Organisational Behaviour: Culture, Power, and Politics

This report discusses the impact of culture, power, and politics on team and individual behavior and performance in Unilever. It explores motivation theories and effective team dynamics. The report also delves into the philosophies of organizational behavior. The subject of study is Organisational Behaviour in course code 12.

UNIT 12
ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P 1 Culture, power and politics affects team and individual behavior & performance...............3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................6
P 2 Content and process theories of motivation and motivate individuals..................................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................8
P 3 Effective team as opposed to an ineffective team.................................................................8
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................11
P 4 Philosophies of organizations behaviour.............................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
The study of individuals and group in an organization is known as organizational
behaviour. This is a very essential factor which needs to be maintained in an organization and
also understood so that the future decisions and planning can be done effectively and
accordingly. Unilever was established in 1929 which is having its headquarters in London,
United Kingdom. There are more than 155,000 employees working in the organization and the
net income of the organization is €6.026 billion as of 2019. The company is dealing in cleaning,
food, refreshments, beauty & personal care products. This firm has gained a lot of experience so
that the company will be able to operate effectively in this competitive market. The report is
going to discuss the culture, politics and power’s impact on the behaviour of an organization.
Motivation methods which would be used by Unilever in order to be able to achieve the goals
and objectives. There is a discussion on philosophies and concepts in different concepts in
business. Team work and organizational culture, power and politics is also going to be discussed
in the further report.
LO 1
P 1 Culture, power and politics affects team and individual behavior & performance
Organizational culture or power or politics aspects are always affecting performance and
productivity of teams and individuals within Unilever (Ik and Azeez, 2020). In this situation,
top-level management at this firm have to systematically manage different these all aspects to
always very positively affect it different employees’ behavior and performance. These all key
aspects of Unilever have been discussed below;
CULTURE
Organizational culture is basically an environment where all employees of the company
come together for achieving their targets and objectives in time period. The management at
Unilever is always required to make its work culture positive and healthy, because The Handy’s
culture model has been used below to understand the concept of organizational culture.
Handy’s Culture Model

Handy’s culture model was first presented by Charles Handy who is an Irish person and
he is expert of organizational philosopher and culture. According to Mr. Handy, basically there
are 4 types of cultures exists in an organization called; Power, Task, Person, Role.
Power culture: Power culture refers a culture of organization where a person uses its power to
influence various employees. Basically, power people have power within Unilever according to
their job roles. For example; CEO and MD are the top-level management, so that they have the
highest power.
Task culture: Hendy’s task culture within affects different employees to conduct different
activities or operations according to their allotted tasks. Currently all teams and individuals
within this company has different tasks to complete, so they should be complete these all tasks in
very proper way.
Role culture: Role culture is another key culture within Hendy’s culture model which affect
employees for playing their role in daily operations to achieve organizational targets and
objectives on time (James, 2017). For example; the manager within Unilever have to play role
for managing various things, and a leader have to play role for leading various employees.
Person culture: Person culture within the Handy’s culture model is basically based on the
respect and dignity factors of employees within workplace. According to this culture of Handy,
the management of Unilever have to respect its different employee that will improve dignity of
employees. This culture of model will positively affect performance of individuals and teams.
POWER
Power is another key aspect within the Unilever company. Basically, power gives
opportunity to different people within workplace to influence performance, productivity and
behavior of employees and teams in positive manner. There are French and Raven’s power
model has been used below for properly analyzing power aspect of Unilever.
French and Raven’s Power Model
According to French and Raven model there are five types of power exists within an
organization which has been described below;

Coercive power: This is the power which the management within Unilever uses for protecting
racket of the company for development and growth.
Reward power: Reward power uses by manager to motivate its employees and teams in
workplace, because when the management rewards employees, then employees get motivated to
work hard.
Legitimate Power: This power only uses by top-level management for working in the public
welfare, in which by using this power the management can simply work in employees’
wellbeing.
Referent Power: Referent power is helpful to managers and leaders within Unilever for
appreciating its employees in behalf of giving their great input in the company.
Expert Power: Experts power generally those people have within Unilever who have some
special and exclusive ability. For example; research and development department’s manager
have this power, because it is expert in innovating new things.
POLITICS
Politics is basically an unethical or unprofessional way of influencing people, teams and
individual attempts within an organization (McShane, Olekalns and Martin, 2018). Many
companies consider organizational politics as unethical attempt, because when any person has
conducted politics in workplace, then its main objective behind doing this is to take personal
advantages. This politics aspect can always influence Unilever’s different employees and teams
in negative manner, so that management should avoid this attempt in its daily operations.
Evaluation of relationship between culture, motivation, power, politics
There are great relationship exists between these all aspects, because without maintaining
an effective coordination between these all aspect, Unilever’s management can’t achieve its
targets and objectives time. There are French and Raven model is very essential to Unilever for
properly understanding the organizational power.
Recommendations

Currently existing management of Unilever is fully able to manage these all aspects in
very effective manner. By using power, motivation and culture the management always tries to
positively affect behavior and performance of teams and individuals within workplace. Politics
aspects always avoided the company to maintain an ethical work culture.
LO 2
P 2 Content and process theories of motivation and motivate individuals
For achieving the objectives and goals there has to be a motivated workforce who is
required in the business and also they must be provided them motivation from time to time so
that they can continue their work effectively. There are a lot of theories which are present in the
market from which the business will have to select the best for the firm. Unilever having
experience will be able to do this effectively and make the company have good functioning.
Process Theory
Unilever has implemented and used a lot of motivation methods for the employees to
have a good performance and functioning in the organization which is resulting in making the
brand image and reputation of the organization be gained in the market. It is very important to
understand the needs and satisfaction level of the employees so that there are going to be
operational growth which would be planned accordingly. The organization can gain a lot of
competitive advantage in the market if the right method and strategy is being used by the firm in
market (Chang and et.al., 2016).
Reinforcement Theory
Reinforcement theory has been given by B F Skinner which is based on the law of effect
which is famous in the market. There is a consequence for everything which is taking place
around which can be positive or negative in nature in the organization.
 Negative Reinforcement
When the skills and knowledge of the employees are not being used in an organization then
the employees will not remain motivated and the result for the organization is going to be
harmful this is that the targets and goals are not going to be achieved. The management of the

organization can fire the employees which are still not putting in their best in the business so that
the standards of the firm can be maintained. There has to be good training and development
sessions which are taking place in Unilever so that the employees are going to be motivated from
time to time and make the company have a better reputation (Shah, Anwar and Irani, 2017).
 Positive Reinforcement
The employees who are provided with positive rewards will have a tendency to repeat their
actions again and again which will make the company have good competitive advantage. There
have to be any kind of reward or incentives which must be given to the employees which are
putting in their best in the organization to be able to achieve the goals (Connolly and et.al.,
2017). Unilever provided the employees with incentives, bonus, promotions, etc so that the
motivation level is maintained in the organization and the right measures and decisions can be
taken by Unilever for the future.
Content Theory
To understand human being’s needs and demands this is a very effective theory which
can be used to understand the changes in the market by Unilever. Individual content theory is
very important to motivate the workforce effectively and the further report is going to discuss
those factors with the help of Herzberg’s model so that there is a better understanding.
Herzberg’s two factor theory
There are two factors which are present in this model which are hygiene factors and the
other one is motivator factors which have a great influence on the job satisfaction of the
employees (Coxen, Van der Vaart and Stander, 2016). With the help of these factors there is
going to be a better operations and Unilever will be able to profit from this factor as well.
 Motivators
There is a standard and reputation which Unilever has set for them in the competitive market
and for that there has to be good and right employees as well. There is going to be a sense of de-
motivation in the employees if they are not recognised for the efforts they are putting in the

organization. From time to time the employees have to be motivated and also given appreciation
for the efforts they put in.
 Hygiene Factors
Hygiene factors are the environment in which the employees work within so that the
performance level would increase. The environment in which the employees are working has to
be well maintained so that the employees can give in their best. Unilever is having a good
environment which is why the targets which they are setting are being met from time to time
(Bakotić, 2016). The policies, salary, security, relationship, supervision, etc are being maintained
by the management so that the employees are ready to give in their best in the organization.
Influence the behaviour of others
The influence of the leaders and managers is very high which is good for the functioning
because there are skilled and experienced managers and leaders which have been hired in the
organization so that there is going to be a higher brand image and reputation in the market
(Memon and et.al., 2017). The objectives and goals which are set in Unilever are high therefore
it is very important for the company to be able to maintain those which are going to make the
effectiveness of the employees improve.
LO 3
P 3 Effective team as opposed to an ineffective team
It is very important in the organization to have good functioning so that there is going to
be better operations and for that there must be good team work. There are two types of teams
which are effective and ineffective teams which are present in the market and would be
discussed in the further report.
Ineffective Team
In an ineffective team the goals and objectives are not going to be met by the
organization easily. There are going to be a lot of conflicts, communication gap, and lesser

productivity which is going to be present and that is going to impact on the brand image and
standards of the organization in the market (Lee, Tui and Sharif, 2016).
Effective Team
There are a lot of new ideas, innovations and creativity which is going to be present and
the standards of the company is going to improve since the unique factor is going to be present in
the business. There are experienced and skilled employees working in Unilever which is why the
organization is being able to operate effectively in the market.
Difference between ineffective team and effective team
The difference between the two is that the organizations which have effective team are
able to achieve the goals and objectives faster but the businesses which have ineffective team
will not be able to have good time management and the quality of the services will also get
affected.
Tuckman’s Theory
There many stages which are involved in this theory which has been given by Tuckman
so that the objectives and goals can be achieved.
 Forming stage
The tasks have to be given to the right employees of the organization so that there is going to
be a standard which is going to be present in the objective. Requirement of proper planning has
to be there in the organization so that the goals can be achieved (Piórkowska and Stańczyk-
Hugiet, 2017). Clarity in the objectives have to be there in the employees so that they know
which direction to work in which is going to make the employees match the timeline.
 Storming Stage
All the employees are asked to give in their input in the organization which is going to create
a lot of conflicts and confusion but they have to be solved on time. There are new ideas and
better decision making which can be done but the process is going to be slower which can make
the productivity of Unilever get affected.

 Norming Stage
The employees must know each other and understand each other so that there is going to be
effective and efficient working which is going to be present in the market.
 Performing Stage
The conflicts reduce by this stage and the employees are ready to work with one another and
make the goals of Unilever be achieved which is a great factor for getting in competitive
advantage.
Factors Affecting Effective Team
 Team size
The teams should not be of large groups because the bigger the team the more chances of
conflicts are going to be present which is going to affect the functioning and brand image of the
organization (Khaola and Rambe, 2020). The ideas and creativity has to be present and for that
the company will have to get in small groups which understand each other and the company will
be able to maintain their brand image, reputation and market size. The competition in the market
is increasing which is why the company will have to keep these factors in mind so that there is
going to be good working which would be present.
 Leadership
There are right leaders which have been hired in Unilever so that there is going to be a good
control and monitoring which is going to be present in the market. The clarity and sense of
working is going to be present making Unilever be able to maintain their standards and working
in the market effectively (Thomsen, Karsten and Oort, 2016).
 Communication
This is a very important factor in Unilever because the employees have to have clarity in the
roles and responsibilities they have in an organization. Communication removes the conflicts and
differences between the employees which are going to make the internal environment of
Unilever work smoothly and effectively. The organization is going to have good productivity and

operations which are going to make the company have strong functioning and the business will
be able to grow further in the market.
LO 4
P 4 Philosophies of organizations behaviour
The behaviour in an organization has to be matching the standards and quality of the
organization so that there is going to be good performance. The further report is going to discuss
the theories and philosophies which can be used by business in order to be able to achieve those
factors.
Path Goal Theory
There have to be better theories and methods which have to be decided so that there is
going to be clarity in the working and representative’s every day. The leaders and managers have
to make sure that they are implemented and followed effectively so that the productivity is not
getting harmed.
 Directive Path
The roles and responsibilities have to be distributed effectively and the control and guiding
the employees is also very important for the leaders and managers to be able to achieve the
objectives and goals. The company has to make the demands of the customers be met which is
increasing rapidly and the reputation of Unilever as well in the market so that there is going to be
a good functioning.
 Participative Leaders
All the employees of the organization have to actively participate in the task so that there is
going to be a faster functioning which is going to be there and looking at one another the
employees will be motivated as well (Giessner, 2016). There is a positive environment can be
maintained because of this factor as well in Unilever which is good for the long run.
 Supportive leaders

The working environment in the organization has to be healthy so that there is going to be
good professional performance which is going to be present in the market so that the objectives
and goals can be met. The problems of the employees also have to be resolved quickly in the
organization which is going to help the business be able to operate smoothly.
 Achievement
There has to be good achievement of goals and targets which is why there must be good
communication of these factors which gets clarity in the business. The leaders have to gain the
trust in the employees and listen to the leaders blindly as well so that there is going to be better
operations.
Custodial organizational behaviour model
The performance and operations of the employees will have to be controlled and
monitored and improved from time to time so that there is going to be better operations which is
going to take place. Financial packages for the employees are present and they are also improved
from time to time so that the satisfaction level of the employees in Unilever can be improved for
the better. The safety and security of the employees is very important and that must be provided
by the leaders and managers of the company so that the standards and reputation of the business
is going to be present in the market. There are healthcare, retirement plans, incentives, etc which
is being provided to the employees so that there is going to be higher satisfaction level of the
employees (Ruck, Welch and Menara, 2017).
CONCLUSION
It is from the above report it can be concluded that there has to be a good balanced internal
environment by understanding and controlling the behaviour of the employees so that there is
going to be good productivity and operations which can take place. There are a lot of measures
and strategies which can be taken by the businesses in the market so that there is going to be a
better achievement which the business can have in the market. The competition in the market is
increase therefore it is very important for the company to be able to maintain their reputation and
standards and that can take place when the achievement is going to be there for the targets which

have been set by the firms. There must be a strong workforce who must be present in the market
so that there is going to be a better result and higher profitability in the market which can be used
for the better portfolio and can be helped for expansion of the business globally.

REFERENCES
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