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.