NMIMS Global Access

School for Continuing Education (NGA-SCE)

Course: Organisational Behaviour
Internal Assignment Applicable for December 2022 Examination

Question 1 Amar works for an IT company as a project coordinator. His boss, Ajay is very
adamant and wants the work to be done according to his way without even considering anyone’s
perspective. If Amar commits any minor mistake also he is reprimanded in front of the entire
team. Ajay wants Amar to stay late beyond office hours, even when his work is complete.
Consider the given situation and explain the pitfalls in leadership shown by Ajay.
Answer 1:

Introduction:
The term leadership itself refers to guiding the followers in the correct direction. One can only
become a good leader when his/her vision and command are oneself clear. A leader is one who
leads an individual or a group of people in the correct direction and motivates them to lead to
success. Leadership is the process which involves the willingness of one for achieving the
desired goal. Leadership makes one set an objective, prepare for uncertainties and motivates one
to work hard. A strong leader is one who has adequate leadership qualities like management of
work, excellent communication skills, a positive attitude towards problems and the confidence to
solve them. A leader must be confident in taking decisions according to the situation and setting
the correct goal. Leaders should be prepared for external risks like competition, social problems,
and economic problems. A true leader never gives up on employees and finds a new way in
resolving problems and motivate them. One of the most important qualities of a leader is that
they celebrate failures too for the appreciation of employees' work. Ajay, the boss of Amar wants
only his decisions to be followed not even considering anyone’s perspective. This is a great
example of bad leadership.
Concept and Application:
Leadership is a skill which encourages human conduct. Leadership inspires employees to be
dedicated towards the success of the organization. A leader should be polite while dealing with
the bad practices of the employees. Instead of being rude he/she should deal in a manner that
employee gets the realization of their mistake and form a willingness to correct it. Leaders'
communication should be clear and optimistic, communication should be polite and not ordered.
Because communication is the only way to exchange views and thoughts while decision-making.
Communication helps in uplifting the employees and without it, one cannot form the willingness
in the followers. Motivation encourages followers to take interest in the discussion. Motivation
plays a very important role in times of failure. But the one exception in leadership is that one
technique or communication doesn’t work the same for two different people. There are different
people with different opinions. So, it is the leader who has to make changes while dealing with a
different set of employees. There should be distinct ways of communicating and motivating
according to human behaviour. But Mr Ajay fails to follow fair leadership qualities leading to
demotivation among employees. Some pitfalls of leadership are explained below:
Pitfalls on the basis of individual decisions: When the leader takes decisions on his own
without making any discussions with the employees it creates a lot of problems in his leadership.
Sometimes leader’s decision is disagreed by the employees. This creates problems for the leader
to motivate and encourage them. A leader should be prepared for the disapproval of employees
in the case of a quick change in the decision. A leader is always prepared with two or more
backup plans for uncertainty. So if one doesn’t work he can shift to the next. But in the situation
when one strategy won’t work people start questioning the decision of the leader. Another pitfall
of an individual decision is dictatorship rather than leadership. Sometimes, leaders set a target
without analyzing the capacity of the employees just because of their personal want of fulfilment
of work. Leaders should analyse and collaborate with the employee’s efficiency to aim the target.
In order to over-achieve, sometimes leaders just force employees to do work which is out of their
proficiency or give a lot of work without checking their capability. Which makes a bad leader
and creates pitfalls in leadership.
Pitfalls on the basis of organisation: Organisation is a group of different individuals and the
leader is the one who merges them together in achieving one goal. But sometimes a leader itself
forgets the aim of the organization. And if a leader fails the recognition of organizational goals
then the organisation fails. So the rules and regulations of the organisation should be learned by
the leader before leading the employees. Another organizational pitfall arises at the time of
change in leadership. Employees face difficulties in teaming with the new leader because they
were following the decision of the old leader and working according to him. Employees already
trust their previous leader and have faith in him. So sudden change can be difficult for employees
as well as for leaders also. Because if a leader’s leadership strategy won’t work for employees it
will not be good for an organisation. And a new leader has to gain the faith and trust of the
employees through his good leading skills.
Pitfalls on the basis of environment: Business is full of uncertainties and risks. Leaders should
be prepared for external environmental factors like social, economic, technological, natural and
political. Leaders should keep themselves updated about the changes in the outside world and be
prepared with strategies to work on and motivate employees as well to cope with the outside
world. A leader should be active in quick decision-making according to the change in the
situation. Sometimes organization faces the situation of big loss at that time leader has to be
strong and motivate the employees to work hard and earn companies’ reputation back. Leaders
should be the ones who never give up and set an example for their followers to be one.
Conclusion:
So above were the pitfalls of the leadership that Ajay was experiencing and for becoming a good
leader the correct leadership technique should be followed by him. Which takes care of the
employee’s hard work, dedication and interest. Leadership's main quality is communication and
motivation. If these two points are there in a leader then it will not be complicated for one to
lead. A leader should not overburden the employees and comprehend their capability of doing
any work. Leaders have to make things work with different innovative ideas. Leaders should be
imaginative in solving problems but not a quitter.
Question 2:
Sameer works as a team leader in a multinational company. Whenever his team member
performs well, goes out of his way to serve the client he awards them. The award can be
a gift voucher or an appreciation mail. Sameer also encourages good behaviour by
removing or handling well the situation which may lead to undesirable behaviour.
Because of this practice, it was the best-performing team in the office. Analyse the
situation and explain the elements of reinforcement used by Sameer.

Answer 2:
Introduction:
Sameer is working in a multinational company as a team leader. He is setting an example of a
great team leader as he handles situations very effectively by avoiding the condition of
undesirable behaviour. He creates a positive atmosphere within the organization by appreciating
the work of employees and respecting their work. This is a case of reinforcement. Reinforcement
is a process of strengthening psychological behaviour in a particular manner. Reinforcement
theory is discovered for developing motivation among employees towards work and keeping
them going without giving up. Reinforcement is something that deals with the mindset of
individuals. As a result, continuous appreciation of the work performed by the employees
constructs motivation in them of going in and do their best every time. Reinforcement deals with
the internal thoughts which reflect the external work.
Concept and Application:
There are 4 factors of reinforcement theory. Details are mentioned below:
● Positive Reinforcement
● Negative reinforcement
● Punishment
● Extinction
1. Positive Reinforcement: Positive Reinforcement is a process in which employees get
rewarded for completing the task on time which also helps the company in achieving desired
outcomes. This method generally spreads an optimistic environment among the employees and
encouragement among them for completing the job. For example, a company that produces ice
creams during the start of the summer which is their peak season and if the company announces
a special bonus for the employees for completing the work before desired time, the special bonus
adds encouragement and it boosts the employees to work even harder for completing it
beforehand. Employees' desire to get bonuses will psychologically make them happy and
develop efficiency. This will continue in future also if the company maintains to present such
rewards and recognition before them. Some positive reinforcements are giving awards,
increments, promotions and bonuses. There are more such ways of positive reinforcement.
2. Negative Reinforcement: Negative Reinforcement is an activity which does not involve any
negative action like creating a stressful environment for employees, and not appreciating their
work. This is the condition that the company ignores for the betterment of the company. They get
more dedicated towards their work by increasing their performance quality and work of
production. Negative Reinforcement is like Positive Reinforcement but there is a change in the
action. Here leader doesn’t give any rewards to employees but gives the right direction to them.
Rather than blaming them, the leader gives the right suggestion to work. Employees tend not to
work in a stressful environment. They will not be willing to continue the job which becomes a
threat to the company. Analyzing employees' work and directing them on the right path will
automatically bring growth in their performance. For example, if employees are encountering
any hardship in understanding the job then the leader should help them with the work and
provide correct guidance rather than criticising them. This will encourage employees to complete
their duty effectively.
3. Punishment: Punishment is the resolution of avoiding the reoccurrence of any mistake by the
employee. If employees, make any intolerable mistake, punishment is the better option for
avoiding such mishaps in future and making employees realize their mistakes. For example: - if
an employee makes any unpleasant behaviour in the organisation then the leader decides the
punishment by giving him a demotion or transfer. This will create fear in employees and they
will assure that it does not repeat in future. Such decisions bring discipline to the surrounding.
Other employees will also learn and take precautions. This decision also brings honesty and
regulation among employees.
4. Extinction: Extinction refers to the complete absence of any activity or something which
doesn’t exist anymore. In this process, there is no performance of physical activities like positive
reinforcement and negative reinforcement. It is the task of avoiding any problem by just not
putting any effort into solving it and letting it go by itself. For example, if one small kid wants
any toy which is not for his use and is a complete waste of money then rather than fulfilling the
wish of the kid by buying the toy just ignore the want of the kid. In some time, he/she will
automatically forget about the toy. This also works in the business by avoiding unnecessary
things. Not paying attention to that particular task is also a task itself. This is the complete case
of avoiding undesirable behaviour.
Likewise, these elements can also be seen in the leadership of Mr Sameer where positive
reinforcement can be seen in the gesture of rewarding employees for their work, negative
reinforcement can be seen in avoiding undesirable behaviour.
Conclusion:
Hence, reinforcement is the situation used by Mr Sameer in leading his team by keeping its four
elements positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction in mind.
These elements work best for organisations to work efficiently and obtain desired profit. Sameer
sets a good example of the use of reinforcement processes for his team. Reinforcement is such a
good act to strengthen the thoughts of employees. This process impacts the psychology of a
person. This brings a change in the functional perspective of a person. Sameer’s led team acts as
a motivation for other teams too. The process directly targets the behaviour of a person so by
seeing another’s growth, employees also get encouraged to deliver their best work.
Question 3:
Case:
Renita Parker was a trainer for a Tasty Tummy multinational company, in the FMCG
business. She worked brilliantly with the executives on their writing and helped them to
feel more confident about it. Renita worked with top executives as well as the shop floor
level. She realized that teaching the shop floor employees was her call and she wanted to
work more with them. Renita was paid quite highly as majorly she was dealing with the top
executives.
Renita met Mark, her supervisor and explained to him that she wanted to be associated with
teaching and training the shop floor employees because many of them could not write
anything other than their names. She also agreed to work on a reduced salary and started offering
English classes as an added benefit to them. Although the classes took some man hours
of the employees their productivity increased and even some of them began to apply
for supervisory positions

Question 3a:
What content theories would explain why Renita was unhappy despite her high income?

Answer 3a:
Introduction:
Content theories and Process theories are the two subsets of motivation theories. Motivation
refers to the encouragement produced by any person in another person for the fulfilment of a
task. But “what” and “how” that motivation should be made are known as “content theories” and
“process theories”. The main purpose of content theories is to find out “what” inspires a person
to perform a particular task. The focus of content theories is only on the aim and requirement of
the individual. Some well-known researchers like Clayton Alderfer, Frederick Herzberg,
Abraham Maslow and David Clarence McClelland discovered the concept of content theories
from the motivation theories point of view.
Concept and Application:
Renita Parker, the trainee found her happiness and duty in teaching the shop floor employees
rather than working with the top-level executives. She gave more preference to her work than a
luxury. She only wants to increase the efficiency of work by training the shop floor employees
for which she is ready to work for less pay. Renita is a goal-oriented person and found the
problem in the organisation and tries to resolve it. This situation is related to the
MCCLELLAND NEEDS THEORY. The theory was driven by David McClelland and defines
about three motivators: achievement, power and affiliation. These three motivators are present in
Renita Parker. According to the theory, the person who is dedicated towards their work like to
deal with the toughest tasks and wants to involve in solving the organisational issue. These
people are hardworking indeed and want to improve themselves at every step of achievement.
These people visually focus on the overall improvement of themselves and the organisation and
have clear goals. Power is the main motivation for leaders. Here people want to work on the
problem by giving their best and having full control over the leading. And the last is affiliation,
in this people know their worth and know what are they good at. People are already prepared for
unfavourable circumstances and have a strong hand in leading a group. They are more concerned
about the relationship they share with others. Such individuals have a clear mindset about what
they are doing and for whom. They generally want to achieve their goal on their own rather than
depending on others. This motivator is seen in Renita Parker’s decision.
Conclusion:
Hence, we can see that the McClelland Need Theory is the best way of explaining the Renita
Parker situation. She is a goal-oriented person and wants to do her best for her organization by
quitting leaving her current role and leading the shop floor employees on her own. She
recognized the problem and quickly made her decision for educating the employees without
depending on others. This clearly shows her dedication towards her work and the effort she is
making to bring improvement to the employees. This is the reason why she was not happy with
her high income and rather than just earning she preferred to spread knowledge among
employees.
Question 3b:
Renita seems to have drifted into being a teacher. Given her needs and motivations, do
you think teaching is an appropriate profession for her?
Answer 3b:
Introduction:
Renita Parker is the best trainer who works with both the top-level executive and shop floor
employees. She was going well with her duties but was dissatisfied with the uneducated shop
floor employees. This motivated her to teach the shop floor employees. Teaching is not the
easiest task as it seems but the one who has a passion for leading the person can surely pull this
off. Being a teacher is not enough but being the motivator is the task. Teaching is the domain
where an individual has to guide and inspire the learners. Teaching is the task of directing one on
the correct path and making him/her prepare for the future and the most important thing is
making him/her confident and a good human being.
Concept and Application:
Teaching is more about spreading knowledge rather than just earning money. One can only guide
others when they are prepared for the new updates and changes. Teaching is the task of shaping
one’s future. Teaching involves a lot of courage and creativity. Given Renita’s need and
motivation she was a trainer in her earlier role. Though she was working with high-level
executives, her role was to train employees. As we know she was very good with her business
skills and knowledge it is rather easy for her to guide the shop floor workers. As she was always
updated about the business scenario she will bring variation in her techniques of the teaching
process. But teaching was not easy for her because she does not belong there. But the courage
and energy she showed in teaching by leaving her high-paying job is a matter of appreciation. A
good teacher leaves a great impact on a learner’s life. As Retina choose to teach the employees
because she found her happiness and need in that it can become her new career path too.
Teaching is the task of enhancing the knowledge of people and thus teacher wants their student
to be on the success path where they wanted them to be. Teachers distribute the whole
knowledge that they carry within themselves and want their students to be more scholarly and
confident than they are. Efforts are more important than achievements in this occupation.
Because students’ success only reflects a teacher’s effort.
Conclusion:
Hence, we come to the conclusion that teaching was Retina’s hidden interest which came out
while she addresses the need of teaching the shop floor employees. She was highly paid but she
chooses to teach over it because it made her happy. Although, this states that she is a good
teacher and can definitely make employees educated and confident. Students should be
supportive of their teachers which shop floor employees surely going to be because Renita was a
good trainer while she was working with both Top-level executives and shop floor employees.