Introduction
There are various factors which affect the performance as well as the behavior of the individuals within a company or a business organization. Culture, power and politics are three such factors which play a major role in the performance of the employees within a particular company or business organization (Taras, Steel and Kirkman 2012). This particular section of the report intends to shed light on the role which the factors like power, politics and culture play in the performance as well as the behavior of the individuals within a company or a business organization.
Role of Culture
Culture can be defined as the agglomerate of the societal norms and behaviors found in the human society (Minkov and Hofstede 2012). However, the general accepted definition of culture is that it is “the prevailing ideas, values, attitudes and beliefs that guide the way in which employees think, feel, and act” (Taras, Steel and Kirkman 2012). However, the definition of culture undergoes a bit of a modification when it is considered in the context of the business world. Hofstede gives a pertinent definition of culture in his theory “Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory” when he says “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from one another” (Minkov and Hofstede 2012). Therefore, in this context culture can be seen a platform where the individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds interact and connect with each other in a bid to achieve the best results for the company or the business organization for which they are working (Hofstede 2013).
Theorists have identified several kinds of cultures within a company or a business organization. The most prominent among them are task culture, role culture, power culture and various others. It is to be noted that among these power culture is the most commonly encountered one in the various companies as well as business organizations. In this particular kind of culture, there are a few selected people or individuals at the head of the power chain and they are imbued with the power or the responsibility to control as well as monitor the behavior of the other employees who are sub-ordinate in rank to them (Goetsch and Davis 2014). However, it is often noted that this kind of organizational culture often creates an environment of fierce competition within the company or the business organization which instead of fostering growth and developing can affect the company in a negative manner. A typical example of this is the incident at the American bank Wells Fargo where the employees in order to please the individuals in power took the help of ethical means to meet their performance requirements. Therefore, in this particular context, the “Sternberg’s Triarchic theory of human intelligence” (1995) becomes very important. As per this theory, “individuals under the power culture would always be seeking validation from those at the top with the power and they will be doing this by making sure their performance is good” (Rosemann and vom Brocke 2015). Therefore, as per various theorists the power culture within an organisation although increases the growth as well as the development rate of the company or the business organisation concerned by virtue of the improved performance of the employees however its long term use might prove harmful for the company or the business organisation concerned.
Task culture is another popular culture which many companies as well as business organizations take the help of their work place to foster an atmosphere of continuous growth and development (Rosemann and vom Brocke 2015). In this particular cultural environment the focus is placed on the tasks or the jobs which the employees are required to perform. Therefore, appreciation or reprimand is given to the employees depending on the kind of tasks which they are performing. It is to be noted that these kinds of cultures are particularly suitable for the groups or the teams where the division of the tasks within the group or the team concerned would enable them to work in a much better manner. Therefore, the individuals often feel motivated to complete the task for their groups or the teams concerned. Another added advantage of this particular culture is that this culture focuses on the skills and the expertise of the individual employees who are required to complete the tasks. Therefore, the employees have the chance to continuously upgrade their skills as well as expertise level as per the needs and the requirements which their job roles and responsibilities demand from them.
Role culture is another type of workplace culture which the various companies or the business organizations often take the help of in order to develop an effective workplace environment (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The main focus of this type of culture is on the kinds of roles which the individual employees are required to perform within the company or the business organization concerned (Goetsch and Davis 2014). Therefore, within the parameters of this particular culture the individuals are required to perform in a ritualistic manner their job roles and responsibilities. Moreover, a proper understanding of the job roles as well as responsibilities is also very important in this particular culture.
Role of Power
It is to be noted that power plays an important role in the performance of the individuals within a company or a business organization. Power can be defined as the ability or the capacity of an individual to influence or affect the performance or the behavior of other employees or individuals within an organization (Minkov and Hofstede 2012). In the opinion of “John French and Bertram Raven” there are five types of power-legitimate, coercive, reward, referent and expert power (Minkov and Hofstede 2012). It is seen that the in most of the organizations a combination of all these types of powers is used for the effective performance of the employees. It is seen that the rewards are the most common means of performance boosters. For example, if a person working hard is rewarded by the management of the organization then the other employees also start to work hard in a bid to get rewarded. Legitimate power, on the other hand, refers to the legitimate power which is provided to an individual within an organization by means of his or her position or rank. Thus, the manager of a particular organization is provided with legitimate power by means of which he or she can ask the employees to work on a project on an urgent basis for the benefit of the company. Therefore, it can be said that power within an organization if properly utilized can lead to the overall growth as well as development of the organization however if it is misused it can have a negative impact on the performance of the employees within the organization.
Role of Politics
Politics forms an important part of not only our day-to-day lives but the various companies as well as the business organizations as well. It is to be noted that most of the business organizations are permeated with the spirit of politics. The major reason behind the use of politics by the individual employees in the workplace is to gain advantage over their colleagues or team-mates (Ferris and Treadway 2012). However, it is to be noted that the majority of the politics in the workplace is largely informal as well as unofficial. It is to be noted that politics can affect the performance of an individual within a particular company or a business organization in a positive or a negative manner depending on the purpose for which it is used (Ferris and Treadway 2012). For example, it is often seen that the employees in order to become the favorite of their team-leaders or managers often indulge in politics. This kind of politics helps in improving the performance of the employees. However, there are other kinds of politics as well like the when a particular individual having some kind of grudge against another employee indulges in politics to get that person removed from the organization. These kinds of politics can actually harm the prospects of the company or the business organization concerned in the longer run.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes that power, politics and culture play an important role not only in the performance of an individual but in the performance of the company or the business organization concerned itself. Therefore, care should be taken by the company or the business organization as see that the three factors are being effectively utilized not only by the organization but by the employees as well for the overall growth as well as the development of the organization and the employees concerned as well.
Introduction
Motivation can be defined as the reason for “people’s actions, desires, and needs” (Cho and Perry 2012.). In other words, it can also be defined as “one’s direction to behavior, or what causes a person to want to repeat a behavior” (Hoch 2013). It is interesting to note that motivation does not come from outside but it something which is inherent in the individual. Therefore, motivation comes from inside the individual or the person concerned. Motivation forms an important aspect of the performance of the individuals in the workplace or the business organization concerned (Cho and Perry 2012.). Therefore, the various companies or the business organizations concerned focus on motivating the employees in a bid to get better performance from them. Therefore, the HR and other individuals in the higher positions of the company or the business organization should try to motivate the employees in order to get better performances from them (Hoch 2013).
Role of motivation
As already mentioned above, motivation plays an important role in the performance of an individual in a particular company or business organization. There are several theories related to the concept of motivation which help the HRs and other people in the organization to motivate the employees in the best possible manner. Some of the most commonly used theories are Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs”, Herzberg “Two-factor theory”, Process Theories like Adam’s equity theory and various others (Anderson 2014).
It is often seen that the various companies as well as business organizations take the help of the diverse content theories to effective motivate the employees. Among the content theories the most popular and widely used is Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” which lists five factors or five different needs of the individuals within the company or the organization for the effective motivation and performance of the employees concerned (Lester 2013.). This theory is “often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest, most fundamental needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization and self-transcendence at the top” (Lester 2013.). Therefore, it would not be too far-fetched to say that this theory sees motivation as well as the effective performance of an individual as the combination of various needs. This particular theory is often used in the workplace to effectively motivate the employees to attain their goals. For example, the managers often place the goal of self-actualization or the attainment of a particular goal or target at the top of the pyramid and motivate the employees to attain them. The attempt for the attainment of the particular target also enables the employees to attain new skills as well as expertise along the way which will help to perform much better in the future (Anderson 2014).
Herzberg “Two-factor theory” is another theory which is often used by the various companies as well as business organizations for the effective motivation of the employees and thereby to improve the level of their performance (Park and Ryoo 2013). According to this particular theory, there are certain factors or things within the workplace which makes the job satisfaction higher for the employees and at the same time there are certain other factors or things in the workplace which reduces the level of job satisfaction among the employees (Malik and Naeem 2013). Therefore, the primary role of the HRs, managers and other higher authorities of the company or the business organization should be to enhance the factors which increase the job satisfaction of the employees while reducing the factors which reduce the level of job satisfaction.
Adam’s Equity Payment Theory is another theory which is often used by the various companies as well as the business organization to motivate and also to improve the performance level of the employees (Al-Zawahreh and Al-Madi 2012). According to this theory,“individual’s ability to be motivated to achieve a goal can be hindered by colleagues getting different level of rewards for the same effort put in” (Al-Zawahreh and Al-Madi 2012). Therefore, the HRs and managers should see to it that equity is maintained within the company or the business organization among the employees performing similar job roles and having similar designations.
In addition to the above listed theories and methods, the various companies as well as business organizations can motivate the employees and thereby increase the level of their performance by rewarding their extra efforts and providing them incentives and other periodical benefits (Barrick, Mount and Li 2013.). It is to be noted that acknowledging the performance of the hard workers can motivate them to work extra harder and also motivates other employees to work like him or she.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that motivation forms an important aspect of the performance level of the various employees within a company or a business organization. Therefore, the various companies or the business organizations should take this concept very seriously and try to motivate the employees using the various theories related to concept of motivation, in the most effective manner in order to get the best possible performance from them.
Introduction
It is to be noted that teamwork forms an important part of the work culture of any company or business organization (Colombini and McBride 2012). It is to be noted that team work not only enhances the performance level of the entire team as well as the company or the business organization concerned but also improves the work culture of the place as it helps the various employees of the company to bond with each other in a more effective manner (Fransen, Weinberger and Kirschner 2013.). Therefore, many companies focus on the process of team work as it helps them to achieve two purposes. However, it is to be noted that an effective team performance can lead to the overall growth as well as development of the company or the business organization concerned whereas an ineffective team performance can reduce the growth rate of the company or the business organization concerned (Mitchell et al. 2012).
Effective and ineffective team
The major difference between an effective and an ineffective team lies in the level of coordination among the different entities of the team. In addition to co-ordination, there are other differences as well between an effective and ineffective team. The primary differences between the two kinds of teams lie in the level of contribution of each individual member of the team to the team, the level of cooperation with the team, the motivation level and various others (Tannenbaum and Cerasoli 2013.). It is to be noted that an ineffective lacks these factors and therefore the performance level of the ineffective teams is not on par with the performance level of effective teams (Colombini and McBride 2012). Therefore, various companies or the business organizations insist on having effective teams as their workforce.
Team and group development theories
There are several theories related to the concepts of team as well as group development and their effective management. Some of the most popular theories used by the various companies as well as business organizations include “Group Development Theory” of Mcclure (1998), Tuckman’s “Group development Theory” and others (Seck and Helton 2014.). It is interesting to note that both these theories give four stages for achieving the concept of effective team. Both the theories even go on to list some of the key differences between the effective and ineffective teams and states that one of the major reasons for the performance level difference the effective and ineffective lie in these four stages of their team formation. Tuckman narrates the four stages as “Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing” (Seck and Helton 2014.). It is interesting to note that the various business organizations as well as companies use these four stages for the process of effective team formation. Therefore, the various HRs as well as the managers should take into consideration these four stages for the process of effective team formation within the company or the business organization.
Relevance of team development theories
It is to be noted that the various team work and development theories play a significant role in influencing the overall organizational behavior as well as the philosophies which dictate the atmosphere of a particular company or business organization (Fransen, Weinberger and Kirschner 2013.). The entire atmosphere of a company or a business organization depends on how well the various diverse entities of the team are able to mingle with each other and perform as a cohesive unit. It is here that the role of the various team development theories becomes very significant as they by means of propagating the concept of team building not only help to improve the performance of the team but also help in fostering an environment very congenial for work and which also helps in developing a proper work environment (Tannenbaum and Cerasoli 2013.). The development theories also help the companies as well as business organizations to drive home their primary philosophies as well as aims into the minds of the employees and therefore it becomes easier for them to follow the philosophies as they are being made clear too them in the initial stage itself.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that team building forms an important part of any company or business organization. The various companies or the business organizations therefore focus on building effective teams which will contribute to the overall growth as well as the development of their entire company or business organization itself. Ineffective teams on the other hand reduce the performance level of the company or the business organization concerned.
References
Al-Zawahreh, A. and Al-Madi, F., 2012. The utility of equity theory in enhancing organizational effectiveness. European journal of economics, finance and administrative sciences, 46, pp.158-170.
Anderson, A., 2014. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The Prairie Light Review, 36(2), p.7.
Barrick, M.R., Mount, M.K. and Li, N., 2013. The theory of purposeful work behavior: The role of personality, higher-order goals, and job characteristics. Academy of management review, 38(1), pp.132-153.
Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons.
Cho, Y.J. and Perry, J.L., 2012. Intrinsic motivation and employee attitudes: Role of managerial trustworthiness, goal directedness, and extrinsic reward expectancy. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 32(4), pp.382-406.
Colombini, C.B. and McBride, M., 2012. “Storming and norming”: Exploring the value of group development models in addressing conflict in communal writing assessment. Assessing writing, 17(4), pp.191-207.
Ferris, G.R. and Treadway, D.C. eds., 2012. Politics in organizations: Theory and research considerations. Routledge.
Fransen, J., Weinberger, A. and Kirschner, P.A., 2013. Team effectiveness and team development in CSCL. Educational psychologist, 48(1), pp.9-24.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Hoch, J.E., 2013. Shared leadership and innovation: The role of vertical leadership and employee integrity. Journal of Business and Psychology, 28(2), pp.159-174.
Hofstede, G., 2013. National cultural dimensions. Recuperado el, 22.
Kacmar, K.M., Andrews, M.C., Harris, K.J. and Tepper, B.J., 2013. Ethical leadership and subordinate outcomes: The mediating role of organizational politics and the moderating role of political skill. Journal of Business Ethics, 115(1), pp.33-44.
Lester, D., 2013. Measuring Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Psychological Reports, 113(1), pp.15-17.
Malik, M.E. and Naeem, B., 2013. Towards understanding controversy on Herzberg theory of motivation. World Applied Sciences Journal, 24(8), pp.1031-1036.
Minkov, M. and Hofstede, G., 2012. Hofstede’s fifth dimension: New evidence from the World Values Survey. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 43(1), pp.3-14.
Mitchell, P., Wynia, M., Golden, R., McNellis, B., Okun, S., Webb, C.E., Rohrbach, V. and Von Kohorn, I., 2012. Core principles & values of effective team-based health care. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine.
Schmiedel, T., vom Brocke, J. and Recker, J., 2015. Culture in business process management: how cultural values determine BPM success. In Handbook on Business Process Management 2 (pp. 649-663). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Seck, M.M. and Helton, L., 2014. Faculty development of a joint MSW program utilizing Tuckman’s model of stages of group development. Social Work with Groups, 37(2), pp.158-168.
Tannenbaum, S.I. and Cerasoli, C.P., 2013. Do team and individual debriefs enhance performance? A meta-analysis. Human factors, 55(1), pp.231-245.
Taras, V., Steel, P. and Kirkman, B.L., 2012. Improving national cultural indices using a longitudinal meta-analysis of Hofstede’s dimensions. Journal of World Business, 47(3), pp.329-341.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download