Organizations across the globe are finding it difficult to sustain their competitive advantages, thanks to the stiff competition, turmoil in the global economy and other allied problems. It's imperative for the organizational decision makers to assure to the stakeholders so that viability is sustained against all odds which, in turn, calls for having an assertive approach in one's life rather than being aggressive. There are instances when people tend to use the words, assertive and aggressive behavior interchangeably without even realizing the yawning gap existing between the two. Assertive behavior within and outside the organization not only helps an individual employee grow but also provides a roadmap to the company to move higher up the ladder. The paper portrays the importance of assertiveness at the individual level and at the organizational level with a blended approach of theory and case study. The hypothetical case on a company Finnie Inc., brings forth the importance of assertive behavior at different levels of an organization. The importance of presenting assertive behavior by the management of an organization and subsequently percolating the same at the lowest ebb is what the case reflects upon as success of any global body.

Organizations of all shapes and sizes from all sectors around the globe are witnessing fast changes within their rank and file. There are various reasons which make it imperative for employees as well as the management to take note of these changes in their surroundings, primarily because of the vital impact they have on their organization, thanks to technology and globalization. In such cases the workplace dynamics undergoes a metamorphosis which has a serious bearing on all the stakeholders. The cut throat competition has contributed to these changes as organizations are vying for the customer's wallet, resulting in embracing newer approaches in their overall scheme of things. Aggressiveness was hitherto the most favored word in the lexicon of all professionals as dog-eat-dog situation called for a fire in the belly approach in employees in order to even out the competition. Aggressiveness, however, was not liked by a host of stakeholders, i.e., customers, employees, shareholders to name a few. Aggressiveness at the workplace, within the office, or outside the precincts of the office is often construed as something which is wrong. It has now been substituted for assertiveness. There are instances where assertive behavior has paid an individual in a very big way.

Assertive behavior is quite often misconstrued either as aggressive behavior or as passive behavior. The organizations which are successful globally for years together have understood the relevance of assertive behavior in all their endeavors and therefore encourage their stakeholders to embrace the same. In the final analysis it becomes a winning proposition for all concerned whether it's the company, the employees, the shareholders, distributors or even the society at large. Sam Walton of the Walmart fame had two golden rules—Rule 1 said that customer is always the king, and Rule 2 said that if the customer is wrong, refer to rule number 1. This showed that the success story of the retailing giant was on the basis of serving the customer through assertive behavior.

Soft Skills Journal, Global Economy, Global Body, Assertive Behavior, Global Organizations, Information Technology, IT, Corporate Citizens, Symbiotic Growth, Decision Making, Global Operations, Organizational Fabric, Organizational Culture, Organizational Level, Global Operations.