Influence of Culture, Power, and Politics on Organizational Behavior

This document discusses the influence of culture, power, and politics on organizational behavior. It explores the impact of these factors on individual and team behavior. The case study focuses on Unilever and its strategies to maintain a motivated workforce. It also covers theories of motivation and effective team dynamics.

ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
LO 1............................................................................................................................................................3
P 1 Influence of culture, power and politics on behaviour of organization..............................................3
LO 2............................................................................................................................................................6
P 2 Motivate individuals..........................................................................................................................6
LO 3............................................................................................................................................................9
P 3 Effective team as opposed to an ineffective team..............................................................................9
LO 4..........................................................................................................................................................11
P 4 Philosophies of organizations behaviour.........................................................................................11
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Organizational behaviour is when there is a study on the group and individual
performance within a business. It is very important to have a strong performance in business so
that the demand and needs of the customers can be met and to have a strong productivity there
are measures which need to be taken by the management.
The company which is going to be discussed in the report is Unilever which is having its
headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The products which the company is dealing with are
beauty & personal care, cleaning, food & refreshment, etc. Unilever is an organization which has
been in the industry for more than 90 years with a workforce of 155,000 which is making the
company have an experience in the company so that the organization can achieve their
objectives.
In this report there is going to be a cover on culture, politics and power on behaviour so
that the organization can have a better functioning. Having a motivated workforce is very
essential for companies so that the objectives and goals can be met from time to time. There is
also going to be a discussion of evaluation on concepts and philosophies of business in a given
situation.
LO 1
P 1 Influence of culture, power and politics on behaviour of organization
It is very essential for an organization to get in an effective team in the business so that
they can achieve their success in the competitive market easily (Farris, 2018). Team work can
make the organization have higher productivity which will make the organization be able to meet
with the demands and needs of the customers from time to time. This factor is going to help the
organization to have higher profit margins than the organizations in market.
Culture

Culture is the belief, customs, behaviour of the organization which will help the
organization to have an effective functioning for them in the market which is going to help with
higher profit margins and competitive advantage.
Handy’s Culture Model
 Task
The leaders or the managers have to make sure of the organization that the distribution of
tasks is happening in the organization according to the employee’s capabilities (Gkorezis and
Petridou, 2017). Unilever is very particular of doing that because that helps the organization to
keep up with their standards and performance level in the market which gives the company an
upper hand in the competitive market. Tasks have to be distributed according to the teams in the
organization so that there is a better functioning.
 Person
The employees in Unilever feel that they are very important in the organization and are
needed which are why they are the backbones of the organization so that the productivity in the
organization can be maintained. The culture of the employees is respected but when the
employees find themselves superior to one another than the working of the organization reduces.
Feeling superior is going to make the productivity of the team reduce and the individual will not
have motivation to function according to the standards of the company.
 Power
The decision making power is in the hands of few people which needs to be fair for all the
employees. In case of unfair decisions in the organization there will be a sense of demotivated
employees which is going to make the productivity and operations get affected and not just that
but also the quality of the services and products (Hosseini, Barzoki and Isfahani, 2018). The
powerful people should monitor and control the employees so that they can maintain their
standards in the market.
 Role

Unilever is using role culture in the organization which is why the company is being able to
achieve their objectives and goals on time. The employees with experience and right skills are
given power and that gives the organization has a better distribution of work as well. There is
clarity in the functioning and help which the employees need, can also be provided.
Power
Power is the influence on the behaviour so that the objectives and goals can be met in the
organization. This is going to help the organization to be able to achieve their objectives and
goals faster since the competition is increasing this are important for the organization.
French & Raven Theory
 Coercive
There are a lot of employees who are not motivated enough to work but after being provided
motivation and training to them and still they are not matching to the standards of the
organization then Unilever’s management or higher authorities can take actions against it
(Leithy, 2017). There are punishments like losing the job or not getting promoted in the
organization which can make the employees give their best in the company.
 Reward
Unilever is very particular about this factor because they provide the employees with all
kinds of rewards which are helping the organization to grow and the employees to be motivated.
There are promotions, salaries, incentives and other advantages which are being provided to the
employees so that there is a better functioning.
 Referent
Some people in the company have power because of their charm, looks and attitude which is
a de-motivation for the other people working in the organization. There are going to be more
conflicts and an unhealthy environment for the employees to work in.
 Expert

There have to be experts which get their respect and appreciation for their expertises in
Unilever which can be an advantage for the other employees. There is going to be sharing of
knowledge which is going to make all the employees get more skilled.
 Legitimate
There is a power which lies in the hands of CEO, executives and owners of the organization
which includes decision making for the organization. The employees have to feel comfortable
with this power with them by making them feel like the decisions which are being taken are for
them and the company will be able to have a better functioning (Miao and et.al., 2019).
Monitoring and controlling are two factors which these authorities will have to do in the
organization so that Unilever can achieve their goals.
Politics
To keep the power in the organization be an advantage for the organization is very
essential so that there is a better functioning.
Chantel’s
To understand the roles and characteristics of politics in the organization can be easily
understood by this model (McShane and et.al., 2018). Due to politics there can be a sense of
demotivated workforce in the organization which needs to be maintained so that the organization
can achieve their targets.
 Individual Factors
The standards of the organization have to be met which is by employees have to be motivated
so that the organization does not have incomplete working. The employees who are going to be
interested in politics are going to be disliked by the other employees which are going to make the
standards of the organization get affected.
 Organizational Factors
The organization will have to make sure that the rewards or appreciations are being given to
the right employees in the organization so that there is a sense of motivation which can be seen

in the company. Performance of the employees might fall if this is not followed effectively.
Politics can spoil the minds of the employees and the targets of the company will not be met
because of this factor.
LO 2
P 2 Motivate individuals
The targets will be met on time when the employees of the organization are motivation
from time to time. There can be a development of businesses effectively and to understand the
motivation factor the further report is going to discuss these factors with the help of theories
which will make it easier for Unilever to analyse and apply these in the company so that they can
have a higher operations and profit margins (Mansouri, Singh and Khan, 2018).
Content Theory
To understand the needs and wants of human being this theory is very effective and also
understand the changes which are taking place in Unilever. To motivate the behaviour of
individual content theory is very useful which will help the company to have an effective
functioning. To understand better the report is going to apply two factor theory by Herzberg’s
model which is going to be very beneficial.
Herzberg’s two factor theory
There are two factors which are influencing the job satisfaction factor of the employees in
group and as individuals which are hygiene factors and motivator factors. To get a better
outcome from the organization both the factors are used by Unilever effectively.
 Motivators
Recognition should be given to the right employees in the organization so that there is a
better functioning and no de-motivation in the company. To maintain the quality and standards
of the organization the right responsibility is given to the right employees in the organization

(Maio and et.al., 2020). The achievement, responsibility, advancement, growth, etc have to be
given to the employees from time to time so that they can give their best in the organization.
 Hygiene Factors
The physical environment of the employees has to be well maintained by Unilever so that the
employees can give their personal best in the company. The targets of the company have to be
met and that is only possible when there is a high productivity in the organization so that there is
a better functioning. The salary, security, relationship, company policies, supervision, etc have to
be well maintained in the organization for the employees so that there is a better functioning.
Process Theory
By investigating the needs and satisfaction of individuals in the organization can be done
with process theory which is going to be very effective in the operational growth of the
company. Unilever is trying out a lot of methods so that they can motivate their workforce in the
organization so that there is a better functioning which is going to make the reputation of the
organization increase rapidly (Alqahtani, 2018). This can make the organization get a
competitive advantage as well.
Reinforcement Theory
B F Skinner has stated this theory which is famously known as reinforcement which is based
on the law of effect. According to B F Skinner there is a consequence of all the actions which are
taking place in the company which can be negative or positive.
 Negative Reinforcement
There is going to be a negative impact on the employees when the skills of the employees are
not being used and the company is not being able to function according to the target they had
planned. The trained and development is provided to the employees and still if they are not being
able to meet the standards and expectations of the company then there will be a negative
consequence on the employees. The management and the human resource department has the
right to fire the employees who are not giving their best in the organization.
 Positive Reinforcement

The employees which are doing their best in the company of Unilever are given rewards for
the kind of actions they have done which is helping the company achieve their targets. It is very
important for the employees to be motivated like this because they tend to repeat the actions so
that they are appreciated all the time which is going to be very effective for the organization
(Sendjaya and et.al., 2019). Rewards like promotions, bonus, incentives, etc is provided to the
employees of Unilever from time to time so that they give their personal best in the organization
which is a very essential factor for the organization to achieve their objectives. The competition
in the market is increasing which is why the company will have to take such measures so that
they can get the best from the market.
Influence the behaviour of others
It is very important that there is a great influence of the leaders and the managers for the
employees so that there is a better functioning which increases the brand image in the market.
When there is a proper direction given to the employees then the company will be able to have a
better functioning and the employees will be able to make the company achieve their goals and
objectives. Unilever is using rewards and incentives for the employees who are working hard for
the organization so that they continue to function effectively. Unilever has got a lot of
competitors in the market which is why it is very important that the productivity in the
organization to be high so that the objectives can be met.
LO 3
P 3 Effective team as opposed to an ineffective team
Effective Team
Effective team is going to help the entire and overall success of the organization in the
market which is a great factor for the company to have. There are more of innovative ideas and
creativity which rise in the organization which is a great factor for the company. There are
conflicts in the organization but when those are solved there is going to be an improvement in

the organization with new products will be produced in the organization which is going to get
more customers in the company.
Ineffective Team
In an ineffective team nobody will be willing to work as a team which is going to make
the processing and the productivity in the organization get affected. The quality and the demand
of the customers will not be matching which is going to make the loyal customers in the
organization get affected (Chang and et.al., 2016). The decision making in the organization will
not be matching the expectation and the standard of the organization which is going to affect the
reputation which the company has built for them in the market from a long run.
Tuckman’s Theory
To have an effective group in the business Tuckman has given various stages that when
followed the company will be able to get a competitive advantage for a long run in the market.
These stages are going to make the company have a clear direction to function in and the
company will be able to achieve their targets from time to time which are a great factor for the
company.
 Forming stage
The tasks have to be analysed and given to the right employees in the company so that the
work can be completed with matching the standards of the company (Jacobs and Goodman,
2018). Employees will have to be given a timeline which is going to help the company to be able
to have an effective functioning and the demands of the customers is going to be met on time.
 Storming Stage
There are going to be a lot of conflicts which are going to be created in the company which is
going to make the decision making in the organization can affected and slower. This is going to
make the operations slower, which is going to result in having a lower productivity and the
demands of the customers will not be met by the company on time. The roles have to be allotted
clearly and there should be a direction which is given to the employees on time so that the
objectives can be met by the employees.

 Norming Stage
The employees get to know each other which is going to help in building up an effective
team so that there is a better functioning. There is going to be an exchange of knowledge which
is going to develop the skills and productivity of all the employees in the company which is a
great factor for the organization.
 Performing Stage
In this stage the employees are ready to work with one another and the company will have
lesser conflicts which is a great factor for the company because the organization will be able to
have right decisions faster (Intezari and McKenna, 2018). There are new additions or
improvement in the company which will be easily implemented in the organization which is a
great factor for the company.
Belbin’s team role theory
There are nine stages which have been given by Belbin which are shaper, implementer,
completer finisher, coordinator, team worker, resource investigator, plant, monitor evaluator and
specialist. Shaper is for challenges which improve the team functioning, implementer getting the
ideas into action; completer finisher is to make the sure that the work is finished on time.
Coordinator is the person who acts like a chairperson, team work is to encourage for cooperation,
and resource investigator is to explore the outside opportunities. Plant is to get new ideas and
approaches in the organization, monitor evaluator is to analyse the ideas and specialist is to get
skills for getting the task done professionally. This is a very essential tool for Unilever because
this is going to help the organization to match the standards and functioning in the market so that
there is a better functioning in the market.
Factors Affecting Effective Team
 Leadership
The leaders have to be experience so that they can take decisions in situations which are
going to make the company remain functioning smoothly in the market. To have an effective
team working in the company the leaders have an immense hard work which is put in by them so

that the workforce can work as a team which is going to make the target be met on time and the
expectation of the company is fulfilled by the employees. There is a sense of clarity which is
provided by the leaders of the company so that there is a better functioning.
 Team size
Larger the team there are going to be more conflicts in the organization which needs to be
controlled so that the right decisions can be taken from time to time (Wood and et.al., 2016).
Though there are a lot of creativity and innovation which can take place but processing of the
organization reduces which needs to be maintained so that there is an effective functioning.
There is a better functioning and focus of the leaders on the employees when there is a small
group to take care of.
 Communication
It is very important for organizations to have communication within operations and
productivity because that gets in a better sense of direction for the workforce which is very
essential. The strength of team is not going to be good if there is a communication gap in the
organization. The demands of the customers will not be able to be met which is a great
disadvantage for organizations in this competitive world.
LO 4
P 4 Philosophies of organizations behaviour
Path Goal Theory
This theory helps the organization to understand and analyse the needs of the employees of
the organization and make decisions in the company accordingly. There is an association of
every day exercising in the organization and the leaders of Unilever follow this method so that
they can have a better functioning for themselves (Pradhan and Bhattacharyya, 2018).
 Directive Path

It is very essential for the leaders to guide the employees so that the workforce of the
company can match the expectations of the company which is going to help them to grow in the
market. There is a duty and responsibility which each employee has in the organization which
needs to be fulfilled so that the company can have a better functioning in the market. The path
has to be visible for the employees whom the leaders create for them so that the company can
benefit from it and the targets, objectives and goals of Unilever can be achieved effectively.
 Achievement
There are targets which set by the management of the organization according to the demands
and the competitors in the market which needs to be completed on time. This is going to help the
company to have a better functioning and the company will be able to maintain the loyalty of the
customers in the organization. There has to be trust factors in the employees for the leaders
which are allotting them work so that the employees and the organization can benefit from this
factor (Shah, Anwar and Irani, 2017). This is going to make the employees get extra privileges
from the organization which is going to help them have a better functioning for them which is a
very essential factor. The competition in the market is increasing which needs to be maintained
and analysed so that there is a better functioning and the company will be able to have loyalty of
the customers which results in higher profit margins.
 Supportive leaders
There is a requirement of sharing a healthy environment by the leaders with the employees so
that they can understand the issues regarding health or family with the employees. There is a
support which the employees need in the professional life as well so that there is a better
functioning of the organization so that the company can achieve their goals and objectives. The
employees will trust and be loyal to the organization which will make the team work also
effective in the company which is a great advantage for the organization for a long run in the
market.
 Participative Leaders
There are a lot of employees in the organization which try to find short cuts to complete their
work but that is not going to be effective for the standards of the organization which needs to be

taken care of by the leaders (Pradhan, Kumari and Kumar, 2017). Leaders have to monitor and
make sure that all the employees are participating in achieving the targets of the organization so
that there is a better functioning of the company. This is going to help the company to have a
better relation in the operations which is going to make the company have a better functioning.
Productivity approach
Converting the input into outputs is very important so that there is a better functioning in
the organization. The economic concern also has to be followed and the culture of the
organization as well so that the standards of the products is maintained in the organization so that
there is a better functioning in the market. The human relations in the organization have to be
maintained so that the influence on all the employees is good so that there is a better functioning.
Human resource approach
The employees have to be focused upon and the best of environment should be given to
them so that there is a better functioning. There has to be good supervision on the employees so
that the organization can be sure of the productivity and the operations which are taking place in
the company so that there is a better functioning and the organization will be able to have a better
brand image.
Custodial organizational behavior model
It is very important for the management or the managers of the organization to think for
the safety of the employees. This is going to make the trust and faith in the employees increase
towards the organization which is going to make the productivity of the organization increase.
There is a requirement by Unilever to think for the retirement plans of the employees of the
organization and the incentives which are being received by the employees of the company so
that the company can have a strong workforce in the market. The needs and demands of the
employees also have to be fulfilled by the organization so that there is a better functioning of the
organization in the market and give the company a competitive advantage for a long and success
run in market (Elsmore, 2017). The financial packages of the employees need to be modified so
that the employees can also have loyalty to the organization and this is going to make the skilled
and experienced employees stay within the organization.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded to have a healthy and safety environment for
the workforce to work in there have to be a need of balance in the culture, politics and power.
There is a great influence of these factors in the organization but it can be controlled by the
organization by using the right method and strategies in the organization. There are objectives
and goals which the organization has to achieve but without having a strong workforce the
organization will not be able to function effectively in the market. From the above report it can
also be concluded that the effective team are able to reach their objectives easily than the
ineffective teams in the market.

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