Personality

“Personality may be viewed as consisting of stable characteristics that explain why a person behaves in a particular way.” (Mullins, 2010, pg.130) So for example, indecisiveness, openness and agreeableness are all examples of personality characteristics.

A big debate in personality studies is: nature vs. nurture. Is an individual born with their personality or do they learn it with the way they were brought up and the environment they live in.  

Personality can be divided into two main approaches, these are: nomothetic and idiographic. 

“The nomothetic approach is a measureable and specific perspective that looks at the identification of traits and personality as a collection of characteristics.” (Mullins, 2010, pg.130) It is often concerned with statistical studies of groups of individuals to identify similarities in personality characteristics.

The idiographic approach looks at each person and individualises them. Each person is branded as unique but adaptable and open to change. “This approach is a holistic and dynamic perspective which insists that managers take into account a ‘whole’ understanding of the individual.” (Mullins, 2010, pg.131)

In my opinion both nature and nurture plays a part in who we are. To an extent the way we are brought up can either have a positive or negative impact on our personality and the life path we choose. The area that people live in, the size of the family, the rewards and punishments used by parents, all have an impact on who we become. However I do not think all personality characteristics are learnt, some people were born with many of their personality characteristics and often these can’t be changed. The environment they are brought up in may teach them to adapt these characteristics to different situations, but in truth they were born with these traits. 

After a lot of research on personality it has been proposed there are five basic dimensions of personality. (About Psychology) These are: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. 


"The big five form the basis of standard personality questionnaires, which determine positive or negative scores for each dimension" (Mullins, 2010, pg. 133) 


There are many advantages and disadvantages of companies using personality tests to assess an individuals personality, during the interview process and throughout their career. 
These personality tests do not discriminate anyone on race, gender or age, and it gives an estimate for the employer whether an individual will fit into their business, therefore it cuts out the good from the bad. They are very consistent as everyone is asked the same questions and provides useful information for an interview. 
However it is difficult to predict how an individual may react in a work place from one of these questionnaires and it could potentially cut out a good employee. Another downside is that these tests are very costly and it is time consuming analysing these results. 


In my opinion it is important that the right person is chosen for a job, and as recruitment is so expensive, this also matters to the employee. I think these tests give employers a useful insight into a person's personality, but they must not be dependent on them. 

As part of this blog, to test my own personality, I have taken the big personality test on the BBC website and my results are as follows:

I scored highly on concientiousness, extroversion and agreeableness, medium on neuroticism and low on openess. For more information on what these results show, click here.

About Psychology. The big five. [online] Available from: http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive.htm [Accessed 20/1/2010]

BBC website [online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml [Accessed 20/1/2010]

Mullins, J L (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^th ed. Essex: Financial Times Pitman Publishing

Wilderdom. Personality traits. [online] Available from: http://wilderdom.com/personality/traits/PersonalityTraitsIdiographicNomothetic.html  [Accessed 20/1/2010]

Leadership

Leadership

Leadership can be defined and interpreted in many different ways. “but essentially it is a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people” (Mullins, 2010, pg.373)

Forrest and Tolltree (1996) believe that a manager’s role is to plan, control, co-ordinate, implement policy and achieve results. Whereas a leader’s role is to motivate, generate ideas, enthuse and inspire.

There are many subtle differences between a leader and a manager and in the table below I have outlined the most obvious differences.

Manager	Leader
Formal	Informal
Make decisions	Part of team
Meet targets	Involved
Responsibility	Motivates
Good listener	Inspires
Trust	Communicate
Oversee	Respect

Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid

Blake and Mouton came up with the managerial grid in the 1960’s. It focuses on two behavioural dimensions: concern for people and concern for production.

Using these two dimensions they created the managerial grid and were able to come up with five leadership styles. 

Country club leadership: This type of leadership is concerned with the needs and feelings of members of staff. (Mind tools online, 1996) The importance of people comes above the importance of production. The leader feels that such treatment will lead to self-motivation, however sometimes low focus can hamper production. (Management study guide online, 1998)

Produce or Perish leadership: This style of leadership is very autocratic and is focused on production. (Mind Tools) 1996 suggests employee needs are always secondary to the need for efficient and productive workplaces and that punishment is the effective means to motivate employees.

Impoverished leadership: These leaders are often referred to as ineffective. (Management 

study guide) 1998 explains that these leaders have low concern for employees and work deadlines. They are merely concerned with keeping their jobs and seniority.

Middle of the road leadership: This style of the leadership uses compromise to try and create a balance between people and production. However (Mind Tools) 1996 suggest this is part of the problem as neither production nor people needs are fully met. People who use this style of leadership settle for average performance.

Team Leadership: Management study guide (1998) believes this style is based on McGregor’s Y theory and has been termed as the most effective style by Blake and Mouton. Empowerment, commitment, trust and respect are the key elements in creating a team atmosphere which automatically results in motivated staff and high levels of production.

When I worked for Barclays in Thame as a cashier, my manager was very good at making me part of the team and helping me fit in. The team trusted and respected one another as well as the leader. As a result of this the team were motivated and we produced good sales for the branch and less till errors as a result. However if there was a down day, you always felt there was someone to talk to and support you. After working in five different branches on different occasions whilst working for Barclays, I am still friends with and often see members of staff from the Thame branch and none of the other branches. I believe this shows that the team atmosphere that was created and the management that was in place had a positive effect on all of the staff.  

Adolf Hitler

When asked to think of a leader, Adolf Hitler is the first person that comes to mind. In my opinion Adolf Hitler is a strong leader because of the way he led people to complete many different tasks.

I think he is a perfect example of produce/poverish leadership. This is because he was very focused on the task in hand and thought the people working for him were just a means to an end. However people still followed him as they believed they would be severely punished if they were to disobey. It shows that this sort of leadership is effective although some changes have obviously been made to the way he did things to suit the society of today.

In conclusion it is clear that there are obvious differences between a manager and a leader, however motivated staff and high production levels are most easily achieved using both. Blake and Mouton’s grid shows an outline of the different leadership styles which are often used, some effective and others ineffective. Although team leadership is preferred, depending on the situation or decision that has to be made, sometimes and autocratic approach may be better suited. A manager or leader must be able to adapt to the different situations that they face.

Bibliography

Adolf Hitler Interesting Facts [online] Available from: http://adolfhitlerinterestingfacts.com/ [Accessed 14/1/2011]

Mind Tools (1996) [online] Available from: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm [Accessed 14/1/2011]

Management Study Guide (1998) [online] Available from:

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/blake-mouton-managerial-grid.htm [Accessed 14/1/2011]


Mullins, L (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^th ed. Essex: Pitman Imprint

Enterprise Week

Enterprise week

The student enterprise experience is about enriching students by facilitating a range of events and competitions to help them learn more about the real world and hopefully use other people’s experiences to motivate individuals to succeed.

I attended an event called ‘Ella’s Kitchen’ hosted by Paul Lindley which lasted just over an hour and took place in the Old Board room at the university. Paul explained to us how he had set up his own business selling baby food. He believed in an idea, and using his past experiences to help him managed to set up a successful company, now the 9^th fastest growing in the UK. The idea was to encourage children to eat fruit and vegetables and to make it more exciting for them whilst making it convenient for parents. He has now even gained an award for ‘Food & Drink Brand of the year’

Paul had previously worked for Nickelodeon and KPMG so had a strong skill set before setting up his own business. The challenge of setting up the business itself, the will for it to succeed and self belief was what kept him motivated throughout the process. He invested his own money by re-mortgaging his house; however this was partly due to him wanting to keep control of the business. He wanted his business to be innovative and different, and entice children in a way other baby food brands don’t.

Ella’s Kitchen taught me the importance of innovation, self belief and the benefit of taking a risk if it is something you truly believe in.  He took into account what children think and the effect it has upon a parent’s decision. He entered into a market with huge competitors including Heinz and Hipp but managed to take 10% of the market share. Proving his idea was innovative and the consumers agreed.

Paul Lindley has motivated me to work harder throughout my degree to learn more about business, as in the future I am looking to open my own business. He has shown me that it can be done with a lot of hard work and passion and inspired me to reach my personal goals. 

Culture

Culture

Organisational culture can be described as “the way we do things around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 1982) It is the unwritten beliefs, attitudes, values and expectations about how people work within an organisation. Individuals are not often aware of a culture within the workplace however it consciously has an influence over their behaviour and actions. A person either fits in with the culture, or rejects it and leaves.

Visible aspects of culture are artefacts and creations. This includes physical space, layout, uniform, language and the behaviour of group members. (Mullins, 2010)

There are many visible aspects that make up part of Barclay’s culture, these include:  the corporate wear which all members of staff working in the branch must wear, service standards which each member of staff must follow for each and every customer, the layout of the branches, all similar in style, the till points and computers which staff work on daily.

Charles Handy came up with four types of organisational culture in 1993, these are: power culture, role culture, task culture and person culture.

Power culture is where there is a central powerful figure taking charge within the business. The business is usually very small, for example a family run roofing business. This type of culture has few rules and systems and fast decisions are made due to there being few layers.

Role culture is typical of a bureaucratic type of organisation, for example within finance or production. People work to a job description, the skills and abilities of an individual are not as important.

Person culture is where the organisation only exists to serve the interest of those within it, for example a Doctor’s surgery. The individuals working within the business are central to it and therefore there is no need for hierarchy.

Task culture is within a project based company which relies heavily on team work. The task in hand is more important than the individuals or rules. It applies to a business such as research, where there is freedom and flexibility and good communication between departments to get the task completed.

 One problem of trying to classify culture to fit into Handy’s model is that culture is very difficult to measure. As a result of this an organisation must work to what best suits them, rather than to a model of this sort.

In reality four types of culture cannot sum up all of the organisations that have been established. Each business will have its own culture and may relate to Handy’s four cultures, however will not necessarily reflect them identically as every organisation is run differently, using different management and techniques.

Although culture helps to motivate staff, often changes can be made to the culture within an organisation due to new technology, growth, mergers or new products and many other things.  There are barriers to change that will be faced as a result, these are: attitudes of staff, resistance to change, trade unions and cost & time. Change to culture must be handled carefully as to make sure it works for everyone, and to avoid de-motivated staff.

In conclusion it is clear that there are many things which make up the culture of a business, and the culture differs from one organisation to another. If an individual fits in with the culture of a business, it leads to high motivation as they feel they are part of the team and will work very hard a result. When an individual finds an organisation in which they slot into the culture perfectly, often they will be there for a long time as it works for them and suits their lifestyle. Therefore trying to change the culture of a business can be tricky and sometimes can have the opposite effect. Individuals don’t often understand why you would change something when it is currently working effectively.

Improving Staff Performance

Improving staff performance 

In this blog I am going to look at the differences between process and content theories and relate this to a specific organisation.

Firstly the definitions of content and process theories taken from Mullins, J (2010)

Content theories attempt to explain those specific things that actually motivate the individual at work. These theories are concerned with identifying people’s needs and their relative strengths, and the goals they pursue in order to satisfy these needs. Content theories place emphasis on the nature of needs and what motivates.

Process theories attempt to identify the relationship among the dynamic variables that make up motivation. These theories are concerned more with how behaviour is initiated, directed and sustained. Process theories place emphasis on the actual process of motivation.

Therefore content theories look at WHAT motivates and process theories look at HOW they motivate.

John Lewis uses many different techniques to motivate their staff. Firstly they offer a generous benefit package to all members of staff, including pay, holiday and discount. “We’re also different because our Partners are active co-owners in the business, which means they share in the profits and have a real say in determining its future. “ [John Lewis online 17/12/2010] This is a real motivator for the staff as it makes them feel important and part of the team. This links to Maslow’s hierarchy as it gives partners a sense of belonging. John Lewis also offers a range of training programmes to enhance their skills further and help them develop as individuals.

Porter and Lawler took Vroom’s expectancy theory and developed their own from it. They 

concluded that an individual’s motivation to complete a task is affected by the reward they 

expect to achieve. (Learn Management online) There are two types of reward, intrinsic and 

extrinsic.

At John Lewis employees understand that the effort they put in and the profit that is made by the 

business will be turned into a bonus for them once a year. This links to the Porter and Lawler 

Expectancy theory and is an extrinsic reward. Staff that work for John Lewis can make a 

decision on their behaviour, knowing this will affect the profit and therefore their bonus. 

Locke’s goal setting theory shows a link between setting an individual a goal and task performance. If an appropriate goal is set, for example it is challenging but reachable, an individual will be motivated to meet it. [Mind Tools Online 17/12/2010]

“In John Lewis they offer an award called the one step beyond. Where you go the extra mile for a customer and they tell a manager about you. You are presented with an award and a gift (Voucher, Wine) Etc. This is only one of the awards that John Lewis offers; they are great ways to motivate you to give the best service to every customer.” (Ex-employee of John Lewis.) This is an example of setting members of staff a goal to reach, and rewarding them if they successfully meet it. In this case, employees know that they will get a reward if they give each customer a high standard of service, which keeps customers happy and staff motivated.

In conclusion, keeping staff motivated at all times is extremely important. They are a key element of any business, and if they are motivated they will be willing to work harder and more efficiently which in the long term will benefit any business. The motivation theories give an insight into the different ways which companies can adapt to their businesses to motivate staff.

Bibliography

John Lewis Jobs. (2010) [online] Available from: http://www.jlpjobs.com/ [Accessed 14/1/2011]

Learn Management [online] Available from: http://www.learnmanagement2.com/porterandlawlerexpectancytheory.htm [Accessed 18/1/2010]


Mullins, J L (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^th ed. Essex: Financial Times Pitman Publishing.

Mind Tools. Locke’s goal setting theory [online] Available from: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm  [Accessed 1/12/2010]