Importance of Culture, Motivation, and Communication in Organisational Behaviour - A Case Study on HSBC Holdings plc

This document explores the significance of culture, motivation, and communication in organisational behaviour, with a focus on HSBC Holdings plc. It discusses the research aim, primary and secondary research methodologies, and presents findings on the existing strategies and organisational behaviour of HSBC. The document also examines different organisational culture, communication, and motivational theories, such as Handy's Model of Organisational Culture, Schein's Culture Triangle, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. The aim is to identify issues and provide recommendations for improving organisational behaviour in HSBC.

Organisational
Behaviour

Executive Summary
Document has showed the importance of culture, motivation and communication within
HSBC in order to gain competitive advantages or to enhance the performance level in much
effective and efficient manner. also, it has been analysed that considering different models in
relation to all the three elements which are motivation, culture and communication then it will
help HSBC in in conducting a proper analysis and develop right strategy which is required by
them to to modify the existing organisational behaviour.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................4
Overview of Research and Company.....................................................................................4
Research Aim.........................................................................................................................4
Primary Research....................................................................................................................4
Secondary Methodology Research.........................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
Organizational behavior can be defined as study of different individuals and group
performance along with the activity that takes place in a company. Basically, there are three
factors which majorly stays connected to organisational behaviour and these are motivation,
communication and culture, which affects the most of a business company’s performance level
(Jolles, Taylor and Manica, 2016). Also, if it is talked about the human behavior in a work
environment and determines its impact on job structure, performance, communication,
motivation, leadership, etc. In this report the organisation that has been taken into consideration
is HSBC Holdings plc. Basically, this company was found in the year of 1865 and currently
dealing with numerous issues while serving the it’s clients with best experience of different
services offered by them. Also, report will consider different organisational culture,
communication and motivational theories. Away with this, primary and secondary data
collecting tools will be utilised in order to pull put the best outcomes.
Main Body
Overview of Research and Company
Organisational behaviour consists of three basic elements and these are communication,
culture and motivation, which majorly impacts in both negative and positive sense. HSBC, which
is a multinational banking company of Britain was dealing with communication gap, less
diversified culture and low motivation sort of issues among staff members (Bruno, Corbetta and
Tosin, 2016).
Research Aim
Aim of this research is “To identify the issues in relation to communication, motivation
and culture which a company goes through. A case study on HSBC Holdings plc.”
Primary Research
This is one of the crucial data collecting tool that consists of different tools and some of
these are focus group, questionnaire, interview and more, which helps in pulling out the
authentic information from selected participants (Ceva and Ferretti, 2018). This type of
investigation is time taking but delivers the best and authentic results, which was never been
accumulated before. Basically, participants are being considered and selected with the help of

random sampling approach and only 8 respondents will be answering the interview, which is
selected for conducting the primary investigation.
Interview:
Interview
Q1. Do you think, if all the existing strategies related to communication, motivation and
culture followed by HSBC Holdings plc are effective for better performance level?
Answer: Based on the information given by majority of respondents is that, it is needed by
HSBC to keep on making modifications among strategies in order to develop a collaborative
and competitive environment. The reason behind why they have delivered this information is
that, changes among compensation policies would lead staff members to feel much more
motivated. Also, conducting meetings on a regular basis may lead them to reduce the conflicts
related chances among existing and new staff members. Away with this, another reason that
came in front was performance level will automatically boost with the help of collective
communication methodology. This could be understood with a good example, where right and
transparent information if provided to staff members from top level management then they will
conduct all the tasks with appropriate knowledge and skills. On the other hand, only few has
given positive response and stated that existing strategies in relation to all the three mentioned
terms are already good, and they are not seeking any change from the company in near future.
Q2. As per your own thoughts, how organisational behaviour can be improvised by HSBC
?
Answer: Majority of the respondents has delivered information that developing various
strategies may help HSBC in reaching to new goals and objectives. This was mentioned
because development of different strategies in relation to communication, culture, motivation
would lead staff members to feel much more secured and important for the company. Some of
them has also mentioned that considering different theories may help HSBC to conduct and
develop appropriate strategies for the betterment of both the company and of the staff members.
On the other side, some of other respondents were also mention their answers and stated that
there is no need of making any changes within the existing environment of HSBC's workstation.
They have given their answers because the existing culture of the company is already effective
where the performance has been given by both staff and employers is pretty much efficient in

nature.
Q3. Are you satisfied with the existing organisational behaviour of HSBC?
Answers: based on the information given by majority of the respondents it is pretty much clear
that organisational behaviour is something where uh all the individuals performs number of
tasks with others and help the company to attend the specific goal and both short and long term
period. therefore, they have clearly stated that it will be required by company to take into
consideration of different methodologies along with the theories that would lead them to
motivate staff build stronger culture and bring transparency within the communication process.
Secondary Methodology Research
According to ..., Organisational culture consist of different theories and there are two
specific theories which has been taken into consideration is handy model of organisational
culture and Schein's Culture Triangle. With the help of these models, it can easily be said that
HSBC would effectively e gain the information in relation to what culture is required to be
followed by them from the existing one.
Handy Model of organisational culture:
This model was found by Charles handy who was the American scientist basically this
model consists of four types of culture and all of these are presented underneath:
Role culture: If it is talked about HSBC, then it can be said that a role culture is not
always flexible as management of the different tasks needs proper procedures and clear job
descriptions which cannot be justified with the help of role culture. But considering this type of
culture, HSBC could effectively e develop conservatism, predictability, safety and stability for
both performance and for its employees (Tyrrell and et. al., 2017).
Power Culture: Considering this type of culture, HSBC could effectively conduct the
Zeus culture in itself where the performance will be e done on the decisions made by the top
level management. Also, if this type of culture followed by HSBC than all the decisions that will
be taken by top level management good required to be e followed by every single individual and
there will be no collaboration which is important for the company.
Person culture: this type of culture is followed by HSBC then and it would often be
found in professionals where the complete independence will be given to them. Therefore,
choosing this type of culture can be both positive and negative for HSBC and it is must for them

to understand the capabilities and skills of every single individual and also it will be required for
the staff to understand that they can take the right decision or not it is is based on the
understanding with top level management.
Task culture: HSBC, which is one of the crucial banking company of Britain if follows
this type of culture then it will be much more result oriented and the decisions will be taken by a
specific person or it is may be also not necessarily important to deliver the hierarchical power but
it may also spread over the entire organisation.
Schein's Culture Triangle:
This model covers the three different stages and all of these are given below:
Basic underlying assumptions: These are the establishments on which culture is based of
a business organisation like HSBC. Handy portrayed this as "the manners in which things
complete around here". The hidden suppositions are regularly hard to portray, are elusive and are
frequently just truly comprehended by individuals who've gotten familiar with the manner in
which the association works.
Espoused Values: These are the open explanations about what the authoritative qualities
are about of a company like HSBC. Numerous associations presently impart what their "guiding
principle" are - the embraced qualities by which the association leads its business.
Artifacts: Ancient rarities are the noticeable indications of an HSBC way of life. They
are obvious; they can be seen, heard and felt. For instance, what the clothing standard is; the
thing that sort of workplaces and design is utilized; how representatives address one another and
how they impart inside and remotely (Nowak and Latané, 2018).
Motivation theory
Maslow needs hierarchy theory
This theory was proposed by Professor Maslow. According to him employees will get
motivation by fulfilling their needs. He classified the needs in five category which can be used
by HSBC bank for motivating there employees. These needs are explained below:
Basic needs: these are those needs which include the basic requirements of employee which is
food, clothes and living. These needs can be fulfilled by HSBC bank with the help of basic salary
to their employee (Schleussner and et. al., 2016)
.

Safety and security needs: these are those needs which are related to safety of employee. This
can be fulfil by HSBC bank be providing permanent employment contract to its employee and
also provide facilities like health cover and insurance, which will motivate them to work towards
firm work.
Belongings and love: these are those which arise after the safety of life. In these needs employee
will find love and respect in firm. This can be achieved by HSBC bank, as it can form formal and
informal goods which will establish relationships between employees.
Esteem needs: in this employees want of achieve some think which will increase their respect
society, here HSBC bank can provide employee promotion and transfer to higher jobs where
they can get more authority and responsibility which will boost their motivating.
Self-actualization needs: this is related to growth and development of self by working more
complex task with fuller perfection. These needs are arise after completion of all above mention
needs. This can be full fill by firm with the help of providing tough task to employees.
Herzberg – Two factor theory
This theory is divided in two factors which are motivational factors and hygiene factors.
Motivation factors are those which cause job satisfaction and motivation in employee and
hygiene factors are those which are related dissatisfaction or just made to full some want but not
act as motivator in firm.
Motivational factors
These are those which help employee in get motivated at work place with the help of some work
and will influence on employee behaviour for great satisfaction. Some of common motivation
factors which can be used by HSBC bank are achievement, recognition, work itself,
responsibility and advancement. These can be used by bank for boosting the motivation of its
employee (Polverino and et. al., 2016)
.
Hygiene factors
These are these factors which are related to firm productivity and they have no major
impact on motivation of employee. These are related to demotivation of employee but they are
mot those which can motivate en employee to work in organtional. Some of their factors are

company policy and administration, supervision, salary, interpersonal relationships and working
conditions, these are to be considering as hygiene factors by HSBC bank.
These are motivational theory which can be applied on HSBC bank and will lead to motivation
in firm and can also help in boosting the performance of employee with maximum satisfaction
and great efforts of employees this will also leads in increasing the efforts of firm an effective
use of firms resources for better goal achievement (McCormac and et. al., 2017).
Communication theories
Communication theory is a field of information theory, psychology, sociology, semiotics,
anthropology and mathematics that studies the technical process of information, as well as a field
of studying interpersonal communication and intrapersonal communication. Some of their
theories are stated below for the HABC bank:
Actor-Network Theory (ANT)
This is the theory which states that for effective communication the human a technological
factors both are important part. This theory has its main focus on how networks are formed and
can be used to communicate in firm. This is the basic theory which can be used by HSBC bank
in there functioning. This states that both the receiver and sender are responsible for creditability
of information; this is responsibility of both to use effective communication method. HSC can
use this for eliminating confusion from firm and smooth flow of information in firm without any
delay in work.
Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST)
This is the theory which help firm in establishing good communication with the help of
better structure. According to this theory HSBC bank can use its structure for implementation of
communicating and flow of information in the organtional. Organtional make rules and
regulation which facilitate to in making good organtional structure this structure helps in
development of firm and interpersonal relation and these relations needs to communicate within
firm, so effective communication can e achieved with the help of firms better and desire

structure. Which facilitate bank smooth low of information (Metcalfe, Van Leeuwen and Killen,
2016)
.
Agenda Setting Theory
This the theory if communication where firm have to set agenda to communicate within
fir this agenda is related to transfer of information which can be used to circulate the information
within department of firm . This also help HSBC bank in guiding its employees towards the
goals which firm age to set within limited time period.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory.
This is that theory which is related to hate and dislike in firm. In this theory the other says that
mind set of individual have great impact on communication within the organtional. This is
because if any employees feel anger and disrespect for other employee than there communication
will never effective and they will not understand he information supplies by each other
effectively, this can also become the reason for conflict between them. This can be solved with
the help of management of conflict in the firm , here HSBC bank can use method ethic can help
in establishment of good relation within both employees and whole firm to promote effective
communication (van Nouhuys, 2016)
.
Communication Accommodation Theory
Communication Accommodation Theory describes when people accommodate or adjust
their communication styles to others. These changes in verbal and nonverbal styles are done
through two ways: divergence and convergence. Divergence is used to highlight group identity
through touting the differences of the group they identify with. Divergence is often used by
groups with strong ethnic or racial pride. Convergence is used more often by powerless
individuals for social approval and focuses on matching the communication styles of the person
with whom they are speaking to.
Conclusion
With the help of a above mentioned report, it can easily be said that bringing
modifications among culture, motivation and communication then this will help the organisation
in reaching to new goals and bringing the collaborative practice within the workstation. Also,

positive culture followed by the company, motivated employees, transparency in the
communication process may help an organisation to reach to the new goals and gain competitive
advantages within the rivalry business world.

References
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