Understand Organisational Culture And Theoretical Perspectives On How People Behave At Work

About this package

This package examines how organisational culture and human behaviour shape the way people work, respond to management and experience change. It connects established theories with practical decisions about policy, reward, leadership, learning and wellbeing. Learners explore Schein’s three levels of culture, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Handy’s power, role, task and person cultures. These frameworks provide different ways to interpret workplace expectations, decision-making and the gap between stated values and everyday behaviour.

The content then considers autocratic, custodial, supportive and collegial models of organisational behaviour, alongside the principles of a learning organisation. Management, leadership and motivation theories help learners examine how control, support and shared responsibility affect performance. The people practice sections focus on the people champion role, policy development and leadership role-modelling, followed by reward, engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion. They also explore how workplace conditions influence continuing professional development (CPD) uptake, trust and wellbeing, helping learners look beyond individual attitudes when diagnosing people issues.

Change management is covered from both an organisational and an employee perspective. Learners compare Lewin’s three-step model and Kotter’s eight-stage model, then consider planned, emergent, reactive and proactive approaches, as well as radical and incremental change. The package distinguishes the drivers that create a need for change from the levers an organisation can adjust. Tannenbaum and Hanna, the adapted Kübler-Ross coping cycle, and Spencer and Adams provide lenses for understanding employee reactions, with attention to readiness, resistance and appropriate support.

The final sections examine wellbeing through engagement, motivation, job satisfaction, physical and mental health, self-image and resilience. They also address the psychological contract, work–life balance and family links. Expectancy theory connects beliefs about effort, performance and reward with employee motivation, while the closing content considers commitment, attendance, relationships and conflict. Across these subjects, the learning outcomes emphasise assessing workplace situations and designing a people-focused intervention with measurable objectives and evaluation criteria. This makes the package relevant to learners who need to connect theory with practical people management decisions.

Who it’s for

This package suits HR and people practice learners, people professionals and managers who need to analyse workplace culture, behaviour, change and wellbeing. It is particularly relevant to those developing their ability to apply theory to workplace situations and recommend people-focused interventions.

What’s covered

1. Organisational culture: Schein, Hofstede and Handy

   Explore Schein’s three levels of organisational culture, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Handy’s power, role, task and person cultures. Consider how these frameworks help explain workplace assumptions, expectations, influence and decision-making.

2. Organisational behaviour and learning organisations

   Compare autocratic, custodial, supportive and collegial models of organisational behaviour and their implications for employee voice, authority and responsibility. Examine the principles of a learning organisation and how people practices support continuous learning and knowledge-sharing.

3. Management, leadership and motivation theories

   Examine how management and leadership approaches affect employee behaviour, motivation and performance. Connect theory with everyday management choices and the design of reward, engagement and learning initiatives.

4. People champions, policy and role-modelling

   Consider how the people champion role connects employee experience with organisational decisions. Explore how clear policies, consistent application and visible leadership behaviour shape beliefs, values, trust and expected conduct.

5. Reward, inclusion, learning and wellbeing

   Examine how financial and non-financial reward, engagement practices and equality, diversity and inclusion policies influence motivation and belonging. Consider how people practices affect learning, CPD uptake and wellbeing.

6. Change management models and approaches

   Compare Lewin’s three-step model with Kotter’s eight-stage model. Explore planned, emergent, reactive and proactive change, considering how the approach should fit the organisational context.

7. Scale, drivers and levers of change

   Distinguish radical change from incremental improvement and consider their practical implications for disruption, risk and readiness. Examine the pressures that drive change and the organisational levers available to influence behaviour and performance.

8. How individuals experience change

   Explore Tannenbaum and Hanna’s three-stage model, the adapted Kübler-Ross coping cycle and Spencer and Adams’ seven-stage model. Use these perspectives to interpret emotional and behavioural responses and identify suitable communication, coaching and support.

9. Readiness and resistance to change

   Examine whether employees are willing and able to implement change, including the roles of trust, motivation, capability and capacity. Consider how to recognise resistance early and choose targeted actions that support adoption.

10. Wellbeing, health and the employment relationship

    Assess links between wellbeing, engagement, motivation and job satisfaction, alongside physical and mental health, self-image and resilience. Explore the psychological contract, work–life balance and family links as factors affecting employee expectations and trust.

11. Expectancy theory and organisational consequences of wellbeing

    Use expectancy theory to examine the links between effort, performance, reward and engagement. Consider how wellbeing affects commitment, attendance, workplace relationships and conflict.

Learning outcomes

By completing this package, learners can:

• Describe the principal theories and models of organisational culture, including Schein, Hofstede and Handy, and identify their key dimensions and assumptions.
• Explain autocratic, custodial, supportive and collegial models of organisational behaviour and summarise how each influences employee roles and decision-making.
• Apply management and leadership theories to a workplace scenario, demonstrating how different management styles affect employee behaviour, motivation and performance.
• Analyse models of human behaviour and motivation, including expectancy theory, to determine their implications for reward, engagement and CPD uptake.
• Assess how people practices, including role-modelling, policy development and people champion activities, shape organisational culture, beliefs, trust, motivation and wellbeing, using workplace examples or case studies.
• Compare approaches to managing change, including Lewin’s three-step model, Kotter’s eight-stage model, and planned and emergent change, and evaluate their suitability for specified organisational contexts.
• Analyse models of how people experience change, including Tannenbaum and Hanna, the adapted Kübler-Ross coping cycle, and Spencer and Adams, to identify stages of resistance and readiness in a workforce.
• Evaluate key drivers and levers for organisational change, including wider, task and internal environment factors, and justify recommended actions for a presented organisational challenge.
• Design a coherent people-focused intervention that promotes wellbeing at work, specifying measurable objectives, linking interventions to engagement, attendance and performance, and identifying evaluation criteria.

Frequently asked questions

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