FT U12 Organisational Behaviour

Assignment Brief

FT U12 Organisational Behaviour

Learning Objectives

• LO1 Analyse the influence of culture, politics and power on the behaviour of others in an organisational context
• LO2 Evaluate how to motivate individuals and teams to achieve a goal
• LO3 Demonstrate an understanding of how to cooperate effectively with others
• LO4 Apply concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour to a given business situation

You are an intern working in organisational development in a local company. The company can be a large local company or the local subsidiary of an international company. You have been invited to attend a Nordic Employer Advisory conference on behalf of your organisation. Before the conference takes place, you are required to submit a case study report that critically evaluates the influence of culture, politics and power and motivation on the behaviour and performance of individuals and teams in your company.

In your Case Study Report you will:

• Briefly introduce your company.
• Critically analyse how organisational culture, politics and power influence the behaviour and performance of both individuals and teams.
• Critically evaluate how the effective application of behavioural motivational theories, concepts and models in your organisation influences the behaviour of others.
• Discuss how these factors can enable teams and organisations to succeed, and provide justified recommendations .

For LO3:

You are a team leader in a medium-sized company that creates mobile games. The Director of Human Resources has invited you and other team leaders to attend a workshop to discuss team development theories and their influence on behaviour in the workplace. The aim of the group discussion is to critically analyse and evaluate how the relevant team and group development theories can support the development of effective, dynamic cooperation. Support your explanations with relevant examples of effective and ineffective teams. Try to reach a consensus on how team development theories can influence behaviour in the workplace. In your reflective paper, you should analyse how effective your group discussion was in achieving its aims.

For LO4

The Directors (see scenario in LO3), have now asked you to prepare for possible changes in the organisation. The company would like to shift some of its functions to distance working. You will introduce some useful concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour to help them face the challenges of the future. You are required to prepare a written guidance that will:

• Introduce the relevant concepts and philosophies of organisational behaviour for the organisation.
• Apply the relevant concepts to the given business situation.
• Evaluate how the concepts can inform and influence behaviour in both a positive and negative way.
• Critically analyse and evaluate the relevance of the concepts and philosophies of OB and justify your conclusions in the context of the given business situation.

Sample Answer

Case Study Report: Organisational Behaviour at Ubisoft Mobile UK

Introduction

Ubisoft Mobile UK is a subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment, a multinational video game publisher. The studio develops mobile games for the global market and employs around 250 people, including designers, software engineers, artists, and project managers. The company operates in a highly competitive, fast-moving sector where creativity, collaboration, and innovation are essential. As an intern in the organisational development team, I have observed how organisational culture, politics, power, and motivation shape employee behaviour and team performance. This report critically evaluates these influences and reflects on team cooperation, before applying organisational behaviour (OB) concepts to future changes, including a move towards distance working.

LO1: The Influence of Culture, Politics and Power

Organisational culture provides the shared values and norms that guide employee behaviour. At Ubisoft Mobile UK, the culture can be described as creative and collaborative, reflecting Handy’s “task culture” model. The open-plan office design and emphasis on cross-functional teams encourage idea-sharing and innovation. However, the culture is also influenced by Ubisoft’s corporate values of accountability and excellence, which can create high performance expectations and pressures on individuals.

Politics in the workplace also shape behaviour. Resource allocation (e.g. which project receives more developers or marketing support) often involves political negotiation between project leads. While healthy politics can encourage leaders to advocate for their teams, negative politics may result in favouritism or conflict, lowering morale.

Power dynamics are also significant. Senior producers and creative directors hold legitimate and expert power that strongly influences decision-making. French and Raven’s model of power is useful here: while legitimate and expert power are mostly positive, reliance on coercive power (e.g. threats of project cancellation) can demotivate staff. The presence of power imbalances sometimes leads junior employees to hesitate in sharing creative ideas, which can reduce innovation.

In sum, culture, politics and power interact to shape the behaviour of individuals and teams. A collaborative culture promotes creativity, but political struggles and power imbalances may constrain participation or undermine performance.

LO2: Motivation of Individuals and Teams

Motivation theories provide useful insight into behaviour at Ubisoft Mobile UK. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory shows how hygiene factors (e.g. salary, job security) and motivators (e.g. recognition, achievement) influence employees differently. The company provides strong hygiene factors, including competitive pay and a supportive workplace environment, but creative recognition acts as the most powerful motivator for designers and developers.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is also relevant. Basic physiological and safety needs are met through stable employment, but higher-order needs such as belonging, esteem, and self-actualisation are especially important. Team-based game projects satisfy belonging needs, while public recognition of successful launches satisfies esteem. Opportunities for innovation and leadership allow employees to reach self-actualisation.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory helps explain why clear goals and fair reward systems are essential. If employees believe that effort leads to performance (expectancy), performance leads to outcomes (instrumentality), and outcomes are valued (valence), motivation is high. When project deadlines are unrealistic or reward distribution is unclear, motivation declines.

Overall, the effective application of motivational theories within Ubisoft Mobile UK has a strong influence on behaviour and performance. By recognising and rewarding creativity, the company maintains employee engagement, though it must remain attentive to workload pressures and fairness.

Continued...