ASSIGNMENT 1 FRONT SHEET

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business

Unit number and title Unit 12: Organizational Behavior

Submission date April 9th,2021 Date Received 1st submission April 9th,2021

Re-submission Date Date Received 2nd submission

Student Name Pham Ngo Y Nhi Student ID GBD19907

Class GBD0804A Assessor name Nguyen Minh Hai

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making a false declaration is a form of malpractice.

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Table of Contents
Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................4

1. Introduction about chosen company ..................................................................................................4

2. Organizational culture, behaviors and performance analysis .............................................................. 7

2.1. The influence of organization’s culture, politics and power on behaviors of individual and team,
and organizational performance ............................................................................................................7

2.1.1. Culture .................................................................................................................................7

2.1.2. Power.................................................................................................................................10

2.1.3. Politics................................................................................................................................ 14

2.2. Critical points on how the culture, politics and power of an organization can influence individual
and team behavior and performance ...................................................................................................16

3. Analysis on the motivation methods that the organization applies to enhance working spirit of
employees ...............................................................................................................................................17

3.1. Motivation and goal achievement ............................................................................................. 17

3.1.1. Motivational theorists and theories about content theories...............................................17

3.1.2. Motivational theorists and theories about process theories ...............................................21

3.2. Critical evaluation on how the chosen company motivates and influences the behavior of
employees ...........................................................................................................................................22

4. The relationship between culture, politics, power and motivation ................................................... 23

Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................24

References ..............................................................................................................................................25
Introduction
It's not easy to keep a company running smoothly and on schedule, particularly for a manager or a
corporation in general. This report will address organizational culture and motivation. The purpose of the
report will be to establish the influence of organizational culture and dynamics on an organization's
workplace behavior and performance, rather than through an analysis of organizational and physical
cultures. Motivational theories differ, while at the same time identifying what theories can be found in
organizations. Then, this report will evaluate how the theories mentioned above affect the behaviors in
the organization and how this affects the performance of each organization. The report will provide an
overview of the culture, politics and authority of the organization, with related examples of how these
aspects of organizational behavior have influenced workplace behavior. It covers how motivational
theories and techniques have been applied within the organization, supported by relevant examples.

1. Introduction about chosen company

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company, that designs, develops and sells consumer
electronics, computer software, and online services. It is considered one of the Five Big Companies in the
US IT industry, along with Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Facebook (wikipedia, 2020).
 Figure 1. Apple Founders

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in April 1976. The Apple Park
headquarters located in Cupertino, California, USA, is the workplace of 12,000 employees (Anh, 2018). This
work by the late CEO of Apple - Steve Jobs initiated the idea under the name One Infinite Loop because
the circle design symbolizes creativity without end (Anh, 2018). Apple planted about 6,000 trees to cover
the outside and inside the building of nearly 10,000 square meters to preserve the natural landscape, as
well as design it to be environmentally friendly, able to receive the natural wind without use. air-
conditioner (Anh, 2018). Apple's official webiste is www.apple.com.

Figure 2. Apple Park, Apple's headquarters

 Figure 3. Apple’s largest individual shareholders

Arthur Levinson is chairman of the board at Apple, and he’s held this role since 2011. Before he took the
position as chairman at Apple, Art was the chairman and CEO at Genentech – a biotechnology company.
During his tenure as chairman of the board at Apple, Art has secured a shareholding of 1,148,712 shares.
The share price at the time of writing (10 June 2020) is $352.84 a share, meaning that Levinson’s
shareholding in Apple amounts to $405,311,542 (IGMarketsLimited, 2020).

Tim Cook is the current CEO and former COO of Apple, taking over from Steve Jobs as CEO in 2011 – six
weeks before Jobs died due to complications from pancreatic cancer. As well as being CEO of Apple, Cook
serves on the board of Nike. At the time of writing, excluding any previous sales, Cook held 847,969 Apple
shares. Using the price of $352.84 a share, this amounts to a shareholding worth $299,197,381. But, as
with other executives at Apple, Cook also has unused stock options and other employee stock benefits
that he has not yet chosen to exercise (IGMarketsLimited, 2020).

Jeff Williams is the current COO of Apple. He reports directly to Tim Cook on Apple’s entire worldwide
operations, and customer service and support. He also leads Apple’s design team – a role which he took
over following the departure of Jony Ive as chief design officer. Williams’s shareholding at the time of
writing is 122,195. If we use that same price of $352.84 a share, the total value of his current stake in Apple
is $43,155,283 (IGMarketsLimited, 2020).

Al Gore is more widely known as a former vice president of the United States rather than as an Apple board
member. He joined the Apple board in 2003, three years after losing the 2000 presidential election to
George W. Bush – despite winning the popular vote. He is known for his climate activism for which was
the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Since joining Apple, Al Gore has gained a considerable
shareholding of 115,014 shares. At the time of writing, with a stock price of $352.84 a share, Gore had a
shareholding in Apple worth $40,581,539 (IGMarketsLimited, 2020).

Deirdre O’Brien is the current senior vice president of retail and people at Apple. Like Jeff Williams, she
reports directly to Tim Cook. She’s been at Apple for over 30 years, and her team oversees talent
development, recruitment, human relations, benefits and compensation at Apple. With a shareholding of
33,854, Deirdre O’Brien holds Apple stock worth $11,945,045 at the time of writing, using that same stock
price of $352.84 a share (IGMarketsLimited, 2020).

2. Organizational culture, behaviors and performance analysis

2.1. The influence of organization’s culture, politics and power on behaviors of
individual and team, and organizational performance
2.1.1. Culture
In the past decades, the concept of organizational culture has gained wide acceptance as a way to
understand human systems. According to Ricky (2007), culture is an important part of internal
environment of an organization. Organizational culture is the set of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs,
and attitudes that helps the members of the organization understand what it stands for, how it does
things, and what it considers important (Sokro, 2012). According to Hofstede (1997), he posited that the
culture of organizations is the collective programming of mind that distinguishes the members of one
organization from another. According to Hofstede, organizational cultures are different from that of
national culture. Unlike national cultures, people are conscious of organizational cultures and they learn
this culture later in their life at workplace (cited from Hofstede, 2005). As culture is ‘the way things are
done within a group’ it sets priorities and expectations, enabling people to learn and understand what is
important, subsequently identifying those actions that lead to punishment and those that lead to reward.
Besides, Brown (1998), states that there is a link between culture and motivational factors which are
essential for the organization’s performance. As per Schein (2009), it is tempting to emphasize the
significance of corporate cultures for performance, growth, and success.

Apple Inc.’s organizational culture is a key factor in the continuing success of the business. A company’s
organizational or corporate culture establishes and maintains the business philosophy, values, beliefs, and
related behaviors among employees. This business analysis case shows that Apple has a corporate culture
that enables human resources to support various strategic objectives. Apple Inc. has an organizational
culture for creative innovation (MEYER, 2019). The company’s cultural features focus on maintaining a
high level of innovation that involves creativity and a mindset that challenges conventions and standards.
The business depends on cultural support and coherence, which are determinants of competitiveness and
industry leadership, especially in addressing aggressive and rapid technological innovation and product
development (MEYER, 2019).

Apple's culture would be depicted using Schein's organizational culture model. The Schein's Model of
Organizational Culture is a method which aims at explaining the concept of culture and the way it affects
organizations (DTU, 2019). It is a dynamic model of learning and group dynamics. According to Edgar
Schein (1980), an organisation’s culture develops through the founder’s values, goals, vision for future,
environment, competition, consumers, demand and various other factors (Velumani, 2019).
 Figure 4. Schein's Model of Organizational Culture

The first layer, also known as Artifacts, is artifacts or things played by the organization members and the
public behavior of those organization members (Bennett, 2015). Employee dress codes, office decor,
equipment, employee attitudes, and the organization's mission and vision are all examples of deciding the
culture of the workplace. Looking at an organization like Apple one can dictate that an artifact for that
organization’s culture would be a name tag or an employee ID badge that is needed to enter the premises.
Or Apple has an excellent working environment, is creative and offers full facilities.

The second layer of an organization’s culture is espoused values, or stated values or beliefs about how
things should be done. If one is looking to find where he or she could find where an organization states its
values or beliefs the easiest place to look is in its mission statement (Bennett, 2015). Apple’s mission
statement states: “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife,
iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online
store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining
the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad” (Apple, 2020). Looking at this mission
statement one can get a general feel for the organization and what it believes in. Through the above
mission, Apple’s core value is not the Think Different campaign. Its core value is to make the best products
in the market and focus on selected products so that they can develop and innovate. These core values
are the reason that Apple products have been so consistently excellent, and they are the reason that you
can walk into any Apple store across the world and get the same experience. From sales associates to top
executives, Apple is united by a common culture. And it is that culture that ensures that Apple customers
enjoy the experience that they have come to expect whenever they interact with Apple (thinkmarketing,
2016).

The third layer is underlying assumptions, or the uniformly held beliefs that can rarely be articulated
because they have become a natural part of the way things are done. These assumptions are so deeply
embedded in the organization that they can become unconscious behavior ultimately becoming hard to
recognize from within (Bennett, 2015). Cultural Assumptions with Apple is not in the business for the
business alone but for some higher purpose-to change society and the world, create something lasting,
solve important problems, have fun (Blandon, 2014). Besides, tasking accomplishment is more important
than the process used or the relationships formed and the individual has the right and obligation to be a
whole person (Blandon, 2014).

2.1.2. Power
Power, defined as the ability of one individual or group to cause another person or group to do what they
would not have done otherwise, is the primary tool for directing and controlling organizational objectives
and activities (iEduNote, 2020). According to Weber, “power as the probability that one actor (individual
or group) within a social relationship in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance, regardless
of the basis on which this probability rests”. Or as Patrick J. Montana and Bruce H. Charnov, “the ability
to attain these unique powers is what enables leaders to influence subordinates and peers by controlling
organizational resources.” Power may exist but not be used. It is, therefore, capacity or potential. One can
have power but not impose it. Probably the most important aspect of power is that it is a function of
dependency.

The greater B’s dependence on A, the greater is A’s power in the relationship. Dependence, in turn, is
based on alternatives that B perceives and the importance that B places on the alternative(s) that A
controls (Robbins, 2003). A person can have power over you only if he or she controls something you
desire.
Power is not uniformly distributed to all levels in the organization; however, it is confined to certain
departments or groups of people depending on the level of responsibility and seniority (iEduNote, 2020).

The motive of assigning power to these levels is to streamline the underlying activities by designing work
structures, circulars, policies, and their successful implementation for the success of the organization
(iEduNote, 2020).

According to French and Raven, a manager drives power from five sources: Reward, Coercive, Legitimate,
Referent and Expert power:

Figure 5. Five sources of power

Legitimate Power
Legitimate power is power that comes from one’s organizational role or position (senecacollege, 2020).
For example, a boss can assign projects, a policeman can arrest a citizen, and a teacher assigns grades.
Others comply with the requests these individuals make because they accept the legitimacy of the
position, whether they like or agree with the request or not. Steve Jobs has enjoyed legitimate power as
the CEO of Apple. He could set deadlines and employees comply even if they think the deadlines were
overly ambitious. Start-up organizations often have founders who use their legitimate power to influence
individuals to work long hour week after week in order to help the company survive.

Reward Power

Reward power is the ability to grant a reward, such as an increase in pay, a perk, or an attractive job
assignment (senecacollege, 2020). Reward power tends to accompany legitimate power and is highest
when the reward is scarce. Anyone can wield reward power, however, in the form of public praise or giving
someone something in exchange for their compliance. When Steve Jobs ran Apple, he had reward power
in the form of raises and promotions. As one of the richest individuals in the United States, Jobs has reward
power both within and outside Apple. He also can reward individuals with his time and attention.

Coercive Power

In contrast, coercive power is the ability to take something away or punish someone for noncompliance
(pressbooks, 2020). Coercive power often works through fear, and it forces people to do something that
ordinarily they would not choose to do. The most extreme example of coercion is government dictators
who threaten physical harm for noncompliance. Parents may also use coercion such as grounding their
child as punishment for noncompliance. Steve Jobs has been known to use coercion—yelling at employees
and threatening to fire them. When John Wiley & Sons Inc. published an unauthorized biography of Jobs,
Jobs’s response was to prohibit sales of all books from that publisher in any Apple retail store
(senecacollege, 2020). Stanford social psychologist Roderick Kramer, called Jobs one of the “great
intimidators.” Specifically, Robert Sutton noted while Jobs was still alive that “the degree to which people
in Silicon Valley are afraid of Jobs is unbelievable.” Jobs was known to berate people to the point of tears.
Coercive power should be relied on infrequently; forcefulness is helpful when tackling large, intractable
problems.
Expert Power

Expert power comes from knowledge and skill. Steve Jobs had expert power from his ability to know what
customers want—even before they can articulate it. Others who have expert power in an organization
include long-time employees, such as a steelworker who knows the temperature combinations and length
of time to get the best yields. Technology companies are often characterized by expert, rather than
legitimate power. Many of these firms utilize a flat or matrix structure in which clear lines of legitimate
power become blurred as everyone communicates with everyone else regardless of position.

Referent power

Referent power stems from the personal characteristics of the person such as the degree to which we like,
respect, and want to be like them. Referent power is often called charisma—the ability to attract others,
win their admiration, and hold them spellbound. Employee Andy Herzfeld, the lead designer of the original
Mac operating system, said Jobs imbued employees with a “messianic zeal” and could make them feel that
they were working on the greatest product in the world.

Decentralization is a business structure in which the decision-making is made at various levels of the
organization. Typically, decentralized businesses are divided into smaller segments or groups in order to
make it easier to measure the performance of the company and the individuals within each of the sub-
groups (BCcampus, 2020).

Centralization is a business structure in which one individual makes the important decisions (such as
resource allocation) and provides the primary strategic direction for the company (BCcampus, 2020). Most
small businesses are centralized in that the owner makes all decisions regarding products, services,
strategic direction, and most other significant areas. However, a business does not have to be small to be
centralized (BCcampus, 2020). Apple is an example of a business with a centralized management structure.
Within Apple, much of the decision-making responsibility lies with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim
Cook, who assumed the leadership role within Apple following the death of Steve Jobs (BCcampus, 2020).
Apple has long been viewed as an organization that maintains a high level of centralized control over the
company’s strategic initiatives such as new product development, markets to operate in, and company
acquisitions. Many businesses in rapidly changing technological environments have a centralized form of
management structure. The decisions made by the lower level management are limited in a centralized
environment.

2.1.3. Politics
Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell ideas,
influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives (Brandon & Seldman,
2004; Hochwarter, Witt, & Kacmar, 2000). Politics has been around for millennia. Aristotle wrote that
politics stems from a diversity of interests, and those competing interests must be resolved in some way.
“Rational” decision making alone may not work when interests are fundamentally incongruent, so political
behaviours and influence tactics arise.

Today, work in organizations requires skill in handling conflicting agendas and shifting power bases.
Effective politics isn’t about winning at all costs but about maintaining relationships while achieving
results. Although often portrayed negatively, organizational politics are not inherently bad. Instead, it’s
important to be aware of the potentially destructive aspects of organizational politics in order to minimize
their negative effect. Of course, individuals within organizations can waste time overly engaging in political
behaviour. Research reported in HR Magazine found that managers waste 20% of their time managing
politics. However, as John Kotter wrote in Power and Influence, “without political awareness and skill, we
face the inevitable prospect of becoming immersed in bureaucratic infighting, parochial politics, and
destructive power struggles, which greatly retard organizational initiative, innovation, morale, and
performance” (Kotter, 1985).

In discussion about power, we saw that power issues often arise around scarce resources. Organizations
typically have limited resources that must be allocated in some way. Individuals and groups within the
organization may disagree about how those resources should be allocated, so they may naturally seek to
gain those resources for themselves or for their interest groups, which gives rise to organizational politics.
Simply put, with organizational politics, individuals ally themselves with like-minded others in an attempt
to win the scarce resources. They’ll engage in behaviour typically seen in government organizations, such
as bargaining, negotiating, alliance building, and resolving conflicting interests.

Politics are a part of organizational life, because organizations are made up of different interests that need
to be aligned. In fact, 93% of managers surveyed reported that workplace politics exist in their
organization, and 70% felt that in order to be successful, a person has to engage in politics (Gandz &
Murray, 1980). In the negative light, saying that someone is “political” generally stirs up images of
backroom dealing, manipulation, or hidden agendas for personal gain. A person engaging in these types
of political behaviours is said to be engaging in self-serving behaviour that is not sanctioned by the
organization (Ferris et al., 1996; Valle & Perrewe, 2000; Harris, James, & Boonthanom, 2005; Randall et
al., 1999).

The situation show that Steve Jobs is a special adviser and raise morale among Apple employees and
customers, but he spent more time advising the CEO on how to cut costs, redraw the organizational chart,
and hire new people. Most of the top people at Apple were Jobs’s colleagues, who began to systematically
evaluate and weed out teams of Apple employees. Besides, he sold 1.5 million shares of Apple stock he
had received (Morrell, 2016). This action caught the attention of Apple’s board of directors when they
decide to replace the CEO with Steve Jobs. The CEO claimed Jobs was a conniving backstabber who used
political tactics to get his way. Others suggest that Apple would be out of business today if he hadn’t taken
over the company. In our opinion, this situation shows that Steve’s Jobs’s action is an example of
organizational politics. From the problem identification, we said that Steve Jobs applies political startegies
to protect his valued resources, position, and self image for himself and also give benefit for the company
as well. The important point to emphasize about organizational politics is the legitimacy of both the
outcomes and the methods used to achieve them. However, organizational politics that happen in
company have advantage and disadvantage for the company depends on how the employee are perceived
by others. When employees perceive many incidents of organizational politics, the result is lower job
satisfaction and organizational commitment as well as high levels of work-related stress. Organizational
politics can be minimized by providing clear rules for resource allocation, establishing a free flow of
information using education and involvement during organizational change, supporting team norms and
a corporate culture that discourage dysfunctional politics, and having leaders who a role model
organizational citizenship rather than political savvy. CEO of Apple would also need to evaluate the
characteristics of an individual whether it is honest or sincere in a given job before hire or promote
someone.
2.2. Critical points on how the culture, politics and power of an organization can influence individual
and team behavior and performance
The culture, politics and power being associated with an organization always have an effect upon individual
and team behaviour and performance (Argyris, 2017). Four kinds of cultures are prevalent in an
organization, which is based upon the role, task, power and person involved within the precincts of the
organization. Generally argued, the atmosphere of the organization aids in the development of diversity
and the generation of many previously unexplored concepts. It also improves the company's ability to
interact with various types of people and comprehend their general tastes and preferences within an
industry. However, as the company's cultural diversity grows, so do some of its issues, including those
relating to the employees' religion and traditional cultures. In order for an organisation and its workers to
be conscious of the variations in culture that occur within the organization, some knowledge is required.
According to the culture theory by Professor Geert Hofstede, there are six dimensions or aspects of culture
and Hofstede defined culture as a proper coordinated programming of the human mind thereby
differentiating a certain group of people with another group. Globalisation and innovation in technology
has helped to create organizations and also helped people to contribute for the organization. On its
Diversity page, Apple brings its effort to become “a better reflection of the world we live in.” According to
the data, the number of employees from underrepresented communities (URCs) has increased by 64%, or
over 18,000 people, and makes up nearly 50% of Apple’s U.S. workforce. There is an increase of Hispanics,
Latinos, and Black employees in the U.S. Hispanics and Latinos numbers have grown by more than 80%,
with a 90% increase in leadership (Adorno, 2021). With Black employees, it has grown by more than 50%,
with a 60% increase in leadership. The number of female employees worldwide has grown by more than
70%, with an 85% increase in leadership (Adorno, 2021). According to Senge (2014), it is often seen that
power has been limited to the decisions of the managers and supervisors and therefore these people are
only responsible for taking the primary decisions of the company and not the petty or secondary ones. As
a result, managers and supervisors will find it difficult to put in new concepts and advancements in the
activities when they are needed, and they will have to contact their bosses about any improvements in
the organization. These workers will not be able to do their jobs adequately if they do not have these
rights, because they will be unable to make the improvements that are needed at the time. Politics in an
organisation has detrimental consequences when people engage in mudslinging and non-cooperation with
others, lowering morale and tarnishing the organization's good reputation. Power has an effect on both
people and the organization's overall results. When used positively, power motivates people, but when
used negatively, it harms the brand and the workplace environment.

3. Analysis on the motivation methods that the organization applies to enhance

working spirit of employees
3.1. Motivation and goal achievement
Motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward
attaining a goal (Smith, 2019). Some of the motivators are being in the know about company matters, an
understanding attitude from the management, job security, good wages, interesting work, and career
advancement opportunities, loyalty from management, good working conditions and tactful discipline
(Victor,2008). There are generally two types of theories concerning motivation i.e. process theories and
content theories (Huczynski et al., 2013). The content theories explain the specifics of what motivates or
boost an individual in an organization whereas process theories concern on how the human behaviour is
motivated. Both the theories of motivation play a huge impact on the practice and policy of the
management. The content theories are sometimes referred to as the needs theories as it explains the
specific requirements of the individuals. Some of the main content theories are Maslow’s Hierarchy of
needs, Herzberg’s hygiene theory and many more. The main process theories are Skinner’s Reinforcement
theory, Equity theory and many more. A single theory of motivation cannot explain and elaborate all the
aspects regarding individual’s motives and lack of motives. Each of these motivational theories contributes
as the basis for the development of motivation techniques. Sainsbury aims to provide its employees with
the suitable working environment and various opportunities for the development of their skills and value.

3.1.1. Motivational theorists and theories about content theories

a) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory which is proposed by Abraham Maslow, humans are
motivated by five essential needs which are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs
and self-actualization need (MasterClass, 2020).
Physiological needs are the very basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, sex, etc. When these are not
satisfied we may feel sickness, irritation, pain, discomfort, etc. These feelings motivate us to alleviate them
as soon as possible to establish homeostasis (Gwynne, 1999). Once they are alleviated, we may think about
other things. Safety needs are needs for a safe and secure physical and emotion environment and freedom
from threats. Social needs are the desired to be accepted by others and have friendships or become a part
of the group and be loved. Esteem needs present the typical human desire for positive self-image, receive
attention, recognition and appreciation from others. Self-actualization needs are the needs for self-
fulfillment. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become
the most that one can be. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn,
starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower
order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order
needs of influence and personal development.

The implications on Apple

Apple Inc. produces highly motivated individuals who work hard at their job. Managers within the
organization, including Steve Jobs, lead through motivation to create conditions where employees
constantly feel inspired to work hard. Apple’s highly motivated workforce is one of the major reasons for
their high-performance results (“Leadership and Motivation of the Members of the Organization,” 2013).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is being applied in the Apple company. Managers in the Apple Inc.
have created ways to motivate its employees by carefully considering how needs play into job design,
compensation, management style and so forth.

Apple Inc. fulfills the employees’ physiological needs by providing wages that sufficient for employees to
purchase their basic needs. It makes the monthly payment to its employees regularly. Making sure that
their employees are financially stable and able to take care of themselves and families. It also provides
some financial incentives to its employees such as flexible benefits, investment and savings plans,
investment options and stock purchase options. Besides, Apple Inc. provides a good environment to
employees for eating. For example, the corporate cafeteria-Caffe Macs, which is the place to eat on
campus, offers a variety of good quality food. It sells various type of food such as pizza, sushi, pasta and
salad. The level of excitement and electricity in the café are perfect. On a daily basis, at least one of Apple’s
top executives will be seen in Caffe Macs such as Steve Jobs. Apple Inc. also provides good working
environment in the aspect of water, shelter and other facilities.

Next, Apple Inc. satisfies its employees’ safety needs by providing them job security, retirement benefits
and a safe working environment (MEYER, 2019). Apple Inc. provides full-benefit medical insurance to its
full-time employees as well as part-time employees who working as few as 15 hours a week and have
at least one year of service with Apple since January 2010 (Lane, 2009). It also provides pension and
sickness schemes to its employees.

Apple Inc. then satisfies the employees’ social needs. The company has developed team atmosphere and
made sure employees know that they are a part of something bigger. For instance, from its lack of
bureaucracy within pr ojects, to its engineer-focused culture, to its emphasis on passionate and loyal
employees, the huge company has maintained the corporate culture of its startup days. And that culture
is a huge part of what makes it so successful — and, not surprisingly, a good place to work (“Leadership
and Motivation of the Members of the Organization,”2013). Furthermore, Apple Inc. fulfills its employees
esteem needs by valuing emphasis self-respect and respect for others and praise for hard work. Appraisal
system helps to recognize individuals’ contributions and importance of celebrate achievement. For
example, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook has noted that employees will be given a major discount on Apple
products, starting in June. Employees already get 25 percent off Macs and iOS products, but in a few
months they will also be given an extra $500 off Macs and $250 off iPads. For example, the low-end
Macbook Air will cost just $250 after the discount and new credit (Yoskowitz, 2012).
Next, Apple Inc. also satisfies its employees’ self-actualization needs. Apple has pushed the limits of how
people create with technology in everything it has done (MEYER, 2019). Steve Jobs directed the company
towards excellence by helping people create in ways they could never achieve before. Consequently, the
iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad all played a big role in the introduction of new markets. The self-
actualization need of a business is tied tightly to the man steering the ship, such as CEO of a company who
will dictate a company’s direction. For example, CEO Steve Jobs led Macintosh through each of its largest
innovations, but when he left, it began to lose its way and market share. Upon his return, Macintosh
quickly returned to its initial direction and to profitability (“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for a Small Scale
Business,” 2011).

b) Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

To better understand employee attitudes and motivation, Frederick Herzberg has proposed Herzberg’s
Two-Factor Theory which states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction,
while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction (EPM, 2020). This theory proposes two factors which
are intrinsic factors that are related to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors that are associated with job
dissatisfaction. Satisfiers are motivators, while dissatisfies are hygiene factors. The motivators symbolized
the psychological needs that were perceived as an additional benefit. The hygiene factors symbolized the
physiological needs which the individuals wanted and expected to be fulfilled. Motivating factors are
achievement, recognition for accomplishment, increased responsibility, opportunity for growth and
development and creative and challenging work, whereas hygiene factors are company’s policies and
administration, supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relations, salary, job security, status,
personal life and employee benefits.

The implications on Apple: The Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory is being applied in the Apple Inc.

Motivating factors: The employees of the Apple Inc. are praised and recognized for their accomplishments
by the managers through bonus and promotion. The employees’ works are very meaningful, interesting,
motivating and challenging for the employee to perform.
Hygiene factors: Apple Inc. salary structure is appropriate, reasonable and competitive. Besides, it has
offered health care plans to its employees and provides a safe, clean and hygienic working environment
as well as update and well-maintained work equipment to the employees.

c) McClelland’s Theory

This theory states the three motivating factors relatively based on Maslow’s theory of needs. The
motivating factors depend variedly on the culture and are permanent. The three motivators are
achievement, affiliation and power. The first motivator refers to the need to achieve and demonstrate
competence. It pertains to an individual’s requirements for mastering of skills and values and success. The
internal action drivers influence this specific need. The low motivation sense for achievement of goals
concludes that individuals want to reduce the risk of failure (Royle and Hall, 2012). The individuals with a
high need for achievement requires feedbacks on their achievements and often seek challenges and high
degrees of independence (MindTools, 2020).

It is important for the employees of an organization to possess the achievement motivator in order to
provide the best efforts required at the workplace to ensure achievement of targeted goals. The second
motivator refers to the need for love, belonging and relatedness. The individuals concerned during the
second motivator have a strong requirement for friendships and relatedness. Apple focuses that the
working individuals develop a sense of affiliation with the other employees to ensure better
communication. Effective communication plays a big role in the achievement of goals and objectives. The
third motivator authority refers to the need to control the work of other employees or to influence it.
There is a strong need to lead and to succeed in their concepts and ideas. This theory overall, states that
there is a strong requirement for achievement which develops an individual in becoming the best leader
(Dittman and Bunton, 2012).

3.1.2. Motivational theorists and theories about process theories

Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory – The reinforcement theory states that behaviour is generally influenced
or formed by consequences and action such as appreciation, rewards and appraisal. For instance, if an
employee of Apple gets a positive and rewarding feedback for the performed tasks, this reinforcement
encourages and motivates the performance of the behaviour to recur (Skinner, 2014). If an Apple's leader
does not precisely explain the expectation, then the positive reinforcement’s progresses the behaviour
closer to the expectations. The anticipated reinforcement of the required behaviour is achieved by the
positive reinforcement. According to the reinforcement theory, positive reinforcement is a perfect
motivational technique that helps in explaining the employees the benefits of achieving their goals and
objectives. Apple applies the reinforcement in the workplace on a partial or weekly reinforcement
schedule, usually when the reward is not provided for every response and action. This theory is included
in various theories of motivation and the rewards must satisfy the requirements of every individual
employee and expectations.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory – The expectancy theory focuses on the process and content of motivation
and it integrates the requirements and equity. The purpose of this theory is to explain how the individual
selects from the available actions (Vroom, 1999). According to the perception of this theory, motivation
evolves from the belief that decisions will have their desired results. The motivation to engage an
individual in an action is determined by the three factors such as expectancy, instrumentality and valence
(Parijat and Bagga, 2014). The appraisal of expectancy factor is developed based on self-efficacy and
particular self-rated capabilities. The second factor refers to the individual’s belief that there is an existing
connection between the action and the specified goals. The appraisal of this factor is pillared on the
accuracy and efficiency of marking. Valence refers to the extent to which an individual values the
appreciation or the reward, the outcome of success. According to the perception of Vroom, motivation is
equal to the multiplication of the three factors. If any one of the factor is zero in effort, then it is general
that motivation result will be equal to zero as well.

3.2. Critical evaluation on how the chosen company motivates and influences the
behavior of employees
The motivation in an organization can be categorised into two kind’s namely extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation (Blau, 2017). Intrinsic motivation makes an individual work with pleasure whereas extrinsic
motivation makes an individual work forcefully in order to avoid punishment. Behavioural motivational
theories, concepts and models have an impact upon the behaviour of others. The Equity theory based on
J. Stacy Adams’ work, Expectancy theory by Vroom, Reinforcement theory and the goal-setting theory
are some of the motivational theories applied for finding out how others behaviours are influenced.
According to the Equity theory, the employees have an expectation of getting a salary according to the
amount of hard work they are giving. The employees should be treated equally so that they do not feel
unwanted in an organization. This can be seen clearly at Apple when they pay and reward individuals or
collectives with good creative ideas, as well as the difference between men and women in the company
Apple is not too big. Expectancy theory brings about an expectation or hope among employees that they
will be recognized and rewarded for their work. The reinforcement theory and the goal-setting theory
also have positive effect on the individuals. The motivational theory in an organization helps in developing
the human resources of an organization and makes the organization prosper. Based on Herzberg’s Two-
Factor Theory, employees of Apple Inc. be praised and recognized by managers for their achievements
through bonuses and promotions. From Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, an Apple employee's work
is meaningful, enjoyable, motivating, and challenging for the employee to perform. Apple Inc. employees
are highly motivated to accomplish their task goals which give direction to people in their work. The proper
setting and management of goals within Apple Inc. helps to clarify the performance expectations in the
organization. They provide a foundation for behavioral self-management. This helps to motivate
employees work performance and job satisfaction. Apple Inc. always set specific goal for the employees
to achieve. For instance, its goal for the year 2015 was to achieve a worldwide recycling rate of 50% (as a
percentage of sales 7 years ago) (Environmental Responsibility Report,2016). Such specific goal will create
high self-efficacy of the employees and help in achieving stated goal.

4. The relationship between culture, politics, power and motivation

Over the centuries, humanity has tried to strike a balance between culture, politics, power and motivation.
Organizational culture, politics, power and motivation both have an impact on day-to-day operations and
contribute to build the ideal working environment (Senge, 2014). When power is used in a constructive
way, it allows workers to work better, which improves the company's reputation. In an organisation in
Vietnam, teams should be recognized and united so that each member feels confident about being a part
of the organization. In order to encourage someone to work, organizations in Vietnam must have a proper
culture in place. For example, if a boss treats his subordinates with respect and avoids intra-organizational
politics, the organisation is likely to prosper.

In both professional and personal lives, teams are extremely critical. Project teams, quality teams, and
product teams are also seen in the corporate world. Each team member has a unique personality and plays
a unique role. Not every group can be classified as a team, and not every team can be considered
successful. A successful team will work well if it consists of the following six elements: purpose, the right
people, organizational resources, focused coaching, and a strong understanding of the rules of conduct. A
group must have defined common aims and priorities in order to become a successful unit (Wheelan,
2014). Second, the virtuous capable team members should make up a successful team. The team should
make certain that all participants have enough expertise, education, and preparation. Finally, it
necessitates the presence of a results-oriented framework.

Conclusion
In short, Apple has reinforced its ethos to be the power benchmark for customers and staff, making it one
of the most popular global brands. It also helps to create a structured leadership style that reinforces how
managers and others are treated by their workers. It also assesses how the boss interacts with his or her
subordinates. Apple treats its staff well in order to keep their enthusiasm up and inspire them. Apple
conducts regular assessments to determine workforce needs and develop effective job solutions.
Inspiration and culture are clearly important components of Apple's approach. Apple employees can
achieve a high degree of productivity if they work in a successful relationship.
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 Index of comments

2.1 Y Nhi
What you did well
- You pointed out some aspects/values of culture of the chosen company Apple and how those values influence
the behaviors of individual and team, and organizational performance (P1, achieved)
- You evaluated the chosen organization’s motivation programs, practices based on relevant motivation theories
that enable effective achievement of goals in the chosen organization (P2, achieved)
- You made critical points on how the culture, politics and power of an organization can influence individual and
team behavior and performance. Good points were supported with examples from the company. (M1)
- You made critical evaluation on how to motivate and influence the behavior of employees through the effective
application of behavioral motivation theories. Good points of analysis on organizational motivation policies and
practices for addressing employee needs. (M2 achieved)
- You critically evaluated the relationship between culture, politics, power and motivation that enables teams and
organizations with a reference to Vietnamese context. (D1, achieved)

What you did less well

- No need to represent many theories of motivation. You may briefly describe a theory and move to apply it in
analyzing the chosen company.

Improvement
- Detailed reflection on the CEO talk
- You made a good job, keep this up!

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