Unilever Case Study: Organisational Behaviour, Motivation and Teams

This report provides an analysis of organisational behaviour, focusing on how organisational culture, politics, and power influence individual and team behaviour and performance, with Unilever as a case study. It explores various motivational theories, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and motivational techniques, highlighting their impact on employee engagement and productivity. Furthermore, the report contrasts the factors that contribute to effective versus ineffective teams, emphasizing the importance of well-defined goals, communication, and unity. The study concludes by underscoring the significance of understanding organisational behaviour in achieving business objectives and fostering a positive work environment, with practical implications for organisations like Unilever.

Organisational
Behaviour

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
(1) Analysis of how Organisation's Culture, Politics and power influenced by individual, team
behaviour and performance:........................................................................................................3
P2 Theories of motivation and Techniques in an Organisation:.................................................4
P3 Various factors which make effective team as opposed to ineffective team:........................7
P4 Concept and Philosophies of Organisational behaviour:.......................................................9
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Organisational Behaviour is an effective institutional study which analyse about how in a
group individual behave or interact. This is an organisational principle which study behaviour of
organisation, which are applied in business to make business more profitable as well as for
effective functioning of all operations in business. Study of organisation behaviour involves
various areas such as Enhancement in job performance, encouraging or motivating leadership,
increasing job satisfaction, effective promoting innovation. The main aim of this report is to
evaluate or analyse organisation policies, culture and power which influenced individual as well
as overall team performance and behaviours. Secondly how the different motivational theories,
techniques helps the organisation to achieve organisation goal and what makes organisational
team effective (Fendi AlKubaisi and Al-Noaimi 2021). This report includes the analysis of
organisational behaviours of Unilever company which is UK's multinational organisation.
Unilever deals in various areas of food products, electronics products, personal care products. In
this report brief analysis of Organisational behaviour in context of Unilever company explain.
TASK
(P1) Analysis of how Organisation's Culture, Politics and power influenced by individual, team
behaviour and performance:
Organisational Culture:
Organisational culture plays an important role because it joint the values and vision of an
organisation such as engagement of employees, productivity, recruitment efforts and many more.
It involves how an organisation strategically plans and implement rules, regulations, and
policies. This will also involves the various aspects of individual performance and behaviour ans
well as extent to which politics which are positively or negatively effects the organisation.
culture involves various organisational vision, mission, values, system, assumptions, symbols,
beliefs. It is essential as important as strategies of organisation which helps the organisation to
achieve their objectives in an effective and efficient manner(Alenazi Muenjohn 2019). It is
simply a way in which things are completed around an ongoing organisation.
There are 4 main organisational culture
 Clan Culture: This culture is basically people-focused, which is highly co-operated with
working environment where each individual is preferred, valued, and communicated. As

It is a top priority of organisation, with this culture horizontal culture is also paired which
helps organisation to break various threats between the employees and C-suits and
motivates mentorship opportunities. This culture boasts high rate employees engagement,
which helps the organisation to achieve their respected goals effectively. In relation to
Unilever organisation if company adopt Clan culture it creates a strong bond or network
between the employees within the organisation (du Pon 2019). This will also creates
positive working environment where all the employees work together in an organisation.
This will also helps the organisation to achieve their goals in an effective and efficient
manner.
 Adhocracy Culture: This culture are move towards adaptability and innovation. This
culture individually value which encourage or motivate employees to think innovative
and creative which bring efficiency in working of employees. This type of organizational
culture comes under the external focus and differentiated categories, this culture helps the
employees to create new ideas which helps the organisation to grow and achieve success.
In relation to Unilever if company adopt this culture they attain high growth in the market
as this culture contributes high margin of profit. In organisation employees always stay
energetic and motivated, if the employees highly focused on new ideas and creativity
they can easily find out development opportunities.
 Market Culture: This culture states that each and every thing which is evaluated with
the bottom line in individual mind, each position has an main objective that specify big
goals of company. In this culture organisation's mainly focuses on external success rather
than internal sources. In relation to Unilever if company adopt this culture they boast
their profit this is because the whole organisation is mainly focuses on external factors.
 Hierarchy Culture: This is an traditional corporate culture which mainly focuses on
internal organisation. This culture gives a clear vision or direction to the employees. In
relation to Unilever if organisation follow this culture they can effectively find a direction
which helps them to achieve their objectives in an efficient manner.
P2 Theories of motivation and Techniques in an Organisation:
Theories of Motivation:
It refers to an effective technique which helps an individual to work with an enthusiasm
(Sheriffdeen 2018). It drives an individual to work in a certain effective way to achieve their

respected goals. It is force that motivates individual to work in an organisation with high level of
focus and commitment, even when the thing are not under their control or are going against
them. Motivation change behaviour of individual into certain kind of human behaviour which
positively effects the behaviours of an individual. Theories of Motivation is an effective way
looking from which ways an individual can motivated, which factor influence their behaviours,
whether for professional and personal reasons. Not only in business and management motivation
is also an important aspect for society. As motivation is the essential aspect for the organisation
and key to more profitable employees, as in business highly energetic and motivated employee
considered highly productive. In relation to Unilever if company use motivational theories, they
survive in the market for longer period of time (Lai and Stacchezzini 2021). As employees are
the assets of the business if they are motivated, focused they perform well and effective in an
organisation if they perform well this will directly affects goals of the organisation, as
organisation achieve their goals timely and effectively.
Maslow's Theory of Hierarchical Needs:
This theory is giving by the Abraham Maslow. This theory states an individual get
motivated when they see that their all requirements and needs are fulfilled. In an organisation
employees are not always working for money or security, they work to gain skills or to
contribute their work in an organisation. Maslow proves this by establishing a pyramid to
represent how employees get motivated in an organisation. This order starts with the most basic
requirements or needs before going to high level needs, goal of this theory is to attain last level
of hierarchy. In relation to Unilever if organisation follow these Maslow theory of hierarchical
needs they will easily analyse what are the basic requirements and needs of employee's which
organisation have to fulfil.
 Physiological Needs: It refers to the lowest level needs. These are the most basic and
important needs for the survival of a employee's. such as food, clothing and shelter. At
this level motivation of an employee drives from their instinct to survive.
 Safety Needs: These needs are the second level of maslow's hierarchy needs includes
security and safety needs of an employees. It refer to a employee's need to feel secure and
safe in the surroundings as well as in their life(Xiao and Cooke 2019). If employee feel
secure in their workplace, they can do much more as compared to their capability, but if

they feel unsecure at their workplace they can not perform well in an organisation the
reason can be someone bully or torture them.
 Social Needs: It is the third level of maslow hierarchy of needs which includes needs of
love and belonging. This level highlight the need for love, friendship, family. Human
being are social creatures that crave interaction with all others. Human have the need to
give and receive love, to feel that they are belong in a group.
 Esteem Needs: Other need is esteem need which is the fourth level of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs. This needs belongs to person's needs to achieve status, feel respected,
or to gain recognition. Once all these needs get fulfilled an individual wants to fulfil their
esteem needs.
 Self-Actualization Needs: The last and final level of maslow's hierarchy is needs of self-
actualization. This level states that when an individual fully understand their actual
potential. At this level an individual became the best that they possible can be . Reason
can be pursing dreams, seeking happiness, gaining skills(Urban and Verachia 2019).
Motivational Techniques:
There are various effective motivational techniques which helps the manager to motivate
their employees. All organisation's manager knows that motivated team is an productive team.
As in success of business motivated employee plays an essential role, as if employee's are
effectively engaged or happy they leads to more profit or productivity in an organisation. It is
important for the manager's to find out ways which motivate their employees. Below are some
techniques which helps the manager to motivate their employees.
 Effective Training and Mentorship: This is an effective way to motivate employees as
employees are the key aspects of business. In relation to Unilever if manager of
organisation provides effective additional training to their employees it will increase their
level of productivity as additional knowledge they gain, which motivates them to work
effectively and efficiently in an organisation.
 Communicate: Effective and good communication are always accessible and
approachable, if organisation manager communicate with their employees on a regular
basis not for long time but for short period of time (Falola and Oludayo 2018). In relation
to Unilever if manager spend time with their employees for a short while every day it not
only motivate employee but also helpful for the organisation as employee feel that

manager take care of their work which helps the organisation to achieve their goals
efficiently.
 Reward: It is an most easy as well an essential factor, if company's manager gives
reward or prices to their employees they can feel that effectively or equikly achieve their
organisational goals. In relation to Unilever if the manager of organisation give reward to
their employees they acheive their objectives in an efficient manner. Rewards motivate
employees as they work hard more to achieve more rewards and ultimately this will also
beneficial for the organisation as they achieve their targets effectively (Islam and Ishak
2018).
P3 Various factors which make effective team as opposed to ineffective team:
In an organisation effective and efficient team work sets various advantages not only to
whole team but also to an whole organisation. Effective team work together to take decisions,
facilitates idea, innovation, approach issues with an unique solution. All the members of team
feel enthusiasm of motivated to take innovative or effective approaches while establishing
solutions. When the whole team work together they learn new and effective skills, knowledge,
methods from one other while working in an efficient and effective team. Effective and efficient
team work enhance the productivity, and employees highly engaged and contributes towards the
achievement of desire goal. If employees work in an effective team they experience an high
sense of motivation. They always remember their contribution towards the success of the
company.
On the other hand, Ineffective team sets various disadvantages not only for the team but also for
the whole organisation. Ineffective team shows the lack in unity among the team members. Lack
in unity states team members are not clear about their goals and objectives or may be they are not
able to make mutual understanding to take corrective decisions. Other reason can be their is
knowledge gap among the team members like if member in team include both senior and junior
level employees the knowledge gap between both of them can be possible which cause
incompletion of work and adversely effect the objectives and goals of the organisation.
Factors which make team Effective:
There are various factors in an organisation which makes team effective:
 Well-Defined Goals: This states that well-defined goals helps the team to take corrective
and effective actions which makes whole team effective(Grobler and Jouber 2018).

Before working on task effective team makes their goals. The whole team work together
to find out common aims and objective that helps organisation to achieve their goals in an
effective and efficient way. All the members of team identify it effective and easier to
fulfil their task objective or goals when they identify them meaningful. They all make
effective plan about how to fulfil these assign goals, roles (Peucker and Fisher 2021). In
relation to Unilever if the team members of an organisation analyse or determine how
they can measure their success and evaluate outcome of a project, this will help them to
understand what they are working towards and understand in what manner they
effectively complete the task. This will make their team effective as well as they able to
achieve their goals easily and effectively.
 Clear and Effective Leadership: Effective team usually have effective leadership,
where each and every member in team act as an team leaders. This supports the whole
team to work towards the goals which are set. An effective leader is often motivate, guide
their other team members towards the goals. They also may provides encouragement
when the team face any threat or challenge. An effective team or team leader also might
decide to shift its leadership on a regular basis, which give chance to each and every
member to guide or motivate group work. In relation to Unilever organisation an
effective team or team leader gives chance each and every member to participate in group
activities, regularly chances team leader and give chance other member to became team
member and to guide others.
 Effective Communication: An effective team members open or effectively
communicate with each other to discuss their thoughts, feelings, and ideas on their set
objectives. Successful and effective team members often allow different opinions and
thoughts that helps them to solve issues and complete work in an effective and creative
way. In relation to Unilever Organisation if the team members openly communicate with
each other about the task they can achieve their group targets timely. Effective or open
communication includes active listening, where all the team members makes efforts to
understand their team members thoughts and respond before them.
 Trust: Teams that have believe or trust between each members possibly accomplish their
targets this is because they trust each other in the process of work (Thao and Kang 2018).
Trust and believe in team members creates effective communication, collaboration and

problem solving. effective team depend on team-building to motivate trust in between
team members. In relation to Unilever Organisation if the team members believe on trust
each other they can effectively or efficiently complete their work on time because trust
contributes to clear communication between the team member which reduce conflicts,
delay, error in task(Gümüş, and Hallinger 2020).
Factors which makes team ineffective:
 Ineffective Leadership: In an organisation for team members to work effectively, they
require that leader who regularly motivate, guide often provide effective insight to the
team members towards the task. But ineffective leader leads to team unmotivated,
disconnected, which adversely affect their ability to work in a team. In relation to
Unilever Organisation if the team leader is ineffective than the effective completion of
task becomes difficult as it is duty of leader to motivate, encourage their team members
which helps the rest of the members to effectively work.
 Communication gaps: Gap in communication may results in team members lacking
clarity about their responsibility and expectations. Communication gap between team
members bring conflicts, confusion, misunderstandings between the team members. In
relation to Unilever Organisation if there is communication gap between the team
members or leader then they find difficult to achieve their goals because they all not
clearly communicate with each other about their ideas, thoughts towards the task. This
well leads to incompletion of goals.
P4 Concept and Philosophies of Organisational behaviour:
There are some of the most essential concepts of organisational behaviour
 Social system: Social system states that organisation is an group of an individual who
perform for a same goal. The activities in an organisation of each and every individual
affects and affected by the other activities. In an organisation two type of social system
follows one is formal and other is informal. In organisation formal system is established
to follow responsibility and authority(Choi and Akhatib 2018). It is created through
consciously and deliberately. On the other hand informal system helps the organisation to
establish spontaneously and naturally due to the various factors which affects the
organisation goals such as individual language, friendship, likes and dislikes. In relation
to Unilever Organisation, Organisation can follow both the formal and informal system

which helps the organisation to achieve their goals in an effective and efficient manner
because formal system helps to develop responsibility and authority in an organisation
and informal system helps the organisation to develop natural factors in an organisation.
 Employees Perception: In an organisation perception of employees plays an essential
role which will affects the whole organisation. Perception includes in what way person
understand, see or interprets things. It states that while one employee introduce specific
policy of the organisation, also on the other side it may possible that another employee
may deny for another. In relation to Unilever Organisation perception of employee may
affects the other decision of employee because in an organisation every individual have
different perception about the things.
 Employees Motivation: Motivation of employees refers that employees have various
types of requirement, needs for the satisfaction. Employees motivation plays an important
role in an organisation as motivated employees is more productive as compared to
unmotivated employee. Theory of maslow also highlights employees need like
physiological, social, Esteem, safety, self actualisation, which states that if these needs
get fulfilled employee automatically get motivated which helps the organisation to
complete their goals effectively. In relation to Unilever Organisation employees
motivation plays an essential role as it employees are key assets for the organisation.
Motivated employee are highly productive in an organisation which gives effective
output towards the goals and objectives in an organisation.
 Employees Empowerment and Involvement: In an organisation it is an team leader or
manager responsibility to empower their employees which increases the involvement of
employees in an organisation, which positively effect the employee behaviour as it
contribute more towards the completion of goal or objective. In relation to Unilever
Organisation if the manager motivate, empower their employees they find easy in
achieving goals because empowerment provides the employee a sense of belonging and
they are able to complete his work with full dedication and involvement.
 Whole person concept in an Organisation: This not related to intelligence and skills of
the employees, this is essential for the growth and development of an organisation. It
refers to the employees personal life, his feelings, emotions etc. Manager can not separate
employees personal life from his official life. It, therefore go without saying that unless

steps are considered to satisfy the total individual. In relation to Unilever organisation if
manager considered employees personal life separate that it will beneficial for the
organisation as employee in workplace constraint only in other work without thinking
their personal life problems in an organisation.
Philosophies of organisational behaviours:
There are main five organisational behaviour philosophies which are discussed below:
 Autocratic: It states that autocratic organisation, management who manage or control all
the work in an organisation have the formal responsibility and authority the employee
who work under them. They haver low level of control over the activities because they
are lower-level employees. The top level management take all the decision, as the ideas
of lower level management are not considered. In relation to Unilever organisation if they
follow autocratic management, the top level management is responsible for taking all the
decision related to the management. The ideas and thoughts of lower-level management
are not considered because all the responsibilities and authorities are under the top-level
management.
 Custodial: According to the Custodial philosophies it is basically depends upon giving
economic safety and security to employees. This security are in the form of wages and
other benefits that will established employee motivation and loyalty. In other countries,
many companies which are professional gives various health benefits, salary financial
packages, corporate cars and many more. all these kinds of benefits are make to motivate,
encourage employee to work in an effective and efficient manner. In relation to Unilever
if organisation follow custodial philosophies for the motivation of employees they have
to give some kinds of benefits to their employees. such as economic security through
wages and other incentives which motivates employee to work hard for organisation
goals.
 Supportive: The supportive refers to the motivated, encouraged leadership. It mainly
focuses on leader not on employees motivation, Such as instead of motivate staff or
employee through the employee-manger relation and in what manner employees are
treated on a regular basis. In relation to Unilever if organisation follow supportive
philosophies model this will create a strong bond between the employee and manager as

if the bond between employee and manager strong then they support each other at the
time when they feel any kind of issue, threat in completion of task.
 Collegial: It refers to the team work as name says collegial all the team members work
together, effectively, where all the members are effectively and actively participate not
for reputation but to encourage their working for an better and effective organisation. In
relation to Unilever If organisation follows collegial philosophies model they sees that
there whole organisation work together to achieve their organisational objectives. This is
an effective model for organisation which helps manager to search out various new
marketing approaches, development, research to effectively participate in competitive
environment.