Organisational Behaviour Report: Ryanair's Employee Behaviour

This report analyzes organizational behavior within Ryanair, an Irish low-budget airline. It explores how organizational culture, politics, and power dynamics influence employee behavior, referencing Handy's cultural typology and Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The report examines how Ryanair's task culture and power structures impact employee actions. It further investigates the application of content and process theories of motivation, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Vroom's expectancy theory, to improve employee performance. The report then discusses the importance of effective teams, detailing various team types and models for team development, including the path-goal theory. Finally, it addresses barriers to implementing new organizational structures, providing a comprehensive overview of factors affecting employee behavior and organizational effectiveness within Ryanair.

Organisational
Behaviour

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1 (LO1& LO2)......................................................................................................................3
Organisational culture, politics and power affecting organisational behaviour.....................3
Content and process theories of motivation...........................................................................5
PART 2 (LO3 & LO4).....................................................................................................................7
Importance of having effective teams....................................................................................7
Range of models related to the process of team development...............................................8
Path goal theory for improving team performance...............................................................10
Barriers in implementing new organisational structure........................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Organisational behaviour relates to the way in which members of an organisation behave so
as to achieve its goals and objectives. There are various factors that affect the behaviour of an
individual like the work culture, working environment, job structure, communication, leadership
etc. which also affect the way in which they perform their work in the company. It is important
to study organisational behaviour so that the reason behind the behaviour of an employee can be
found and effective steps can be taken so that their work performance can be improved (Arvey
and Wang, 2016). In this report Ryanair DAC is taken which is Irish low budget airline which
was established in 1984 and has its headquarters in Dublin. The company is facing issues related
to low customer satisfaction and staffing issues which is also affecting its performance. In this
report the factors affecting behaviour of employees will be analysed along with application of
motivational theories so that work performance can be improved. Further the importance of
effective teams in an organisation will also be discussed.
PART 1 (LO1& LO2)
Organisational culture, politics and power affecting organisational behaviour
Organisational culture is the shared beliefs, values and assumptions that prevail inside an
organisation which determined the way in which work is performed by the employees. Each
organisation has their own unique culture which determines the way in which employees behave
in the company so that its goals and objectives can be achieved.
Handy's cultural typology can be used to identify the type of organisational culture in
Ryanair which illustrates the following types of cultures:
 Power culture: In this the power of decision making is concentrated in limited hands in
an organisation that affects the decisions regarding management and operations e.g. small
businesses, start-ups etc.
 Role culture: In this culture all the members know about their roles and responsibilities
and their work is highly controlled and governed by strong rules e.g. bureaucratic offices
(Lampaki and Papadakis, 2018).
 Task culture: In this culture the employees are allotted with some tasks so that they can
user their skills and talents in the completion of tasks in an efficient manner and on time
e.g. most of the companies.

 Person culture: In this culture each and every person is responsible for their own work
and their decisions based on their expertise knowledge in their fields like law firms,
consultancy firms etc.
Ryanair follows task culture in which all the employees are given a certain task and
responsibility which needs to be completed within a given period of time and by using available
resources so that the goals and objectives of company can be achieved.
Hofstede's cultural dimensions are another theory that can be applied to understand the
impact of organisational culture on the behaviour of employees. Following are the dimensions
that are demonstrated in this theory:
 Power Distance Index: It determines the degree of unequal distribution of power among
the members of an organisation. Ryanair follows low PDI so that all the employees can
work together in an efficient manner and coordinate their work.
 Individualism vs Collectivism: It determines the degree of collectivism among the
members of an organisation. In Ryaniar the collectivism is high which means that the
workers work together in a collective manner son that common company goals are
achieved on time (Robertson, 2016).
 Uncertainty Avoidance Index: It relates to the extent to which control and management
of activities is done so that uncertainty can be avoided. Rynair has low UAI so that all the
worker can work freely and can feel motivated to improve their performance as they are
not strongly controlled.
 Long-vs Short-Term Orientation: It relates to the goals setting which is done in an
organisation. In Ryanair long term orientation exist so that employees can work towards
achieving long term goals of company.
Organisational power demonstrates the amount of control and power which is exercised by
te managers and leaders of a company on their employees so that they can work in a particular
manner to achieve company goals. Following are the theories that can help in determining the
amount of organisational power which exist in Ryyanair which influence the behaviour of
employees:
French and Raven's bases of power is a theory given by John R. P. French and Bertram
Raven in 1959 which divides power in following categories:

 Reward power: It is the ability of managers to exert power on the employees by giving
them reward for their performance so that they can be made to work desired work.
 Expert power: It is the power which is exerted by a person based on their skills and
expertise knowledge so that they can monitor the work of others.
 Legitimate power : It is the power of a person based on their position which gives them
the power to direct the work of others.
 Coercive power : It is the ability of managers to exert power using punishments and
threats so that employees can do their work properly (Tankebe and Meško, 2015).
 Referent power: This power is exerted by a person based on their charismatic personality
or good looks etc. which help them in influencing the work of others.
Ryanair uses reward powers so that the employees can be encouraged to perform their work
in a specific manner that can help the company in achieving it goals and objectives on time. It
also help in motivating the workers so that they improve their performance and help the
company in achieving its goals ain an efficient manner.
Organisational politics are the informal or unofficial means of exercising power or authority
by the way of creating social networks so that the employees can be motivated to perform their
work in a specific manner. According to the views of Chanlat the political behaviour in an
organisation can be personal, decisional or structural which affects the performance of workers
in following manner:
 Decrease in productivity: As the workers become more involved in company politics
their concentration on their work becomes weak which affects their overall productivity
and reduces the profitability of company.
 Spoils the working environment: With the increase in company politics the working
environment becomes hostile due to increasing favouritism which increases the feelings
of jealousy and affects the performance of workers (Yuan and et. al., 2016).
It is important that Ryanair work towards reducing company politics so that all the employees
can work together in an efficient manner and a healthy working environment can be created
which help in achieving company goals on time.
Content and process theories of motivation
Motivation is the need, want, desire or drives which help the person in acting in a certain
manner so that they can achieve their desired goals. It is important that the employees of an

organisation are motivated so that they can perform their work in an enthusiastic manner which
will also help in improving the outcomes of their work so that company goals are achieved on
time. It is thus essential that the company finds the ways in which it can motivate its employees
so that they can help in the growth and development of an organisation (Bickle, , 2017).
Content theory: These are the psychological needs of a person that help them in performing
their work in an efficient manner. Ryanair can use Maslow hierarchy theory so that the
motivation factors can be identified and can be used to motivate the staff members so that they
can help in achieving company goals. Following are the hierarchical needs that must be fulfilled
by company so that employees can be motivated:
Source : Our Hierarchy of Needs .2012
 Physical needs: These are the basic needs of an employee which must be essentially
fulfilled so as to mutate them to work in an efficient manner. The needs related to water,
food, rest, shelter etc. are the basic needs which must be fulfilled by companies to
motivate their employees. Ryanair must pay their employees with basic salary so that
they can arrange their basic need for themselves and their family (Famakin and Abisuga,
2016).
 Safety needs: These are the needs that help them in feeling safe and secure while
performing their work so that they can be motivated to perform their work in an efficient
manner. Ryanair must ensure safety measures and other technologies that can help in
increasing safety of all its workers so that the staff members can be motivated to perform
their work efficiently.

 Social needs: these are the needs of employees which can help them in feeling belonged
to the company so that their actions and work are valued in company which help in
encouraging them to work better. Ryanair must increase group activities so that the
employees can feel loved and belonged to company.
 Esteem needs: These are the needs of employees so that they can feel recognised and
valued in company which help them in improving their performance as with the increase
in their effectiveness they can be recognised and rewarded in company. Rynair must give
performance appraisals and other reward so that employees can be motivated to perform
better.
 Self-actualisation needs: These needs are related with the personal and professional
growth and development of employees so that they can feel that they get to learn and
enhance their skills while working in company. Ryanair must include training and
development programmes so that growth and development of employees can be done.
Process theory: These theories focus on both psychological and behavioural processes of an
individual so that they can be motivated to behave in a particular manner by understanding the
psychology of a person (Fekry, Dafoulas and Ismail, 2019). Vroom's expectancy theory can be
used so that the impact on the behaviour of an employee in relation to the outcomes which are
expected by them from their actions can be understood. Expectancy relates to the belief that
more the efforts put in by a person more will be the benefits that can be achieved. Rynair can
thus use this theory so that the employees can be motivated on the behalf of improving their
performance and getting better rewards which can help the company in achieving its objectives
in an efficient manner and on time.
PART 2 (LO3 & LO4)
Importance of having effective teams
Teams are formed in every organisation for the purpose of achievement of some
predetermined goals and are very helpful in laying down some specific targets to be achieved
with respect to a particular formed group of people. There are basically two types of teams such
as effective teams and ineffective teams. Effective teams are basically those that are having
specific objectives, clear laid down reporting and authority relationships and overall well
specified manner of responsibilities. On other hand, ineffective teams do not posses specific

objectives and clarity on the communication channels. So, there is a requirement to maximise the
presence of effective teams in comparison with ineffective teams. Apart from this there are
several other types of teams that are part of every organisation as discussed below:
Functional : These are the teams that are being formed for the purpose of achievement of
a common expertise and functions are inclined towards a specific area (Drury, 2018). In Ryanair,
there is presence of such different functional teams that have been formed with respect to the
management of functions of the organisation and are regularly helping in achievement of
organisation’s overall objectives.
Problem-solving: such teams are formed for purpose of solving particular type of
problems that has occurred in the course of functioning and is affecting the organisation in a
negative way. So, in Ryanair, to reduce the impact of such problems and make efforts to solve
them in the earliest possible manner there is a requirement to form such problems solving teams
that can have seem experts of specific areas are involved and lead to finding solutions for such
problems (Drury, 2018).
All the above discussed are the different types of teams in Ryanair that help the company
in perform effectively and achievement of their laid down objectives.
Range of models related to the process of team development
It is crucial for every organisation and in case of Ryanair to maximise the presence of
effective teams and reduce the presence of ineffective teams. So that there is complete clarity
about how and what are the various objectives that have to be achieved in the course of
functioning. The level of enthusiasm and motivation of employees is something that actually
leads towards achievement of objectives of the organisation. In Ryanair, there are some of the
models that can be applied as discussed below:
Belbin model : It is a model that is used for identification and defining various teams
roles that is the behaviour contribution and interpersonal relationship that is presence among
various teams that are part of Ryanair. Below discussed are some of the basic job roles that have
been identified in the model:
 Shaper : it consist of the people who are challenging enough and are willing to work in
the dynamic business situations. They make efforts to develop solutions for all types of
problems and then make efforts to get the work done in the specified time frame. In
Ryanair, efforts are made by leaders to make maximum employees become shapers.

 Implementer : this consist of some of individuals who are willing to convert the basic
concepts into actions. Such type of people is more disciplined and they make efforts to
perform the work in a more systematic manner (Brankovic, 2018).
 Completer-finisher: such type of individuals is those who want to complete their projects
in a more thorough manner. They are willing to detect all the mistakes that they are
highly committed and reduce the possibilities that can lead to non achievement if their
specified objectives. All the work has to be completed in according to find some ways to
comeoplet their assigned task (Fekry, Dafoulas, . and Ismail, 2019) . So, in Ryanair there
is requirement of more individuals who can posses such qualities.
 Coordinator : in case of Ryanair, These are the type of individuals who provide guidance
to the team member in different stages so that if they need assistance it can be provide to
them and they can deal with the complex task and issues that can lead to non achievement
of objectives laid down by the leader.
 Team worker: these are people who are willing to provide support to various team
members to work together in a more efficient manner (Moore and Ward, 2018). So, that
there can be more coordination amongst all team members in Ryanair while all are
working with high amount of synchronization and coordination.
 Resource investigator: these individuals are more innovative and creative at the same
time that is willing to solve all the problems and develop some creative solutions in
Ryanair. Such individuals are willing to explore all the available options and then
develop contacts so that if there is any resource requirement it can be fulfilled (Ahmed
and Siantonas, 2017).
 Plant : such type of individuals are also present in Ryanair where they are more introvert
and are having preference to work in a different from their team (Bickle., 2017). They do
not posses more experience and effective communication skills.
 Monitor-Evaluator : These are the individuals who are willing to evaluate the ideass that
are given by different team members so that there can be best outcomes that can be
availed and used in Ryanair .
 Specialist : There are some individuals in Ryanair who posses speciality in doing a
particur job and that lead to achievement of some specified objectives in that particular
special zone.

Tuckman and Jensen model : It is a model that was developed in the year 1977 and is used for
studying the overall process related to group interaction and in detail instruction of the four
major stages of development are stated as below:
 Forming : this is the initial stage where the team member do not know each other
and are willing to know and develop view points for their other teammates. They
posses confusion and there is lot of questions they posses related to their job roles
and duties they have to actually perform in the course of team work that has to be
cleared by the team member.
 Storming: In Ryanair, this is the stage where the team members can get involved
into internal conflicts as there may be not clarity related to reporting and
accountability relationships. So, it is the responsibility of the team leader to reduce
such instances of conflict at this stage (Tsai, 2016).
 Norming: In case of Ryanair, at this stage the team members start to coordinate
with each other and also understand each other’s views and respect their leader.
 Performing: In Ryanair, this is the stage where team members are giving their
whole hard work and laying down some specific goals as all the work is aligned
towards those particular objectives. The whole teammates get involved for perform
some specific jobs at this stage.
 Adjourning: in this stage the overall objectives have been achieved and the team is
finally dissolved in Ryanair that leads to moving of all the teammates towards their
actual positions and final feedback is taken by the team leaders from all the
teammates.
In Ryanair both the above team models are used for the purpose of maximisation of team
effectiveness and then understand the dynamic nature of their employees in the organisation
(Robertson, 2016). Tuckman and Jensen model will lead towards team members in efficiently
providing a direction to their workforce regarding the objectives that have to be achieved and hel
ion dealing with all the types from forming to the last stage adjourning. The overall behaviour of
team members can be understood with the help of such model.
Path goal theory for improving team performance
It is a theory that is helpful in specifying the leader’s role and the objectives in Tuckman
and Jensen model that have to be used for enhancement of productivity of the organisation:

 Directive leadership: Here, the leaders are playing a very important roel and they
take all the decisions (Menard, Bott and Crossler, 2017). In Tuckman and Jensen
model, leader will instruct their subordinates.
 Supportive leadership: In this the leaders have to be more supportive and made to
look forward in Tuckman and Jensen model.
 Achievement oriented leadership: It is a style tin which challenging roles have to
be set up by the leader and increase the confidence and abilities of all the team
members (Arvey, , Li and Wang, ., 2016).
 Participative leadership: It is a type in which the leaders have to consider the ideas
and opinion of various teammates that have to be used in efficient and timely
decision making.
Contingency theory: As per this theory there is no best way which is available and can be
applied by an organisation so that the team members can be managed and organised to achieve
team goals. This means that the decisions that are made by the team leader depend on the internal
and external situations so that best decision can be formulated (Wright, 2016).
All these theories can be applied in Ryanair which can help the company in establishing
effective work culture so that all the workers can help the company in achieving its goals on time
by improving their work performance. The company can also deal with the problem faced by it
regarding poor staffing and customer satisfaction as the team members can be motivated to
improve their performance so that effective services can be given which can help in building a
good brand image.
Barriers in implementing new organisational structure
There are certain barriers that can be faced by Ryanair as mentioned below:
 This is a organisation that has a very large workforce and leading to difficulty in change
implementation while performing various task.
 There can be high resistance of employees towards such new changes that have to be
implemented in the organisation.
 Leadership styles can lead to lot of overall changes in the working of organisation that
have to be taken care of by Ryanair in impanation of such changes.
These barriers have to be dealt efficiently in Ryanair so that there negative effect can be
minimized and overall working of the organisation does not get affected.

CONCLUSION
From this report it can be said that the company politics, power and culture determines the
way i which employees behave and also affects the way in which they perform their work. It is
important that appropriate leadership style and motivation theory are applied in company that
can help in achieving company goals efficiently and also help in motivating the workers to
improve their performance. The company can also apply various theories so that effective team
can be formed so that better results can be achieved and company can create a brand reputation
in market.