Development Activities," n.d.).
b. Political, social and economic issues affecting the organisation. Sectoral, i.e. accounting industry, global context and issues impact on the company’s operation ("Organisational awareness," n.d).
After two months of the first part of the strategy, the company will organise the second two-month period of meeting in general and individual department. The structure of meetings will remain same as the previous part. The first meeting will cover political and social aspects; and the second will mention the economic issues.
Objective of this strategy: employees have basic understanding about organisation structure, dynamic, culture, goals, mission, and strategic plan on both level of whole organisation and their own department, and have basic understanding about political, social and economic issues affecting the organisation on both level of whole organisation and their own department.
In these meetings, employees are able to speak up their opinions about the organisation policies, procedure. As a result, those ideas can be helpful in building better policies and procedures.
2. These meetings alone obviously will not provide enough current information for all mentioned aspects. In addition, the information can be too condensed for gone through in these meeting. Understanding the limitation of it, information which has been covered in the meetings and current issues, news will be included in the company website under the tab topic ‘Organisational awareness’ in the tab ‘Training’. Furthermore, each department will have it own information board where current issues and news being displayed and updated ("Organizational Awareness: Competency Development Activities," n.d.).
Evaluation
Firstly, we consider each method separately. For meeting strategy, as the condensed information of each meeting, questionnaires are used to assess levels of information employees get from each meeting. These questionnaires can be used straight after each meeting or within a week time. An example of questionnaire according to organisational awareness can be:
1. What are our values?
Answer: ‘We lead by example, We work together, We respect the individual, We seek the facts and provide insight, We are open and honest in our communication, We are committed to our communities, Above all, we act with integrity’ ("Values ", 2013).
2. How do you keep up to date with what is going on in business?
Answer: Updating information by information board and meetings; and company’s website
3. Who are our competitors?
Answer: Deloitte, Ernst and Young; and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
4. What is the problem our industry facing recently?
Answer: Tax fraud
In addition, an activity can be held after each meeting to evaluate the result more interesting. For example, each department can be asked for provide a 5 minutes presentation regarding any of aspects above; or set up teams consist of staffs from different department to share information about their own department for the group, i.e. services provided, current issues..
The website and information board aim to provide ‘up to date’ information. Therefore, the questionnaire can be used but asking for more current issues and events which have already been included in the website and the board. The company can also conduct a voluntary survey assessing the effective of using information board and website based on employee’s opinions.
Both strategies are aim to improve employee’s knowledge of organisational awareness, therefore, after those strategies finish, the company should further assess the effective of the meetings by assessing whether employees are able to work reflected the strategic plan, achieving the organisation’s goal and follow the mission; and whether employees are aware of current issues affecting the company.
· Finding trustworthy people, who are able to act as clients, asking different staffs a set of general questions regarding to the organisation. For example, he can ask about the variety of services the company provides, i.e. auditing, tax, consulting.
· Managers are responsible for observing changes after the program; for example, perform work based on new strategic plan without further notice. An accountant with high organisational awareness is able to provide service according to the plan provided and also contribute to build better strategies.
1. What are our values?
Answer: ‘We lead by example, We work together, We respect the individual, We seek the facts and provide insight, We are open and honest in our communication, We are committed to our communities, Above all, we act with integrity’ ("Values ", 2013).
2. How do you keep up to date with what is going on in business?
Answer: Updating information by information board and meetings; and company’s website
3. Who are our competitors?
Answer: Deloitte, Ernst and Young; and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
4. What is the problem our industry facing recently?
Answer: Tax fraud
In addition, an activity can be held after each meeting to evaluate the result more interesting. For example, each department can be asked for provide a 5 minutes presentation regarding any of aspects above; or set up teams consist of staffs from different department to share information about their own department for the group, i.e. services provided, current issues..
The website and information board aim to provide ‘up to date’ information. Therefore, the questionnaire can be used but asking for more current issues and events which have already been included in the website and the board. The company can also conduct a voluntary survey assessing the effective of using information board and website based on employee’s opinions.
Both strategies are aim to improve employee’s knowledge of organisational awareness, therefore, after those strategies finish, the company should further assess the effective of the meetings by assessing whether employees are able to work reflected the strategic plan, achieving the organisation’s goal and follow the mission; and whether employees are aware of current issues affecting the company.
· Finding trustworthy people, who are able to act as clients, asking different staffs a set of general questions regarding to the organisation. For example, he can ask about the variety of services the company provides, i.e. auditing, tax, consulting.
· Managers are responsible for observing changes after the program; for example, perform work based on new strategic plan without further notice. An accountant with high organisational awareness is able to provide service according to the plan provided and also contribute to build better strategies.
References
Commercial Awareness. (2012). from http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/commercialawareness.htm
Competency: Organizational Awareness. (2011). http://www.dpa.ca.gov/training/analyst-virtual-help-desk/competency-guides/organizational-awareness.pdf
Northup, T. (2007). Awareness: The Key Insight for Organizational Change. www.lmgsuccess.com/documents/awareness.pdf
Organisational awareness. (n.d). from http://www.bitc.org.uk/services/learning-bitc/cr-practitioner-competency-map/behaviours/organisational-awareness#
Organizational Awareness: Competency Development Activities. (n.d.). http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/organizational_awareness_activities.pdf ,
Still, L. (2012). Tips to Increase Your Organizational Awareness. from http://www.careerevolutiongroup.com/articles_blog/2012/7/26/tips-to-increase-your-organizational-awareness.html
Values (2013). from http://www.kpmg.com/au/en/about/values-culture/values/pages/default.aspx
Competency: Organizational Awareness. (2011). http://www.dpa.ca.gov/training/analyst-virtual-help-desk/competency-guides/organizational-awareness.pdf
Northup, T. (2007). Awareness: The Key Insight for Organizational Change. www.lmgsuccess.com/documents/awareness.pdf
Organisational awareness. (n.d). from http://www.bitc.org.uk/services/learning-bitc/cr-practitioner-competency-map/behaviours/organisational-awareness#
Organizational Awareness: Competency Development Activities. (n.d.). http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/organizational_awareness_activities.pdf ,
Still, L. (2012). Tips to Increase Your Organizational Awareness. from http://www.careerevolutiongroup.com/articles_blog/2012/7/26/tips-to-increase-your-organizational-awareness.html
Values (2013). from http://www.kpmg.com/au/en/about/values-culture/values/pages/default.aspx