Organizational Structure and Culture of John Lewis Partnership Company and Bradford College - Assignment Example

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Organization and Behavior Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1 Comparison of the organizational structure of John Lewis Partnership Company and Bradford College 3 Comparison of the Organizational Culture of John Lewis Partnership Company and Bradford College 4 1.2 The relationship between organizational structure and organizational culture and the impact it possesses on the business performance 5 1.3 Factors influencing individual behavior at work 6 2.1 Effectiveness of Various Leadership Style within the Organizations 7 2.2 Organizational Theory Underpinning the Practice of Management 8 2.3 Different Approaches to the Management 8 3.1 Impact of Different Leadership Styles on Employee Motivation within Organizations during Change Process 9 3.2 Motivation in Workplace 9 3.3 Usefulness of Motivation by the Managers within the Workplace 10 4.1 The nature of groups and group behavior within these organizations 11 4.2 Factors that may promote or inhibit the development of effective teamwork in these organizations 11 4.3 Evaluate the impact of technology on the team functioning within one of these organizations. 12 Works Cited 13 Name of the Student Name of the Professor Name of the Course Date 1.1 Comparison of the organizational structure of John Lewis Partnership Company and Bradford College The governance structure in this Partnership business was established by the founder of the organization, John Spedan Lewis. It was formed by staying in compliance with the Company’s constitution. The organizational structure of John Lewis Partnership Company provides the management with the independence and opportunity to become entrepreneurial as well as competitive while carrying out business operations for the achievement of long term success. The owners or the partners of the company are given the ownership responsibilities of the corporation by means of active involvement within the businesses. In contrary, the organizational structure of Bradford College is framed in such manner that the responsibilities are allocated equally to all the staff members. The organization allocates the duties, responsibilities and the managing power to the employees in order to ensure coordination and completion of tasks without any redundancy. The Director is the head of the organization. The Director allocates responsibilities to various departments including Finance, marketing and Businesses and Service Departments. The organizational structure of the institution helps in increasing its performance as well. Comparison of the Organizational Culture of John Lewis Partnership Company and Bradford College The organizational culture of John Lewis Partnership Company circulates around the employee ownership which is highly distinct and successful. The business owners of the corporation have themselves explained that their perspectives regarding the benefits from this type of partnership business is highly competitive in the retail environment. As the employees are given the decision making authority and the right to a share of profit, it encourages them to perform well and drive the sales as well as the customer service up high. The employee ownership has a motivational impact on their performances. The partners run the business by means of a self-governing framework consisting of a set of committees who communicates the opinions of the partners back to the Partnership Board, Partnership Council and Chairman. In contrast to this, the organizational culture of the college is based on 7 E’s which are Employability, Equality & Diversification, Enrichment, Enterprise, Environment, Excellence and Engagement of the Employers. The vision of the institution is to provide knowledge and skills to the students in order to help them in achieving their desired career and improving their standard of living. The employers provide the students with wide knowledge and skills related to high levels of numeracy, literacy and Information Technology literacy. It is a place where diversification and equality is encouraged and at the same time, discrimination, on any grounds, is challenged. The college operates with a motive of creating entrepreneurs and supporting entrepreneurship. The institute educates the students as they would contribute to the sustainability agenda within the workplace as well as the society. The college has a strong reputation as it provides excellent courses, high customer service and good academic outcomes. All these features constitute the 7E’s which together combine to form the organizational culture of Bradford College. 1.2 The relationship between organizational structure and organizational culture and the impact it possesses on the business performance Both the terms ‘organizational culture’ and ‘organizational structure’ are closely associated with each other. Organizational structure gives the procedure of arrangement of the line of responsibility and authority by the organization. It deals with the responsibilities and the direction of the information flow in a company. On the other hand, work culture is said to be its consequential factor. The organizational structure of an organization helps in determining the position, ethics and behavior related to an organization. The constituents of the organizational structure help in establishing a work culture. The structure of an organization can be decentralized or hierarchical. When the structure of an organization is decentralized, the responsibilities and authorities get dispersed to every level. As a result, the work culture is accountable and independent (Jillson 22). When the structure of an organization is hierarchical, the final decision is always taken by the head of the organization. It represents a lack of autonomy among the lower levels (Song, Wang and Wei 72). This reduces the independence quotient of the work culture. The behavior of the employees is dependent upon the procedure of allocation of power which is chosen by an organization. It is clearly evident that these two terms are closely related to each other. Majority of the organizations opt for a hierarchical structure, where the ultimate decision is taken by the Chief executive or the president and it is then obeyed by the Vice Presidents and all the other officials. These Vice Presidents and other officials carry on with their functions according to the instructions provided by the President. The hierarchical structure represents a pyramid shape. This pyramid further extends in the downward direction based on the number of management levels which are required to perform the business operations and meet the objectives. Effective functioning at all levels of management help in improving the overall performance of the organization. Decentralized organizational structure provides equal authority at each and every level of the management (Johnson 42). This provides them immense satisfaction and develops an encouraging work culture within the organization. 1.3 Factors influencing individual behavior at work There are mainly five factors that influence individual behavior within the workplace: 1. Knowledge is one of the most obvious factors that help the leader in influencing the subordinates. It demands communication with the subordinates and to provide them with the necessary training. The employees do not restrain from any change on knowledge level. 2. Skill is another factor which influences the behavior at the work place. It is defined as the capability of any individual to invest his effort in a manner which ensures a good performance record for him or her. Thus, it can be well understood that the skills have an impact on the behavior of an individual in the workplace to a great extent. 3. Belief is another factor that influences the behavior in the work place. It is not very easy to change one’s beliefs. The belief of an individual influences his or her attitudes and finally, has an impact on the behavioral level. 4. The factors which are associated with the work environment do influence the employee behavior. Rewarding the employees for their quality performances and offering a balanced work culture without any kind of biasness would motivate them to behave effectively. 5. Purpose can be defined as the combined belief of all the organizational leaders. It affects the behavior of the employees. The leaders make attempts for creating a ‘sense of purpose’ within the employees which would motivate them. Recognition of each of the aforementioned factors would help the leaders in persuading the employees to behave effectively. Influencing the employees based on these factors would motivate them towards a positive change. 2.1 Effectiveness of Various Leadership Style within the Organizations Every organization faces certain challenges due to improper functioning within the organizational structure. At this point of time, the organizations include various leadership models and theories in order to reduce these issues. In today’s world, the characteristics of an effective leader play a significant role in the betterment of performances within the organization (Black, Gregersen and Mendenhall 82). The managers require incorporating leadership characteristics in their activities for eliminating the organizational issues and effectively bringing in changes in the organization. There are two types of leadership styles which are followed by the organizations. One is the transformational leadership style whereas the other one is transactional leadership style. The transactional leadership includes planning of objectives and goals for the employees followed by the implementation of various methods of rewarding and punishment for guiding them to perform their activities in accordance with the organizational goals (Howell and Costley 88). On the other hand, in case of transformational leadership, the leader recognizes the necessitated change, plans for one vision and then brings about the change process. Most of the organizations implement transformational leadership. 2.2 Organizational Theory Underpinning the Practice of Management The organizational as well as management theory is employed in various aspects of the domestic and international businesses. Individuals plan for implementing these organizational and management theories for high quality and successful performances. There are many examples highlighting the effective implementation of these organizational theories within the functioning of the organization. Every manager requires a coded set of instructions that they should follow in order to attain the organizational objectives. The employees perform their duties by complying with these theories. These set of theories that are followed by managers as well as the employees help in underpinning the practices of supervising or managing. This is how the organizational theory underpins practices of the management. 2.3 Different Approaches to the Management John Lewis Partnership Company follows classical approach of management. The employees have equal authorities in the decision making. These authorities cover certain steps of planning associated with the jobs, the technical necessities within the organization and operational activities that remain in compliance with the principles of management. Bradford College uses systems approach where it reconciles the traditional approach along with the human relations approach. It also takes into consideration the social factors within the organization. Both the organizations have different approaches to management which effectively improve their performances. 3.1 Impact of Different Leadership Styles on Employee Motivation within Organizations during Change Process As already discussed above, there are two types of leadership styles. These styles have a distinct impact on the employee motivation in the organization. John Lewis Partnership Company uses transactional leadership style where they strongly believe in systematic planning of all the business procedures. All the employees are given equal authority related to the decision making and functioning within the organization. They prefer detailed planning and efficient implementation. They believe in motivating each other in practical ways and not only by means of inspiration (Muhammad 56). It is due to this reason that they receive a share of the company’s profit along with their salary. Bradford College uses transformational leadership style where the head of the institute depends upon imaginative leadership in order to influence the followers. The leader establishes a compassionate relationship with the staff in order to strengthen the bonding between the team members. This type of leadership does not focus on bonus, incentives and other monetary rewards while motivating the employees for any change (Gitman and McDaniel 44). 3.2 Motivation in Workplace In today’s world, the organizations face various challenges and require preparing their employees to face the same. Motivation acts as an important theory which helps in these situations. Motivation is the psychological feature which helps an organization in attaining the desired goals and objectives (Baldwin 54). It is very important to establish motivation in the workplace in order to ensure the high satisfaction level of the employees. It helps in increasing the productivity thereby increasing the overall output of the organizations. John Lewis Partnership Company uses cognitive dissonance theory for motivating all the employees. As the employees are themselves the shareholders of the organization, their attitudes play a significant role in the functioning of the organization. The principle of cognitive consistency helps these employees in maintaining consistency in their attitude or behavior. It provides them with an inner drive to hold on to their beliefs and attitude in harmony with one another. Bradford College follows Maslow’s theory where they keep all their needs in hierarchy. The achievement of the needs in one level helps them to aim at the attainment of the needs in the next level. Self Actualization is the ultimate level for the staff of the college. These are their unconscious desires, the fulfillment of which would provide them with immense satisfaction and motivate them for achieving the objectives of the next level. 3.3 Usefulness of Motivation by the Managers within the Workplace Motivation is highly useful for the managers. The managers use motivation as an effective tool for a number of purposes. It inspires the staff towards improving their work quality, encourages them for good performances and also, increases the efficiency of the business. It is not essential to generate motivation externally as it is already present in every individual (Dowling, Festing and Engle 92). In John Lewis partnership Company, the employees are themselves the owners of the organization. The profit sharing procedure acts as a motivational factor and facilitates the improvement of their performance even further. Higher performance would provide higher profits thereby resulting in an increased profit for all the employees. This motivates them to a great extent. A manager requires identifying and addressing these forces in a proper manner. They need to give their best in order to reach the organizational goals. Motivation depends upon the job satisfaction, personal growth, organizational recognition and achievement of personal goals (Rees and ? French 22). In Bradford College, the staffs are encouraged by the establishment of strong relationship with the superiors. Motivating the employees is possible by appropriate implementation of various motivational programs, recognizing and fulfilling the requirements of the employees and finally, developing a workforce which would stimulate the output of the organization. All the aforementioned steps are followed by the educational institution for motivating the staffs thereby improving the overall performance of the organization. 4.1 The nature of groups and group behavior within these organizations A group can be defined as the collection of two or even more individuals working together regularly in order to achieve the shared goal. In such cases, the group behavior provides high satisfaction to the members as they try to fulfill each other’s needs and coordinate accordingly for accomplishing a common goal. This is highly depicted in the collective functioning of the employees of John Lewis Partnership Company. The group behavior provides synergy which helps them to attain the goals easily in comparison to the individual attempts. Moreover, synergy is very essential within the organizations in order to compete in an effective manner and achieve the long term as well as short term goals successfully. On the other hand, in Bradford College, the staffs work in coordination with each other which naturally help them in accomplishing their goals very easily. 4.2 Factors that may promote or inhibit the development of effective teamwork in these organizations There are certain factors which motivate or de-motivate the group members and also, promote or inhibit effective team work in the organizations. They are mentioned below: Group Cohesiveness: In a cohesive group, there exists strong bonding among the members which holds them together in loyalty and increases their support level for each other. Cohesiveness within the group develops gradually with time. In John Lewis Partnership Company, the group cohesiveness promotes effective teamwork for improving the functioning. Group Norms: Norms are generally the frameworks or standards that are adapted by the groups. Most of these standards would be in written policies or operating instruction manuals. In Bradford College, the group norms bring transparency within the group members resulting in increased efficacy in the functioning. 4.3 Evaluate the impact of technology on the team functioning within one of these organizations. Advanced technology enhances effective communication within the team members which in turn facilitates the team work within the organizations. In John Lewis Partnership Company, the technology helps in the enhancement of effective communication. This helps in improving the organizational performance and creating a positive working environment. Effective communication eliminates maximum stress and helps in encouraging the employees to communicate with each other clearly while working together. Works Cited Baldwin, Ben. The New Life Insurance Investment Advisor. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2001. Print. Black, Stewart J., Hal Gregersen, and Mark E. Mendenhall. Global Assignments: Successfully Expatriating and Repatriating International Managers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1992. Print. Dowling, Peter J., Marion Festing, and Allen D. Engle. International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context. Cincinatti, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2008. Print. Gitman, Lawrence J., and Carl McDaniel. The Future of Business: The Essentials. Connecticut: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Howell Jon P., and Dan L. Costley. Understanding Behaviours for Effective Leadership. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print. Jillson, Cal. American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2013. Print. Johnson, Michael Eugene. Reliability and Validity of the Leadership Self-Efficacy Scale. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2000. Print. Muhammad, Roosevelt. True Leadership for Teams and Organizations Who Desire Success: Our Youth + Our Change = Our Future. Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print. Rees, Gary, and ?Ray French. Leading, Managing & Developing People. London: CIPD, 2010. Print. Song, Lianke, Wang Yonggui, and Jiangru Wei. “Revisiting Motivation Preference within the Chinese Context: An Empirical Study.” Chinese Management Studies 1.1 (2007): 25-41. Print. Read More