Perception and Communication

 

My Own Experience Where My Initial Perception of Someone was Incorrect

Perception is the way in which people tend on perceiving information and becoming aware and understanding a certain situation surrounding them which makes them communicate in the way they would.

The term perception means the way an individual perceives others. Perceptions are judgements, and so this means that they are not always true. Robinns et all (2010) described perception as “the process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.”

(Mary Simpson 2011)

I have had an incorrect perception before where close friends of mine who I had been there for helping them in every situation they have had, every problem they had come across because they made out them self to be a good loyal friend and trust worthy and telling me that they would be there for me one day too. Through perception I perceived the information positively and believed the person but one day this person had a problem with a few people and I had helped them stand up towards them so my friend would not have to get bullied and told them to go away but only knowing the next day by very same friend that as the friend was talking they accidently without realising told me that the friend would not have done the same for me. After that I contemplated on what the person told me after how they would be there for me after what I had done for them and how the truth came out after a long time so I realised that this person was not who they claimed to be and my perception towards the person had changed and since then I have distance my friendship and decided not to trust anyone unless they prove themselves to be trustworthy not to just go by someone’s word.

Three ways the university can improve communication with students

Communication within an organisation is essential to be able to run information properly. This is usually done or run through from one source to another in order to achieve goals that are set.

The article suggests that is done two ways, meaning that the employers have to communicate with the employees, similarly university staffs have to communicate with the students in order for them to achieve the results needed to get further into their education.

This first way I think the university can improve communications with students is by involving lecturers and students in team work activities, because with this the students will be able to express their ideas more without feeling like they are being judged and within team work they can learn from other students views and opinions on what should be done and should not be done for example they should outline certain goals to be achieved with the lecturer and discuss how to achieve and what steps to take and this would make the students feel more confident and in achieving the goals and going past the barriers they face.

The other thing university can do is look at results and how to achieve them, both lecturer and student should look at results achieved and how and what can be improved. This is because for the students that do not put much effort into their work or studies they will have an understanding of why it is so important to achieve these results and it will make them work much harder to achieve the goals.

And another thing universities could do is involve the students with the problems in there university by informing them what certain staff does to improve one this and the effort they put in it to make it no longer a problem achieving success and why this would be a good idea because this can motivate the students think even though there are barriers and you feel to quit it can take that “quit” away and work through it, thus meaning the student will feel motivated to carry on putting more and more effort into their work. And this might even get the students feeling wanted and they would get involved with the university activities and help or give ideas towards finding solutions similarly giving ideas within team work.

Conflict

What is Conflict?

The term conflict can be defined as a disagreement or an issue which arises due to two contrasting ideas or interests. Brooks (2006) stated that conflict is “apparent when at least one party perceives that it exists and where an interest or concern of that party is about to be or has been compromised or frustrated.”
(Mary Simpson)

An example of a conflict i experienced was at work when i newly joined. I started working in a care home for elderly people. I realised that some of the older staff were taking advantage of the new staff as we were being asked to do tasks which were not set for us. I was in my shadowing period and was supposed to be watching other staff doing their duties as i did not have full training so i was not supposed to be doing any physical work, however instead of showing me procedures and the rules and regulations of the care home i was being asked to do things like emptying the dishwasher, the laundry and making hot drinks.  I was not being shown around and did not get an opportunity to shadow the old staff properly, this was a huge disadvantage for me because i was working with vulnerable people and needed to know exactly what to do in challenging situations and how to provide a safe service for them, but in order to do this i needed some guidance and watch how things were done.
 Also there was some staff who did alot less work than others, they relied on myself and some co-workers to complete the day to day duties before the end of the shift. This put me in alot of pressure. Staff had formed a circle of friendships so they would spend too much time talking and giving orders rather than pulling their own weight, there was poor communication between some of the old staff and the new staff members. This is also a  type of interdependence conflict as i felt i was taken advantage of and certain co-workers were relying heavily on my input in order to get our work completed by the end of the shift.  I finally decided to have a quiet word with two of the staff who i felt were not doing their job adequately, that's when the conflict started as they became aggressive and rude to me. They were not happy that i had approached them and did not like me telling them what to do. I felt awkward and uneasy around them and i felt i had made matters worst by approaching them.

Ways I dealt with the conflict
Firstly i had a quiet word with the staff about the lack of interest and the lack of work they were doing. This did not help at all because they felt they had more previous experience than me and knew much more about the job than i did. As this issue did not improve i then went to the senior nurse and made a complaint. She then began to keep a close eye and monitored what was going on, without letting any other staff member know about it. She would occasionally pop in and observe the way staff were working in a team and individually. This helped because she realised that friendship groups had formed in the care home and some staff were not treating their co-workers as they would like to be treated.

She also realised that the new staff were doing much more work that certain old staff and there was a lack of communication between us. A staff meeting was arranged and all staff had to attend, she talked about what she observed and talked about the importance of team work. During this meeting we did some team work exercises. During the exercise i realised that everyone has a different way of working and learning. We were able to bring different ideas and skills together and combine them so that we could improve the work we were doing and to support and encourage each other. This brought the group closer and I got to know the staff a little more than I did before.

Thirdly a suggestion box was put in the main office so staff and visitors could have their say and put in any complaints and opinions that would help make the care  home a better place and to improve the service we provide for the patients. The suggestion box was a good idea because we could keep our complaints, queries and opinions anonymous.
French and Ravens 5 sources of power
Reward Power has the ability to bribe people into doing something by giving them what they want in return. Reward can be anything from money, or certain objects which one finds desirable, or even precious words from the mouth, a handshake or a pat on the back. Caffe Nero use this type of power as their employees get a free drink and doughnut on a daily basis as long as they provide excellant service and work to the best of their ability at all times.

Expert power consists of one individual having certain knowledge or skills that the rest of the group or team do not have or might lack. This is a very common form of power  and is often used by Trade Unions when they promote their members to strike for better pay or working conditions. another example can be an expert accountant influencing how junior accountants learn and undertake their tasks.

Legitimate Power refers to actual power to control an event/organisation or a country. Examples of legitimate power can come from managers and the president because his authority is due to his position in a chain of command. Sometimes people who have this type of power often forget that people are not obeying them but instead obeying the position they are working in.

Referent Power comes from another individual respecting, being inspired, and idolising a certain person. This is the power of charisma and fame, celebrities, footballers and also leaders can come under this category of power. Gandhi had this type of power as he was able to inspire and influence people with his speeches.

Recent Article on the News Linked to Work Related Stress

Well-designed, organised and managed work helps to maintain and promote individual health and well-being. But where there has been insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management the benefits and assets associated with ‘good work’ could be lost. http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress

Work related stress is not an illness itself but can be the foundation of many illnesses. Organisational stress can be defined as a negative reaction workers experience due to extreme pressure and, or having too much demands placed upon them.

(Mary Simpson, Lecture Notes)

"Work-related stress can kill, study finds" this is a recent article on work related stress which can lead to illnesses such as heart disease and depression these can be caused from working long hours, as it consists of unmanageable workloads that exceed the person’s capacity and capability to cope.  The article further mentioned work related stress is a significant cause of illness and disease and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other indicators of organisational under performance - including human error.
 (Michael Kahn 2011)

Employees are given more time off work when it is due to stress related illness compared to other illnesses. The average length of an employee taking leave from work due to stress is 21 days; this is a large amount of days off and  has a negative impact on businesses financially.

References

http://www.reuters.com/article
(Michael Kahn 2011)
http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress
(Mary Simpson)

Leadership

The main aim of a manager is to maximise the output of the organisation through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions; organisation planning staffing directing controlling. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate "Leaders are observant and sensitive people. They know their team and develop mutual confidence within it."

(John Fenton ‘101 Ways to Boost Your Business Performance’, 1990)

Managers think incrementally, whilst leaders think radically. "Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing.”

(Richard Pascale Penguin Book, 1990)

This means that managers do things by the book and follow company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may in turn be of more benefit to the company.

A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. A manager may only have obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. A leader may have no organisational skills, but his vision unites people behind him.

A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. A manager may only have obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. A leader may have no organisational skills, but his vision unites people behind him. Management usually consists of people who are experienced in their field, and who have worked their way up the company. A manager knows how each layer of the system works and may also possess a good technical knowledge. A leader can be a new arrival to a company who has bold, fresh, new ideas but might not have experience or wisdom.

Sometimes with small groups, it is not the manager who emerges as the leader. In many cases it is a subordinate member (leader) with specific talents who leads the group in a certain direction. "Leaders must let vision, strategies, goals, and values be the guide-post for action and behaviour rather than attempting to control others."

Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Effort and care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximise the output of the organisation through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake different functions such as organisation, planning, staffing, directing and controlling. Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader; he also needs formal authority to be effective.

When a natural leader emerges in a group containing a manager, conflict may arise if they have different views. When a manager sees the group looking towards someone else for leadership he may feel his authority is being questioned. Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Effort and care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader; he also needs formal authority to be effective. "For any quality initiative to take hold, senior management must be involved and act as a role model. This involvement cannot be delegated."

 

 Below I have listed some more differences between a manager and a leader:

– The manager administers; the leader innovates.

– The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

– The manager maintains; the leader develops.

– The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

– The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

– The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

– The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

– The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.

– The manager imitates; the leader originates.

– The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

– The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

– The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

(Warren Bennis "On becoming a leader" 1989)

The key differences between management and leadership that Kotter (1990) mentions are:

Management	Leadership
Control and Solve problem	Motivate and inspire
Plan and Budget	Establish a direction
Organise things	Align people with a vision
Encourage order and predictability	Encourage change

Mullins (2007) also mentioned some key differences which are:

Management	Leadership
Impersonal	Personal
Low level of emotional involvement	Have empathy
Planning, organising, directing, controlling	Communicating, motivating, encouraging
Results	Transforms

(Mary Simpson, n.d.)

From looking at theories from Kotter and Mullins we can see that they mention key differences between management and leadership.

Management is more impersonal; it relates to planning and making change and tends to be more formal, on the other hand leadership is more personal, it has emotion and feelings attached to it and also requires some sort of skill that the person has in order to become a leader. For example  

Leadership is not always required, the reason being is sometime groups or individuals can be self motivated therefore they may not require a single leader and could find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required proves that leadership is just an asset and is not essential. Groups are often more loyal to a leader than a manager. This loyalty is created by the leader taking responsibility in areas such as taking the blame when things go wrong, celebrating group achievements even minor ones, giving individual’s appraisals, and all credit where it is due. An example of a good leader was Winston Churchill, he lead Great Britain for most of World War Two and Churchill’s ‘bulldog’ spirit seemed to summarise the mood of the British people even during the bad times, such as Dunkirk, and the inspirational victories, such as the Battle of Britain. Winston Churchill took different forms of leadership including being a conservative MP, then he went on to being part of a liberal party, Winston Churchillwas alsmade First Lord of the Admiralty, In this post, he did a great deal to ensure that the navy was in a state to fight a war. With such actions may have marked him down as a man who would do his utmost to maintain law and order.

A key leader within an organisation and what made them him/her an effective leader

While at college, I considered my business teacher to be an effective leader. My business teacher had many traits which enabled to him to be an effective leader, such as his ability to be able to lead and manage a large class. A leader is very personal, so when this teacher taught the class he always ensured that he was using different teaching techniques, such as PowerPoint presentations, use of activities on blackboard, handing out task sheets etc this further made him an effective leader as he always considered every students personal needs.

My business teacher was able to motivate and inspire students to work harder and also gave up a lot of his spare time to help students with their personal and educational problems. This shows evidence of my teacher being an effective leader as he not only can lead a class but is also able to give out advice when needed. Kotter mentioned that leaders can establish directions (Simpson, 2011); my business teacher was able to establish directions by making students focus on the future and where they would like to be heading.

The trait theory can relate to my business teacher, this theory suggests that leaders are born not made. The trait theory mentions that leaders have an intense desire to lead others to reach shared goals. This statement describes my old business teacher as he always showed a strong desire and enthusiasm to reach all goals set. A leader is also respected, personally I believe that everyone respected this teacher as he always lead everyone in a positive manner while ensuring that everyone is happy with his work.

Conclusion
Managing and leading are two different ways of organising people. The manager uses a formal, rational method whilst the leader uses passion and stirs emotions. A manager usually consists of people who are experienced in their field, and who have worked their way up the company. A manager knows how each layer of the system works and may also possess a good technical knowledge. A leader can be a new arrival to a company who has bold, fresh, new ideas and understanding as a person who is easy to talk to however he/she might not have experience or wisdom.

References

Daniel. F. Predpall, ‘Developing Quality Improvement Processes In Consulting Engineering Firms’, Journal of Management in Engineering, pp 30-31, May-June 1994

Mary Simpson, n.d.

Richard Pascale, ‘Managing on the Edge’, Penguin Book, pp 65, 1990
John Fenton, ‘101 Ways to Boost Your Business Performance’, Mandarin Business, pp 113, 1990

Organisation Culture

Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.

Visible aspects of culture within an organisationVisible aspects within an organisation are the things that can be noticed such as punctuality, employee’s uniform, the business logo and structure, staff being on time and informing the manager if they are going to be absent.

The two similar stores I researched for visible aspects within a business were Primark and River Island. They both sell similar products, but one being a cheap designer and one being a more expensive designer wear giving there cloth a different value from one another.

I researched two similar stores during the lecture, which were Primark; who sell clothing and accessories at a cheaper price, and River Island; whose products are priced much higher compared to Primark.

The visible aspects of culture I noticed from the River Island shop front and while walking in was the business structure. The entrance to the store is very bright with quite a few lights and mannequins displayed on the shop window. There were different paint colours used on the walls, such as green, white, black, blue, furthermore there were colour lights involved. The layout of the cloth and models were much different to the layout of Primark’s and the cloth was aimed at young adults rather than mature adults and children. The staff also gave off a different vibe, they are dressed slightly informally compared to Primark, wearing jeans and trainers but the only thing being formal and similar to Primark is the top showing the River Island logo. Another visible aspect that I noticed was there was a mixture of hip hop, R&B and a bit of rock music for young adults to enjoy while roaming around the store. Whereas in Primark has no music and it sticks to the simple plain white colour and the products are aimed at families.

The power culture

Handy describes the power culture as a ‘web’. He suggests that this reflects the concentration of power of a family-owned business, which can either be extremely large or small. (Sherwin 2009) The family operation with strict responsibilities going to family member’s responsibility given to personalities rather than expertise creates the power structure of the ‘web’. Examples of businesses which come under this culture will be newsagents and corner shops because they are usually family owned businesses and only one dominant person makes rules.

The role culture

This has been typified as a Greek temple. Common in most organisations today is a role culture. In a role culture, organisations are split into various functions and each individual within the function is assigned a particular role. The role culture has the benefit of specialisation. Employees focus on their particular role as assigned to them by their job description and this should increase productivity for the company. This culture is quite logical to organise in a large organisation. Examples of jobs in this type of culture are government departments and local authorities such as the police department, this is because there is a hierarchy within these types of jobs and everyone knows what they are doing and the day-to-day work are similar.

The task culture

A task culture refers to a team based approach to complete a particular task. They are popular in today's modern business society where the organisation will establish particular 'project teams' to complete a task to date. Staffs feels motivated because they are empowered to make decisions within their team, they will also feel valued because they may have been selected within that team and given the responsibility to bring the task to a successful end. Examples of businesses which can be labelled under this category are design agencies and management consultancies because the value of an individual to a certain project depends on their expertise rather than job titles

The person culture

This is characteristic of the consensus model of management, where the individuals within the structure determine collectively the path which the organisation pursues. If there is a formalised structure, it tends to service the needs of the individuals within the structure. Organisations which portray this culture reject formal hierarchies for ‘getting things done’ and exist solely to meet the needs of their members. The rejection of formal ‘management control’ and ‘reporting relationships’ suggests that this may be a suitable culture for a self-help group or a commune, etc., but it is not appropriate for business organisations. Examples of organisations that come under this category are barristers, universities and doctors’ practices.

Problems when trying to classify culture

The problem with classifying culture is when two business go into partnership it can take a while to realise which culture would be most suitable and they would have to change from one culture to another.

Another problem would be the takeover of a new leadership for example the manager may want to change the layout of the business make it formal from it being informal and it may take a while for the organisation to adjust. Meaning it would have to change its culture which may even lead to describing its culture.

And the other problem I found to classifying culture is the fact that a large business may be running more than one culture because of its different sectors for example the HR department and the manufacturing department have separate goals and objectives giving them separate cultures.

Conclusion and EvaluationThe culture to an organisation is the attitudes, beliefs and values that are originally controlled by the leader, for example the manager of a business. This processes the way in which things are done within a business. This is shown in two ways one being the visible aspect for example punctuality of the staff, uniform and the layout of the business. The second aspect is the hidden aspect being the way you behave towards customers and use the right manner, this goes under attitudes and beliefs.

All companies have their own culture, it might not always fit in with the four types of cultures Charles Handy mentioned but every business has a way of operating and they share their own beliefs about how things should be done within the business. for example most businesses start off small and so they will usually follow Handy’s power culture theory but however some business grow and so they move into other categories such as role culture, were different people have different roles.

References

Mary Simpson, n.d.

www.riverisland.co.uk

www.primark.co.uk

www.lindsay-sherwin.cco.uk/guide_managing_change/html_overview/05_culture

Improving Staff Performance

Motivation is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes us to take action. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature.
The incentive theory suggests that people are motivated to do things because of external rewards. For example, you might be motivated to go to work each day for the monetary reward of being paid. Behavioral learning concepts such as association and reinforcement play an important role in this theory of motivation.

Examples of content theories include:

Hertzberg’s two factor theory

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Alderfer’s ERG Theory

Process Theories looks deeper into how people are motivated through goals and rewards, in other words these theories focus on people having goals and choosing how to get them by a process of calculation.

Process theories of motivation - Adam's Equity Theory At a basic level, most people generally prefer to be in relationships where give and take are about equal. So if one person is getting too little from the relationship, then clearly they are going to be unhappy with this but it is also likely that the other person will also be feeling rather guilty about this imbalance. This is reinforced by strong social norms about fairness.

Expectancy theory focuses on the connections between goal achievement and performance. It contains the idea that people work better if they believe that they will achieve results expected in their work and if the financial and persnal rewars are good enough.

 

Expectancy theory is comprised of three components: Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valance.The expectancy is the belief that one's effort  will result is attainment of desired performance goals. This belief, or perception, is generally based on an individual's past experience, self confidence, and the perceived difficulty of the performance standard or goal.

The instrumentality is the belief that if one does meet performance expectations, he or she will receive a greater reward. This reward may come in the form of a pay increase, promotion, recognition or sense of accomplishment.

The valance refers the value the individual personally places on the rewards. This is a function of his or her needs, goals, values and sources of motivation.

Caffe Nero was found by Gerry Ford in 1997. His aim was to bring a premium, continental-style Cafè to Great Britain. He wanted it to be authentically Italian; serving premium espresso based coffee, fresh high quality food and to become a neighbourhood gathering spot. The staff at Cafe at Nero work hard at what they do and who they work with, they aim to fulfill customers needs at high standards . They make sure they have fun at work,  as well as having fun together outside of work , therefore they organise social events and parties on a regular basis.

Ways Caffe Nero motivate their employees:

• They bring a friendly, family based environment
• Salary
• Free drinks whilst working and discounts on there days off
• Annual leave/holiday pay
• Enhancement hours/bonus pay
• social events such as CN Club parties, Barista of the Year events, softball, school sports days, Italian wine and food tasting nights and many others.

www.cafenero.com

 

Conclusion

From my research I have found that motivating employees makes them want to work to recive rewards.

Different business and organisations motivate their employee's in different ways, for example I researched Caffe Nero and their workers and staff are more important than the products. So they use the equity motivation process by giving them a family based environment to work in, arranging social events, giving staff annual leave and enhancemant hours.

References used
Mary Simpsons (n.d.), PowerPoint Presentation
Organisational behaviour- Dr Hawa Singh (2010-2011 edition)
http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm
www.cafenero.com