Conflict

Conflict-is a clash between two or more people. It causes tension, pain, sadness and anger. There are many forms of conflicts for example, verbal assaults, physical assaults and bullying.

In college I was place into a group to do research on marketing trends, overall the group function really well. The problem was that there was one member of the group that didn’t pull her weight. She would constantly have excuses for not doing her part of the work and when she did do work it was always handed in late and not of a good quality which meant we had to redo it. Another problem was she always took credit for the work that we did which really annoyed me. This created a lot of conflict and resentment with the group. At first it was affecting how well our group perform so we decided to confront her about it. Needless to say things didn’t change and instead of accepting that she was at fault and that she was being lazy, she just gave us a lot of excuses and promise to do better (that didn’t happen). As a result of her not changing her ways the entire group started to get frustrated with her behaviour and everyone started to lose patient with her. This resulted in a few arguments between her and the group.  After a while we just decided to do the work between ourselves. Even though this meant everyone was working harder it was better than relying on her. 

Sources of Power

• Coercive power-This concept suggests that an individual can be punished for disobedience. This source of power can be difficult as individuals may abuse their power as a result it may cause harmful and frustrating behaviour within the workplace. Implying or threatening that someone will be fired or denied privileges; these are two examples of how coercive power can be used in the workplace. An individual’s position may give them the potential to coerce others but it does not mean that you are justified for doing so. Continual use of coercive power is unsuitable in an organisation.
• Reward power-This notion is a consequence from an individual’s ability to recompense others for observance. Bonuses, promotions and training opportunities; are all examples of how reward power can be used. The reason this power is so influential is because if individuals think they’ll be rewarded there’s a high possibility that they’ll do it. However the problem with this power is that there’s a limited amount of control over rewards; for example, supervisors don’t completely have control over who gets promotions. Managers and other individuals are other deciding factors.
• Expert power-Is based on an individual’s greater skills and knowledge. Having knowledge and skills which enable you to suggest solutions, understanding a situation and normally outperforming others people tend to respect your opinion.

o   Legitimate power- This concept originated from the belief that individuals have the right to make demands and expect conformity and obedience from other individuals. A president, CEO or a Prime Minster may be considered as people with legitimate power. This type of power can be irregular and unbalanced, the reason for this is if an individual loses their designation or position legitimate power can immediately disappear. The reason for this is people are influence by the position that the individual holds and not the individual themselves as their scale is limited to the situation that people believe you are entitled to control.

o   Referent power-This is a result of an individual’s pleasant appearance and merit. This is sometimes identify as charisma, cram or appeal. This occurs from one person liking, respecting or identifying with another person. Celebrities are examples of referent power. The reason for this is because they have so much influence, they influence what people do. A person with charm within a workplace often makes the other employees feel good. The problem with referent power is that an individual doesn’t necessarily have to earn it; it has nothing to with intellect or honesty. Therefore someone who is dishonest but process referent power may raise to power then and misuse that power for personal gain.

Below are 5 strategies organisations can use to overcome conflict

v  Clarification of goals and objectives-Definitions of roles and frequent reviewing and modification goals and objectives helps to reduce conflict and misunderstandings. Organisations can defuse hostility by sharing goals which will help both parties to co-operate with each other.    

v  Human resource management-Looking closely at HRM policies and procedures may help reduce conflict. For example; grievance and disciplinary procedures help reduce conflict as it helps to make sure all the employees are all treated fairly.

v  Group activities-Paying attention to the structure of teams and the factors that affect how well a team works may reduce conflict and hostility. For example; avoid placing employees in groups that might result in personality clashes.

v  Leadership and management-Having a strong leader who is supportive, fair but firm can help to reduce conflict. Such a leader would be able to create a good working environment. This is important because it allows the team members to trust their leader.

v  Socio-technical approach-Looking at the organisation from the socio-technical approach will help to reduce conflict as it recognise that emotional, mental and social factors play a part in causing conflict.

Conclusion

It is important to understand that not everyone can like each other. There will be conflict and hostility but it is the way that this conflict is managed that is important.

Leadership

Leadership-“is a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people” (Mullins, 2010, P829).

Management-“the process through which efforts of members of the organisation are co-ordinated, directed and guided toward the achievements of organisational goals” (Mullins, 2010, P829).

There are many differences between management and leadership the first is management control and solve problems while leadership aims to motivate and inspire while creating direction.  Another difference is that leadership purpose is to welcome and encourage change by providing the people with a vision. However management strive for order and obviousness by making sure that everything is always well organise. Management have a low level of emotional involvement and is detached whereas leadership can provide empathy by understanding the circumstances. Overall management is concern with results while leadership is concern more with transformation.

Managerial Grid

The managerial grid was developed and published in 1964 by Blake and Mouton. They studied leadership behaviour they went on to describe to extreme of leadership concern which are;

v  Concern for production –this leader makes sure everything gets done effectively to achieve the best results.

v  Concern for people-this leader doesn’t care about how effectiveness or productivity but is more concern about people’s feelings.

The five basic combinations

v  The impoverished Manger-expects the minimal efforts and has no concern for results or people. This manger is doing just enough to keep her job but is basically just going through the motions.

v  The authoritative manger-has no concern for people and is all about getting the job done. Only likes to work with people who are like them and hates people that challenge them.  Their leadership is controlling, demanding and unbearable.

v  Social manger-comes to work to socialise and likes to work with their friends. Despise conflict and constantly like everyone to be happy.

v  The middle of the road manager-is sometimes known as the Politian, is more concern about maintaining the status-quo and avoids conflict. Has reasonable concern for people and productivity.

v  The team manager-extremely concern about productivity and people.

I think that my boss would be best described as “the authoritative manger”. There are many reason for this the first is that he is only concern about the company itself and not his employee. He views his employees as a means to and end which that they are only there to get the job done. He is defiantly a demanding person he rules with and iron f so 98% of the staff doesn’t challenge him. As much as he’s got high standards he would definitely applaud if you’re doing well.   

One of the first persons that come to mind when I think of a strong leader is Martin Luther King Jr. I believe leaders are born they are not made and Mr Luther was definitely born to be a leader. He epitomes what a great leader should be like. One of the qualities that a leader should be possessed is the ability to inspire and motivate people along with have a vision which he certainly had. Mr King was confident without being arrogant which another important trait is as it shows his character as a person. Someone once said a great leader is judge not by the number of people who fair him but by the amount of people who respect him. Mr King was and is still very highly respected because he gave respect. As a leader he was intelligent, determined, self-assuring, resolute, kind and ultimately selfless.

Reference

1.     Mullins. L. J. Published 1985. Latest edition (9th) 2010.Management & Organisational Behaviour. Essex. Pearson Education Limited

Organisation Culture

 Culture- researchers include of Hall, Hofstede, Trempenaars, Modern have concentrated on the study of culture it is said that culture cannot be theorise. So what is culture? Culture is an essential part of any society, it is also important to most organisation as you will see.  Edward B Taylor describe culture as, culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (www.buzzle.com).

Organisational Culture- “is the collection of traditional values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organisation” (Mullins, 2010, P829). There are three facts that make up organisational culture which are;

v  Basic Assumption

v  Values and Beliefs

v  Visible aspects of culture

I did work experience at Happy Days Charity in Luton, the organisational culture was surprising calm and relax. Everyone knew what was expected of them so they work diligently without pressure from anyone. There was no evidence of a hierarchy as everyone was treated with the same level of respect even me who was only an intern, this astonished me.   This is a very Ethical organisational it is a charity which makes it a non-profit organisation. Their Basic Assumption is “helping a child helping a child experience what life has to offer” this is the root of the organisation.

Organisational culture can be categorise in many different ways; below are is a simple explanation of four main types of organisational culture that was put forward by Charles Handy;

Power Culture-Handy describes this as a “web”. There are often a few dominant figures with little rules and distinctive systems in place. As a results of having few dominant figures decision making is very fast with more personal or one to one communication. Micorosoft is and example of an organisation that has this culture.

Role culture-this is often this describe as a Geek temple, which is label as depicting bureaucracy. The role is sometimes more important than the individual as there are some much rules and regulation. The person with the most power is usual at the head of the hierarchy. One example would be the Local Government.

Task culture-are usually dynamic task teams that are very flexible are put together so it is that task that brings the team together hence the reason why the focus is on the task and not the individuals. A net is the best representation of this culture as there are close links between different departments as the teams are constantly changing. Great team work is the key to this organisational culture.

Person culture-there is no hierarchy within these organisations; decisions are made collectively by the individuals within the organisation. Sometimes there might be dignified structure within the organisation but it is only there to benefit the individuals within that structure. This culture is more suited for self-help groups such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).

The first disadvantage of trying to classify culture into one of the four types describe is the fact that it doesn’t consider that there are many different types of people within an organisation which means that different organisational culture suit different people. The problem with trying to classify culture into one of Handy’s four types is that it can’t be done. The reason for this is because it doesn’t take into account the different sub-cultures that exist within an organisation.

My culture is defined by multiple facts. Both my nationality and Religion plays a huge part in my life. I was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines but move to the U.K this contributes to a lot of who I am now.  Am Christian yet I was bought up in a Rastafari household where a lot of focus was place on education, righteousness and the Bible.

Reference

1.     Mullins. L. J. Published 1985. Latest edition (9th) 2010.Management & Organisational Behaviour. Essex. Pearson Education Limited

2.     http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-culture.html

Motivation-Improving staff performance

Self-improvement

Content theories which are sometimes called “need theories” which focus on what motivates and individuals. It therefore assumes they have a set of needs which they pursue.  However Process theories which are sometimes known as “extrinsic theories” are concerned with the thought processes that influence individuals’ behaviour. It suggests that individuals are very selective with their goals but choose to achieve their goals through calculation and shrewdness. As a result Process theories look at how these goals motivates individuals.

ServisAir staff motivation techniques 

1.      Shift swapping-ServisAir allows their employees to swap shifts. This is important to the employees because they work unsociable hours. This makes it easier especially for employees who have young children.

2.      Bonuses and overtime rate-One of the benefits of working for ServisAir is the fact that the employees get overtime rate. This is important for the employees as it motivates them to do additional hours. Bonuses are a good way for businesses to reward their employees as it encourages them to work harder.

3.      Staff discounts-ServisAir has negotiate discount form other businesses that operates in the airport for example; the coffee shops. This is important because it makes the employees feel valued and appreciated.

4.      Corporate clothes-By provide their employees with uniform free of charge make the employee look more professional while creating a sense of unity among the work force.

Process Theories

Process theories are sometimes known as “extrinsic theories”. Process theories are concerned with the thought processes that influence individuals’ behaviour. It suggests that individuals are very selective with their goals but choose to achieve their goals through calculation and shrewdness. Below are examples of Process theories;

·         Expectancy Theory

·         Equity Theory

·         Goal Theory

·         Attribution Theory

Equity Theory

The theory that related the most to Airport Agencies was Adams Equity theory. This concept is based on equality. “It focuses on how fairly people think that they are being treated in comparison to others” (Mullins, 2010, P275).  This theory was put forward by John Stacey Adams in 1962. Adams’ stressed the importance of defining motivation as a relative but not the only factor. This theory deals with individual’s perception of the rapport between their employers, work colleagues and their work which influence how well employees are motivated. One of the key points of this theory is that individuals expect certain outcomes in exchange for their contribution. Adams identifies six types of possible behaviour that individuals may take as a result of being treated unfairly.

The first example of how this theory was applied in Airport Agencies; if the employees at Airport Agencies feel they are being treated on fairly it could result in a decrease in productive. In Adams’ theory this is known as “Change input” when employees stop going the extra mile for example doing over time when there are delayed flights. The second example; the interviewee this referred to one incident where one of the member of staff wrote to the manager asking for a pay increase because the employees at Airport Agencies has not have a pay rise in four years as a result their pay was increase by 2%. According to Adam’s theory this is call “Change Outcomes” where employees take matters into their own hands.  The last resort employees have is to ask for a transfer or leave the job permanently if the employees are not able to take the inequality. The interviewee also stated that one member of staff left the organization as a result of being discriminated against. In Adam’s six step illustration this would be the final step which would be “Leave the field”.

Conclusion

Process and Content theories are there to help educate organisation on the best ways to motivate their staff. It is important that organisation understand that the motivated their work force is the more productive they will be.

Reference

Mullins. L. J. Published 1985. Latest edition (9th) 2010.Management & Organisational Behaviour. Essex. Pearson Education Limited

Enterprise Week

If it all goes wrong I’ll get a proper job is the event that I found most interesting and which I benefited the most from. This event was presented by Robbie Weston who was the founder of three voice-over studios.  Compare to the other events this was the shortest but it was the most informative event. I felt this event answered a lot of questions most people in my position wanted answers to; for example one of his points was on what to consider when taking on a business partner. Like most people when I think about a business partner the only thing I would consider is whether they have the capital to invest in my business but Mr Weston made it clear that there were a lot more facts that need to be taken into account.  In my opinion the main point of this event was on self believe, believing in yourself enough to take risks. For example; when Mr Weston started his business a lot of people told him that it was a stupid idea, that he would never make it and he would regret his decision.  But he had such self-conviction and determination that his business would be a success which eventually made it happen.

Mr Weston listed 10 points that is essential to starting your own business;

1.      Are you cut out to be an entrepreneur?-This is an important question you need to ask yourself. If the answer is no please don’t decide to go and start your own business because if you have no passion for the business it’s very likely that the business won’t be successful.  The reason for this is because starting a business is a hard, long and exhausting process, it’s not guaranteed to be an immediate success. If you’re not prepared for the long working days and not having a social life you’ll just end up costing yourself a lot of money and wasted time.

2.      Money-Where is it going to come from? How is your business going to be finance?  It’s all good and well having a great business idea but without any finance how will that idea come to life?

3.      Partners-Sometimes it is necessary to have a business partner. There are advantages to having a partner for example; they help to share the risk. However there are a few things to consider when choosing a partner, you need to make sure that they understand the risks involved and that they are willing to share these risks.  You also need to make sure that they have the same level of passion, believe and drive that you have. This is important not only in business but can be applied when choosing a life partner as well.

4.      Exports-What you need to understand about export is that they are there to back you up but not to hold your hands.  Exports can be useful if you know the right questions to ask, if you don’t then you’re in trouble.  This means you need to know about the sector that your business fall under, you need to study and make sure you know what you’re taking about to ensure you get the help that you need. One quote that stuck with me that Mr Weston said about export was “no matter what they tell you ultimately it’s your fault when things go wrong.” This is so important to remember when starting your own business because you’re the one who all the responsibility will fall on. If you’re not ready for that responsibility then you’re not cut out to own your own business.

5.      Taking on staff-This is another complicated step in owning your own business.  First there’ s all the legal things that you need to consider for example; This Act state that all employees should be paid equally regardless of their gender/sex. The equal pay act only applies after taking into account three factors which are; “the same job, equivalent jobs and jobs of an equal value.” (Dooley et al, 2007, p362). Your staff also need to have the same amount of passion because there’ll be times that they would have to go above and beyond their job speciation.

6.      Think of the customers-It is important that you understand your customers. This makes it easier to meet their needs and wants which contributes to the business being successful.

7.      How to make the business work when you’re not there-According to Weston the best way to run any business is like a Franchise. For every possible problem write down the solution before it happens, this would help to build up an operational manual. Therefore when you (the owner) are not there the staff are equipped to deal with these problems.

8.      Be ready for the sale-Weston also recommend that you be ready to sell your business at any time. The reason for this is because you might not even think about selling your business but someone might come along who wants to buy it.  This means it’s important for you to keep everything in order for example; the books.

9.      Never mess with the bank or taxman

10.  Make all the terms and conditions are clear

I left this event feeling more determine to success in not only my career but life in general. Weston inspired and motivated me to continue working hard and trying my best and eventually I will achieve my goals.  Weston reinforces the meaning of self-believe and determination. In conclusion Henry Ford once said “there is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something”. This summarise how focused and motivated I am to achieve my goals and aspirations.

References

1.    Dooley, D; Dransfield, R; Goymer, J; Guy, P; Richards, C (2007), ‘BTEC National Business Book 1: 2^nd Edition’, Heinemann: Oxford.

Motivation

                                   Alderfer’s ERG Theory

“The modified hierarchy model has been presented by Alderfer. This model condenses Maslow’s five level of need into only three levels based on the core needs of existence, relatedness and growth” (Mullins, 2010, P264).  Below is a brief explanation of the three levels;

·         Existence needs- refers to our concern with basic material existence motivators.

·         Relatedness needs- refers to what drives individuals to maintain personal relationship.

·         Growth needs-is concern with personal development.

This theory is a lot like Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs except its more balanced. One of the similarities of Alderfer’s ERG theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is that they both suggest that individuals progress through the hierarchy. However Alderfer believe that more than one need can be trigger at the same time which results in the needs being more of a continuum rather than a hierarchy.

There are many reasons why I started my course but I guess the main reasons are the fact that I have always wanted to go to university from since I was younger as I have always love knowledge. The second reason is financial, like most people money is important to me and in today’s society graduating from university helps to give you a leg up on the employment ladder. My main motivation however has got to be my dad, he’s always wanted to go to university but for various reasons never had the opportunity so from a young age he instil this love of books into me and there was no doubt in his mind that I’ll go university. Over all I would self-improvement is the main reason why I am at university. I want to ensure that for whatever industry that I decide to go into I am prepared hence the reason for me being at university. I feel that it would provide me with some of the tools and skill along with the knowledge that I need to take that next step in my professional life. One of the things that motivated me to start university as I mention above is for growth, for a chance to develop and learn new skills and expand on the knowledge that I already have.

I am a very determine person and the more you try to tell me I can’t do something it’s the more you motivate me to work even harder to prove you wrong. That will be my motivation for the next 2-3 years of university and the fact that I always love to finish whatever I started along with my hatred of failing. I think that my personal motivation can be related to all three types of needs in Alderfer’s ERG theory. Take Existence needs for example; I have such a determination to be successful that I started university. My need to survive is the driving forces behind my need to be successful. The reason for this is because I see university as one of the contributing facts to me gaining success; this is what keeps me motivated. I am always striving to improve myself, to develop and learn more which relates to Growth needs.

The most de-motivated I have ever been at work was because I thought I was being treated unfairly and that I was not supported by my manager.  According to Adam’s Equity theory which is based on how fairly individuals think they are being treated. There was a change in contribution which according to Adam is known as a “Change to input” as a I began to not wanting to work as hard as I use to since I left that my hard work wasn’t  being recognize. However in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs I would be at step three which is Social. The reason for this is because my Social needs weren’t met as there was no sense of belonging. As a result of feeling that I was being treated unfairly neither of the two factors in Herzberg’s two factor’s theory was met. The reason for this is because this theory focuses on the individual needs of people rather than a group collective need.

My love for my job helped to re-motivate me. The fact that I love my job and that I need the money was motivation enough for me to work even harder than I ever had before. If I had to do something differently it would be to not let the unprofessional and offensive attitude of my manager affect my work because this would affect the way my customers see me as a person. My job is to help them, if I am being bitter and upset I would only make the situation worse.

Base on the information above I have notices that Alderfer’s ERG theory relates a lot to my everyday life. There are so many references that I can make to the ERG theory.

Reference

1.     Mullins. L. J. Published 1985. Latest edition (9th) 2010.Management & Organisational Behaviour. Essex. Pearson Education Limited

2.     http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/ERG_Theory.html