People and Organisation: Analysis of Activision Blizzard Practices

This report examines the critical aspects of people and organization management, using Activision Blizzard as a case study. It delves into the significance of organizational culture, exploring its impact on employee motivation, productivity, and turnover rates, while also addressing ethical issues like workplace toxicity, discrimination, and unattainable goals. The report further analyzes leadership styles, theories, and their importance in communicating company vision and fostering employee engagement, with a focus on the leadership of Bobby Kotick. Finally, it discusses strategic human resource management (SHRM), emphasizing its role in connecting people with organizational goals. The analysis of Activision Blizzard highlights the consequences of cultural failures and leadership shortcomings, underscoring the need for effective people management practices for organizational success.

PEOPLE AND
ORGANISATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Culture.......................................................................................................................................3
Leadership................................................................................................................................5
Strategic Human Resource Management.........................................................................7
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
The appropriate considerations of the people in an organsiation are significant in
regards to the healthy and considerate functioning and operations of the business. The
practices in terms of the HR and other managerial turfs must be analyzed in a
comprehensive manner for establishing of an effective growth rate in the marketplace
(Almunawar and et. al., 2022). The case study in this report is upon the “Activision
Blizzard employees call for boss to step down”. The Activision Blizzard is one of the
most recognized gaming companies in America, they are responsible for creating
several globally known video games like Call of Duty, StarCraft, Warcraft, Diablo, over
watch and so on. This paper tends to deal with the cultural behaviour, leadership and
the strategic human resource management, that were necessary for the management of
the company to take into deliberate consideration for the people of the organsiation. The
failure in this regard, led to the rising of disruptions in the company which not only
created havoc inside the company, but also generated negative perceptions in the
external market which affected the market positioning of the company. The explication
of the areas will be highlighted in the report in a detailed manner.
Culture
The organizational culture of an organsiation can be defined as the norms,
beliefs and the values that are practiced on a daily basis in the management of an
enterprise. This helps in the generation of a sense of control and stability in the firm.
The culture of the organsiation prove to be an aid in resolving the differences and
overcoming the barriers that can arise in the organsiation. The importance of the
organizational culture is thereby necessary to enumerate in order to understand the
significant role it plays in the upliftment of the positioning of the brand in the market.
Promotion of healthy work environment – The improvement in the workflows can be
experienced through the inclusion of an effective and healthy culture in the
management of the organsiation (Anshari and Hamdan, 2022). The considerations
made in regards to the application of clear culture can help in unifying the employees
and together they can bring wonders to the company.

Elevation of productivity in the company – The enhancement of the level of productivity
can be the ultimate result through the optimum implementation of moral conducts,
according to the norms and social insinuations in an organsiation. The outcomes in
terms of the revenue can accelerate through the upsurge of the level of production. The
experiences of the employees can also be positively influenced through the promotion
of higher job satisfaction.
Reduction in the turnover rates – The promotion of constructive organizational culture
tends to get the best out of the management when the importance of motivation is
significantly acknowledged. When the workforce is provided with the optimum level of
support, their contribution towards the team increases. The appropriate assigning of the
work in regards to the employee’s capabilities, can result in the reduction of level of
malingering and the personnel feel less burdened (Beks and et. al., 2022).
The common ethical issues that can be furthermore faced by the employees are
mandatory to enumerated and identified to cater towards the need of certain legal
implications in order to eliminate the scope of such contingencies. The most common
issues that can come across in the workplace are:
Toxicity in the culture of the workplace – The harmful implications of the toxic work
culture can bring about disruptions in the management. The manipulation of the sales
figures, prevalence of bribery and the pressure upon the employees for ‘favors can
cause major damage to the reputation to the name of the firm and also, render negative
impact over the functioning of the employees.
The discrimination and the cases of harassment – The delivery of equal opportunities to
the employees, irrespective of the gender, ethnicity and physical disability, must be
under the value system of an organsiation. The failure in this respect can cause severe
damage to the functional competency of the company (Carlisle and et. al., 2022). The
sexual harassment cases must be taken into strict consideration and the punishment to
the proven guilt must be rendered a soon as possible.
The assignation of unattainable goals – The assigning of unrealistic targets to the
personnel of the company can cause a significant impact and will be considered as a

critical ethical issue. The growth of the company is important but the practice of
inappropriate assigning of the tasks to the employees, irrespective of the capability and
expertise of the staff, should not be prevalent in the organsiation.
The overutilization of the powers of the superiors – The inappropriate exercise of the
ascertained powers by the superiors of the company can cause manipulation in the
operations of the company. The unsuitable behavior with the personnel of the company
will led to the increase in the employee turnover rates which could cause decrease the
staff retention rate of the company.
Activision Blizzard, tried to work according to the signified norms, but the allegations put
upon the authorities, disrupted the smooth and hassle-free functioning of the company.
The idealistic organisational cultural that was although adopted by the company in some
context, did not function in the expected manner (Giustini, 2022). The aspiration of the
inclusion of an all-embracing diversity in the organsiation to help the employee for
thriving in an enhanced manner was the ultimate vision of the company. The formation
of employee networks was done in order to develop and form a sense of responsibility
and passion amongst them. These networks were designed to influence and impact the
people for bringing their respective best to the company. The inclusion of the benefits
and rewards to the active and influential participants of Activision Blizzard, helped in the
generation of significant profits to the company. This thereby helped in increasing the
level of motivation in the employees of the company. The consideration of the Frat boy
culture, somehow deteriorated the management in a noteworthy manner. The
inappropriate behaviour of the male employees with the female workforce led to the
arise of the situation of harassment which is significantly against the moral conduct of
the social norms laid down by the company.
Leadership
The definition of the leadership can be termed as the ability of the management
in regards to the formation of influential decisions for the enhancement and the
betterment of the company’s performance along with the delivery of inspiration to others
to perform well. It is thereby a process to direct the behavior of the workforce to the
pathway of achieving the goals and the targets of the company (Hardner and Wolf,

2022). The considerations in regards to the relative importance, leadership styles and
the theories will be enumerated in this section of the report. The relation to this aspect
will thereby be associated with the functioning of Activision Blizzard in a deliberative
manner. The importance of leadership in the management of a company are:
The communication of the vison of the company – The respective leaders of the
companies are obligated to explain the ultimate vision of the company to the employees
in a calculated manner. The derivation of the plan according to which the workforce
must work, in order to attain the targets, are supervised by the trailblazer of the
company.
The provision of structured approaches – The approaches that are taken into
consideration by the assigned team are decided through the utilisation of constructive
tactics of the leaders (JimenezLuque and Burgess, 2022). The designed approach is
the most effective one, that will help in the attainment of the targets in an apprehensive
manner.
The promotion of engagement of employees with the company – The shaping of the
employees according to the structure of the company is significantly taken care by the
leaders of the company. The continuous deliberation to engage the working staff with
the participative activities performed in the company, helps in the germination of the
improved functionality of the employees.
The qualities of a good leader must be identified in order to taken into account the
signified traits of an influential leader in the organsiation. The significant abilities of the
trailblazer can be in terms of the self-awareness they have in regards the prioritisation
of the varied aspects in comprehensive and a premeditated manner. The focus of the
supreme leaders must be upon the development of the personnel working for the
organsiation and solely upon the personal achievements, which was somehow lack in
the functioning of Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The explication of the major
modern day leadership theories should also be enumerated for a thorough
understanding of the adoption of the most suitable form in the management of an
organsiation.

Behavioural theory – The enumeration of the varied behaviours of the leaders is the
major focus of the behavioural theory (Joachim and et. al., 2022). There exist three
types of leaders according to this postulate i.e., the autocratic leaders, the laissez fair
leaders and the democratic leaders. The perception of all three are different. The
autocratic believe in the formulation of the important decisions without the consideration
of others. The laissez faire leaders believe in the ideology of no interference in the
decision-making process, they allow the team to take the effectual decisions. The
democratic on the other hand, consider the view points of the personnel and formulate
the conception according to best input.
Contingency theory – The adoption of the most suitable leadership style based upon the
prevalent scenario in the market is basis of this postulate. The influence of the situation
is imperative to analyse in order to implement quick actions. This theory includes the
assertion of the Path-Goal Theory and the famous Fiedler’s Contingency model which
helps in the understanding of the situation in an enhanced manner (Mathuva, 2022).
Trait theory – This theory believes that the effectual leaders share a significant number
of common personality characteristics. This help in the identification of the respective
traits and qualities in regards to the decision-making skills, empathy and assertiveness,
which will be helpful in order to lead others in the company.
The supreme leader of the Activision Blizzard was Bobby Kotick, who is the Chief
Executive Officer of the company can be considered as a democratic leader and the
implications of the management is based upon the behavioural theory of the leadership.
The major contribution of Bobby Kotick towards the company was the merger between
the Vivendi Games and Activision in the late 20s. This eventually led him to become the
CEO of the company. The financial growth and the upliftment of the company through
his appropriate leadership qualities were fulfilled, but the lag in the intrinsic value
system resulted in the lawsuit that has been filed against the company (Rafferty, 2022).
It is the prime responsibility of the leaders to provide a directive path to his/her
employees sand the failure in this regard can cause major disruptions in the functioning
of the company.

Strategic Human Resource Management
The conception of the HRM helps in the provision of a certified framework that
helps in the development and the management of the practices for the attainment of the
long-term goals of the businesses along with the derivation of determinative outcomes.
The HR strategies that must be incorporated by the organsiation is ascertained through
the optimum utilization of the policies of the HRM. The enumeration of the people
analytics with the strategic HRM can be explicated along with the relative importance of
this aspect in the functioning of the managerial operations of the company. The
comprehensive HRM of the Activision Blizzard, will also be discussed after the
elucidation of the conception in a detailed manner. The importance of the strategic HRM
in an organsiation are:
The connection of the people with the organisational goals of the company – The
important role play of the HR is to build an influential connection of the employees with
the goals of the company (Samson and Bhanugopan, 2022). They are the first-hand
experiences of the employees who guides them with the policies of the company.
The balance of the workplace – The strategized balance of the work place and the
personal space is supervised by the HR and any sought of inconveniences is taken care
by them in a deliberative manner.
The recruitment of the right candidates for the job roles – The assigning of the job roles
according to the functional competencies of the candidates is the responsibility of the
HR department. The applicant should be analysed through various tests, before getting
the offer letter.
The pertinent practices of the HRM helps in the serving of the guidelines for the HR
professionals and these aspects must be considered in a deliberative manner by the
management of an organsiation.
The provision of security to the employees – The security of the staff in respect to the
job, health and the position in the company is directed and controlled by the
administration of the HRM (Shephard and et. al., 2022). The private space of the

employees must be respected and any sought of breach and interference in this regard
should not be tolerated by the management.
The management of the teams in an effective manner – The performances of the
selected candidates must be monitored and evaluated by the respective HR of the
company in order to ensure the effective streamlining of the processes without the
scope of major interruptions.
Fair and performance-based compensation – The remuneration of the employees must
be in accordance to the functionalities, expertise, abilities and the relevant skills,
irrespective of the caste, colour and creed. The discrimination of the personnel on the
basis of the gender should not be tolerated in any manner.
The provision of training and development schemes – The enhancement of the skills
and the expertise of the employees must be taken care by the HRs, for the growth and
development of the workforce which will help in the increase of the productivity
standards of the company through the involvement of expert knowledge in the
procedures and processes after the implementation of comprehensive training
programmes (Smit and et. al., 2022).
The HR department of the Activision Blizzard did not perform according the standards
as the charges that ahs been imposed over the company should be taken into
significant consideration by the HR team of the company. The promises in regards to
the security of the employees was at stake and the HRM practices were not performed
according to the determination of the company. The toxic work place environment of
Activision Blizzard, thereby resulted in the ineffective management in regards to the
discrimination of the pay, safety of the female employees and the overutilisation of the
powers of the superiors over the workforce of the company (Varma, 2022).

CONCLUSION
An inference can thus be made that an organization’s efficiency and the
satisfaction of the employees, is significant to analyse in order to bring harmony in the
management of the company. It is an evident acquaintance that healthy workspaces
yield more in terms of productivity when compared to a toxic one. Necessary measures
and policies revolving around sexual harassment/violence should also be enforced to
serve as a deterrent and to further assure the female staff of the presence of a support
system. In conclusion, it is paramount for Activision Blizzard to re-strategize their HR
department and re-evaluate the payment structure of the company. When an equal pay
structure is enforced, it would motivate the employees as it is communicating to them
that they are valued. It is proven that companies with equal pay will have the most
effective and dedicated employees.

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