Unit 3 Organisation Behaviour Assignment British Gas & Edf Energy

Introduction

Unit 3 organisation behaviour assignment British Gas & Edf Energy study provides a detailed knowledge on the aspects of management, leadership and motivation. The Organisations taken into consideration are British Gas and Edf Energy. The leadership styles prevalent in these organisations have been analysed along with the distinct managerial roles performed by managers in both the organisations. The different approaches to management of both these companies have been analysed and discussed. In the second segment, the impacts of leadership styles on both organisations have been documented. The different motivational theories  applicable in British gas Edf energy has been stated along with an analysis of the nature of groups in the organisation. Apart from this the impact that technology has on the teams of both these respective organisations has been highlighted with supporting evidence.

Task 2

1. Compare the effectiveness of different leadership styles in British Gas and edf. You should evaluate leadership styles such as opportunist, diplomat, technician, achiever, strategist, magician, pluralistic, transformational etc.

British Gas has a tall structure and thus has a hierarchy at place. Employees always report to a higher authority and a chain of command with narrow control exists. The system of command and reporting means that the traditional hierarchy levels dominate the leadership styles implemented. British Gas has an apprenticeship programme in place for all the starters at the operational level. This level is the basis of entry into British Gas for aspiring employees. The ‘Strategist’ Leadership can be associated with this phenomenon as through this apprenticeship programme it lays down the selection procedure for the employees. The different trainees are imparted the most competent of trainings in the sector where the management make them face the most challenging of environments so that the individual can handle issues in real life scenario. Employees are given the objective of turning into a full time expert at the field and this is a style that can be associated with the ‘achiever’ leadership. Thus the achiever and the strategist leadership style can be associated with British Gas. (Businesscasestudies, 2016)

Edf energy is an organisation which clearly claims a culture which thrives on teamwork and preparation for the future. Emphasis is laid on inclusion of all members and the utmost priority is given on enhancing the skill levels of the employees. Cultural diversities are welcome in the company and the workforce exhibits tremendous levels of unity. This is only possible through effective transformational leadership. The employees are taught to achieve high by working as a team and that reveals attributes of the achiever leadership style. Edf as an organisation know how important it is for the employees to work well as a team and how significant it is to provide a good work place. This is a prime example of sound ‘strategist’ leadership in the organisation. Thus the traits of achiever, strategist and transformational leadership can be associated with Edf energy. (Edfenergy, 2016) Thus, by taking the organisation structure and culture into consideration of British Gas and Edf, the prevalent leadership styles within the organisation has been analysed and discussed.

2. Explain how organisational theory underpins the practice of management. You may wish to explain how the management functions, managerial roles and management authorities which underpin the practice of management in British Gas

British Gas is a large company and hence has a large organisational structure in place. The structure is tall in nature which validates the presence of hierarchies. A wide chain of command exists but with a relatively narrow span of control. The employees are always supervised by the seniors and a large structure sometimes ensures the slow decision making process. But the large size of the organisation does not ensure weak control over employees. British Gas has a sound training & development and apprenticeship programme in place that develops the employees competently. British gas has in place the Graduate Development Programme along with the apprenticeship programme at the operational level. This is one point of entry opportunity into British gas and the starting level has to be the operative level. Apprentices require at least 4 GCSEs at Grade C and the minimum age set for an individual to be a British Gas apprentice is 16. An apprentice engineer is mainly responsible for the customer service of the central heating system and its required maintenance. As an apprentice and a trainee, a lot of skills and abilities are imparted to the individuals so that they can grow up to be professional experts. One of the key categories of emphasis is inculcating the skills of customer service. (Businesscasestudies, 2016)

The main roles and responsibilities in the management lie with the service managers and the operational managers. Organising routines to meet the needs of the customers is one of the primary tasks of the service manager. Once in a while they have to deal with customer complaints and they are allotted a team. The service manager has to set targets for him and the team and communicate his ideas and opinions to the rest of the team, other service managers and operational managers. For service managers to be promoted as operational managers a lot of skills have to be acquired. An operational manager has to handle senior responsibilities like assessing the  customer satisfaction  of the business and also has to monitor the mode of operations and implement the necessary changes. They are given the task of managing budgets effectively and also monitor the change required to improve efficiency of the operations.

All of the above analysed factors underpin the practice of management in British gas.

3. Evaluate the different approaches to management used by British Gas and edf. You need to evaluate some of the following approaches: scientific management, classical administration, bureaucracy, human relations approach, systems approach, contingency approach

The management approach can be related as Classical administration and Systems approach for British Gas. The tall structure of British Gas ensures the prevalence of the hierarchical system and people throughout all designations happen to report to or is supervised by a senior or supervisor. It is a system that lasts from the operational level to the top management executional level and this can be associated with the Systems Approach. The training and development and apprenticeships programme ensures that not only is emphasis laid on the output of the employees but their development and efficiency at work place is also catered to and this is an instance of the classical administration approach. Employees are made to face a challenging situation to cope with especially the trainees so that they can be better prepared for the real life scenarios. Targets are prepared for achievement by the employees but proper training is also imparted that validates the presence of the classical administrative approach. (Businesscasestudies, 2016)

Edf energy on the other hand thrives on the preparation for the future and lays a lot of significance on the inclusion of all members in the organisation. The management at Edf understands the importance of people getting together and performing as a team and hence proper facilities are arranged and provided to foster chances of effective team work. The ideas and opinions of all employees are considered at all time and this is one of the attributes of the Human Relations approach. (Edfenergy, 2016) The Human Relations approach exhibits a style of management where employee emotions and welfare are catered to and given due priority and the same can be associated with Edf energy. Empowering the people in the organisation and ensuring that they are always developing their skill level through their mode of operations and training provided is one of the primary objectives of the management which complies with the principles of the Human Relations Approach. (Miller, 2014)

Task 3

1. Discuss the impacts of having different leadership styles on organizational motivation in the periods of change in British Gas

The impacts of having different leadership styles on organisational motivation in British gas are the following.

• Autocratic: The prevalence of the tall hierarchical structure can sometimes lead to autocratic leadership. This type of leadership hardly relies or takes into consideration the views of the employees and comes in handy in a fast paced environment. When a lot of work has to be achieved in short time and quick decisions are to be taken, autocratic leadership can be resorted. Employees are motivated by establishing faith in the managers and his  decision making  ability.
• Democratic: This type of leadership can be adopted when complete faith in the expertise level of the employees at British Gas has been registered. They can be consulted while taking organisational decisions and their inclusion itself will serve as a motivator for the employees. The employee will feel that his opinion matters and is valuable to the company and thus will be motivated to come ahead and provide suggestions. (Root, 2016)
• Bureaucratic Leadership: This type of leadership involves in laying down principles and policies in an organisation which act as effective guidelines for people to work in. Bureaucratic Leaders expect people to follow the policies and motivate people by resorting within the guidelines themselves. Policies determine a set of guidelines for the employees to work in and people are motivated to work within those guidelines. People are motivated as they know what the regulations are and the fact that policies govern the direction and not any leader or senior.
• Situational Leadership: This type of leadership can be applied depending on the kind of issue to be dealt in within British Gas. Situational leaders do not resort to a particular style of leadership but implement the most necessary and pertinent style in accordance with the situation in hand. Employees stay motivated as they are not subjected to a monotonous type of leadership or governance. Situational leadership is often exhibited by a leader who is flexible and this should motivate the employees of British Gas the most. (Ala-apa.org, 2010)
• Transactional Leadership: The recognition of good employee performance is rewarded with something I this kind of leadership. An appraisal can be an increase in pay, non monetary perks, promotion, etc. This is only provided if the stipulated standard of performance has been reached. Employees stay motivated as the reward serves as a motivation for them to work and strive for more. Transactional leaders however can be manipulative but overall the notion of rewards and appraisals will keep the employees of British Gas motivated.  (Hicks, 2013)

2. Compare the application of different motivational theories within British Gas and edf

The application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two factor theory has been considered for application within British Gas and edf.

Maslow stated that every individual has different needs and based on the nature of the need, they can be categorised into one of the five levels of needs. The various levels include:

• Physiological Needs: Basic requirements that an individual needs like food, water, and shelter fall under physiological needs. In case of an organisation, salaries are an example of this need and both British Gas and edf pay off bonuses and incentives using this method in order to keep the employees motivated.
• Safety Need: The employees of British Gas need to feel secured with regards to the kind of environment they are working in. Edf and British Gas realise this need and ensure that a harmless and employee friendly environment is provided for the employees to work in so that they can remain motivated.
• Social Needs: Human Beings are social animals and they have an urge to communicate and socialise. For this purpose a clear and transparent communication system has been established in both the companies so that employees can communicate freely with co employees and the top management. (Murugan, 2013)
• Esteem Needs: Both in British Gas and Edf, Honour, Power, establishment, etc are needs that can be associated among the employees. Employees are mostly based on personal management and try and stay motivated by fulfilling the esteem set of needs by effectively managing the duties and responsibilities allotted to them.
• Self-Actualization Needs: This is a stage where the employees as a result of promotion or hike in salary to the desired amount or for recognition and respect have reached the highest potential of motivation and has thus satisfied his self-actualisation needs.

Herzberg’s two factor theory, which is also known as the Hygiene Theory states that in an organisation there is always a set of factors that will satisfy and keep the employees motivated and a set of factors that will demotivate and dissatisfy them. He called them satisfiers and dissatisfiers respectively. The various satisfiers in British Gas and Edf include a good working environment, incentive salary structure, appraisals and recognition, promotion, good leadership, training and apprenticeship programmes, etc. The various dissatisfiers in these two organisations include autocracy, harmful work environment, stringent policies, work life imbalance, penalties and deductions, etc. (Maliwan, 2014)

3. Evaluate the usefulness of a motivational theory for managers. Draw examples from British Gas and edf

A motivational theory helps the managers in establishing the various measures that will keep the employees motivated at workplace. Maslow’s Hierarchy and Herzberg’s two factor theory are theories of motivation that can be useful to a manager. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs will help in recognising the various levels and types of needs of employees and the management can thereafter take steps in fulfilling that need so that the employee stays motivated. One example of British Gas applying Maslow’s motivation theory can be related to the prevalence of the incentive and motivation programme that they effectively have in place. This programme was designed by P&MM and they received gold at the Eventia Awards for this. (Personnel Today, 2010) The satisfiers and dissatisfiers of the Herzberg’s two factor theory also ensures that British Gas incorporates a good working environment for their employees and they aim to do this by ensuring that the work place environment is enhanced by increasing the gratitude levels from the top management towards the employees as it makes a huge difference in the motivation of the team. (Britishgas.co.uk, 2016)

These motivational theories also play a huge role in Edf energy as a lot of emphasis is given on teamwork and employee development. The graduate development programme in Edf focuses on keeping the employees motivated by ensuring that the employees develop a sound skill set by subjecting them to the latest technologies of engineering so that when they complete they are up to the mark with regards to the Industry Standard and then they are provided with a lucrative job offer. This is for freshers and trainees especially. This is how Edf energy resort to the esteem needs and satisfiers of Maslow’s Theory and the two factor theory respectively and maintain the levels of motivation among the employees of the Organisation. (Edf energy, 2016)    

4. Explain the nature of groups and group behaviour within British Gas and edf

Within the organisation of British gas, there prevail teams who have to carry out separate set of instructions and objectives. Every member of British gas belongs to a particular team and the team is led by a manager. The leader mainly does supervisory duties and in British gas, the team managers are called Service Managers. They organise routines for customer needs and also promote the products of the company. They are required to lead by examples and they are responsible for setting targets for the team and for him and valuable opinions, knowledge and ideas of the managers are required to be communicated to the employees. Apart from this the manager should see to it that the employees are motivated enough and end up achieving the objectives and targets that are given to them and advice them on various aspects that he thinks needs alterations or improvements with regards to the mode of operations of the employees. (Businesscasestudies, 2016)

In Edf, teamwork is one thing that is provided a lot of significance. One of the primary principles of this organisation is the principle of inclusion by the virtue of which all the members of the team are eligible to participate in the decision making activities and procedures. One of the visions of Edf is to provide affordable and low carbon energy to its customers and it aspires to do so by establishing complete transparency and teamwork. Emphasis is given on the future development as a team or a workforce and development is mainly targeted by the attainment of sound skill sets that will only make the employees more efficient and valuable for the company. Skill development has always been prioritised and condition has always been looked to foster the prevalence and practice of effective teamwork within Edf. This is the nature of group behaviour within Edf. (Edf energy, 2016)

5. Discuss the factors which may promote the development of an effective team work within British Gas and edf

The various factors that may promote the development of an effective team work within British Gas and Edf are the following:

• Individuals: A group or team consists of individuals and the nature and type of individuals will ensure how the team performs. For this reason, it is important that only responsible and competent employees are made part of the team who are willing to put the team’s objectives ahead of personal achievements. (Chand, 2015)
• Group Size: Determining the optimum group size is significant and it depends on the complexity of the problem at hand. For problems that are very complex, a group of seven to twelve members should be formed under the supervision of an expert leader. When consensus has to be acquired within a situation of conflict, three to five members should be allotted without the supervision of any leader, etc.
• Group Norms: group norms are basically group guidelines and policies that are set with the view that everyone will follow it. It applies to all members of the group and often sets the direction of operations for the group. Group norms can be determined for assessing factors like attendance, performance, attire, etc.
• Leadership: Both British gas and Edf implement distinct styles of leadership in accordance with the objectives and the organisational structure that each of the companies have. Proper leadership is very important for teamwork. The leader should look to keep the team motivated and hungry in order to achieve the objectives. The leader should be flexible in the sense that he should implement pertinent styles of leadership depending upon the course of work and nature of issues and complexities in hand. (Wolski, 2016)
• Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness is important in a team as it keeps the team together. Cohesion can be achieved if there is high transparency prevailing in the team and if inter-personal interaction is present. Cohesiveness will ensure that the individuals work as a team and for the team.

6. Evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning in British Gas

The impact of Technology on teams functioning in British Gas include the following

• Project management Software: The team’s ability to monitor and track a project at British gas will be enhanced by the utility of the project management software. There are various programmes on the software and depending on the programme selected; the software will allow various functions like estimating, scheduling, budgeting, etc. (Edmunds, 2016)
• Cloud Computing: The concept of cloud computing will give the individuals the liberty to share and access files from different locations by setting up a platform that will allow individuals to log into a central repository of information and relevant documents. The data is hosted on the web in a secured area and can only be accessed by the group and the teams of British Gas by providing the correct password.
• Webinars: An alternative of conducting a group meeting is the webinar where participants can listen and follow a meeting or a presentation by using the internet Browser. This also provides audio communication and other relevant facilities like real time texting, etc.
• Training and Development programmes: Technology has hugely impacted the training methods that are incorporated in British Gas. The latest Engineering and technological means can be adopted for ensuring that the most efficient and competent training is provided to the employees so that they develop into an efficient task force and take the already well established name of British gas to higher glory. (Levi, 2010)

Conclusion

Through this study we find out that technician and strategist approach of leadership is associated with British Gas and transformational leadership can be associated with Edf energy. The tall structure ensures the prevalence of a hierarchy in British gas while teamwork is the primary objective of Edf energy. We understand that the classical administration approach is implemented by British Gas and Human Relations approach is implemented by Edf energy. The motivational theories taken into consideration include Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and the two factor theory of Herzberg. The various factors that promote the development of effective teamwork include individuals, group size, group norms, leadership, etc. The various impact of technology on British Gas includes  project management  software, cloud computing, etc. 

References

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