Organizational Behaviour Report: Primark's Culture and Teams

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Primark's organizational behaviour. It begins with an introduction to organizational behaviour (OB) and its significance, highlighting the importance of understanding employee behaviour for achieving company goals. The report then delves into key OB concepts, including culture, power, and politics within Primark, examining how these factors influence individual and team performance. It explores Handy's culture model and the three forms of power. The report also discusses content and process theories of motivation, such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Vroom's Expectancy Theory, and their impact on employee behaviour and productivity. Furthermore, it examines the characteristics of effective and ineffective teams, team and individual development theories, and various philosophies and concepts of OB. The report concludes with recommendations for Primark to maintain a positive work environment and achieve its goals. The analysis emphasizes the interconnectedness of culture, power, motivation, and politics in shaping employee behaviour and overall organizational success.

Organizational Behaviour

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO1..................................................................................................................................................1
P1: Culture, Power and Politics of organization..........................................................................1
LO2..................................................................................................................................................4
P2: Theories of Motivation..........................................................................................................4
LO3..................................................................................................................................................7
P3: Effective Team and Ineffective Team...................................................................................7
LO4..................................................................................................................................................9
P4: Concepts and Philosophies....................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Organisational behaviour (OB) is the specific study of individual and team performance.
OB is also knows as “human behaviour's study”. There are different types of employees working
in a company to achieve same goals. These all employees come from different background. So,
their motivation and mindset also different. The management of the company study
organizational behaviour only for systematically managing people or employees in the
workplace. Employees are the biggest resource to the company which are helpful in gaining high
profit in the market. Study of organization's behaviour is too necessary to the company for
improving all employees' performance in the operations (McShane and et.al., 2018). This report
discusses the organisational behaviour of Primark. It is an Irish retail company established by
Arthur Ryan in 1969. The company is very successful in its business expansion process. This
report covers many important topics related to OB such as Culture, Power and Politics of an
organization, content and process theory of motivation, factors which makes an effective team
and also an ineffective team, team and individual development theory, and lastly various
philosophies and concepts of OB. These concepts highly impact organization's behaviour in both
terms i.e., positively and negatively. Mainly organizational behaviour promotes a happy and
healthy work environment within any the Primark.
LO1
P1: Culture, Power and Politics of organization
Culture, power and politics of Primark are currently highly influencing its team and
individual behaviour and performance. These all are completely managed by the top-level
management of company. Culture is a system where values and beliefs of people are completely
existing (KOPP, 2019). It is also an environment where all employees come together for
achieving same goals. Power, is an ability to command people or employees within the
company. The management has the highest power in the Primark company. The manager uses
this power for giving specific orders to their employees. Lastly, the Politics is unofficial and
informal efforts of top-level management. A company use politics to influence their employees
and also for achieving decided targets.
Influence of Culture
Culture of the company highly influence all employee’s performance and behaviour in
both terms positively and negatively. The management of Primark always try to maintain good
1

culture within their business environment to get effective work from individual and team
(Werner, 2016). Handy's culture model is mentioned below which systematically described
various cultures of an oragnisation. According to the Charles Handy, there are four types of
organizational cultures influence team and individual performance and behaviour.
 Power: Power culture refers, each person is responsible to take decisions one the basis of
their power in the company. They also need to take some effective decisions (Brenyah
and Obuobisa-Darko, 2017). For example; the manager has the highest power to take
most decisions within business operations.
 Task Culture: This culture refers, all people within the company are need to follow their
own tasks. Task culture plays great role in removing various errors at workplace (Safi,
Azouri and Saliba, 2018). Each one is responsible to complete its task on time as well. It
is also focuses on develop current behaviour and performance of individual and team.
 Person Culture: All employees within the company are independent, they deserve
dignity for their work. A person or employees is need to be honest also at their job role
(Elsmore, 2017). According to person culture, the management is responsible to
appreciate their employees, because this appreciation is helpful in improve performance
and behaviour of all employees.
 Role Culture: According to role culture, all employees are responsible to focus on their
roles which the management gives them. Individual and team plays different roles within
company's operations for achieving same goals.
Primark has very positive work culture (Senyo, Liu and Effah, 2018). The management
of company uses this culture to influence individual and team positively. For example; the
management respect their employees in the Primark. In this case, employees feel valued by the
management. Then these employees try to put huge efforts in the workplace. The company is
able to achieve great profit in the market with the support of these efforts.
Influence of Power
The management of Primark uses their power of positively influence their employees.
The manager takes various important decisions on the basis of their power (Chinomona, 2016).
Power gives authority to the manager for giving specific orders and direction to their employees.
Currently the company has effective brand value in the market, in which power of the
2

management plays great role in maintaining this brand value. There are 'Three Forms of Power'
model mentioned below which highly influence team and individual;
Expert Power: Proper knowledge and high experience of business build this power in any
person within the organization.
The manager of Primark use its knowledge and expertise to influence their lower-level
management. A manager always wants an effective workforce, in which it shares its knowledge
with their employees through this power. Then employees become capable to improve their
behaviour and performance in the Primark. These factors are too important to this company.
Referent Power: A person is able to use this power who have high respect and reputation in the
organisation. The person can easily influence anyone with the help of their high reputation.
The manager of Primark use this power to build take effective work from their followers
or employees. (Ahmadi and et.al., 2019) This power within the company influence individual
and team to develop their behaviour and performance.
Reward Power: A employee gain this power within an organization by its good performance.
Upper management give any power to the employee in a reward form.
The Primark always give reward to good performers within their business environment
(de Vasconcelos and et.al., 2016). The company motivates employees to improve current
performance and behaviour with the help of this reward power.
The Primark using these three forms of power for improving their employees
performance and behaviour. The company currently has effective workforce, because it uses
these powers in very productive manner.
Influence of Politics
Organisational politics influence team and individual performance and behaviour in the
both terms positively and negatively. Mostly people use politics within the company for fulfilling
their personal needs (Pasian, 2016). Suppose a leader want to be highlighted for gaining their
upper management's attention. In this case, that leader use politics to become highlight in the
workplace. Politics promotes informal and unofficial behaviour within individual and team.
Many times a manager or a leader use politics for achieving organizational success as well.
Many employees use politics for increase their power at workplace.
Positive politics of Primark currently increasing performance of employees in the
workplace, because the aim behind this politics is to achieve high goals in the market (Odor,
3

2018). In this case, leaders and managers within the company taken many productive steps for
gaining huge advantages from politics. These steps promote progressive environment within the
organization, and at the final result it will increase performance and behaviour level of individual
and team. The company influences team and individual behaviour Positively. Top-level
management to lower-level management there are employees use politics in ethical manner,
because the upper management has high control on politics aspect within business environment.
This politics help to the company for achieving its decided goals.
Recommendations
The management of Primark need to maintain good work culture for employees to gain
high success in the market (Subba and Rao, 2017). There are culture, power, motivation and
politics completely interrelate with each other. It is prime responsibility of the manager to use
their power in ethical manner, because ethical work environment build high trust of company
within employees. Then employees will improve their current performance and behaviour to put
great efforts in the workplace. Positive use of culture, motivation, power and politics is always
helpful to the company for achieving their goals in the market.
LO2
P2: Theories of Motivation
There are content and process theories of motivation very important for the company to
improve their employees' performance. The management uses these theories for gaining high
competitive advantage in the fashion market.
Content Theory
The content theory is basically described the concept of 'what things motivate team and
individual'. It is helpful in identifying an employee's needs within company's operations
(Alqahtani, 2018). The management is able to influence behaviour of their followers or
employees through this theory. Content theory of motivation include various theories, one of
which is Maslow's Need Hierarchy theory which is discussed:
Maslow's Need Hierarchy: This theory of motivation introduced by Abraham Maslow. It is a
framework to the company for understanding the power needs. These needs highly motivate
people, in which all needs are explained below in a hierarchical form.
 Physiological Needs: These are basically basic needs of people or employees, like; Air,
Food, Water, Sleep, etc. A person can't survive without fulfilling these needs, because
4

these are major needs of humans on the earth (Selamat, Nordin and Fook, 2018).
Currently each person want to eat good food, in which it works effectively to fulfil these
needs, so employees within Primark also take various steps towards fulfil these needs.
 Safety Needs: According to safety needs, all people take various steps for creating a safe
zone around them. An employee effectively work in the Primark to fulfil safety needs, in
which this effective work of employee will indirectly help to the Primark for achieving its
goals.
 Social Needs: These needs including love, belongingness, appreciation, dignity and
affection etc. So, these needs are also useful to the Primark for gaining its goals, because
employees work hard in the company for take appreciation from their seniors (Abdullahi,
and et.al., 2017). Many employees increase their performance level within the Primark
for fulfilling dignity needs. Dignity help to employees within the company to improve
their performance.
 Esteem Needs: A person or employee wants to fulfil their esteem needs as well. There
are Self-confidence, self-respect, personal worth etc. included in these needs. An
employee always tries to work hard in the Primark for achieving personal worth in
society.
 Self-Actualisation Needs: In these needs, an employee takes various steps for
maximizing their potential and efficiency (Mitonga-Monga and Cilliers, 2016). These are
also too helpful to the Primark, because when an employee maximizes its potential in the
workplace, then their high potential will automatically contribute in the growth of the
Primark. Then this company will able to improve its all over performance.
So, here is the content theory of motivation is too important to the company, because an
employee always need to put high efforts in the workplace for fulfilling these all needs. In this
case, when employee put high efforts in the workplace, then it automatically improves all over
performance of the company (Mansouri, Singh and Khan, 2018). The management can easily
influence other's behaviour through content theory. At the final result the Primark will enable to
achieve its goals with the help of this theory.
Process Theory
Process theories of motivation helps to understand the process of motivation. This theory
focuses on behavioural and psychological process of individual to increase efficiency of them
5

and by satisfying their needs and wants (Wan, 2016). Primark must use this theory to understand
the behavioural changes of employees after satisfaction of their needs to increase their efficiency
in organization and achieve their objectives effectively.
Vroom's Expectancy Theory
This theory is based on assumption that personal skills, personality, knowledge,
experiences are the factors which helps to decide the performance of employees of the
organization (Madhukar and Sharma, 2017).
 Valence- This is the internal value of employees which they put in achieving the
objectives with positive attitude. This value of employees is interconnected with rewards
or job satisfaction which help to increase their productivity in achieving their objectives
within the Primark.
 Expectancy- It is the ideology in which employees are provided extra workload to
increase their performance and improve their quality of work (Kuo and Tsai, 2019). More
efforts will provide better results to company to achieve its objectives. Primark needed to
increase this ideology in company's culture to implement change effectively and adopt
the technology by increasing skills and knowledge. This theory is really helpful for the
Primark. Instrumentality- This is a probability reward factors which helps employees to increase
their performance by selecting one alternative which leads to better growth and
opportunities of employees (Chopra, 2019). This also helps Primark to improve high
performance workforce who are efficient in evaluating the alternatives which could lead
them to expected results effectively.
Recommendation
Primark must use this theory as it increase team performance and motivation of
employees to adopt technological change in company and increase its efficiency in market. This
theory help employee to increase their belief that their efforts is related to their outputs.
Adam's Equity Theory
Equity theory focuses on the equality in distribution of reward to employees according to
their efforts and performance in the organization (Yusof and et.al., 2019). This also helps to
increase their motivation as due to uniformity in the system which helps to provide better quality
of environment to achieve objectives. This theory focuses on the proper orientation of inputs and
6

outputs of employees of Primark to decrease discrimination among employees. This theory is
divided into three relationships.
 Overpaid Inequity- This is the situation when the employees have more output than his
inputs and in relation to other employees then the reward should be increased as per the
outputs of employees to increase the motivation and help them to increase the
performance (Hughes and et.al., 2019). Primark has analysed that there is a tendency of
employees to do social comparison to understand their level of inputs and outputs to
demand fair reward.
 Underpaid Inequity- In this situation, the employees who receive fewer outputs as
compared to his efforts or inputs (Wesselink, Blok and Ringersma, 2017). This increases
demotivation of employees and generate turnover of employees. Equity- It is the situation where outputs and input of employees are equal also with
relation of other employees. Primark need to adopt this factors which help to increase
the efficiency of employees and reduce cost of operations.
Recommendation
Adam's equity theory helps to increase value of employees by fair pay according to
efforts to increase their motivation to increase their efforts to gain more pay. This helps Primark
to increase productivity of organization's culture which helps to implement technology
effectively in business organization.
LO3
P3: Effective Team and Ineffective Team
There are various factors discusses below which makes an effective team and an effective
team.
Effective Team
An effective team or teamwork always give great contribution in the growth of the
company. It is basically a productive asset to the company which give high input in daily
operations. Some major factors behind an effective team are mentioned below;
 Effective Leadership: A effective leader always tries to make the team more productive
in the company's operations (Schatz, 2019). Effective leadership is one of the biggest
reasons behind an effective team, because it uses their skills to systematically manage all
teamwork.
7

 Good Communication: Good communication is the key to the company to makes an
effective team, because all employees within the teamwork are able to understand each
other with the help of good communication. It is useful in removing various errors within
team.
 Skilled Employees: Skilful employees are also very helpful to the company to makes an
effective teamwork. Suppose a team has highly qualified and skilled employees, in which
this team will gain high success than other teams. So, the management of Primark is
responsible to hire some skilled employees in their business environment.
Ineffective Team
An ineffective team is always poor in achieving its target, because it is completely
unfocused and distrust from its goals. The management taken many steps within the Primark for
avoiding makes an ineffective team. Some factors behind ineffective team are mentioned below;
 Lack of Cohesion: Lack of cohesion is a big reason behind an ineffective team. In case
when employees not trust each other within teamwork, when they follow only self-
decisions without listen others etc. these kinds of conditions convert a team into an
ineffective team.
 Poor Communication: This is also a major factor which makes an ineffective team
(Kakabadse and Bank, 2018). For example; when a leader not carefully listen their
employees, when team members' no has any interaction values, etc. these are also reasons
behind an ineffective team.
 Lack of Knowledge: Proper knowledge is too necessary in any the teamwork for
completing each task in systematic manner. In this case, suppose employees within
teamwork has zero knowledge, then this reason also promotes an ineffective team
(Schatz, 2019). To makes an effective team, the team leader need to provide specific
knowledge to their all team members.
The company is able to maintain effective teamwork within their business environment
by using some theories of team and group development. The “Team Development Model” of
Bruce Tuckman is the one of the finest team and group development theories which discusses
below;
Tuckman's Team Development Theory
8

Bruce Tuckman introduced this theory of team and group development in 1965. He
mentioned four (Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing) stages of development in his
theory (Rezaei, Allameh and Ansari, 2018). These stages are used by the many organizations in
their teamwork to makes an effective team.
 Forming: It is the first stage of team development, where a leader a responsible to share
all major aspects of the teamwork with their team members. For example; objectives,
existing skills, available resources (Kiweewa and et.al., 2018). Timeline, rules and
regulations, role of each team member, etc. With the help of this stage the leader is able
remove many errors within the teamwork.
 Storming: This stage is specially focuses on good relationship between team leader and
team members. In this stage, the leader need communicate with their employees for take
some specific ideas from them (Jones, 2019). The leader is responsible to take members'
opinions also during making any decision within teamwork. This stage helps to the team
leader to take effective decisions.
 Norming: In the norming stage, the leader is responsible to create such culture within the
teamwork where all members appreciate each other's work. This stage promotes high
performance in within teamwork (Hosseini, Barzoki and Isfahani, 2018). This stage is
very helpful to the Primark to increase its all over performance in the market.
 Performing: In the performing stage all team members are become high motivated,
familiar and confident within the teamwork. The team leader need to celebrate its
teamwork success with their employees under this stage (Rezaei, Allameh and Ansari,
2018). With the help of this stage the company is able to gain an effective team or
workforce for the future projects.
This development theory is effective to the Primark, because with the help of this theory
the company is able to improve team and individual performance and behaviour within its
business environment.
LO4
P4: Concepts and Philosophies
Analysing, understanding and predicting an individual or group's behaviour, activities
and performance within an organization is called organizational behaviour. It is performed to
clarify any misunderstanding, conflicts between individuals in the organization. Though there are
9

many organizational behaviour philosophies, Primark operates on the Autocratic model of
organizational behaviour, which stipulates that the power to form and implement decisions
resides with the owner and managers (Wood and et.al., 2016). This model argues that, for
productive output of organization, employees need to obey and perform all duties assigned to
them by managers diligently. This model has its own pros and cons, as it is quite simple to learn
and implement, and provides Primark with a clear, direct chain of command for efficient
communication within organization. Employees give optimum performance either because of
their own personal drive, promise of a good reward, relationship with their boss or because of
some other factor. However, its main disadvantage is its high human cost, where employees feel
dependent, frustrated and insecure of their superiors. To boost an employee's motivation,
satisfaction levels and maximize their productivity within an organization, Path-Goal Theory is
used.
PATH-GOAL THEORY
Path-Goal theory is a leadership theory which stipulates that in order to achieve the
objectives of the business efficiently, the leadership must specify their behaviour, attitude to
match the work environment and employees. In essence, it says that a manager with flexible
approach to leadership based on their work environment and employees will fare better than an
inflexible manager. Implementation of this theory helps Primark as it provides a defined scheme
for managers to discern how their leadership style regulates their subordinates motivational and
productivity levels (Farhan, 2018). It also emphasizes that the primary role of a manager is
helping and guiding their subordinates to maximize their performance. But it should not be
implemented carelessly as it can be very complicated to understand and may require multiple
styles of leadership for different situations. It also assumes that the manager thinks rationally and
doesn't have flaws.
The appropriate leadership approach to be implemented depends upon the nature and
requirements of a particular situation and the employees at Primark. The path-goal theory
specifies four leadership styles namely Directive, Supportive, Achievement-oriented and
Participative leadership.
Directive leadership:
The managers instruct employees on their duties and functions, providing guidelines on
when and how to perform an exercise, coordinating and scheduling their work in regard to
10