Blog 15 - Communication and involvement

Employee relations refers to ‘an assortment of employer initiatives for improving workplace communications, for engaging employees either directly or indirectly in decision making and for securing employee compliance with management rules through disciplinary procedures.

Employee participation stems from a pluralist approach, it also provides for employees to have some say in decisions. It gives rights to employees to consultation on matters likely to affect the economic status of employer or any proposed change that might affect employment status. The pluralist view point is that different groups in an organisation have different interests and conflicts are therefore likely to arise which will need to be managed. Managers and owners will be interested in increasing their pay while employees may be interested in increasing their pay. Employee involvement is about a management desire to encourage individual employees to be committed to the organisational values. Different categories of involvement can include; sharing information, consultation, financial participation, quality improvements, individuals and community. The purpose of employee involvement is that is assumed that employee commitment will be increased if they are allowed to be involved in decision making. Organisations can involve employees in decision making by creating questionnaires that ask for their opinion on certain areas of the company and see if any ideas can benefit the business. Also one on one’s with management is good as they are able to air their opinions in person and certain employees can help the business more profitable or more efficient. Also a few examples of ways in which this can happen is by have discussion groups, also voting can be brought in by the company, or even a company intranet where employees can post ideas on their website which is seen by management. It is said that information is knowledge and knowledge is power, so the more information being pumped into a company by any source the better.

Organisations are now using social networking sites to communicate with staff. It is a very cost efficient and quick way of communicating to staff members as nearly everyone is part of one social networking site. The information being provided on the sites are things such as; staff holiday dates, company days off and even messages sent from managers to the staff to ask questions or the other way around. An example of a company that uses online networking sites would be marks and Spencer, they use it to communicate with all staff and also allow staff members to put for their ideas and grievances forward to management. Other ways in which they communicate to staff is through company newsletters and publications, company videos and team briefings which are all posted online. They also use it as a way of recruiting as individuals who are interested in working for them can submit a copy of their C.V, this saves the company from sorting through loads of paper work and allows them to have these on their system so when they are looking to hire they can sort through them quickly and easily.  Other organisations to use social networking sites to communicate with staff and the general public are nightclubs. Nearly all nightclubs use social networking sites to advertise specialist nights they are promoting and telling staff when they are working. An example being Yates nightclub, they are mainly on facebook which is the most popular networking site in the world and is used by millions of people worldwide. They use this site to advertise their club which reaches more people than any other form of advertisement and this is free and quick to set up. This is why organisations are choosing to use these sites due to the fact that they are quick and easy to set up with no running costs and can reach people all over the UK and even the world.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 14 - Reward

Reward is a system consisting of financial rewards and employee benefits, which together comprise total remuneration. Increasingly organisations are looking at non-financial rewards as a key element of a reward strategy as money is not everything to some individuals.

Wembley stadium employs thousands of staff and it is very important to keep each and every person motivated to keep the stadium running efficiently and productively. Looking within the Wembley merchandise store, many motivational techniques are brought in to increase sales and attitude, the main motivational technique used is financial and non financial rewards. An example of a financial reward is an increase in salary after each year depending on appraisals and sick rate. This is one of the main motivators as money is such an essential item in modern society. Also fringe benefits are included after meeting certain goals, these are additional items added on at the end of each month such as free meals or tickets to events. A big motivator for staff at Wembley is the performance related pay which is where staff is given bonuses depending on how much of a certain item they sell or if they achieve specific goals.

Although financial rewards are important for employees, not everyone gets motivation from money related rewards, there are some non-financial rewards such as leaving early and special purchases which the management offer, this relates to Locke’s goal-setting theory where an employee will work harder as they have something to aim for. Also the staff is often given a sense of responsibility as the mangers are often called away to other parts of the stadium for, leaving the sales staff alone in the store for a period of time. This often entails refunds, going to the stock room and in some circumstances cashing up. This gives a sense of recognition and trust within the staff and managers.

There are different rewards for the part and full timers to make it fairer to all employees and allow everyone a chance at achieving a reward. Full timers are in the store more often so are able to achieve targets set by management quicker than the part time staff; therefore they have different rewards to allow part timers to have a chance of winning. The rewards are generally the same so it’s fair for everyone and allows everyone a chance at the same given rewards.

Even in the state of the economy, chief executives still receive large bonuses regardless whether or not the organisation has underperformed, here are some points to argue for and against; Chief executives are at the top of the organisation, they obviously have worked hard to get to that position due to the relevant skills and qualifications held. Although the business has underperformed they still carry huge pressure with the decision making of the business and have a lot more responsibilities compared to other employees. It may not be the chief executive fault that the organisation has underperformed.
It can be seen as a positive paying the chief executive the bonus as then it may give them the drive to make the business succeed.

Decisions made by the chief executive may have been wrong or even if they did not fulfil their responsibilities properly, which means it is their fault. Bonuses is a type of reward that only should be paid if the person deserves it so why should the chief executive get a reward for something they did not do well in, they must earn their rewards and should be deducted money if they continue to underperform.

To conclude, rewards include both financial and non-financial ways that an organisation can repay their employees for the hard work given. This greatly motivates employees and increases their commitment to the company meaning higher levels of performance.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 13 - Performance management

Performance management is a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. So this therefore establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved, and approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved.

I have received an appraisal when I was working at Wembley Stadium; they happen twice a year to review goals set from the previous appraisal and to discuss any issue with management. This records a six-monthly report of how the employee is doing any if any disciplinary action needs to be taken or any development needs have to be met. When I had my first appraisal at Wembley I had been working there for just over six months, I had previously set goals when I first started working there which were as follows; Have no sick days, do not get in trouble with management and become part-time of the employee once. During my first six months as I was only part time, I was expected to not have any sick days and I achieved this goal. When it comes to employment I take my job very seriously as I believe in the old saying, ‘don’t fight with the hand that feeds you’. Taking this into account I always make myself presentable at work and never talk back to management. The only thing I failed to achieve was the employee of the month but this did not bother me so much, I set it again as a goal for the following appraisal but overall it was very positive and the management were pleased. I thought this was very effective as it made me feel very secure and good about my job, and it also gave me the motivation and goals for the following six months.

People often look to a mentor for help and advice in everyday life or for certain aspects of it. A mentor is an individual, usually older, always more experienced, who helps and guides another individual’s development. This guidance is not done for personal gain. It is said that one of the most valuable assets in a career is to have a good mentor and role model. The times website states that a good mentor should be; open and honest with you, be prepared to have assumptions that challenge you, be experienced and caring towards you, understanding and patient. These are some of the vital traits that a mentor should have.

When I attended secondary school in year seven it all seemed very new and scary for me, my head of year was Steve Higson who was only twenty five years old and very down to earth. Whenever I had an issue he would always make the time for me and help me out in any way he could. I always looked up to him as someone I wanted to be at that age and felt like he was a mentor to me. He also stayed with our year all the way up until the end of GCSE’s in year eleven where by this point he was more of a friend than a teacher. I found that having his support during school helped me progress into the confident person I am today and I hope everyone could have a mentor like him.

To conclude, an appraisal is something that all organisations should do as it helps boost performance and gives you the motivation and goal direction to stay focused and achieve at the job at hand. A mentor should be someone who you look up to and want to aspire to be like, they are someone who is there to guide and help you through difficult things and point you in the right direction. Having a mentor greatly benefits your learning as you can get advice on how things should be carried out.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece

Blog 12 - Selection

Selection is about selecting the right person for a job. The objectives of selection are to gather as much information about the candidate as possible in order to determine whether they are suitable, and to judge whether they would accept an offer.

There are lots of different selection methods that are used in organisations, one of the main methods used are interviews. Organisations use interviews in most circumstances to have a one on one talk with the applicant to judge whether or not they are suitable for the job. The advantages of using interviews are that you can build up a rapport with the individual and get to know them rather well; this is the most formal way of interviewing someone for a job. An interview allows the employer to answer open ended questions to get more detailed answers out of applicant and gets them more relaxed. Also it is a two way interview so the applicant can decide if the job is right for them. There are some limitations for interviews, such as it can be very subjective. Also aspects of the individual application cannot be assessed by the interview. Also if the interviewer is asking closed questions the applicant may be nervous and lie about the questions asked. Another selection method that can be used is referencing. When someone has finished a previous job they will receive a reference that will be used for their next job. This means their new employer is able to see what their strengths are from their previous job. Although the drawback of this is that an employer cannot say negative this in a reference so there may be things about the applicant that are bad but the new employer does not know. Another selection method used is testing. Employers may give a psychometric or personality test to the applicant to get some more information about them. This is good as it gives you a deeper insight into the person they are but sometimes people can lie to make themselves seem different and put what they think the employer wants to hear in order to get the job.

I have experienced several interviews in my life but I believe the job interviews i have experienced have been the most intense. When I was applying for Wembley stadium I was very nervous as it is a very big corporation and they take hiring their staff very seriously. I turned up for the interview in a suit to show I was professional and the manager and deputy manager of the shop were both sitting down in the office waiting for me. They used a technique which I was not expecting where the deputy manager was asking me all the questions while the manager just sat their writing notes. This made me feel very intimidated as I felt very nervous. I felt this technique was effective as it made me open up as I felt they were examining every move I made so I did not want to try and lie about anything. They also made me take a multiple choice test about myself and they way I carry out jobs. I did try to put the answer that I felt they wanted me to hear as I was nervous that I did not do to well in the interview part. I was made to wait a week before I heard anything but I was successful, unfortunately you can never really find out what the management thought of you in the interview process, but I thought it went well and I did try to change certain traits about myself so they were more suited to the job at hand.

At Wembley Stadium I believe that the selection process should be changed as they make you feel very uncomfortable and nervous. It would be better to try and build up a rapport with the applicant, this way they will be more inclined to open up and be more honest about themselves. Also the test they supplied was not very relevant to the job at hand and i think that role playing would be a lot more successful so the management can see how someone handles a practical situation.

To conclude the selection processes used by organisations are very different but all have their advantages and drawbacks. Companies need to be more diverse and apply the methods to the job at hand so they are more relevant. I think that interviews and role playing are essential as this way the employer can get to know the applicant and judge their personality for the job, and also role playing puts them in an active situation to see how they handle it, meaning they can judge if the person is applicable for the job or not.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 11 - Recruitment

Recruitment is the process of attracting, screening and selecting qualified people for a specific job. It is the attraction of applicants from suitable candidates to locate potential employees.

There are recruitment websites such as ‘monster.com’ which helps individuals obtain a job. Their website is laid out in a way that is very easy to interpret and use, it is designed so that everyone is able to use it and offers careers in all areas. The layout offers a search engine for specific jobs in a specified area of the United Kingdom to help narrow down job opportunities, it also offers advice on different industries and careers. I tested the website by looking for a job within High Wycombe and I specified my search to within the town centre and it gave me every available job going, I thought that it was laid out very well as i could tell where and what job it was. I would definitely use one in the future.

A recruitment campaign that interested me was when Wembley stadium opened and they were offering hundreds of different positions. They were using billboards, television adverts, radio adverts and magazine ads. I first noticed it in a magazine I was reading and it was an A4 page with the new Wembley stadium picture on it offering careers at Wembley in all different areas, for full and part time staff. Another reason I was very interested was they were showing the benefits of working there, such as chances to win free tickets and priority seating. As I was a huge football and music enthusiast this was very appealing to me and I applied straight away not worrying about what position would be recommended for.

There are certain advantages and disadvantages to online recruitment. Some advantages of online recruitment would be that it is a very easy process; they are able to take people CV’s and apply to the right job. Also it is very quick; it takes moments for the applicant to upload their CV. This process is also very cost efficient as there are no admin costs and everything is stored online, so it’s beneficial in more than one way. It widens the parameters as it is available to thousands of people meaning there is a lot more choice for employers to choose from. Finally there is a much better chance of success as they can narrow down and hire the right employee for the job. There are some disadvantages to online recruitment as well. One being that it is not very personal, as the employer does not meet the applicant, they only see their CV. Also as the employer does not meet the applicant they are not able to judge their character as that is also a very important thing to consider when hiring someone for a job. Sometimes too many candidates can apply so there is too much choice; this can be time consuming sorting through and deciding which ones are relevant to the job at hand. Also it does not always work; certain skilled jobs cannot be filled using online recruitment.

To conclude recruitment websites are becoming increasingly popular and have made obtaining a job a lot easier. There are advantages and disadvantages to using recruitment websites but overall it makes looking and finding jobs in your area a lot easier, I would definitely recommend it to others.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Monster (2011) Home Page [online]. Available from: http://www.monster.co.uk/ [accessed 12^th April 2011]

Blog 10 - Equal opportunities

Equality means treating everyone the same regardless of gender, age or race.  Diversity is the recognition of individual differences and that people are not homogeneous. These two terms are similar but do have differences. Equality means everyone getting treated the same, while diversity is more like creating an environment that thrives on our differences and no matter how glaring these differences are no one is being a victim of discrimination. Equality is being able to work or live in a community that gives the same human rights to all individuals, diversity is recognizing that everyone is different and being able to peacefully co-exist with each other despite these differences. Both terms do promote positive society and benefit everyone.

The age legislation act came into force in October 2006, this means that businesses have to treat all individuals the same regardless of age. For employers this will affect who they hire and the hiring process as they now have to see all applicants and screen everyone fairly. This means that businesses need to hire employees at both scales of the age gap to show that there is no discrimination and there is equal opportunity for all. Although this may have a negative impact on the company as young people, if they have not had a job before, can be very unreliable and not know what they are doing. Meaning they will have days off when they shouldn’t and could cost the company money by not being able to carry out even the simplest of tasks. Also older people can be very slow and frail, meaning there workload per day could be half of that of a normal worker due to the speed that they work at, and that they get tired a lot a lot faster than younger people. There are some positives to having no age barriers as now companies are not ‘fishing in a small pond’ and have a lot more choice for hiring. Society does hold certain stereotypes against the young and old. Young people are seen as lazy and unreliable within the workplace as they do not appreciate having a job and the satisfaction gained from this. Old people are seen as slow and incompetent as they cannot perform all tasks other employees can. Organisations may be able to change this stereotyping by hiring more younger and older individuals to show the public that they can work and break the general stereotype. Also another way could be to use the younger and older generation to front products for their company, for example B&Q used some of the older generation for their television adverts.

An example of an organisation that fronts both generations is B&Q; they have really embraced the age legislation act by offering jobs to both younger and older individuals. They take pride in the flexibility that is applied to job roles and working arrangements. Like any business B&Q has to consider the business case for any changes to the way it works. Phasing out retirement and actively recruiting a workforce of different ages has produced a number of benefits. This allows higher productivity, reduced absences, reduced staff turnover and an increased business turnover. B&Q have a workforce of around 35000 people, and of these over a quarter are over the age of 50, the eldest being 94.

To conclude equality and diversity are both essential to modern day society and are both serious issues that need to be upheld. The age legislation act has helped increase the numbers of older and younger individuals get a job in the uncertain society we live in at the moment. It has created many benefits to organisations and certain ones are using this to their advantage. It is all about giving everyone an equal opportunity to gain employment and show their worth.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/employment/age-discrimination-legislation/case-study-b-and-q.html  

Blog 9 - Teamworking

From my previous experiences in team working, I have found out that different attributes in each person is key to a successful group. I carried out a group assignment with two other members if my class to complete work based on motivation. Looking at the relevant models I have related ours back to Gersick’s (1988) model for contemporary groups, this is the one I believe to most reflect our experiences. At first we were very open minded about our time frame and did not decide on our roles for the first few weeks, we decided that we had the time to think about how we would go about the job at hand and wait till closer to the deadline. After three weeks we decided we had left to much work to do, to close to the deadline. Therefore we agreed to delegate roles to each member of the team; we shared out the work equally and set a time to have it completed by. At this point we were working rather independently as we were each doing so research by ourselves. Once we had completed our task we came together to discuss and reflect on the work we had done, giving opinions and helping to improve each others work. This meant that we had all agreed on the content of the work and put it all together to create our assignment, making it seem like one piece if work instead of three. My role within the group was to look at different motivational theories and describe them. Also I felt like I became the team leader because no-one wanted to take that role but it is an essential one to a group. I felt like we all had an important role to play in our group and each had a large amount of research to carry out. Belbin developed a self-participation questionnaire that allows the participant to find out what role they are within a team. Looking at Belbin’s model of team roles I class myself as a co-ordinator. They are the ones who are mature, confident, clarify goals, promotes decision making and delegates well. Before this task I would not have seen myself as this but the group I was working with I decided to take control as I thought nothing would be done if I hadn’t. The other members in my groups were a team worker and a specialist.

Tuckman (1973) talks about the stages of team development and the impact they have upon it. They are made up of five stages; forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Stage one is forming, which is the initial formation of the group. At this stage consideration is given to appointing individual roles and responsibilities. Tuckman believes there might be anxiety among the group as members might test each other to establish themselves within the group according to Mullins (2010). Stage two is storming, where members of the group will start to interact with each other and put forward their ideas and views on the chosen activity at hand. Often at this stage there are disagreements about the way the will carry out the nature of the task, leading to confrontation and hostility. Stage three is norming, where the arguments and hostility are controlled and members of the group decide what areas they are covering. This is a very important stage as it establishes the need for members to cooperate in order to plan and agree standards of performance. The fourth stage is performing, where structure and cohesiveness are created. They can now concentrate on the task at hand and be more effective as a group. The final stage in adjourning, where the task at hand is completed and the team is disbanded. Another team working theory is Gersick’s (1988) model for temporary groups with deadlines, or punctuated equilibrium model. The idea of this model is that at about the midway point in any project, they will realise that the deadline is a lot closer than they first thought and naturally elevate their productivity. There are six stages within this model; group direction, inertia, half way, major change, second phase of inertia and last meeting.

One of the main theory’s used in team working would be Belbin’s (1993) team roles theory. He believes that groups composed of entirely clever people of people with similar personalities displayed a number of negative results, and also a lack of creativity. The most successful groups consist of a variety of people and personalities with a number of different roles undertaken within the group. Belbin initially identified eight useful types of team roles, which eventually turned into nine, these are as follows; plant, resource investigator, co-ordinator, shaper, monitor, team worker, implementer, completer and specialist . A team role is described as a pattern of behaviour, as in the way that one team member interacts with another.

Many companies use team work to their advantage and help their business succeed. It is essential that people work together within an organisation so they can advise each other and support each other in the work place. An example of this would be Hereford Sixth Form College which came fourth in the times newspaper top 100 companies of 2010. An Ofsted report revealed that the staff has a low staff average of only 2.4 sick days a year and this is a testimony to the loyalty of the workforce. Also the principal has been praised for ‘excellent leadership’ which staff agree, 73% said that they inspire him and he is always available to talk. Another example of team work in an organisation would be careers south west ltd which specialises in careers advice. They came sixth in the list of the 100 top companies for 2010. The staff say their bosses talk openly and honestly with them, and an essential part of team working is communication, also they care about them as individuals. Also the chief executive was awarded an OBE for her services to careers education; this shows her dedication and emphasis for the job at hand. She runs the organisation on sound moral principles and all employees have a great deal of faith in her.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Wolinski, J. and Coates, G. (2009) AQA A2 Business Studies: Textbook, Philip Allan Updates

Manfacturing network (2011) Belbin’s team roles[online], Available from: http://www.manufacturingnetwork.org/SITE/UPLOAD/IMAGE/Belbin_team_roles1.gif [accessed 13 April 2011]

Blog 8 - Personality

Personality is the combination of emotional, attitudinal and behavioural response patterns of an individual. It is a dynamic concept describing growth and development of the whole psychological system.

There is much debate on whether personality is inherited, this is nature debate, or whether it is developed in response to environmental conditions such as the way you are brought up by your parents, this is nurture debate. The nature debate suggests that someone’s personality is inherited and cannot be changed, this is called nomothetic. This says that a person’s personality can be linked to hereditary, biological and genes passed down from their parents. Nomothetic is objective, not subjective, an example would be a student putting their student I.D number on their work rather than their name. By putting their student I.D number on their work and not their name they will not be judged before the piece of work has been marked and can allow it to be completely unbiased. The nurture debate suggests that an individual’s personality is based upon their upbringing and environmental surroundings rather than their biological genes. It is said that individuals adapt to their upbringing and that this is a major influence on their personality. For example if two twins were separated at birth and one was brought up with a rich family and the other with a poor family, their personalities would be different even though they have a similar biological code. I have always believed that personality comes from nurture, as individuals learn their surroundings as they grow up and this impacts greatly on the way they act towards others and themselves.

I carried out a personality test on the BBC website to see which characteristics my personality was made up of. There are five main traits, these are: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. I will briefly explain what I got in each of these areas. Firstly I will talk about openness, this trait is sometimes known as ‘openness to experience’. I obtained a medium score for this which means I tend to have a fairly broad range of interests, also likely to find it easy to come up with original solutions to problems. It has been suggested that openness is related to a person’s likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. Next is conscientiousness, this describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This is the trait that is the most consistent indicator of job success. I scored rather low on this area meaning I can appear disorganised, but tend to be spontaneous and have a good sense of fun. People with low conscientiousness may well be suited to investigative or artistic careers. Then there is extroversion, this is characterised by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out stimulating or risk taking activities. I achieved a high score on this section which means im often perceived as gregarious, expressive and energetic, meaning I am more likely to enjoy socialising and be quick to form new friendships. Scoring high on extroversion often translates to a natural capacity for leadership, also am more likely to lead a risky lifestyle and take greater risks in pursuit of rewards. Then there is agreeableness which measures how sympathetic and considerate and individual is likely to be. I obtained a medium score for this trait meaning I am more likely to show concern for the feelings of others and will be inclined to help those in need. Finally there is neuroticism, this relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. I obtained high scores in this section meaning I often feel tense or anxious and may well experience changeable moods.

To conclude personality is something that is unique to every individual and makes us who we are. There are many things that can differentiate personality traits from one another. Looking at the personality test I believe that it is rather accurate but there are always going to be things that people do not want to believe about themselves. Overall I do think that an individual’s upbringing is essential to their personality and can decide how someone will be later in their life.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/personality/feedback/big-five-text

Blog 7 - Perception and communication

Perception can be described as the process in which people interpret what they can see in order to give it a meaning. Perception can be influenced by many factors such as attitudes, behaviours and serious life events.

I have come across situations where I have believed someone to be different than what they really are, the perception I had of these people were wrong to what they were actually like. It is said that when first meeting someone new you make a perception of them within seven seconds and more often than not this will not change. When I was sixteen and started my first job at a stationary store in Watford, I met two other part-timers who were both my age but very different to me. A girl called Lucie was working there at the time and my first meeting with her I made up my mind very quickly about what I thought she was like. She is a tall, slim blonde girl who is very eccentric and talkative; I labelled her as a ditsy girl who was not very intelligent and self-centred. Upon getting to know her better I found out that she was very intelligent, straight ‘A’ student. Also I realised that she was incredible caring about others and was always interesting to talk to and would always help a friend in trouble. Now Lucie and I have become very close friends and I have known her for four years and my first perception of what she was like has never crossed my mind since. This experience taught me the old saying of ‘never judge a book by its cover’, as people can be very different to what you perceived them to be.

Communication can be described as a way of conveying meaningful information between individuals. In recent years universities have been trying to communicate better with their students and try to improve their experiences and help advance their learning. There has been more communication between students and lecturers to improve the way lectures are run and benefit students. It is essential that both the students and people working within the university have shared goal to aim for, this allows for an engaged workforce that will increase the chances of a successful change. There is a lot more ease of communication for students as there are so many ways for them to communicate to the lecturers. There is so much electronic communication such as; email which is the most common form, texting, networking sites, blogs, video conferencing and also one on one talking. Creating communication channels that are two-way and not top-down is essential; this allows easy communication between the students and lecturers that is back and forth, rather than top-down. Top-down is not very effective as there is not good communication and it can be misinterpreted or lost, that is why two-way is a lot more successful. Also they must have a communication network that is all-channels or comcon, where everyone can talk to each other without it having to go throw a chain of people to get to its intended target. To make sure progress is being made they must measure the success of their actions, this way they can see which ideas are working and which are not. A good way to measure this is by carrying out student surveys and obtaining their opinions on the matter, as students are the ones who can give the best feedback as it is affecting their studies.

To conclude people can be perceived as something there not by the way the dress, act or even speak. All individuals are unique but all should not be judged before you get to know them, as they can be very different to how you perceived them. Communication is essential because information can be delayed or misinterpreted if there is bad communication. People should always try to use two way communication as this will allow the correct information to be passed on without delay.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 6 - Enterprise week

During enterprise week I attended ‘if it all goes wrong, I’ll get a proper job’, which was a talk given on the 16^th of November 2010 in the gateway lecture theatre. The talk that was given was by Robbie Weston, who is an entrepreneur who set up an advertising recording studio called Silk Production in 1979. He was encouraged to follow his dreams and set up the recording studio when he was fired from his job at capital radio. This gave him the drive to become his own boss and start a recording studio with two friends. Robbie Weston’s talk showed how he came from nothing and how he built a successful business.

I found that ‘if it all goes wrong, I’ll get a proper job’ very informative and interesting about how someone can strive to do what they really want if you put your mind to it. Robbie Weston was always interested in the music industry, even as a young child and dreamed of doing this as his career. He started out as a DJ for radio 1 where he learned that it is a very hard industry to work in; also that it is very hard to progress within the business in a large company. He was fired from radio 1 and decided that he had obtained enough knowledge to start up his own recording studio. Robbie set up ‘silk production; in 1979, and got two friends to be sleeping partners to fund his company. He said that the most important thing is starting your own business is that you are cut out to be an entrepreneur, and he never once thought that he would fail and had the drive to do whatever it takes to make his company succeed. Robbie believes that there are other factors which are crucial when in business; always be cautious about taking on new staff, don’t always believe experts and never underestimated banks.

I found this presentation very informative as it shows that if you have ambitions and an idea of creating a company, it is possible to create a successful business from nothing. All it takes is dedication and hard work to create a business and also knowing the right people within the industry is also essential.

Blog 5 - Power and conflict at work

Conflict is described as people not agreeing on a subject or obstructing another individual. I experienced a great deal of conflict when I first arrived to university, as I went through clearing I was unable to obtain a place in the halls of residence and was put into a house with five other boys who I had never met before. At first everyone got by but soon problems started to arise, such as we have to pay for gas and electric on a meter and not everyone was as generous as others. Some people believed that they did not use as much as other people and were very stubborn about paying their way. In order to solve this issue we all decided that it was impossible to tell how much everyone was spending so we decided to all put £10 a week on so it’s fair all round. Also because we all did not know each other people were less likely to appreciate what everyone was saying and how they did things. We all clashed about where to store food and how much food people had as others were then unable to keep anything in the house. Also with five other guys the house got very messy, very quickly and no-one was keen to clean it all up. The only way to sort this was to agree that everyone would clean their own mess in order to keep the house in a liveable condition. It took a few months but eventually we all found a way to get on but there was lots of conflict to begin with but a lot of compromising had to be made in order to get.

There are five sources of power according to French and Raven (1959). First off there is coercive power, this means that people are afraid of their managers. There is reward power which is where they have power over offering rewards. Then there is expert power, where a job requires certain expertise to carry it out. Also there is legitimate power, where someone has worked their way from the bottom of the company through the ranks to earn their position of power. Finally there is referent power, where someone idolises someone else and wants to be like them.

Organisations can use different strategies to overcome conflict at work; there are some main ones to discuss. Firstly there is human resource management, they can offer things such as equal pay and opportunities, and also they can give recognition where appropriate. They can ensure there is good communication, consultation and involvement in decision making. Make sure clear goals and objectives are set and ensure everyone is clear as to what is expected of them in their job. Ensure all employees have the chance to air grievances and have a grievance policy and procedure. Also make sure there is a disciplinary procedure that everyone is aware of. Sometimes staff are less inclined to monetary rewards and would prefer better job satisfaction, such as more exciting and fulfilling work to make it more interesting.

To conclude conflict can occur in the workplace for many reasons such as limited resources, unfair conditions, issues with pay and differences in perception. This can cause problems within the workplace and it is essential that strategies are used in order to stop conflict as quickly as possible. Conflict will always be an issue in the workplace but it is how it is dealt with that will result in the effectiveness of a business as efficiency will suffer due to this.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 4 - Leadership

Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards a common goal, they are the person in the group that possesses the combination of personality and skills that make others want to follow them. Management is the managing of other people and making sure they carry out the certain tasks at hand. More often than not management is people who are in charge and over see others. The two terms are often used interchangeable; management is more usually viewed as getting things done through other people in order to achieve stated organisational objectives. Management is often regarded as relating to people working within a structured organisation and with prescribed roles. People outside the organisation might not see the manager in a leadership position. The emphasis of leadership is on interpersonal behaviour in a broader context. It is often associated with the willing and enthusiastic behaviour of followers. Mullins (2010) says ‘leadership may not necessarily take place within the hierarchical structure of the organisation. This occurs at different levels and can be manifested in different ways’.

The Bake and Mouton managerial grid can be used as a way of evaluating a variety of different styles of management. There are two principles in which the grid uses to compare styles, one being concern for people and the other concern for production. Concern for people is shown on the vertical axis of the grid, this relates to the support and help that a manager gives to their staffs needs and wants. Concern for production is shown on the vertical axis; this gives emphasis on production levels and completing tasks. Looking at the way the grid is structured, it can be said that the manager shows concern for both people and production. There are five combinations of degree for concern: middle of the road management, the country club manager, the impoverished manager, the authority compliance manager and the team manager.

I have looked at the managerial grid and decided the style of leadership used by Wembley stadium is the country club manager. This style of leader is most concerned about the needs and feelings of members of their team. These people operate under the assumption that as long as team members are happy and secure then they will work hard. What tends to result is a work environment that is very relaxed and fun but where production suffers due to lack of direction and control. Wembley stadium try to build up a rapport with their staff and feel that if the staff and management have a good relationship, then work production levels will be at their best. They offer team building exercises and incentives to get all staff interacting and enjoying their job, but as a result of this sometimes production levels can suffer as staff get to comfortable with management and their work rate reduces.

Someone who I believe to be a leader in my eyes would be my uncle, he started out with nothing when he first came to the UK and created his own labour company in the first few years od coming here. At first it was not a very profitable business but his hard work and passion prevailed as he became more known the work would increase. I have worked for my uncle over the summer and saw that he was more than just a boss to his staff, he was also their friend. During work hours everyone would be assigned their jobs and carry them out with no problem, after they would all talk and head down the pub for a drink together. I believe this style of management was very effective, all the staff like my uncle but also respected the fact that he was their boss aswell.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Google images (2011) Blake and Mouton managerial grid [online]. http://www.google.co.uk/images [accessed 8 march 2011]

Blog 3 - Organisational culture

Organisational culture is defined as the body of learned behaviour, collection of beliefs, habits and traditions that are shared by a group of people and learned by them. When people work within an organisation they develop their own culture, just like the way that their national identity is developed in societies. Culture often refers to a group of people that follow the same behaviour and beliefs; this gives a sense of identity. Companies who have a stronger culture tend to do better than ones that don’t.

There are certain visible aspects of organisational culture which relate to the social and physical environment. When looking at organisational culture there are two main theories that best relate, these are French and Bell(1990) and Schein(1992). (Mullins 2010) French and Bell’s organisational iceberg said that there are two contrasting aspects to organisations; the first is visible and formal, whereas the second is hidden and refers more to what goes on despite the formal structure.

While Schein suggests that the most visible level of culture was artefacts and creations. This includes language, technology and the behaviour of group members. There are three layers to this theory, the outer layer which are the visible aspects of culture, the middle layer which are deeper aspects of culture and the third layer which is the basic beliefs on which the organisation was built.

From my own experience in the work place I have some examples of some visual aspects of culture within an organisation. Looking at Wembley stadium and the way in which they use visual aspects, they will act very differently around other staff members than when a customer is around. The most important aspects is to always be able to help the customer’s needs and wants, also to never be unprofessional around them. There is a certain way in which everyone will act to be at their most professional at all times, this is very different when there are only staff around. Aside from this there are certain unwritten rules such as opening the door to people and welcoming them into the stadium, this makes the customer feel welcome and they are more likely to enjoy their time within the stadium. As well as having a business attitude within the work place, every staff member is required to dress in the appropriate uniform so they can easily be identified by the public.

Organisational culture can be classified in many different ways. Handy came up with four different types of organisational culture, these are; power culture, person culture, role culture and task culture.

Power culture consists of powerful figures at the centre and few rules and procedures. Decisions are often made quickly as communication is made in person. Mullins (2010) says that a power culture is often found in small businesses as it relies deeply on trust, empathy and personal communication.

Person culture consists of the individuals of an organisation and how they are the main focus. Therefore meaning that there isn’t a hierarchy as the company only exists to serve the interests of those within it. An example of this type of organisation would be a doctor.

Role culture is often decided with rules and regulations. The job title is seen as more important than the individual and therefore power is on the level in the company hierarchy. People in a role culture will work to a job description, these are seen in the public sector as governments.

Task culture is a project based organisation that involves a lot of team work. This type of culture utilises the right resources and people to create a unique business. It is based more on expert power rather than personal power as it is the task that is essential rather than the individual or company rules. There is a lot more flexibility and freedom within this type of culture.

All organisations will take on their own form of culture and adapt it to suit their needs, but most are likely to have a mix of different cultures within different parts of the organisation. Meaning it is hard to classify most organisations with just one type of culture.

In conclusion organisational culture is the beliefs, behaviour and traditions of a group of people within an organisation. There are not many other theories that look into organisational culture other than the two main ones used here. Both are based on a similar concepts but each split them differently into sections. Not all companies will have the same visual aspects as Wembley but they are commonly used in all businesses. All organisations have unique aspects and have a different culture, also it is very hard to put it under one heading and more often than not different parts of an organisation are made up of different cultures.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Google images (2011) Organisation iceberg [online]. Available from: www.google.co.uk/images [accessed 22 February 2011]

Blog 2 - Improving staff performance

There are two different types of theories relating to motivation, process theories and content theories. The difference between the two is that content theories attempt to explain those specific things that actually motivate the individual at work. These theories are concerned with identifying people’s needs and their relative strengths, and the goals they pursue in order to satisfy their needs. These place emphasis on the nature of needs and what motivates. While process theories attempt to identify the relationship among the dynamic variables that make up motivation. These theories are concerned more with how behaviour is initiated, directed and sustained. These place emphasis on the actual process of motivation.

Wembley stadium was rebuilt in 2007 to replace the old stadium. It is the home of the England football team but does offer more events such as concerts. It holds 90000 people and is the second largest stadium in Europe. Wembley stadium offer a variety of motivational techniques in the form of incentives and training programmes. One of the main benefits of working for Wembley is that they are always running incentives to win free tickets to the football games. Often it is how many tickets can be sold for the stadium tour or selling a specific item that is on promotional offer. This is a very good incentive as it offers the chance for everyone to participate and have a chance of winning the tickets. Other incentives are that all staff get a 25% discount on all club Wembley items including football shirts and merchandise. Wembley are very good at motivating their staff and also have small incentives running everyday so there is always something to work towards, such as getting paid lunch break or the option of leaving one hour early. These techniques that are used by Wembley enable the staff to have something to work towards and increase morale and atmosphere within the staff.

One process theory that I believe to be relevant and important would be the goal-setting theory. Goal-setting theory was researched by Dr Edwin Locke in the late 1960’s. Goals or intentions motivate workers to meet higher performance levels. Employees are more likely to target reachable goals, but allowing them to take part in goal setting can increase their commitment to even those goals that are more difficult to attain. He found that specific and difficult goals led to better task performance than vague or easy goals. Locke believes that people’s intentions or goals play an important part in determining behaviour; people often strive to achieve goals in order to satisfy their emotions and desires. Locke subsequently pointed out that ‘goal-setting is more appropriately viewed as a motivational technique rather than as a formal theory of motivation. I believe that this is important within the workplace as employees feel more motivated when they have something to aim for, so they are working towards something. The schemes Wembley carry out are similar to Locke’s goal-setting theory as all the incentives allow the employee to aim towards a goal. The goals that are set must be SMART goals, this stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. This allows the goal to be achievable and if a goal is set following this outline then it is more likely that it will be reached. Although management have to set a goal that is reachable and a challenge as there is no point setting a goal that is easily attained.

Process theories help to provide an understanding relating to motivation within the workplace. There are other process theories which are important to consider when looking at motivation, these are; Adams equity theory and Victor Vrooms Expectancy theory. Looking at the research into Wembley stadium and the way in which they motivate their staff it can be seen that they use a variety of incentives to cater to each staffs needs and offers something to work towards. These allow their staff to work effectively and to the best of their abilities at all times. Lockes goal setting theory is what I believed to be the most appropriate as nearly all techniques used by Wembley are goal orientated and offer the employee something extra in return for their hard work and loyalty.

References

Mitchell,T and Larson,J.(1987) People in organisations: An introduction to organizational behaviour.3^rd ed. Singapore: McGrow-Hill Book Co (pg 165 – locke)

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Blog 1 - Motivation

Motivation is a key aspect nowadays in the workplace as all employees need motivation to achieve their best efforts within their specified areas. ‘Motivation can be described as the direction and persistence of action.’(Mullins 2010) Motivation is studied in order to determine if people behave in the way they do as it is unique to each individual and have different factors that motivate them. The concept of motivation would be that everyone needs to aim towards a certain goal to fulfil either needs or expectations.

Content theories explore the effects that motivation has upon a person within the workplace. These look at certain goals that the individual has set for themselves in order to satisfy their needs and wants. Frederick Herzberg researched into a theory he called ‘motivation-hygiene’, this theory was first published in 1959, in a book called ‘The Motivation to Work’. Herzberg’s research included interviews with employees about what pleased and displeased them about where they worked. He found that things causing satisfaction (motivators) were different from the things that seemed to cause dissatisfaction. He named the ‘unsatisfiers’ hygiene factors because they were mainly considering the maintenance factors that are needed to keep employees from being de motivated, but that by themselves they would not improve motivation of the workers. Hygiene factors included; company policy, supervision, relationship with the boss, work conditions, salary, and relationship with peers. Herzberg said these may make people unsatisfied if they are not present in a working environment. The motivation factors are; Achievement, Recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth. If these are present in an employee’s external environment then Herzberg believed employees were a lot more motivated at work. I found this theory relevant to my experience from working at Wembley stadium as there are many incentives that are offered to stop de-motivation within the workplace, such as supervision responsibilities and incentives such as free tickets to stadium events. I felt there was a sense of trust and recognition between me and my boss which I believe is very important.

I have always wanted to go to university ever since I started secondary school; I loved the idea of furthering my education away from home and have fun while doing so. This was a huge motivator for me as I knew that I had to work hard and get there on my own. Now that I am at university I know it was worth all the hard work as I do not regret anything. I choose business management as I am still unsure of what I want to do in the future but it is a very broad subject and offers possibilities in the future. What will motivate me for the next two years will be knowing that I am spending a lot of money to be here and study, and do not want to waste this opportunity. Also if I get a good degree I may have the possibility to stay on and further my education further, but otherwise I believe a degree will help me find a successful job when I’m older.

I have been de-motivated working at Wembley before when the shop was offering two free tickets to all staff members to whoever sold the most tickets for the tour of the stadium. This was open to all staff members and as I was part time I could not sell anywhere near the amount of tickets as those who are full-time and therefore felt that however hard I tried there was no way I could win the tickets and I felt very de-motivated. I spoke to my manager about this as there were many part-timers who felt the same as I did, so they decided to offer two tickets the full-timers and then two separate tickets to the part-timers so it was fair and gave everyone a chance to win. I was worried that nothing would be done but the management saw that it was unfair and found a fair solution that suited everyone, I was very happy that I voiced my concerns as from then on there were always separate incentives for the part-timers to give everyone a chance.

To conclude content theories of motivation can offer techniques in order to keep individuals at the workplace motivated and therefore increase quality of work. To satisfy an individual’s needs, goals must be set between management and staff. Everyone is different and it is essential that different motivational techniques are used to cover the variety of people and needs within a workplace. Communication is needed between staff and management in order to keep everyone satisfied, therefore this will keep staff motivated and they can perform to the best of their abilities which will benefit themselves and the organisation.

References

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9^th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Redman, T and Wilkinson, A.(2001) Contemporary human resource management. Essex: Pearson Education Limited