Organizational Behaviour at Waitrose: Culture, Power, and Motivation

Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers to help students succeed.

ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR
PART 1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................2
ABOUT WAITROSE....................................................................................................................3
PART 1...................................................................................................................................... 4
LO1 THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE, POLITICS AND POWER ON THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHER IN
WAITROSE............................................................................................................................ 4
CHARLES HANDY’S CULTURAL TYPOLOGY FOR ANALYSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
AT WAITROSE................................................................................................................... 4
FRENCH AND REVEN POWER TYPES FOR ANALYSING ORGANIZATIONAL POWER
STRUCTURE AT WAITROSE...............................................................................................5
CHANLAT’S CHARACTERISTICS OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOR FOR ANALYSING
ORGANIZATIONAL POWER STRUCTURE AT WAITROSE....................................................6
LO2 HOW TO MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS TO ACHIEVE A GOAL...........................7
CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN WAITROSE...................7
PROCESS THEORIES OF MOTIVATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN WAITROSE....................9
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................11
REFERENCE............................................................................................................................. 12
1

INTRODUCTION
The changing business scenario has also affected the way individuals are managed and
organized in the company. Now, the business organizations have to devise strategies to
effectively manage and motivate the workforce to take great participation in the businesses
activities with their willingness. This stimulates the study of organizational behaviour at
every large and small business organization. This assignment report will discuss the
organizational culture and workforce motivation in the context of the Waitrose
organization. The organizational culture, politics and power at the Waitrose will be analysing
to determine its impact on the behaviour of individuals within the company. Appropriate
theories and concepts will be used to gain substantial knowledge about the culture, power
and politics at the organization. Moreover, the theories of motivation will also be discussed
to determine the different ways in which the employees and groups within the company can
be encouraged to contribute to the accomplishment of the organizational goal.
2

ABOUT WAITROSE
Waitrose & partners are known as Waitrose is a chain of British supermarket and is a food
retail division of the largest employee-owned retailers in Britain, ‘John Lewis Partnership'. It
was founded in 1904 by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor. The company has
around 353 stores across the UK with an additional 65 convenience shop. The company also
exports its products to around 52 countries (Waitrose &Partners, 2019). The company owns
a royal warrant for supplying groceries, wine and spirits to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
Charles. Currently, Waitrose is one of the fastest growing retail shops in the UK.
3

PART 1
Waitrose is continuously expanding and growing its business across and afar the UK. For
managing the increasing changes and developments, the company needs to develop and
implement radical strategies and changes within the organization. Waitrose is an employee-
owned company and thus, it requires individual employees and teams to be optimistic
towards the strategic decisions of the company and contribute to the growth and
development of the organization. Therefore, while devising the business strategies it is very
important to analyse the organizational culture and motivation level within the
organization.
LO1 THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE, POLITICS AND POWER ON THE
BEHAVIOR OF OTHER IN WAITROSE
Organizational culture can be termed as the underlying beliefs, values, assumptions and way
of communication within an organization that creates a unique social and psychological
environment within the company (Huczynski, et al., 2013). The organizational culture
influences the way individuals and teams interact with each other as well as with all the
other stakeholders of the company. The organization culture at Waitrose can be effectively
examined with the help of Charles Handy’s cultural typology.
CHARLES HANDY’S CULTURAL TYPOLOGY FOR ANALYSING ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE AT WAITROSE
Handy has defined four types of organizational culture linking it with the organizational
structure.
 Person culture: in person culture, all the individual believes that they are superior to
the company. The person culture is formulated when an organization involves a
group of like-minded people who pursues common goals. Survival can be difficult for
such types of organization (Russo, et al., 2013).
 Power culture: it is when the power is concentrated among the few people who
control and command others. Power culture has little bureaucracy and few rules and
facilitates swift decision making.
4

 Task culture: for solving particular problems and accomplishing specific goals of the
company, teams are formed that denotes task culture. Here the powers to take
decisions are shifted among team members according to the personal skills and
issues (Russo, et al., 2013).
 Role culture: in role structure, the authority and responsibilities are clearly
delegated within a highly controlled structure. Hierarchical bureaucracies are
present in such types of organizations as the power is derived from the position of a
person.
After analysing the above culture types, it could be suggested the Waitrose follows the
power culture as the organization’s stores and departments are managed and controlled the
few authoritative people who have the power to make decisions and control operations. For
instance, the control of a store is in the hands of the store manager who has the power to
make quick decisions.
FRENCH AND REVEN POWER TYPES FOR ANALYSING ORGANIZATIONAL POWER
STRUCTURE AT WAITROSE
In an organization, power refers to the possession of a specific position or authority to
influence others (Pierro, et al., 2013). The power refers to the potential influence of an
individual on the others. In Waitrose, power is needed to control others. French and Raven
has developed five main forms of power;
 Coercive power: it is the ability to force employees to follow the orders by
threatening them with punishment and threats. For instance, demotions,
termination and pay cuts (Pierro, et al., 2013).
 Legitimate power: such power is derived from the formal position of an individual in
the authority hierarchy of an organization. For instance, the power of the store
manager at Waitrose is higher than the power of the clerical employee.
 Reward power: it is the power to provide some type of rewards and benefit to the
employee to encourage their positive actions. The rewards can be tangible or
intangible (Pierro, et al., 2013). For example, the store manager at Waitrose rewards
employees in the form of pay raise, gifts, medals and bonuses as well as through
intangible rewards like appreciation, recognition etc.
5

 Referent power: referent power is a power through which an individual can
influence the team or followers. Such power is linked with leaders who have a high
level of admiration and respect among its followers. For example celebrities, political
leaders and widely respected people.
 Expert power: it is based on the high level of skills and knowledge held by an
individual (Pierro, et al., 2013). The person with expert power has a specialized set of
skills that other persons in a group or organization do not possess. For example,
higher technical knowledge possesses by a particular employee.
In Waitrose, the organizational power is classified into two parts; position power and
personal power. Position power involves legitimate power, reward power, coercive power
while, personal power involves expert and referent power. The different kinds of power are
used in the company to influence the behaviour and attitude of the staff.
CHANLAT’S CHARACTERISTICS OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOR FOR ANALYSING
ORGANIZATIONAL POWER STRUCTURE AT WAITROSE
Workplace politics could be defined as a use of power and networking within an
organization to achieve desired behaviour and changes within an individual (Baron, et al.,
2012). In an organization, social influence attempts are directed at the people who can
provide rewards to promote and protect the self-interest of an individual.
 Structural: the structural behaviour is aimed at enabling an individual to agree to
achieve goals in line with the organization. Structural political behaviour involves
controlling information and cultivating networks (Baron, et al., 2012).
 Personal: personal behaviour is linked with manipulating others to perform in the
desired manger and engage in political behaviour. It involves attacking and blaming,
maintaining secrets, incomplete or wrong information, image building and forming
coalitions.
 Decisional: the decisional behaviour is aimed at obtaining the support of the peers.
It involves managing impressions, controlling decision parameters, creating
obligations and using outside expert. (Baron, et al., 2012)
In Waitrose, politics is required to obtain advantages that are beyond the control of an
organization and to gain undue attention and appreciation from others. Organizational
6

politics enables an individual to captivate require attention and fame to pursue higher
growth in a career.
Managing culture power and politics is not an easy task for the Waitrose. Currently, the
company has an effective strategic position as the culture, power and politics at the
Waitrose is managing efficiently. Due to power culture, the deserving person holds the
power and manages the business system effectively as well as the different type of power
supports in maintaining a balance in the management system. However, the presence of
higher politics could lead to conflicts and coalitions that need to be managed by the
company.
LO2 HOW TO MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS TO ACHIEVE A GOAL
Motivation is equally important as the management of culture, power and politics in an
organization. The culture, power and politics define the expected behaviour from the
employees while motivation creates willingness and encourages individuals to act in a
certain manner (Osabiya, 2015). The content and process theories of motivation can be
effectively used by Waitrose to develop required behaviour among the employees.
CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN WAITROSE
MASLOW’S NEED HIERARCHY THEORY
The theory has classified the individual needs in five hierarchical levels and suggests that the
fulfilment of first level needs leads to the desire for achievement of next level and so on
until the last level in the hierarchy that is very rare to achieve (Kaur, 2013). The five levels of
the Maslow’s hierarchy are presented in the below image;
7

Figure 1: Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory
[Source: Miner, 2015]
At Waitrose, the needs hierarchy theory can be applied to motivate employees at different
hierarchical positions in the company. For instance, for motivating lower level employees
the basic needs such as home, vehicle and food should be offered while for motivating
senior managers an opportunity for building a social relationship and increasing reputation
and status in the organization could be offered.
HERZBERG’S TWO FACTOR THEORY
This theory suggests two factors that should be considered two motivate individuals within
an organization. These are motivator and hygiene factors. According to Herzberg, these two
factors are responsible for creating satisfaction or dissatisfaction among individuals. The
motivator factors are growth, recognition, and rewards etc. while hygiene factors are salary,
office policies, and work conditions (Tan and Waheed, 2011). The presence of motivator
factors leads to satisfaction but may not cause dissatisfaction while the absence of hygiene
factors creates dissatisfaction but its presence may not create satisfaction.
8

Figure 2: Herzberg's two-factor Theory
[Source: Tan and Waheed, 2011]
Waitrose can utilize this theory to reduce the chances of employee dissatisfaction and
increase the level of satisfaction to motivate and retain employees in the company. By
ensuring the presence of proper motivator and hygiene factors the company can create a
sense of belonging among the employees and motivate them to work in pursuance of the
organizational objectives.
PROCESS THEORIES OF MOTIVATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN WAITROSE
SKINNER’S REINFORCEMENT THEORY
This theory is based on the law of effect. The theory infers that the behaviour of individuals
is a function of its consequences that means that positive consequences could lead to
repetition while negative consequences could lead to prevention from restating the same
action (Lee and Raschke, 2016). It emphasizes motivation through positive reinforcement,
negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction.
9

Figure 3: SKINNER’S REINFORCEMENT THEORY
[Source: Lee and Raschke, 2016]
The senior managers at Waitrose can implement reinforcement theory to encourage
positive behaviour at work and discourage negative behaviour. The company can encourage
positive behavior through increasing salary, appreciation, promotion and incentives etc.
while the negative behavior could be discouraged through demotion, fine, penalty,
punishment and avoidance. Similarly, extinction and punishment can also be used to
develop the desired behaviour among the employees in Waitrose.
ADAM’S EQUITY THEORY
Adam’s equity implies that the performance and behaviour of employees are based on their
expectations. In other words, the individual performs in expectation of certain rewards and
his actions and behaviours are directed towards the achievement of expected outcomes
(Lee and Raschke, 2016). There should be a fair balance between the efforts and results of
employees work as the employees tend to compare their performance with the rewards or
results they get.
10

Figure 4: Adam’s Equity Theory
[Source: Miner, 2015]
By applying this theory the managers at Waitrose are needed to identify the expectation of
the employees that would support in building a positive work environment and relationship
in the company.
All the above-discussed theories of motivation could bring both advantages as well as
disadvantages to the company if not properly applied. For instance, the Maslow’s theory is
based on the assumption that all people experience the same need in the same order and
does not recognize the cultural differences that may result in ineffectiveness of applied
theory in case of international operations of Waitrose. Therefore, the motivation must be
aligned with the culture of the organization in Waitrose.
11