BHM207 Organisational Behaviour: Case Study Analysis of Charleston

This case study examines organizational behavior theories applicable to The Charleston Hotel, focusing on an intern's experiences and challenges. The analysis highlights the relevance of learning theory, attribution theory, and communication theory in understanding the dynamics between the intern, an experienced chef, and the hotel management. The study identifies miscommunication as a key issue and recommends improved communication strategies for the intern and management, emphasizing the importance of understanding and accommodating the intern's learning phase. The recommendations aim to foster a more supportive and effective work environment within the hotel.

The organizational behavior theories that are applicable in this case
study are-
1. Learning theory- Learning theory is applicable in this case as Sandra was in her learning stage
and it is very common to make mistakes (Cunningham, 2014). Sandra can learn things from her
past experiences only but the old lady chef did not understood the same by reacting so much.
Learning is the first stage in career of any individual (Robbins, Judge & Campbell, 2017). It is
important for other people to understand Sandra’s problem and accept her mistakes and make
her learn from them.
2. Attribution Theory- Attribution theory is very helpful in judging the nature of the people. The
main motive behind this theory is to explain how a person is being judged in different ways
according to the behavior (French, Rayner, Rees & Rumbles, 2015). The old lady chef has
different behavior regarding new staff as she got irritated so quickly. So, Sandra should
understand the behavior of the old lady and then an action should be taken according to that
(Vangelisti, 2016).
3. Communication Theory- It is clearly shown in the given case study that there was not proper
communication in the hotel. Sandra was facing issues and instead of conveying the problem to
the manager, she accepted the job to organize food that was ready to be picked up by the other
staff. Sandra created a bad perception regarding her without communicating with the manager.
(Coldwell & Callaghan, 2013).

Recommendation-
Miscommunication was the major issue that people were facing in the hotel. Sandra should have
communicated the problems she was facing with the manager instead of accepting the role given to her
afterwards. She should have discussed with the old lady chef too because the decision has been taken
for the benefit of old lady chef. The manager and old lady chef must understand that Sandra is in her
learning phase and it is very common to make mistakes.

References-
Coldwell, D., & Callaghan, C. (2013). Specific Organizational Citizenship Behaviours and Organizational
Effectiveness: The Development of a Conceptual Heuristic Device. Journal For The Theory Of Social
Behaviour, 44(3), 347-367. doi: 10.1111/jtsb.12046
Cunningham, N. (2014). Rethink. Randburg: Knowres Publishing.
French, R., Rayner, C., Rees, G., & Rumbles, S. (2015). Organizational behaviour. Chichester, West Sussex:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Robbins, S., Judge, T., & Campbell, T. (2017). Organizational behaviour. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Vangelisti, A. (2016). On the importance of communication research. Communication Education, 65(4),
501-504. doi: 10.1080/03634523.2016.1206659