Personality

 Personality-“Is an individual’s unique set of characteristics and tendencies which shape a sense of self, and what that person does and the behaviour they exhibit” (Mullins 2010).

There has been a big debate centred around personality, it is questioning whether personality is inherited or developed in conjunction to ones environment. This is known as the nature verses nurture debate.

Idiographic Approach

“Is a holistic and dynamic perspective which insists that managers take into account a ‘whole’ understanding of the individuals at work” (Mullins 2010).

This approach emphasizes the notion that everyone have a unique psychological make-up which means that some traits are unique only to one person. This is why it is sometimes hard to compare individuals. 

Nomothetic Approach

This is a measurable and exact viewpoint that looks at traits and personality as a collection of characteristics. These characteristics can now be identified and measured which enable them to be observed. This is important to businesses as it helps them to select the right people when recruiting.

This theory was first looked at by Gordon Allport in 1936; “he found that one English-language dictionary alone contained more than 4,000 words describing different personality as traits. He categorized these traits into three levels” (www.psychology.about.com). Han Eysenck then went on to develop a personality based model that in-cooperate Allport earlier work. However both Allport and Eysenck have been criticised; Allport for focusing on to many traits and Eysenck for not looking at enough. Therefore the Big Five was created.

“Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate” (www.psychology.about.com). Personally I don’t think either nature or nurture are more dominant, I think a combination of both make up an individual’s personality. The reason for this is because we obviously inherited some of our parent’s traits but we ultimately choose what type of person we want to be. I agree with Rogers, Maslow, Allport and Kelly that personality is unique to each individual.

I did the personality test on the BBC website and below are the results based on the Big Five;

The Big Five	Scores/Results	Explanation
Openness	High	People with scores like yours tend to be imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods. Generating lots of imaginative ideas probably comes very easily to you. However, it's likely that you are prone to daydreaming too. Innovators, investigators and creators often score highly on this trait. It has also been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. Do you enjoy the odd conspiracy theory?
Conscientiousness	Medium	People with scores like yours are less likely to be workaholics, instead achieving a good work-life balance. Conscientiousness often gives clues to the amount that a person plans. You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously.
Extraversion	Medium	People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions. You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait.
Agreeableness	Low	People with scores like yours are less likely to be interested in what others are feeling and tend to put their own interests first. It's likely that you appear tough-minded and direct to other people. You probably have little aversion to stating your thoughts and feelings.
Neuroticism	Low	People with scores like yours are often seen as being calm and even-tempered. They cope well with stressful situations and may seem tranquil despite adverse circumstances.

Conclusion

I feel as though this test has summaries me in a nutshell. There were some instance where I though this is so me for example; “You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously”. This is me I like planning things and am not a spontaneous person, I think about thinks before I do anything. Another example; “imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods”. This so spot-on because I really like to travel and I enjoy learning about different countries and cultures.

Reference

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

2.     http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/trait-theory.htm

3.     http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/nature-nurture.htm

Teamworking

Teamworking-“A working group is a set of individuals who are aware of each other; interact with one another and have a sense that they are a group” (Schein, 1988).

There are four types of Teams;

·         Formal-A formal or official team is “one that is created for a specific purpose” (Dooley et al, 2007).  A Sales team is a formal team because it was created for a definite purpose for example, to increase sales. They normally are set up to perform a set task day to day. 

·         Informal-Informal teams “develop in a less structured way than a formal team” (Dooley et al, 2007).  Informal teams usually have less people than a formal team. They normally have no leader.

·         Permanent-A permanent team is put together in the hopes that it will be together in the foreseeable future.  All members of the permanent team work continuously.

·         Temporary-Temporary team are set up for a short amount of time to complete a set task. For example in my temporary we were only higher to the Christmas holidays.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Team work

·         One of the benefits of team work is the possibility of shared workload.

·         Another benefit is that problems are easier to solve because there are more people to come up with good solutions

·         Team work also gives the opportunity to learn from other people by sharing ideas which helps to motivate.

·         One disadvantage to working in a team is that there is sometimes conflict among the team members which may hinder the progress of the team.

·         Another problem to working in a team is that some people are used to working alone which makes working in a team difficult

The most successful team I have ever worked in is my current team at work. The reason why I feel that this team is so successful is because everyone understands what their role is. The team consists of 5 employees plus a supervisor, each employee has their own strengths. The key to our team success is because it is well balance. This according to Belbin’s is very important as having more than one member of the team with the same team role limits how effective the team is.   

In 1965 Bruce Tuckman developed a 4-stage model of group development; in 1973 he added the fifth stage which is Adjourning.  This study of the development of teams is valuable as it shows how groups can be developed into actual teams given the right support. The five stages of team development are; Forming Storming, Norming, Preforming, Adjourning.

·         Our team work according to this model to some extent for example there was a period of getting to know one another since it was the first time each individual has worked together, this would come on the first stage which is Forming. This was important as it allow each team member to identify their strengths and weakness.

·         Surprisingly there was on infighting at the Storming stage however there was a period of confusion as the members weren’t sure how to start the task. There was a long of idling as the task that the team was set was not taken seriously from the beginning. The group diary shows that not all the team members were present at the first couple of meets which resulted in a slow start and the team being unprepared for the first presentation to the tutor to sure what the group had achieve.

·         It took a while before the group got to the Norming in Tuckman’s stage of development however eventually when the task was on the way it was left to a few individuals to organise and establish a system in which the group would operate.  It was about this time there was some confrontation between team members as some individuals weren’t pulling their weight.

·         Eventually the team got to the point where each member knew what was expected of them and what was their set role was Storming. The team faced some problem at the end as one member handed in their half of the report late which made it difficult for the team to keep on task as there where delayers that wasn’t plan for. This affected the effectiveness of the team.

·         According to Tuckman Adjourning is the final stage where the group is dismantled, this did not happen to our group as all team members knew each other on a personal level.

Stockport College and Environmental conservation

Stockport College provides vocational and academical qualifications for students age 14 upwards. It has 934 employees, 94% of the staff have a positive can do approach to their job. This is due to the fact that they have a good leader (Principal Merilion), who understands the importance of teamwork. This enables the staff to work better together as a result 76% of the staff are positive. Environmental conservation is another organisation that owes its success to their employees. As a result of good team work the company was able to cut there carbon emission by 25%. One of the reasons why Environmental conservation has such good team work between its employees is due to the fact that the employees understand that they’re making a positive difference in the world.

Conclusion

All of the information above shows the importance of teamwork. The information also shows that for any organisation to be successful the employees need to be able to work cohesively. This will ensure high productivity and good quality of work.

Reference

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

2.     Edgar H. Schein. Published (1988), Subsequent edition

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

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