Organizational Behavior and Outliers, Book Review Example

Introduction

The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is about what makes people achieve outstanding success and results. The author finds that capabilities are only a part of the story: the ability to make creative connections between seemingly unrelated issues, and seizing opportunities count just as much. In Outliers, Gladwell explains the behavioral patterns of outliers, and their cultural approach. While the book was mainly written to explain individual success, it is also suitable for examining organizational behavior and its connection with extraordinary performance. It tells readers how people can achieve competitive advantage in life, and it can be translated into competitive advantages in business. The below review will focus on the theories related to organizational behavior, and their relationship with the ideas presented by Gladwell’s book. The author is planning to compare the individual competitive advantages of individuals presented in the book, and the theories of organizational behavior.

The three layers of organizational culture

The first theory that the author would like to review is related to culture’s impact on organizational behavior. As Schein’s theory confirms, an organization’s behavior has three different layers: behavior and artifacts, values, and assumptions and beliefs. The book represents all of these aspects in different forms throughout the chapters. When examining the life of two different geniuses, Gladwell confirms that one person had a competitive advantage over the other because of their learned behavior. Children of middle-class families learned at an early age that they were entitled to express their opinion and assert their will, while those who grew up in a disadvantaged, or poor family did not have this learned behavior. They simply accepted authority. This is the reason that when Chris Langan is told that he is not allowed to move to afternoon classes in college, he accepts the decision and drops out. While he is a genius, he is unable to assert his will. He has no ability to reason with the principle,  as he does not feel like he is entitled to do so. RobertOppenheimer, a physicist, on the other hand, tried to poison his tutor, as he made him attend classes that he was not interested in, instead of his selected field’s classes. He got away with probation. As Gladwell (100) explains: “It’s because he possessed the kind of savvy that allowed him to get what he wanted from the world.”. This story proves that the first layer of organizational success: behavior has a great impact on individual success, and it can also influence the success of organizations.

Individual values are also discussed in the book. Chris Langan tells in an interview (Gladwell, 92) that going to Reed University was a “real case of culture shock”. His existing values were not aligned with the values of other students, or tutors. He worked all his life, grew up in poverty. His values were not aligned with the organization’s, therefore, he could not prosper. As he describes his experience in the interview: “And these kids had a whole different style than I was used to. I couldn’t get

a word in edgewise at class” (Gladwell, 93). Madu (2) states that “most people in the organization will attribute their behavior to the stated value”. This explains why Langan felt out of place in the university. Employees whose values are not aligned with the organization’s stated and operating values will not be able to work towards a common goal, and their productivity will be reduced. Gottschalg and Zollo explain this phenomenon in their article about aligning organizational culture and values with individual ones in order to increase competitive advantage. The authors (Gottschlag and Zollo, 4) state that “the improvement in organizational performance due to changes in employee behavior obtained through increased interest alignment that accrues to the organization net of costs required to establish interest alignment”.

The final layer of organizational culture, according to Schein, is assumptions and beliefs. In Gladwell’s book, a clear contrast is drawn between fatalism and belief in one’s ability. Employees who are fatalist within the organization are usually believe in hierarchy, and do not think that their individual input makes a difference for the organization. The author uses the example of Russian and Chinese proverbs from peasants to demonstrate the difference. The Russian proverb (Gladwell, 237) states: “If God does not bring it, the earth will not give it”. The Chinese one, however, accepts personal responsibility: “Don’t depend on heaven for food, but on your own two hands carrying the load.”  (Gladwell, 238). Langan believed in hierarchy and failed to complete his graduate studies. On the other hand,  Oppenheimer believed that he had the right to defend himself and reason with the leaders of the university. He took responsibility for his future, while Langan accepted it.

Hofstede’s dimensions

Hofstede’s dimensions of organizational culture are relevant to the book, as well. The five dimensions: power distance index, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance index, long term orientation, vs. short term normative orientation, and indulgence vs. restraint are clear indicators of organizational behavior. Some of these will be examined below.

The power distance index is not mentioned in the book, however, several references to this dimension can be found in the chapters. The power distance dimension makes a difference between a plane landing safely or crashing. If the pilot or co-pilot respects authority of the controller so much that they are afraid to tell them that they do not have enough fuel to land according to the suggested schedule, they crash. If they do tell, they find a solution. Likewise, second pilots who are able to tell their supervisor that they are in danger can save a plane. This, translated to organizational behavior, means that having the right power distance index will increase the success rate of projects, and positively impact organizational behavior.

Another example that relates to one of Hofstede’s dimensions is long term/short term orientation. In the example of Greenberg’s reform, the author highlights the fact that the leadership did not think short term by firing the pilots and starting again. It would have increased human resources, training costs, and could potentially have affected the performance of the organization long term: As Gladwell (219) states: “he offered his pilots what everyone from hockey players to software tycoons to takeover lawyers has been offered on the way to success: an opportunity to transform their relationship to their work”.

Discussion

It is evident that on the individual level, culture, attitudes, and values have a huge impact on people’s performance and success. However, it is also important to note that the alignment of individual values with those of the organization can have a great influence on performance. Gottschalg and Zollo mention three different variables related to value and culture alignment that impact competitive advantage: tacitness, context dependence, and casual ambiguity. All of the above impact interaction between employees and the management, affect motivation levels, and knowledge sharing. In real life situations, alignment of organizational values with individual ones need to be completed in order to increase creativity, innovation, and collaborative results.

Madu (4) confirms that “one of the most powerful ways leaders and organizational founders communicate values, beliefs and priorities are on what and where they place their attention”. This statement is relevant to both organizational behavior and the content of Gladwell’s book. This layer of organizational culture is less visible than other layers, however, it has all the values and norms embedded in them. In an organization, where personal performance development is in the focus of the management, employees are empowered and adequately trained, hence, the entire company benefits from better performance. In target-oriented companies, however, motivation exists on a lower level, and employees do not usually feel that they are a part of a larger project, and their contribution, knowledge, or ideas matter. In Gladwell’s book, it is evident that the university leadership in the case of Langman focused on hierarchy and financial stability, instead of nurturing talent.

Morieux and Howard examined the relationship between organizational behavior design and competitive advantage. The authors found that the missing links between organizational levers and organizational behavior are “parameters that shape individual behavior” and “dynamics of the interaction of behaviors”. The real drivers of behavior in organizations and individuals alike are, as Morieux and Howard (9) confirm are: actors, goals, resources and constraints, uncertainties, power relationships, adjustments, and the cost of adjustment. In the examples brought up by Gladwell, one thing is clear: capabilities and knowledge were not closely related to individual success. If Langan grew up in a family that helped him deal with authority and assert his will, he would have graduated with a PhD at an early age. If the co-pilot was more assertive, he would have been able to save the plane. In the first example, resources and constraints determined how Langan would deal with the challenges of university. In the latter, power relationships determined how and when the co-pilot could express his opinion and warn others about the danger. Interaction between employees and the management matter, as they determine the openness of communication and effectiveness of internal communication of not only the goals, but the culture, as well.

Conclusion

Gladwell’s book reveals that it does not matter how talented an individual is, or how skilled a pilot might be. If the organizational culture does not support the alignment of values, and the alignment of beliefs, preferences, and goals is not completed, individuals and organizations cannot succeed. I would recommend this book for all professionals, managers, and employees. It explains that success does not only depend on one’s cognitive or technical skills, but the culture surrounding them. On an organizational level, proper alignment of values and culture can increase motivation of employees, commitment, and individual performance. This, in turn, can result in better performance on an organizational level, the creation of competitive advantage, lower employee costs, better reputation, and a more cost-effective operation. While the impact of culture and cultural alignment has just recently been discovered, it is an interesting area of study for all professionals looking to improve organizational performance.

Works Cited

Gladwell, M. Outliers. The Story of Success.  2008. Print.

Gottscghalg, O. and Zolo, M. Interest Alignment and Competitive Advantage. Academy of Management Review. 2007, Vol. 32, No. 2, 418–437. 2007. Print.

Madu, B. Organization culture as driver of competitive advantage.Journal of Academic and Business Ethics. Vol. 5. 2012. Print.

Morieux, Y. and Howard, R. Strategic Workforce Engagement: Designing the Behavior of Organizations for Competitive Advantage. The Boston Consulting Group. 2000. Web.