Communication and Involvement

In terms of involvement, there are vital differences between employee involvement and employee participation. Involvement is described as ‘the degree of commitment by members to the organisation,’ (Mullins, 2010) and refers encouragement of individuals to be committed to organisational values. Employee participation, on the other hand, is collective and refers to employees having a say in group/ organisation-wide decisions which affect them, such as employee rights.

Primarily, Beardwell, Holden and Claydon, (2004) illustrate that the way in which to involve employees in the organisation is to empower them ‘to take responsibility for their roles and function within the organisation,’ by motivating them to take an interest in organisational matters and providing them with the opportunity to participate in the company’s decision making process.

 There are several ways in which organisations can involve employees in decision-making. One such method could be staff opinion surveys, where a regular review can be undertaken whereby staff members give their opinion on a range of issues affecting the organisation. In turn, physical discussions can take place in the form of work committees, where attendees are given the opportunity to discuss decisions affecting the operation of the organisation. In turn, schemes could also be put in place where staff can make suggestions for improvements within the company such as, for example, a suggestion box for workplace improvements for the viewership of senior management.

Alternatively, many organisations have encouraged employee involvement through social networking sites as a means of both involving existing staff and potential recruits. Many types of social networks have been used, ranging from sites such as Facebook, which allow users to communicate through messages, photos etc., to Twitter, the micro-blogging site which allows people to converse via 140 character messages, resulting in fast and instant communication within people. As a result, this means of quick and accessible communication has made social networking sites popular amongst companies looking to improve communication.

 One such example is Canvas Holidays, a holiday travel company which has a staff page on Facebook (click here to view). The page is primarily used for communication between staff, providing dates of staff events, a discussion page where members can post on topics they wish to talk about and a question section for both current employees and new recruits. This, along with the fact that the page also allows staff to share work-related photos and videos, allows the company to enhance informal and social communication, and build on teamwork by improving relations.

In turn, the page is also used by new or possible recruits, whereby they are able to have any queries they may have answered by current employees of the company, meaning they have an accessible means of learning skills and knowledge required to do their job.

Conclusively, employee communication and involvement within companies is shown to be a vital part of running an organisation that is efficient and an environment that staff are happy in. As such, there are many means of communication available to involve staff and enhance staff interaction, with technological advances such as social networking sites increasing the ease with which such communication takes place.

References

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Reward

Mullins (2010) alludes that rewards are given to employees as a result of personal achievements, efforts or for positive actions within their organisation. These rewards are primarily a motivation tool in recognition of employees, in order to encourage them to maintain the same level of standards and behaviour, and perform job role tasks to the best of their abilities.

During my work placement in the advertising sales department for a local newspaper, there were many different forms of rewards given to employees. On top of salary, the main incentive given as a reward, within my department, was for making a sale, and in the form of a confectionary gift, such as a box of chocolates. This was given to employees every time they made a successful sale, as a form of novelty reward, and motivated employees to increase effort so as to make more sales and thus receive more gifts. Such a scheme ensured fairness and equity in the sense that employees were rewarded on output, as the more sales that were made, the more the reward received.

However, this scheme was not reflective of effort, as someone who could have been working hard to make sales all day, but closing none, would have received no reward compared to someone who did half an hour’s worth of telephone calls, and made three sales. However, it could be argued that rewards should be based on output rather than effort, as a hard-worker who doesn’t manage to bring in sales would not be profitable for the company.

In turn, the company also had commission-based pay in place on top of basic salaries. However, this was only in place for employees that had been at the organisation for a specific amount of time. Primarily, although employees who had only been at the company for a short while were not able to receive the bonus, it could be argued that this was a motivator for employees to stay at the organisation for longer, in order to receive monetary rewards. More so, the reward system did ensure fairness and equity, due to the fact that the reward was able to be obtained by anyone, should they have been employed long enough,

Conversely, the idea of performance-related pay could also be applied to the question of Chief Executives should still receive large bonuses if the organisation they have led has underperformed. Primarily, it would be argued that the bonus awarded should be directly proportional to the amount of profit or success the company received. Therefore, should the organisation not be performing, this should be reflected in the head of the company’s pay. In turn, it is likely that if the company is underperforming, employees lower down the hierarchical chain will not be receiving such proportions of bonuses for their job and, as such, the level of the chief executive’s bonus pay should be proportionately in line with those of the rest of the company.

 However, it could be said that the level of responsibility and liability attached to the job, especially in the case of the company underperforming, means that Chief Executives are under a level of pressure which warrants such large bonuses, as, in addition to their large workload, the blame if the company does not do well lies foremost with them. Thus it could be argued that the level of time and effort they invest into the company means that they are deserving of such large bonuses. In turn, with the level of effort and time that is required to run the business, reducing the amount of pay received by the Chief Executive may make them less motivated and inclined to perform to the best of their abilities, meaning that the organisation would not be operating as effectively as it could be and would further suffer.

Conclusively, it has been shown that rewards are used to recognise the achievements and efforts of employees, and to motivate them to perform to the best of their abilities. As such, rewards given should be tailored to ensure that receivers display this level of motivation within their job roles.

References

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Bibliography

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Performance Management

The process of management involves making a ‘continuous judgement on the skills, behaviours activities and contributions of staff’ (Mullins, 2010). As such, performance management is focused on not only improvement as a group, or team, but also at organisational levels, and is used to facilitate employee development.

As a student, my academic performance is measured in several ways within my university. Primarily, this measurement is done through assessments in the form of assignments and exams, whereby the grade achieved is used by the university as a reflection of our academic capabilities and how well the students are doing at that particular point in time and what aid is required to get them to the next level. As a result, the results are often used to decide whether students will need additional aid, usually in the form of the Learning Development Unit, in order to improve e their grades.

The process of assessment itself is usually undertaken by the lecturers, who set assignments to be completed and then mark and review them. They would then be involved in deciding whether a student does require additional help. However, assigned personal tutors also take a role within the performance management process, with students seeking them for development advice as a result of receiving assessment grades. For example, a student may decide as a result of their module grades that they are more suited to another course entirely which is better compatible with their skills, and such decisions would be made as a result of mentoring through the personal tutor.

In turn, there are various skills required to be an effective mentor. As illustrated by Timesonline.co.uk (2008), many people seek skilled and experienced individuals to aid them in becoming ‘more rounded’ individuals. The article further states that mentors are sought in order to gain the benefit of ‘transferring new skills and knowledge’ and creating better networking opportunities, often aiding even directors of companies in improving their products or services and honing personal skills.

As a result, to deliver such benefits, mentors must possess a wide range of key skills and qualities. These include, firstly, the mentor having experience, in order to advise mentees of the best course of action to take within their field. In turn, mentors would also require strong communication skills, being not only good at listening, but sensitive and empathetic, in order to not only engage their mentee, but to create a strong relationship in which they are able to guide taking account of all information, in in order to give the best possible advise. Mentors should primarily stimulate action within their mentee, encouraging them to come up with a solution rather than telling them what to do, in order to allow the person to develop their own skills and grow as an individual.

I personally had a mentor at school in the form of one of my teachers, who aided me in making life and career route decisions at points where I was unsure of what to do One such decision was aided and advised in was choosing a university course best suitable for my skills and developing a career route plan. Such advise not only made me sure of myself, but also gave me specific aims and goals to achieve. This resulted in an increase of motivation, spurring me to do well within my education in order to achieve the goals that I had set for myself. As a result, I feel my mentor was not only empathetic and sensitive to my views, but provided a wealth of experience that helped me take the best possible course of action.

References

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Timesonline.co.uk (2008) Entrepreneurs: a mentor can tune your skills [online] Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece [Accessed 08 May 2011]

Selection

Selection, within business, is the process of narrowing down initial applicants for a job role in order to select the best suited employees for the job at hand, as illustrated by Beardwell, Holden and Claydon (2004). As such, there are many different selection methods organisations utilise to assess job applicants.

For instance, at a primary school I worked at previously, potential staff were assessed through various methods in order to view their capabilities, including short-listing, face-to-face interviews and work simulations. With short-listing, the school uses information from the application forms and CVs of applicants, in order to narrow-down and select the most seemingly suitably skilled and qualified candidates. The advantage of this selection method is that employers are able to analyse and select those people with the on paper skills and qualifications that are most applicable to the potential job role, allowing them to select the most suited employee. In turn, such a selection method means that candidates are selected on merit, and the selection process not biased and affected by face-to-face judgements on the employer’s behalf. However, this method of selection may not be accurate as it is easy for candidates to embellish their achievements on paper and exaggerate their capabilities.

In turn, the next selection method used by the organisation is interviewing, whereby shortlisted candidates are invited for face-to-face interviews to assess how suitable there are for the job role. This has the advantage of allowing the employer to delve into lines of questioning that wouldn’t be expressed on applications, so are able to receive more in depth information on the candidate and their capabilities. It is also easier to determine an applicant’s nature face-to-face, and whether or not they’ve been on honest within their application process. However, as Mullins (2010) illustrates, the nature and pressure of face-to-face interviews may mean that employers do not see candidates as they really are, in personality and conduct, as the interviewee wishes to give the best possible impression. In turn, such interviews are costly to execute in terms of time and effort.

The third selection method used by the school is in the form of work simulation. This is where the candidate is put into the job role work environment for a day in order to see how they respond to the role and how effectively it is carried out. For example, applicants for teaching posts are given lessons in which to teach whilst being assessed by another member of staff. This has the advantage of allowing employers to see the potential employee’s capabilities in practice, and how skilled they are in dealing with tasks required to be completed, as well as how they interact with other members of staff and pupils. However, such a selection method is also costly in terms of time and effort, with members of staff having to leave their regular job roles to assess candidates. In turn, as a result of the presence of staff assessment, employers may not see the candidate’s true nature within the job role, as they would be on their best behaviour, seeking to impress.

An interview I took part in was for the same school organisation, whereby my application had been short-listed and I was called in for an interview. I feel the interview, overall, was effective as I was given a chance to explain what skills and experience I felt I could bring to the job at hand, and was also given the opportunity to list previous achievements I thought were of value.

The interview was also effective in the fact that it was informal, conducted only by the head teacher, and in a relaxed setting rather than across a desk. This I felt helped reduce barriers and made me feel more at ease within the interviews.

Alternatively, within the questioning process itself, I felt that some of the questions were too negative for me to answer directly, such as what I feel my personal weaknesses will be within the I have applied for. Inevitably, answering such questions means that the candidate has to point out likely personal failings within the job role that they were originally trying to prove they were the best candidate for. As such, in my opinion, the employer wasn’t likely to get direct and frank answers from her interviewees with such a line of questioning and, in turn, the results of the interviewing process would have been less effective and accurate.

As a result, I feel there are various ways in which the school could improve its selection process. Primarily, altering the line of question within interviews with positive but critical questions rather than negative ones would mean the employer would be more likely to receive honest answers. In turn, although the organisation had work simulation in place for short-listed candidates, the presence of staff assessors means that applicants are inclined to give the best possible impression of themselves rather than show how they are naturally. As such, the school could look into using feedback from a variety of sources, such as pupil opinions, in order to gain a well-rounded view of the applicant. In turn, extending the work simulations period from days to weeks, with regular assessment, would also allow the organisation to receive a more accurate view of how the applicant would perform on a day to day basis.

Conclusively, there are various methods of selection available to employers and, as it has been shown, the most accurate and applicable methods must be used in order to select the best candidates, with the more methods of selection used, the more rigorous the selection process.

References

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Recruitment

Recruitment is a vital part of any organisation, as the selection of strong candidates is required to ensure that the organisation can operate with the best possible success. As illustrated by Mullins (2010), organisations require methods of recruitment with the widest range in order to obtain the best suited candidates. Primarily, there are many methods of recruitment available to employers, an extremely popular one being through internet job-site advertisements.

One such site is Monster.co.uk. The site appears to have been designed to target all ranges of job-seekers, with a design scheme centring the colour purple, which is inoffensive to either gender or any particular age-group. In turn, the homepage, as the screenshot details, is simple and to-the-point, with users immediately able to type their preferred job type and location immediately to begin searching. This simplicity illustrates that the site has been designed to target job-seekers from all walks of life, as anyone would be able to navigate the site quickly and easily.

However, although the site homepage itself features bold colours and headings to catch the user’s eye, the results pages for available jobs are not.

As shown in the screen-shot, although the job titled is highlighted in green, the small text and pale colour does little to catch the eye and encourage the user on it’s own to find out more about the job. However, the inclusion of the annual salary in the job heading effectively draws the user’s eye and persuades them to select the job link.

Furthermore, the inclusion of a bold, purple bar  highlighted ‘Apply’ within the job pages not only catches the user’s eye, but portrays the idea of the accessibility of getting the job, and would be effective in stimulating action by showing applicants how to apply for the job role.

Overall, the recruitment site is effective with a simple but eye catching design which allows for easy accessibility and efficient usage, due to the quick and easy process of searching for jobs. In turn, although, the poor aesthetic design of the job results page does little to draw the user’s eye, the inclusion of motivating information within job titles, such as salary information, is a strong way to attract potential candidates.

A recruitment campaign that I personally felt was interesting was a campaign run by the British Army recruiting more female applicants. One marketing method, where the job was advertised as a magazine article, was particularly intriguing as the notion that women were just as capable as men within the army was summarised in the title ‘Leading 1000 men - heaven or hell?.’ The light-hearted heading in the form of a question not only draws in the reader but, in my opinion, effectively conveyed the idea of the possibility of woman leaders in the army. In turn, a further marketing initiative I encountered was through army representatives visiting my secondary school to hold a physical workshop aimed specifically at girls, where they were allowed to try out a series of outdoors ‘army training courses,’ to provide them with an idea of whether they would like to go down a similar career route. This, due to being a novelty experience, was a good way to, not only attract interest from potential recruits, as the students enjoyed themselves, but change misconceptions they might have had about the army being male-centred.

Alternatively, when it comes to online recruitment, there are many advantages to an employer:

-          Primarily, due to the internet having a large user-base, the organisation is able to target a larger number of people and, as such, is provided with more options as to securing the best possible candidate.

-          Recruiting through the internet is relatively cheaper than a mass-marketing campaign via other means, such as television adverts, meaning the organisation is able to save on costs incurred.

-          Due to the accessibility of the internet, it is not only quick and easy for a company to post a job advertisement to the web, but also quick to receive a response from applicants, due to the increase ease of communication

-          Automated technology means that it is also much easier to receive and process documentation, such as CVs, with a large amount of the recruitment process being able to be completed online, saving on time, effort and resources on the company’s behalf.

-          It is also easier to target the organisation’s preferred type of applicants by advertising on sites most likely to be used by the preferred candidates, which means that employers are more likely to receive applications from likely employees, reducing admin costs of processing unlikely applicants.

However, there are also many disadvantages of recruiting online:

-          Firstly, the technology and equipment required to maintain an online system for recruitment, e.g. the processing of applications, CVs etc. is often costly.

-          In turn, staff may not have the required technical skills to operate the technology, in which training will have to be invested in or a dedicated IT specialist employed.

-          Also, the internet is mostly by specific age demographics, with users tending to be younger rather than older. As such, utilising online recruitment may mean that employers limit their potential pool of applicants, with older but experienced candidates perhaps being bypassed.

-          Due to the internet being global, organisations may receive applications from people who would never actually be able to take up the job e.g. applicants from other countries. The waste of processing such unlikely applicants would be costly for the organisation in time and effort.

Conclusively, recruitment is proven to be a key part of any organisation, with many marketing and communication methods available to employers, the most popular of which being online recruitment, which, however, has been proven to have many disadvantages as well as advantages.

References

Monster.co.uk [n.d] Monster: Find Jobs, Build a better career [online]. Available from: www.monster.co.uk [Accessed 08 May]

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson.

Equality and Diversity

There are principal differences between ‘equality’ and ‘diversity,’ primarily, diversity literally means ‘difference’, the quality ‘of being different or varied’ (Dictionary.reference.com). When combined with Equality, it is used to refer to recognising individual as well as group differences, e.g. culture. Equality, on the other hand, is stated by Dictionary.reference.com to mean ‘to be equal’ and refers to the creation of a fair society, where everyone is allowed to participate and fulfil their potential.

One such piece of legislation that was introduced by the government to improve equality was the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations Act of 2006.  The regulations make it unlawful ‘to discriminate on grounds of age in employment,’ (Legislation.gov.uk}. Consequently, there have been major effects as a result of this legislation on employers. Primarily, as employers are no longer to turn away potential candidates due to age, they potentially are forced to employ candidates not physically suitable for the job at hand. For example, the manager of a shipyard would typically employ people who are young and physically fit, so able to do the demanding physical jobs at hand, qualities which an older candidate may not possess, the assumption being that older people are less fit and not physically as strong.

However, age preference could also occur the other way round, with older candidates favoured over younger ones. For example, the manager of a retail clothing shop targeting over-50s may wish to employ staff reflective of the target market, in order to be relatable to customers. However, as a result of the Age Regulations Act, this would be discriminatory towards young candidates, and the store would not be allowed to favour certain candidates over age.

In turn, such examples can also link to stereotypical societal views of both younger and older people. Young people are often stereotyped as being lazy, inexperienced and not as hard-working as older people, which may affect an employer’s viewpoint when considering potential employees. On the other hand, as illustrated before, older people are sometimes stereotyped as less fit and able as younger people. This stereotype can also extend beyond physicality to mental state, with older people often stereotyped as ‘behind-the-times’ and not as suitable or creative roles, due to being seen to be not as innovative as younger candidates. As a result, such views may be likely to affect the judgement of employers.

There are, however, ways in which organisations can attempt to change such attitudes. Primarily, training candidates would allow them to gain the skills required to do the job at hand, regardless of age. For example, young candidates could be trained to gain skills in tasks they are inexperienced in, and similarly, older candidates can be taught how to utilise new technologies, ways of thinking and innovation. In turn, stereotypical views could also be eradicated within an organisation by educating the workforce in equality and diversity. This could be done, for example, via workshops exemplifying people who go against the stereotypes of their age-group.

One such company that practices measures in relation to equal opportunities is the John Lewis Partnership. According to their website, John Lewis purports to treat all staff as ‘individuals and with respect, honesty and fairness’ and as a result, Employment policies are ‘fair and provide equal opportunities for all,’ regardless of differences, e.g. age, culture etc.

One equal opportunities measure the partnership has in place is a ’Diversity Strategy Group’ formed in 2003 to champion diversity and set clear aims and objectives for the business. JohnLewisPartnership.co.uk illustrates that the group identified three main aims:

• To increase the number of women in senior management posts
• To increase the number of ethnic minority Partners that progress from non-management to management positions
• To establish a better fit between the ethnic mix of branches and the communities they represent.

To meet such aims and improve diversity, John Lewis’s Diversity Policy has a number of initiatives in place. For example, during 2007, all board directors were given diversity training to better enforce ideas of diversity within the company. In turn, the company further developed an ‘online e-learning programme’ on diversity awareness for line managers, further ensuring that diversity practices are enforced throughout the company’s hierarchical structure. In turn, the company also rewards behaviour that encourages diversity through a provided reward and recognition scheme, which thus encourages and motivates employees to act with equality in mind.

In addition to joining employer forums promoting awareness for disabilities, the partnership is further a member of membership organisations representing employers who want to ‘transform the workplace by ensuring inclusiveness for women and minority ethnic groups.’ Alternatively, however, although such a practice encourages equality for ethnicity and gender, it could also be said that by enforcing such initiatives, positive discrimination may occur, whereby candidates are bypassed for others that illustrate the company’s promotion of equal opportunities e.g. promoting a woman over a man to a managerial position to hit diversity targets.

Conclusively, however, the above research has illustrated that although there are often discriminatory views and practices present within the workplace, many initiatives are being taken, both by government and other such organisations, to eradicate discrimination and promote equal opportunities for all.

 References

Dictionary.reference.com [n.d] Equality [online]. Available from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equality [Accessed 08 May 2011]

Dictionary.reference.com [n.d] Diversity [online]. Available from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity [Accessed 08 May 2011]

JohnLewisPartnership [n.d] John Lewis Partnership – Opportunities for All [online]. Available from: http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?MasterId=74681741-bda8-4258-840b-f4eb1ad2e05c&NavigationId=633 [Accessed 08 May 2011]

Legislation.gov.uk (2006) The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 [online]. Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1031/part/6/made [Accessed 08 May 2011]

 Bibliography

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Teamwork

Teams consist of a situation where ‘a number of people have a common goal, (Mullins 2010), and are thus interdependent on one another in order to achieve their target aims. As a result, cohesive teamwork is an integral part of working in groups, whereby individuals ‘share responsibility for specific outcomes’ (Thompson, 2004), and must be effective in teamwork in order to ensure required tasks are completed effectively.

One example of where a team I was a member of was successful due to cohesive teamwork was during work experience selling advertising space for a local newspaper. The sales team was required to work cohesively to determine likely target consumers, pinpoint demographic areas to aim at when making sales and to communicate the nature of all sales made in order to track whether proposed targets were being hit – all tasks requiring effective teamwork. In turn, I feel that the team development that took place is effectively summarised by the team working theory devised by Dr Bruce Tuckman (1973).

Tuckman’s theory identifies four consecutive steps which all groups are claimed to follow during their development: ‘forming,’ ‘storming,’ ‘norming’ and ‘performing.’  R D Stacey (1999) effectively summarised these stages: the first stage, ‘forming,’ refers to the hesitant initial phase of a group forming, where members are cautious and unassertive, typically looking for guidance. This was also true of our sales team, whereby, as a new group of students put together to work with staff, there was a lot of uncertainty of what you could and could not do.

In turn, the next stage, ‘storming,’ summarised as ‘expression,’  is where, having acquired a sense of security, group members are said to then conflict over what and how things should be done, and what roles each should person should occupy. This is exemplified by our group, whereby after the introduction phase, group members were confident to share their opinions on the approach to take on making sales, often coming up with conflicting ideas, which allowed the best idea to be debated and developed.

Furthermore, as Tuckman illustrates is the nature of this stage, our group reached the third stage of ‘norming,’ by working through their conflicts and determining common ground, in terms of opinion, in order to create a sales strategy everyone was happy with, and thus created a strong team working environment as everyone felt involved in the decision-making process and thus motivated to complete required tasks specified. This resulted in the group reaching the final stage of ‘performing,’ which R D Stacey illustrates is where teams achieve their initial aims, as by following the strategy put forward effectively, and motivated to complete set tasks to the best of our abilities, we achieved our aim of selling the newspaper space as was required.

However, in terms of teamwork during our first assignment for a module within our university course,   the overall development of our team was not akin to Tuckman’s theory of development occurring through the sequential steps of ‘forming,’ ‘storming,’ ‘norming’ and ‘performing.’ This is due to the fact that although our group went through the initial ‘forming’ stage, whereby there was hesitancy within the initial meeting, with all member cautious to take the lead, the group dynamics proceeded to fall into a state of complacency, with members choosing to follow the instruction of one, without posing conflict or challenges to the ideas put on the table, and choosing to agree to the tasks suggested to them rather than voice their own opinions. Therefore, due to our group not having gone through the ‘storming’ stage of conflict, it is shown that our overall development did not adhere to the model Tuckman presented, illustrating that it is not applicable to all groups.

Alternatively, teamwork is a contributing factor to the success of many companies. One such company is Nandos, named by the Times as the best company to work for in 2010. The Times illustrates that in terms of teamwork, 81% of Nandos employees agree ‘that there is a strong sense of family in their teams, and that 79% feel that managers care about them as individuals. This illustrates that Nandos acknowledge the requirement of cohesion in effective teamwork, and thus focus on creating and developing strong relationships, not only between team members, but with leaders too. This results not only in strong communication, but in workers feeling valued and motivated to complete tasks to the best of their abilities, and allowing Nandos to operate as effectively and successfully as possible.

In turn, similar promotion of teamwork values is seen within the company Goldman Sachs, which placed second on the Time’s Best 100 Companies list for 2010. 71% of its staff were polled to have agreed to feel that they are ‘listened to by senior managers and line managers,’ illustrating strong team communication between managers and workers, thus allowing staff to feel valued and motivated to complete tasks within their job roles to the best of their abilities. This is proven by the fact that 79% of employees are said to feel that they can make a difference to the organisation, thus illustrating with the inclination employees are given to contribute to the success of the company, due to the organization’s promotion of teamwork ethics, and thus resulting in the company operating effectively and with success.

As a result, it has been conclusively shown that teamwork is an integral part of the success of any group or organisation, with strong cohesion and strategy required to ensure that the required tasks are completed as effectively as possible. Conclusively, as said by Henry Ford, the founder of the Global car company, Ford, ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself,’ and as my research has illustrated, shared group values are essential for successful teamwork.

References

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Stacey, R D. (1996) Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics. 2^nd ed. London: Pitman Publishing

Thompson L L. (2004) Making the Team: A Guide for Managers. 2^nd ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Upper Saddle River

Personality

Personality is defined by Dictionary.Reference.com as ‘the organised pattern of behavioural characteristics’ of an individual. Primarily, personality refers to the persistent characteristics of a person which explain why they behave in a particular way.

Overall, the aspect of personality is usually explained through two main theory approaches: nomothetic and idiographic.

Mullins (2010), illustrates the nomothetic approach as a ‘measurable and specific perspective’ that deals with the identification of traits and personality as a collection of characteristics. This theory is primarily based on the idea that personality traits are hereditary, a result of nature rather than nurture, as nomothetic approaches view ‘environmental and social influences as minimal’ and view personality as largely inherited and ‘resistant to change.’ (Mullins, 2010).

The idiographic approach, however, relies firmly on the idea that personality traits are developed through nurture rather than nature. Primarily, idiographic approaches are concerned with ‘understanding the uniqueness of individuals and the development of the self-concept’ (Mullins, 2010), and study the societal context in which a person lives and how this affects their personality.

As a result, these two theories illustrate various contrasts and differences between the nature and nurture approaches to personality. Primarily, the ‘nature’ theory insinuates that people have a personality ‘type’, a measured set of traits, and that, thus, as is stated within the nomothetic approach, it would be possible to measure and predict the ways personality types behave in certain circumstances. In turn, the nature approach insinuates that personality traits are hereditary and ‘resistant to change’. Such a viewpoint, however, does not accumulate for the difference in personality traits in families, such as the common case of direct siblings often having different personality traits from each other and their parents, such as preferences etc.

The idiographic approach, or the nurture-based theory, however, insinuates that individual personality traits are developed as a result of the environment the person is in. For example, people are likely to be influenced by the opinions and ideas of the company they keep etc. However, such an approach does not take account of the also common occurrence of hereditary traits that are often found in offspring from their parents, even in the case of separation from birth, such as personal tastes or habits.

As a result, it is possible to summarise that, to an extent, both nature and nurture are dominant influences on personality, as although people often have some hereditary personality traits from their parents, individual personalities are then further developed as a result of social or environmental influences a person experiences.

Although personality is proven to be complex and highly unique in regards to separate individuals, there are many scientific tests available to measure one’s unique personality. One such test is the BBC’s ‘Big Personality Test’ which can be accessed here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

The test follows the line of scientific theory that one’s individual personality is made up of five main traits:

-          Openness – Being ‘open’ to experiences

-          Conscientiousness - how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be.

-          Extroversion - characterised by positive emotions and ‘the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities’ (bbc.co.uk).

-          Agreeableness – measure of how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be.

-          Neuroticism – relating to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations.

However, as individuals, people are likely to have different levels of each trait, which illustrates the nature of their overall personality.

Having taken the personality test myself, the following graph illustrates the levels of each trait in my personality, as found by my test results.

Test Results:

-          Openness: 4.7/5

Having scored highest within the trait category of ‘openness,’ my score is said to illustrate that I tend to be imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, ‘from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods.’ It was further said that people scoring highly within this category find generating lots of imaginative ideas very easy, and I feel that the results have reflected accurately on my personality in relation to the statement ‘ prone to daydreaming.’

-          Conscientiousness- 4.6/ 5

My results illustrate that I tend to be extremely dependable and organise. In turn, a high level of conscientiousness means that the lives of such people are said to be ‘well-planned’ and they approach things in a thorough manner. I am also said to be methodical and thorough in the workplace, with ‘everything in its right place.

-          Extroversion: 2.9/5

Having scored just under a medium level of extroversion, my personality has shown me to be someone who enjoys ‘time away from lots of people’ i.e. feeling drained after social activities, and with ‘quiet time’ being used to relax. A low score in Extroversion is also evidenced to mean I am more suited to ‘intellectual or studious pursuits’.

-          Agreeableness – 3.8/5

My score is said to portray that I am likely to ‘show concern for the feelings of others’ and am inclined to help those in need. However, my level of score also illustrates that although I find it easy to get along with most people, I’m most likely not averse to speaking my mind.

-          Neuroticism -  2.8/5

A medium score within this trait category is said to mean that I am ‘comparatively’ level-headed about perceived threats, but may find myself worrying when faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar situations. My results also state that neuroticism, combined with high scores in traits such as Conscientiousness, as indicated by my scores, can result in a strong work ethic and ‘will to succeed.

Overall, my research into personality has illustrated that as well as being complex and individual to each person, our personalities are made up of distinct traits, the levels of which being unique to each individual. In turn, I have summarised that personalities are likely to consist of both hereditary traits passed down from parents, and those developed and adapted as a result of our natural environments

References

BBC.co.uk [n.d] The Big Personality Test [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml [Accessed 01 May 2011]

Dictionary.reference.com [n.d] Personality [online]. Available from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/personality [Accessed 01 May 2011]

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

Perception and Communication

Perception is described as ‘the mental function of giving significance to stimuli such as shapes, colours, sounds, feelings’ (Mullins, 2010) and is the process of selecting and organising such information, from the environment around us, to ‘provide meaning for the individual’. Thus, perception can be defined as the development of sensory-based observations to form initial personal impressions.

However, these initial impressions can often be incorrect, as although humans regard their individual perceptions as reality, this does not mean that personal assumptions are correct. As Mullins (2010) insinuates, perceptions are based on ‘our previous experiences and learning,’ and are therefore biased and distorted to fit in with our personal opinions.

One example of when my own initial perceptions were incorrect was when I first entered the disability department at secondary school. Having been previously of the (mistaken) opinion that people with disabilities were dependant and unable to lead full lives like able-bodied people, my initial perceptions of the other students were based on these preconceptions. I was predominantly influenced by the visuals of what I could see, primarily, children in wheelchairs, others with disproportionate limbs, and was also influenced by the speech patterns of some of the students (or lack thereof).

However, within moments of communicating with them, I was aware that my initial perceptions were misguided and completely incorrect, and those I spoke to were confident, and not only as ‘normal’ in personality as I perceived ‘regular’ schoolchildren to be, but talented and obviously unconcerned and largely unaffected by their physical disabilities. The experience of communicating with the other pupils, also altered my perception of myself, and, in turn, eradicated the stigma I attached to myself in regards to personal abilities and what I was and wasn’t capable as a result of being labelled a ‘disabled’ child.

Therefore, I feel my experience illustrates that perceptions are not only based on our previous experiences, but also altered by new knowledge and learning, as the understanding I gained from my encounter allowed me to alter my perception of people with disabilities. As a result, in order to ensure I won’t make such incorrect judgements again, it is clear from the experience mentioned that the way to form balanced perceptions is through balanced communication, and in future I will undertake this before making judgements.

In turn, communication is also a key part within organisations, such as between employees within the workplace, or between companies and customers, suppliers etc. and is an extremely important aspect of ‘the efficient running of the organisation,’ (Beardwell, Holden, Claydon, (2004), allowing the company to run effectively and at optimum level.

The article ‘Improving Staff Communication’ (PeopleManagement.co.uk, 2010), primarily states seven main points for effective communication within an organisation:

-          Having a shared purpose – i.e. creating shared goals to unify fellow employees and enhance teamwork

-          Convincing leaders/ managers – maintaining constant communication with leaders or managers to ensure the required tasks are being completed and goals met effectively and efficiently

-          Engaging peers – motivating fellow employees i.e. through portrayal of personal commitment, involving peers in decision-making etc.

-          Considering various communications channels i.e. evaluating the most effective and accessible method of communication, for example, team meetings versus emails.

-          ‘Keeping the personal touch’ – i.e. maintaining face-to-face communication to ensure employees feel valued

-          Working collaboratively –i.e. enhanced teamwork and working with staff to share a wealth of skills in order to achieve company goals effectively and efficiently.

-          Measuring results- i.e. undertaking surveys and such as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of internal communications, and improving upon areas where good communication is felt to be lacking.

Using these recommendations, it is possible to identify many ways in which organisations can improve communication. For example, Bucks University could undertake various routes in order to improve communication with its students. For one, they could utilise the article recommendation made to consider all potential communication channels in order to determine the best possible way in which to communicate with students. For example, although the university operates a service whereby students are sent information and updates via their email, many students are not regular email users, preferring instead to communicate via mobile phones. Therefore, Bucks could take advantage of this by communicating information via phone services, such as texting, rather than email.

In turn, the university could also improve communication by allowing more informal communication between staff and students, i.e. following the article’s recommendation of ‘keeping the personal touch.’ This would not only maintain face-to-face communication, allowing students to feel valued, but would allow staff to be more accessible and relatable to students.

Furthermore, measuring the effectiveness of communication between students and staff would allow the university to evaluate where good communication is lacking and react accordingly, in order to ensure a strong communication process within the organisation.

In conclusion, my findings have not only allowed me to understand the process by which individuals create perceptions, but that unfair judgements are eradicated through balanced communication, allowing one to form unbiased opinions. In turn, good communication has been proven to be a key part of any organisation, in order for the company to run efficiently and effectively.

References

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

PeopleManagement.co.uk [15 July 2010] Improving Staff Communication [online]. Available from: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm [Accessed 30 April 2011]

Enterprise Week

During Enterprise Week, one of the events I chose to attend was a two-hour lecture with a speaker, entitled ‘If it all goes wrong I’ll get a job,’ whereby the purpose of the talk was to give first-hand insight into becoming an entrepreneur.

The speaker in question was a highly successful owner of an advertising recording studio business, who explained how he went about starting his business from scratch, giving first-hand insight into successes and failures he encountered along the way, and how to deal with them. Such problems included raising finances, such as acquiring loans from the bank, and working cohesively with partners, issues which are present for most entrepreneurs.

 As a result I felt the event was extremely useful, due to the fact that, as business degree students, we were given a level of first-hand insight into addressing the problems encountered in setting up and running a business not offered by textbook theories.

It was principally interesting to hear what the speaker felt, from experience, were personal qualities required in order to become a successful entrepreneur, such as the ability to take risks and apply strong determination in order to get things done.

However, what I felt was particularly enlightening was the speaker’s opinion on traits not to have. Primarily, it was insisted that no entrepreneurial venture would be successful with a lack of strong personal desire and passion for the business, due to the fact that without motivation, a person is not encouraged to achieve aims required to the best of their abilities. I feel such advice is particularly applicable to me in the type of career I pursue further on in life; the business event has shown me I need to consider personal happiness when considering possible career routes, not just selecting the routes that would be the most successful financially and in terms of status.

Furthermore, the speaker, explaining how to determine if an entrepreneurial idea is good or not, also addressed issues I previously had with the level of risk involved in investing in new product routes and ventures. The business owner’s primary advice, in answer to the issue of garnering whether the outcome of a decision would be successful or not, was to research as widely and extensively as possible. It was stipulated that the role of the entrepreneur is to come up with new ideas and concepts which ‘satisfy a gap in the market’, and that, in order to understand the market as widely as possible, it is required to research all aspects of the venture, from the needs of target consumers, to buying trends and potential competitors. However, the speaker emphasised that such research should be coupled with a ‘risk-taking’ nature, in order to come up with new and original concepts not explored before.

As a result of this, I not only feel more equipped in knowing how to judge whether a potential idea  or decision will be successful or not within my business career, I also feel inspired to adopt a more risk-taking nature within such a career, and feel encouraged to look at new and unknown routes rather than making safe decisions.

Conclusively, I feel that the business event on entrepreneurship not only gave helpful and first-hand insight into the day-to-day aspects of setting up and running a business, but was successful in inspiring me to see the benefits of being a risk-taker rather than risk-averse, and thus illustrating a different and more exciting level to the sort of career I could have in business.

Conflict

Conflict can be basically summarised as a disagreement between parties in terms of personal needs, interests and concerns. Mullins (2010) defines it as ‘behaviour intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals;’ it is based on the ‘incompatibility’ of goals and arises from contrasting behaviours.

Personal conflict I have encountered is in the form of working within a group for a school film project. The main issues arose due to numerous plotlines being discussed, and the fact that several team members had personal ideas on how to execute and portray the storyline of the film in order to meet the brief we’d been given. This, as Mullins (2010) states, led to opposing members of the group partaking in behaviour intended to restrict others from developing their own ideas. Consequently, the group ran far behind schedule, with a substantial amount still to do with the deadline days away.

As a result, in order to resolve the conflict that had arisen, an impartial team member took charge of communication and organisation in order to persuade all members of the group to negotiate leeway on individual stances and discuss a solution which would satisfy everyone. As a result, the filming of the project was broken down in such a way to allow all members to incorporate their individual ideas within different aspects of the film.

Primarily, it was the impartiality of the self-appointed team leader which allowed them to have an influence on the group, as the person in question was not biased to one particular side. Mullins (2010) describes exercise of power, such as in the example given, a ‘social process’ which helps to explain how different people influence the actions and behaviour of others. In turn, according to the theory by French and Raven, there are many sources of power on which ‘the influence of the leader is based’ (Mullins 2010), such as referent power, reward power and expert power.

Referent power is based on the identification peers have with the leader. This is likely to be based on the fact that the leader commands their respect and esteem due to personal characteristics, reputation etc. An example of this could be the ‘impartial group member’ within the group I worked in for the school film project, where it was their level-headed communication and organisation of the team which caused the group to give them universal respect and acknowledge their assertion of authority.

In turn, reward power refers to people’s perception that the leader has the resources to give out rewards, and that complying with their orders will lead to receiving said rewards. This could be in the form of a department manager or such being able to reward good performance with job promotion, motivating employees below them to increase their efforts in order to achieve good job performance.

Expert power, on the other hand, is based on the ‘subordinate’s perception of the leader as someone who is competent and [has] knowledge or expertise in a given area.’ (Mullins 2010).  Such power is based on credibility, and could refer to long-term and respected members of any organisation, who have experience of dealings within the company. A specific example could be a long-term successful football manager, whose experience would make them a respected figure within the footballing community, and allow them influence over lesser managers and such.

In general however, according to Mullins (2010), there are also many strategies which can be used to overcome conflict at work, the first of which being to clarify goals and objectives. Unclear objectives often create conflict as employees become frustrated in trying to perform assigned tasks. Therefore, such clarification helps to reduce misunderstanding and aid employee efficiency.

Furthermore, a strategy should also be implemented to improve interpersonal and group skills, whereby employees would be able to improve communication skills and learn to empathise with the other person’s viewpoint. Such a strategy would thus help reduce disagreements of points of views and encourage cooperation.

Leadership and management styles should also be analysed in order to resolve conflict. A more personal and supportive style of leadership and behaviour would help manage conflicts, for example, by creating an atmosphere of trust to engage employees.

Conflict can also be resolved through the provision of non-monetary rewards, in the form of a more satisfying job and workplace. This involves addressing things such as training, flexible working hours, and ensuring work remains interesting and challenging, in order to create a content and satisfied staff.

Changing organisational processes, moreover, may also help reduce conflict. Such processes include the authority/hierarchy structure, methods and patterns of communication, and unnecessary bureaucratic procedures, all of which can be altered in order to resolve conflict and again ensure a satisfied workforce.

Conclusively, however, my research into the topic of conflict not only shown me the various reasons for which it can arise, but also the methods that can be put into place in order to resolve and reduce it, thus creating an efficient workforce.

References:

Mullins, Laurie J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9^th ed. Essex: Pearson