What is HR?
Human resource management plays a huge role in the overall success of a business; HR controls the business in many different ways, sorts out any problems and aim to overcome problems between staff. Mullins suggests that HR is responsible for “Design and implementation and maintenance of strategies to manage people for optimum business performance including the development of policies and processes to support these strategies” (Mullins 2007).
So why do businesses need them?
Each business needs to have an effective HRM as without one the business will not be able to succeed. One main area that HRM benefit businesses is by implementing policies and problem solving strategies, if a problem arises in the business the HRM set out a solution to overcome this problem and ultimately improve the running of the business. Another way the HRM make such a big impact on businesses is their ability to respect employees, know their needs and the stability of their employment, by building up good relationships with employees they will become more motivated to work harder.
As well as this the HRM department will make sure that the business is operating by the correct rules and regulations, they will also impose their own policies to make sure that employees feel safe and secure when at work boosting working relationships and loyalty. As well as this the HRM is normally the first bridge in the hierarchy to come in contact with employees.
Personal specification for a university lecturer
Rodger came up with a 7 point system which looked at Physical makeup, Intelligence, Attainment, Special aptitudes, Interests, Circumstances and Disposition. A
university lecturer would need:
1. Physical makeup – Must be good at communication, verbal, written and body language.
2. Intelligence – Must have a fluent knowledge in the specific area as they will need to pass on this knowledge on to students as well as analysing students questions and answers correctly
3. Attainments – Must have the necessary grades, qualifications, experience and skills
4. Special aptitudes – Must have knowledge in specific areas, as the role will most probably be for a specialised role
5. Interests – May be helpful if the persons interests help to succeed their knowledge somehow such as hobbies any extra activities they have participated in ect, but generally this will not make a huge impact
6. Circumstances – The new lecturer must be reasonably close to the university so will need to know about transport links
7. Disposition – Must be reliable as students and other lectures will become dependent on them
Waitrose in High Wycombe?
If a new Waitrose was considering opening in High Wycombe they would need to look at a number of different questions, to see whether it would be viable to open and if they could make a profit.
One question they would need to look at is the economics of the area surrounding
High Wycombe, is their high unemployment in the area if so it will be very easy for them to hire workers, unlike if they were in a area with low unemployment they would need to pay more as people would need more of an incentive to work for Waitrose rather that their current employer.
Another area they must look at is the current level of competition, High Wycombe already has 4 main supermarkets (Morrison, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer’s) For Waitrose to encourage people to go to their supermarket they will need to spend a lot of time and capital on adverting and promotions.
As well as this they must look at the type of person who lives in High Wycombe. There is a large student community so Waitrose must look at student spending and whether they will have the funds available to buy their products as they may or may not be more expensive than other supermarkets on the high street.
Lastly they must look at travel links can employees and customers get to the shop easily and without high costs?
Without considering these questions as well as others Waitrose will not be able to see if the demand is there for their products, as well as if they will be able to make profit.
References
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex:
Pearson Education Limited
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Role of line manager and HR manager
In businesses the HMR managers look after many different sections of the business such as “The design, implementation and maintenance of strategies to manage people for optimum business performance including development of policies and processes to support these strategies.” (Mullins 2007). A problem that some businesses have is whether to delegate jobs performed by the HR managers down to the line managers as this can have benefits for the business as well as drawbacks.
Benefits of line manager being involved with HR activities
1. As roles and responsibilities are shared a greater employee bond will form resulting in the business running more effectively
2. HR managers may not have very good relations or be known by employees, so by giving the line managers more HR roles a closer working relationship can be built as the line managers will have a more personal relationship and already know the employees working under them making it easier for any problems to be sorted out
3. When decisions need to be made less time will be taken as the employees can go straight to their line managers who will then report it to HR
4. It will also be easier to deal with day to day problems such as lateness or disobedience
5. Line managers will be able to gain new skills as they will have a active link with HR and their practices
Drawbacks of this
1. Line managers are not specialised in HR so will lack certain skills needed to overcome certain situations
2. The line manager will have a more personal relationship with their employees which could result in it being harder for employees to air any problems that they may have as they may feel it might not be taken seriously or they may be looked upon a certain way
3. The line manager may have little or no belief in the HRM resulting in them being less likely to perform their job to the best of their ability
4. Size of workforce and span of control may be a problem as employees may not trust the line manager doing a higher role due to lack of skill or experience
5. Different line manager will have their own personal views on what is acceptable and what is not which could result in a unruly workforce
What skills do line managers need?
By looking at a piece of work by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, it can be seen that there have been many developments in line managers gaining roles from HRM, but there has been a lack of training to improve skills as “Front line managers are often promoted from within and are unlikely to have formal management education” (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development 2010). As line managers have not had the same level of training as HRM they will be less able to control certain situations. The main area were the line manager will have problems is in their time management as it may seem to them to begin with that they are over loaded with extra work. But according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development there are some areas that line managers are able to perform a better job that the HRM such as
• Performance appraisals
• Training, coaching and guidance
• Openness – as a relationship has already been established with the line manager they are easily approachable
• Recognition
For the delegation of responsibilities to work the line manager must have a number of qualities and skills such as
• A good working relationship
• Able to deal with problems without bias
• Helpful and supportive
• Effective at teambuilding
• Self confidence
More suited to a line manager or HR manager?
After looking through a number of job descriptions at Prospect, I can see that my skills are more suited to HRM. I believe this role would be better for me as the role within the job such as employee relations, recruitment and training appeal to me and the bond between HRM and the smooth running of the business is curtail, if there is a problem HRM is normally the person people go to, and as I enjoy problem solving and working with others as well as being able to work well under high pressure
References
CIPD (2010) The role of front line managers in hr. [online]. Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
Prospects Jobs. [online]. Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Benefits of line manager being involved with HR activities
1. As roles and responsibilities are shared a greater employee bond will form resulting in the business running more effectively
2. HR managers may not have very good relations or be known by employees, so by giving the line managers more HR roles a closer working relationship can be built as the line managers will have a more personal relationship and already know the employees working under them making it easier for any problems to be sorted out
3. When decisions need to be made less time will be taken as the employees can go straight to their line managers who will then report it to HR
4. It will also be easier to deal with day to day problems such as lateness or disobedience
5. Line managers will be able to gain new skills as they will have a active link with HR and their practices
Drawbacks of this
1. Line managers are not specialised in HR so will lack certain skills needed to overcome certain situations
2. The line manager will have a more personal relationship with their employees which could result in it being harder for employees to air any problems that they may have as they may feel it might not be taken seriously or they may be looked upon a certain way
3. The line manager may have little or no belief in the HRM resulting in them being less likely to perform their job to the best of their ability
4. Size of workforce and span of control may be a problem as employees may not trust the line manager doing a higher role due to lack of skill or experience
5. Different line manager will have their own personal views on what is acceptable and what is not which could result in a unruly workforce
What skills do line managers need?
By looking at a piece of work by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, it can be seen that there have been many developments in line managers gaining roles from HRM, but there has been a lack of training to improve skills as “Front line managers are often promoted from within and are unlikely to have formal management education” (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development 2010). As line managers have not had the same level of training as HRM they will be less able to control certain situations. The main area were the line manager will have problems is in their time management as it may seem to them to begin with that they are over loaded with extra work. But according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development there are some areas that line managers are able to perform a better job that the HRM such as
• Performance appraisals
• Training, coaching and guidance
• Openness – as a relationship has already been established with the line manager they are easily approachable
• Recognition
For the delegation of responsibilities to work the line manager must have a number of qualities and skills such as
• A good working relationship
• Able to deal with problems without bias
• Helpful and supportive
• Effective at teambuilding
• Self confidence
More suited to a line manager or HR manager?
After looking through a number of job descriptions at Prospect, I can see that my skills are more suited to HRM. I believe this role would be better for me as the role within the job such as employee relations, recruitment and training appeal to me and the bond between HRM and the smooth running of the business is curtail, if there is a problem HRM is normally the person people go to, and as I enjoy problem solving and working with others as well as being able to work well under high pressure
References
CIPD (2010) The role of front line managers in hr. [online]. Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
Prospects Jobs. [online]. Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Teamworking
Team working is a major part of any business and if not done correctly can cause
major problems for a business.
One successful team I have been a part of was my year 13 senior prefect team. This team work extremely well with each other and there were rarely any disputes within the group. One reason that the group worked so well together was because we all wanted to be there and take an active role in the running of our school, another reason why we worked so well together was because we were all highly motivated and wanted to succeed and achieve something good for the school while advancing our own skills and ambitions.
Tuckman’s theory
Tuckman looked at five main stages of group development
1. Forming – This is when the group first forms together, members of the group are likely to be nervous as the hierarchal structure of the group is figured out as each member of the group tries to assert their personality for different roles.
2. Storming – Members of the group are more comfortable and know each other better allowing the group to be more open, conflict can arise as each member tries to put forward their ideas.
3. Norming – Conflict in this stage of thee cycle is reduced as a general work behaviour is established within the group and each member will develop a effective way to work as a team, co-operate and agree standards of performance.
4. Performing – Once at this stage the group will be able to work as an effective team and have a well built structure and understanding, allowing the group to focus on their end goal.
5. Adjourning – Lastly this stage refers to the separation of the group due to completion or moving onto other tasks, this can result in some members feel a sense
of loss.
Did this related to our first piece of group work?
When carrying out our first assignment for people and organisation Tuckman’s theory could be easily identified in our group, the first stage could be seen as this as the we were still relatively new to university and had not done any group work people within the group were nervous, shy and reluctant to talk s it was the first time talking to each other. But as the assignment went on and a relationship was formed between the group members it became easier to talk and through ideas around the group. The group that I was a part of for the first assignment did follow the 5 stages and still carries on to in other group work we have done
Teamwork, how it can make you so successful
The first company that has had huge amounts of success due to their emphasis on teamwork is housing business Luminus. “Employees feel a strong sense of family in their teams”. (The times newspaper Ltd 2010) Luminus has become so successful due mainly to their staff loyalty, as staff are treated well they are motivated to give more back to the business. Staff work harder and are willing to partake in extra activities that can help the business.
Another business that has done well due to its focus on teamwork is Lush, by giving their employees benefits and discounts based on their hard work and how well they perform as a team. Resulting in the business having a very close relationship with its staff allowing easy communication, and high product turnover as staff are more motivated to work hard and sell more products.
Conclusion
Therefore it can be seen that teamwork is essential to a business and for a business to perform at their maximum capacity they need to make sure that their staff understand the importance of team work and are happy in their working teams
Reference
The Times Newspaper Ltd (2010) Top 100 companies. [online]http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030218.ece [Accessed 30 April 2010]
major problems for a business.
One successful team I have been a part of was my year 13 senior prefect team. This team work extremely well with each other and there were rarely any disputes within the group. One reason that the group worked so well together was because we all wanted to be there and take an active role in the running of our school, another reason why we worked so well together was because we were all highly motivated and wanted to succeed and achieve something good for the school while advancing our own skills and ambitions.
Tuckman’s theory
Tuckman looked at five main stages of group development
1. Forming – This is when the group first forms together, members of the group are likely to be nervous as the hierarchal structure of the group is figured out as each member of the group tries to assert their personality for different roles.
2. Storming – Members of the group are more comfortable and know each other better allowing the group to be more open, conflict can arise as each member tries to put forward their ideas.
3. Norming – Conflict in this stage of thee cycle is reduced as a general work behaviour is established within the group and each member will develop a effective way to work as a team, co-operate and agree standards of performance.
4. Performing – Once at this stage the group will be able to work as an effective team and have a well built structure and understanding, allowing the group to focus on their end goal.
5. Adjourning – Lastly this stage refers to the separation of the group due to completion or moving onto other tasks, this can result in some members feel a sense
of loss.
Did this related to our first piece of group work?
When carrying out our first assignment for people and organisation Tuckman’s theory could be easily identified in our group, the first stage could be seen as this as the we were still relatively new to university and had not done any group work people within the group were nervous, shy and reluctant to talk s it was the first time talking to each other. But as the assignment went on and a relationship was formed between the group members it became easier to talk and through ideas around the group. The group that I was a part of for the first assignment did follow the 5 stages and still carries on to in other group work we have done
Teamwork, how it can make you so successful
The first company that has had huge amounts of success due to their emphasis on teamwork is housing business Luminus. “Employees feel a strong sense of family in their teams”. (The times newspaper Ltd 2010) Luminus has become so successful due mainly to their staff loyalty, as staff are treated well they are motivated to give more back to the business. Staff work harder and are willing to partake in extra activities that can help the business.
Another business that has done well due to its focus on teamwork is Lush, by giving their employees benefits and discounts based on their hard work and how well they perform as a team. Resulting in the business having a very close relationship with its staff allowing easy communication, and high product turnover as staff are more motivated to work hard and sell more products.
Conclusion
Therefore it can be seen that teamwork is essential to a business and for a business to perform at their maximum capacity they need to make sure that their staff understand the importance of team work and are happy in their working teams
Reference
The Times Newspaper Ltd (2010) Top 100 companies. [online]http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030218.ece [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Organisation and Management Theory
Classic approach to management
This type of management aims to find the single best way to manage and organise a business, this management approach aims to set clear rules and sticks to a simple, rational and logical approach. This type of management takes little account of how employees within the business and how happy they are with their work but rather getting the work done as effectively and efficiently as possible. Mullins suggests that “The organisation is thought of in terms of its purpose and formal structure ... emphasis is placed on the planning of work technical requirements of the organisation.” (Mullins 2007).
This type of management can be seen in Argos. This company aims to have high customer satisfaction. Clear rules are set out within the business which employees understand this can be seen as “Around 80% of Argos employees say they clearly understand the company's goals and objectives and 89% say they know what is expected of them in their job”. (The Times Newspaper Ltd, 2010). Employees are aware of what they need to do to keep customer satisfactions high and generally stick to their area of expertise to make sure the running of the business is smooth, for example employees who work in the stock room getting peoples orders ready will not work downstairs on the tills.
Contingency approach
This approach looks at “The nature of the tasks which are undertaken and the nature of environmental influences”. (Mullins 2007) This type of management looks at the face that there is not one best way to manage or structure businesses, the way the organisation must be managed depend on the work that needs to be done and what situations arise with it.
This type of approach can be seen in the building industry. Each job that they receive requires a different amount of man power, materials and capital. The job must be managed throughout to incorporate changed that may take place for example if refitting a house, a problem is found such as damp this has to be written into the work plan before other areas can be completed or started.
As both these organisations are different and have different needs they will not be compatible with the others management approach, both organisations have managed to find an approach that suits their organisation and allows them to run effectively and efficiently.
What is scientific management?
This type of management focuses on the fact that there will always be one best way of completing a job efficiently and effectively some advantages of scientific management are:
1. A clear division can be seen between workers and managers allowing work guidelines and rules to be set clearly
2. Roles within the organisation are split up and distributed to employees, as everyone is aware of what they should be doing the business can run more efficiently and with little disruption increasing output.
3. As each employees sticks to one area it is easy for the business to measure how well each section of the business is doing making it easy for them to improve underperforming areas
4. As the organisation will be performing more efficiently they will be bringing in more capital which could lead to increases in pay, benefits or company growth
5. The employees will feel like more of a team and more prone to work as they will feel needed by the business and a valued
Disadvantages
1. As each employee has their own specific job role and skills it is harder for the business to deal with groups of employees or teams
2. Employees may find it hard to learn new skills and grow as they have to stick to their set job.
3. The quality of products can be poor and shoddy as employees can easily lose interest in what they are doing due to performing the same job daily.
4. Skills and potential skills of employees can be lost due to the lack of training.
5. The business can run into conflict between managers and employees as employees are pushed to work harder but are de-motivated due to the monotony of their job
Conclusion
All in all it can be seen that management theory’s can make a business run effectively and efficiently but if the wrong type of management approach is used the business will find it hard to motivate staff and ultimately lose capital.
References
The Times Newspaper Ltd (2010) Case study summary. [online]. Available from: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-study--re-focussing-companys-culture-marketing-mix--49-98-2.php [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
This type of management aims to find the single best way to manage and organise a business, this management approach aims to set clear rules and sticks to a simple, rational and logical approach. This type of management takes little account of how employees within the business and how happy they are with their work but rather getting the work done as effectively and efficiently as possible. Mullins suggests that “The organisation is thought of in terms of its purpose and formal structure ... emphasis is placed on the planning of work technical requirements of the organisation.” (Mullins 2007).
This type of management can be seen in Argos. This company aims to have high customer satisfaction. Clear rules are set out within the business which employees understand this can be seen as “Around 80% of Argos employees say they clearly understand the company's goals and objectives and 89% say they know what is expected of them in their job”. (The Times Newspaper Ltd, 2010). Employees are aware of what they need to do to keep customer satisfactions high and generally stick to their area of expertise to make sure the running of the business is smooth, for example employees who work in the stock room getting peoples orders ready will not work downstairs on the tills.
Contingency approach
This approach looks at “The nature of the tasks which are undertaken and the nature of environmental influences”. (Mullins 2007) This type of management looks at the face that there is not one best way to manage or structure businesses, the way the organisation must be managed depend on the work that needs to be done and what situations arise with it.
This type of approach can be seen in the building industry. Each job that they receive requires a different amount of man power, materials and capital. The job must be managed throughout to incorporate changed that may take place for example if refitting a house, a problem is found such as damp this has to be written into the work plan before other areas can be completed or started.
As both these organisations are different and have different needs they will not be compatible with the others management approach, both organisations have managed to find an approach that suits their organisation and allows them to run effectively and efficiently.
What is scientific management?
This type of management focuses on the fact that there will always be one best way of completing a job efficiently and effectively some advantages of scientific management are:
1. A clear division can be seen between workers and managers allowing work guidelines and rules to be set clearly
2. Roles within the organisation are split up and distributed to employees, as everyone is aware of what they should be doing the business can run more efficiently and with little disruption increasing output.
3. As each employees sticks to one area it is easy for the business to measure how well each section of the business is doing making it easy for them to improve underperforming areas
4. As the organisation will be performing more efficiently they will be bringing in more capital which could lead to increases in pay, benefits or company growth
5. The employees will feel like more of a team and more prone to work as they will feel needed by the business and a valued
Disadvantages
1. As each employee has their own specific job role and skills it is harder for the business to deal with groups of employees or teams
2. Employees may find it hard to learn new skills and grow as they have to stick to their set job.
3. The quality of products can be poor and shoddy as employees can easily lose interest in what they are doing due to performing the same job daily.
4. Skills and potential skills of employees can be lost due to the lack of training.
5. The business can run into conflict between managers and employees as employees are pushed to work harder but are de-motivated due to the monotony of their job
Conclusion
All in all it can be seen that management theory’s can make a business run effectively and efficiently but if the wrong type of management approach is used the business will find it hard to motivate staff and ultimately lose capital.
References
The Times Newspaper Ltd (2010) Case study summary. [online]. Available from: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-study--re-focussing-companys-culture-marketing-mix--49-98-2.php [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Enterprise week
During enterprise week I attended a few different talks and practical events that improved my current skills and taught me newer skills. The event that had the most impact on me was the Apprentice challenge, where a you had to get into teams and make as much profit from doughnuts as possible, to begin with we were given £50 from a local company who sponsored us and had to go around the shops in town and get the best deal for our money. By using the skills of the group we managed to get 800 doughnuts for around £40 and sold them for 50p each making a 45p profit on each doughnut and eventually making a profit of £240.
How did this event help me?
By attending this event I was able to improve skills such as when communicating with businesses as we had to go around supermarkets to secure the doughnuts as well as visiting local businesses to try and secure orders previous to the day of selling the doughnuts. As well as this I was able to improve my confidence as I had to talk to potential customers in the street and encourage them to buy ‘Team Dynamos’ doughnuts not one of the other 7 teams who were also selling on the same day. Another skill I learnt was how to sell products to people and encourage them to buy them when they many not need them.
Conclusion
After attending these events I was able to improve my current skills as well as learning new ones while having fun and making some money out of it. As well as learning new things and gaining an experience I would not normally have been able to participate in.
How did this event help me?
By attending this event I was able to improve skills such as when communicating with businesses as we had to go around supermarkets to secure the doughnuts as well as visiting local businesses to try and secure orders previous to the day of selling the doughnuts. As well as this I was able to improve my confidence as I had to talk to potential customers in the street and encourage them to buy ‘Team Dynamos’ doughnuts not one of the other 7 teams who were also selling on the same day. Another skill I learnt was how to sell products to people and encourage them to buy them when they many not need them.
Conclusion
After attending these events I was able to improve my current skills as well as learning new ones while having fun and making some money out of it. As well as learning new things and gaining an experience I would not normally have been able to participate in.
Personality
Nature approach to personality VS Nurture approach.
A way an individual’s personality is formed can be tracked down to two ways the Nature approach and the Nurture approach. Both of these affect the person and stem from how they were bought up as a child.
The Nomothetic approach
This approach looks at the fact that personality is “A measurable and specific perspective that looks at the identification of traits” (Mullins 2007). This looks at the characteristics of a person and their genetic makeup, with the idea that a person’s personality is fixed and determined by the traits that they posses and due to the fact that their personality is generic these people are very resistant to change. These people can be prone to impulsive decisions and behaviour’s, they are generally active as well as sociable, they are risk takers, practical but can also be irresponsible.
The Idiographic approach
This approach can be described as “Approaches the study of personality that focuses on understanding the uniqueness of individuals. These approaches regard personality as a process which is open to change” (Mullins 2007). This type of personality is related to the uniqueness of the person and their ability to adapt and change through experience they have gained, these people can easily interact with the environment and make things work for them.
What one is more dominate
After reading through this debate http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nomothetic-idiographic.html as well as looking at different text books and own knowledge it can be seen that both types nature and nurture play a big role in peoples likes and the evolution of their personality as people are born with certain traits, but it is also possible for them to learn new skills and traits as they grow older and gain life experience, resulting in nature and nurture playing a side by side role in development.
Personality test
To try and find out where my personality stems from I participated in 2 online tests the first test I took was www.initforlife.com/home/tm.asp where the results I received stated that my 5 mind frames consisted of
1. Sociability
2. Control
3. Proactively
4. Logic
5. Insight
Whereas the test identified 3 areas beyond my comfort zone were
1. Charisma
2. Sensitivity
3. Order
The second test I took was http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml. This test reviled that my 5 traits were
1. Extroversion - In this trait I got a high score of 4/5, this trait means that I am prone to seek out pleasure-simulating or risk-taking activities and express energy, people with this trait enjoy socialising and forming new friendships. Extrovert people take to leadership easily and have the tendency to earn more money that people with lower scores.
2. Openness - In this trait I scored 3.9/5 this trait means that I have a fairly broad range of interests and sensitive to art or music. By having this trait people find it easier to come up with original solutions to problems.
3. Conscientiousness – In this trait I gained a medium score of 3.2/5 this trait means that the person is dependable, hard working and organised, this trait also is a good indicator for job success while still achieving a good work life balance.
4. Agreeableness – In this trait I scored highly with 4/5 this trait demonstrates how sympathetic a person is and how considerate they are, these people are more likely to get along with people easily and are comfortable in team working situations.
5. Neuroticism – I gained a medium score in this trait of 3/5. This relates to a person’s response in stressful or threatening situations, this makes people more prone to worry when uncertain with the future.
Is this a good type of selection tool?
I believe that this test can be used as an effective selection tool as it can show traits about people that they may not previously know they had. But for this to be affective the person taking the test needs to be completely honest and understand the questions they are answering.
Conclusion
All in all it can be seen that both nature and nurture play a large role in personality and can be analysed quite easily by businesses, but it cannot solely be used as a selection tool as some people may not be as open in the tests, resulting in the results being void.
References
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
A way an individual’s personality is formed can be tracked down to two ways the Nature approach and the Nurture approach. Both of these affect the person and stem from how they were bought up as a child.
The Nomothetic approach
This approach looks at the fact that personality is “A measurable and specific perspective that looks at the identification of traits” (Mullins 2007). This looks at the characteristics of a person and their genetic makeup, with the idea that a person’s personality is fixed and determined by the traits that they posses and due to the fact that their personality is generic these people are very resistant to change. These people can be prone to impulsive decisions and behaviour’s, they are generally active as well as sociable, they are risk takers, practical but can also be irresponsible.
The Idiographic approach
This approach can be described as “Approaches the study of personality that focuses on understanding the uniqueness of individuals. These approaches regard personality as a process which is open to change” (Mullins 2007). This type of personality is related to the uniqueness of the person and their ability to adapt and change through experience they have gained, these people can easily interact with the environment and make things work for them.
What one is more dominate
After reading through this debate http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nomothetic-idiographic.html as well as looking at different text books and own knowledge it can be seen that both types nature and nurture play a big role in peoples likes and the evolution of their personality as people are born with certain traits, but it is also possible for them to learn new skills and traits as they grow older and gain life experience, resulting in nature and nurture playing a side by side role in development.
Personality test
To try and find out where my personality stems from I participated in 2 online tests the first test I took was www.initforlife.com/home/tm.asp where the results I received stated that my 5 mind frames consisted of
1. Sociability
2. Control
3. Proactively
4. Logic
5. Insight
Whereas the test identified 3 areas beyond my comfort zone were
1. Charisma
2. Sensitivity
3. Order
The second test I took was http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml. This test reviled that my 5 traits were
1. Extroversion - In this trait I got a high score of 4/5, this trait means that I am prone to seek out pleasure-simulating or risk-taking activities and express energy, people with this trait enjoy socialising and forming new friendships. Extrovert people take to leadership easily and have the tendency to earn more money that people with lower scores.
2. Openness - In this trait I scored 3.9/5 this trait means that I have a fairly broad range of interests and sensitive to art or music. By having this trait people find it easier to come up with original solutions to problems.
3. Conscientiousness – In this trait I gained a medium score of 3.2/5 this trait means that the person is dependable, hard working and organised, this trait also is a good indicator for job success while still achieving a good work life balance.
4. Agreeableness – In this trait I scored highly with 4/5 this trait demonstrates how sympathetic a person is and how considerate they are, these people are more likely to get along with people easily and are comfortable in team working situations.
5. Neuroticism – I gained a medium score in this trait of 3/5. This relates to a person’s response in stressful or threatening situations, this makes people more prone to worry when uncertain with the future.
Is this a good type of selection tool?
I believe that this test can be used as an effective selection tool as it can show traits about people that they may not previously know they had. But for this to be affective the person taking the test needs to be completely honest and understand the questions they are answering.
Conclusion
All in all it can be seen that both nature and nurture play a large role in personality and can be analysed quite easily by businesses, but it cannot solely be used as a selection tool as some people may not be as open in the tests, resulting in the results being void.
References
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
Power and Conflict within organisations
What is conflict?
In the work place conflict can easily arise in many different forms and at any level within the business. The main reason conflict arises is because of differing attitudes, beliefs, goals and the way that people like to work. When conflict happens efficiency of work will drop and so will the level that it is being produced at which ultimately causes more conflict higher up in the business as executives will start to put more pressure on senior managers and so on until more pressure is built up on the employees at the lower end of the business. Mullins also suggests this “Conflict is present where there is an incompatibility of goals arising from opposing behaviours at the individual, group or organisation level.” (Mullins 2007)
Conflict with in a group
One area that I have witnesses conflict, was when myself and other senior prefects at my school were put in charge of raising money and organising our A-level end of year prom. The main area of conflict that arose in this situation was, there were too many people working on one area resulting in people having conflicting views on how to spend the money raised on the prom as some people wanted to have a DJ some wanted a free drinks and some people wanted to get some sort of entertainer and people within the group would not back down on the idea as they had an equal say on what would happen with the money as they had worked hard and gone through the trouble of raising it. Eventually the small area of conflict grew until people with in the affected groups refused to talk to each other and raise anymore funds for the prom. To overcome this problem a meeting was held where it was agreed that each option would be put down on a poster and displayed around the sixth form areas of the school so that the people would be attending the prom could vote on what they wanted, making it fair. This resolved the conflict within the group as it was not seen as one group of people had personally won as it was done by a democratic vote, allowing the smoothing running of the prom.
What sources of power are there?
There are a few different ways people can gain power and the most commonly used types in business are French & Raven’s 5 power theory’s from 1959 the first type is:
Reward power, this type of power looks at the face that employees will be more motivated to do their work or extra work to the best of their ability if they know they will receive something good back in return. “The subordinate’s perception that the leader has the ability and resources to obtain rewards for those who comply with directives” (Mullins 2007). This form of power not only motivates staff but can also act as a de-motivator as employees will not want to work unless they are getting a reward or if they do not perceive the reward to be of enough value to them.
The second type of power is Expert power. This is “Based on the subordinate’s perception of the leader as someone who is competent and who has come special knowledge or expertise in a given area” (Mullins 2007). This type of power is based on the leader’s clear knowledge, credibility or expertise. Due to the leaders skills they are trusted within the business and seen as a sturdy person who can be trusted, encouraging employees to listen and do what the leader says. This form of leadership is most apparent when the person has been working for the business for a long time.
Legitimate power acts upon authority of the person related to their position within the business this is “Based on the subordinates perception that the leader has a right to exercise influence because of the leader’s role or position in the organisation” (Mullins 2007). This can be seen in building work as the people working at the lower end such as the brick layer would take instruction and be lead by the site manager.
Referent power acts upon a person’s personal skills they are often followed because they are generally well liked by many people with in the business and are able to keep a good relationship between all levels of the business from senior managers down to lower grade employees. This is “Based on the subordinate’s identification with the leader. The leader exercises influence because of perceived attractiveness, personal characteristics, reputation or charisma” (Mullins 2007)
The last type of power is Coercive power, which is “Based on fear and the subordinate’s perception that the leader has the ability to punish or bring about undesirable outcomes for those who do not comply” (Mullins 2007). When used within a business this can cause fast but short term improvements on work and output as employees feel threatened and pressured to do what the leader say’s because of their harsh ways of getting results and as the leader may hold promotions back or privileges, but in the long run this type of leadership will result in high de-motivation
How can companies over come conflict?
As conflict can arise very easily in a business, companies must look at ways of minimising conflict. One way that they can do this is by having in place Human resource management policies to make sure that each employee has equal opportunities and pay rights.
Another way businesses can make sure conflict does not happen too often is by having good communication links within the business making sure that all levels of the business have a good relationship. This will allow decision making and employee involvement easier.
Thirdly businesses can make sure that goals and objectives are clearly laid out for all work so they know exactly what they need to be aiming for and they can see if they are on track to meet those goals or need to look at what is going on within the team
As well as this employees need to know that they have the chance to talk about any problems that may be hassling them or and problems they may foresee. This gives employees the knowledge that if anything dose happen that they do not agree with their is somewhere they can go to sort it out
Lastly employees need to know that there are disciplinary procedures in place so that if they do something wrong they will be reprimanded and that if they are aware of something bad happening to them or a college they can report it.
Conflict situation how was it solved
One area that conflict can clearly be seen repeatedly is on TV show Big Brother, every year the TV programme is on there are always arguments due to the different personalities and the goals of the people on the show. Generally conflict is sorted out on this show by calling the victim or offending people to the dairy room where they have to talk through what has happened and why things have resulted the way they have to Big Brother, generally allowing each party to talk about the problems solves the conflict but sometimes harsher punishments are given such as being thrown of the show.
Conclusion
Overall it is very hard to avoid conflict. But many different practices can be put in place to minimise the effect and trouble conflict causes, showing that although there cannot be a perfect balance it is possible for businesses to create effective team working groups.
References
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
In the work place conflict can easily arise in many different forms and at any level within the business. The main reason conflict arises is because of differing attitudes, beliefs, goals and the way that people like to work. When conflict happens efficiency of work will drop and so will the level that it is being produced at which ultimately causes more conflict higher up in the business as executives will start to put more pressure on senior managers and so on until more pressure is built up on the employees at the lower end of the business. Mullins also suggests this “Conflict is present where there is an incompatibility of goals arising from opposing behaviours at the individual, group or organisation level.” (Mullins 2007)
Conflict with in a group
One area that I have witnesses conflict, was when myself and other senior prefects at my school were put in charge of raising money and organising our A-level end of year prom. The main area of conflict that arose in this situation was, there were too many people working on one area resulting in people having conflicting views on how to spend the money raised on the prom as some people wanted to have a DJ some wanted a free drinks and some people wanted to get some sort of entertainer and people within the group would not back down on the idea as they had an equal say on what would happen with the money as they had worked hard and gone through the trouble of raising it. Eventually the small area of conflict grew until people with in the affected groups refused to talk to each other and raise anymore funds for the prom. To overcome this problem a meeting was held where it was agreed that each option would be put down on a poster and displayed around the sixth form areas of the school so that the people would be attending the prom could vote on what they wanted, making it fair. This resolved the conflict within the group as it was not seen as one group of people had personally won as it was done by a democratic vote, allowing the smoothing running of the prom.
What sources of power are there?
There are a few different ways people can gain power and the most commonly used types in business are French & Raven’s 5 power theory’s from 1959 the first type is:
Reward power, this type of power looks at the face that employees will be more motivated to do their work or extra work to the best of their ability if they know they will receive something good back in return. “The subordinate’s perception that the leader has the ability and resources to obtain rewards for those who comply with directives” (Mullins 2007). This form of power not only motivates staff but can also act as a de-motivator as employees will not want to work unless they are getting a reward or if they do not perceive the reward to be of enough value to them.
The second type of power is Expert power. This is “Based on the subordinate’s perception of the leader as someone who is competent and who has come special knowledge or expertise in a given area” (Mullins 2007). This type of power is based on the leader’s clear knowledge, credibility or expertise. Due to the leaders skills they are trusted within the business and seen as a sturdy person who can be trusted, encouraging employees to listen and do what the leader says. This form of leadership is most apparent when the person has been working for the business for a long time.
Legitimate power acts upon authority of the person related to their position within the business this is “Based on the subordinates perception that the leader has a right to exercise influence because of the leader’s role or position in the organisation” (Mullins 2007). This can be seen in building work as the people working at the lower end such as the brick layer would take instruction and be lead by the site manager.
Referent power acts upon a person’s personal skills they are often followed because they are generally well liked by many people with in the business and are able to keep a good relationship between all levels of the business from senior managers down to lower grade employees. This is “Based on the subordinate’s identification with the leader. The leader exercises influence because of perceived attractiveness, personal characteristics, reputation or charisma” (Mullins 2007)
The last type of power is Coercive power, which is “Based on fear and the subordinate’s perception that the leader has the ability to punish or bring about undesirable outcomes for those who do not comply” (Mullins 2007). When used within a business this can cause fast but short term improvements on work and output as employees feel threatened and pressured to do what the leader say’s because of their harsh ways of getting results and as the leader may hold promotions back or privileges, but in the long run this type of leadership will result in high de-motivation
How can companies over come conflict?
As conflict can arise very easily in a business, companies must look at ways of minimising conflict. One way that they can do this is by having in place Human resource management policies to make sure that each employee has equal opportunities and pay rights.
Another way businesses can make sure conflict does not happen too often is by having good communication links within the business making sure that all levels of the business have a good relationship. This will allow decision making and employee involvement easier.
Thirdly businesses can make sure that goals and objectives are clearly laid out for all work so they know exactly what they need to be aiming for and they can see if they are on track to meet those goals or need to look at what is going on within the team
As well as this employees need to know that they have the chance to talk about any problems that may be hassling them or and problems they may foresee. This gives employees the knowledge that if anything dose happen that they do not agree with their is somewhere they can go to sort it out
Lastly employees need to know that there are disciplinary procedures in place so that if they do something wrong they will be reprimanded and that if they are aware of something bad happening to them or a college they can report it.
Conflict situation how was it solved
One area that conflict can clearly be seen repeatedly is on TV show Big Brother, every year the TV programme is on there are always arguments due to the different personalities and the goals of the people on the show. Generally conflict is sorted out on this show by calling the victim or offending people to the dairy room where they have to talk through what has happened and why things have resulted the way they have to Big Brother, generally allowing each party to talk about the problems solves the conflict but sometimes harsher punishments are given such as being thrown of the show.
Conclusion
Overall it is very hard to avoid conflict. But many different practices can be put in place to minimise the effect and trouble conflict causes, showing that although there cannot be a perfect balance it is possible for businesses to create effective team working groups.
References
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
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