Unit 20: Organisational Behaviour

Unit Number and Title

Unit 20: Organisational Behaviour Management 

Academic Term

Sep- Dec 2025

Module Leader

Unit Tutor

Assignment Title

Organisational Behaviour Management

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Issue Date

Formative Feedback Date

Submission Date

Submission Format

Written Report

The submission is in the form of a Written Report.  This should be written in a concise, formal business style using 1.5-line spacing and font size 12. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs, and subsections as appropriate and all work must be supported with research, including examples, and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. LO1: Reflect on own personality and perceptions to understand how individual difference informs and influences management approaches

Please make sure the similarity and AI does not exceed the threshold of 20% as assignments with higher similarity may get blocked. The recommended word limit is a minimum of 3000– a maximum of 5000 words, although you will not be penalised for going under or exceeding the total word limit.

• Communication and listening, including the ability to produce clear, structured business communications in a variety of media to reflect the personality and perceptions.
• Conceptual and critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
• Development and delivery of relevant theories to the business, appropriate to the organisational culture.
• Research, analysis, and presentation of business data (both internal and external) to provide insight, support solutions to business issues, and track organisational culture.
• Curiosity about cultural trends and developments, incorporating them into work.

Aim of the Unit

Organisational behaviour is concerned with understanding, explaining and predicting the behaviour of individuals in the workplace and can assist in the development of practical solutions to organisational and managerial problems. Individuals, whether acting in isolation or collectively as part of a group, engage in actions and behaviours that can have a positive or negative impact on company performance and the achievement of strategic goals. It is therefore essential that those who are involved in managing and leading people in organisations, acquire insight and expertise in organisational behaviour. The aim of this unit is to develop knowledge and understanding of how organisational behaviour concepts, theories and techniques can be applied in work and management settings in order to enhance individual, team and organisational performance. Students will be able to apply this knowledge in a variety of business situations. They will appreciate how effective application of organisational behaviour principles can be used to explain why people behave and act in particular ways and to predict how employees will respond to certain demands. The unit also develops student understanding of the influence of culture, the operation of power and politics in organisations and how these variables influence the actions and behaviour of people in an organisational context. On successful completion of this unit, students will have developed a range of transferable skills and knowledge. This includes core people management skills used to achieve positive organisational outcomes and to create value by recognising individual difference, team working and the creation of inclusive organisational cultures.

Vocational scenario

Marriott International is a globally recognised hospitality leader, celebrated for its strong organisational culture, customer-centric philosophy, and commitment to employee well-being. Established in 1927, the company operates a diverse portfolio of more than 8,000 properties in over 139 countries and territories.

At the core of Marriott’s success is its guiding principle of “Putting People First,” which shapes both its guest experiences and internal work environment. The organisation places a strong emphasis on respect, diversity, inclusion, and professional development, creating a motivated and engaged workforce. From an organisational behaviour perspective,

Marriott demonstrates how aligning leadership practices, employee empowerment, and customer service excellence can create a sustainable competitive advantage. By fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation, Marriott not only delivers memorable guest experiences but also nurtures long-term employee loyalty, making it a benchmark for effective organisational behaviour management in the global hospitality industry.

Submission Guidelines

LO1: Reflect on own personality and perceptions to understand how individual difference informs and influences management approaches

As the newly appointed Organizational Development Specialist at Marriott International, you are tasked with preparing a report for your line manager. This report should outline your approach to identifying and effectively communicating the distinctive behavioural and emotional patterns that shape an individual’s character and influence their interactions with others. Additionally, it should highlight the importance of understanding these personality traits for both managers and employees in fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing workplace

In report, you are required to:

• ⁽¹⁾ Define the term personality and describe five personality traits.
•  Using the information provided in Appendix 1, conduct your own personality test to identify the personality type that you possess.
• Assess the positive and negative impacts of your personality traits and attributes on the choice and application of your management approaches as well as on the company’s performance. (Notes: this information is required in first person)
• ⁽²⁾ Define perception and explain the importance of perception.
• Reflect on the importance of your personality as well as a perception for developing effective managerial relationships with your staff. (Notes: this information is required in first person)

• Additionally, you need to evaluate your own perspectives and individual traits and attributes to influence and improve managerial relationships.

LO2: Apply content and process theories of motivation to create and maintain an effective workforce.

Vocational Scenario:

As part of Marriott International’s strategy to maintain its position as a global leader in hospitality, the company actively applies both content and process theories of motivation to keep its workforce engaged, productive, and service-focused.

Application of Content Theories
Marriott implements Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by first addressing employees’ basic needs through competitive salaries, safe working conditions, and job security. Beyond the essentials, the company fosters career growth through leadership development programs, tuition assistance, and internal promotions, fulfilling higher-level needs such as esteem and self-actualisation.

The company also applies McClelland’s Theory of Needs, recognising that employees are motivated by varying drives for achievement, affiliation, and power. For example, high-achievement employees are given challenging projects and measurable performance targets, while those motivated by affiliation are encouraged to work in collaborative, guest-facing roles. Employees seeking influence are provided with leadership pathways and mentoring opportunities.

Application of Process Theories
From the process theory perspective, Marriott uses Adams’ Equity Theory to ensure fairness and feelings of inequity and strengthens trust between management and employees.

In addition, Marriott applies Locke and Latham’s Goal-Setting Theory by establishing clear, specific, and challenging objectives for teams, such as improving guest satisfaction ratings or increasing service efficiency. Managers provide regular feedback and celebrate milestones, reinforcing commitment and boosting motivation.

As an Organizational Effectiveness Manager at Marriott International or any other organization, how can you apply motivation theories such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Expectancy Theory to inspire your team, ensure alignment with company objectives, and foster success and innovation? In your report, be sure to:

• ⁽³⁾ Apply content theories (at least two e.g. Maslow’s, McClelland’s, Herzberg’s, etc.) to develop and maintain an effective workforce in Google or any other organisation of your choice.
•  Apply process theories (at least two e.g. Adam’s, Locke & Latham’s, etc.) to develop and maintain an effective workforce in Marriott International or any organisation of your choice.
• Critically assess to what extent the motivation of employees can be improved and sustained through the practical implementation of content and process theories of motivation.
• Adapt personal perspectives, traits and attributes to justify a rationale for implementing improvements that exert a positive influence on and elevate employee motivation, thereby cultivating the conditions necessary for the establishment of an effective and high-performing workforce.

Please access HN Global for additional resources support and reading for this unit. For further guidance and support on report writing please refer to the Study Skills Unit on HN Global www.highernationals.com

LO3 Lead a group team activity for a given business situation to demonstrate effective team leadership skills.

Transferable skills and occupational competencies developed

• Communication and listening, including the ability to produce clear, structured business communications in a group team.
• Effective team skills: verbal and non-verbal.
• The ability to generate, develop, and communicate ideas.
• Creative thinking.
• Development and delivery of power, politics, and culture to influence behaviour, appropriate to the organizational goals.
• Tailoring business-centred suggestions to manage effective teamwork in a business situation.

Vocational Scenario

Cisco Systems, a global leader in networking technology, attributes much of its success to its ability to harness effective teamwork across geographically dispersed and culturally diverse teams. The company promotes a collaborative environment where cross-functional teams work together to solve complex problems, design innovative products, and deliver exceptional customer solutions.

Generating, Developing, and Communicating Ideas
Cisco encourages idea generation through open forums, innovation challenges, and dedicated platforms like the “Innovate Everywhere” program. Employees are invited to share concepts, which are then refined through collaborative workshops and tested using agile methodologies. Communication is facilitated by advanced digital tools, many of which are Cisco’s own products, ensuring ideas are shared quickly and transparently across departments and regions.

Delivery of Power, Politics, and Culture to Influence Behaviour
In achieving its organisational goals, Cisco balances the use of power, politics, and culture to guide employee behaviour.

• Power is exercised primarily through expertise and informational influence, as leaders often rely on their technical knowledge and experience to guide teams.
• Organisational politics at Cisco is channelled constructively, with decision-making processes designed to ensure that influence is based on merit, innovation potential, and alignment with strategic priorities rather than personal agendas.
• Culture plays a central role, rooted in trust, inclusivity, and innovation. Cisco’s corporate values—such as integrity, accountability, and teamwork—are embedded into performance expectations, recognition systems, and leadership training.

As a Team Leader at Cisco or another company you have successfully overseen the launch of a new product, with every team member playing an important role in the accomplishment. You are now assigned to create a manual for future use, outlining the strategies applied to encourage effective teamwork. The manual will emphasise essential skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, time management, leadership, and adaptability, which are vital for ensuring the success of major product launches within Cisco or any other business setting.

Requirements: In your report

• ⁽⁴⁾  How would you communicate organisational goals in a way that supports the creation and management of an effective team in the given scenario or any other situation of your choice, while reflecting on your personal contribution to group behaviour and dynamics in leading and managing the team effectively?

 (Notes: this information is required in First Person)

• ⁽⁵⁾ Explore the relevance of group behaviour and team theory in the creation and Management of effective team working. Apply theory (such as Tuckman`s and Belbin’s theories) on the above scenario in creating and managing effective teamwork. 
• Reflect on your own personal contribution to group behaviour and dynamics, specifically in the context of both establishing and overseeing effective teamwork, recognizing the nuances of your contribution to fostering a cohesive and high-performing team environment in creating and managing effective teamwork.
• Revise own personal contribution and skill set concerning the facilitation of effective team dynamics, subsequently offering well-founded recommendations for personal development aimed at enhancing one`s capacity to foster and lead successful teams. and skills for making effective teams and providing justified recommendations for own improvement.

LO4 Examine how power, politics, and culture can be used to influence employee behaviour and accomplish organisational goals.

Vocational scenario

Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s leading carriers, has built its reputation on exceptional service quality and operational excellence. To maintain these high standards, the company strategically uses power, politics, and organisational culture to influence employee behaviour and ensure alignment with its corporate objectives.

Use of Power
Emirates primarily exercises legitimate power through its clear organisational hierarchy, ensuring that roles, responsibilities, and expectations are well-defined. Managers also leverage expert power, drawing on their extensive aviation and customer service experience to guide teams. By using power to provide direction, support, and resources, leaders ensure that employees remain focused on delivering premium customer experiences.

Use of Organisational Politics
While organisational politics can be negative in some environments, Emirates channels it productively. Decision-making processes often involve multiple stakeholders, enabling employees to voice ideas and influence outcomes. Internal competition is framed around service quality targets and innovation, fostering healthy rivalry that drives performance. Political skills are valued in managers, as they help navigate diverse cultural perspectives within a multinational workforce.

Role of Organisational Culture
The culture at Emirates is deeply rooted in professionalism, hospitality, and excellence. This shared set of values shapes behaviour across all levels of the organisation. New recruits undergo cultural orientation to align them with the airline’s service standards, while continuous training reinforces these values. The culture encourages teamwork, mutual respect, and a customer-first mindset, which naturally influences how employees interact with passengers and colleagues.

Evaluation of Power, Politics, and Culture
In practice, Emirates evaluates the effectiveness of power, politics, and culture through employee feedback surveys, performance reviews, and service quality assessments. For instance, the ability of managers to lead effectively (power), collaborate across departments (politics), and uphold service values (culture) is closely monitored. These evaluations ensure that these three elements are working together to influence behaviour positively, ultimately supporting the airline’s mission of delivering world-class travel experiences.

As a Team Leader at Emirates, create a strategy that effectively manages power dynamics, navigates political influences, and embraces the company’s organisational culture to keep employees aligned with its goals and values. Lead ethically, building a positive and supportive work environment where collaboration, transparency, and accountability thrive, ultimately driving both team cohesion and overall organisational success.

Assignment activity and guidance   

In your assignment, you are required to write a report on the following areas:

• ⁽⁶⁾ Explain the concepts of the functioning of power dynamics, political manoeuvring, and organizational culture within a company on the behaviour of employees and the attainment of organizational objectives, delving into the ways these elements interplay to shape the overall work environment and impact the successful realization of the company`s goals.
• Examine and evaluate the roles of power, politics, and culture in an organisation in influencing employees’ behaviour and consequently accomplishing organisational goals from the context of Emirates or any organization of your choice.
• Make justified recommendations on the effective utilization of power, politics, and culture to strategically influence and guide employee behaviour, fostering alignment with and contribution to the achievement of organizational goals.

*Please access HN Global for additional resources support and reading for this unit. For further guidance and support on report writing please refer to the Study Skills Unit on HN Global. Link to www.highernationals.com

Pass

Merit

Distinction

LO1 Reflect on own personality and perceptions to understand how individual difference informs and influences management approaches

LO1 and LO2

D1 Adapt personal perspectives, traits and attributes to justify improvements that influence and enhance employee motivation and create an effective workforce. 

P1 Assess own personality traits and attributes in terms of them having a positive or negative effect on management approaches and company performance.

P2. Reflect on the value and importance of personality and perception for effective managerial relationships.

M1 Challenge own perspectives and individual traits and attributes to influence and improve managerial relationships.

LO2 Apply content and process theories of motivation to create and maintain an effective workforce

P3 Apply content and process theories of motivation for enhancing and maintaining an effective organisational workforce, providing specific examples.

M2 Critically assess the extent that employee motivation can be enhanced and maintained by practical application of content and process theories of motivation.

LO3 Lead a group team activity for a given business situation to demonstrate effective team leadership skills

D2 Revise personal contribution and skills in effectively leading teams to make justified recommendations for own improvement.

P4 Communicate organisational goals and objectives to effectively lead a team for a given business situation. 

P5 Explore the relevance of group behaviour and team theory in the creation and Management of effective team working.

M3 Reflect on personal contribution to group behaviour and dynamics in the creation and management of effective team working

LO4 Examine how power, politics and culture can be used to influence employee behaviour and accomplish organisational goals.

D3 Make justified recommendations on how power, politics and culture can be used effectively to influence and direct employee behaviour Towards the accomplishment of organisational goals.

P6 Examine how the operation of power, politics and culture in an organisation affect employee behaviour and the accomplishment of organisational goals.

M4 Evaluate how the operation of power, Politics and culture affect employee behaviour and the accomplishment of organisational goals.

Rating

I....

Rating

I.....

1. Am the life of the party.

26. Have little to say.

2. Feel little concern for others.

27. Have a soft heart.

3. Am always prepared.

28. Often forget to put things back in their proper place.

4. Get stressed out easily.

29. Get upset easily.

5. Have a rich vocabulary.

30. Do not have a good imagination.

6. Don`t talk a lot.

31. Talk to a lot of different people at parties.

7. Am interested in people.

32. Am not really interested in others.

8. Leave my belongings around.

33. Like order.

9. Am relaxed most of the time.

34. Change my mood a lot.

10. Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.

35. Am quick to understand things.

11. Feel comfortable around people.

36. Don`t like to draw attention to myself.

12. Insult people.

37. Take time out for others.

13. Pay attention to details.

38. Shirk my duties.

14. Worry about things.

39. Have frequent mood swings.

15. Have a vivid imagination.

40. Use difficult words.

16. Keep in the background.

41. Don`t mind being the center of attention.

17. Sympathize with others` feelings.

42. Feel others` emotions.

18. Make a mess of things.

43. Follow a schedule.

19. Seldom feel blue.

44. Get irritated easily.

20. Am not interested in abstract ideas.

45. Spend time reflecting on things.

21. Start conversations.

46. Am quiet around strangers.

22. Am not interested in other people`s problems.

47. Make people feel at ease.

23. Get chores done right away.

48. Am exacting in my work.

24. Am easily disturbed.

49. Often feel blue.

25. Have excellent ideas.

50. Am full of ideas.