Unit 12 – Organisational Behaviour

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Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................3

PART 1...................................................................................................................................................3

LO1: “Analyse the influence of culture, politics and power on the behaviour of others in an
organisational context”.........................................................................................................................3

P1: “Analyse how an organisation’s culture, politics and power influence individual and team
behaviour and performance”............................................................................................................3

M1: “Critically analyse how the culture, politics and power of an organisation can influence
individual and team behaviour and performance.”...........................................................................6

LO2: “Evaluate how to motivate individuals and teams to achieve a goal”...........................................7

P2: “Evaluate how content and process theories of motivation and motivational techniques enable
effective achievement of goals in an organisational context.”..........................................................7

M2: “Critically evaluate how to influence the behaviour of others through the effective application
of behavioural motivational theories, concepts and models.”..........................................................7

PART 2.................................................................................................................................................10

LO3: “Demonstrate an understanding of how to cooperate effectively with others”.........................10

P3: “Explain what makes an effective team as opposed to an ineffective team.”...........................10

M3: “Analyse relevant team and group development theories to support the development of
cooperation within effective teams.”..............................................................................................11

LO4: “Apply concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour to a given business situation”. .11

P5: “Apply concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour within an organizational context
and given business situation.”.........................................................................................................11

M4: “Evaluate how concepts and philosophies of OB inform and influence behaviour within a
given business situation.”................................................................................................................12

Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................13

References...........................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
When it comes to business, power and politics have always been one of the most significant global
aspects that determine the day-to-day operations of every company. If you don’t have the ability to
utilise authority with a high degree of mastery it might lead to a feeling of uniformity among
colleagues, which in turn could lead to corruption. Our natural tendency is to link the strength of a
person’s authority with their ability to rely on others. Stability in an organisation allows a person to
make requests and ensure that others follow through on them. As well as being in charge of a
specific resource, there are other social characteristics of organisational behaviour that may be
taken from this source. Individuals who attempt to influence others in order to win their support for
their endeavours are typically the focus of others who desire to get such pathways inside an
organisation (Nuckcheddy, 2018). In certain cases, it may be required for those who obey the rules
to recognise that an organization’s behaviour might lead to a disparity in the allocation of resources.
Even if you understand the dynamics of an organisation, there may still be those who perceive it as a
waste of time.

PART 1

LO1: “Analyse the influence of culture, politics and power on the

behaviour of others in an organisational context”
P1: “Analyse how an organisation’s culture, politics and power influence individual
and team behaviour and performance”
It’s not only in our social circles where power, culture, and politics are formed. It’s common for
someone to exert influence over others when they’re at the heart of a social system. Using social
media may help anyone get a job, connect with others who can help out, and overall make the
process of finding a job simpler (Jacobs and Manzi, 2020). There are times when an individual’s social
network should be analysed in order to decide whether it should be enhanced or altered.

Power

There are many various definitions of power out there, but they all agree that power is essential to
an individual’s well-being. People and organisations may be changed and led in any manner that a
person wants them to be (Balwant, 2018). They want to avoid having to change their habits.

Power is based on a variety of characteristics, as depicted in the following:

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First, one must recognise that all persons or organisations have a certain amount of power, and that
some have more power than others. What’s the reason behind this? Most people believe that power
derives from a variety of sources, some of which may be found inside individuals or at the centre of
these groupings (Kitchin, 2017). This may not always be the case, however, since diverse sources
might originate from different conditions in an organisation.

1. Reward Power: Someone who is in charge of allocating rewards to others has a greater feeling of
power than others since they recognise the worth and benefits that other get.

2. Forced Power: Rewards and punishments are not mutually exclusive forms of power; rather, they
are the opposites of each other (Collins et al., 2020). It is the ability to punish people and make them
do things against their will that is known as forced power.

3: Legitimate Authority: Having a recognised position or rank entails having access to a variety of
resources, including but not limited to: technical skills, information, and contacts. There are
situations when a higher authority or a coercive force may provide legitimate  power (Fenwick,
2021). Management’s power over a subordinate is one example of this kind of authority.

4. Expert Power: The force that demonstrates a person’s level of expertise and understanding.
When a person has a higher level of competence and awareness than another, that person entails  an
expert power.

5. Reference Power: When others want to be like someone, they seek to imitate their traits and
skills. Reference power is most often shown by celebrities and societal leaders (Wood et al., 2019). A
person’s ability to exert influence due to his or her appealing resources or character traits.

Politics

One aspect of politics in an organisation is the ability to convince people to perform their job for
them, while the other is a negotiation and a resistance game that is played by those who are being
manipulated.

Evaluating elements that influences political behaviour

Organisational Elements: When it comes to regulatory aspects, businesses may get insight into an
individual’s personal attributes, as well as the likelihood of a user’s use of politics and tactics in their
environment, via a more complete study of the individual (Burnes, Hughes and By, 2018). There are
occasions when an individual’s political behaviour may be discerned by looking at their personal
circumstances.

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Individual Elements: Organizational politics may be influenced by the characteristics of those
involved, and those with certain personality traits are more inclined to play politics (Gorsuch, 2019).
People with a dictatorial personality are more likely to be statesmen who utilise politics in a casual
manner, and they have a greater chance of developing cancer.

Scarcity of Resources: It’s more or less probable that certain workers will benefit more from a
decrease in the manufacturing process when resources are distributed evenly across departments in
the margins of the majority of organisations (Seidel et al., 2019). As a result of these interactions,
organisations develop a loser/winner attitude, which may lead to the undesirable circumstance
where the loser attempts to reclaim the legal shares that they think they rightfully deserve.

Ambiguous Goals: Organizational aims and goals are sometimes hazy, as is the case with most
businesses and organisations, especially at the highest levels of management. As an example, a goal
is perceived as a rise in the number of shares or the introduction of new markets to the company,
which may be brought in by an individual or a group, but is often claimed and attributed by
management (Gopalan et al., 2017). Ambiguity may be utilised to retain personal advantage while at
the same time implying that the business’s aims will be met.

Technological environment: For all enterprises, this element has had both beneficial and bad
consequences in the twenty-first century, causing some degree of uncertainty at times. As a result,
each planned economic activity has seen a dramatic shift in the basis of people or organisations’
power reserves.

Organisational Culture: Organizational culture has an important role in achieving objectives and
goals, particularly when there are a wide range of activities to be completed in different
departments. Having a variety of people or groups working together may assist to ensure that the
project is completed in the correct order since they can approach goals and objectives from a variety
of perspectives. However, a lack of knowledge of another person’s working techniques might lead to
tensions in the workplace.

Change in organisational context: People have the chance to demonstrate their talents and skills in
front of their employers when there is a need for regulation change.

Non-programmed Decisions: Non-programmed judgments are anticipated in any organisation,

however there are a few techniques that may be used to make quick-thinking judgments in the
event of an unforeseen occurrence (Seidel et al., 2019). Individuals may use these chances to
guarantee that their arguments are heard and to demonstrate a rise in their expert authority.

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M1: “Critically analyse how the culture, politics and power of an organisation can
influence individual and team behaviour and performance.”
Power and politics have a significant impact on a company’s capacity to thrive in the global market.
The move to working and living in multicultural contexts isn’t far off; as individuals, we’ve already
noticed it. Management and motivation are directly linked to power and politics. A business’s
demise or success may be attributed to the actions of these entities inside the organisation. For
organisations, it would be difficult to exert influence on their market and all that is required to
operate in their market field if these entities were absent. As with all forms of power, politics may be
used for good or ill. When a management or leader has the power to shape the political landscape,
they might choose to utilise politics to their advantage (Scott et al., 2018). The company’s
performance will always improve if it uses politics in a favourable way. Workers in certain
organisations, such as a publicly traded corporation, may feel vulnerable since other employees have
the same rights as they have. Employees that misuse politics might create and take poor decisions
that could harm the market in any situation. He claimed that it might be utilised to make judgments
on the basis of unsolved or crucial concerns that may impede the development of the firm
(Offermann and Coats, 2018). Although the sensation of power may come in many various forms,
the two most important aspects are that it can be utilised in a beneficial or harmful manner.
Personal conflicts between departmental managers and their subordinates are likely to lead to
managers abusing their authority to gain an advantage over their subordinates. On the other hand, if
supervisors and assistants have a respectful working relationship, then authority will be utilised
appropriately. In many circumstances, if a person can set any rules for their helpers, they will always
be in charge and will not provide any room for discretion. Using a reward system, for example, is a
good example. The outcome might be either beneficial or negative depending on how the power of
reward is applied.

Most firms have a mission statement that states that they have a responsibility to guarantee that
employees’ brains are refreshed, that they are inspired to be optimistic, and that they are able to
make a difference both inside the company and in the community. It is the purpose of the
company’s culture to instil a feeling of pride in its workers, allowing them to feel that they are part
of an organisation that gives and means so much to the community in which they operate.
Empowerment, innovation and collaboration provide a solid foundation for the organization’s
development objectives, and the organization’s strategy outlines how the company will utilise its
resources.

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LO2: “Evaluate how to motivate individuals and teams to achieve a
goal”
P2: “Evaluate how content and process theories of motivation and motivational
techniques enable effective achievement of goals in an organisational context.”
"Awareness of making choices" on behalf of others is what Pleffer (1981) calls motivation, and it
seeks to establish a social compromise around the desired outcomes. To motivate a group of people
or an individual in a manner that will lead to an active process of achieving objectives and achieving
goals, the purpose is thought to be.

Motivational styles include the following:

1. Autocratic: "Do as I say, because I’m the boss" is a common saying used by managers or leaders in
order to guarantee that they have the maximum control and power over their employees within the
autocratic style.

2. Democratic: With the help of its followers and leaders, democratic leaders gradually try to
establish the greatest possible strategic plan for their organisation (Simic, 2020). A secondary goal is
to urge an employee to be as productive as possible in their response to difficulties.

3. Laissez-faire: Laissez-faire is a term used to describe the practise of allowing people to take
responsibility of their own work and reducing the number of directives issued by supervisors. This is
a great way for workers and supervisors to collaborate.

4. Consultative: The team is placed first in the consultative approach. Using this method, you can
accomplish all three of these goals which constitute aspects of communicating with people, listening
to people, and learning from people (Burnes, Hughes and By, 2018). Employees will be able to
express their concerns and suggestions in a way that will help the company grow.

M2: “Critically evaluate how to influence the behaviour of others through the
effective application of behavioural motivational theories, concepts and models.”
Over the years, several models and theories have been developed to explain how businesses run and
what their essential qualities should be (Gopalan et al., 2017). When it comes to using people and
resources to achieve a company’s goals, this research will focus on how management procedures
shape the behaviours of individuals in their immediate circle.

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 Figure: Analysis of different Managerial Roles

(Source: Gorsuch, 2019)

In the field of management theory, there are two distinct subfields.:

1. “The practising managers – Taylor (1947) and Fayol (1949)”: In this theory, personal
management behaviours and concepts are reflected and theorised in order to better understand
how an organisation may be more successful.
2. “The social scientist – Mayo and McGregor”: This affects academics who study human
behaviour in the workplace, including issues about productivity, working conditions, and the
conduct of individuals in the workplace (Offermann and Coats, 2018).

The management theorist also incorporates Porter, Mintzberg, and Kanter’s components into the
next strategic approach, which will include the following essential variables:

1. Organisation mission

2. Culture

3. Vision and Values

4. Organisation Structure

5. Leadership

6. External Environment

7. Customers Satisfaction

Other theories to practice

People’s differing needs/wants and goals are the subject of Maslow’s theory of human impact.

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Many distinct pathways will lead to the same conclusion, according to Katz and Kahn’s idea of an
open system.

Douglas McGregor: The “Theory X” and “Theory Y”

Figure: X and Y Theory

(Source: Burnes, Hughes and By, 2018)

Theory X
The X theory is based in part on a notion that
workers despise the task they do and strive to
avoid a feeling of responsibility when there is
no external source of supervision.
Theory Y
Human nature is considered as positive under
the Y theory. The majority of people are
imaginative, hardworking, and capable of
exercising self-control while doing their job
duties.
(Source: Wood et al., 2019)

Classical approach – Henri Fayol (1841 – 1925)

More efficient thinking and a search for an overarching idea that could be used by all organisations
were sparked by the classical method (Offermann and Coats, 2018). By introducing classical
administration theory, Fayol hoped that organisations would be able to govern and arrange their
workforce.

The classical method is broken down into the following categories:

 Scientific management
 Bureaucratic

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PART 2

LO3: “Demonstrate an understanding of how to cooperate effectively

with others”
P3: “Explain what makes an effective team as opposed to an ineffective team.”
Having a well-functioning team is critical to the success of any company, and the workplace is
divided into many divisions. These organisations or teams are in responsibility of implementing the
company’s goals and objections and shaping the organization’s behaviour (Simic, 2020). The amount
of coordination between various teams is crucial for management to guarantee that the company’s
exercise is being disbursed. Here are a few of the most important factors that might lead to a
successful team:

Communication

Excellent communication is a critical element for growing an organization’s performance and

maintaining strong working relationships at all levels. Unmotivated employees will begin to question
their trust in the near future if the company communicates in a vague manner (Balwant, 2018).
Traditions and employee loyalty may be strengthened with an effective correspondence exercise.

Leadership

Leadership is essential to ensure that the firm is managed in accordance with defined benchmarks,
so that it can be sure that it is working toward the industry’s overall vision. It is the job of leaders to
supervise the work that has to be done and, in most cases, to guide it as well. They are more likely to
concentrate on the company’s goals and objectives during this time (Prince Ng’andu and Msango,
n.d). Finally, the purpose is to ensure that representatives are compensated fairly. They also expect
to be paid in accordance with how they perceive their interests have been served.

Diversity

There are diverse ranges of agreement among businesses on the importance of having a diverse
workforce. In today’s global marketplace, organisations must deal with a wide range of clients and
customers from across the world. Incorporating workers from a variety of cultural backgrounds
strengthens a company (Gorsuch, 2019). The most important aspect of diversity was that it provided
fresh ways of solving challenges, which is essential for any organisation.

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M3: “Analyse relevant team and group development theories to support the
development of cooperation within effective teams.”
"When management is doing things properly, leadership is doing the right things," Peter Drucker has
said. In order for an organisation to achieve its objectives, it is necessary to have a degree of
conviction and doubt in order to raise the level of commitment and correct alignment (Burnes,
Hughes and By, 2018). The leadership styles of people and organisations may alter during a time of
growth:

1. Human and organisational capacities are the primary focus of transformational leadership. To
guarantee that numerous layers of transformation, the fundamental alignment of value, and the
essential changes inside the organisation are supported (Gorsuch, 2019).

2. Organizations with extensive bureaucracies are considered transactional organisations, and

transactional leadership aims to get the job done within the status quo.

3. This extends beyond the thinking of people and groups, unique difficulties, and a one-size-fits-all
answer to the market’s changes in leadership styles.

LO4: “Apply concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour

to a given business situation”
P5: “Apply concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour within an
organizational context and given business situation.”
In 1965, Bruce Tuckman developed a team-development model that followed the processes of
forming, norming, storming, and performing. It is possible for an organisation to revisit its prior
development model at more than one stage of a business shift. It’s a common belief that starting a
new company venture with a fresh team and seeing it grow into a successful one is crucial (Kitchin,
2017). Generally speaking, most teams will go through the model’s stages, although there may be a
few hiccups as new members join the team - different duties are required for the work at hand, but
this is addressed and agreed upon.

There may be external elements that affect the group’s ability to adapt to changes in the Tuckman
model, which gives a vital knowledge of group dynamics (Seidel et al., 2019). Groups make up a
substantial portion of an organisation and serve as the foundation of every department, from the
shop floor to the top echelons. Formal and informal groups are the two types of groupings often
perceptualized in this context.

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M4: “Evaluate how concepts and philosophies of OB inform and influence behaviour
within a given business situation.”
The subject of interest and further investigation was how an organization’s personnel are affected by
change and how procedures might be altered to maximise its success and minimise unintended
interruptions. Few things are more inescapable than the truth that the world is always changing.

1. “Social and demographic trends”

2. “Economic cycles”

3. “Competition”

4. “Technology”

5. “Politics and Regulation”

When Cassava and EcoCash merged in 2012, for example, there was a dramatic reduction that
resulted in the dismissal of individual workers. An incident like this one symbolises one of the most
common types of changes that a company may encounter, and these changes not only effect those
who have lost their employment but also those who will stay in the company. When an employee is
laid off, he or she is more likely to work harder and more productively for the company, which is a
good thing for both the company and the person. Employees worry that the activity will become
obsolete, just as their peers did because of their performance (Nuckcheddy, 2018). On the other
hand, the departure of this colleague may have resulted in a new position being established. The
company’s rules may also have an impact on their co-workers, who may become disheartened and
less invested in their work as a result of poor performance.

These answers are not certain; however, it has been noticed that the method in which organisations
manage change within their company will have an influence on how workers respond to the change.
However, this does not imply that certain side effects will or can be eradicated. A corporation that is
redeveloping requires management to guarantee that there is a degree of confidence across the
organisation - dependable standards for decision making, open communication, and objective
demonstrating are all necessary (Nuckcheddy, 2018). Employees will have a voice in the direction the
company takes if management allows them to be more empowered. To reduce the negative shocks
caused by corporate changes, these ideas show how to manage additional types of organisational
change.

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Conclusion
An ever-changing industry, the global market has a big effect upon it, and as a result, many various
elements impact a firm in some way. There’s no arguing that these effects have a direct impact on
an organization’s development and long-term performance. Both power and politics have played a
major role in the organization’s motivation and administration. Even though power and politics are
two of the most important factors in the world of business, they may have a significant impact on a
company’s success or failure. They may also have an effect on an organization’s methods of
motivating its managers. Money, people, time, authority, and resources all play a role in an
organization’s power and politics. Organizational culture and behaviour management are the
foundations of power. Organizational culture and personal structure are seen to be political,
whereas management roles are viewed as being political.

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