THE ROLE OF DISCIPLINE IN

ORGANISATION MANAGEMENT
Prepared By
STUDENTS NAMES / MATRIC NO:
Olarotimi Ajani (RUN/MGT/15/6215), Saliu Patience O.
(RUN/MGT/15/6220)and Ademola Irinyemi. B. (Run/Mgt/15/6218)

COURSE TITLE: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

COURSE CODE: MSM 80

INTRODUCTION
i.

An organization is a coordinated unit consisting of at least two people who

function to achieve a common goal or set of goals. (James , John , James H.
Jr. and Robert 2012).

ii.

People working in the organisation are usually comprised of the employer

(the owner of the organisation) and the employees.

iii.

The effectiveness of any organization is influenced greatly by human

behavior. This behaviour, which can be determined by biological,
psychological, physiological or sociological factors, could be negative or
positive. The behaviour can also be determined by rules, directives and
organizational values.

INTRODUCTION
iii. A manager in an organisation therefore, needs to know
how individual behaviours affect their performance and
the organizations wellbeing. One of such measures a
manger can introduce is discipline.
iv.

Discipline is a form of training that enforces

organizational rules.

iii. This paper will discuss in details the role of discipline in

the organisation management.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Definitions of an Organisation

An organization is a coordinated unit consisting of at least two people who

function to achieve a common goal or set of goals (James et al, 2012).

Organisation is also defined as A body of individuals working under a

defined system of rules, assignments procedures, and relationships designed to
achieve identifiable objectives and goals (Greenwald, 2008).

According to Barnard (1938), organisation is defined as a system of

consciously coordinated activities of two or more persons.

According to Stephen and Timothy, (2013), an organisation is a consciously

coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people that functions on a
relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Definitions of an Organisation

There are three primary features that run through all the definitions of the
term organization: the structure, the goal, and the people

The final characteristic common to the various definitions of the word

organisation involves people.

The following four common themes relating to people are:

interdependency, interaction, leadership and control in the
organisation.

Review of Literature
INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURS IN ORGANISATION

According to Stephen, et al (2013), Organisation Behaviour (OB) as a

discipline, is the study of what people do in an organization and how their
behavior affects the organizations performance.

In effect, OB emphasizes behaviour as related to issues such as jobs,

work, absenteeism, employment turnover, productivity, human
performance, and management. Therefore, a manager or supervisor must
try to understand and learn how to manage individual employees
behaviours at workplace to get maximum results through them.

Review of Literature
Discipline in an Organisation

Discipline is the regulation and modulation of human activities to produce a controlled

performance. Discipline can also be referred to as employee learning that promotes self-control,
dedication, and orderly conduct.

Discipline is a form of training that enforces organizational rules. Those most often affected by
the discipline systems are problem employees. Fortunately, problem employees comprise a small
number of employees. If employers fail to deal with problem employees, negative effects for
other employees and groups often result Robert and John (2011)

Discipline should be viewed as a condition within an organisation whereby Employees know

what is expected of them in terms of the organisations rules, Standards and policies and what
the consequences are of infractions Rue & Byars, 2005. According to Richard (1996).
Discipline is the force that prompts individuals or groups to observe rules, regulations,

standards and procedures deemed necessary for an organization.

Review of Literature
Discipline in an Organisation

Common to all these definitions is that the real purpose of discipline is to encourage
employees to confirm to established standards of job performance and to behave sensibly
and safely at work. Therefore, discipline is essential to all organised group action.

Those most often affected by the discipline systems are problem employees.

The following elements can be deduced:

- The objective of discipline is orderly behaviour
- Orderly behaviour is a group desire.
- Orderly behaviour assists the attainment of organisational goals
- When members behave appropriately as per rules, there is no need for disciplinary
action. This is self discipline.

NATURE OF DISCIPLINE

It should be noted that discipline has to be reformative and not punitive.

Organisation should aim at development rather than punishing.

Causes Of Indiscipline:
- Unfair Management Practices
- Betrayal of Trust on the part of Management
- Absence of Effective Leadership
- Communication Barriers
- Varying Disciplinary Measures
- Defective Supervision

NATURE OF INDISCIPLINE
Causes Of Indiscipline Continued:
- Inadequate attention to personnel Problems
- Victimisation
- Absence of Code of Conduct
- Divide and Rule Policy
- Deferring settlement of Employee Grievances
- Misjudgement in Promotion and Placements
Any other infractions by problem employees against the
rules and policies of the organisation may constitute
disciplinary issues as well.

CLASSIFICATION OF
DECIPLINE
Discipline can be classified as follows:
Moral Discipline
Financial Discipline
Occupational/ Professional Discipline
Cultural Discipline

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

The purpose of discipline is to encourage employees to behave sensibly at

work.

Disciplinary actions in organisation are taken to serve the following

objectives:
To enforce rules and regulations.
To correct or reform the offender.
To serve as an example to others to strictly follow rules.
To ensure the smooth running of the organisation.
To increase working efficiency.
To maintain industrial peace.
To improve working relations and tolerance.
To develop a working culture that improves performance

APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE

Self-discipline: this implies that a person brings the discipline in himself

with a determination to achieve the goals that he has set for himself in life.

Orderly behaviour: This refers to discipline as a condition that must exist

for an orderly behaviour in the organisation.

Punishment: is used to prevent indiscipline. When a worker goes astray in

his conduct, he has to be punished for the same and the recurrence of it must
be prevented.

Other approaches include:

positive approach,

corrective or Progressive Approach and

Negative approach.

APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE
Other approaches include:
Positive Approach,
Corrective or Progressive Approach and
Negative Approach.

POSITIVE APPROACH TO
DISCIPLINE

The approach builds on the philosophy that violations of rules and

regulations are actions that can be corrected constructively without penalty.

In this approach, managers focus on using fact finding and guidance to

encourage desirable behaviours, rather than using penalties to discourage
undesirable behaviours. The hope is that employee performance will
improve and future disciplinary actions will not be needed.

Four steps to positive discipline are: Counselling, Written documentation,

Final warning and Discharge.

CORRECTIVE OR PROGRESSIVE
APPROACH

The approach incorporates steps that become

progressively more stringent and are designed to
change the employees inappropriate behaviour.

The approach involves: Verbal Caution, Suspension,

Discharge

NEGATIVE APPROACH

Penalties are used to force the workers to obey rules and regulations. In
other words, workers try to adhere to rules and regulations out of fear of
warnings, penalties and other forms of punishment.

It is an unfavourable state that subjects the employees to frustration, and

consequently results in low morale.

Another drawback related to negative discipline is that employee goes

astray in his behaviour whenever there is a slightest possibility of escaping
the punishment or when he believes that his action will go unnoticed

THE EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM

The organisation on its part must put in place system that guarantees
effective disciplinary process is carried out at all time.

Factors necessary for effective disciplinary system:

Training of both subordinates and Supervisors

Centralization of discipline

Impersonal discipline

Review discipline decisions

Notification of conduct that may result in discipline

Leadership by example

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN DISCIPLINING

The following factors must be taken into consideration to ensure effective
discipline:

Seriousness of the problem

Duration of problem

Frequency and maturity of the problem

Extenuating Factors

Degree of socialisation

Management Backing

THE FINAL DISCIPLINARY STEP:

DISCHARGE
Discharge is when an employee is removed from a
job by the employer. Both the positive and the
progressive approaches to discipline clearly provide
employees with warnings about the seriousness of
their performance problems before dismissal occurs.
Dismissal should be used only for the most serious
offenses.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Organizational behaviour (OB) is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about
how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work. - Bauer and Erdogan (2009).
In effect, behaviour of every individual member of an organisation contributes to the total organisational
behaviour.

Any delinquent behaviour on the part of any of the employees may project badly the image of the
organisation and in turn affect performance of the organisation. A manager therefore must protect the
culture and image of the organisation by ensuring discipline of any delinquent employee to eliminate and
prevent unwanted behaviours from spreading like a cancer through the organisation system.

Disciplinary breakdowns at schools, organisations, places of worship, community, governments and the
entire society, debar progress and waste resources (e.g. large scale fraudulent cases under the immediate
past president of Nigeria are disciplinary issues). No wonder the present ruling administration under
President Muhammodu Buhari reintroduced the War Against Indiscipline in Nigeria to modify the
delinquent behavioural tendencies among the populace in Nigeria. These therefore underscore the
important role discipline plays in any organisation and the entire society in particular.

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