Communication
To communicate efficiently through a business several elements must function effectively.
The key elements are,
- The transmitter (Sender of message)
- The recipient (Receiver of message)
- The message itself
- The medium by which the message is being sent.
Good communication is influenced by various factors,
- The attitudes of the sender and the receiver, e.g. inappropriate behaviour may cause the message to be changed and altered or perhaps not even sent at all.
- Their knowledge of the subjects matter being communicated, e.g. poor knowledge may lead to inaccurate message transmitted.
- What is being communicated, sending instructions, giving advice, asking for opinions or presenting facts. E.g. In certain large businesses which may manage many shops/factories, sometimes one message may need to reach each department very quickly. This is usually known as a pyramid message. The pyramid message, is sent via phone from shop to shop, and the message is carefully written down whilst the transmitter reads out the notice. There is usually a order list in which a certain shop should follow and phone after they have received their message.
- How is it being communicated, the suitability of the communication medium. E.g. the army may use morse code instead of a telephone so the enemy can not find out what has being communicated.
- The amount of noise present, e.g. a telephone message may not be well communicated when sent by a road worker when digging up roads.
There are many methods of communication, however some are more common than others. Telephone, e-mail, fax, text message, talking, Morse code, letter, telegram.
In any organisation communication between different departments is very important. The managers, board of directors, supervisors, should be aware of any problems that other departments may have. E.g. In a supermarket, a member of staff may leave, or the warehouse may not have received new stock, the manages must be aware of such problems.
During a major problem which the general manager should be aware of, communication is key to letting them know. However, it must travel through many people and chains of command to reach the manager.
E.g. By looking at Fig1 if the finance team of product B realise that they are extremely in debt, they should inform the product B manager, who should tell the general product manager and the sales and marketing manager and then the general manager should be informed.
9.3 (a) Explain the culture of a company in relation to organisational, motivation and communication
Motivation
Keeping staff motivated is good for the business, to operate efficiently and become successful.
- Motivated workers are more productive, and therefore higher productivity usually means higher profits
- In a service industry, workers who are well motivated will provide a better level of customer service, keeping the customers happy.
- Staff who are well motivated are more likely to stay with the company. They therefore grow with experience and become even more valuable to the employer.
- If a business successfully keeps the staff it has, the costs of recruiting and training new staff is reduced.
The majority of people work to satisfy personal needs of some kind. Non financial motivators, are things other than money that motivate people to work. Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs based on research about what motivates people to work.
(1954) researched a large majorty related to . Prior to , researchers generally focused separately on such factors as biology, achievement, or power to explain what energizes, directs, and sustains human behavior. Maslow posited a based on two groupings: deficiency needs and growth needs. Within the deficiency needs, each lower need must be met before moving to the next higher level. Once each of these needs has been satisfied, if at some future time a deficiency is detected, the individual will act to remove the deficiency. (Mathes 1981)
The first four levels are:
1) Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.;
2) Safety/security: out of danger;
3) Belonginess and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted; and
4) Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition.
This can be seen in the diagram in fig3.
Fig3 – Diagram showing Maslows Hierarchy needs
adopted from (Maslow 2003)
According to Maslow, an individual is ready to act upon the growth needs if and only if the deficiency needs are met. Maslow's initial diagram structure included only one growth need, self-actualization.
Self-actualized people are characterized by:
- Being problem-focused;
- Incorporating an ongoing freshness of appreciation of life;
- A concern about personal growth;
- The ability to have peak experiences.
Maslow later specifically naming two lower-level growth needs prior to general level of self-actualization
They are:
5) Cognitive: to know, to understand, and explore;
6) Aesthetic: symmetry, order, and beauty;
7) : to find self-fulfillment and realize one's potential; and
8) : to help others find self-fulfillment and realize their potential.
Leadership
Great leaders can come in many forms and must possess many characteristics to make them successful. Leadership is the process of influencing team members to work hard towards, and be committed to, team goals. Leaders can either be task oriented or person oriented.
- Task oriented leaders are most interested in training, instructing behaviour, performance and winning.
- Person oriented leaders are more interested in the personal relationships on the team.
Great leaders in sports are both task and people oriented, but lean more towards being task-oriented. Leaders must possess the qualities they are trying to include into their team. E.g., if the coach wants their players to be confident, have self-control, be disciplined, etc., then they must first possess all these traits themselves. One of the most powerful things a coach can do is lead by example. You serve as an influential role model for your players and everything you do will be watched. E.g. Paul Gascoigne who is a great footballer, is now player coach for a Chinese team in Gansu. With the problem of the language barrier the other players will learn from his performances and examples. Vince Lombardi says, "Leaders are made, they are not born; and they are made just like anything else has every been made in this country - by hard work" (Dowling 1970).
Great leaders are often experts in their field and are intelligent. Like all experts, they aren't know-it-alls, they feel there is always more to learn and have a willingness to admit mistakes. E.g. Kevin Keegan, is an expert in playing football and about the game, but still he may have more to learn about managing.
Successful leaders are well organized, well prepared and are rarely caught off guard. Their great knowledge allows them to be great educators and motivators. Motivating the team is an important talent to possess to gain success, especially in crucial games.
The quality and effectiveness of a great leader will often show itself by way of the team's effort as a whole. One also must have respect for the players, e.g. if athletes are treated with genuine respect, they will respect the coach. It is essential for a coach to know the players well enough to be able to assess their strengths and weaknesses and use them to their fullest potential within the context of the team. E.g. A Left footed forward, will perform very poorly playing right back, or a winger may not be very effective if used in a scrum, in rugby.
Successful leaders must be excellent at communication, with the players and other members of staff employed by the team. Leaders need to possess a willingness to listen to input with an open mind. They have to let other people have their say, not just giving out orders.
"Good leadership consists of motivating people to their highest levels by offering them opportunities, not obligations" (Tzu 1982).
“The role of leadership in management is largely determined by the organisational culture of the company. It has been argued that managers' beliefs, values and assumptions are of critical importance to the overall style of leadership that they adopt.” (Bull 1998)
There are several different leadership styles that can be identified within each of the following Management techniques. Each technique has its own set of good and poor characteristics, and each uses leadership in a different ways.
The Autocrat
The autocratic leader dominates team members, using just one approach to achieve a singular objective. This approach to leadership generally results in players not contributing to any managerial idea’s or suggesting and just carry out straight forward orders. The players generally require continual pressure and direction from the leader in order to get things done. The autocratic approach is not a good way to get the best performance from a team. This may be because the players may feel like amateurs, and the team cohesion will drop and this type of leadership often leads in players leaving the team or getting together to form a mutiny.
The autocratic style if often good to use when coaching either young children or beginners, because they do not know about warm ups, drills, tactics and positions, so an autocratic coach would be needed.
The Laissez-Faire leadership style
The Laissez-Faire leadership style has little control over the team. The team can often be left to sort out their roles and tackle their work, without participating in this process himself. In general, this approach leaves the team floundering with little direction or motivation.
There are situations where the Laissez-Faire approach can be effective. The Laissez-Faire technique is usually only appropriate when leading a team of highly motivated and skilled people, who have produced excellent work in the past. Teenages and young sunday league teams benefit from this type of manager, because they like to be involved in choosing their own training drills and warm up by themselves. They may have little patience for an autocratic coach.
Once a leader has established that his team is confident, capable and motivated, it is often best to step back and let them get on with the task, since interfering can possibly cause anger from the players.
The Democrat
The democratic leader makes decisions by consulting their team, whilst still maintaining control of the group. The democratic leader allows their team to decide how the task will be tackled and who will perform which task.
The democratic leader can be seen in two ways.
A good democratic leader encourages participation and motivation, but never loses sight of the fact that he has the crucial responsibility of leadership.
The coach values group discussions and input from their team and can be seen as receiving strong points from the players in order to obtain the best performance from his team. He motivates his team by allowing them to direct themselves, and guides them with a loose reign.
However, the democrat can also be seen as being so unsure of himself and his relationship with his players that everything is a matter for group discussion and decision. Therefore this type of leader can be seen as not really leading at all.
For a successful team, a coach needs to display each style of leadership to fit in different circumstances. A good coach needs to implement authority, but not too much to unsettle the team. Just enough to gain respect and influence their team. The coach should also show some signs of the Laissez-Faire leadership style, to show his players, he has trust in them, to be organised and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner without having to be told. This allows the players a little freedom to feel relaxed within the team. Also being democratic with the team is good to allow the players to share their personal points of view, about what’s going wrong, or what should be done in order to become better. This way the team binds together to become cohesive.
Cohesion
“Cohesion is the total field of forces which act on members to remain in a particular group”. (Festinger, et al 1950). In sport people will usually refer to their team as cohesive if the members get along, are loyal and are united in the pursuit of its goals
One of the most important dynamics of a successful team is good team cohesion. E.g. Team manages often talk about how important it is for a team to "gel" or "bond" especially when new players are introduced to the team. Cohesive teams can achieve success in any sporting team activities. E.g. Football nations in the world cup 2002, such as Senegal and South Korea had great team cohesion which helped them achieved respectable standards. The way players interact as a team has a huge impact on the way a team performs.
The more cohesive a team is, the more it encourages peak performance in its players. If cohesion is lacking it can often prevent the team from reaching its’ potential. Some team managers may not be sure what cohesion is and how to go about developing and maintaining a cohesive environment. So top teams sometime employ sports psychologists to teach the coaching staff and players about cohesion, to make them successful. E.g. Manchester United football team has a very good team cohesion, due to a lot of the players growing up together and coming through the youth team, e.g. David Beckham, the Neville brothers, Ryan Giggs etc, therefore they perform well and have become successful. Whereas Chelsea football club has employed a foreign manager, many foreign players from a variety of nations, and regularly changes the first team and squad around, therefore despite the amount of individual talented players, they have not the same cohesiveness as Manchester United.
Cohesion can be defined in many ways.
If players only train together at workouts and games, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee a team will be cohesive and successful, it simply means that they are occupying the same space at the same time. A cohesive team can be distinguished from a non-cohesive team by many characteristics.
A cohesive team has…………
- Well-defined roles, e.g. each player has their own individual goal, and knows their personal role during a game, i.e. who to mark.
- Common goals, e.g. each player is generally aiming for the same goal overall, i.e. promotion.
- A positive team identity, e.g. all the players associates with each other and class themselves as united.
- A good working relationship, e.g. The players should work well together without arguments, and socialise with each other confidently. There is not substitute for the player’s own perception of what is going on not only for him, but also for the team that he is playing on. How a player views the relationship on the team is very valuable information when evaluating the level of team cohesion.
- Shared responsibility, e.g. when they concede a goal no-one take the blame, and when the score they all share the praise.
- Respect, e.g. There should be mutual respect among the players. You can not have a cohesive group on the field if you don’t respect your team mates. You do not have to necessarily love them off the field, but you better love them on the field and respect them both on and off the field
- Positive energy, e.g. The team has high enthusiasm and a strong passion to succeed.
- A willingness to cooperate, e.g. Everyone is enthusiastic to work together as a team.
- Good communication, e.g. There should be effective two-way communication that is clear and direct. Good communication skills result in an increase in self-esteem, respect, trust and decision making skills. Each player feels relaxed to freely talk with one another and socialise without disruption.
- Pride in membership, e.g. all the players talk honour in playing for their team.
During interviews for radio or television a player can usually give away the amount of cohesiveness in a team. This is shown by statements given which may include; we and our, in contrast to statements of I, me and mine.
Only good things can come from bonding with other members of your team good things for everyone and individually. “As stated by Long Beach City College Head Softball Coach Shellie McCall, “Team cohesion is the glue that keeps a team focused and determined to reach its goals.”
Psychologists often talk about the four stages of team cohesion. The duration of these stages varies and fluctuates throughout a season, and it applies to all members of the squad, including management. It is no coincidence that successful teams have experienced these phases and fast forwarded to the performing level.
Stage 1: Forming (griping)
When a team is forming, players cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behaviour. This is a stage of transition from individual to member status, and of testing the leader's guidance both formally and informally.
- excitement, anticipation, optimism
- pride in being chosen
- tentative attachment to the team
- suspicion, fear, and anxiety
- attempt to define needed tasks and methods
- attempt to determine acceptable group behaviour (Schmidt 1975)
Stage 2: Storming (groping)
Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the team. The players just into the task head first, but then start to worry. They begin to realise the task is different and more difficult that they imagined.
- resistance to the task and quality improvement approaches
- sharp fluctuations in attitudes
- argument among members
- choosing sides
- establishing unrealistic goals; concern about excessive work (Schmidt 1975)
Stage 3: Norming (grasping)
During this stage, members accept loyalties and responsibilities. They accept the team, team ground rules (norms), their roles in the team, and the individuality of other members. Emotional conflict is reduced as previously competitive relationships become more cooperative.
- expressing criticism constructively
- accept responsibility of membership in the team
- believe that everything is going to work out
- confide and share personal problems
- buy-in to common goals (Schmidt 1975)
Stage 4: Performing (grouping)
By this stage, the team has settled its relationships and expectations. They can begin performing, diagnosing and solving problems, and choosing and implementing changes. At least team members have discovered and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are.
- members have insights into personal and group processes, and better understand each other's strengths and weaknesses
- satisfaction at the team's progress
- close attachment to team (Schmidt 1975)
9.3 (b) Identify positive and negative response to change within an organisation.
Change in any organisation creates opportunity for some and concerns for others. The introduction of change without significant communication systems is likely to cause problems for individuals and in the long term aims of the organisation, e.g. All companies have over the past ten years has been required to join in the advancement of information technology, such as development in word processing packages, management of salaries, computerised conveyer belts in the manufacturing industry.
The impact of such a change in environment varies greatly with each individual, this can be seen in Fig5.
Fig5 – Human dimensions of change
Ability to learn
and
Capacity change
Willingness to change and learn
The entrenched
When some kind of change occurs in an organisation, e.g. new member of staff, some people have the entrenched reaction. This is when the may become frustrated and angry at decisions that are made. They may become frightened of the future and how it will effect their job. It may drive them to work harder to prove existence and their talent within the business. These type of people often do not like change and dismiss reasons for it to happen. For example, when a football club sign a new striker, another striker may feel entrenched because they may fear that their role in the team is under threat and they become frustrated.
The overwhelmed
Overwhelmed people become unhappy at change and they feel powerless. They blame the company for their reaction and complain of the new changes. They avoid issues relating to the matter and block out stressful events. These people focus mainly on the tasks they know best and wait until everything turns back to normal.
The Dervish
This type of reaction is from people who are ready to perform any different given task. They are overconfident in their own ability and seeks positions of influence. They always seem surprised and press for quick action and results in the organisation. Sometimes they are disliked by the overwhelmed because they can force them out the company.
The learner
The learner is anxious, but optimistic of change. They can always see the positive benefits and how the new change will improve their organisation. They are able to balance out all the pro’s and con’s to come up with a sensible conclusion on the matter. These type of people are not afraid of making mistakes and can focus on the problem rather than who to blame. For example, when a company introduces new technology to the employees, the learner will look at the benefits of using the new systems and will adapt to the changes made.
Human dimension of change
There is a common formula which can be seen when change occurs within an organisation.
EC = D * K * V
EC = Energy For change
D = Dissatisfaction with present
K = Knowledge of next moves
V = Level of shared vision
For example within a company, the energy of change is usually suggested by the manager or board of directors. The reasons for suggesting the required change comes from the accumulation of ‘D,K and V’. E.g. If in a football team, they may be conceding a lot of goals, and the manager may be dissatisfied with the goal keepers performance and therefore thinks if a new goal keeper is signed ,then the team will increase performance.
However, some players do not share this vision set by the manager, e.g. especially the goal keeper.
A formula for the resistance for change can also be formed.
RC = S * L * M
RC = Resistance to change
S = Attraction of status quo
L = Degree of personal loss
M = Misunderstanding of vision
For example the goal keeper may feel they are going to lose their place in the
team, and therefore does not agree with the managers decision.
Overall a companies vision of change can cause a varied reaction from the employees. Each time a change is made within a company each dimension of change will occur. Some people will agree, some will disagree and some will be in between.
Change can cause people becoming,
Negative effects
- Less motivated
- Changing occupations
- Unwillingness to work
- Difficulty to work
Positive effects
- Work harder for recognition
- Improve performances
- Potential of quicker results
- Reach required targets
9.3(c) Develop an individual action plan to improve performance in the workplace.
Action Plans
An action plan can be used within a business/company or organisation for many different reasons. For example, new employees may be given an action plan to help them establish themselves within the organisation. Employers can use an action plan to help those with problems, such as punctuality and discipline to help them develop. Action plans are not only used to assist people with problems but can help ambitious individuals to achieve goals and maximise their level of potential. Benefits are not only for the individual but also for the team as a whole.
When creating an individual action plan, you need to consider specific areas, which can be remembered by using the ‘SMART’ mnemonic. Which represents, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and done to Time. The length and duration of the Action Plan is some thing that must be agreed by the individual and supervisor or employer. Once the action plan has been achieved a mentor / supervisor can then sign off the relevant task. An example of an action plan can be seen in Fig4.
Evidence Sheets
Evidence sheets can be used to record performance achieved related to the guides of the action plan. By recording evidence the individual can show that they have completed the required tasks and are following specific guide lines.
Fig3 – Example of an evidence sheet
The Evidence Sheets record details of activities and tasks that you have performed in the role.
The recording of the activities is vital as this will be supporting evidence in fulfilling the role. It is a good idea to complete the evidence sheets after an action plan to help in future performance.
Example1,
Subject1 is often late for work, and has punctuality issues. The employer of the business decides to set out an action plan to improve subject1’s punctuality, to increase performance at work.
Example Action Plan
(Name) Subject1 (Admin No)574 (Date Joined) 21st Feb 02
Following a meeting on 01 Mar 02 an Action Plan was created, using the SMART mnemonic. This Action Plan has been accepted and agreed by all parties involved.
Performance Review
After the action plan has been completed a performance review could be issued, to check the action plan was completed as required and to give the individual feedback in relation to performance. This is an opportunity to motivate an individual and give praise if required. If the performance review was successful then another performance review should be monitored after an agreed period of time to check that the individuals performance is still satisfactory, e.g. subject1 is now arriving at work on time regularly. However, if the performance review showed that the subject had not improved and completed the required task then further action should be taken.
