Assignment Group Edited (Complete)

Running head: BEHAVIOUR AND INFLUENCE IN GREAT EASTERN LIFE ASSURANCE MALAYSIA BERHAD
TOPIC: Behaviour and Influence in Great Eastern Malaysia Berhad
Name: Chen Jing Shi (201720033)

Diong Pein Ying (201730033)
DATE: 24 July 2018
Lecturer: Ms. Nazrila Shaherah
BEHAVIOUR AND INFLUENCE IN GREAT EASTERN LIFE ASSURANCE MALAYSIA BERHAD
Table of content
1.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………1
2.0 Background of the company………………………………………………………………3
3.0 Group dynamics of the company…………………………………………………………4
3.1 Ways to improve group dynamics…………………………………………………9
4.0 Individual differences in the company…………………………………………………12
5.0 Motivation in the company ……………………………………………………………16
5.1 Extrinsic motivation……………………………………………………………16
5.2 Intrinsic motivation………………………………….…………….…………18
6.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...…21
References……………………………………………………………………………………23
Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………...24
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1.0 Introduction
A group is defined as a collection of two or more interacting individuals who maintain
stable patterns of relationships, share common goals and perceive themselves as being a group
(Greenberg, 2011). According to the studies of Greenberg (2011), organizations can be thought
of as collections of groups that are focused toward attaining the mutual goals of achieving
success for the company. However, this is not people’s only motivation and enthusiasm for
joining groups. Significantly, the group helps individual to feel stronger, have fewer self-
doubts, and be more contrary to threats. Likewise, people sometimes join groups because they
seek the security of group membership (Williams, 2014). Moreover, groups also exist as they
appeal to a basic psychological need to be social since people have a basic need to affiliate with
others (Bernstein, Sacco, Young, Hugenberg, & Cook, 2010). In this case, workgroups
significantly contribute to meet the need for friendships and social relations. Also, group
memberships can sometimes raise the feelings of self-esteem like being accepted into a highly
valued group (Crabtree, Haslam, Postmes, & Haslam, 2010). Therefore, it can be a very
effective method of nurturing self-esteem. In fact, people are attracted to groups for a multitude
of reasons (Stahl, Maznevski, Voigt, & Jonsen, 2010). Although they may have different
motivations for joining groups, once they are formed, groups develop in obviously similar ways
(Stahl et. al., 2010).
Specifically, based on the investigation of Greenberg (2011), there are two types of
groups, including formal groups and informal groups. In detail, the formal group is the units
constituted by management as part of the organization structure (Ahmady, Mehrpour, &
Nikooravesh, 2016). According to the analysis of Ahmady, Mehrpour, and Nikooravesh
(2016), a formal group is formed when members come together to accomplish organizational
goals and objectives. Also, it has particular structures and roles where responsibilities of
members of the group are defined. Likewise, activities that carried out by a formal group have
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specific regulations in which members of the group are supposed to adhere to and follow to
ensure good coordination (Ahmady, Mehrpour, & Nikooravesh, 2016). For example, the
command group is referred to as a formal group in which it is created by the connections
between individuals who are a formal part of the organization (Lunenburg, 2012). Notably,
this group usually consists of a supervisor and subordinates (Lunenburg, 2012). In addition, a
formal organizational group may be formed around some specific task and such group is known
as a task group (Haas, 2010). A task group is consisting of individuals with some special
interest or expertise in a specific field regardless of their positions in the organizational
hierarchy (Haas, 2010). However, it is a temporary group and the boundaries are not limited
to its immediate hierarchical superior (Haas, 2010).
On the contrary, informal groups are alliances that are neither formally structured nor
organizationally determined (Diefenbach & Sillince, 2011). These groups are developed
naturally among the members without any direction from the management of the organization
within which they operate (Diefenbach & Sillince, 2011). As a matter of fact, the dominant
factor in the formation of these groups is a common interest shared by the members (Song, Shi,
Ma, & Yang, 2015). Likewise, a group of similar members who group together to share ideas
about how to advance within the company is called an interest group. Also, the friendship
group is another type of informal groups (Nkala & Barbara, 2014). According to the analysis
of Nkala and Barbara (2014), these groups arise because members know each other very well
before joining the organization and in the initial stages, they recognize each other only. These
social alliances frequently extend outside the work situation and can be based on similar age
or ethnic heritage or for holding similar viewpoints or for having the same hobbies (Nkala &
Barbara, 2014).
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2.0 Background of the company
The company that we have chosen to conduct our interview is the Great Eastern Life
Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad Johor Branch agency office. This organization is an insurance
company and it was set up in the year 1996. The owner of this agency office is Mr. Tan Ba Ba.
In general, this organization consists of twelve subordinates and four business partners.
Specifically, the age range of the subordinates in this company is between twenty-two to fifty-
six years old. In detail, some of the employees in this company are undergraduates and some
are students. Also, their working time is usually from nine in the morning to five in the
afternoon. However, their working time is more freely in which they do not have to stay in the
office all the time.
Moreover, the structure of this organization in which Mr. Tan is the chairman of this
office branch. Within this organization, there are divided into two branches. In detail, each
branch has a group agency manager. Besides that, there are three agency managers and career
agents in each branch. However, Mr. Tan has implemented some of the criteria for hiring the
employees in this company in which candidates must have completed upper secondary
education and the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). Apart from that, Mr. Tan claimed that he
helps to motivate and train the part-timers such as university students to be the effective leader
of this company. Additionally, Mr. Tan mentioned that he wishes to hire someone who is
fulfilling the criteria above and have a higher level of involvement in the extra-curricular
activities in the school.
Markedly, in this organization, the services of insurance are divided into two areas that
include general insurance and life insurance. Specifically, the general insurance includes house
insurance, car insurance, or travel insurance whereas the life insurance includes health
insurance, accident insurance, or personal testament. Basically, the employees in this company
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approach potential clients by utilizing mailings and phone solicitation and visit them in a place.
Not only that, Mr. Tan mentioned that he has set some regulations in which the subordinates
must visit three customers in a day. Due to this reason, Mr. Tan requires his subordinates to
follow up on the current situation of the customer, pay attention to the customers’ need and
provide care together with sincerity to the customers. In this case, they are able to determine
their clients' particular needs and financial situations by scheduling fact-finding appointments.
Nevertheless, the subordinates must follow the Law of Malaysia in which they have to comply
with the Financial Services Act 2013 to prevent them from terminating. Notably, this Act is
cited as the Malaysia Deposit Insurance Corporation Act 2011 that includes managing the
financial institutions, payment systems, and etcetera (Financial Services Act, 2013). Therefore,
the subordinates who violate the rule that includes in this Act, they may be terminated to
continue this career. Furthermore, Mr. Tan stated that he always encourages his subordinates
to uphold the professional spirits by providing the professional insurance, solving the financial
problems of the customers and understand the social situations of each class. By the same
token, he claimed that he desires to cultivate a future leader that meet the demands of leadership
in the company. In this case, Mr. Tan advertises the slogan “Life is Great” that properly
represents his company.
3.0 Group dynamics of the company
Group dynamics is known as the social procedure by which people interact and behave
in a group environment (Greenberg, 2011). It involves the influence of personality, power, and
behavior on the group procedure (Greenberg, 2011). As we know, a great deal of the work
performed in organizations is done by people working in groups. Therefore, it makes sense to
recognize the types of groups that exist and the variables regulating the interrelationships
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between them and individuals (Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016). Significantly, group
dynamics focuses on the nature of groups, including, the variables that determine their
formation and development, their structures, and their interrelationships with individuals, other
groups, and the organizations within which they exist (Tsai, 2011). In other words, to be a
group, there are four fundamental principles that need to be met.
As mentioned earlier, a stable group structure is one of the main characteristics of a
group. Specifically, in the Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia Berhad, different aspects of
group structure including roles, norms, status, and cohesiveness are studied. Significantly,
based on the investigation and analysis above, the company has the structural dynamics of work
groups. They share a high level of commitment to achieve the common goals and objectives.
Notably, in the company, Mr. Tan is the boss and a great deal of responsibility rests on his
shoulders. For instance, he is both an evaluator of the subordinates’ performance and the main
source of the resources and rewards they seek. Furthermore, he takes the formal powers as the
president of the company and makes the crucial decisions in the meeting. Due to this reason,
his role of company president is largely symbolic since he is the ones making key decisions.
According to our interview, Mr. Tan mentioned that he applied decision-making techniques
that include group discussion and participation in which may lead to higher quality decisions
and this is especially if the problems are complex or unstructured. Significantly, in line with
the analysis of Greenberg (2011), the role incumbent’s recognition of the expectations of his
role helps in avoiding the disorganization that certainly would result if no clear role
expectations existed. Moreover, we realized that the boss trusts and has confidence in his
subordinates as he welcomes their participation in planning and decision making, which may
give them a major level of control over their life at work. For this reason, the boss looks to
their subordinates to accomplish their departmental objectives. In this case, the subordinates
are able to acknowledge and realize the roles of their boss and have certain expectations of him.
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Significantly, according to the investigation of Guala, Mittone, & Ploner (2013), learning of
roles and causing the change in the behavior occur with the certain phases, and as a result of
interpreting of group expectations by the boss for holding the office of the president and
realization of the behavior complying with it, the boss completes his real role behavior.
Additionally, in accordance with our analysis, the subordinates have clearly defined
roles and responsibilities within the organization. In detail, the subordinates certainly
acknowledge the expectations from their roles and they share a common understanding of each
other’s roles and responsibilities. For instance, some common responsibilities of team
members include, participating actively in all meetings, completing assignments between
meetings and serving as a note taker and preparing meeting records. Consequently, these
actions can reduce their role ambiguity and role conflict in the form of job stress that will affect
the employees. In addition, every member of the company is clear about their superiors or the
person they have to report to, their responsibilities and corresponding expectations, and the
level of authority they require in order to make decisions. Likewise, this company consists of
group agencies, agency managers, unit managers and other office assistants to work together
in pursuit of the goals and objectives of the company. In general, when roles and
responsibilities are clearly defined in the company, team members are more productive
(Zarutskie, 2010). Due to this reason, there is less duplication of effort, less confusion,
disappointment, and frustration and subsequently involve greater productivity (Mohammed &
Nadkarni, 2011). When roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, team members look
beyond their own individual positions and learn to understand, respect, and value the unique
contributions of one another, and they recognize that the overall success of the team is a
function of shared responsibility and ownership (Charbonnier-Voirin, El Akremi, &
Vandenberghe, 2010). Thus, this company is function efficiently since the team has established
clear roles and responsibilities.
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Besides that, the existence of group norms in the company can enhance their orderly
functioning. As described by Greenberg (2011), norms generally agreed-upon informal rules
that guide the behaviors of group members. Today's working world is one in which the
happiness of employees is of utmost importance, not only in order to retain staff, but also to
maintain productivity. Hence, company culture and company values go hand-in-hand in
creating a great working environment (Blattner & Walter, 2015). Specifically, the environment
of this company is centered around the seven norms in which the subordinates are ingrained in
the way the company is run and often applied as a guideline in their daily lives. For example,
the company focus on humility and accountability in which everyone is responsible for the big
picture as they commit to ideas agreed upon and take responsibilities. However, the group
norms do not change the personal beliefs and emotions of the members, but the individual’s
behaviors or attitudes may have affected voluntary. Moreover, the organization also develop
the prescriptive norms in which the members should be genuine with each other about ideas,
challenges, and feelings. Likewise, they practice a consistent commitment to sharing all the
information they have in order to avoid hidden agendas. In general, everyone is aware of the
norms and values and agrees on them as it is not just the boss’s standpoints. In fact, having
company values encourages a sense of purpose and responsibility to one’s work. The values
and norms are what support the vision, shape the culture and reflect what the company identity.
Apart from that, cohesion can be thought of as the determinant of any groups' structure
(Greenberg, 2011). It refers to the strength of group members’ desires to remain a part of their
groups (Abu Bakar & Sheer, 2013). Highly cohesive work groups are ones in which members
are attracted to each other, accept their groups’ goals, and help work toward meeting them (Abu
Bakar & Sheer, 2013). For one, cohesiveness generally tends to be greater when the more time
group members spend together (Dunlop & Beauchamp, 2011). Similarly, cohesiveness tends
to be greater in smaller groups (Dunlop & Beauchamp, 2011). Likewise, the members of this
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company have some influence on one another. Specifically, the members have a collective
identity and they share a sense of purpose, working together on a task and they establish a
structured pattern of communication. For instance, we noticed that all the members are
working as a unit and they share tasks to achieve and strive for the company monthly target.
According to the interview, Mr. Tan mentioned that he always promotes team spirit among his
subordinates by holding outdoor recreation leisure activities such as a picnic, hiking, and
camping. Also, he invites his subordinates' family to join together in the activities or trip. Thus,
team bonding brings people together by encouraging collaboration and teamwork and the
members of the group will have some influence on one another. In this case, the fun activities
that help the members see each other in a different light and allow them to connect in a different
setting and thus they will recognize the contributions of other members. Additionally, the
members of the company share common goals in which to increase the number of customers
and achieve the monthly target of RM 100000. For instance, Mr. Tan always encourages the
other group members to help each other in achieving the mutual goals and work well together
in an integrated way, with a high level of awareness and appreciation of each other. Due to
this reason, the company members experience real strength from their membership and the
sharing of goals. Consequently, they are willing to invest considerable energy in the interests
of the company.
Apart from that, culture plays several important roles in an organization (Greenberg,
2011). Likewise, in Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia Berhad that we have chosen, the
culture has generated commitment to the company’s mission. According to our interview and
survey questionnaires, the subordinates believe in the company are dedicated to what it stands
for, and intend to do what is good for the company. In this case, committed subordinates
contribute greatly to the company because they perform and behave in achieving the company’s
goals. Due to this reason, a strong company culture enables their employees to understand the
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goals of the organization, and as they work towards organizational goals, their level of
commitment increases (Nongo & Ikyanyon, 2012). Besides that, the type of organizational
culture that the company applied is the clan culture. In accordance with the studies of Asci,
Cemberci, and Civelek (2015), an organization to have a clan culture when it has a strong
internal focus together with a high degree of flexibility and discretion. Based on our analysis,
the working environment is friendly and people have a lot in common, and it is similar to a
large family. Likewise, the subordinates share their experiences, family stories, and problems
with each other. They behave and treats each other just like a family. Also, the boss and the
managers are seen as mentors and even as father figures. Based on the interview, the boss
claimed that he always encourages his subordinates to attend some English courses and special
training courses. In this case, the organization is held together by loyalty and tradition as there
is great involvement. Moreover, the company emphasizes long-term human resource
development and bonds with colleagues by morals. Notably, the success of this company is
defined within the framework of addressing the needs of the clients and caring for the people.
In short, this organization promotes teamwork, participation, and consensus.
3.1 Ways to improve group dynamics
Based on the interview that we have conducted, we have suggested some methods to
improve the group dynamics of this company. First of all, the company should place greater
emphasis on diversity and inclusion initiatives to strengthen organizational adaptability. In this
case, there are some benefits to the company and best practices when it comes to implementing
and monitoring a racial and ethnic diversity policy in the workplace. Markedly, companies
increasingly understand the value of recruiting and retaining diverse employees (Wan
Mohammad, Wasiuzzaman, & Nik Salleh, 2016). For this reason, in line with the hypothesis
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of Mazur (2010), these employees play a crucial role in a company's ability to adapt, grow and
sustain a competitive advantage in the modern business landscape. However, this company
fails to recognize the advantages of having a racially and ethnically diverse workforce. Factors
such as prejudice and stereotypes towards certain racial or ethnic groups, whether conscious or
unconscious have led to the discriminatory practices in hiring. Likewise, the company can
create a business case for diversity by outlining some strengths of a racial and ethnically diverse
workplace. For instance, some benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in the company in which
may improve access to new and diverse customer markets, increase innovation, improved
company reputation management provides greater flexibility and adaptability in a globalized
world. For this case, the company is more likely to acquire these advantages when they strive
to understand both the social and cultural complexities inherent in embracing diversity and
strive to be diversity leaders in their industry.
Besides that, the organization can increase more numbers of the worker with different
age range and gender in the company. In line with the investigations of Kunze, Boehm, and
Bruch (2011), the first things that people usually think about diversity in which including age,
gender, race, and cultural background. Moreover, there is far more important to create a diverse
workplace by hiring people who fit into different age brackets and create the perfect male to
female ratio (Gompers, Kovner, Lerner, & Scharfstein, 2010). According to the studies of
Hoever, Van Knippenberg, Van Ginkel and Barkema (2012), by hiring people with different
genders and at varied stages of their career, it can help to foster creativity and offer a range of
perspectives and ideas. For example, individuals from diverse backgrounds can offer a
selection of different talents, skills together with experiences and that may be of benefit to the
company and their work performance. Due to this reason, a variety of skills and experiences
among the team members also means that the subordinates can learn from each other.
Moreover, by working alongside people of different backgrounds, experiences and working
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styles, creative concepts can be born from bouncing ideas off of each other and offering
feedback and suggestions. For instance, one member may be great at generating interesting
and out of the box ideas, whereas another member may have the necessary experience to
execute it. Markedly, in line with the investigations of Mueller, Melwani, and Goncalo (2012),
the most creative people are the youngest as they are less biased. However, the most innovative
is the more mature people because they are the ones who almost always have the base on which
to build the innovation process (Jackson & Joshi, 2011). Also, to innovate one must have good
ideas, but more than that, one must know the business and the tools that give values to the
company. By the same token, a company that embraces diversity will attract a wider range of
candidates to their vacancies, as it will be viewed as a more progressive company and will
appeal to individuals from all walks of life (Knippenberg, Dawson, West, & Homan, 2011).
Thus, it is essential to play on each member’s strengths and collaborate with others in the
company.
Other than that, the company should establish an agenda for managing time to complete
the tasks. Likewise, it is the end of another busy working day and, even though some
employees came into the office early and left late, they do not feel as if they have accomplished
anything significant. Specifically, regarding the interview that we have conducted, some
employees faced with endless meetings and frequent interruptions, and they can easily be busy
all day without making any progress on high-priority projects and goals. Due to this reason,
there are some of the employees undergo moderate stress in their working position. In this
case, the subordinates mentioned that thereby making time for the work that really matters,
while still leaving time for personal development, family and friends are important for them as
well. Therefore, we suggest that this company may use the method of scheduling in which it
is the art of planning the activities so that the employees can achieve their goals and priorities
in the time they have available. In fact, it can be effective when is done. Likewise, the
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subordinates can understand what they can realistically achieve within the specified time and
achieve a good work-life balance to have enough time for family and friends, exercise and
hobbies. Moreover, scheduling helps them to think about what they want to achieve in a day,
week or month, and it keeps them on track to accomplish the personal goals along with the
company’s goals (Brudan, 2010). Thus, it is important that the subordinates’ schedule makes
time for their professional and personal goals.
4.0 Individual differences in the company
According to the research of Williams, Myerson, and Hale (2008), people differ from
one another as individual differences, and such unique qualities can have major influences on
our thinking and behaviour as well as our lives and career. As such, these factors play a role
in many aspects of behaviour in work settings. In accordance with the analysis of Thong, Hong,
and Tam (2012), the impact of individual differences on organisational behaviour is becoming
more and more tremendous. Especially in the recruitment and selection process of the
organisation, individual differences are highly concerned by employers (Ashraf & Caldwell,
2016). In work settings, individuals bring a number of differences to work, such as unique
personalities, values, emotions, and moods. Moreover, companies hire people with the
expectation that those individuals have certain skills, abilities, personalities, and values (Ashraf
& Caldwell, 2016). Thus, considering the development of organisational effectiveness, the
study of individual differences to discover how they may affect individual performance so to
influence organisation’s performance.
As a matter of fact, employees are the greatest asset for an organization to shine, as the
organizations depend on the competence and professional attitude of the employees (Chugh,
2014). First of all, we consider the matter of how various facets of personality combine with
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elements of the work environment to influence behaviour. However, the Big Five dimensions
of personality are measured by means of questionnaires in which the members whose
personalities are being assessed answer various questions about themselves (Greenberg, 2011).
The Big Five dimensions of personality consist of five dimensions of personality including
extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience that
are strongly related to different forms of organizational behaviour (Greenberg, 2011).
According to our analysis, we noticed that most of the subordinates in the Great Eastern
Life Assurance Malaysia Berhad show the higher level in extraversion and conscientiousness.
In detail, extraversion is the degree to which a person is outgoing, talkative, and sociable, and
enjoys being in social situations (McCabe & Fleeson, 2012). According to the established
findings by McCabe and Fleeson (2012) is that extroverts tend to be effective in jobs involving
sales. For this case, subordinates who scored high level of extraversion may help in striving
the company’s monthly goal which is the target sales of RM 100000. Moreover, extraverts do
well in social situations, and as a result, they tend to be effective in job interviews and they are
likely to use their social network (Weibel, Wissmath, & Mast, 2010). Significantly, members
who have high extraversion levels can involve themselves well in the social situations and
further increase their job performances. Due to this reason, their wider locus of the social
network can help them in achieving their monthly goals since they enjoy talking to people.
This will have an easier time making cold calls or engaging with customers than a salesperson
who would prefer to work alone. Furthermore, they actively seek information and feedback
and build effective relationships, which helps with their adjustment (Weibel, Wissmath, &
Mast, 2010). Based on our observation and analysis, the extroverts in the company always
involve themselves socially with everyone who will have them. They instigate personal
discussions and often become the social directors for the department. Consequently, extroverts
gravitate toward groups and constant actions, and they tend to think out loud in the company.
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Likewise, they are friendly, encourage other members of the company and get their energy
from being around and working with other people. Subsequently, according to the
interactionist perspective, this would facilitate voicing their own opinions especially when the
organizational norms and culture send strong signals that this is encouraged (Greenberg, 2011).
Thus, this can be an opportunity to build a pleasant workplace relationship.
Therefore, for extroverts to be successful, they need a workplace that promotes open
communication and collaboration, not inhibits it (Garcia, Duncan, Carmody-Bubb, & Ree,
2014). Without the ability to interact with others, extroverts begin to feel less engaged in their
work and burn out quickly (Garcia, Duncan, Carmody-Bubb, & Ree, 2014). Surprisingly, the
boss of the Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia Berhad has focused on providing some
techniques in the office to prevent extrovert burnout. For instance, Mr. Tan assigns group work
in which the members work together on larger projects and each member have brought a
different strength to the group. For this reason, extroverts work better with other people than
on their own and consequently, group work will create a collaborative environment that helps
them excel. Additionally, the boss has arranged the subordinates with high extraversion in the
same department work as partners to complete their tasks. However, if the task is more
complex, he will increase the group size by combining teams. Therefore, by doing this, the
group dynamics of the company can be more effective since the boss was able to acknowledge
the traits of his subordinates. Also, this demonstrated that the boss was able to recognize the
positive efforts their subordinates are making. Thus, the group culture of this company can
improve the job satisfaction of the subordinates and eventually increase their job performances.
In addition, according to the survey, the members of the Great Eastern Malaysia Berhad
demonstrated a high level of conscientiousness. Conscientiousness is a tendency to show self-
discipline, systematic, punctual, achievement-oriented, and dependable (Carter, Dalal, Boyce,
O'connell, Kung, & Delgado, 2014). Moreover, across a variety of occupations and jobs,
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conscientiousness is the one personality trait that uniformly predicts how high a person’s
achievement will be (Le, Oh, Robbins, Ilies, Holland, & Westrick, 2011). Markedly,
conscientiousness is the trait most desired by recruiters and results in the most success in job
achievements (Le, et al., 2011). This is not a surprise, because, in addition to their high
performance, conscientious people have higher levels of motivation to perform, lower levels
of turnover, lower levels of absenteeism, and higher levels of safety performance at work
(Ohme, & Zacher, 2015). For instance, in this company, the members work hard in the face of
challenges and can control their impulses. For this case, when they faced with roadblocks, they
persevere and double their efforts in which enabling them to succeed in whatever they put their
minds into. Specifically, they are better at goals setting in which they are setting their personal
goals, working toward them, and persisting amid setbacks. Furthermore, subordinates who
show a high level of conscientiousness can increase their job performances as they pay
attention to details together with plans and deliberates. As a result, they may help the company
in achieving the goals and objectives. For example, the subordinates will not miss the deadlines
as they prefer neat, detailed and orderly manner and they often have a To-Do list. In general,
achievers like this are valued by the company, so they get promoted faster and would have
higher salaries. Therefore, the employees have greater job satisfaction.
Besides that, in accordance with the studies of Rich, Lepine, and Crawford (2010),
conscientious people also like to follow rules and norms. In this case, if someone in the
company shows up on time, that is a great clue toward conscientiousness, since a punctual
person has to be organized and care enough to arrive on time. Particularly, they have high job
support and high job control in which are associated with better work functioning and less
absenteeism in the work settings. As a result, the company norms and culture can be enhanced.
For instance, when the members showing up on time, doing thorough work and being
thoughtful towards their colleagues helps people regardless of their job function or workplace
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situation. Also, the values and attitudes they presented in the company can also influence other
member's workplace behavior that includes their actions and judgments (Dane & Brummel
2014). For this reason, members who score well on conscientiousness may be a proactive
personality, someone who is more apt to take initiative and persevere to influence the
environment. As a result, the relationships among the company members can be strengthened
and the effective group dynamics can be performed.
5.0 Motivation in the company
Motivation can be defined as the willingness of a person to perform a task and
conditioned by behaviours to meet the needs (Tan, Rajah, & Yusoff, 2014). According to the
studies of Greenberg (2011), motivation refers to the processes that account for an individual’s
arousal, direction, and persistence of effort toward achieving a goal. Specifically, the first
component of motivation is arousal in which people should have the drives or energy behind
their actions (Greenberg, 2011). Specifically, this drives people to do what it takes to
accomplish these purposes. Moreover, people need to set the direction such as how many
things need to do as a path toward meeting their goal (Greenberg, 2011). Lastly, the final
procedure of motivation is to maintain the behaviour in which the persistence that keeps a
person to achieve their goal (Greenberg, 2011). Therefore, motivation is important in any
businesses or companies because it is able to satisfy the employees’ needs and make the great
outcome in job performance. Thus, according to our analysis, the Great Eastern Life Assurance
Malaysia Berhad is applying both external and internal motivation towards their employees.
5.1 Extrinsic motivation
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In this company, the extrinsic motivation is provided for subordinates. First of all, the
subordinates not only get their basic salary, they are also get the equal commission in each
business they do. In line with the hypothesis of Greenberg (2011), money is not the top impetus
to the subordinates, but it is still highly significant to them. However, the main key point is
that they can get the balance between inputs and outcomes among the colleagues. According
to equity theory, people tend to maintain the rate of their own rewards to their own
contributions that are fair to the rewards and outcomes rate of others with whom they contrast
themselves (Greenberg, 2011). Moreover, based on the studies of Salah (2016), he stated that
the reward or stimulative system ought to be equitable and non-discrimination. Thus, in this
company, every subordinate gets an equal commission that formulated by Great Eastern central
company in Kuala Lumpur. For instance, every subordinate can get RM300 commission from
a RM 30,000 new Medicare. Consequently, the subordinates will not feel guilty with
overpayment or get angry with the underpayment to their colleagues.
Apart from that, one of the external motivations is when they achieve their sales target,
they will receive a trophy as a recognition. In this company, different job position will carry
different target of sales. As an illustration, the career agent needs to sell eight new cases and
above and the agent needs to sell four cases and above in a month. Therefore, if they reach the
sales target, they will receive the trophy together with the praises from the upper management
during the meeting. In addition, this company provides free overseas travel for the subordinates
as a reward. In general, this reward has been implemented for many years in the company.
Specifically, the boss will set up a different target of sales in a year for his subordinates to
achieve. According to Mair (2015), he pointed out that stimulative travel is regarded as a
significant reward by the organizations and their workers. Hence, based on our interview, Mr.
Tan claimed that he will provide and sponsors the fees for the trip when the subordinates were
successfully achieved the company’s goals. Surprisingly, the boss will also suggest different
18
countries for the trip. Significantly, in this company, subordinates who achieve the target sales
of RM 70,000 in a year, they will be given chances to travel to China. Moreover, if the
subordinate does not want to travel abroad, they can convert the reward and choose the more
desirable future alternatives. This situation is fit to the cafeteria-style benefits plans. It means
that the stimulative systems in which subordinates have the choices to choose the fringe
benefits they like from a list of available alternatives (Greenberg, 2011). Therefore, the
subordinates will not force to receive what they do not like as a reward.
5.2 Intrinsic motivation
Not only extrinsic motivations, intrinsic motivations also implemented in Great Eastern
company. In the Great Eastern company, Mr. Tan mentioned that the emphasis on intrinsic
motivations rather than extrinsic motivations. Due to this reason, he believes that giving
spiritual encouragement is the greatest way for them to believe in themselves and to realize
that they have a greater potential within. For this case, encouragement can lead to success for
an employee. In general, the company will provide some professional training seminars and
incentive lectures as an intrinsic motivation for their subordinates. Due to this reason, the boss
wishes to improve the quality of the employees and boost their self-confidence and
subsequently increase their job performances. Specifically, the company will invite
professional lecturers to give the suggestions and the methods in providing suitable services to
the customers. Not only that, the company will provide some of the practical courses for the
employees as a motivation. Likewise, personal improvement course and emotional intelligence
training are fully sponsored by the company. In this case, these courses can give the employees
a better chance to improve self-development, improve their Emotional Intelligence and
19
Emotional Quotient and help everyone perform under pressure regardless of their level within
the organization.
According to our survey questionnaire, all the subordinates mentioned that they have
achieved the self-improvement in their workplace and even in daily life. Hence, they can
constantly look on the bright side of things and have enough inspiration and creativity to focus
on their roles and responsibilities. Based on Nielsen, Ogbonnaya, Kansala, Saari, and Isaksson
(2017), they described that workers with high well-being can perform well at work and vice
versa. Due to this reason, more comprehensive health and productivity programs can tackle
elements such as the workforce’s emotional and mental health, social connectivity, sense of
fulfillment on the job, and many other aspects.
Apart from that, the Great Eastern company will suggest their subordinates to challenge
themselves to move forward in achieving their goals. Based on Preenen, Vianen, and Pater
(2012), they stated that challenging works can excite the learning and retentivity of a
subordinate. Due to this reason, according to the investigations of Preenen, Vianen, and Peter
(2012), they described that there is a positive relationship between workers' mastery-method
and the performance of challenging jobs. Thus, from Mr. Tan's statement, the company will
set the horizontal stretch goals to their subordinates to attempt to their unfamiliar tasks in jobs.
In fact, a horizontal stretch goal is a goal that challenges people to execute a job that they have
not try before (Greenberg, 2011). Not only in work, he also suggests his subordinates to try
some challenging entertainment such as scuba diving in order to make them have new
experiences in their life. Markedly, this method is shown to be an effective motivation among
the subordinates. From our analysis, the subordinates prefer to have the challenging task that
requires more cognitive effort than easier tasks. Therefore, personal accomplishment will be
cultivated deeply among them. This is because according to the goal-setting theory,
20
subordinates will be stimulated to achieve a goal as it can make them feel successful
(Greenberg, 2011).
Furthermore, the Great Eastern company emphasis on the trust relationship between
employer and employee in the workplace. Based on Yasir, Imran, Irshad, Mohamad, and Khan
(2016), they mentioned that through establishing trust with the employees the leader can get
them to participate in the improvement process and eventually alter the capacity of a company.
From our survey, the subordinates mostly agreed that they have built a trust relationship with
their superiors and colleagues. Moreover, they thought that their capacity in the job is valued
by their superior. For this reason, according to our interview with Mr. Tan, we realized that he
had provides autonomy needs to their subordinates. As an illustration, subordinates have
opportunities to engage in the decision-making process and set their personal goals in the work
setting. Based on Shaharruddin and Ahmad (2015), in dealing with the problem of
organizational cynicism, job autonomy as one of the key tools to decrease negative attitudes,
as workers will not be entirely controlled in their job. Moreover, autonomy will give
subordinates to have more freedom in terms of managing their job and to structure procedures
on work assessment (Shaharruddin & Ahmad, 2015). Consequently, subordinates can fulfill
their autonomy needs and enhance their self-efficacy and eventually increase the job
performance together with satisfaction in their workplace.
In addition, the superior not only built a good relationship with their subordinates, they
also have a good relationship with their family. For this reason, based on the interview with
Mr. Tan, we realized that they emphasis on the value of humanity to their subordinates. Not
only that, from the survey questionnaire, subordinates agreed that their working team has
positive images to their family and friends. Significantly, their family members know each
other well. Moreover, they also thought that receiving encouragement from their superiors and
colleagues is the desirable motivation from the workplace. Accordingly, this can satisfy their
21
affiliation, relatedness, and intimacy needs in the workplace (Greenberg, 2011). In fact, four
motivational needs including achievement, power, affiliation, and growth can influence
psychological empowerment positively (Jha, 2010). Furthermore, subordinates are desired to
demonstrate a high rate of need for affiliation (Jha, 2010). As such, they will feel that they
have a close friend who they enjoy being and appreciate and accept them.
6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, the Great Eastern Malaysia Berhad has performed a stable group
structure that includes clearly defined roles and responsibilities, company’s norms and group
cohesiveness. Specifically, the boss plays a crucial role in maintaining the status of the
company. Also, the subordinates have a clear understanding of their job positions and
responsibilities. Subsequently, they were able to perform well in the company and achieve
higher job satisfaction. Furthermore, the company's norms and culture play the significant role
in the organization. In Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia Berhad, all the employees are
ingrained in the seven norms that the company applied. In addition, this company has
demonstrated high cohesiveness in their workgroup. The members share a sense of purpose
and they influence on each other. Moreover, this company has applied clan culture in their
organization. The clan culture in the organization has increased the level of commitment
among the employees. They promote team spirit, consensus and support each other just like a
family.
Additionally, job performance and the Big Five dimensions of personality are related.
The five factors are strongly associated with cooperating with others and enjoying the overall
workplace experience, which are key components of long-term job success. Specifically,
conscientiousness and extraversion are the two dimensions of the five-factor model that are
22
always correlated with positive job performance. Therefore, the Big Five dimensions of
personality is a valid predictor of workplace performance and the group dynamics. Also, this
company has many motivational aspects as well. Therefore, employee motivation is a crucial
aspect of the workplace which leads to the performance of the department and even the
company's goals. In this case, motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and
allow an organisation to achieve higher levels of output.
23
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Running head: BEHAVIOUR AND INFLUENCE IN GREAT EASTERN LIFE ASSURANCE MALAYSIA BERHAD

TOPIC: Behaviour and Influence in Great Eastern Malaysia Berhad

Name: Chen Jing Shi (201720033)

A group is defined as a collection of two or more interacting individuals who maintain

(Stahl et. al., 2010).

constituted by management as part of the organization structure (Ahmady, Mehrpour, &

Nikooravesh, 2016). According to the analysis of Ahmady, Mehrpour, and Nikooravesh

command group is referred to as a formal group in which it is created by the connections

interest or expertise in a specific field regardless of their positions in the organizational

to its immediate hierarchical superior (Haas, 2010).

2.0 Background of the company

office all the time.

activities in the school.

represents his company.

3.0 Group dynamics of the company

performed in organizations is done by people working in groups. Therefore, it makes sense to

group, there are four fundamental principles that need to be met.

As mentioned earlier, a stable group structure is one of the main characteristics of a

members include, participating actively in all meetings, completing assignments between

function of shared responsibility and ownership (Charbonnier-Voirin, El Akremi, &

clear roles and responsibilities.

functioning. As described by Greenberg (2011), norms generally agreed-upon informal rules

maintain productivity. Hence, company culture and company values go hand-in-hand in

is great involvement. Moreover, the company emphasizes long-term human resource

In short, this organization promotes teamwork, participation, and consensus.

3.1 Ways to improve group dynamics

emphasis on diversity and inclusion initiatives to strengthen organizational adaptability. In this

company reputation management provides greater flexibility and adaptability in a globalized

strive to be diversity leaders in their industry.

Moreover, by working alongside people of different backgrounds, experiences and working

time for their professional and personal goals.

4.0 Individual differences in the company

influence organisation’s performance.

of personality are measured by means of questionnaires in which the members whose

extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience that

are strongly related to different forms of organizational behaviour (Greenberg, 2011).

Thus, this can be an opportunity to build a pleasant workplace relationship.

demonstrated a high level of conscientiousness. Conscientiousness is a tendency to show self-

discipline, systematic, punctual, achievement-oriented, and dependable (Carter, Dalal, Boyce,

higher salaries. Therefore, the employees have greater job satisfaction.

and the effective group dynamics can be performed.

5.0 Motivation in the company

Motivation can be defined as the willingness of a person to perform a task and

5.1 Extrinsic motivation

overpayment or get angry with the underpayment to their colleagues.

5.2 Intrinsic motivation

employees as a motivation. Likewise, personal improvement course and emotional intelligence

a better chance to improve self-development, improve their Emotional Intelligence and

fulfillment on the job, and many other aspects.

had provides autonomy needs to their subordinates. As an illustration, subordinates have

performance together with satisfaction in their workplace.

psychological empowerment positively (Jha, 2010). Furthermore, subordinates are desired to

allow an organisation to achieve higher levels of output.

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