Organization Assessment Paper. Management Research Paper

Organizational Behavior at Under Armor, Inc
Student Name
Institution Affiliation
Abstract
Many institutions and organizations in the United States have people and employees from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Lenient immigration laws have allowed individuals from various continents to come to the US in search of better employment opportunities and the American dream. As a result, the aspect of organizational behavior has become an integral part of the society in efforts to enable the business organizations and institutions to perform optimally and effectively. Because of the increased diversity in almost all areas of the US, it has become important to embrace and appreciate different ways of dealing with people. Nonetheless, factors such as management and leadership styles, communication, power and politics, organizational culture and organizational structure and design have been identified as impediments to the study of organizational behavior. The research paper examines the factors above through the evaluation of Under Armor Inc.
Introduction
Under Armor, Inc was established in 1996 by the American Kevin Plank in Baltimore, Maryland as a company that manufactures sports gears and casual wears. It has observed a steady and consistent revenue growth through the years, which has seen the company open international headquarters in London, Amsterdam, and Shanghai.
Mission
The armor’s mission statement is to innovate quality products that would make athletes better in the various disciplines. The company strives to create new designs regularly that would give all the athletes that wear their products the competitive edge.
Vision
Under Armors’ vision is to ensure that all athletes around the world have the proper sporting gears to compete. Athletes, especially in developing countries, are often forced to compete with low gears that put them at a competitive disadvantage from the onset.
Values
Eight key values guide Under Armor operations. Firstly, Under Armor encourages athletes to perform to their full potential. Secondly, it stands for equality and unity among the athletes, despite racial or social differences. Thirdly, it advocates adversity fuel victory. Fourthly, it supports individuals who take the initiative to lead others. Fifthly, Under Armor strives to put their consumers first. Sixthly, the company supports complete honesty and the embracement of perfection in the midst of the imperfections. Seventhly, it advocates for athletes to use their talents to make the world a better place. Lastly, it encourages all victors to celebrate their wins and be proud of their success.
Goals
Under Armor, Inc intends to foster its global appeal and awareness and diversify its product portfolios in order to attract more women and youthful consumers.
Management and leadership style
Effective management and leadership within organizations are essential for the growth and development of not only the company but also the employees. Business executives and supervisors play an integral role in ensuring the success of their organizations through the proper application of the requisite leadership skills and competencies. Nonetheless, there are six management styles and techniques used by managers in the conduct of their operations: directive, authoritative, affiliative, participative, pacesetting and coaching (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn & Osborn, 2014).
Under Armor, Inc management philosophy
The company management and supervisors often apply the leadership above styles interchangeably and whenever appropriate. In line with its mission statement to promote innovation, the company encourages the managers and employees to collaborate on the new designs and marketing approaches. As such, the management philosophy resembles the open door policy where employees are free to interact with their supervisors and question decisions that they believe would costly and nonsensical to the company.
Immediate supervisor management and leadership style
My immediate supervisor at Under Armor, Inc is a vibrant young individual who is in his mid-thirties. He is well learned and skilled in financial matters and has vast experience having served in various supervisory roles in the course of his career. In line with the company’s management philosophy, my supervisor also adapts the different leadership styles interchangeably. He will be direct whenever there is a crisis and deviations are risky and authoritative when there is a need for a clear direction. He encourages a steady and healthy working environment characterized by teams working closely together to achieve the mission, vision, and objectives of the department and eventually of the whole organization. He appreciates feedback and criticism from the subordinates and works on them to ensure the growth of the company. My supervisor also helps in the growth and development of employees within the department through attending to all the training needs. He takes time to identify any skill deficiencies and schedule training programs to address them. Additionally, he has encouraged the open door policy where employees are free to engage him not only on work-related issues but also on personal matters.
Own management and leadership style
My current role at Under Armor as a financial analyst is my first professional position after completing my University education. However, I have done attachments at two large financial firms in New York City, where I have been able to ascertain the best leadership styles to adopt when I eventually grow into a managerial position. In order to ensure effective collaboration and teamwork, I believe that a good manager should be able to understand the characters of the different employees. I will, therefore, strive to embrace the leadership attributes I have witnessed in my current supervisor and which have ensured that our department performs at optimum levels. Under his tutelage, we have been voted as the best performing department for two years in a row, and he has also managed to grow five of my colleagues to supervisory positions.
Ethical concerns
Good leaders should be able to balance and know when to be firm and friendly to their employees. As such, they should adopt the skills above interchangeably to limit any ethical concerns that would impact on productivity (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn & Osborn, 2014). For instance, employees may take advantage of a manager who is too friendly and avoid completing their tasks properly.
Communication
According to the article “effective communication helps your organization run smoothly, and it can ...