ASSIGNMENT 2 FRONT SHEET

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business

Unit number and title Unit 12: Organizational Behavior

Submission date April 29, 2021 Date Received 1st submission

Re-submission Date Date Received 2nd submission

Student Name Nguỵen Ngo Nhu Thao Student ID GBD191179

Class GBD0804B Assessor name Nguyen Minh Hai

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I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work and I fully understand the consequences of plagiarism. I understand that
making a false declaration is a form of malpractice.

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 Organizational Behavior
Assignment 2: Team dynamics and Organizational Behaviors
Assessor name: Nguyen Minh Hai
Student Name: Nguyen Ngo Nhu Thao
Student ID : GBD 191179
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1
METHODOLOGY----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
ANALYSIS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
I. Demonstrating an understanding of how to cooperate effectively with others---------------------- 2
1. An introduction of your team activities----------------------------------------------------------------2
2. Explain what makes an effective team as opposed to an ineffective team--------------------- 3
3. Critically analyzing the team experience------------------------------------------------------------- 14
II. Applying concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior within the chosen
organizational context-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
1. Applying concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior within the chosen
organizational context-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
1.1. Introduction about Apple-----------------------------------------------------------------------18
1.2. Discuss the effectiveness of teamwork and the role of the leader on its performance20
2. Exploring and evaluating how concepts and philosophies of OB inform and influence
behavior in both a positive and negative way----------------------------------------------------------23
3. Critically analyzing and evaluating the relevance of team development theories that
influence behavior in the work place-------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
CONCLUSION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29
REFERENCES---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------30
INTRODUCTION

After the in-class activity, we will individually reflect on the various concepts and theories in a
reflective statement of our team performance, analyzing team dynamics, team members' roles and
behavior as well as contribution. Through this report, there are several points of view will be
discussed as follows: an introduction of your team activities, applying team theories of an effective
team or ineffective team to analyze success factors and obstacles that the group faced to during
your team activities, and how the team leaders and members managed them, critically analyzing
the team experience, applying concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior within the
organizational context, exploring and evaluating how concepts and philosophies of OB inform and
influence behavior in both a positive and negative way, critically analyzing and evaluating the
relevance of team development theories that influence behavior in the work place. In addition to
our team's performance analysis, OB within Apple will also be discussed to clarify these views.

METHODOLOGY

Findings of this report are collected from our group’s real-life activity. Besides, to collect data about
Apple, researchers use the Internet, books, and articles to obtain basic information about the Apple
company. The internet, which contains a wealth of knowledge that can be retrieved as material, it
can provide whatever information researchers need, this method is used to gather all information
about Apple with high precision.

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ANALYSIS

I. Demonstrating an understanding of how to cooperate effectively with others

1. An introduction of your team activities

Our team consists of 5 members: Nguyen Ngo Nhu Thao, Bui Sao Mai, Bui Bao Tram, Truong Van
Tan and Le Tien Dung. Team leader is Truong Van Tan. The group activity in the GBD0804B class is
going to do a creative play, with the theme of how should a company react to get better results
during the Covid -19 season?

As far as we know, the Covid-19 translation has dealt a strong blow to many economic sectors, of
which the ready-to-wear fashion industry was one of the first economic victims. During the
blockade, all stores were forced to close, and people could not shop at the stores. With that theme,
our team has come to a decision to choose fashion company Zara. This is the largest company in
the Inditex Group, the largest apparel retailer in the world. With this play, the group members are
required to act, the members also come together to brainstorm, schedule and arrange the
composition for each scene. In addition, Van Tan has assigned tasks to each team member: Sao Mai
is the script writer, Van Tan will be the editor and finalizer of the video, Nhu Thao and Bao Tram are
the cameraman and prepare video recording equipment. After that, whoever has difficulty, the
members of the group will support each other.

The content of this video is that during the Covid-19 season, the government halted all business
activities. CEOs and division directors took a big hit when Zara's revenue was falling. During the
Google meet, During the meeting, CEO, division director, etc discussed together to find a solution
that hopes to restore Zara's revenue. The company seems to have recognized the drawbacks and
was forced to switch its business to online. When the e-commerce platform becomes the
"lifeblood" of retail businesses, especially during the pandemic, Zara cannot be out of that rule.
Zara's transformation is justified when, according to a report just published by Forrester and

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BloomReach, no e-commerce platform has been as important and influential as it is now. COVID-19
has pushed digital from a supporting function to a major role for many as social outliers have led to
drastic shifts in consumer behavior. The company will develop Zara Website, fanpage, instargram
by always updating articles, choosing beautiful images and writing content to attract buyers, the
customer care department will take measures to prevent epidemics such as hand disinfection,
keeping the distance between shipper and customers, etc to keep the community healthy. Besides,
we will implement a different idea compared to the brands that are online catwalk to add lively and
approach closer to target customers. As a result, Zara's sales increased and recovered quickly
during the Covid-19 season. To save the cost of the shop, we chose the scene at the school and
borrowed a room on the 7th floor to record. Not only that, the group members always know how
to respect each other for the ultimate result and not conflict. In the end, the process for perfecting
the video went smoothly and successfully.

2. Explain what makes an effective team as opposed to an ineffective team

Belbin describes a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a
particular way." There are 3 action oriented roles - Shaper, Implementer and Completer Finisher; 3
people oriented roles - Co-ordinator, Teamworker and Resource Investigator and 3 cerebral roles -
Plant, Monitor Evaluator and Specialist. Team leaders and team development practitioners often
use the Belbin model to help create more balanced teams. If all team members have the same
types of behavior or positions in the group, the group can become unbalanced. If team members
share the same rules, the whole group can easily make that mistake. If team members have similar
strengths when working in teams, they can compete (instead of cooperating) to perform team
tasks and responsibilities that best match their natural style. Therefore, our team applied the
Belbin's Team roles model model to analyze what factors led the team to success and what barriers
prevented the team from performing the operation and ensuring that all important team tasks are
completed, as well as any potential interpersonal conflicts or discrepancies between team
members (Muslihat, 2019).

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 Figure : Belbin’s model (Belbin, 2003).

Thinking – Oriented Roles

ROLE DEFINITION STRENGTHS ALLOWABLE

WEAKNESSES

The Plant is the creative innovator of the nine Creative, Might ignore
Belbin Team Roles. They often come up with imaginative, incidentals, and may
different ideas and approaches and are freethinking, be too preoccupied
proficient at solving problems in generates ideas and to communicate
Plant unconventional ways. When given the time to solves difficult effectively.
(PL) think about solving difficult problems, Plants problems.
will often discover surprising and innovative
ways to overcome obstacles. Because their
ideas are often so unconventional, Plants can

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 be impractical. They are also poor
communicators and prefer to work apart
from the team.

Monitor-Evaluators excel at analyzing and Serious, strategic Sometimes lacks the

evaluating ideas produced by others. These and discerning. Sees drive and ability to
individuals are astute and objective, carefully all options and inspire others and
Monitor weighing the advantages and disadvantages judges accurately. can be overly
Evaluator of all choices before making a decision. critical.
(ME) Monitor Evaluators are critical thinkers who
take a holistic approach to their work. They
are often misunderstood as cold and
emotionless. They can be weak motivators at
times, reacting to events rather than initiating
them.

Specialists bring to the team a high level of Single-minded, self Tends to contribute
expertise in a particular field. They pride starting and on a narrow front
themselves on their skills, knowledge and dedicated. They and can dwell on
abilities, and they strive to maintain their provide specialist the technicalities.
Specialist professional status. Specialists are the experts knowledge and skills.
(SP) in the team, and their job is often to provide
technical support to team mates and clients.

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Action – Oriented Roles

ROLE DEFINITION STRENGTHS ALLOWABLE

WEAKNESSES

Shapers are people who drive the team Challenging, Can be easily
forward, ensuring that they meet deadlines dynamic, thrives on provoked and may
are achieve objectives. Shapers are dynamic pressure. Has the like provoking
and competitive people who seek to challenge drive and courage others, and may
their team mates and look for different ways to overcome sometimes offend
Shaper to overcome obstacles. Extroverted and obstacles. people’s feelings.
(SH) passionate, the Shaper’s pioneering and
courageous attitude ensures the team keeps
moving and does not lose focus or
momentum.

Implementers are people who get things Practical, reliable, Can be a bit
done. Of the nine Belbin Team Roles, efficient. Turns inflexible and slow
Implementers are the ones most likely to turn ideas into actions to respond to new
ideas and concepts into practical actions. and organises work possibilities.
Conservative by nature, Implementers are that needs to be
Implementer disciplined and task-oriented people who done.
(IMP) excel in creating and implementing business
strategies.

Completer-Finishers are people who ensure Painstaking, Can be inclined to

that the team completes projects to the conscientious. worry unduly, and
highest standards. Conscientious and with an Searches out reluctant to

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 eye for detail, Complete-Finishers pay errors. Polishes delegate
attention to the smallest details in their quest and perfects.
Completer for perfection. Of all the types of team roles,
Finisher Complete-Finishers are the most concerned
(CF) with meeting deadlines. Work colleagues
often describe Complete-Finishers as
perfectionists who are orderly and
conscientious, but are also hesitant to
delegate.

People – Oriened Roles

ROLES DEFINITION STRENGTHS ALLOWABLE

WEAKNESSES

Coordinators assume the traditional team- Mature, confident, Can be seen as

leader role and focus on the team’s identifies talent. manipulative and
objectives. Coordinators take it upon Clarifies goals. might offload their
themselves to guide and manage the team. own share of the
They delegate where necessary and work.
encourage people to contribute to the
team. People who assume the Coordinator
role take an interest in their colleagues and
Coordinator can recognise the value that each person
(CO) brings to the table. They are calm,
confident and good-natured, and they
know how to help people achieve their full
potential.

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 Team Workers are helpful, accommodating Co-operative, Can be indecisive in
and keen to ensure that people within the perceptive and crunch situations
team work well together. It is also the most diplomatic. Listens and tends to avoid
diplomatic and sensitive of the nine Belbin and averts friction. confrontation.
Team Roles. They often assume the role of
negotiators within a team. Team Workers
Teamworker try to avoid conflict and prioritise team
(TW) cohesion over their own performance.
Their caring and understanding nature
means that Team Works are often popular
with other members of the team.

Resource Investigators are innovative and Outgoing, Might be over-

curious by nature. They are always looking enthusiastic, optimistic, and can
for different ways in which to work. People explores lose interest once
who fill the Resource Investigator role seek opportunities and the initial
to explore different options, nurture develops contacts. enthusiasm has
relationships and negotiate on behalf of passed.
Resource the team. They are enthusiastic and
Investigator outgoing people who are happy to work
(RI) with external stakeholders. Resource
Investigators are adventurous and
extroverted people, which often leads
people to be receptive to them and their
ideas.

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Applying the Belbin’s model for the analysis on our team

Truong Van Tan: is a Coordinator, a Shaper, an Implementer, and a Specialist. He is the one who
takes on the role of team leader. He always has creative ideas and turns it into action, always task-
oriented to ensure the team tries to accomplish its goals quickly and effectively. Besides, he is
always disciplined, calm, confident, has a positive attitude in planning and making videos, listening
to each member's opinion and knowing how to help. everyone to the best of their ability. In
addition, Tan often challenges the improvement team, excites others, and finds the best
approaches to problem solving. He is also someone who has the necessary expertise and the ability
to edit videos to create a complete, coherent product video. Sometimes, Tan can offend people
and hurt their feelings when they don't do a good job. He may delegate too much personal
responsibility that would consider him manipulator.

Sao Mai: is a Monitor - Evaluator, and a Team Worker. She has a logical eye, always analyzes and
makes objective judgments, able to weigh the pros and cons of a decision when someone on the
team comes up with video planning ideas. Besides, Mai is also a supporter of team members and a
good listener with the purpose of preventing conflicts and conflicts in the group to ensure that
everyone on the team is working together effectively. However, she sometimes tends to be
indecisive in stressful situations.

Tien Dung: is a Resource Investigator. He is an enthusiastic, cheerful, quick-witted extrovert and

very good at communicating with people, so he is very proficient in relationship building and
development. This often makes people receptive to his ideas and he helps his team members
connect and get closer. Besides, Dung is always looking for ways to explore different options for
creative and unique video making ideas. His restraint often loses interest quickly and is often overly
optimistic.

Bao Tram: is a Complete-Finisher and Monitor-Evaluator. She is the one who finds that the video is
thoroughly finished. While everyone will create a huge amount of work with high efficiency, she

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checks and makes sure that there are no flaws or shortcomings and Tram always pays attention to
the smallest details in the video. Since Tram always strives for perfection, she tends to expect the
same from those around her. She is very attentive to deadlines and is always pushing the team to
make sure the work is done on time and create high-quality videos. Besides, during the group
meeting, she and Sao Mai are the only ones who can hold their own opinion in the debate but still
retain respect for everyone. Tram often evaluates decision making based on video creation and
rational thinking as opposed to emotions and instincts. She is often a serious, critical individual.
Furthermore, Tram supervised, carefully considered all angles and possibilities and then came up
with a profound solution. On the other hand, because of the perfectionist, she often worries about
unnecessary things, and is sometimes overly critical.

The last member of the team is me, I'm a Plant. I always come up with many creative, innovative,
and adept at problem solving ideas and approaches in unique ways. When my team has difficulty
planning, I often find unexpected and creative ways to help the team overcome challenges. For
example, my team has trouble recording google meet, but has an error and loses the entire
speaking part of one of the members. The solution I came up with was that we should make
another short, music video about providing solutions to the wellness of the community. That will
help make the group's video more vivid. In addition, I am a Team Worker. I help the team shape,
use their flexibility to define the work needed and get it done. Besides, Mai and I are always good
at listening and diplomacy in the group. We are always talented in solving conflicts and helping the
parties understand each other. My weakness is sometimes indecision in difficult situations and
tends to avoid confrontation.

Success factors

 The group size

According to Zelmer (2003), the widely accepted ideal size for a workteam is five people. If the
group exceeds five people, the group will begin to lose individual performance, while teams less

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than 5 people may have difficulty with group dynamics and skills. Our team is very lucky as we have
5 members considered to be the best size for any team.

In addition, small teams tend to be more attached to larger groups because members have more
direct contact. It means a high level of interaction and communication, helping members stay
united. According to Doran (1981), a community can be attractive to a person because it is small
enough that participants can listen and weigh their point of view. Besides, the more team members,
the more resources there are to achieve the goal. However, as the process increases the descriptor
group, quantitative conflicts also lead to a decrease in the resulting level and ineffectiveness.
Another disadvantage of having a very large group is the ability of smaller groups to grow within
the team. This can lead to dilution of the overall goal, thereby increasing the level of political power.
To evaluate whether a team is too large or small, managers must consider how effectively and
harmoniously members work together and whether the required tasks are being efficiently
accomplished by all members of the team.

 Similarity / Diversity of Team Members

Our team has a lot of personalities, genders, goals, attitudes, and values. People who are near to
them are more likely to like, communicate with, and like them. Team members tend to be the most
bonded when they recognize or share common attitudes, values, experiences, and characteristics.
When the group identifies or shares similar behaviors, beliefs, experiences, and traits, they tend to
be highly bonded and can easily develop effective communication methods to reduce conflict.
However, too much identity leads to more group ideological cases. In addition, similarities such as
preferences, opinion, etc are not the only factor driving group cohesion. In some cases, the main
task that needs to be accomplished is to keep team members united. In addition, teams with a high
heterogeneity have an advantage because members are very diverse, which leads to more creative
cases, ingenuity, and resourceful productivity. However, too diverse teams can limit the degree to
which members can communicate with each other and communicate effectively.

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 Competition with other groups

Some studies have focused on cooperation that may shed light on the effects of competition,
especially competition between groups. The competition among teams in the class has helped our
team build the trust level of team members and motivates everyone to use their best to get the job
done in the best possible way and on time. degree. According to George and Jones (2000),
members of a group share similar interests and will suffer the same consequences for their actions.
To outdo other groups, team members must cooperate with each other, be motivated to work
together to fulfill the group's goals so that competition between teams improves collaboration
among members. in a group. A group becomes more united when they face challenges. The
members will be willing to set their differences aside and work together to solve the problem.
According to group selection theory, groups with more in-group altruistic behavior have more
opportunities to survive when competing with other groups, thus the members in a group will
show more in-group cooperative behaviors than they usually do when they facing between-group
competitions. Because our cooperation may be exploited, the belief that the partners will not take
advantage of our benevolence is important to cooperation. That is, trust is the precondition of
cooperation. Therefore, competition between groups can improve trustworthiness and trustworthy
behavior among team members. According to Luthans (2002), the emergence of external
competition and intimidation seems to promote more cohesion. While a certain level of
competition between groups can help each group more cohesion, George and Jones (2000) warn
that too much competition can be unstable and hinder group effectiveness.

Obstacles and how to respond to them

 Team member self-awareness

One of the contexts where self-awareness is especially important is teamwork. A self-aware

individual will be acutely aware of whether or not their contribution to the group's goals is valuable.
When realizing their effects may be detrimental, a self-aware team member modifies their

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attitudes and behaviors. However, when I was working in a group, I was disappointed by someone
with poor self-esteem such as protesting against criticism, blaming others for loss, etc. It is clear
that low self-awareness is the enemy of even the most tedious teamwork. The researchers found
that when groups have members with lower self-awareness, "group cohesion and cohesion are
affected, and conflict worsens". Indeed, "the mere existence of a low self-consciousness
exacerbates the friction and discord between the group members". We increase individual self-
awareness, we improve the quality of the connections that open up in the team, leading to better
ways of working together - and ultimately, improving levels Interactive (Adonis, 2018).

 Conflict and tension

Our team conflict and tension were inevitable. It comes when some of my team members have
mixed opinions. According to Adonis (2018), conflicts can interrupt workflow, create unnecessary
delays and degrade the quality of the product or service. However, conflicts or differences of
opinion can be wholesome and, if handled carefully by the leader, can cause useful debates. It can
cause people to think differently, expand knowledge and insight; Innovation is possible and the
results are robust. Different opinions are not a bad thing. That's how we handle conflicts that make
a difference.

 Lack of trust

Before the team work, our group did not talk to each other very little, so intimacy is not something
to be able to trust each other. According to Ledyard (1995), trust is an important factor for
teamwork and it starts with everyone understanding each other. Lack of trust can disrupt a team
because it threatens productivity, creates a toxic culture, and stops communication. It also detracts
from team members' motivation, which will ultimately affect the group's end result. However, trust
is not something that can be designed or optimized, like processes or formulas. Trust is a feeling
that binds and is earned over time. It is also important to develop strong connections with those
around you. Therefore, my group members absolutely have to talk and get to know each other

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both professionally and personally, especially in group activities where stress will increase at some
point. If not, the members won't understand each other, they won't want to bond because they
haven't made that human connection yet and they won't completely trust each other.

3. Critically analyzing the team experience

Accoriding to Iglesias (2015), The GRPI model was first introduced by Richard Beckhard (1972) and
highlights the different aspects of team cooperation by identify goals, clarifying roles,
responsibilities and processes and the interpersonal relationships of team members.

Figure : GRPI model (Iglesias, 2015)

It eases the process of establishing and prioritising the core mission of a team and framing it into a
clear action plan. By setting priorities and identifying a potential cascade of problems, it enables
solutions to be found at the right level. The most effective project is to take the model in order:
efficiency goals first, then roles, then processing, and finally interpersonal relationships.

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 Goals

A goal lays the foundation for good teamwork by establishing the core mission of a team and
framing its purpose. It sets direction for a team, helps them define where they want to be and
unite each individual effort in getting there. Without a common goal which is clear, shared and
agreed, any impact on the team would be limited. A fine Goal is one that is specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant and time bound (SMART) (Drucker, 1998).

 Roles

A role can be described by its authority, responsibilities and tasks and it should be aligned to
support the defined goals. A functional role is defined by tasks that need to be done and requires
certain types of skill, knowledge, experience etc. To enable the team to function, each team
member should have a clear picture of who is doing what, who is responsible for what, and should
know the extent of their authority. They should understand, agree and be satisfied with their roles
and responsibilities, being accountable individually and collectively. In this sense, it is crucial that
team members cooperate with each other and accomplish goals as effectively as possible. This is
the foundation of a clear process in addressing, clarifying and resolving issues (Biddle, 1986).

 Processes

Processes in the model examines how work gets done and how the team makes decisions, allocates
resources, communicates, or solves the inevitable problems that arise. If the processes are not
understood or are ineffective, then frustrations grow and the team develops the familiar symptoms
of interpersonal strife.

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 Interpersonal relationships

The Interpersonal section of the GRPI model is about establishing trust, open communication and
feedback in order to support a sound working environment. It encourages creative and diverse
contributions from all members, however discourages groupthink. Successful relations are built by
understanding strengths of team members and treating each other as people. Improving
interpersonal relationships can be developed by simple gestures like smiling at someone to
listening carefully, asking advice, passing on compliments etc. Negative behaviors like threats or
disrespect can immediately affect the relationships (Covey, 2004).

Critical points on our team performance and how to make it better

After completing the play, looking back at our group's performance, I can see some strengths and
weaknesses based on each member's performance. Firstly, when being invited to join the group,
the members are shy, have not revealed their needs, individual capacity and it is indispensable to
test the leadership of the group leader. After a short while, our group opened up and
communicated a lot with each other. This shows that, when making plans, we can confidently give
out good ideas, new ideas for the whole group to choose from. This helps each team member to
provide critical feedback when the team members give their opinion. With such discussions, each
member's communication skills will be trained and help members feel that they can contribute to
the team work and help the group connect, understand each other and sympathize. than. Second,
we have a clear goal and my leader is very good at command. At the beginning of the activity, the
team members all try to join in to build clear goals, schedule and arrange the composition for each
scene appropriately. The leader clearly divides the roles and responsibilities among the members.
The leader shows them how they can increase their productivity in the future, and communicates a
clear plan to help all team members understand the work they need to do to achieve their goals.
He told each of the members exactly what they needed to do to push everyone forward. The more
detailed the plan, as it will be easier to bring them together. That helps my team to complete the
plan on schedule, the members do not push work together and means that our working results go

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smoothly and bring a lot of results. During the activity process, the leader's constructive feedback
with the team members such as listening to them helped reflect respect for the opinions of the
members even though that opinion is completely contrary to the opinion of the team. yourself.
That said, the team's performance rose to the highest level. Besides, we have diversity in our team
such as having different knowledge and skills. This helps the team complete the play quickly and
deliver high performance. Finally we have trust and respect each other. Although we did not talk to
each other before joining the group, after a short time, we developed mutual trust through
assignment, openness in management and communication, and freedom of communication.
change opinions and help each other. Our team also had a conflict. It is unavoidable in the
collective, because each person has its own personality, or thoughts are not on the same basis.
When controversy occurs, if everyone tries to defend their scores despite the common goal, it will
reduce everyone's morale, threaten productivity, and create an unfriendly environment. Conflict
within our team has made it difficult to collaborate. In short, I will give some points of view that can
improve the team's performance in the future: Find out why a member contradicts each other, we
should find a common voice, i.e. The contradictory person has no difficulty pointing out the
differences, these differences are what supports their disagreement. The challenge for the leader is
to get the conflicting parties to dismiss those differences. Therefore, the leader must point out
common values ​ ​ among the parties, ensure everyone clearly sign off their responsibilities in
implementing the activity, and create feedback loops for learning and accountability.

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 II. Applying concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior within the chosen
organizational context

1. Applying concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior within the chosen

organizational context

1.1. Introduction about Apple

 Apple Computer Company (1976–1977)

Formerly
 Apple Computer, Inc (1977–2007)

Type Public

Industry Computer hardware, Computer software, Consumer electronics, Cloud

computing, Digital distribution, Fabless silicon design, Semiconductors, Media,
Retail, Financial technology, Artificial intelligence

Founded April 1, 1976; 45 years ago

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Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne

Headquarters 1 Apple Park Way Cupertino, California, U.S.

Number of locations 511 retail stores (2021)

Key people  Chairman: Arthur D. Levinson

 CEO: Tim Cook

 COO: Jeff Williams

Number of 147,000 (2020)
employees
Website www.apple.com

According to Lee (2015), Apple Inc is a leading American corporation that manufactures computer
software and consumer electronics. The company is credited for designing products such as the
Macintosh range of computers, the iPad, iPhone, and the iPod. Computer software made by this
company range from the iLife, the safari web browser, the iOS, and the iTunes among others. The
company is currently operating over 350 stores in various countries around the world alongside an
online store that offers both software and hardware. In this year, Apple Inc was ranked as the
largest company in the globe with regard to market capitalization. It is equally a company with the
largest market in the world with regard to both revenue and profit generation. The company was
founded in 1976 and later incorporated the following year. Before the year 2007, this company was
known as Apple Computer Inc. The shift to the current name reflects the ongoing innovation in its
range of products and market diversification. By September last year, this company had nearly
50,000 employees on full term basis. Apparently the company has a very established reputation in
the electronics industry. The shares of this company are traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange
market.

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1.2. Discuss the effectiveness of teamwork and the role of the leader on its performance

From the GRPI model mentioned above, some similarities are identified between the model and
organizational behavior at Apple:

 Interpersonal relationship

At Apple Inc., teamwork is especially important. Apple is always aiming to innovate and create new
technology first. With the constant needs of Apple customers, Apple employees must work
together to find the best way to meet these needs. Therefore, in order for the relationship
between employees to be linked, the company always builds a stable, sustainable relationship and
builds trust in a team. Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, described teamwork as, "Teamwork is
about trusting others to do their part without watching them all the time." This belief in Steve Jobs
helped establish the importance and foundation of teamwork at Apple. The company's corporate
culture is based on collaboration and collaboration among employees (Milian, 2011). Each
department is made up of small groups that work together to achieve certain goals. As a result,
employees demonstrate more collaboration, commitment, and creativity. In addition, teamwork
encourages the exchange of ideas, ideas and feedback, which is important in driving innovation
(Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). A sense of trust between employees that causes them to use the
organization's resources effectively to achieve the desired results. Team spirit is also encouraged by
Apple's leaders. For example, organizations often arrange team work meetings with the main goal
of increasing mutual respect and trust among team members (O'grady, 2009).

Creating a good relationship between employees will help their employees to be satisfied and loyal
to the company in the long run. Right from the start of the company, Steve Jobs always took the
opinion of employees seriously. In other words, Apple has followed a strategy of sharing power in
its employee relationships. Apple employees can raise issues that can benefit the organization and
discuss them with top management without any impediments. An open communication system
plays an important role in helping employees to express themselves freely. Employees are also

Page 20
encouraged to choose carefully what they say, negotiate effectively, and not make assumptions.
Besides, the company does not encourage behaviors that make employees feel undesirable or
excluded. The company also prohibits degrading or joking comments, including stereotypes.

 Processes

At Apple, thanks to the teamwork process, new companies can grow. Specifically: Apple has 7 main
components of teamwork. The first is by one person in charge. Second, the project teams at Apple
have to meet once a week. Third, teamwork starts at the top of the organization, then gets smaller.
The fourth component is trust that is key. The fifth element is that there are great arguments. This
is a strategy to motivate people to their full potential. Sixth, one must let everyone decide. The last,
and arguably most important, thing is to work towards a goal. The fourth component is trust that is
key. The fifth element is that there are great arguments. This is a strategy to motivate people to
their full potential. Sixth, one must let everyone decide. The last, and arguably most important,
thing is to work towards a goal. The fourth component is trust that is key. The fifth element is that
there are great arguments. This is a strategy to motivate people to their full potential. Sixth, one
must let everyone decide. The last, and arguably most important, thing is to work towards a goal.
Besides, to resolve conflicts and deal with difficult situations at Apple, discussion among employees
is one of the methods used. Team discussions include presentation of opinions, ideas, criticisms,
and complaints from members. In addition, employees brainstorm in order to come up with
potential solutions to their challenges and problems. Apple's leadership encourages accountability
and honesty among employees. Finally, an open communication system plays an important role in
helping employees to express themselves freely. Employees can raise any issues of concern to top
management by posting questions on the 'We can talk' section on the company's intranet
(Carolinealbanesesite, 2021).

Page 21
 Roles

The purpose of a role clarification process is to assist individual team members in understanding
their individual differences, to enhance their working relationships and to increase their
cooperation and effectiveness in working with one another. An employee experiences role clarity
when they know what they need to do and what to expect from them, helping them complete their
jobs with high performance and achieve their organizational goals (Dowd, 2020).

At Apple, each team member is assigned to work in a specific and fair way. According to Lusted
(2012), employee participation can be defined as “the exploitation of the members of the
organization themselves in their job roles, when participating, people use and express themselves
physically, consciously and emotionally in the process of performing the role ”. In addition, the
clear, specific and transparent division of roles among the group members is a prerequisite for the
group's effectiveness. Boundaries between different job groups are blurred in multi-skill groups,
allowing workers to expand their expertise and experience. Organization and operations have also
been drastically reduced, which can make it difficult for managers to tolerate any lack of control.
Rearranging management roles to make room for self-governing groups is also a necessary
prerequisite for increased efficiency. At Apple, they have developed a method called DRI (direct
accountability). This method includes assigning a person directly each time a new task, goal or
decision is established. With the DRI this is resolved, if the task or goal is not fulfilled, the manager
will be able to know who is responsible for this noncompliance to discuss the causes and find ways
to address them.

 Goals

Apple is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures the world's largest
consumer electronics and software products, so setting goals is essential. The company has clearly
defined its long-term goal of buying and selling quickly, cheaply and easily. They have used OKRs to
set goals for groups and for the whole company and ensure that their employees are working in

Page 22
line with company goals. OKRs are established, monitored and re-evaluated on a regular basis -
usually quarterly. OKRs is a simple, fast-paced method that harnesses the depth and unique
imagination of each group. In addition, at Apple, we make all our OKRs public by asking every
employee to upload their personal OKRs to our internal wiki. Doing so promotes accountability and
transparency and makes that boundary clearer. In addition to its public nature, the OKRs take
accountability seriously as they are graded every quarter. Apple uses a scale of 0 to 1. Members are
not allowed to crush it with a consistently perfect score, so if they are between 0.6 and 0.7, they
are making good progress. However, it is important to always go back and explain why the
employee did not achieve the OKR, especially if they scored below 0.4. Furthermore, setting up
OKRs helps everyone in the company organize their goals. It allows them to define where their
efforts should be focused to support the company as a whole. OKRs are a simple way to make sure
everyone is working towards the same results, and they can check that all activities have affiliate
goals that support the company (Andreoni, 1988).

2. Exploring and evaluating how concepts and philosophies of OB inform and influence
behavior in both a positive and negative way

Increased creativity is one of the key benefits of teamwork (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). Apple
executives adopt management practices and techniques to promote a creative and innovative work
climate. Collaboration and collaboration among employees are central to the company's corporate
culture (Milian, 2011). Each department is made up of small groups that collaborate to accomplish
specific objectives. Employees are more collaborative, committed, and creative as a result.
Teamwork promotes the sharing of ideas, suggestions, and reviews, which is critical for creativity
(Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010).

In addition, Apple leaders often encourage their employees to focus on projects and tasks that are
seen as important to the realization of the organization's goals. Using this strategy creates a sense
of trust among employees that causes them to use the organization's resources effectively to
achieve the desired results. Team spirit is also encouraged by Apple's leaders. Scholars argue that a

Page 23
positive environment increases employee productivity, efficiency, and engagement while
improving business results, and that this is what the leaders of Apple Inc are trying to achieve. be
and remain competitive in their industry. Therefore, both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook adopt a
different and unique management style to enhance employee satisfaction and organizational
productivity. As the company's first Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Steve Jobs is seen as a brave and
passionate leader who demands that his employees be excellent and perfect. In contrast, Cook, the
current CEO, aims to achieve excellence by emphasizing teamwork and transparency. Cook
leverages his open door policy to inspire his employees and encourage them to collaborate on the
realization of company goals (Lusted, 2012). The proof of that is that at Apple, a team can be
composed of engineers, designers, technology professionals, marketing professionals and
management experts, who play different roles together. created innovative products, unique
designs such as Iphone, Ipad, Macbook, etc to meet the needs of customers and be favored by
people all over the world. One of the reasons Apple launches a new product every year so quickly is
the strong teamwork among its employees challenges faced by the members. Finally, teamwork
increases accountability and accountability. Apple does not create committees to oversee the
activities of different groups (Lusted, 2012). Each team has a team leader that reports directly to
the management team on the team's progress. In addition, teamwork reduces the pressure of each
employee because of shared responsibilities and duties. Employees deal with work within their
area of ​ ​ expertise. So they deal with challenges and difficulties with ease without hindering
their team's progress.Moreover, Teams meet weekly to discuss challenges and problems they face.
teamwork improves flexibility because team members apply innovative problem-solving strategies
(West, 2012).

One advantage of teamwork is increased efficiency and effectiveness in achieving your goals (West,
2012). This is largely due to the rapid completion of tasks, the use of effective conflict resolution
methods and increased creativity, encouraged by the diffusion of open knowledge and ideas. Apple
employs people who are highly knowledgeable and passionate about their work. Its team is made
up of passionate and knowledgeable employees who are committed to achieving certain goals in a

Page 24
timely manner. Teamwork has enhanced Apple's ability to achieve goals because the organization
has continuously introduced new products into the market every year (Lusted, 2012).

Furthermore, teamwork is primarily responsible for the high quality of its products. The timely launch of
new products demonstrates employee productivity, collaboration, and effectiveness. One of Apple's
aims is to use creativity to deliver high-quality goods to its customers (Lusted, 2012). This is shown by
their multiple brands, which have ushered in revolutions in various market segments. The company's
success in innovating is partially attributed to the company's acceptance and implementation of the
principle of teamwork (Milian, 2011).

Besides, as a diverse company employing people from different nationalities and ethnic
backgrounds, Apple has put in place different measures to enhance effective intercultural
communication. Some of these measures include acknowledging individual differences, focusing on
behavior, and developing intercultural sensitivity. The company also prohibits degrading or joking
comments, including stereotypes. Likewise, a number of rules that encourage appropriate behavior
and outline disciplinary action apply in the event that an employee violates the stated rules.
Employees are also encouraged to accept individual differences (Baldwin, 2014). In addition to
encouraging employees to accept individual differences, management also focuses on building an
effective environment where employees are encouraged to work in groups and focus on the
implementation of the organization's strategic goals rather than their differentiation. Steve Jobs
once said that it is a leader's job to hire good people and trust them. This is the key to successful
teamwork. Thanks to the above groups, the teamwork and team performance of Apple is more and
more effective.

Page 25
3. Critically analyzing and evaluating the relevance of team development theories that
influence behavior in the work place

By adopting Belbin's model in our team and applying GRPI's model within the Apple company, it
can be seen that: Belbin's role in project management allows a group of project activities with team
members. groups have appropriate behavior to handle those activities and help form balanced
groups (Muslihat, 2019). In addition, GRPI helps ensure that the project team is efficient,
minimizing upgrade and rework time. Team members may be distracted or ineffective if the goal is
not clearly defined. People hesitate to fulfill their roles and responsibilities if there is some
ambiguity. This shows poor leadership qualities and undermines cooperation among members. All
of this leads to poor communication among team members affecting the productivity of a project.
Therefore, it is important to establish absolute clarity on each level (Iglesias, 2015).

The following are some solutions to apply later on the appropriateness of team development, the
leadership role of a leader, theories of organizational culture in Apple's organization to enhance the
ability to do teamwork and team performance:

 Enhance leadership in building high-performance teams

During the start-up phase, the leader plays an authoritarian role, giving instructions and guiding the
team members through each step. On the other hand, once the group reaches maturity, the leader
acts as the team leader, facilitating high performance by thinking cooperatively and solving
problems, defining boundaries. for team members and act as a mentor and coach for team
members. Researchers have identified that team leadership is a key factor in the successful
adoption and implementation of innovative methods and new ideas that help lead a team to work
more effectively.

Page 26
 Performance Feedback

Feedback on performance is a communication process. It has to be of constant significance because

adjustments are made based on information exchanged between manager and team members.
Regular follow-up dialogue is required to determine success. Feedback is designed to note where
things are going right and wrong. This means leaders may need to be patient as new habits are
developed and learning curves for new skills are overcome. Therefore, Performance Feedback is
critical to helping employees understand expectations, make adjustments, and receive the training
they need to improve and succeed.

When adjustments are needed, leaders need to get feedback from team members before they can
come up with new goals and missions for improvement. In most cases, the only way a manager can
provide effective feedback is with the team. Feedback from team members is just as important as
the feedback a manager provides. In fact, it's how the manager can fully understand the situation
and make appropriate adjustments rather than just guesswork and what can solve a problem.
Organizations can also ensure that team members give feedback to each other (Leonard, 2018).
One way to organize this feedback is through 360-degree feedback that includes input from various
stakeholders, such as supervisors, co-workers, subordinates, and a personal self-assessment. The
organization must also assess whether a group is ready for the 360 ​ ​ degree review because it
takes time for team members to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses. In summary, it
is important that organizations recognize individual contributions to groups and feedback is
provided at both the individual and group levels. Organizations can provide staff training and
feedback to managers to ensure that feedback is effectively delivered to team members (Dieterle,
2021).

Page 27
Recommendation for Apple Inc

The greatest purpose of these recommendations is to improve the high performance culture so
that group performance can be enhanced as well. While Apple has excelled at creating this
employee-friendly environment, there are a number of areas where employees have expressed
dissatisfaction with Apple. The extremely secretive form maintained by Apple means that
employees don't understand what they have to do in a particular job. This becomes even more
difficult in the case of cross-functional projects. Many times, Apple employees feel that they don't
understand why they are asked to perform a certain task. Secrecy also means doing the same task
twice when there are changes between schedule or release. This results in a situation where
employees may feel less empowered, leading to reduced levels of motivation. Apple should try to
fix this problem by specifying the exact job roles that need to be performed by each of its
employees.

There are also complaints from employees about Apple's lack of work life balance and the provision
of lower perks like free lunches and exercise when compared to other tech companies like
Facebook. and Google. Providing a better work-life balance for employees and perks can increase
the relationship with employees and increase their commitment to the organization. One final
issue with the employee relationship strategy at Apple that needs to be properly addressed is the
lack of any proper system for measuring employee engagement. At best, the degree of employee
engagement is subjectively measured by the managers involved. But a more formal tool for
measuring employee engagement like conducting periodic employee awareness surveys can go a
long way in measuring employee opinion. Once employee engagement levels are properly analyzed,
corrective action can be initiated where the company is lacking. Besides, Apple's corporate culture
presents many challenges because it focuses on secrecy and a moderate level of combat. The
atmosphere of secrecy restricts the relationship between the workers. In addition, moderate
combat has the potential to limit or reduce employee morale. These cultural problems can reduce
business efficiency and increase employee turnover. Apple Inc may be able to address this situation
by modifying its organizational culture to reduce but not necessarily eliminate the fighting

Page 28
character. This recommendation focuses on minimizing the disadvantages of associative ease,
without eliminating the benefits of corporate integration approaches.

CONCLUSION

In short, this report demonstrates an understanding of how to collaborate effectively with other
team members. This involves inspiring and motivating good leaders as well as creating constructive
contributions from team members. The combination of these two items will create a good benefit
for the team. Besides, the division of tasks based on a model will help determine the effectiveness
of teamwork. Apple is a perfect example of this but in other situations, successful team strategies
can also be used to improve team efficiency. This allows readers to better understand the impact of
the company on employee behavior and the success of the business.

Page 29
REFERENCES

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Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester.

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(15th Anniversary edition.). Free Press.

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 Index of comments

2.1
Thao
What you did well

- A clear introduction of your team activity

- Applying team theories of an effective team or ineffective team to analyze success factors and obstacles that the
group faced to during your team activities, and how the team leaders and members managed them (P3 achieved)
- You well applied relevant team and group development theories to support the development of dynamic
cooperation with critical points on your team performance and made suggestions to make it better. (M3 achieved)
- You applied concepts and philosophies of organizational behavior and discussed the effectiveness of teamwork
and the role of the leader on its performance at the chosen company Apple. (P4 achieved)
- You explored and evaluated key issues in the company regarding teamwork and team performance, how
leadership and organizational culture influences team performance. (M4 achieved)
- You critically applied the relevance of team development theories in analyzing the chosen company’s teamwork
and team performance and made evidence based recommendations to the chosen company to increase team
effectiveness. (D2 achieved)

Improvement
You may suggest some best practices of the chosen company and how they could be applied for other companies
in Vietnamese context.
Very good work, keep this up!

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