Technology and Knowledge Flow - Assignment Example

ANALYZING ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR Analyzing Organisation Behaviour Task 1 Different organisations adopt different leadership styles suitable for their organisations. Asda, for example has adopted autocratic leadership style; this style is effective for Asda because the management is determined to make quick decisions without complex teams involvement. However, autocratic leadership demoralizes Asda employees especially women, leading to high rate of absenteeism and staff turnover. Other companies such as Samsung, Marks and Spencer, and Nestle have adopted democratic leadership styles, which involve including team members in the management decision-making process. Democratic organisations are effective because they encourage creativity, job satisfaction and high productivity1. When companies need to make quick decisions, democratic styles becomes ineffective due to delayed decision-making process. Some companies use Laissez-faire style; under this style, leaders give their team members a lot of freedom to work and set deadlines on their own2. This style is effective where workers have the knowledge, skills and self-motivation to work. 1.2 The organizational theory seeks to meet the presumed concerns and needs of the managers through providing them with theoretical frameworks that they can deploy in order to achieve the competitive advantage. Organisation theory addresses the problems of planning, organising, and controlling the organisation3. The practice of management is concerned with the practical aspects of running businesses. Companies apply the general principles of the theory of organisation to solve the challenges facing the organisation. Asda hires employees with advanced degrees in management subjects to executive positions; this is because the company believes that trained employees have equipped themselves with the theoretical aspects of the management, which they will apply in their practice. 1.3 The approaches to management that companies can adopt include bureaucracy, human relations, and situational approaches. Asda’s approaches to leadership are situational and bureaucracy; the company believes that management actions are determined by certain actions outside the system or subsystem. According to situational approach, organisational actions should be based on behaviour of actions in order to ensure proper integration of the system with the environment4. Situational approach is effective to Asda because it enables the management to provide for flexibility in dealing with issues. This approach, however, has been criticised in other organisations such as Kodak and Nestle because of inadequate literature, difficult empirical testing, and complexity. The human relations approach is beneficial to several organisations because it motivates workers, ensure job security and increase productivity due to high involvement. Scientific approaches to management have led to improved economic efficiency and labour productivity, although most critics argue that the approaches lack humanistic elements. Task 2 2.1 The organisational structure that a company can adopt is influenced by its purpose, complexity, size, external environment and culture. Since Asda is a bureaucratic organisation, the management has adopted a hierarchical structure. The company has several layers and a long chain of command from top to bottom layer. Hierarchical structure ensures effective command of the organisation due to narrowed span of control5. Other companies such as Capco, Toyota, and Apple have innovative and entrepreneurial culture; therefore, hierarchical structures are not suitable. Such companies adopt a flat structure, which has short chains of command and span of control. This is to ensure information cascades down the communication channels clearly and effectively. Within the flat structure of innovation-oriented companies operate matrix structures aimed at accomplishing specific projects with a variety of skills. Asda’s culture focuses on experience, learning, personal growth and challenging portfolio of work. Similarly, Capco’s structure integrates well with its culture to foster flexibility, creativity, and risk-taking. 2.2 Organisational structure and culture have a dependent relationship with another in managing Asda. In Asda, the management structure determines behaviours, dispositions and attitudes that are essential in creating culture. Organisational structure determines the way organisations allocate power and authority, which in turn determines employees’ behaviours6. Matrix, flat, and functional structures combined with a culture of quality productivity and long-term vision are effective in enabling people to meet the needs of customers despite their complexity and dynamism. Asda’s hierarchical structure backed by a culture of employee control reduces motivation among workers with consequent reduction in performance and employee turnover. Thus, proper organisational structure and culture guarantees increased performance. 2.3 First, Leadership styles affect employee behaviour; for example, more than 70% of Asda employees reported cases of unwillingness to go to their places of work because of strict bosses7. Second, work culture, rules, level of complexity of reporting systems, and transparency may make workers either reactive or proactive. Third, job responsibilities can make workers perform poorly if they are overburdened; in Starbucks, workers are encouraged to upgrade their skills periodically for them to perform their duties effectively. Other factors such as the effectiveness of communication and family and personal life determine how employees relate and behave to one another at places of work. Task 3 3.1 Autocratic leadership limits the opportunity of the staff and team members to make suggestions; this may lead to widespread resistance to change and denying using the new systems8. Bureaucratic leadership comprises of long chains of command, which can slow down the process of communicating change requirements to the staff. Charismatic leadership is transformational since leaders inspire enthusiasm in their teams. Leaders have great responsibility in ensuring the success of organisational change. Democratic leadership involves executives making final decisions; however, members of staff are invited to participate in decision-making. During periods of change, democratic organisations such as General Electric allow their members to participate in designing change; this leads to acceptance of change because employees have a thorough understanding of its requirements. Laissez-faire leadership is effective when change agents are exceptionally experienced and skilled self-starters. Organisational change succeeds if the leader closely monitors the change process and communicates achievements to the executives regularly. 3.2 Most theories of motivation are based on the needs that human beings strive to satisfy. Workplace theories of motivation include Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and Alderfer’s ERG theory. Companies such as Starbucks strive to satisfy the needs of their employees according to their level in the organisation structure. Abraham Maslow’s theory classifies needs into physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization needs9. Employees are motivated to work hard and advance so that they can satisfy the needs of each level in the hierarchy. Herzberg identifies hygiene and satisfiers as the primary factors that affect workplace motivation. There is a high employee turnover at Asda because the company does not provide job security, safe working conditions, and personal development. Presence of satisfiers at Capco gives employees a sense of responsibility, achievement, and recognition, which are critical in job satisfaction and performance. The ERG model focuses on Existence, Relatedness and Growth (ERG) needs as fundamental elements of motivation. 3.3 Managers should apply the theory of motivation in to manage the workforce. Motivation theories explore the best ways of creating a drive for success among the workers. As they strive to satisfy their needs, workers enhance their skills with consequent improvement in performance and productivity. Motivation theory is critical for managers because it provides a basis for creating desire for success among employees. Task 4 4.1 A group consists of a collection of employees who accept to perform a common task by depending on and interacting with one another to promote goal achievement. Groups join efforts through discussions and forums to ensure success of a specific objective. Groups in organisations have a leader who reports project progress to the executives. Sometimes groups would be characterised by conflicts; however, they usually find solutions to their disagreements through consultations10. Groups are more effective than individuals in performance because they combine knowledge and experience to find solutions to critical issues. 4.2 Effectiveness of communication determines the extent to which teams cooperate for successful execution of duties. Poor communication in Enron, for example, constrained team performance of teams several times before the company collapsed. Proper leadership supports teamwork through inspiration and direction. Poor team leadership cannot encourage collaboration and coordination. Teams consist of people from diverse backgrounds; effective teams embrace diverse cultures, talents and personalities. This creates creativity and innovation in addition to raising awareness and respecting differences to support effective teamwork. The success of teams in Marks and Spencer is attributed to effective communication, proper leadership, and cultural diversity. 4.3 Asda is currently loaded with technology and the management makes full use of technological equipments for running their administrative functions. Technology has enabled the company to improve team performance because members use e-mails, computers, groupware, and teleconferencing to hold meetings even when they are in different geographical regions11. Technology save time and travelling costs because teams can discuss and submit project progress using mobile devices such as web cam, fax, scanners and video conferencing. Technology has helped Asda executives to perform back-end operations easily; critical back-end operations in the company include monitoring, sales forecast, customer database management, and online marketing. Additionally, new technology has led to emergence of new kinds of teams referred to as virtual teams12. Virtual teams bring together the best people regardless of time and place. This has led to efficiency and effectiveness in job performance and team productivity. Reference List Bhattacharyya, Dipak Kumar. Organisational Systems, Design, Structure and Management. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Pub. House, 2009. Bolden, Richard. Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Fuchs, Sebastian, and Martin R. Edwards. "Predicting pro-change behaviour: the role of perceived organisational justice and organisational identification." Human Resource Management Journal 22, no. 1 (2012): pp. 39-59. Mullins, Laurie J. Management and Organisational Behaviour. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2002. Trentin, Guglielmo. Technology and Knowledge Flow: The Power of Networks. Oxford, UK: Chandos Pub, 2011. Read More