Willmott Dixon Organizational Culture

This business article discusses the organizational culture of Willmott Dixon, a UK-based construction company. It explores the different types of culture, the role of politics and power, and the impact on employee motivation. The article also highlights the achievements of Willmott Dixon and provides recommendations for improvement.

Running head: Business Article
Business Article
Organization Behavior

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Contents
Willmott Dixon Organizational Culture..........................................................................................2
Role of Politics and Power..............................................................................................................3
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................4
Content Theory of management......................................................................................................5
Process Theory of management.......................................................................................................6
Achievements..................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
Recommendations............................................................................................................................8
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................10

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Willmott Dixon Organizational Culture
Article by XXX
In respect of Charles Handy’s organization culture model, Power culture, Task culture, Role
culture and Person culture form its key categories. According to Power culture, only few
individuals in the organization retain power. In the task culture, teams are formed to overcome a
particular problem in the organization. In the Role culture, people are highly controllable with
the predefined rules and responsibilities in the organization. Lastly, in Person culture, the
organization is entirely in service of its employees as they are highly educated and gain ample
freedom in their work. They attain high skills to work on their own. The strength of the
employees is generally low and they have to follow few rules and instruction in a company. It
focuses on developing employee’s relation by sharing interest and values. Employees in this
culture are considered superior then the organization itself. Further, the successful
implementation of management hierarchy depends upon the mutual approval of the employees
only. Coordination is the one of the problem arises in this culture. Person culture considered to
have a short life span in an organization (Staber, 2019).
Person culture is the most followed culture in professional organizations. Similarly, Willmott
Dixon is a follower of ‘Person Culture’. Soon after the company establishment in 1854, it has
always laid emphasis on its employees. It focuses on developing interpersonal relationship with
the company, people associations, and communities. It also gives prior attention to the internal
organization environment. It offers positive work environment to its people as they are
considered company’s resources. Each employee has a separate individuality and they are known
by their uniqueness and names rather than by their assigned number. Through their high
contribution towards the Willmott, they make a difference by their presence. The main aim of the
company is to provide significance importance to its staff members. Further, Willmott has gain a
4.1 star rating on employees benefit reviews because of the benefits it provides to its employees.
 It contributes 6% towards the employee’s pension. As per the employee individual
performance, it provides bonus up to 15%.

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 Staff members are provided with 24 days annual leave. They are also given annual day
off for their birthday. It provides Company’s phone, car, and bikes to its staff members,
to assist them in work (Glassdoor, 2019).
 It offers rewards for the employee’s efforts in the work place and organizes fun parties to
boost up the moral of the employees. Besides these, it provides a safe, secure, healthy and
clean work environment (Indeed, 2019).
Figure 1: Employee Review
Source: (Indeed, 2019)
 Its workforce comprises of people of different diversity and background to foster fresh
and creative ideas in the company. It maintains employee’s dignity at work by eradicating
biasness in respect of age, colour, caste, gender and status. Further, 24% of its workforce
is of women employees and it aims to enhance their number in future.
 It offers career opportunities to the employees attaining good merits and potential in their
work. It assists the employees in utilizing their full potential to achieve organization goal.
Further, managers are provided with cultural awareness trainings and development
programs (Mums, 2019).
Role of Politics and Power
Organization politics is the usage of irrational behavior by an individual to attain positive
benefits that are beyond the control, resulting in development of negative atmosphere in the
organization. It is usually done by targeting employee’s and blaming them for not accepting their
errors, keeping secrets, providing partial, manipulative information and establishing rationalism

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among specific employees (Ferris & Darren, 2012). Its major effects include reduction in the job
contentment and total output resulting in increase in nervousness and stress. Further, it alters the
attitude of the employees towards the job resulting in enhancement of demotivated employee’s
(MSG, 2019).
Power plays an essential role in the organization as it assists in attaining organization objectives.
Initially power is of two types, centralized and decentralized. Both have their own importance in
the organization. In Centralized power, authority is within the hands of few people only whereas
in Decentralized power, authority is shared with lower level management. Centralized power is a
time consuming process whereas decentralized power results in quick decision-making. Former
develops formal relationship whereas latter develops interpersonal relationship within the
authority holders to some extent (McMurray & Pullen, 2019). In the organization, employees
prefer delegation of power as it allows them to take partly decisions in the organization process.
Big organizations also opt for shared power as it assists the company in enhancing better
relationship within the employees and achieving quick results. Further, it boosts the morale of
the employees and improves their skills. However, it does not guarantee success as shared power
can be misused also (Stewart, 2013).
Adopting suitable Organization Culture is essential as it brings all the employees of an
organization on the same platform. Willmott Dixon has followed the person culture. It has
assisted the company in attaining employees with specialized skills of different diversity.
Employees with specialized skills need less direction from the superior as they can control their
own actions. It generates employee’s enthusiasm and builds up their motivation. Further, its
satisfied employees with high morale have benefitted the company in becoming one of leading
construction companies in United Kingdome (Dixon, 2019).
Analysis
Development of organization politics in Willmott Dixon will results in decline in overall
production of the company because politics affects the individual output that directly disturbs the
company overall productivity. Another reason is that people engaged in politics pay less
attention in their work resulting in poor performance and delay output. Further, the growth of
politics reduces the concentration power and leads to more mistakes in performance. It leads to

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creation of poor interpersonal relationships resulting in formation of negative work-environment.
It alters the attitude of the employees resulting in attaining less interest towards the work.
Willmott Dixon will affect heavily from internal politics because it follows person culture and
they are considered its main resources. Hence, any effect on its resources will hinder its growth.
Willmott Dixon follows group structure to divide its different areas of work (Dixon, 2019). It has
a formal leader for a particular department to control over the discipline within the department.
In this structure, power is delegated within the employees as they have skills and specialization
to complete their work on their own. Willmott Dixon shared power results in satisfied employees
that has ultimately helped the company to attain best results from its staff and in receiving
multiple awards (Dixon, 2019). It is necessary for Willmott Dixon to adopt delegation of power
as it is one of the leading companies with strength of 1600 construction employees and it is not
possible to control employees without delegating the authority (Companies, 2019).
Content Theory of management
It focuses on the evaluation of elements that motives people in a workplace. It laid emphasis on
internal factors to understand human behavior. Motivation Hygiene theory is one of the content
theory that was developed by Fredrick Herzberg. It is also known as ‘Dual factor’ and ‘Two-
factor’ theory. It states that there are various factors in the organization responsible for job
satisfaction and dissatisfaction among the employees (Herzberg, 2017). In relation to the initial
paragraph, Willmott has followed various motivating factors of this theory to boost up the
morale of its employees. These factors are
 For employee’s great achievement, they are provided with bonus to encourage better
performance.
 Employees should receive recognition for their achievements. In the year 2019, it has
won construction manager award. Further, Willmott Dixon’s two women employees have
won ‘Women in Constructor’ award for their great contribution (Dixon, 2019).
 Its employees are allowed to work by themselves, as they possess high knowledge and
skills and thus can fulfill their responsibility on their own.
 To encourage the employee’s growth and advancement, it develops management and
leadership programs (Dixon, 2019).

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It has also tried to eliminate the various hygiene factors that diminish the morale of an employee
in the workplace.
 It is planning to develop employee’s positive relation with boss and peer. It organizes
programs like fun parties to foster their relation and providing them an environment to
associate better.
 Employees face less supervision as it follows a person-focused culture in the company.
They are already specialized in their fieldwork and thus require less require less
supervision from the top authorities.
 The salary distribution in Willmott Dixon is done without any biasness but it is based on
authority and power shared (Glassdoor, 2019).
 It has provided favorable work conditions relating to their safety and health.
 It has also developed various company policies for its staff member’s benefits. On June
2016, policy named ‘Modern Slavery Policy’ was initiated to safeguard its employee’s
rights. Further, on February 2018, ‘Group company policy for maintaining Occupational
health & safety management’ was implemented to provide them with better health in the
work place (Dixon, 2019).
Process Theory of management
It focuses in determining how motivation occurs in an employee in the workplace. It deals with
the process of motivation. Vroom’s valence theory states that employee’s motivation depends on
the value they receive from their organization (Hemes, 2014). Similarly, Willmott Dixon has
followed Person culture and has provided great importance to its staff members. It takes care of
its employees by providing them training, eye care vouchers, employee assistance line and
framing health and safety policies. Further, it also provided rehabilitation and other welfare
facilities (Willmott, 2019).
Achievements
In return, employee’s contribution towards the company is also high. Its employee’s positive
feedback with a score of 87% has helped the Willmott Dixon in attaining fourth position in the
‘Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies’ to work for list. It has also received the award for

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‘Developing potential’ in the workplace. In the year 2018, it has also achieved a ‘Queen’s
Award’ for developing employee’s social status. Due to its high growth, it has attained an
opportunity to create 168500 more jobs in the coming years in UK (Dixon, 2019).
Figure 2: Willmott Dixon as UK fourth best company
Source: (Dixon, 2019)
Factors including Culture, Politics, Power and Motivation are inseparable elements as the force
of each element has an effect of another in an organization. Following suitable culture is
necessary as it brings the human resource altogether. Proper distribution of power in the
followed culture is mandatory or else, it will create politics in the organization. Moreover,
emergence of politics in the work environment will result in lowering the motivation of
workforce. Proper balance among all the elements contributes to the success of the organization.
Conclusion
The business report is conducted prepared on Willmott Dixon. It is a UK based company. It is
one of the biggest privately owned construction company. From the report, it is analyzed that
Willmott Dixon is a follower of person-based culture and considered its employee’s as its
resource. It laid great emphasis on them by providing them with various incentives to boost up
their morale and to enhance their productivity. It believes in maintain equality and developing

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diversity at the work place. It also includes the role of politics and power in the organization
process. They play an essential part in organization success. Politics can generate demotivated
and dissatisfied employees in the company that contributes low towards the organization and
often considered themselves neglected. Power also act as a major force that determines the
distribution of authority. Proper allocation of power is necessary as it can hinder the organization
growth. It distribution depends upon the size of the organization and the skills of the employees.
Further, it is analyzed that in Willmott Dixon, proper care has to be maintained regarding politics
as its presence can greatly affect the company progress. It is evaluated that distribution of power
in the company is appropriate as employees attaining specialized knowledge and skills holds
specific level of authority. The decentralized power has resulted in developing satisfied and high
morale employees in the company. Their contribution has led the company to receive multiple
awards for their results.
Further, it involves the content and process theory of management and its relation with the
Willmott Dixon success. Motivation hygiene theory describes the employees motivating factors
at the work place including recognition, advancement and achievement. Willmott Dixon has
provided its employees with these motivating elements and tried removing the hygiene factors
that affects their morale. Process theory states the occurrence of motivation. It has also followed
the Vroom’s valence theory by providing the employee’s with value in the company through
welfare facilities. It contribution towards the employee’s has enhanced their motivation, in return
its employees has assisted the company in attaining various achievements and a respectable
position in UK. Hence, it is concluded that Willmott Dixon satisfied and motivated employee’s
has an upper hand in its success.
Recommendations
 Willmott Dixon should organize office gatherings to promote the interpersonal
relationship of the employees. It will assist the organization in developing better bond
and positive environment in the company. Further, it will enhance the individual’s
performance, as they will consider themselves as a part of the staff team members.

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 At the induction program, it should pay proper attention towards the new employees. It
should closely examine that new employee associate with each former employee. As
induction programs forms the basis of future relationship in the workplace.
 Company’s employees are specialized in their fieldwork, but still company should pay
proper attention on their work quality to reduce future possible errors. This action should
be done without the knowledge of specialized employees. This step will help in cross
checking their work without affecting their morale.
 It should communicate clearly about the expectations company has from its staff
members. Further, performance appraisals should not be consistent but should match with
the individual work quality and emphasis should be made in enhancing the work quality
rather than its quantity. It will benefit the company in getting quality work from the
employees.

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Bibliography
Dixon, W., 2019. Our structure. [Online] Available at: https://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/about-
us/our-structure.
Dixon, W., 2019. Policies and Codes. [Online] Available at:
https://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/who-we-are/our-policies.
Dixon, W., 2019. Recognition. [Online] Available at: https://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/awards?
page=4.
Dixon, W., 2019. Training and development courses. [Online] Available at:
https://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/careers/working-for-us/training-and-development.
Dixon, W., 2019. Willmott Dixon named UK’s fourth best place to work. [Online] Available at:
https://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/news/willmott-dixon-named-uks-fourth-best-place-to-work.
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Herzberg, , 2017. Motivation to Work. Routledge.
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https://www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Willmott-Dixon/reviews.
McMurray, R. & Pullen, A., 2019. Power, Politics and Exclusion in Organization and
Management. Routledge.
MSG, 2019. Effect of Politics on Organization and Employees. [Online] Available at:
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/effect-of-politics.htm.

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Mums, W., 2019. Willmott Dixon. [Online] Available at:
https://www.workingmums.co.uk/jobseekers/top-employers/willmott-dixon/.
Staber, U., 2019. https://www.toolshero.com/management/handy-model/. SAGE.
Stewart, C., 2013. The Theory of Power and Organization. Routledge.
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