MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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TASK 1 – THE SCENARIO
The below account documents my experience as a finance manager of a shopping company
that initially had a good work culture till the arrival of the new manager that led to the drastc change
in the organizational culture.
I have been working with the shopping centre management team for the past 4 years during
the allocation of the managers by the company. The manager of the company, Alex had been
employed since the establishment of the store. There are members in the company who had been
associated with the company for the past 14 years. I was fortunate to have an excellent team where
each member of the team are supportive of each other and encourages each other to grow and
deliver their best performance. Alex trusted each of us and believed in our potential. However,
things took a rather a different turn with the appointment of the new manager Sebastian who had
been associated with a large shopping mall in the East Coast where major developments have been
planned. The problem was that a handover was never completed between Alex and Sebastian. This
indicated that there was no orientation session with the team and Sebastian. Sebastian was late by
three hours on the first day and this continued to take place over a period of week and that created
consternations among the members in the organization. In addition to arriving ate he was leaving
early and this further upset the members of the organization. E introduced himself to the six
department managers. I was manager of the finance department and he introduced to me but did not
allow me to introduce with other members in the team (introduction to the staff in the team was
done). Another issue that took place he started openly favouring in me in front of everyone as
compared to the other staff members by giving me gifts and praising me all the time. This once
again upset many of the staff who accused of not speaking to Sebastian and remaining passive to his
problems. Sebastian was acerbic about the other departmental managers and began to look at their
work critically and finding fault in everyone’s work. This was done under the pretext of
performance evaluations and further demotivated the employees. There was no proper channels of
communication between the managers and the employees. Apart from this Sebastian had an issue
with the marketing manager Lucy based on the comments of the other marketing managers working
in the company. Because f this attitude the marketing department was extended little support. There

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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was perpetual backstabbing between Sebastian and Lucy. This created a rift in the office as the staff
became divided by providing support to each of them. This destroyed the feel of the office and
culminated to a negative atmosphere that war earlier absent in the office. Lucy was thinking of
resigning the company given the new toxic work culture. The unfolding of the event have the
potential to demoralize the staff in the company. Al these led to the breakdown of the team bonding
and disruption in the communication.

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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TASK 2 – A CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF THE SCENARIO
This section of the essay will discuss the response to the given scenario in the organizational
behaviour as outlined in Task 1. There is an imperative to establish and embed the values of the
strong and productive organizational culture where each of the team members are clearly explained
about the values, ethos and principles of the organization and most importantly their role in the
team. The term productive cultures refer to the widely shared values and the norms that would
inform and influence the employees (In this case the staff and the managers) to not just work hard
but also to work smart. A strong organizational culture will give the company will render
competitive advantage over the other companies and bolster each of the staff to become more
productive and committed towards the goals of eth organization . If organizational culture is to be
managed efficiently then the foundations need to be strong. In this I will focus on the themes of
learning, team and communication to identify, understand and explain the areas that need to
focussed to argue about the scenario that I have outlined above.
 Learning- The term learning refers to the process by which an activity originates and ushers
in change in the organization through reacting to the encountered situation, given the
characteristics of the situation cannot be explained on the grounds of the native responses.
Learning as a concept is different from the notion of maturation and it is relatively
permanent. Organizational learning can be understood as the subset of the organizational
behaviour and as been developed though the integration of the disciplines of psychology,
education, sociology and political science and management. The importance of learning in
the context of the organization is that change keeps taking place within the organization
bringing in both threats and opportunities (McShane & Von Glinow 2013). In this case, it
can be the new manager was substituted the previous manager Alex who was quite popular
among the staff and different department managers. This new manager ushered in a series of
changes that created turbulence in the organizational environment. Different people are to be
learning in different ways as no two individuals are the same. Learning has been divided
into three main types, these are classical learning, social learning and operant learning.

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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Classical learning is concerned with the type of learning that indicates involuntary responses
to the emotional reactions. Then there is operant conditioning that refers to learning through
voluntary responses and where the learning takes place through the direct experience of the
results of the behaviour. The third type of learning is concerned with the social learning
where one needs to learn through observation. This kind of learning is goal-directed and
enables the individual to learn through imitation of others and observations. Classical
conditioning will be applicable in this case to support the staffs that are feeling disturbed by
the actions of Sebastian and making them reduce their anxiety (Robbins 2010). On the other
hand, Lucy who is planning to resign can benefit from classical conditioning and derive
support from a compatible learning environment. In case of Sebastian who arrives late for
work can be monitored through operative conditioning through a pay cut or some other kind
of compensation. The staff should be motivated by proving them. The jealousy among the
staff members can be understood through the operative learning where some of them feel
left out especially the staff who have not been introduced to the new manager of the
shopping centre, Sebastian. Sebastian’s gestures of giving me gifts and openly favouring me
in front of others have created a negative environment. Maybe he was drawing his
inspiration from the operative conditioning thinking that favouritism towards me will
motivate the other departmental managers and the staff to deliver their best performance out
of insecurity and jealousy. In this case the new learning exacerbated the condition, instead
of ushering in any positive change in the organizational culture. The interpersonal
relationships between the employees have been destroyed and the departmental managers
are feeling demotivated.
 Teams- This can be understood through the group and group dynamics that are integral for
an organization and most importantly for the topic of organizational behaviour. There needs
to be an understanding of the groups and types of groups along with their group behaviour.
A group may be defined as comprising of two or more individuals who interacts and are
interdependent and come together to achieve particular objectives. Groups maybe formal as
well informal. Formal groups are referred to those who are established by the organization
to meet certain needs whereas the informal groups are those who are bounded by personal
needs and comprises of the networks of the associates and friends who cut across the
contours of formal group (Myers & Sadaghiani 2010). Apart from this there is another basis
of classifying the groups-Functional groups, project or task groups and interest or social

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groups. In response to the current scenario, it can be stated that its a functional group. The
tem functional group refers to the formation of groups by the structure of the organization
like the department, section and unit. In the above-mentioned scenario we are divided into
different departments and there are staff who are working in each of the departments. The
understanding of team is that it can be full-time department, a project-team or apart-time
special team. In this case, it is full-time department where clashes have emerged between
and among the different managers. Further it can be noted that there is a division that rose
due to the conflict of interests between Lucy and the new manager Sebastian. Their rift is
not limited to themselves as it has created a rift between the staff members as half of them
are supporting Lucy whereas the other half is supporting Sebastian. In an organization there
maybe three more types of formal groups. These are the interacting groups, coaching groups
and counteracting groups. In case of interacting groups it can be seen that all the team
members are dependent on each other either through project team or assemble line. In case
of coaching groups, the team members work independently like the bank sellers. In case of
counteracting groups, it can be found that the members work to resolve the mutual
differences (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson & Gellatly 2011). In this scenario it can be seen that
it is a not a counteracting group as the team members are not cooperating with each other to
resolve the issues and arrive at a solution. This can be stated as more of an interacting team
where the team members are dependent on one another. It has been argued that if groups in
the organization show the disposition to compete, then there can be both advantages as well
as disadvantages. The advantages will be that the group will become closer knit and the
group climate will culminate to being ore task-oriented. Group leaders mat turn more
autocratic and the members are more willing to accept. In this scenario it can be observed
that Sebastian’s managerial style has not helped in employee motivation and the staff
members do not accept him as the leader. The transformational leadership style of Alex was
more appropriate considering the situation. There is loyalty among the team members
regarding the managerial style of Sebastian. Currently, the staff who has become divided is
viewing each other as the enemy. Due to this rising hostility there has been a decrease in
communication that will be explored in the following section.
 Communication- The aspect of communication in organizational behaviour is quite
important. It refers to the interchange of information that is indispensable for the survival
and encompasses all aspects of the life. The importance of communication lies in achieving
the coordinated action, this refers to the notion of effective communication that is

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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considered to be the key to develop a more focused group of individuals who would turn out
to e an asset for the organization (Wagner III & Hollenbeck 2014). The next characteristic is
information that is important for the process of decision-making. The third trait is that of
emotional expression that refers to the fulfilment of the social requirements and the feelings.
There has been certain identified barriers that impede the process of communication. These
are selective perception, snowing, jargon, cultural differences, close mindedness and lack of
feedback. In the above scenario it can be observed that there has been a disruption in
communication. This can be attributed to the lack of a robust approach by the new manager
Sebastian manifested through his close-mindedness and the lack of feedback from the staff
that could have helped him to understand the current climate in the organization. The
information from the side of the manger has been one-way. He is not trying to understand
the articulations and the grievances of the staff. It has been found through research that
many mangers have the problem in interacting with the subordinates and understanding the
issues plaguing them. It has been found that communication can be enhanced by taking into
account the views of the other individual. One technique in this direction is that each of the
conflicting parties are receiving the feedback. In this case, the manger should be provided
with feedback about the staff as well as the different department managers (Altman, S.,
Valenzi & Hodgetts 2013). In the present situation, there has been a disruption in
communication through the close-mindedness of the managers. The highlight of good
management is that it involves the ability to receive a message and information from the
peer group and the subordinates and the superiors. In this case, the new manager Sebastian
lacks the ability to understand the staff and other mangers du to his highly dogmatic nature.
Non-verbal communication is also important in case that refers to communication without
words, in case it can termed as the vibes. There is an overall negative atmosphere in the
staff, other departmental managers especially Lucy receive negative vibes from Sebastian. It
can also be manifested in the favouritism practised by Sebastian by giving me gifts in the
presence of others making them feel left out.

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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TASK 3 – TABLE OF RECOMMENDATIONS
ACTIONS RATIONALE
Development and
implementation of
reward programs to
offer an motivational
incentive and
counteracting learning
Due to feelings of negativity, management need to be aware of
the connection between attitudes and potential behaviour. It
has been found that unfavourable attitudes may progress from
the ‘affective’ to the ‘behavioural’ component catalysing staff
resignations . These attitudes cost the company financially,
hence reward programs manage attitudes long term, help value
congruence, and create mutual respect (Pinders 2014). Another
effective way to manage attitudes is by measuring job
satisfaction via corporate attitude surveys to gain feedback on
issues of advancement opportunities, working conditions,
freedom of initiative, rewards and recognition, cooperation,
and leadership credibility, just to name a few areas for
investigation
Conducting attitude
surveys to assess the
collective well-being of
staff.
Attitude surveys may be conducted to identify the missing
links between staff ‘attitudes’ and ‘behaviours’ that would
helping creating goals and objectives to move an organisation
forward, hence feedback and action planning should follow
any survey implementation (Griffin & Moorhead 2011).
Additionally, 360º feedback tools that rate performance via
peer to peer, manager to peer etc, can be implemented to
identify gaps to develop employees, hence contributing to
personal satisfaction and empowerment (Goetsch & Davis
2014).
Identification and
selection key players
for a leadership
coaching program
It is important for Sebastian to follow a transformational
leadership style and trust his employees about their abilities
and potential. He needs to identify that each of the managerial
leaders are an asset to the organization and therefore they
should be values and treated with respect. It si important toa
mend the communication disruption with Lucy and encourage

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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her to give her best performance. The main managerial
position, management is only about climbing the ladder
efficiently. He needs to understand the importance of team
building, listening to the grievances of his staff and inspire the
staff and the departmental managers towards the common gaol.
He should not remain detached from the staff and interact more
often with the staff.

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List of References
Altman, S., Valenzi, E. & Hodgetts, R.M., 2013.Organizational behavior: Theory and practice.
Elsevier.
Colquitt, J., Lepine, J.A., Wesson, M.J. & Gellatly, I.R., 2011. Organizational behavior: Improving
performance and commitment in the workplace. McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Greenberg, J. ed., 2013. Organizational behavior: The state of the science. Routledge.
Chance, P., 2013. Introduction to educational leadership & organizational behavior. Routledge.
Goetsch, D.L. & Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Griffin, R.W. & Moorhead, G., 2011. Organizational behavior. Cengage Learning.
Kandlousi, N.S.A.E., Ali, A.J. & Abdollahi, A., 2010. Organizational citizenship behavior in
concern of communication satisfaction: The role of the formal and informal
communication. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(10), p.51.
McShane, S. & Von Glinow, M., 2013. M Organizational Behavior. New York, New York:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Myers, K.K. & Sadaghiani, K., 2010. Millennials in the workplace: A communication perspective
on millennials’ organizational relationships and performance. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 25(2), pp.225-238.
Pinder, C.C., 2014. Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press.

MGT5000 Managing Organisational Behaviour: Assignment 2 2018
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Robbins, S.P. &Judge, T., 2012. Essentials of organizational behavior.
Wagner III, J.A. & Hollenbeck, J.R., 2014. Organizational behavior: Securing competitive
advantage. Routledge.