Organisational Behaviour Report: Power, Politics, Culture, Motivation

This report provides an analysis of organisational behaviour, focusing on the impact of power, politics, and culture on individual and team performance within the context of Rowlinson Knitwear. It delves into different types of power (coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent) and examines the negative influences of workplace politics, such as lack of information and blaming. The report also explores Handy's typology of organisational culture, including role, task, power, and person cultures, and their effects on team members. Furthermore, it discusses various motivational techniques and theories, including content theories like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and process theories such as Vroom's expectancy theory. Finally, the report contrasts the characteristics of effective and non-effective teams and offers recommendations for improving organisational performance, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organisational Behaviour
1

Table of Content
Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
P1 Impact of power, politics and culture on team members and individual performance..........3
P2 Discuss motivational techniques and theories........................................................................6
P3 Contrast of effective and non-effective team.........................................................................8
P4 Philosophies of organisational behaviour.............................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
2

INTRODUCTION
Organisational behaviour is understood as the study of behaviour and attitude of human
beings and the way they deal in daily activities in a workplace (Balwant, 2018). It is a broader
term that covers perception, behaviour, leadership and so on which measure the performance of
personal and provide positive outcomes. This report is based on Rowlinson Knitwear which is
small and medium company and is headquarter in UK. It deals with manufacturing of garments
for corporate and formal wear, school uniforms. This report includes the effect of authority and
culture on organisation behaviour and several motivation theories. This report covers distinguish
between effective and non-effective teams. Various concepts and philosophies of organisation
behaviour is also covered in this report.
P1 Impact of power, politics and culture on team members and individual performance
Organisation behaviour is a wider term that has impact of authority, politics and culture
on the performance of team members as they involve the interaction of day to day activities and
tends to facilitate smooth operations of activities (Baumeister, 2016). The top manager of
Rowlinson Knitwear would abide all rules and regulations and follows proper safety and
precaution in their workplace due to such pandemic of Covid-19.
Power: It involve the authority in the hands of CEO of Rowlinson Knitwear to take
majority of decisions by delegation of task appropriately among their staff. They also influence
3

and monitor the behaviour of subordinates so that they could achieve desired level of output
which contribute more success. The kinds of power are elucidated below:
Coercive power: This involve fear among the employees of losing their job which brings
negative outcomes and affect the overall productivity. The manager of Rowlinson Knitwear has
more authority as it creates dissatisfaction among their staff which provide undesirable results
and thus minimise the overall performance as they would not be able to contribute their best.
Reward power: This type of power promotes a healthy environment as the senior
manager would rewards their colleagues through monetary and non monetary performance on
the basis of their performance. The director of Rowlinson Knitwear would judge and then
appreciate the efforts of staff which enable them for higher performance and complete their
targets withi short span of time.
Legitimate power: This involve the positions hold by top management as it has more
power while low level manager has less authority in a workplace (Blowers, 2017). The top
authority of Rowlinson Knitwear would direct and monitor the activities of staff by judging the
accuracy of standards and identify weak spots, if any, then it took corrective actions
immediately. This ensure more prospects of success and improve the overall effectiveness over a
marketplace.
Expert power: This base of power is influenced by expertise knowledge, technical skills
and abilities who provide best and innovative ideas and aids in making best decision so as to
promote growth. The manager of Rowlinson Knitwear would hire a technical expertise who
could render an excellent advice and also has ability to deal with pressure with calm and
patience.
Referent power: It involve the degree of respect and dignity which can be earned through
experience as it influences others by its act and conduct. The top manager of Rowlinson
Knitwear would ensure proper guidance and treat their employees in a coordinated manner so
that they could develop a sense of team spirit and belongingness among them which provide an
enormous opportunity to firm of prospects of growth and ensure a bright future.
Politics: It is a process of making a common decision by forming the opinions of
different colleagues in a workplace that has direct impact on group of people. It can exist at
anytime and is mostly practiced which emphasise on getting undue advantage and thus achieve
4

unfavourable attention from others. With reference to Rowlinson Knitwear, the influence of
politics is negative which are prescribed as follows:
Lack of proper information: Sometimes, the managing director of Rowlinson Knitwear
maintain secrets and provide least information among their clients as well as colleagues which in
turn creates confusion and misunderstandings (Bucher, 2018). This affect their overall
performance and create a situation of anger, frustration and stress.
Blaming others: Forming a coalition would lead to groupism as they tend to target others
and blame others not accepting their faults which lead to hustle and bustle in Rowlinson
Knitwear. This create chaos and reduces the efficiency within a marketplace. This also affect the
overall control of a business and affect the ambience of a firm and thus lead to demotivation
among employees.
Culture: It involve an attire, norms, traditions, beliefs and custom and code of conduct
that are followed in an organisation. In relation to this, the senior authority would use Handy’s
typology culture which are prescribed below:
Role culture: In this, CEO has greater authority in a workplace and work is distributed on
the clarity basis among their staff which ensure proper transparency. In case of Rowlinson
Knitwear, the roles and obligations are assigned among colleagues in accordance of their skills
and performance so that they could work with zeal and develop a positive atmosphere.
Task culture: In this, the manager of Rowlinson Knitwear is task oriented as it has much
expectations from their staff and work in a coordinated manner so that they could develop
enthusiasm and delightfulness among their personnel (Duyvendak, 2019). They prepare their
staff in such a manner by making them capable of achieving challenging roles and thus ensure
future success.
Power culture: This involve the power of authority is in the hands of director in context
of Rowlinson Knitwear who could influence and direct others by exercising a higher degree of
control which ensure maintaining a proper balance between authority and responsibility. The
manager of respective firm would ensure strict discipline so that they could work in a
coordinated and efficient manner.
Person culture: This type of culture would include certain traits and characteristics of an
individual and their abilities to perform their task. The senior authority of concerned firm
5

emphasises on creating a pleasant atmosphere by creating more value among their employees
which accelerate job satisfaction and employee retention for a longer time period.
Overall impact of power, politics and culture
Individuals Team members
Power There is lack of authority by
top manager which create
chances of disputed as work is
not divided properly.
One main reason is
mismanagement which
hamper the growth and thus
affect the overall productivity
among team members.
Culture There is chances of clashes of
culture and language barriers
which might create confusion
among subordinates and
reduce the overall
performance.
The manager adapts changes
in a quicker manner so it is
difficult to convince everyone
for accepting modification
which hamper their overall
growth.
Politics Politics may affect individual
performance as they tend to
hesitate and involve fear
among them which lead to
delay in overall working
procedure.
When team members are so
much involved internal
politics by forming a groupism
and coalition which reduce the
ambience of a company.
P2 Discuss motivational techniques and theories
Motivation is urge, want, desire or inner motives which persuades individuals to satisfy
their needs and wants for accomplishment of business objectives (Grattan and Torrence, 2016). It
is a psychological process which makes individual different from others by coping up with
infinite wants and also it direct and explain the behaviour of human beings. The several theories
of motivation are given beneath:
Content theory: This theory of motivation focuses on rendering a positive atmosphere in
a workplace by satisfying personal needs and also it describes that individual have varied needs
6

at different period of time. The senior authority conducts Maslow’s theory which is demonstrated
below:
Maslow’s hierarchy theory: This hierarchy of motivation provide information regarding
the needs and desire assumptions of human as it follow a proper sequence of steps depending
upon the criteria of needs. With reference to Rowlinson Knitwear, these are as follows:
Physiological needs: These are primary needs of an individual without which human
survival is impossible such as air, water, clothing, shelter, water, and many more (Hulleman,
Barron, Kosovich and Lazowski, 2016). The manager of Rowlinson Knitwear must satisfy these
needs in order to provide sustainability among them as these are most prioritised needs.
Safety needs: This type of needs involve in providing safety and security by human
beings as they make sure that they could maintain provision and reserves, retirement fund,
pension which provide more security among them. The senior authority of Rowlinson Knitwear
provides sufficient income and compensation benefits among their staff to maintain reasonable
standard of living and thus boost their confidence.
Social needs: These are more crucial needs so as to overcome the situation of loneliness,
anger and stress among human beings. They should interact with others and share their feelings
and make a strong network which inculcate confidence and determination among them. The
manager of Rowlinson Knitwear should place emphasise on these needs by promoting a unity of
command and strong team spirit among them so that they would come together for achievement
of common goals as it facilitates cooperation in a workplace.
Esteem needs: It consist of several traits such as self-motivation, confidence, competency
and ability to work with potential. The top manager of Rowlinson Knitwear would earn respect
and dignity after its immense level of hard work that make it financially and socially
independent. Also, it could earn a higher status in a society by receiving gratitude and thus
develop goodwill in a community.
Self-actualisation needs: This is a self-fulfilment stage which encompasses human
beings to accept challenging task and focus on personality development (Jelphs and Dickinson,
2016). The staff of respective firm would become more better day by day and becomes
successful through its immense level of hard work and determination. This ensure them a great
path of success in their career and develop positive attitude and advanced skills among them.
7

Process theory: This tries to elaborate several ideas and practices which determine
behavioural processes by motivating a person to act in a unique and different manner. Every
colleague in a workplace has different expectations from one another. It is detailed in a more
appropriate manner with the help of Vroom expectancy theory:
Vroom expectancy theory: This theory emphasises that certain human actions and
behaviour result in gaining more pleasure by determining its skills, abilities and level of
knowledge. The manager of concerned firm believes that rewards are measured on the basis of
their performance and task accomplished. It includes three elements which are described as
follows:
Valence: This involve the expectations by manager from its staff after attaining a desired
level of output.
Expectancy: This involve various skills and knowledge level of individual and allocation
of resources in a proper manner which result in desirable outcomes.
Instrumentality: This component of expectancy theory involve faith and believe that
human beings have that if their work with potential and zeal then then would be rewarded and
recognise for their efforts. This improve the overall performance and contribute a greater
success.
Recommendation:
The pandemic of Corona Virus is deepened and widespread which affect the overall
economy in a negative manner (Lynch, Lynch and Clemens, 2018). The manager of Rowlinson
Knitwear makes an appropriate planning and organise the work among their subordinated so as
to avoid duplication of activities by allocating resource in an efficient manner. It would motivate
and support their staff during such crises so that they could work with patience and calmly by
contributing their level best. This facilitate proper coordination and help in coping up with such
pandemic.
P3 Contrast of effective and non-effective team
An effective team are most dedicated towards their work and are committed towards their
objectives. They work very hard and develop positive attitude which promote the growth of an
organisation by facilitating unity of direction.
Comparison of effective vs non effective team
Effective team Non-Effective team
8

It is people oriented which consider the ideas
and opinions of staff so as to make effective
planning.
It is performance oriented which does not
consider the suggestions of staff which decline
their performance.
They are cooperated and develop open
relationships which aids them overcoming with
situation of crises.
They do not promote team spirit and prefer to
solve their problems alone during pandemic
times.
They tend to resolve conflicts by excellent
communication skills.
They are not clear of their goals and not
committed which create confusion among
them.
Tuckman’s model: This model is propounded by Bruce Tuckman in the year 1965
which emphasise and allow its team members to grow and face several challenges by delivering
excellent results (Miao and et.al., 2020). In case of Rowlinson Knitwear, the four stages are
detailed below:
Forming: This involve the leader to behave differently in accordance of prevailing
situation in a marketplace. The manager of Rowlinson Knitwear would emphasise on providing
answering of several questions as leader has to be prepared and formulate an appropriate strategy
for future success.
Storming: The leader of concerned firm considers several innovative ideas of their team
members by maintaining cordial relations with them as they are aware of what is expected from
them. This enhance greater productivity and ensure more success in a workplace.
Norming: This involve the big decisions which has to be made as agreement is formed
among the team members. The leader of Rowlinson Knitwear would discuss their new style of
working and promote a sense of unity and team spirit by engaging them with social activities as
well as fun. This provide comfortable to staff and develop a healthy environment in a workplace.
Joining: This is the last stage in which emphasise of team members would share its
vision and delegate its responsibilities amongst them. They make proper execution and
implementation of planning that aids them to work in a dynamic environment and thus enjoys a
great degree of success.
9

Belbin team roles: This theory emphasise on determining several personality traits of
team members as this emphasise on making a strong team (Oskarsson, 2017). In the context of
Rowlinson Knitwear, the nine team roles are presented as follows:
Plant: They are innovators who promote creative thinking and provide development in
future as they provide new proposals and also, they emphasise on making planning which
facilitate decision making. The manager of Rowlinson Knitwear tends to be delegated and
independent who are active in generating great ideas.
Monitor Evaluator: They are serious minded and are very slow in making decisions so
the team member of concerned firm firstly analyse the problem and assure that they do not make
any sort of mistakes.
Shaper: They tends to inspire and motivate others and are energetic in nature and have
other traits such as challenging, fearless and so on. The manager of respective firm prone to take
immediate action and aims to grab every opportunity.
Specialist: They are calm, logical and provide technical answers of every problem which
improve their knowledge and skills. The team members in a firm are accurate and expertise in
their respective field which provides a fast solution in an effective manner.
Coordinator: This involve various personality traits such as calm, confident, active
listener and trust in nature. The members of Rowlinson Knitwear guides and coach their staff and
also has ability to make quick decision even during such crises.
Team worker: The role is to solve interpersonal problems by promoting unity and
harmony in an organisation. this is very necessary in case of Rowlinson Knitwear as it create a
sense of belongingness and develop informal network by effluent communication skills.
Resource Investigator: This involve traits such as extroverts who like meet with new
people and also have interactive skills which ensure more productivity. The leader of concerned
firm is versatile and innovative in nature who like to conduct experiments and explore things in a
different manner.
Implementor: They have good logical ability and work very hard so as to gain optimum
results. The team members of respective firm tough-minded people and also, they tackle every
problem in a predetermined manner.
10

Finisher: The team members in case of Rowlinson Knitwear make assure that they would
complete their task in a respective time period and perform obligations with utmost care as it
provides a systematic working of operations.
P4 Philosophies of organisational behaviour
Path goal theory: This theory would cover specific style of leadership which has the
ability to influence others as they clarify their path of achieving goals and remove obstacles by
their superior performance (Priess-Groben and Hyde, 2017). They tend to provide support to
their staff and allocate resource and work among them appropriately so as to facilitate
coordination. In the context of Rowlinson Knitwear, the categories are presented as follows:
Personnel characteristics: It is essential for the manager of respective firm to determine
the skills, experience, knowledge, decision making ability, ability to deal with work load and
many more which provide them with an idea regarding certain qualities and traits about
employees working in an organisation.
Environmental features: This involve an aspect of overcoming hurdles that arise in
between work so it decides a best alternative which aids in meeting targets within set time frame.
They work together for attainment of common objectives and provide an extensive support to
leader.
Leadership style: The various styles of leadership are as follows:
Democratic: In this, the manager of concerned firm welcomes the suggestions of their
personnel so as to make them feel importance and increase their worth in a workplace. This
boost the satisfactions level and builds morale and trust among them (Walsh, 2016). It also
maintains better relations with employees and contribute their level best by performing beyond
their reach.
Autocratic: The senior authority of Rowlinson Knitwear makes decisions on their own and
maintain strict rules and regulations in a workplace and believe on providing rewards to those
who perform better and punishes to those who are not serious towards their work and takes
everything lightly.
CONCLUSION
From the above information, it can be summarised that effective leader is necessary as
they are active listener and work in systematic manner so that they could pursue their goals in a
11

set time period. Several theories such as Belbin model and Tuckman model is discussed in this
report which examine personality traits of team member. Path goal theory is analysed that render
support to leader in achieving their vision with the help of team members. The influence of
power and politics has great impact on overall operations of small and medium size company.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Balwant, P.T., 2018. The meaning of student engagement and disengagement in the classroom
context: Lessons from organisational behaviour. Journal of Further and Higher
Education. 42(3). pp.389-401.
Baumeister, R.F., 2016. Toward a general theory of motivation: Problems, challenges, opportunities,
and the big picture. Motivation and Emotion. 40(1). pp.1-10.
Blowers, A., 2017. The limits of power: the politics of local planning policy (Vol. 21). Elsevier.
Bucher, T., 2018. If... then: Algorithmic power and politics. Oxford University Press.
Duyvendak, J.W., 2019. The power of politics: new social movements in France. Routledge.
Grattan, J. and Torrence, R. eds., 2016. Living under the shadow: cultural impacts of volcanic
eruptions (Vol. 53). Routledge.
Hall, C.M., Malinen, S., Vosslamber, R. and Wordsworth, R. eds., 2016. Business and post-disaster
management: Business, organisational and consumer resilience and the Christchurch
earthquakes. Routledge.
Hulleman, C.S., Barron, K.E., Kosovich, J.J. and Lazowski, R.A., 2016. Student motivation: Current
theories, constructs, and interventions within an expectancy-value framework.
In Psychosocial skills and school systems in the 21st century (pp. 241-278). Springer, Cham.
Jelphs, K. and Dickinson, H., 2016. Working in teams 2e. Policy Press.
12