Organizational Behavior (PSYC 224) Analysis: Block 2 Report on 3M

This report analyzes the organizational behavior of 3M from an OB perspective. It examines the company's motivational approaches, including its HR policies that emphasize both tangible and intangible benefits like performance-linked bonuses and recognition programs, and how the company uses the '3M Total Rewards' plan. The report also delves into group and team dynamics, referencing the Tuckman model to analyze the stages of team formation within the company, and identifies the four committees within the organization. Furthermore, the report touches upon the communication protocols within the organization, highlighting the importance of governance documents. Finally, it examines the company's approach to conflict resolution, emphasizing its focus on inclusivity and diversity to mitigate potential conflicts, drawing on several sources and adhering to APA formatting guidelines, as required by the assignment brief.

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
The motivation of the employees in the organization
The company has been devising its HR policy quite successfully for years. The
management of the company intends to provide a number of tangible as well as
intangible benefits to the employees which may include performance linked bonus as
well as a reward scheme and recognition program. An analysis into the HR policy of the
organization may reveal the fact that the management prioritizes the motivational
factors among the employees and hence the HR policy of the firm includes a number of
pecuniary benefits as well as non-monetary rewards, as stated before ("Inclusion",
2019).
A perusal of the corporate website of 3M may reveal that the company puts
emphasis on inclusivity and diversity. There have been 55,000 employees working in
more than 70 countries across the globe for the brand and the management has been a
steadily maintaining the culture of inclusion in terms of women involvement in the
management and community development as well. Under the "3M Total Rewards" plan,
the company provides two types of payments to the employees namely fixed pay and
variable pay which includes annual incentive plan (AIP), sales incentives and even long-
term incentive plan (LTIP). On the other hand, there are several programs like “3M
Lifestyle benefit Program”, “Excellence Awards”, “Employee Stock Purchase Plan” etc.
Under flexible working policy of the organization, employees may be provide with
the operation to avail the benefits of flexible timing under which the part-time
employment opportunities may be availed by the employees who are in need of more
personal time at their home ("3M Benefits, Total Rewards - 3M Careers Australia",
2019).

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
Groups and teams in the organization
The group behaviour within an organization may best be analyzed with reference
to the Tuckman model which revolves around the different stages of team and group
formation within an organizational setup. The different stages are briefly noted herein:
Stages Description
1. Forming In this stage, all the members remain polite as the roles and
responsibilities are unclear. Leadership emerges out of this stage
only.
2. Storming In this stage, conflicts may arise as the members start to execute
towards the pre-decided goals. Groups may fail in this stage if not
handled with care and strategies.
3. Norming Once the members, under the efficient leadership, resolve the
differences, the team may attain the norming stage where the
members know the other members better.
4. Performing This is the stage where the execution and activities are carried out
with perfection, accuracy and efficiency towards the group
objectives (Bish, Newton & Johnston, 2015).
5. Adjourning Most of the teams are temporary and hence, the achievement of
the objective may lead to adjournment of the team for the time
being.
Table 1: Tuckman group Formation Model
(Source: Created by author)
The corporate reporting made by the company does not explicitly talk about the
groups and teams within the workplace including their nature, force and implications on

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
the operations as a whole. However, an insight into the committee composition of the
firm may reveal that the firm has four committees namely:
► Audit committee
► Compensation committee
► Finance committee and
► Nominating and Governance Committee
These four committees supervise the operations with strict following up, monitoring
and controlling of the operations against the pre-defined policy sets as stated in the
policy manual of the company ("3M - Governance - Committee Composition", 2019).
In this context, it may be noted that the company maintains several governance
documents which lay down the procedural compliance requirements in terms of
committees and their respective roles and responsibilities towards the business. Such
documents or charters may be construed to be part of the group norms as the same
provides a broader overview about the communication and brainstorming framework
within the organization at operational as well as the strategic level ("3M - Governance -
Governance Documents", 2019).
Lastly, it may also be observed that the company, as part of the employee
development programs, undertakes different development programs for the
enhancement of team spirit of the employees which, in turn, boosts up their morale and
hence the organizational performance on a holistic manner.
Communication in the organization
The communication protocol is another crucial aspect for the business and the
success of the operations largely depends upon the effective implementation of a strong

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
communication plan. In the given case, it may be stated that the secondary research on
the firm has not been able to disclose much about the communication plan and policy of
the company within the organization. However, taking reference from the previous point
and browsing the corporate website, it may be observed that the company has a
number of governance documents in place which act as a guiding document to the
management. The bylaws are strictly followed and other charters and principles are
formulated based on such bylaws so that the broader corporate objective does not get
vitiated by the vested interest of the management or other stakeholder groups.
History of conflicts in the organization
The corporate website does not talk about any conflict within the organization;
however, the insight into the HR policy sets of the firm may suggest that the company
maintain s a strong working culture within the workplace by inculcating inclusivity and
diversity. Women participation in the management has been substantial and the
company promotes a cross-cultural atmosphere within the organization. Therefore, it
may be established that the scope of the conflict is lessened and the management aims
to mitigate any such difference that may emerge out of the cultural differences between
the employees (Daverth, Hyde & Cassell, 2016).

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
References:
3M - Governance - Committee Composition. (2019). Retrieved from
https://investors.3m.com/governance/committee-composition/default.aspx
3M - Governance - Governance Documents. (2019). Retrieved from
https://investors.3m.com/governance/governance-documents/default.aspx
3M Benefits, Total Rewards - 3M Careers Australia. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.3m.com.au/3M/en_AU/careers-au/working-at-3m/benefits/
Bish, A., Newton, C., & Johnston, K. (2015). Leader vision and diffusion of HR policy
during change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(4), 529-545.
Daverth, G., Hyde, P., & Cassell, C. (2016). Uptake of organizational work-life balance
opportunities: the context of support. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 27(15), 1710-1729.
Hillary, M. (2019). Team Work – Tuckman’s Way. Retrieved from
https://margarethillary.com/team-work
Inclusion. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.3m.com.au/3M/en_AU/careers-au/inclusion/

Running head: THE ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANIZATION FROM THE OB PERSPECTIVE
Appendix
Figure 1: Tuckman Group Formation Model
(Source: Hillary, 2019)