Organisation Culture

                                                    Organisation Culture

Body shop

Body shop is a business that started in 26th March 1976 in Brighton, on the south coast of England, the first shop was open on this day. Body shop has ethics about their products and their mission statement states that:

 “The Body Shop mission statement states that we will operate our business with a strong commitment to the well being of our fellow humans and the preservation of the planet.”

This mission statement was found on: (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=body+shop+ethical+policy&aq=2&aqi=g5g-m1&aql=&oq=body+shop+eth&gs_rfai= )

Whilst working in the body shop I found out they like to have everything clean and organised they give the environmentally friendly feel across to their customers, they have the nice mutual calm colours in their shop to create a good earth environment.
Even on the body shop website they display the same cultural image as in store print screen of body shop site showing the colours they used and the background that is a leaf showing the environmentally friendly image they are perceiving:

So as you can see Body shop is keeping their “strong commitment to the well being of our fellow humans and the preservation of the planet”. Keeping and making their culture very clear in their website and stores.

Charles handy(Handy) believed in power culture, this is often within a small business such as a corner shop because they would have one central power figure in this case that would be a store mangers/owner, there would only be a few rules for example , not being late and making sure the last person locks up the store, all communication done within that business would be personal as it would be small it would be very easy to communicate with one and other for example wanting extra shifts, calling and asking the manager will would be the way of gaining the extra shifts also with a link to this fast decisions can be made an example of this would be an answer on the phone for the extra shift request.



Handy also believed in 3 more types of culture.
Role Culture, this is typical of a  bureaucratic organisation for example a major law firm for example of one being Clifford Chance law firm, within this organisation work would be decided via rules and regulation  broken rules and regulation is not prohibited and would be frowned upon.
Power is based by level of hierarchy this means depending on your position within the business will define your importance and value, everyone with the employee would have a set job description to each the individual, so everyone has a place they belong to and have vas knowledge of what it is they are doing.



Task culture, this is usually in a project based company, companies that have direct contact with the customer such as E-businesses.
because the business will be on one websites employees have to work together this includes a lot of team working due to they may be taking orders from customers so they will need to let other members of the team know.
Because working on an E-business is mostly about providing the customers with product the task at hand is key other then individuals or rules, also because the business has no real structure the employees have real freedom and flexibility within the business for example, leaving early and having informal discussions amongst each other.



Person culture, because personal culture only exists to serve the interest of those within it example of theses are barristers and architects, they tend to only have interest for themselves, having no hierarchy and other people above them the individuals are central.

Handys theory is good but there are problems of trying to classify culture into one of the four above for example the attitude of the people within the organisation may change for example they may change their beliefs or on the other hand they may be resistant to change for example changing values and morals or behaviour to fit into the culture of the organisation.
New locations may be a issue but individuals may not want to move locations due to morals, so there is a number of things that may disrupt the handys theory.


Conclusion
I believe that defining cultures can be very difficult you have to take several factors into accountfor example behaviour and values in a organisation I believe to define a culture of a business you would need to go through many stages of why and how things are done in the business.

As a business has been created, automatically they have a culture that has been created for them via the public but it is the businesses job to make sure the public have the right image to determine the culture of the business, for example the business I looked at was body shop due to the website and in store people could clearly identify the environmental friendly culture they perceive.

I looked into Charles handys work and I come to believe that it is very difficult to separate cultures into four categories like he did, I believe there will be a lot of problems accruing and reasons for change.

I now come to accept and realise though this blogg that a business culture is very important and should be thought about carefully because it’s not as easy to define it, as it is to say it.

Improving staff performance

Two types of theories are content and process theories, content theories are such as Fredrick Herzburg and Alderfer’s ERG theory, process theories are such as, Victor Vroom Expectancy Theory and The Adams’ Equity Theory, it’s simple to tell the two types of theories apart process theories of motivation focus on the employees of businesses needs and who those needs influence their behaviour and how the employees work together on the other hand content focuses on the task and issues the employee is working on.

An example of one content theory is ERG theory (picture below):

picture from (google images.com/erg.com )Alderfer’s GRE theory is a very simple content to understand it has strong similarities to Maslow hierarchy of needs the only different is that Alderfer does not believe it is a higher hierarchy, he believes that at the lower level of existence is to stay alive, to be safe and also physically comfortable this correlates with Maslow’s safety needs, the Relatedness is the next level  beliving that once we are safe, secure and basic needs are met we would now start considering social needs such as relationships and creating a sense of identity and position in society this relates to Maslow’s Love/belonging and esteem needs. Growth is the last level at this highest level we strive to grow and achieve success , feeling a sense wholeness this is equivalent of Maslow’s self-actualization.

On the other hand an example of Process theory is  , Victor Vroom Expectancy Theory.(picture below):

Victor vroom’s theory has three factors, Effort, Performance and outcome the concept of victors theory is for a person to be motivated effort, performance and motivation must be linked. He proposes three variables to account for this, he calls them valence, expectancy and instrumentality.
Expectancy is the belief that increased effort will lead to increased performance, Instrumentality is the belief that if you perform and do well the outcome will be valued an example of this is if someone does a good Job they will receive a good reward. Valence is the importance that the individual place upon the expected outcome, an example of this is someone who’s key motivation is money so they would not value, offers, perks or additional time off.Motivation within the organisation of Tesco, Tesco is a very well known brand they have built their name since 1929, they have managed to create customer loyalty and consumer confidence within their customers, Tesco also cares about their employees, Tesco offers employee discounts and other perks to motivate their employees.

I decided to conduct my own primary research so I introduced myself to a member of staff from Tesco in the Eden centre whilst he was smoking on brake, I told him about my blogg assignment and asked if it was ok if he could answer some questions I have for him he said “ok, no problems mate”
I didn’t want to be rude so I asked a little information about him first, I asked his age, he replied “18” I also asked how long he has been with Tesco and his poison in the business, he said “round about 2years and I work as check-out but also on shop floor” I said “that’s nice, do you like it ?” he said “YES” in a loud voice, I then said ow what so good ? he then carried on to tell me that “ I enjoy working at Tesco, I have a plan currently am a customer service advisor but I wont to move on to be a store manager in about another 2-3 years “ “ I dropped out of school at 16 so that been my plan since then.

after about 5minutes talk we then started talking about motivation and why he is so interested and motivated to stay with tesco, he then went on and told me about his training day “I had  a really good training day with the managers it was easy to talk to them, Uno it wasn’t scary the relationship is good” I asked about the perks “perks like free stuff ?”  “They give us discounts, coupons and good holidays” “managers motivate you as well it’s like a community and you love being in it”.

so as you can see from that very informal interview I had with this young man from Tesco, Tesco motivate their staff mainly with behaviours such as treating employees with respects and compassion, as I was talking to this young man I was waiting for him to say how he was motivated by money, I mean at the age he is at you would think money is a high, level of motivation but to my surprise he never gave any information on his wages.

I also looked on the careers section on tesco home page I took a print screen of my findings:


As You can see Tesco offers a large list of rewards and benefits.
I have gone on to elaborate on each one.
All information was taken from tesco website at : (http://www.tesco-careers.com/home/working/rewards-and-benefits/we-all-share-in-our-success

Share our Success

At Tesco, we like to ensure our staff are cared for financially. So whether you have been with us 3 months or 3 years we run three successful share schemes, all helping you end up with more cash in your pocket.

Shares in Success

So, to thank our people for the success they've brought the business, we give free shares to everyone who's worked here for one year at the end of the financial year (February). We share a proportion of our profit amongst our staff, based on salaries. These Tesco shares are held in trust for 5 years, and after that you can take them, tax-free.

Save As You Earn

Every October those people who've been here a year get the option to save up to £50 every 4 weeks for either 3 or 5 years and receive a tax-free bonus at the end. You can use your savings and bonus to buy Tesco shares at up to 20% less than the market price, or take the cash.

Buy As You Earn

After three months working with us you'll have the chance to join the BAYE scheme. You buy shares at the market price every 4 weeks, saving tax and National Insurance on the salary you use to do this. You can start, stop or change the amount you invest at any time. And if you keep the shares in trust for 5 years you'll get even more tax advantages.

Staff Privilegecard

To reward you for your loyalty, after a year working at Tesco you will be given your Privilegecard - the staff loyalty card that gives you 10% discount and Clubcard points on most Tesco products.

And eligible staff also have access to exclusive staff discounts with Tesco Personal Finance and Tesco Telecoms.

Pension

We look after your future too

None of us know what the future holds, but you can be sure that peace of mind and financial security for our staff is very important to us. Planning ahead to your retirement is easy with our award winning, Tesco pension scheme.

With a Tesco pension you are able to understand how financially secure you will be when you decide to retire. As well as pension provision you have access to a life assurance scheme that will provide financial protection for your family.

Your leisure time

Our staff work hard, so we believe they should be able to make the most of their leisure time. To help with this we have negotiated discounts and special offers that are available exclusively to Tesco staff.

There are discounts on theme parks, holidays and gym membership that are available all year round. There are also special offers throughout the year, to make sure there's always something for everyone.

Protecting your health

To ensure that staying fit and healthy doesn't cost our people an arm and a leg, we have some great discounts with top healthcare companies. We offer exclusive discounted rates for staff on health cash plans, dental cover and private medical insurance, to help take the burn out of healthcare costs.

Supporting your lifestyle

We recognise that Tesco staff have busy lives outside of the workplace, so we've introduced a range of policies that will help you find a better balance between your work life and home life.

From saving money with childcare vouchers to taking time off work for a career break or extended holiday, at Tesco there are a variety of options available to support your lifestyle.

From talking to the staff from Tesco and looking at their website i think the best process theory that can be used to discribe the business is Maslows hierarchy of needs ( diagrame shown below ):

Picture taken from : (http://www.ict-learningnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/maslow-hierarchy-needs.jpg )

Maslow best show Tesco because of the levels, when you first start at tesco you can be a basic customer service person at this position Tesco shows us they meet basic survival needs by paying their staff and giving brakes and having clean facilities, they also have safety needs security on shop floor, CCTV and also fire doors/escapes.
Psychological needs are met by the nice and helpful managers that are described in my primary research by the employee from Tesco, Tesco also give opportunity for itsmoving from customer service to supervisor letting the employee reach self actualization.

Conclusion :

Within this topic i found quite a few things out such as money for all employees is not the key motivation, they have other motivation such as moving up within the business, praise from the manager, holidays and discounts.

whilst working in a organisation as big as tesco employees may come in a long line, this could leave them thinking their opinion and presents is not valued but that is not the case within this organisation, Tesco has store managers to run each branch so all employees can feel an existence and belonging within the business, having training days and having staff meetings back up the feeling of being valued.

I see now that an organisation/business have to work very hard to keep employees motivated and working hard so those employees can perform hard and keep up the good reputation Tesco currently holds Global.

Motivation Theory

                                                                                                Motivation
Many types of motivation theories have been made, such as Abraham Maslow’s (Maslow) hierarchy of needs, Frederick Herzbergs (Hertzberg)  two factor theory and also David mc clelland (Mc clelland) motivation needs theory but they all focus on motivation in different ways an example of one of the above theories is Maslow theory his hierarchy of needs ;
Maslow has a hierarchy of needs table, this table can be made into different types depending on what type of motivation that is being focused on for example personal motivation in society things that would help you be motivated and move up in society and reach self actualization in your  day-to-day life and also it can be used for motivation in the work force what staff basic needs are and what they need to do to move up in the business and to feel like as an employee they have reach self actualization.
I have included a table below to give you an idea on the hierarchy of needs table I have also attached a secondary research with this blog in a form as a video other people have expressed their views on the Maslow’s theory.  (Shown below):







Table taken from : (http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1DSGK_enGB397GB397&biw=1366&bih=667&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=work+maslows+hierarchy+of+needs&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= )

Maslow’s theory is particularly relevant to me and my everyday life in society and in my work force as a student in university reaching self actualisation is one of the long term goals the degree would be the part of the hierarchy table that covers self actualisation.
Basic needs would be just attending university and being provided the education needed to move up, things that would come under safety needs would be CCTV in the institute that am attending is being received from, belongingness and love needs would be support and help from the teachers with all the above esteem needs would be accomplished by now due to all the help and support and basic needs and security making you feel good giving you the ego boost you need.
With the ego boost  feeling good about yourself and feeling like you can achieve many things and challenges in front of you self actualisation would be next upcoming step to take and this step will be relevantly easy at this stage due to previous stages of the hierarchy table.


To be motivated means to want to do something, you have a drive or passion about what it is you want to do, for myself coming to university and wanting to do well and gain a degree is motivation for me, my aspirations and goals are key motivations they motivate me long and short term, planning to stay within university for 2-3 years that can be classed as a long time to stay motivated and focused, other things keep me motivated as well as my aspirations and goals things such as:

 Having a job  that I like, work well at, enjoy and with good friendly managers and colleagues  motivates me I have another part in my life that I can focus on so I don’t think about education all the time also my mother motivates me, to think about making her proud and smile for her to be able to say “Yes that my daughter with the degree” gives me an ultimate long term motivation it pushes me and makes me want to strive to reach self actualisation.

Within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs I believe that the current  stage I have reached is within the 3 weeks I have been in university is “Belongingness and love needed”  the university that I am studying  at provides me my basic needs such as: toilets on every floor, teachers, a library for resources and water. The university also offers CCTV cameras and security personnel in the building so that gives a sense of safety which gives a calm atmosphere enabling motivation and also having the opportunity to join many clubs and societies and also having the lecturers personal e-mail address and office numbers makes me have the  “belongingness and love factor” .


Where there is motivation, de-motivation can also be found, being de-motivated can be a very negative effect on things that you do for example being de-motivated at work can slow down your performance or reduce the quality of the work you are doing, de-motivation can be caused by many of the stages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs not being met an example of this would be if you was at work and your basic needs were not met such as : brakes, clean toilets and water, all these things could make you de-motivated.
As a student in university many things can de-motivate me an example of this is if my lecturer is consistently late and unreachable, I would be de-motivated because not having the right support and information to complete assignments would bring me down and also if there were no toilets and libraries because I believe that they are basic needs as Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs shows without the basic needs you cannot move up and people cannot be motivated without the basic needs.

I have been de-motivated before and you don’t realise your de-motivated because it feels normal because you have got yourself into a routine and once in a routine it become the norm for your everyday life. I was de-motivated at my previous job as a waitress, feeling like I was not moving up and I was stuck doing the same thing day in and day out I felt like my work was not acknowledged and I ended up blending in with the furniture, this did not only cause de-motivation but also caused stress and irritation so I was not doing a good job anymore after some time, I didn’t really solve the situation all I did was leave the job and applied for a new one that would motivate me and I would be good at.
The motivation theory that is perfect to describe this situation that I was in would be Clayton P Alderfer’s ERG theory  ( shown below ):

Table taken from : (http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1DSGK_enGB397GB397&biw=1366&bih=667&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=work+maslows+hierarchy+of+needs&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= )

Maslow’s theory is particularly relevant to me and my everyday life in society and in my work force as a student in university reaching self actualisation is one of the long term goals the degree would be the part of the hierarchy table that covers self actualisation.
Basic needs would be just attending university and being provided the education needed to move up, things that would come under safety needs would be CCTV in the institute that am attending is being received from, belongingness and love needs would be support and help from the teachers with all the above esteem needs would be accomplished by now due to all the help and support and basic needs and security making you feel good giving you the ego boost you need.
With the ego boost  feeling good about yourself and feeling like you can achieve many things and challenges in front of you self actualisation would be next upcoming step to take and this step will be relevantly easy at this stage due to previous stages of the hierarchy table.


To be motivated means to want to do something, you have a drive or passion about what it is you want to do, for myself coming to university and wanting to do well and gain a degree is motivation for me, my aspirations and goals are key motivations they motivate me long and short term, planning to stay within university for 2-3 years that can be classed as a long time to stay motivated and focused, other things keep me motivated as well as my aspirations and goals things such as:

 Having a job  that I like, work well at, enjoy and with good friendly managers and colleagues  motivates me I have another part in my life that I can focus on so I don’t think about education all the time also my mother motivates me, to think about making her proud and smile for her to be able to say “Yes that my daughter with the degree” gives me an ultimate long term motivation it pushes me and makes me want to strive to reach self actualisation.



Where there is motivation, de-motivation can also be found, being de-motivated can be a very negative effect on things that you do for example being de-motivated at work can slow down your performance or reduce the quality of the work you are doing, de-motivation can be caused by many of the stages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs not being met an example of this would be if you was at work and your basic needs were not met such as : brakes, clean toilets and water, all these things could make you de-motivated.
As a student in university many things can de-motivate me an example of this is if my lecturer is consistently late and unreachable, I would be de-motivated because not having the right support and information to complete assignments would bring me down and also if there were no toilets and libraries because I believe that they are basic needs as Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs shows without the basic needs you cannot move up and people cannot be motivated without the basic needs.

I have been de-motivated before and you don’t realise your de-motivated because it feels normal because you have got yourself into a routine and once in a routine it become the norm for your everyday life. I was de-motivated at my previous job as a waitress, feeling like I was not moving up and I was stuck doing the same thing day in and day out I felt like my work was not acknowledged and I ended up blending in with the furniture, this did not only cause de-motivation but also caused stress and irritation so I was not doing a good job anymore after some time, I didn’t really solve the situation all I did was leave the job and applied for a new one that would motivate me and I would be good at.
The motivation theory that is perfect to describe this situation that I was in would be Clayton P Alderfer’s ERG theory  ( shown below ):


Link from (http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1C1DSGK_enGB397GB397&q=alderfer's%20erg%20theory&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1366&bih=667 )

In the job I was in I wasn’t  shown existence I felt unacknowledged and relatedness and this led to me not feeling like I could grow and become something within the business Alderfer shows three simple steps that I didn’t feel like I accomplished though out my time at the job, Alderfer shows needs in all the steps, existence, relatedness and growth needs I believe none of my needs were met.

Another motivation theorist would be David Mc Clellads he believed that everyone have fundamental needs that effects how we are motivated and how we motivate others.
diagram shown below :
n-ach: Need for achievement:Seeks achievement, attainment of goals and advancement. Strong need for feedback, sense of accomplishment and progress
n-affil: Need for affiliation:Need for friendships, interaction and to be liked.
n-pow: Need for power
Authority motivated needs to influence and make an impact. Strong need to lead and to increase personal status and prestige.




Table taken from : http://www.arrod.co.uk/archive/article_motivational_needs.php

I believe whilst working I had a need for achievement and affiliation whilst I wasn’t  receiving that I felt very de-motivated and felt like I no longer wanted to work in that establishment.


Conclusion  
Though this blog I have done a lot of research and I have found out a lot of information and gained my own opinions about motivation and motivation theorist, I have realized that most motivation theorist conducted their research in the USA so it brings the question that is it the same for the UK ? having this question in my head urged me to relate the theories to myself so I related the theorist to my own personal social life, education life And my work force life, the motivation theorist that I understand and relate to the most is Maslow’s the hierarchy of needs the concept of his theory is very easy to understand and for example the levels are easy and clear you cannot move up from one level to another without achieving the previous level for example : you cannot gain self actualisation without  your basic needs being met fist and also Aldefer’s theory is very clear and simple his concept is demonstrated though everyday life in businesses and organisation even in a government status for example being an MP,

E- Existence needs -  as an MP you’re in the role to be for recognition  people who are MP’s  are usually referred to as important people in society.

R- Relatedness needs – as an MP you would have a big EGO due to the title in which you hold.

G-growth – due to the position you are in most MP’s  want to grow and find them self in the Priminister  potion showing that they have grown. 
A popular example that I can be used to show this example is Edward Miliaband.
Firstly stated of as a regular MP(Existence needs) in his local area giving him an EGO( Relatedness needs) moving up and becoming in the public eye within the labour party now running a campaign to be leader of this party he may see this as self actualisation (Growth needs).


so I believe I now have a clear insight on motivation on the human behaviour in and out of the work force also relating the different theories to my work and social life gives me more of a greater understanding in why motivation theorist found it important to research and understand the uses of motivation, because they have now been able to use it to their advantage and by creating a good stable motivating work force.