Smi 2
Smi 2
Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
Personality................................................................................................................................3
Personality Traits and Attributes.............................................................................................4
Assessing Own Personality........................................................................................................4
Personality and Perception for effective Management Relationships.......................................6
Motivation.................................................................................................................................8
Theories of Motivation..............................................................................................................8
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs...................................................................................................9
Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory.................................................................................................9
Goal-Setting Theory................................................................................................................10
Expectancy Theory..................................................................................................................11
Improving employee motivation to reduce employee turnover and performance...................12
Culture....................................................................................................................................14
Types of Cultures at Tesco......................................................................................................14
Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture...........................................................................................18
Politics.....................................................................................................................................19
Power......................................................................................................................................21
Discussion on Power, Politics and Culture at Tesco................................................................22
Conclusion......................................................................................................................25
References.......................................................................................................................25
Appendix 1: Reflection as part of working in team...........................................................28
Personality
Individual variances in how people typically think, feel, and act are represented in their
personality traits. A high score on a personality trait such as extraversion predicts that an
individual will continue to exhibit that tendency in many situations and throughout time.
Therefore, the premise that people differ in how they stack up along a range of stable trait
traits is at the core of trait psychology (Marcus and Zeigler-Hill, 2015). The five-factor model
is now the most commonly used method for analyzing personality traits. This system has five
broad characteristics: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and
neuroticism. Each of the Big Five qualities may be split down into smaller subfactors to offer
a more sophisticated character evaluation (Cherry, 2022). Additionally, some trait theorists
argue that the five-factor model does not adequately account for additional attributes. Critics
of the characteristic idea argue that people's conduct is not consistent across contexts but is
instead significantly influenced by external variables. Therefore, the degree to which a
person's personality traits are more influential than their environment in shaping their conduct
is a contested question in the field.
Below I enumerated the positive and negative impacts of the conscientiousness archetype,
which I possess, relative to my professional performance within a business:
a) Sense of responsibility
Positive: Set higher goals and ensure that all tasks are successfully completed in due
time. Highly motivated and committed to the objectives set.
Negative: Attempting to achieve perfection might, in certain circumstances, cause a
delay in the desired outcome.
If you make the effort to understand your own personality, you may be able to choose team
members whose strengths and limitations complement your own. Understanding other
people's perspectives and broadening your psychological peripheral vision by getting to know
them is a crucial leadership skill that may contribute to the success of the team if you learn
about their personalities (GBS, n.d.).
Personality profiling may be an effective tool for gaining insight into the distinctive
communication, motivation, and reward preferences of each team member. This
understanding may enhance your professional and social connections. The DISC paradigm
provides a common language to better understand oneself and alter one's behavior with
others. If you want to go down to the fundamentals, DISC evaluates your routines and
behaviors.
Below are the ways which personality and perception effects employee relationships.
When discussing a person's personality, we are referring to their persistent patterns of thought
and conduct. Personality is what distinguishes us from others, and understanding a person's
personality may help us predict how they will behave in social and professional contexts. To
govern employee behavior in the workplace, it is necessary to have a fundamental
understanding of the many personality types that comprise the workforce. It is also
advantageous to be able to use this information to match people with relevant employment
and organizations (Harris, 2010).
While focused on others, we miss or disregard aspects of our environment that are not readily
apparent to others. In our thoughts, the world as we see it is not entirely irrational. As a
consequence of being overworked and under stress, many leaders have little time to consider
employee happiness and satisfaction (Lee, Willis and Tian, 2018). On a personal level, I can
see why people may feel that way, but the fact is that they would be far closer to achieving
their professional goals if they prioritized less urgent matters.
The psychological process of motivating someone to take action that promotes a desired
objective is continuous. Whatever the motive, whether it is to relieve your thirst with a cup of
water or to expand your intellect with a good book, it is what finally leads to action. frequent
explanation for someone's conduct. It is what motivates individuals to act and move (Evans,
2019).
Theories of Motivation
Motivation theory aims to shed insight on the elements that motivate individuals to behave.
It's not only crucial for the community but also for the company's growth and leadership.
That's because the worker is so valued, and the most helpful delegate is so valuable because
of the reasons underpinning their success (Souders, 2019).
According to Abraham Maslow, there are five basic desires that motivate all individuals. He
devised a pyramid titled "hierarchy of needs" to represent these requirements (Indeed
Editorial Team, 2021).
Basic needs such as food and shelter are at the base of the pyramid because they motivate
people to work. Individuals want safety and security, such as excellent working conditions,
once their fundamental needs have been met via monetary remuneration. The phrase "social
desires" refers to the desire for social approval and engagement. A promotion may increase a
person's feeling of self-respect. The domain of self-fulfilment, which includes the pursuit of
novelty, challenge, and interest, is positioned at the apex. According to Maslow, when we
achieve objectives at lower levels, we are motivated to pursue goals at higher levels.
The Two-Factor Theory of Motivation was developed in 1959 by Frederick Herzberg. His
analysis found that a number of factors worked as true motivators and sources of
contentment. The lack or insufficiency of hygienic components caused discontent.
Enhancements to hygiene factors have the potential to minimize discontent, but they cannot
do so by themselves (Kinsey, 2020). Herzberg established that in order to successfully
Goal-Setting Theory
It is believed that measurable, realistic, challenging, and unambiguous goals boost worker
and team motivation and productivity. The capacity of a manager to inspire their team rests
Expectancy Theory
This theory proposes that employee motivation is founded on three factors: instrumentality,
expectation, and valence. The value of an employee reflects the strength of their desire for a
perk. It is the amount of happiness the employee anticipates experiencing as a result of the
outcome. It depends on how strongly you want it. Employees with high expectations for their
own performance and confidence in their own tools are more likely to be productive and
satisfied with their employment (Vroom and Deci, 1992).
Below suggestions have been provided for Tesco in order to improve employee motivation
and performance and reduce employee turnover.
Managers must keep in mind that working extra hours is not the only approach to enhancing
utilization. Utilization and output should be complementary. Therefore, businesses must
dedicate as much of their staff's time as possible to strategic, billable activities. They will not
be putting their talents to good use by spending time on administrative tasks or "business as
usual" (BAU) activities, nor will they generate income for the firm.
All available resources that are not already allocated to another project will wait on the bench
until they are assigned to another project. Increased periods of inactivity result in significant
issues, such as a poorer return on investment (ROI) since the affected resources are not
contributing to revenue creation. It may result in both purposeful departures, which may be
detrimental to the company's reputation, and unintended departures as employees seek better
career opportunities elsewhere.
Power culture: The "power culture" management style of Tesco entails distributing authority
to chosen employees (managers) at each level of supervision. The manager exercises
authority over the workers to obtain the desired outcomes. When managers misuse their
positions of control, employee productivity and morale suffer.
Role culture: Tesco encourages this culture to assist its employees in reaching their full
potential. Tesco acknowledges the significance of employee contributions to the
organization's overall success. A role-based organizational culture facilitates the assignment
Task culture: Tesco has embraced this mindset in order to complete its big projects. They
assign responsibility for the different project tasks and offer the required resources. Assigning
personnel to particular tasks and duties based on their experience expedites the process and
improves the quality of work. Delegation and specialization are two ideas emphasized by
Tesco.
Person culture: Tesco's very loyal employees are mostly attributable to the company's use of
corporate culture. If you work at Tesco, you will have access to a customized professional
development plan that will assist you in advancing in your chosen sector. Through the
execution of these career plans, the employee's skills and production may be boosted. An
enhancement in individual performance benefits the production of the team as a whole.
Each of Tesco's thirteen overseas subsidiaries demands periodic judgments from the parent
firm. Managers must be well-versed in local cultures and values for efficient planning and
policymaking. Employers may predict how their workers will react to plans and rules
established for them, independent of their location, by knowing about cultural variations.
Through education on cultural differences, it is possible to create a workplace that is more
tolerant of cultural diversity (Tesco PLC, 2022).
Power distance index: This indicates the extent to which power and inequality are permitted
inside the organization. A low power distance encourages a flat organizational structure and
decentralized decision-making, whereas an organization with a high power index favors
bureaucracy. Compared to China or India, the difference between the United Kingdom and
other nations is significant.
Uncertainty avoidance index: This demonstrates how the firm handles ambiguity and
uncertainty. Due to its population's strong tendency to avoid uncertainty, Turkey has a low
tolerance for risk, ambiguity, and the unexpected as compared to countries such as the United
Kingdom, India, and others.
Long term orientation and short term orientation: India lays a stronger focus on the long
term and is ready to delay short-term achievement in order to achieve long-term success, in
contrast to countries like the United Kingdom, who emphasize quick results.
Indulgence VS restraint: In contrast to nations such as India, which stick to cultural norms
and restrict wish fulfillment, countries such as the United Kingdom allow pleasure while
having fun and appreciating life.
Politics
Organizational politics refers to the informal and covert manoeuvrings that occurs inside an
organization to advance the objectives of individuals, factions, and bigger groups.
Appropriate and unsuitable politics represent opposite ends of the same spectrum. In
appropriate politics, as practiced by Tesco, managers use their power to promote the
company's interests and enhance the morale and productivity of their employees, while in
inappropriate politics, they use it to further their personal interests (Guthrie, 2021). Due to the
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inappropriate politics, morale is poor, output is low, and employee turnover is high.
Occasionally, the leader of Tesco participates in unethical political manoeuvrings, which has
a chilling impact on employee production.
Politics has a substantial impact on the introduction of new advancements at Tesco. The first
kind of change occurs inside a person; for instance, a manager at Tesco may use political
manoeuvrings to convince his or her employees to embrace new ways of working or learn
new skills. The second kind of change involves decision-making; Tesco's management is
always re-evaluating and updating the company's operating regulations and processes (Juneja,
2015). The third transition involves a change in the management style, organizational
structure, chain of command, and other organizational aspects. Tesco is implementing a
decentralized organizational structure. An organization may go through a transformation that
changes its vision or mission in order to improve the quality of its services or products for its
members.
Organisational politics exhibit several limitations which can have disruptive effects on
Tesco’s performance. When an employee within Tesco adopts a Self-promotion mentality
regardless of the negative impact it can cause to others in order to advance its position within
the business, could turn from a productive and pragmatic behaviour into a very toxic one,
which could infest the rest of the business.
Another significant limitation to discuss here are the office politics which not only has
positive effects on the organisation through encouraging and influencing people to adopt the
right decisions, but it also could have a highly negative impact. Thus, if employees within
Tesco Plc. would decide to use their persuasive skills and influence attached to their role to
gain some personal benefits at the expense of others, would generate a very toxic
environment which will translate in dropped sales for Tesco Plc. Hence, it is highly important
that individuals in leadership roles within Tesco are taking measures to suppress such toxic
initiatives and promote the beneficial ones.
Factionalism is another important limitation, which the management board of Tesco Plc. must
continuously monitor and encourage to be occurring in the most beneficial and practical
manner. Thus, by limiting the propensity of groups to factionalize into smaller groups based
on their personal interest, would highly benefit the employee engagement across multiple
Two additional limitations are underscored in this section, which could impact Tesco Plc.
business performance, namely territorialism and bossism. Territorialism can produce
individuals who perform very rigidly and are highly protective of their own role. This could
be translated into a manager or a simple in-store agent who refuses to give up control over a
project, or a task respectively, due to fear of losing their relevance. This can negatively
impact the business performance, since it can act as a bottleneck in the process. Furthermore,
bossism poses even greater challenges which can be seen in employees who are favouring
their superiors in order to get a personal benefit. This kind of culture could have a great
negative effect on Tesco Plc., since it could harm employee’s engagement and their
harmonious relationships which are essential in a business the size of Tesco Plc..
Power
The essence of power in any organization is the ability to force others into action. At Tesco,
managers have the right to order employees to accomplish duties. In addition to giving
particular tasks and responsibilities, managers must also give guidance and motivation to help
employees achieve their objectives (Tatyana and Moscow, 2016).
Legitimate power: Here, the source of one's influence is their position within Tesco's
organizational hierarchy. The production manager, for instance, is responsible for supervising
the manufacture of all finished items.
Coercive power: In order to get the task done, management applies different sorts of
coercion, including threats, punishment, and other similar techniques. The prospect of a
penalty assures that employees will fulfill their responsibilities promptly. It is a good tool for
monitoring employees.
Reward power: Power based on incentives is better than power based on force. Management
uses a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives to inspire employees to do
required activities. Employees are motivated to work hard in order to gain these rewards.
Expert power: Expertise, or knowledge of particular abilities, is the basis of expert strength.
These employees are the company's most valuable assets. They demonstrate leadership and
assist others around them.
Referent power: Those with this influence are the members of the group who command the
greatest respect and adoration. The individual's impact stems from their charm and their
ability to win over the employees.
Power, politics, and culture at Tesco may have positive or negative impacts on the
productivity and morale of employees and teams. A benefit of working at Tesco is that the
firm respects the uniqueness of its workers and is prepared to accommodate their own beliefs
and preferences. Because of the welcoming workplace culture, employees feel appreciated.
Tesco's operations may suffer from the unforeseen side effects of the flexible culture, such as
increased worker conflict and anarchy.
Tesco’s leadership team must identify the behaviours and mindsets needed to achieve the
organisation’s objectives in order to be able to articulate strong cultural values around them.
In regards to the cultural structure of Tesco Plc., the business exhibits a very low power
distance, having a flatter organisational structure and decentralised decision-making across
different geographies. The enterprise also operates as a collective business, where group
objectives are favoured against the individual ones, with a high sense of unity. Furthermore,
it can be observed that the Tesco’s cultural structure tends to transform into an organisation
with a high femininity score, placing a greater emphasis on employees wellbeing and social
interactions.
Political maneuvering can have both positive and negative effects on an organization: when
used to effect positive change, employees' attitudes and actions can be influenced to produce
positive results; however, when used for personal gain, political maneuvering can have the
opposite effect and reduce productivity and morale (Guthrie, 2021). Primarily, Tesco Plc. is
build on a very clear structure where roles and levels of responsibility are very well defined,
hence not allowing for political maneuvering to flourish in a detrimental manner. Since the
progress ladder is very well structured and defined within Tesco Plc (Guthrie, 2021). this
encourages employees to act harmoniously and don’t engage in toxic office politics, since are
not producing any kind of results. Moreover, Tesco Plc. utilises rewards systems to
encourage employees perform above their standards in exchange of various types of rewards,
such as a bonus, car, or promotion.
Tesco plc. must identify what power framework is most appropriate for each business unit
and settings. Given the enormous size of the organisation and its very well-defined hierarchy
and organisational structure the legitimate power framework prevails, since is attached to the
role of the individual who occupies it (Tatyana and Moscow, 2016). However, referent power
could play an essential role in encouraging employees to establish strong interpersonal links
through transparency and integrity (Tatyana and Moscow, 2016). Reward Power is another
framework which could be successfully embedded into the Tesco’s ecosystem to motivate
employees perform above their standards through offering bonuses and other material
incentives, especially for those individuals that perform tasks based on quantitative results
(e.g. in-store tasks, number of customer complaints handled), and less on quality (innovation)
(Tatyana and Moscow, 2016).
Expert power framework could be another very effective leadership style for Tesco’s
business, where employees are incentivised to perform at high standards in order to gain
expertise and obtain promotions (Tatyana and Moscow, 2016). This type of power could be
very beneficial for Tesco’s culture to encourage employees learn more about the business and
perform above and beyond their role. Lastly, the coercive power would be the least effective
leadership style which would produce a very disengaged employees and a very toxic working
environment (Tatyana and Moscow, 2016).
The findings of the study indicate a causal relationship between motivation and elements
such as power, politics, and culture. Tesco's culture of open communication, which
encourages employees to make suggestions and give feedback, satisfies the need for
recognition shown by its workforce. They use a decentralized system in which individuals are
empowered to make and implement choices. This appeals to employees' need for autonomy,
which in turn enables managers to influence workers' behavior to bring about the desired
organizational change and urge them to accept it. Tesco employs the goal-setting concept of
Adam and Locke to motivate its employees.
References
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8. GBS (n.d.). Understanding the personal values and perceptions of individuals will
make you a great Leader - Blog -. [online] www.gbscorporate.com. Available at:
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Within this group my primary role was to conduct research on the Belbin’s team role model.
Additionally, due to my strong IT skills I was also assigned the task of creating the actual
Power Point presentation, through compiling the entire information received from the
colleagues in a very appealing manner. In contrast, I highly struggled at producing the
diagram for the model. Thus, in order to overcome this difficulty, I had asked Alexandra for
help, since she is possessing considerable research and analytical skills, as well as creative
abilities. Taking advantage of each group member’s strengths it was highly conducive to the
On a personal level I have learned how to work effectively with other individuals towards a
collective purpose. I have also understood the importance of clearly defining tasks and
assigning them effectively to members of the group. On this note, establishing a timestamp
for the tasks to be completed against is vital in ensuring that the work is completed
successfully. Furthermore, I understood the importance of continuously maintaining
communication with the group individuals and updating them on tasks especially when not
meeting the deadlines imposed in the first instance. Being transparent with your work
progress, as well as taking responsibility over mistakes, is an important element of a group’s
successful performance.
On a group level, several improvements had been identified which we can tackle as a group
when working on future projects. For instance, for the first half of the project we failed to
maintain continuous communication and regularly update each other with the progress status,
thus creating a disequilibrium, which resulted in some members of the group remaining
behind the schedule we established. Additionally, we also failed at defining clearly the tasks
between members of the group during the first half of the project, which created a temporary
overlapping of work amongst some members, which we had to rectify. Overall, we had
performed very well as a group and managed to identify areas of improvement to effectively
tackle in due time.
All in all, this project helped me to learn the importance of working together as a group to
accomplish a common objective. I have also learned that the way you collect and work with
others to obtain and present information is more important than the information itself. The
project represented an essential learning curve for all of us, which better prepared each
member of the group for future collective projects.