Organisational Behaviour: An Analysis of Marks & Spencer

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ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
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ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
LO1 Analysis of the Influence of Culture, Politics and Power on the Behaviour of Others in
Marks & Spencer.............................................................................................................................3
Influence of culture......................................................................................................................3
Influence of politics.....................................................................................................................7
Influence of power.......................................................................................................................8
LO2 Motivate Individuals and Teams to Achieve a Goal...............................................................9
LO3 Cooperating Effectively With Others....................................................................................14
Types of Organisational Teams.................................................................................................14
Team Dynamics and Teamwork................................................................................................15
LO4 Concepts and Philosophies of Organisational Behavior.......................................................17
Concepts and Philosophies........................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................19
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Introduction
Organisational Behaviour is the cognitive study of the behaviour of humans in an organisational
setup. The organisation chosen for this report is Marks and Spencers (Chumg et al., 2016).
Marks and Spencer is a multinational retailer company based in United Kingdom, headquartered
in Westminster, London. It specializes in luxury food, clothing and home products. It was
founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Tomas Spencer. The net income of the company is 29.1
million pounds. (Marksandspencer.com. 2019)
This report will analyze the influence of different factors on organisational behaviour, how an
organisation motivates employees to achieve goals and cooperate effectively, concept and
philosophies of Organisational Behaviour. Lastly, a conclusion of the entire report will be
provided.
LO1 Analysis of the Influence of Culture, Politics and Power on the Behaviour of Others in
Marks & Spencer
Influence of culture
Organisational culture is of four types as per Charles Handy (Taylor, 2018). They are:
 Power Culture – Only selected individuals exercise power in an organisation with the
culture of power. They influence every aspect in the organisation. It is a timid and strong
culture but it can also turn toxic for the organisation. One such organisation that
negatively was affected by this culture and collapsed was Lehman Brothers.
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Figure 1: Power Culture
(Source: Taylor, 2018)
 Role Culture – This culture is based on rules. In an organisation with role culture, every
employee is aware of his or her individual responsibilities and role and are highly
controlled. Power is basically determined by the designation of a person. They are
bureaucratic in nature.
Figure 2: Role Culture
(Source: Chadwick and Raver, 2015)
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 Task Culture – In a task culture, groups are formed to deal specific problems or take
care of the project’s progress. The power shifts inside the team based on the team mix
and status of the project. It is incredibly productive if used correctly (Chadwick and
Raver, 2015).
Figure 3: Task Culture
(Source: Chadwick and Raver, 2015)
 Person Culture – The individuals of an organisation in person culture consider
themselves as superior and rare compared to the organisation. It exists for people to work.
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Figure 4: Person Culture
(Source: Kwiatkowska, 2018)
The existence of multiculturalism in an organisation is very beneficial as it provides a pool of
people along with talent, viewpoints, ideas and opinions. Cultural difference awareness is
important as it helps us to move beyond misunderstandings. It does not require someone to
sacrifice their own culture but value and respect all cultures. It teaches individuals in an
organisation to understand how they can adapt their own approaches, ideas and decisions for
outcomes that are positive in cross-cultural organisation.
The cultural dimensions model by Dr Geert Hofstede was published in 1970. It helps in
understanding cultural differences in an organisation. As per him, there are six dimensions to
culture. They are:
1. Index of Power and Distance
2. Collectivism Versus Individualism
3. Femininity Versus Masculinity
4. Index of Uncertainty Avoidance
5. Short Versus Long term Organisation
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6. Restraint Versus Indulgence
In this era of globalisation, technology and culture is connected. Organisations today are global
as employees from around the world come and work there. The diversity has created a difference
in the organisation behaviour. The leaders in an organisation are given new roles of managing
diverse people. Cultural Diversity inculcates respect and understanding among various people in
an organisation. Feedbacks, team building and interpersonal communication strengthen it.
The network theory focuses on the connection between individuals rather than their individual
characteristics.
The system theory is the theory that studies systems. It is about concepts and principles
applicable for knowledge domain.
Organisation Psychology is the science of human behaviour. It is related to work and applies
theories of psychology upon employees and an organisation.
Influence of politics
Organisational politics as a concept is considered the primary element in contemporary business.
It focuses on behaviours of individuals for personal benefit at the cost of other people and
organisation (Kwiatkowska, 2018).
Personal Change – Personal change is change in individual level. It is basically self
development. It improves awareness in an individual and identifies talents and individual
potential for development.
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Figure 5: Personal Change
(Source: Cook and Artino , 2016)
Decisional Change – It is when an individual goes through the process of change by taking a
decision for him or herself. They analyse the meaning and consequences of their behaviour and
take a final decision towards change.
Structural Change – It is basically the change and shift in the functioning of economy and
markets. It can be caused by global shifts, economic development, resources changes and
change in the political system.
Organisational Change – It is the change in an organisations process, procedures and strategy.
Influence of power
Power structure is a system of influential bonds between two individuals within an organisation.
The bases of power can be divided into two groups, positional and personal. The positional
power sources include Legitimate, Reward, Coercive and Informational power. The personal
power sources include expert and referent power (Cook and Artino , 2016).
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LO2 Motivate Individuals and Teams to Achieve a Goal
Extrinsic Motivation is when people get motivated for performing a behaviour and get engaged
in activities for earning reward and avoid punishments. The engagement is not because of
enjoyment or satisfaction but for receiving things and favors in return.
Intrinsic Motivation is when people get involved in behaviours as it is personally rewarding.
They perform the behaviour for personal sake and do not expect any external reward. Most of the
time the behaviour itself is the reward.
Motivational theories can be distinguished into two types, content and process motivation
theories. The main focus of content theories is on the word ‘WHAT’. The process theories main
focus is on the word ‘HOW’. Therefore, they deal with what and how human beings behaviour is
motivated. Within different workplaces, there are great impacts on the policy and practice of
management (Ritchie, 2018). Content theories are also known as needs theories.
Figure 6: Motivational Theory
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(Source: Ritchie, 2018)
The main content theories are:
 Maslow’s needs Hierarchy – This theory was propounded by Abraham Maslow. There
are five basic categories of need in the theory. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is structured
into a pyramid. The bottom consist of basic needs and the top consist of the most
complex needs.
Figure 7: Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy
(Source: O'Neil and Koekemoer, 2016)
 Alderfer’s ERG theory – This theory was propounded by Alderfer. It distinguished
three classes of needs. They were existence, relatedness and growth. The safety needs and
physiological needs are a part of existence needs. Belongingness can be clubbed with
relatedness and esteem. Both the theories establish the fact that these stages of needs play
a crucial part in the life of an individual.
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 McCleland’s achievement motivation – This theory was propounded by McClelland in
the 1960’s. it describes three motivators of human beings. He said that people learn and
acquire from their motivators with time. The theory is also called Learned Needs Theory.
The there motivation driver are achievement, affiliation and power (O'Neil and
Koekemoer, 2016).
 Herzberg’s two-factor theory – this theory was proposed by Herzberg in 1987. It is also
called the motivation hygiene theory. It states certain factors that are responsible for job
satisfaction as well as motivation. It also states factors that cause dissatisfaction. The
hygiene factors like salary, work environment, safety and many more can make a person
unhappy with their life and job. But motivating factors make a person happy and
increases their job satisfaction.
Figure 8: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
(Source: O'Neil and Koekemoer, 2016)
The main process theories are:
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 Skinner’s reinforcement theory – This theory was propounded by Skinner in 1987. It
says that consequences can form behaviours. Punishments are reinforcement of behaviour
that is undesired. This theory says that positive reinforcement is a better technique of
motivation than punishment. The motivation of performing certain behaviour declines if
the behaviour is conditioned repetitively.
 Victor Vroom’s theory – This theory is propounded by Victor Vroom on 1964. It
focuses on the process and content of motivation keeping in mind its need, reinforcement
and equity theories. There are three factors to engage in a activity. They are expectancy,
instrumentality and Valence (Tresch, and Fischer, 2015).
Figure 9: Victor Vroom’s theory
(Source: Tresch, and Fischer, 2015)
 Adam’s equity theory – this theory was suggested by Adams in 1965. It is based upon
the Social Exchange Theory. It states that a person is motivated if they are treated with
Equity. They should receive fair what they deserve for their costs and efforts. This theory
states that people compare their work and effort with what they receive out of it and its
benefits. If the ratio of the input and output is inequitable, then people loose motivation
(Braithwaite et al., 2017).
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