BUSINESS SCHOOL

STUDENT’S SURNAME, INITIALS Tshambula, L.

ASSIGNMENT TITLE Organisational Behaviour Individual Assignment

STUDENT NUMBER 216560841

PROGRAMME NAME MBA YEAR 1; OBE 501T

GROUP NAME Eagles

DATE 2016 March 12

 BUSINESS SCHOOL

STUDENT’S SURNAME, INITIALS Tshambula, L.

ASSIGNMENT TITLE Organisational Behaviour Individual Assignment

STUDENT NUMBER 216560841

PROGRAMME NAME MBA YEAR 1; OBE 501T

GROUP NAME Eagles

DATE 2016 March 12

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Individual Assignment

Course Module: Organisational Behaviour (TUT MBA, OBE501T)

Due Date of Assignment: 12 March 2016

Lecturer: Pieter R van der Merwe

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IMPORTANT NOTE AND DECLARATION

 Your assignment must be typed in Arial 12, 1.5 spacing, and

presented as a professional document that adheres to
scientific writing principles
 The use of this template is compulsory
 A minimum of 7-10 scientific references should be used
 Should not be shorter than 15 pages and not longer than 20
pages, excluding the Self Evaluation and Reference list
 Adhere to the 49% rule mentioned in the tutorial letter
 Include BOTH the coversheets – One is retained with marks
allocated
 For ease of grading, only BIND your Assignment in the TOP
LEFT CORNER with a staple or appropriate robust clip
 You will notice that questions do not have individual mark
allocation. Your insight and ability to integrate, apply and
balance theory and praxis is assessed. Individual marks are
not allocated per question and the quality of your answers
should be deduced from the lecturer’s comments and the
above matrix
 Your Assignment should include a statement decalring that this
is your own work and that all resources have been
appropriately referenced:

I _______________________________(NAME & SURNAME)

________________ (STUDENT NUMBER) declare that this

Assignment is my own work and that all resources have been

appropriately referenced in the text and in the Reference list

_______________________ (SIGNATURE)

____________________ (DATE)

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Individual Assignment Mark Sheet

Course Module: Organisational Behaviour (TUT MBA, OBE501T)

Student Surname, Initials: _______________________________

Evaluation Criteria 75%+ 68%+ 60%+ 50%+ 49%-

Understanding the course content
(Has student done sufficient reading) [20]
Applying appropriate theory concepts
(Demonstrating insight & understanding reason,
identify, interpret concepts and theory in own
words, infer, make comparisons discuss,
differentiate, make comparisons) [20]
Analysing and evaluating the case
(Evaluate facts and information, critique, justify,
motivate assertions, comments, contrast,
resolve issues/problems,
propose solutions) [20]
Conclusions, recommendations,
Lessons to be learnt, application to reality [10]
Technical presentation, executive summary,
syntax, illustrations, references & summary,
language, bibliography [20]
Self Evaluation and Critical Cross Field
Questionnaires [10]

Lecturer’s Comments:

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Self-Assessment: Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFO’S)

The following questions should be answered in no more than 100 words per question at
the after you have completed your assignment and together with the Self Evaluation is
worth 10% of the final mark.
Study the critical outcomes below and then rate yourself (in your role as an aspiring
MBA graduate, in terms of your ability to demonstrate these behaviours). Use the scale
provided below by highlighting the number:
Score Performance level
3 Outstanding performance
2 Standard performance
1 Unacceptable performance

Identify and solve problems in which responses display that

responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been 1 2 3
made (e.g. insight, problem-solving)
Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group,
1 2 3
organisation (e.g. liaising with staff members to get info)
Organise and manage oneself and one’s activities responsibly and
1 2 3
effectively (e.g. punctuality, working independently, planning)
Collect, analyse and critically evaluate information (e.g. obtaining the
relevant info needed, displaying the ability to analyse info and be 1 2 3
critical to suggest improvement)
Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language
skills in oral and written persuasion (e.g. writing skills, communicating 1 2 3
verbally, doing presentations)
Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing
responsibility toward the environment and health of others (e.g.
adopting a professional and scientific approach to organisational 1 2 3
practices, safety awareness, use of technology such as computers or
technical equipment in conducting career-related activities)
Explore various learning and development strategies, apply the most
appropriate one and evaluate the effectiveness of the learning and
1 2 3
development strategy applied (e.g. continued professional
development strategies)
Demonstrate acceptable employment advancement skills associated
with an MBA, using all of the theoretical principles and reflecting on the
1 2 3
effectiveness of such applications – What has your MBA done for other
today?
Apply your occupational expertise/competence along with world class
practices in the MBA field within the organisation and local community, 1 2 3
showing understanding and sensitivity for diversity

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Self-Evaluation

The following questions should be answered in no more than 100 words per question
at the after you have completed your assignment and is worth 10% of the final mark.
There are no right or wrong answers – it is about your reflective skills and self-
awareness. These questions will assess your achievement of the outcomes and your
use and/or development of specific competencies. Type tour answers in the spaces
below the questions

(1) Why did you assign this mark in your self-evaluation? What mark do you think
you should get for the assignment? Where in your assignment (sections,
aspects) did you perform at your best? And at your worst?
 Because I believe I understand the content and its application and have
portrayed that appropriately in answering the questions of the assignment.
 90%
 Part A and Part B best, All the other parts not quite.

(2) Did you find the prescribed material useful?

 Yes although some aspects required more research and time is always
limited..

(3) Did you use additional sources? If your answer is “yes”, describe or name these
sources.
 Yes, TUT Library online, webpages, articles, books and eBooks.

(4) How much time did you spend on the assignment?

 One week and half altogether.

(5) How relevant are the sources provided for this paper to the realities, for
example, of Organisational Behaviour in the South African context?
 They are practical and relevant to the SA context.
 Almost all the aspects of organisational behaviour addressed in this
assignment are common across cultures and continents, including Africa and
SA in particular.

(6) Which competencies, areas of knowledge, skills and other qualities did you
need to complete this assignment?
 Reading and comprehension, communication and interpersonal skills,
patience and compromise
 Knowledge of organizational behaviour, and in particular and the theory,
principles and practices.

(7) Did completing this assignment and consulting the relevant sources improve
your competence as a human resources practitioner/investor/analyst? Name a
few competencies that you think should be developed further.
 Yes.

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  Analysis of information, discussion and forming an opinion from that.

(8) Did the assignment tasks add value to the application of your knowledge and
skills in the workplace? Please explain the application value.
 Yes, my social skills are developing in a way that I have never experienced.
 How management my diverse project team and how I interact with others at
work is definitely changing for the better.

(9) What aspects of the course, study material and your learning experience would
you like to improve? How?
 Leadership, management and interpersonal skills; how organisations
experience and respond to change and the impact of management and
leadership on behaviour and how organisations re-invent themselves after
turbulence.
 By learning and understanding and applying the OB knowledge learned
more.

(10) How would you describe the quality of the learning material (tutorial letter, study
guide, prescribed book)? Please elaborate

 All the material is very comprehensive and informative

 Textbook – provides all the theory and fundamentals of OB
 Handout – the manner of approach on articulating the required objectives;
the explanations in the notes part is very helpful.
 Tutorial letter – The rich culture and technical nature of the Institution (TUT
Business School)

(11) Do the assignment tasks reflect the learning outcomes?

 Yes

(12) Was the lecturer and administrative support of an expected standard? Please
elaborate.
 Yes, the Lecturer in terms of making practical examples which are relevant
to our workplace, country and cultural context.
 Administrative support, providing all the support, the materials and handouts
are emailed timeously.

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Table of Contents

IMPORTANT NOTE AND DECLARATION..........................................................................................ii

Self-Assessment: Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFO’S)...........................................................iv
Self-Evaluation.........................................................................................................................................v
Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................viii
Introduction:.............................................................................................................................................1
Part A........................................................................................................................................................2
Question 1............................................................................................................................................2
Question 2............................................................................................................................................3
Question 3............................................................................................................................................4
Question 4............................................................................................................................................6
Question 5............................................................................................................................................8
Question 6............................................................................................................................................9
Question 7..........................................................................................................................................10
Question 8..........................................................................................................................................10
Part B......................................................................................................................................................12
Question 1..........................................................................................................................................12
Question 2..........................................................................................................................................12
Question 3..........................................................................................................................................14
Summary & Conclusion........................................................................................................................17
Reference List........................................................................................................................................18

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Executive Summary

Individual and group behaviour is critical to the understanding of organizations.

Organisational Behaviour is a social science, a field of the study of human behaviour,
to investigate the impact that individuals, groups and structure that it has within
organisations to apply such knowledge towards improving organizational effectiveness.
Thus OB is a field that addresses the challenges of organisational success. Leadership
and management are central to organisational success.

This assignment explores the broad scope of the elements of organisational

performance and management effectiveness within organisations, where individual,
group and structural factors of behaviour are at work. Part A explores all these
elements, the knowledge and understanding thereof part B is mainly the application of
these to analyse a case study. From this exercise it becomes evident how critical is
the understanding of the subject of organisational behaviour for all managers and
leaders of organisations.

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Introduction

Behaviour is a significant phenomenon in the study and understanding of organizations.

Organisational Behaviour is a social science. It is a field of study that investigates the
impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organisations.
The main purpose is to apply such knowledge towards improving organizations’
effectiveness. Thus OB is a field that addresses the challenges of organisational
success. Leadership and management are central to organisational success.

OB explores motivation; leader behaviour and power; interpersonal communication;

group structure and processes; attitude development and perception; change
processes; conflict and negotiations; and work design. When OB is studied
systematically, it provides ways of predicting individual and group behaviour through
understanding situations and the composition of the people, that is, what they regard as
important.

This assignment is about the broad scope of the elements of organisational

performance and management effectiveness where individual, group and structural
factors of behaviour are at work. Part A explores all these elements, the knowledge and
understanding thereof part B is mainly the application of these to analyse a case study.
From this exercise it becomes evident how critical is the understanding of the subject of
organisational behaviour for all managers and leaders of organisations. The problem
here is establishing the centrality of OB theory (principles and concepts) and how their
understanding and application would enhance management effectiveness and success.

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 1|P a g e
Part A

Question 1: Define Organisational Behaviour, and discuss why it is essential that

managers have an understanding of the subject

Organisational Behaviour (OB) is a social science, a field of study that investigates the
impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organisations, for
the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving organizations’ effectiveness
(Robbins and Judge, 2015: 42). According to the OBE 501T Notes (van der Merwe,
2016), more specifically, OB explores motivation; leadership behaviour and power;
interpersonal communication; group structure and processes; attitude development and
perception; change processes; conflict and negotiation; and work design. When OB is
studied systematically, ways of predicting the behavior of individuals and groups
through an understanding of situations and composition of the people, that is, what they
regard as important. Evidence-based management (EBM) complements systematic
study by basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific evidence.

Organisations are consciously coordinated social units that are composed of two or
more people that function on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or
set of goals (Robbins, SP & Judge, TA; 2015: p. 28). Managers need to have a cadre
of skills to create and maintain an environment that supports productivity in the
workplace. Managers must technically astute first: they must know the work they
manage. The human skills of understanding, communicating with, motivating, and
supporting their staff, both individually and in groups or teams is one that managers
learn from the organisational behaviour subject theory, its principles and concepts.

Managers get things done through the efforts of these people, whether as individual or
as teams. They need to have solid interpersonal skills of communication to effectively
perform the key functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Fayol in
Sheldrake (2003: p. 51-54) add the function of command in this list and outlines it. Like
all these functions, the command function is basically about communication and

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 2|P a g e
interpersonal skills. Thus leadership and communication are fundamental to
organizational success.

These skills can be learned and developed from knowing, understanding and
implementing the social theory found in the Organizational Behaviour subject.

Question 2: Define and Differentiate between Skills, Ability, Competency and

Competence

2.1. A skill an ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic and
sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions
involving ideas (cognitive or intellectual skills), things (technical skills), and/or people
(communication and or interpersonal skills). It therefore follows that every job will
require a variety of skills according to the duties or tasks and activities entailed in the
job description. It is evident that all employees, managers and staff or teams are
required to have skills, that is management and operational skills. Robbins, SP &
Judge, TA, 2015 outlines the management skills as technical, human and conceptual in
nature.

2.2. Ability: is an individual’s capacity to perform job tasks. These abilities can be
differentiated into intellectual abilities and physical abilities. Intellectual abilities that
include critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving are those that one needs to
perform mental tasks. The dimensions that constitute these abilities are number
aptitude, verbal communication, perceptual speed, inductive and deductive reasoning,
special visualization and memory. In defining intelligence and or mental ability, speed
becomes very central. At the centre of this topic are competencies or skills that
managers need to succeed or achieve their goals. These are technical, human and
conceptual skills. These differentiate between effective and successful managers.

2.3. Competency of a candidate or employee on the other hand, refers to the state of
being competent: the description of skills and knowledge along with experience and
other attributes that are necessary to perform a task or job. In simple words,

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 3|P a g e
competencies are skills required for a job. Thus when you are shown competencies, it
means you have been described what has to be done and how well. Proponents for
competencies argue that these are God given dispositions and endowments,
antecedents.

2.4. Competence defined simply, within the context of recruitment and job placement
in organisations, is a set of criteria or specific requirements from an individual to perform
a given job. They are learned by doing.

Question 3: What is understood by the 'trilogy of the mind’ and how does it relate
to a Wholesome Personology of Spirit, Soul, Body and Social
dimensions

The trilogy of the mind or soul, a concept originally researched and studied by Hilgard, a
psychologist, in the seventies and eighties, defines the mind as having three
components, namely:

The cognitive: referring to the process of coming to know and understand, that is,
encoding, storing, processing and retrieving information. These are basically thought
process that we all engage in as we learn.

Affect: refers to the emotional interpretation of perceptions, information or knowledge,

that is, how we feel about these. It is generally associated with our attachment to
people, objects, ideas, etc. The interpretation may be positive leading to good feelings
or negative leading to bad feelings.

Conation: refers to the connection of thoughts and feelings to behaviour. It is the

personal, intentional, deliberate, goal-oriented component of motivation, the proactive
aspect of behaviour. This is about how we behave after we know, think and fee about a
particular phenomenon, situation or event.

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 4|P a g e
Thoughts, feelings, decisions and will are located within the mind. Biblically the mind is
the soul and the part of the tripartite elements of a human being that is defined as the
seat for the devil. All the reason why Scriptures say as believers we have the mind of
Christ. 1 Corinthians 2: 15-16 (GNB) says “whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to
judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him. As the scripture says,
‘who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?’ We, however, have
the mind of Christ.” This brings me to the spirit self of a human being. As Nee, W (1968)

asserts, the human spirit can be said to comprise three parts, or has three main

functions. These are conscience, intuition and communion:

The conscience discerns or distinguishes between right and wrong. It is independent
and direct and does not succumb to outside opinions. If man should do wrong the
conscience will raise its voice of accusation.

Intuition is the sensing part of the human spirit. It involves direct sensing
independent of outside influence. As Watchman Nee puts it, the knowledge that
comes to us without any help of the mind, emotion or will comes intuitively. He goes
on to say we really "know" through our intuition; our mind merely helps us to
"understand." The revelations of God and all the movements of the Holy Spirit are
known to the believer through his intuition. A believer must therefore heed these
two elements: the voice of conscience and the teaching of intuition.

Communion (with) is worshiping God. Nee says the organs of the soul are
incompetent to worship God. God cannot be apprehended by our thoughts, feelings
or intentions, for He can only be known directly through and in the human spirit. Our
worship of God and God's communications with us take place directly in the spirit,
"the inner man" not in the soul or body.

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 5|P a g e
Between spirit and soul where the soul is submitted under and led by the spirit, the
behaviour enacted by the body through the senses, developing into a character must
surely be good. In other words, being a spirit man, that is, led by the spirit leads to
superior social behaviour: great intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, adaptability,
stress management and a good mood. The Bible teaches that the fruits of the Holy
Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-
control (Galatians 5 verse 22, Good News Bible). This is the virtual attributes that one
reaps in the spirit. They enhance good behaviour at individual, group and
organisational level.

Question 4: Define the concept 'diversity' and critically discuss it in the South
African organisational context with reference to the Employment
Equity Act, Broad Based Black Empowerment:

The concept of diversity is seemingly more complex in South Africa because of the
country’s multiplicity of diversity elements. While global workforce diversity is becoming
more heterogeneous, South African counterpart has always been characterised by
gender, age, race, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, inclusion or disability, and more,
and this number of indicators continues to increase. Workforce diversity is about
differences among people within a given country.

The purpose of the Employment Equity Act, Act No. 55 of 1998 is to achieve equity in
the workplace by promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through
elimination of unfair discrimination and implementing affirmative action measures to
redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups, in order
to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels in the
work force, where designated means black people, women and people with disabilities
who are citizens by birth or descent or became citizens by naturalization before 27 April
1994 or after 26 April 1994 or who would have acquired citizenship by naturalization
prior to this date but were precluded by apartheid policies. On the other hand, Broad-
Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) aims to ensure that the economy is

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 6|P a g e
structured and transformed to enable the meaningful participation of the majority of its
citizens and to further create capacity within the broader economic landscape at all
levels through skills development, employment equity, socio economic development,
preferential procurement, enterprise development, especially small and medium
enterprises, promoting the entry of black entrepreneurs into the mainstream of
economic activity, and the advancement of co-operatives. B-BBEE needs to be
implemented in an effective and sustainable manner in order to unleash and harness
the full potential of black people and to foster the objectives of a pro-employment
developmental growth path.

The implementation of the Act and compliance thereto has been fraught with challenges
or rather contentions. Its implementation is so complex that even the term diversity is
perceived as having reached notoriety to a point one seldom hears anything said about
it now: it exists in books and among the people who have to implement it. The majority
and minority groups of South African citizenry remain aggrieved: something went and
continues to go wrong in the implementation of this Act. The anger and frustration is
becoming intensified as time continues. There was a period when we all sought to
embrace the term “diversity” seeking to be politically correct and recognise cultural
differences. The issue at hand is, whether an organisation is a production or service
delivery company, how does an organisation leverages differences within and across
groups as we pursue competitive advantage.

Skills and abilities, competence and competency, as embedded in performance is at the

centre of the debate about the EEA and the B-BBEE. This is a debate that may never
see the light of day. Unemployment levels continue to rise in SA today. In an open
debate of these issues, it is common sense understanding that incompetence and lack
of skills would be the high on the list of causes, even though the B-BBEE Act and the
program exist and are being implemented.

The same argument holds for both processes. How does one empower someone by
either employing them of procuring their service or product when one knows very well
they are not skilled; giving them an opportunity to do the very same work that they do

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 7|P a g e
not have the capacity to do? Because of the same issue, there were many incident
reported on, for example, substandard buildings that imply lots of financial losses.

The main challenge in the SA workplace is the dire lack of diversity management.
Effective management of diversity begins by attracting, selecting, developing and
retaining employees who can operate and excel in a workplace with diverse
characteristics, that is, different personalities, perspectives and ideas. Managers need
to make sure that these efforts stick by managing diversity at group and or team level.
This could be done by implementing and sustaining effective diversity programs.

Question 5: Define the concept 'personality'

Personality is a dynamic concept that describes the total growth and development of a
person’s whole psychological system (OBE 501T Notes) It is the sum total of ways in
which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. When measured accurately,
personality would potentially help managers recruit and hire the best candidate for the
job. While it is imperative that managers know how to measure it, its measurement is
one of the greatest challenges. Because it is commonly measured using self-report
surveys, there is a chance that individuals may not be honest. The balancing effect in
personality measurement, that especially predict job success better is the co-worker or
another observer rating element.

What then are the determinants of personality? Is it heredity, those factors determined
at conception, that is, the biological, physiological and the inherent psychological
makeup of a human being, or the environment? Even the list of enduring characteristics
like personality traits namely being shy, aggressive, lazy timid could not be conclusive.

The Myles Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework remains one of the
widely used frameworks to assess personality. In this framework individuals are
classified as either:
Extroverted (E) - out-going, sociable and assertive or Introverted (I) – quiet and shy;

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 8|P a g e
Sensing (S) – practical and prefer routines and order or Intuitive (N) – rely on
unconscious processes and look at the big picture;
Thinking (T) - use reason and logic to solve problems -or Feeling (F) – rely on their
personal values and emotions; and
Perceiving (P) – flexible and spontaneous or Judging (J) – want control and prefer order
and structure (Robbins, SP & Judge, TA; 2015: p. 156-157). Combined this translates
into profiles of INTJ, ESTJ, ENTP, etc. The Big Five Personality Model (BFPM), on the
other hand, encompasses most of the significant variations in human personality (p:
157). The combinations of extraversion; agreeableness; conscientiousness; emotional
stability and openness to experience BFPM profiles are good in predicting how people
will behave in real-life situations.

Question 6: Define attitudes and beliefs

6.1. Attitudes: an attitude within the context of an organisation and the workplace
can be defined as an evaluative statement or judgement concerning objects, people, or
events. They reflect how we feel about something. In other words, saying, “I like my job”
reflects your attitude towards work. The main components of attitudes are: cognitive,
affective and behavioural. For example, attitude starts at cognitive level, that is, “My
supervisor is not appreciative of my hard work”, develops progressively to affective, that
is, “I am very upset that I am not appreciated by my supervisor!” and eventually to
behavioural, for example “I am going to start job hunting and find a job where my hard
work will be appreciated” when it is not addressed timely. That attitudes by nature
influence behaviour and cognition or the belief in how something is has a potential to
affect the way you feel about it or the person involved or doing it, implies that attitudes
are very complex. These three work together. In another discussion, attitudes are
developed through studying and practising.

6.2. Beliefs: are ideas one has committed to, and support. They are the views and
opinions that you have accumulated, that somehow represent him or her, that is, they
are positions that one endorses. They express one’s attitude about things, how they

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 9|P a g e
think and perceive things, and their disposition. What one believes is what one stands
for. As one becomes familiar with what one believes, this gives tone insight
for personal development. They have an insight into how they interact with others, and
how they react to daily events.

Question 7: Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is a positive feeling about a job resulting from an evaluation of its
characteristics. These characteristics range widely from person to person, and
depending on where an individual is in Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Job satisfaction
also depends on the demography or where the person is, that is, in some parts of the
world, for example the western cultures employees have higher levels of job
satisfaction. The key elements or indicators of job satisfaction that are measured to
determine satisfaction levels are namely, the nature of the work, supervision, present
pay, promotion opportunities, and the relations with co-workers. As described by
Robins and Judge (2015: p. 497) says job satisfaction seeks to measure how
employees feel about the organisation’s expectations, reward practices and so on.

Question 8: Organisational culture and climate

8.1. All organisations or companies have a culture whether it is explicit, defined and
known or implicit and existing somewhere there in the minds of the employees. The
strength of culture is in its “organizational culture refers to a system of shared
understanding held by members of that organisation” It distinguishes the organisation
from other organisations. The characteristics that capture this phenomenon are:
 Innovation and risk taking: the degree to which employees are encouraged to be
innovative and take risks
 Attention to detail: degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision
analysis and attention to detail.
 Outcomes orientation: degree to which management focuses on results or
outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve them.

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 10 | P a g e
  People orientation: degree to which management decisions take into
consideration the effect of outcomes on people within organisations
 Team orientation: degree to which work activities are organised around teams
rather than individuals.
 Aggressiveness: the degree to which people are aggressive and competitive
rather than easy going.
 Stability: degree to which organisational activities emphasize maintaining the
status quo in contrast to growth.
As captured and understood within the context of organisational development,
Hanenberg, L (2005: p.140) says organisational culture is the responsibility of
organisational development professionals or practitioners. She argues that they are
better positioned to assess and understand it, and create a plan for its improvement.

8.2. Organisational Climate: Organisational climate is the general atmosphere of an

organisation, that is summarised by individual employees based on their perception of
(i) their autonomy; (ii) organisational structure; (iii) their remuneration; and (iv)
consideration, warmth and support. These determine the psychological climate of an
organization.

The psychological climate is basically the individual’s experience or perception of the

atmosphere in the organisation. The psychological climate is also influenced by the
work group to which the individual employee belongs, the task for which the employee
is responsible and the employee’s abilities and personality. From the psychological
climate, individuals form a cognitive map and define their personal expectations, which
in turn determine their work behaviour. It develops in a social way and aggregated
altogether in the organisation, the climate develops into the culture of the organisation.
It is a specific combination of situational variables, which can be categorised into three
factors, namely: external influences; the organisation’s history; and management.

From the literature, the following variables directly influence organisational climate:
 Support from the organisation, including remuneration and recognition and
administrative support;

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 Leadership; quality of supervision; effective and fair management practices; effective
communication; participation in decision-making by all members; and effective
labour management;
 The job characteristics; and
 The effect of the external environment on the individual as well as the organisation.

Organisational Behaviour; Individual Assignment – TUT MBA; Course Code OBE 501T 12 | P a g e
Part B

Carefully read the 'Bob Knowlton' case study and answer the following questions

Question 1: List what you understand to be the problem/s?

1.1. Complete lack of key management skills, for example Dr Jerrold lacked the
human skills namely, the ability to understand, communicate with, motivate
and support employees. Dr Jerrold is oblivious of the attitudes development in
the employees especially with Bob from cognitive, to affective and eventually
to behavioural when he eventually leaves the lab.
1.2. The company did not have a performance management system and process.
Bob would have known if his knowledge and skills were redundant and where
he needed to develop himself.
1.3. There seems to be no organisational structure, the succession plan and the
recruitment and placement plan and process in place. The way Fester joins
the team implies he may not have gone through a transparent and policy
mandated process of recruitment and selection. Also there does not seem to
be a strategy and plan to interview exiting employees.

Question 2: How would you describe the personality of Bob Knowlton, Fester,
and Dr Jerrold?

2.1. Bob Knowlton (ISTJ):

Bob has an introverted personality: he seems to be quiet and shy. He could not start the
conversation with Fester when they both stayed behind and eventually left together at
18h30 when he gave up on waiting for him to leave before him. He has an extroverted
twin in him, a personality that surfaces when he needs to know what is going on wanting
to know who Fester is and whether he raises the questions about who attends the
meeting and who would present the work they had done with Fester. Communication is
not open. He is a participative manager and team player. He is sensitive to the interests
of his team. If Bob had a way, his photon unit team would have attended the sponsor

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meeting because they had been involved in the work and had ownership of the work.
He thinks about their feelings if only Fester attends the meeting. His introverted and
shy personality is shown in his lack of confidence, boldness and assertiveness to
present his work and giving up to Fester. Bob is very polite and modest. He
acknowledged the competencies of Fester with high modesty even though he felt
intimidated inside. Bob is a hard worker and very reliable: responsible, organised
dependable and persistent. He is high on agreeableness: he is cooperative, warm and
very trusting of his supervisor and Fester too.

2.2. Fester – ENTJ/P:

Using the Myles Briggs Type Indicator and the Big Five Personality Model, Fester can
be described and summed up as critical, analytical independent, assertive, innovative,
sceptical, sociable, self –confident, secure, creative curious, etc. He seems to be low in
agreeableness however. He is antagonistic. He treats the team very badly when they
ask questions about his work. He is not a team player at all. He is individualistic. Like
Bob he is a hard worker and very reliable: responsible, organised dependable and
persistent. Fester may be defined as antisocial. He is conscientious, learn more about
their job knowledge and is exceptionally good at maintaining his performance even in
the face of adversity. Fester was not getting along with the photon unit lab staff or
team. He was very impatient with them, blunt and undiplomatic, witout tact in his
presentation of self.

2.3. Dr Jerrold (INTJ): Based on the MBTI analysis Dr Jerrold is a visionary with an
original mind and a great drive. He has high expectations for performance for himself
and others. He is sceptical, critical, independent, determined and often stubborn. No
one seems to be able to persuade and change his mind when his mind is made up – he
is driven by his own original ideas to perform and achieve objectives. Dr Jerrold is aloof
and does not seem to talk about all the things he should be talking about with his staff.
His human skills leave much to be desired. Dr Jerrold somehow lacks this combination
of communication and interpersonal skills of strategy, tact, diplomacy and insightful
thinking. He is not sensitive, perceptive and spontaneous at all. Developing these
kinds of interpersonal skills is essential for managerial success.

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Question 3: If you were an outside consultant, what would you have advised Dr
Jerrold to do to fix his department?

The lab basically can be defined as having activities that range across technical: which
include production, manufacture and adaptation, security: involving protection of
property and persons and managerial: which is planning, organising, coordination and
control.

3.1. Central to the management skills necessary at the laboratory are human skills
including the ability to understand, communicate with, motivate and support employees
at individual and group level. Dr Jerrold would need to engage in Organisational
Behaviour learning program where application of the knowledge and principles is
prioritised.

3.2. Management of transition and change is characterised by behaviours that

need very capable leaders. The photon unit lab staff should be introduced to
management and embrace of transition and change whenever this happens. This would
ensure that changes succeed. These behaviours are tabulated as follows:

Table 1: Behaviours Associated with Change and Transition (Adapted from Hanelberg 2005: p. 60)
Phase of change and transition Behaviours to be managed
End of previous phase e.g. S Fester joining Avoidance, disbelief, shock, anger, sabotage,
the organisation and the team carelessness, etc.
Neutral Zone (this can be a very confusing Detachment, withdrawal, confusion, lack of
stage especially when change is not managed attentiveness, indifference, creative, risk
properly, e. g. when there is no communication taking, experimentation, participation, etc.
New Beginning (the photon team did not Behaviour consistent with the change,
reach this phase) focused on purpose, renewed energy,
clarity of roles, competence.

Facilitating this process requires planning, communication and more communication,

and acknowledgement of successes through the kourney.

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3.3. Initiative and Decision Making is the power to conceive an idea and ensure its
success. It is central to ensuring high motivation and job satisfaction. Managers should
exercise this opportunity, extending it to all employees through delegated authority and
teamwork. Every manager and supervisor stands to gain a lot of benefit for themselves
and the organization in their ability to sacrifice some personal vanity, allow subordinates
to exercise initiative and grant them the job satisfaction. Even though Jerrold seems to
be a democratic to laissez faire leader, and allows his subordinates, both Bob and
Fester to be innovative, this does not work well if decision making begins to drag to a
point that no decisions are reached about anything.

3.4. Team Work: On the other hand, Fester and Link are very competent in their
fields of specialization that is technically astute, they still need to be team players.
Team development program is critical in this organisation so the team can develop form
formation through to performance, for organisational effectiveness and performance.
This would give Fester the opportunity to be a team player with the other employees.

3.5. Diversity Management:Working in groups or teams is inevitable in the

contemporary workplace. However diverse the workplace is, to be effective members of
teams, diversity has to be embraced and managed by both team members and
managers. Employees need to develop a common way of looking at and accomplishing
major tasks. Among the surface and deep level diversity elements the management
and the team need the emphasise high level similarities. The employees need be
supported and encouraged to work in teams on tasks. But critical to diversity
management is that the lab needs to have and implement diversity management
programs.

This organisation, needs effective diversity programs that would teach managers and
supervisors like Dr Jerrold about the legal framework for equal employment opportunity
and encourage fair treatment of all people regardless of differences like demographic
characteristics, intellectual abilities, experiences, and so on. Managers would learn how
a diverse workforce will be better able to serve a diverse market of customers anf
clients. These programs would also foster personal development practices that bring

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out the skills and abilities of all workers, acknowledging how differences in viewpoints
can be invaluable element that improves performance to the benefit of everyone These
programs will potentially highlight areas of development of, for example, technical and
conceptual skills and human improvement skills for Dr Jerrold and Bob Knowlton and
Simon Fester.

3.6. Communication strategy and interpersonal skills that entails structure and skills
is necessary. Critically, the management and leadership of the laboratory should:
 Understand their organization's anti-discrimination policies thoroughly and share
them with all the employees.
 Assess and challenge the stereotype beliefs to increase theirr objectivity.
 Look beyond readily observable biographical characteristics and consider the
individual’s capabilities before making management decisions.
 Fully evaluate what accommodations a person with disabilities will need and then
fine-tune a job to that person’s abilities.
 Seek to understand and respect the unique biographical characteristics of their
employees; a fair but individualistic approach would yield the best performance
for the organisation.

Summary & Conclusion

Going through the materials and particularly answering these questions has made even
more conscious of my behaviour whether I am working with my team members, in my
management and operational duties and interaction in the workplace or just being a
member in my family at home. The social skills (communication and interpersonal) I am
developing are invaluable. OB theory base is challenging me to determine who I want to
become, where I am headed, how we will get there.

Among the lessons of applying theory in analysing the case study, I learned that
technical, human and conceptual skills; diversity and change management, among

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others, are very important for effective management. The one important lesson we are
learning is that OB is a social science field that is essential for leadership and
management success in both the private and public sector because the leadership and
interpersonal skills are very critical for team performance and organisational success.

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