HRMG 5064 People, Management, and Organisations

Assessment Task

Presented to Stig Christensen module tutor

Submission date :17th December 2019

Word count: 3646

Prepared by: Taleteh Borris

P Number: P1516776
Introduction
My company, is a medium sized enterprise located in Cameroon with headquarters in
Italy. As branch manager of the company it would be necessary for me to make sure production
and transportation of the company’s products go on smoothly by ensuring employees work
together. In doing this I have to lead and organize the employees by promoting unity and
cooperation among them so as to achieve efficiency in production. The company’s profitability
and image has been on a decline due to some factors, as manager I had to trace the origin of
the problem so as to come up with solutions. Leading people is never easy it entails employing
a wide range of theories such as theories of leadership, motivation, organization and control.
Also the method of employing these theories in the day to day running of the company is also
vital in the success of the organization. A good leader has to be sensitive to the needs and
emotions of his fellow employees as well as act as a role model to them if he or she wants to
act as a big influence in their lives. Below I am going to elaborate on the methods I would use to
lead the organization using relevant theories of leadership then I’ll make analysis on cultural
differences and communication barriers all of which come as a result of the diversity of
different cultures and nationalities in the organization. From there I’ll discuss how I plan to
change the company’s productivity for the better using theories of motivation and emotional
intelligence to increase labor productivity and efficiency. Finally, I’ll conclude the essay with a
few ways to achieve effective leadership and realize a positive change in the company’s
productivity.

1.Leadership in the organisation

According to Jeffrey Nielson’s (2004) The Myth of Leadership, creating leaderless

organizations provides a good alternative organizational construct for dealing with the
complexity and dynamic nature of the current work environment discarding the damaging and
limiting hierarchical approach to managing organizations. In this light I would be friendly and
open to my fellow workers that they would feel free to give any suggestions that could help the
company improve.
Also, I would become part of them by making friends with all of the workers in the
company, this would go a long way to reduce formality and make them see me as one who they
could confide in, it would also go a long way to boost the morale and satisfaction of my fellow
employees.
Moreover, I would allow all company employees to play a part in running the
company by allowing all employees to participate in the decision making process of the
company. This will go a long way to promote unity in the institution and it will also make all
workers feel they can play a part in the long term growth of the company through their
suggestions, this will give them a sense of belonging which will make them feel at home and will
make them feel they are part of the company.
As manager of the company, managing emotions of different set of people from
different parts of the world is going to be key, I would try as much as possible to discuss with
introverts since they could be valuable to the company but because of their nature may not be
able to give open suggestions. I would also watch out for employees who are quick tempered
by being gentle and subtle in the way I address and approach them this would go a long way to
boost my confidence and that of the employees and the overall chemistry in the organization is
going to be higher leading to efficiency of labor and a more than proportionate increase in
output and profitability.
2.Chalanges with Cultural Differences
Fostering the long term growth and profitability of the company is going to be my main focus
as a manager and to do this I have to understand the different cultures of all the employees in
my company. The Company being in Cameroon means majority of the workers are
Cameroonians and as a Cameroonian I understand the culture and believes of employees who
are Cameroonians but I also understand that the French and the Italians have different cultures
from Cameroonians so in a nutshell understanding cultural differences is going to be vital in the
long term success of the company.
According to hofstede insights (2019) the power distance in France and Cameroon is
high 68% and 80% respectively but this is not the case with Italy where the power distance is
just average (50%) thus I’ll need to be very friendly and open to French employees and I’ll have
to be careful with my choice of words and the way I talk to them.
Also, the chart shows individualism in France and Italy is really high with a percentage
of 71 and 76 respectively and individualism in Cameroon is relatively low just 30%. This shows
that Cameroonians love team work while the French and Italians love being independent and
self-reliant. Thus I would try to respect the cultures of the French and Italians by giving them
individual task and for the Cameroonians am going to encourage team work.
Looking at the chart we also notice that long term orientation is different for different
countries for example France and Italy are long term with the chart showing a percentage of
63% and 61% percent respectively as opposed to Cameroon which shows only 13% this means I
would need to focus more on orientating Cameroonians on the need to focus on the future
rather than the preset, I would also encourage the French and Italians to assist Cameroonians
on this aspect without necessarily creating conflict.
Furthermore, we are given information about different masculinity levels, Italy and
Cameroon have masculine societies but this is not the case with France, thus as managers I
would be careful with the way I address female employees from France because they could
easily get offended if I address them in the same way I address female employees from
Cameroon and Italy. I’ll have to treat them equally and give them the same task I give the male
employees in the company, in doing this I’ll avoid discrimination and any dissatisfaction that
could arise as a result of cultural differences.
Indulgence levels are not the same for different countries, the indulgence level for
Cameroon is very high sitting at 84%, that of Italy is low and for France its average, this means
the French and Italians are more concerned about the strengths and weaknesses of their fellow
employees and are also affected by any their bad behavior. This means I would need to avoid
giving group task to the Italians since in general they are affected by the failures of their fellow
employees. Most of the task which would need team work would be channeled to
Cameroonians because their performance is not affected or influenced by the behavior or
failure of their co-workers. In doing this the culture of all individuals in the company would be
respected and this would lead to efficiency of labor.
To better understand and manage cultural differences as manager, I would need to
understand the various uncertainty avoidance levels of the employees. According to hofstede
insights (2019) the French have a very high level of risk avoidance (86%), Italy (75%) and
Cameroon (55%). Knowing this, I will avoid exposing the French and Italians to concepts and
things which they are not familiar with because they don’t like trying out things they aren’t
familiar with.
3.Communication barriers.
English to a large extend a universal language and I would be able to communicate
with some of the employees from my country in English. Cameroon is a bilingual country which
means English and French are the major languages thus most citizens of Cameroon are bilingual
and so a greater portion of employees who are Cameroonians by origin should have no
problems understanding instructions given to them in English or French. Also the French
shouldn’t have a problem communicating with myself and other Cameroonians in the company.
The biggest communication challenge I face is communicating with Italians and the other
employees from Cameroon and France also faced this same issue. As manager I know how vital
communication is in any company, not only does it provide a common framework for all
employees to work on, it also plays a vital part in team performance thus without
communication group work is also going to be difficult to execute. Lack of communication will
reduce the chemistry and understanding among the employees which is the last thing any
company or organization could hope for. To solve all this issues, I had to take some measures.
First, since a greater portion of the company’s employees could communicate with me in
French I decided to concentrate on promoting the use of Italian in the company since this was
the only problem we had in terms of communication. I did this by hiring a language teacher to
teach Italian to all the company employees including myself and lessons were to be given every
day 30 minutes before break, during the weekends employees received lessons online but this
was optional. As manager I knew this alone wasn’t going to solve the problem entirely so I hired
professional translators who helped in giving assignments to Italians as well as mediate
between the other employees and Italians, this was done together with the teaching of Italian
to reduce the negativities accompanied with lack of adequate communication among
employees.
4. Process of Change.
As manager I am aware of the need for more ethical and friendly approaches when it
comes to interacting with employees and making negotiations with other subsidiary firms. First
to change the system and make it more ecological and morally friendly I would have to sensitize
the administration on the importance of these reforms and how they could be beneficial in
boosting the image of the company. First I would hold short meetings with management and
administration of the subsidiary firms and raise some proposals, like granting incentives to
employees on specific occasions for example on occasions where a lady is pregnant should
could be given a leaf accompanied by some incentives. Also employees could be treated in
better way when it comes to bonuses and payment when the report sick. I would try to
convince management of my company and that of subsidiary firms to punish all forms of
immoral practices like racism, violence and segregation. This would go a long way to increase
the chemistry in the company and boost the company’s image. To make sure this reform is
effective I would propose a token which would be given to the top 15 employees of the
subsidiary firm as well as my company who portray good moral values, are sensitive to the
needs of fellow employees and fight against all forms of immoral practices. This token would be
given at the end of each month. This would go a long work to increase the efficiency of this
reform and boost the image of the company. For me to make sure my subsidiary shows proof of
this reform I am going to place a discount on all trade transactions with the subsidiary if they
promote good moral values by may be firing some employees who a racist, demonstrate
violence, come late for work, and speak rudely to fellow employees. In doing this the moral
values of the company will be preserved and hence its image.
5. Literature on Motivation
Prior to my appointment the performance of the company has been on a decline. In
order for me to change this situation I did a small research to find out the cause of the problem.
Almost 80% of my findings showed that the employees efficiency has been dropping drastically
due to lack of motivation and appropriate leadership. As manager, I would have to address this
situation by employing some theories of leadership to increase efficiency of labor and hence
output.
To do this I’ll use Maslow’s need hierarchy of motivation. These needs are classified
into a sequential hierarchy from the lower to higher order as five need cluster as shown in the
figure below.
(http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/entrepreneurship/motivation-entrepreneurship/maslows-
need-hierarchy-theory-of-motivation-explained-with-diagram/40686)
First, i’ll have to look at the psychological needs of employees working in the
company. All employees have the basic necessities of food, shelter and others, paying attention
to this needs and making sure they are always available for employees could play a vital role as
far as motivation is concerned.
The second thing I am going to tackle will be the security needs of the employees in
the company this could be economic security physical security and others. In all organizations
workers would want to be assured that their job is always available for them, they would like to
be sure that at the end of each month they will receive pay checks constantly, quickly and
without any problem. As manager I’ll ensure all this is put into place including insuring the lives
of all the employees in the company by constantly buying insurance contracts for them. Also
Cameroon being a country with a high crime wave I’ll make sure there is substantial security in
all company buildings by recruiting highly trained and qualified guards to guard all company
premises. This would go a long way to build trust and confidence in the hearts and minds of the
employees in the company.
Social needs of employees are also going to be looked at if I must change the
performance of the company for the better. Human beings are social beings by nature and as
such love to interact with each other to foster progress and prosperity. To provide the social
needs of employees and make them feel at home I’ll encourage the formation of worker’s
union and the holding of meetings with employees at the end of each month so that they could
have the chance to interact with me directly. This would go a long way to promote sociality in
the company. Also I am going to make sure there are parties company parties once in a while to
make the atmosphere a little bit soft and relaxing. For instance, we could have end of year
parties, festive season parties and parties when there is any big positive event in the company.
As manager I would also have to be sensitive to the esteem needs of employees in
the company. All individuals have a degree of self-esteem and it is only fair to respect this. If an
employees doesn’t do a task properly or just doesn’t do it at all it would be my responsibility to
discuss politely with the employee and try to show him or her the right way or explain to him or
her in a better way what ought to have been done rather than making a public show by
screaming or being angry with the employee or just insulting my fellow employee without
making an effort to explain why it is really necessary for the task to be performed and not just
performed but performed well. Every individual likes to be acknowledged when he or she
accomplishes something or encouraged when he or she performs below expectation. This is
exactly the approach I’ll use. If an employee performs a task assigned to him or her perfectly I’ll
personal walk up to that employee and express my gratitude by thanking him or her, praising
the person and in some cases even promise and incentive, but if the person concerned does the
task below expectation I’ll summon the employee discuss with him or her, find out why he or
she could not do the task the way it should be done and I’ll basically just encourage that
employee.
Self-actualization is another important need I’ll have to look at as manager. Many
workers feel good and happy when they are encouraged and praised after and individual
accomplishment or group accomplishment. In an event where the company has a big
realization for example all employees could be invited for a meeting where they are
congratulated, praised and may be promised some bonuses or incentives at the end of the
month. This would make them feel they played a part in accomplishing a goal and this would
boost their moral and confidence. This could also be done in a case where an employee has a
big achievement for example a female employee giving birth, or an employee getting a diploma
or certificate.
6.Ways to achieve effective leadership and employee engagement
For me to increase the profitability of my company I’ll have to make use of emotional
intelligence, to this I’ll have to focus on always making my fellow employees happy and safe
because it is by doing so that their moral will increase and they will be motivated to work even
harder for the company. ‘’Among the main biological changes in happiness is an increased
activity in a brain center that inhibits negative feelings
and fosters an increase in available energy, and a quieting of those that generate worrisome
thought. But there is no particular shift in physiology save a quiescence, which makes the body
recover more quickly from the biological arousal of upsetting emotions. This configuration
offers the body a general rest, as well as readiness and enthusiasm for whatever task is at hand
and for striving toward a great variety of goals.’’ Daniel Goleman (1995) Emotional Intelligence.
If workers are always happy then they’ll always transfer this happiness to their work and in
general, they are going to be more efficient but if they are always angry or moody then they will
transfer this to their work as will and the result is always going to be poor.
As manager I will try as much as possible to show love to all employees irrespective of
their nationality or cultural background this avoids discrimination and fosters transparency
because if the employees feel loved they would also love the manager and hence the job. ‘’
Love, tender feelings, and sexual satisfaction entail parasympathetic arousal, the physiological
opposite of the "fight-or-flight" mobilization shared by fear and anger. The parasympathetic
pattern, dubbed the "relaxation response," is a body wide set of reactions that generates a
general state of calm and contentment, facilitating cooperation.’’Daniel Goleman (1995)
Emotional Intelligence. Showing love to all employees is the key to facilitating and promoting
cooperation between employees from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds, by
showing love to all employees I as manager set an example for them to follow and if all the
employees in the organization love and care for each other, not just individual productivity will
increase but also group productivity will increase and hence organizational productivity. To
futher use emotional intelligence to increase efficiency in the company I’ll make use of five
criteria which are shown on the figure below.

(https://www.educba.com/emotional-intelligence-example/)
Self-awareness plays a vital role in leadership as manager if I have to understand my
employees I first have to understand myself. If I understand myself then I will be able to know
my strengths and weaknesses and same to for my employees this would help me in better
managing people and situations.
 If I understand my self, then I can be able to regulate my emotions for example if I am
angry and in know I usually get violent when I’m angry I would try to stay away from employees
when am angry this is an example of self-control and regulation and this applies to employees
as well.
Also if I can understand and control myself and my emotions then I become motivated
and this increases my confidence as a manager to try to train employees to follow my
footsteps.
Empathy entails understanding the emotions and feelings of others if I am able to
understand myself then definitely I’ll be able to understand and be sensitive to the feelings of
others and this would avoid regular clashes between me and employees in the company. For
example, I know Italians really don’t like foreign food, they prefer Italian food so they feel good
when they eat Italian food, as manager I’ll do well to make available Italian dishes during
company parties for example by doing this I am sensitive to their feelings.
Also, I’ll have to improve my social skills if I must act as an influence on fellow
employees, this will entail learning Italian to better communicate personally with the Italians in
my company as well as promote the speaking of Italian in the company.
Conclusion
The organization’s performance, efficiency and productivity has been on a decline for some
time. This was due to a few factors some of which include poor leadership, mismanagement,
lack of motivation and others. This issues have been addressed to the fullest and with the
method in which the theories of leadership, motivation and emotional intelligence have been
implemented surely there is going to be a turn in the company’s performance positively. Since
all these theories aim at increasing productivity of labor which in turn increases efficiency of
labor and output. The company’s image will also be restored and as such there is going to be a
boost in public confidence which will encourage investment in the company and lead to
profitability in the long run.

References
1) Jeffrey Nielson (2004) The Myth of Leadership.
2) https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/ accessed 1st
Decemeber 2019.
3) Dk Sinha,Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Of Motivation avialable at
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/entrepreneurship/motivation-
entrepreneurship/maslows-need-hierarchy-theory-of-motivation-explained-with-
diagram/40686 accessed 29th November 2019
4) https://www.educba.com/emotional-intelligence-example/ viewed 5th December 2019.
5) Daniel Goleman (1995) Emotional Intelligence.
6) Piers Steel and Cornelius J. KO¨ Nig (2006) Integrating Theories of motivation.
7) Saul McLeod, (2018) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.