Organizational processes as dynamics and complex
By Sergio Valenzuela-Ibarra
Accepting that organizational processes are dynamics and complex is not a mere semantic or philosophical issue. It has specific impacts on how research is conducted and understood. At least three factors should be considered in a research that considers organizational processes as dynamics and complex: time, context, and interactions.
Time
Time consists on observing the studied phenomenon over time. Complex and dynamics systems change over time; they can adapt their behavior and learn. This behavior can be linear, non-linear, or chaotic. Most of the studies in the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology (I/O Psychology) and Organization Behavior (OB) are transactional. It means that they measure the studied variables at one point over time. In contrast, longitudinal studies which measure the studied variables at several points over time are less used in the fields aforementioned. For instance, Becker and Cropanzano (2010) investigated the relationship between job performance and voluntary turnover. They measured performance at different points across time and discovered that the trend of job performance over time (i.e. downward or upward) influences voluntary turnover. This study is very important because it considers dynamics aspects of the variable job performance over time and its impact on voluntary turnover.
Context
Context refers to the particular reality of the studied phenomenon. Complex and dynamics systems are influenced by their environment. It means that it is not the same to study a work-related variable in one organization as another. The actors and the rules can change. In other words, value systems, structure, culture, politics, and people, among other things, are different from one organization to another. Also, there is a cultural context which can influence the studied variables differently. For example Ramesh and Gelfand (2010) studied the relationship between job embeddedness and turnover in two kinds of cultures individualist and collectivist. They discovered that some job embeddedness related differently to turnover in each culture. For instance, person-job fit was better predictor of lower turnover in the individualist culture, and organization-person fit was stronger predictor of lower turnover in the collectivist culture.
Interactions
Interactions represent the interplay between different organizational processes and the studied variables. The explanations of phenomena are multivariable and complex. Different variables are interacting in an observed behavior. Research methods tackle partially this issue through studying moderator and mediator effects. For example, Resick, Baltes, and Shantz (2007) found that needs-supplies (N-S) job fit, demands-abilities (D-A) job fit, and personality (conscientiousness) are moderators of the relationship between P-O fit and job satisfaction and turnover.
