Report on Organisational Behaviour and Culture at Aston Martin

This report delves into the organisational behaviour of Aston Martin, a British luxury car manufacturer. It examines the company's unique organisational culture, highlighting its artefacts, values, and shared assumptions, particularly its commitment to handcrafted automobiles. The report explores how organisational culture impacts communication, emphasizing the 7 C's of communication and the adoption of the transactional communication model. Furthermore, it analyses the impact of organisational culture on employee motivation, focusing on incentives and the application of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The report concludes by underscoring the crucial role of organisational culture in ensuring business success, particularly within the luxury car market.

ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Organisational culture of Aston Martin..................................................................................1
Explanation of improvement in organisational effectiveness due to organisational culture with
emphasis on communication..................................................................................................2
Employees at Aston Martin communicate with senior leaders to discuss factors which
improve organisational effectiveness.....................................................................................2
Impact of organisational culture on employee motivation.....................................................5
Role of organisational culture in ensuring business success..................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
The focus of organisational behaviour is understanding behaviour of employees in
relation to organisational performance. Organisational behaviour is the area of study which aims
to formulate theories and models which can be used to predict, understand and control
behaviours in a firm. The present report is based on Aston Martin which is British luxury car
manufacturing company. Aston Martin was founded in the year 1913 and is currently leading
brand name in the international luxury car market. Aston Martin generated annual revenue of
£611.8 in the year 2020.The firm has employed 3000 employees on a global scale to
manufacture and deliver premium quality luxury cars.
MAIN BODY
Organisational culture of Aston Martin
Organisational culture is defined as foundational expectations, values, beliefs, thinking,
norms and assumptions which shapes and directs behaviour of the workforce at an individual,
group and organisational level. In addition to this, the organisational culture is also showcased in
the self-image, method of working, communication and expectations about the future of the firm.
Aston Martin is one of the most iconic brands in the automotive world and has created a
unique and favourable organisational structure which helps the firm in pursuit of excellency. In
order to identify organisational culture of Edgar Schein three levels of culture theory. This theory
helps in describing and understanding the organisational culture by grouping organisational
culture into three levels of Artefacts, adopted values and shared assumptions (Akanni and
Ndubueze, 2017).
Artefacts: This is the most basic element of the organisational culture and can be
identified by outsiders. In context of Aston Martin, advanced technology is part of daily
operations which helps the company to capture real time data and maintain high quality of
various handcrafted automobile parts.
Adopted values: The values and rules followed by the employees of the firm are part of
this level off the theory (Anwar and et. al., 2020). The norms and shared values of Aston Martin
include dedication to consumer satisfaction and producing quality products instead of mediocre
products in large quantity. This is depicted by the fact that every consumer has the choice to
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customise their car and visit the manufacturing facility to see the manufacturing process of the
car.
Shared assumptions: The overlooked behaviour and beliefs of the employees which
shape organisational culture are part of this level of this element of the theory (Cropley and
Cropley, 2017). Aston Martin’s organisational culture is based on their commitment to
handcrafting as the company utilises technology to monitor and measure manufacturing process
and most of the process is completed by experts assembling and building automobile parts
manually. This dedication to automation handcraft is seen few of the luxury car company as
adoption of automation is the key to cutting costs. Aston Martin focuses on quality created by
human experts and produces only 5,200 cars on annual basis. The factor of handcraft makes each
car unique and valuable.
Explanation of improvement in organisational effectiveness due to organisational culture with
emphasis on communication
The process of exchange of ideas between two or more individuals with the help of
verbal or non-verbal medium is defined as the process of communication.
Communication contributes to smooth functioning of business operations and performs
various functions to enhance organisational effectiveness. Communication helps Aston Martin
pass information from upper management to lower management effectively so the global
workforce of the firm acts in cohesion (Gkorezis, and Petridou, 2017). Communication plays an
important role in consumer service at Aston Martin as understanding consumer requirements to
build customized luxury cars and gain success in the luxury car market as unique brand.
Organisational culture contributes to communication by constructing proper
communication channels and norms which decide the way employees from different level of
hierarchy communicate with each other. The way in which employees are monitored, controlled
and workplace team are managed is part of organisational culture sets communication guidelines
in the company (James, 2017).
Employees at Aston Martin communicate with senior leaders to discuss factors which improve
organisational effectiveness.
7C’s of communication
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 Clear: This element of the theory focuses on ensuring clarity of information which is
being shared. Employees at Aston Martin share clear messages with each other in order
to enhance effectiveness of communication.
 Concise: This relates to the focus on communicating required information in minimum
time (Kitchin, 2017). The employees at Aston Martin communicate necessary business
information and highlight significant parts in order to make the communication more
concise. This ensures that vital information is easily communicated to each employees
and reduce correction in various formal messages shared by the company.
 Concrete: Presence of relevant information is key to effective communication as per this
element of the communication theory. Aston Martin employees ensure that every piece of
relevant information is communicated to the workforce.
 Correct: Accuracy of the information being shared is another vital factor of effective
communication. Employees at Aston Martin collaborate with each other and utilise
advance technology to gain real time data so that correct information flows through the
company.
 Coherent: Ensuring consistency and connection between various points of message
enhances effectiveness of communication. Aston Martin employees send well-structured
messages so that there is no possibility of miscommunication.
 Complete: Incomplete information is the key to spread of misinformation and
miscommunication as per this element of the theory. At Aston Martin, employees ensure
that every piece of information is complete so that false rumours are not spread in the
firm. This ensures that each employee is connected with the latest update of the firm and
understands the decisions made by top level management.
 Courteous: Maintaining polite tones and conveying messages with honesty enhance
effectiveness of communication especially in workplace setting as it builds trust between
the workforce and the firm (Mansouri, Singh and Khan, 2018). Aston Martin employees
respectful conduct during communication with any staff member in order to build
workplace community which treats each member of the firm with respect.
Communication models
Linear model of communication: This is one of the most basic communication models as
it regards the communication process to include single individual instead of multiple individuals.
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The one way process of communication devised in this model includes transfer of message
which includes information, behaviours or attitude from sender to the receiver with the help of
communication medium referred to as channel.
Business firms which utilise this communication structure develop formal organisational
culture which does not enable employees to give their feedback to their seniors and orders are
simply passed down from the senior levels of the hierarchy to junior levels (Prasanna and
Haavisto, 2018). The main benefit of this type of organisational culture is that it enhances the
speed of decision making process. The main drawback of this type of culture is that it restricts
flow of information from employees which decreases morale of the workforce.
Transactional model of communication: This communication model accepts
participation of multiple individuals in the process of communication. The main part of this
communication model is that it regards every individual participating in the process of
communication as communicator which depicts the acceptance of multi-party and dynamic
nature of the communication process. This model is also called the circular model of
communication as each individual partaking in the communication process takes turns to send
and receive messages. This is the complete opposite of the linear model of communication which
considers the process of communication to involve single individual which sends messages to the
receiver.
The application of this communication model in a workplace setting develops an
organisational culture in which the employees are empowered to communicate with the senior
employees and give feedback and suggestions. In addition to this, transactional communication
model helps build interpersonal relationship as circular communication process is started
between the employer and the employee (Salas-Vallina, Alegre and Fernandez, 2017).
In context of Aston Martin, the communication model which needs to be adopted by the
company is the transactional communication model. This is because the open communication
between employees and managers increases employee engagement. As employees play a central
role in core activity of the company which is car manufacturing, usage of a communication
model which enables employees to communicate with the management is essential for the
company. In addition to this usage of the communication model will help the respective firm
create strong interpersonal bonds with the employees to create more loyal workforce. This is
important for the firm as attracting skilled automobile handcrafts is difficult and retaining
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experienced technicians and mechanics will help the company produce high quality products and
vehicles.
Impact of organisational culture on employee motivation
One of the organisational policies which motivate employees to enhance their performance
is incentives given by to the employees. Aston Martin provides various incentives to employees
in order to attract and retain talent and motivate existing workforce to reach their highest
potential. The employee incentives provided by Aston Martin include insurance benefits,
retirement benefits, and vacation policy. In addition to this Aston Martin respects its employees'
right to freedom of association within a trade union and provides pension arrangements to
current and former employees. Another employee incentive provided by the company includes
paid maternity and adoption leaves to new parents and mothers. This helps the company retain
skilled workers and motivate them to enhance their performance in order to secure various
benefits from the company.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
This hierarchy outlines various human needs which need to be completed in order to attain
high levels of motivation. Application of this motivation theory to the car manufacturing
company is provided below:
Physiological needs: This stage of the hierarchy as basic biological needs required for
survival is covered in this stage. Food water and shelter are the physiological needs. Aston
Martin needs to fulfil these needs by giving each employee appropriate salary for their skill level.
This is because employees feel discourages if they do are not given remuneration according their
daily operations.
Safety needs: The second stage of the hierarchy is related to security assurance, safety and
stability in daily lives. In context of Sainsbury’s the company needs to create an organisational
culture which maintain stability and order in daily work of employees and gives them regular
remunerations so that the safety needs are met. In addition to this the firm needs to ensure that
the organisational culture is safe from external threats of physical or mental violence or
accidents.
Belonging needs: This need is related to belonging to a particular community, being part
of a group and building relationships. In context of Sainsbury’s the company needs to ensure that
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the organisational culture builds harmonious relationship between each employee and the firm so
that they are motivated to work with dedication to the company.
Esteem needs: This stage of the hierarchy deals with needs related to desire of gaining
respect and securing good social reputation. Aston Martin needs to develop an organisational
culture in which each employee is treated with respect and create reward and recognition
programs so deserving employees gain recognition for their work. This is even more essential for
Aston Martin as the handcrafting skills for their employees is the key factor which attracts
employees and builds premium brand image of the firm.
Self-actualisation needs: By attaining this needs employees reach high levels of
motivation and help the company gain success in business endeavour. This is related to
professional progress of employees and their focus on gaining success in their career. The
respective company need to create an organisational culture where every employee I able to
accomplish their professional ambition. This will increase employee motivation and help the
firm gain success in business endeavour.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within while external motivation is generated from
outside factors. Aston Martin focus on personalities of the employee and provide them career
advice. This will increase their intrinsic motivation to work effectively as it will assist in
attaining career goals. The best way to increase external motivation of employees is to give
performance based rewards and recognition to employees. This is because employees will be
motivated to seek rewards and enhance their performance.
Role of organisational culture in ensuring business success
Culture of a company is an important factor which drives organisational effectiveness. In
context of Aston Martin the firm can take various steps to enhance organisational culture in order
to gain success in various business endeavours.
Creation of a diverse culture plays an important role in in ensuring business success. This
is because a organisational culture allows employees from various cultural background to attain
their highest potential and discuss opinions and ideas with others in order to construct best
solutions for the issues faced by the company. Aston Martin needs to create a workplace
environment which not only promotes diversity at lower management levels but also allows
employees from diverse backgrounds to reach leadership position at the company. This will help
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the firm eliminate discriminatory practices and act as factor which attracts diverse range of
employees to the company.
Organisational culture which promotes collaboration creates a sense of community in the
workplace. This result in employees from different departments work in collaboration to gain
excellent outcomes helps the company gain advantage in their field. This is because collaborative
culture ensures reduction in conflicts and combination of expertise to ensure excellent outcomes
are attained. Aston Martin needs to develop collaborative organisational culture so that
employees from various departments contribute to manufacture and deliver high quality cars.
This will help the company enhance the brand image by improving performance across all
departments.
Development of culturally aware organisational culture contributes to enhancement of
organisational success. This is because business firms are able to understand the viewpoints and
interests of consumers from various cultural. By understanding needs of employees from
different cultural backgrounds such as increased price sensitivity can help a company develop an
effective internationalisation strategy. In addition to this business firms will be able to position
their brand in an international market so that the firm can earn profitability and survive for long
time period. Aston Martin needs to build cultural awareness in their workplace so that employees
can develop effective internationalisation strategy and understand need of the international
clients effectively.
One of the main factors which is crucial to creating successful organisational culture is
employee empowerment. Creating channels which enable employee to communicate with senior
leaders, developing employee career plan and helping them enhance their performance to seek
professional advancement. This helps the business firms retain talented employees and motivate
them to maximise their performance and expand their job roles to move upward in their career.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it is determined that understanding organisational behaviour helps
business firms make changes in their organisational culture to optimise performance of the
workforce and gain success in various business endeavours. Organisational culture is formed by
three levels which are artefacts, adopted values and shared assumptions. Organisational culture
affects communication in company. Transactional and linear are various communication models.
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