The Management Committee at Ubuntu Innovations has contracted you, an independent Organisational Behaviour
Consultant, to assist the company with various organisational behaviour related issues.
Ubuntu Innovations is a software development firm based in Sandton, South Africa. The company has built a reputation for delivering cutting-edge software solutions. Founded in 2010, the company has grown rapidly, boasting a diverse team of
150 employees. However, despite its success, Ubuntu Innovations is facing significant internal challenges that are affecting its overall performance and employee satisfaction.

So as to try and better understand the internal challenges within Ubuntu Innovations you have conducted a survey, the results of which show that the particular issues which require attention within the company are motivation of employees, communication, organisational culture and organisational structure.

Note: In preparing answers to the various project questions, learners are required to read beyond the scope of the MANCOSA Module Guide. Consult a range of sound academic sources (such as textbooks and academic journal articles) in completing this project.

QUESTION 1:

The results of the survey highlighted that there are issues around employee motivation within Ubuntu Innovations which require attention:
• 60% of employees feel their work is not recognised or rewarded adequately.
• 50% of employees are considering leaving the company within the next year due to lack of motivation and career growth opportunities.
• 40% of employees reported feeling burnt out and overworked.

Some of the verbatim comments made by employees about motivation include:
• “I’ve been here for three years, and in that time, I’ve received little to no recognition for my efforts. It’s demoralising.”
• “There are no clear paths for career advancement. I feel like I’m stuck in a dead-end job.”
• “My manager never says ‘well done’ or ‘good job’. I’ve decided that I am going to stop working so hard – from now on
I am just going to do the bare minimum. Why should I work hard if my manager doesn’t care?”
• “We are expected to work long hours without any additional compensation or recognition, leading to burnout.”

In your role as the Organisational Behaviour Consultant, write an email to the Ubuntu Innovations Management Committee in which you use motivation theories to explain the employee motivation problems highlighted in the survey results. Make recommendations as to how employee motivation within Ubuntu Innovations can be improved

QUESTION 2 (25 Marks)

The results of the survey which you implemented within Ubuntu Innovations highlight that there are issues around
communication which require attention:
• 60% of employees rated internal communication as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
• 55% expressed frustration with the lack of clear communication from leadership.
• 50% of employees reported that they often receive conflicting information from different departments.
• 65% of employees feel that email communication is over-used and that more communication should take place face- to-face.

Some of the verbatim comments made by employees about communication include:
• “I often find out about project changes through the grapevine rather than through official channels. It makes it really hard to stay on top of my work.”
• “Important emails from leadership are frequently vague and leave us with more questions than answers. In fact, leadership often ‘hides behind emails’ to avoid communicating with us face-to-face.”
• “I wish that my manager would just talk to me! Why can’t he just tell me what is going on? I wish he would realise that keeping me informed of relevant issues will help me to do my job better!”
• “Different departments give us conflicting information, making it difficult to know what the real priorities are.”

The Ubuntu Innovations’ Management Committee has asked you, in your role as the Organisational Behaviour Consultant, to address the managers within the organisation about the existing communication challenges and how to address them. Prepare the speech which you are to deliver to the Ubuntu Innovations’ managers in which you explain how the poor application of the communication process and poor use of communication media is likely to be contributing to the communication problems which were identified by employees in the survey. Make recommedations as to how managers can improve communication within the company.

Question 3:

The results of the survey which you implemented within Ubuntu Innovations also highlighted issues regarding
organisational culture which require attention:
• 60% of employees feel there is a significant power distance, with decisions made by upper management without input from lower-level staff.
• 62% of employees feel that the company culture leans heavily towards individualism, with limited team collaboration and support.
• 65% of employees believe that the company has a high level of uncertainty avoidance, leading to resistance to change and innovation.
• 60% of employees feel that the company’s culture is more competitive rather than cooperative and caring.

Verbatim comments made by the employees about the organisational culture include:
• “There’s a definite ‘us vs. them’ mentality between management and regular employees. Decisions are made at the top without consulting those who are actually doing the work.”
• “It’s frustrating that senior management rarely seeks input from the rest of us. There’s a clear gap between the leaders and the staff.”
• “Teamwork seems to be undervalued here. Everyone is out for themselves, and there’s little sense of community or collaboration.”
• “The focus on individual achievements over team success creates a competitive and sometimes hostile work environment.”
• “The culture here is very risk-averse. New ideas are often shut down because management is afraid to take chances.”
• “Change is met with resistance. There’s a strong preference for sticking to the old ways, even if they’re not effective anymore.”
• “The company values competition over cooperation, which can be demoralising for those who prefer a more supportive work environment.”
• “There’s a noticeable lack of empathy and support among colleagues. The culture is all about winning and being the best, rather than working together.”

In your role of Organisational Behaviour Consultant, prepare a report to the Management Committee, in which you explain Ubuntu Innovations’ organisational culture issues from the perspective of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions theory. Make recommendations as to how Ubuntu Innovations can improve the organisational culture within the company.

Question 4:

After reviewing and reflecting on the results of the survey, Sibongile Mkhize, the CEO of Ubuntu Innovations, meets with the Management Committee. Sibongile is of the opinion that the motivation, communication and organisational culture problems within Ubuntu Innovations are in part due to the hierarchical structure of the organisation. Sibongile discusses this with the Management Committee:

Sibongile Mkhize (CEO): Good morning, everyone. As you know, we recently conducted a survey to identify the issues within our organisation. The results are concerning. Communication, motivation, and our organisational culture are all major pain points.

Thomas van der Merwe (COO): Yes, Sibongile. The survey results were quite revealing. It’s clear that our employees are unhappy with how things are currently being managed.

Aisha Patel (HR Director): I’ve been going through the comments, and a recurring theme is that our hierarchical structure might be contributing to these issues. Employees feel disconnected from decision-making processes and believe their input isn’t valued.

Johan Pretorius (CTO): That’s right, Aisha. In my department, the developers feel that their ideas are often ignored because everything has to go through multiple layers of approval. It’s slowing us down and stifling innovation.

Naledi Nkosi (Marketing Director): I’ve noticed similar issues in marketing. Important information often gets lost in the chain of command, leading to confusion and mixed messages. This is affecting our campaigns and overall effectiveness.

Sibongile Mkhize (CEO): It seems like we’re all facing similar challenges. Our current structure might be too rigid and centralised. Could this be contributing to our communication and motivation problems?

Aisha Patel (HR Director): I believe so. Employees need to feel empowered and valued. If decisions are always top-down, they lose the sense of ownership and engagement. We might need to move towards a more decentralised and collaborative structure.

Thomas van der Merwe (COO): Decentralisation sounds good in theory, but how do we implement it without losing control and coherence in our operations? A more decentralised structure might lead to inconsistencies and chaos.

Johan Pretorius (CTO): We could start by flattening the hierarchy a bit, giving more decision-making power to team leaders and involving employees in the decision-making process. This could improve communication and motivation.

Naledi Nkosi (Marketing Director): I agree, but I’m also concerned. If we allow too much autonomy, we might end up with a lack of uniformity in our projects. It’s risky to change a system that has worked for us for years.

Sibongile Mkhize (CEO): Hmm, I think in terms of a way forward we should ask our Organisational Behaviour Consultant for their advice. As they are much more qualified to advise us on this issue.

In your role of Organisational Behaviour Consultant, write an email to the Ubuntu Innovations’ Management Committee in which you present relevant theory and advise on an organisational structure which would assist in improving the motivation, communication and organisational culture issues within the company.

Answers to Above Questions on Ubuntu Innovations

Answer 1: An analysis of the survey performed at Ubuntu innovations indicates that then are issues related to employee motivation, as it is evaluated that 60% of employees believe that their work is not adequately recognised and rewarded, and 50% of them indicates that there are lack of career growth opportunities, and 40% are faced with the problem of overworking and burnt out. The application of motivational theories in order to analyse the issues and possible recommendation to achieve better motivation within employees are analysed as follows: