Individuals In Organizations (Green River & Aberdeen)

In this Individual Project we will raise the discussion about Management Ability, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Ethics while engaging in the differences that exist between FMC Green River and Aberdeen. We will try to see if what operations are at FMC Aberdeen will and can be incorporated at FMC Green River. The next discussion of areas is can these operations work at FMC Green River the way they are functioning at FMC Aberdeen?

I found that Aberdeen and Green River had a lot of things that were different from each other. Aberdeen has only one customer, has only employed 100 people, has just a single product, just started up five years ago, it industry is defense, and is has no union. Where Green River has over 100 customers world wide, has employed 1,150, has

Several product lines, has several plants and started up in 1948, it industry is chemicals, and is union with United Steel Workers of America. (Clawson, 2005)

The management of ability at FMC Aberdeen started out as a highly selective process. Management was very specific about the type of people they wanted working for them. On the other, the Green River locations have been around for a long time, and use their unions to manage ability. The management of ability is a process to correctly match people with jobs they are qualified for. Management does this by selection, placement, and training. (George/Jones, p. 59) At Aberdeen, management looked for people with open minds, and positive attitudes. They felt that technical skills are more easily learned than personal. This was very important to management at Aberdeen because of the way the plant was run. FMC Green River focused on technical skills, because the union leaders took care of all the issues the employees might have, and wished to take up with management. They make use of the employees skill sets by getting their products in and out quickly. They leave the business side to the union leaders and management. I am reluctant to say that what Aberdeen has may never work at Green River, because it would be hard to find so many of the same personalities to fill such a big operation. To think it would be hard to keep a family like atmosphere. Aberdeen is doing exactly what it should to make the best of each of their employee's abilities. They seem to know where to fit each employee to what position. At Green River I think the unions put a halt to making the best of their employee's. I don't think they should get rid of the unions, but I do feel like if the employees could speak for themselves they would feel more important and more willing to work. I think this can be done by letting the union leaders back off a bit and allow their members to share with the company what would make them more willing and able to work. Most people in unions are usually there to work do their jobs and that is it. Days work is done lets go home.

FMC Aberdeen is a unique place to work and it is clear to everyone that at this plant it is an extremely commitment from not only the employees but the management as well. Organizational Commitment is the collection of feelings and beliefs that people have about their organization as a whole. (George/Jones, 2005. p. 75) Aberdeen's employees work hard to keep the organization the way it was when they opened. I do not think Green River plants employees have organizational commitment, because they do not have that much involvement in deciding what the promotional practices are. I think if Mr. Dailey could make the management of ability in effect at Aberdeen work in Green River, he could change the level of organizational commitment at his plants. If his employees had more freedom and more involvement in the company's procedures, people would appreciate things more because they know they would have a chance to speak their opinion. If Green River would start off with small groups, then they can move to larger group meeting with everyone, and let them know they can go to higher authority at anytime.

At FMC Aberdeen and Green River corporate culture are basically the same. They want all their employees to feel equally with the rest in the same job position, that they are there because they know their job and have the skills to do it. Plus they both want their managers to establish goals that the organization should pursue and what they want their employees with in the company to behave and achieve them. "Training at FMC Aberdeen under Lancaster was an outgoing thing. Lancaster and his staff went through a three nine-day seminar divided into three-day segments. The sessions were called "Mastery Training." This seminar allowed them to use feedback as just that feedback, nothing negative or positive." (Clawson, 2005, page 6 and 7) FMC Green River doesn't mention any special training but being chemical plants they must have some sought of training program. Also being in union; the union must have some type of union training program for the employees that work within the chemical plants.

Organizational Commitment at FMC Aberdeen you have work teams. Teams ranging in different sizes from 3 to 16 managed every aspect of plant's work and reporting. Teams schedule work hours, purchase materials and tools, planned work schedules, coordinated with other teams, evaluated team members' performance, recommended salary increases, generated reports, and dealt with virtually every problem that arose in the running of the plant. Then you have managers that come in regular clothes and work out on the warehouse floor and do whatever has to be done to get the job done. At FMC Green River you have Dailey who has been their since it began in 1948. He has a commitment to the company and a management style of high level of trust and relatively with his employees. His employees are probably committed to him but they are we must remember union. Union says one thing, as will be discussed later.

Job Satisfaction is a very important within an organization. If your employees aren't happy then they will not perform the work that needs to be done each day. At FMC Aberdeen, Campbell was stated as saying that "even if more traditional, authoritarian manager were to replace him, the system would carry on." (Clawson, 2005, page 15). Morale was consistently high. People appreciated being trusted by management, having management's help in times of need, having a management who listened to their concerns, and having control over their work environment, pace, and structure. Aberdeen was like one big happy family. They had swimming parties, plant sponsored softball teams, basketball teams, fishing tournaments, and an annual all-employees meeting. FMC Green River being the highest paid employees' of all the FMC divisions at $18.00 an