Situation: Assume your boss came to you and said: "We clearly have a big
performance problem—our people just don't seem to be effective employees. You
just finished that course in your MBA program, what do you think we should do?
Give me three things—three things we could do to improve the performance
levels of our workforce." Rely on three concepts from class (as different from one
another as possible) that can be used to provide recommendations to your boss
for creating a strong beneficial effect on job performance.
Instruction reminder: In the text box below, begin by listing the three keywords
that your answer will revolve around. Write them as a numerical list (e.g., 1., 2.,
3.), though the order of your list is not important. Note that, although you can
mention other concepts in your answer, most of the content in your answer
should revolve around the three keywords written in your list. After creating your
list, go on to craft your actual answer.
1. Give employees autonomy
2. Job Crafting
3. Goal setting
Giving employees autonomy, letting them be responsible for the outcomes, gives employees
satisfaction with the work itself. This increases job satisfaction and task performance. When employees
have no input, counterproductive behavior increases. These can include production deviance (wasting
resources, substance abuse), or property deviance (sabotage , theft). Job satisfaction has a .30
correlation (moderate) with job performance.
Job crafting is a practice where employees can redefine their jobs in a purposeful way. By using job
crafting techniques, employees can focus on their positive skills and attributes associated with their
tasks. Employees create a new purpose statement tailored to their personal goals. They also create an
action plan to make goals achievable and attainable.
Using goal setting, increases task performance within an organization. Assigning employees specific
and difficult goals will result in higher levels of performance than assigning no goals, easy goas, or “do
your best” goals. Having the employee’s participation is very important because it gives the employee a
reason to care about the goal. This is known as intrinsic motivation. Having employees engage in
activities for the pleasure of doing the activity itself. Intrinsic outcomes include enjoyment,
interestingness, accomplishment, knowledge gain, skill development, personal expression, lack of
boredom, lack of anxiety, and lack of frustration. Motivation has a .50 (strong) correlation to job
performance.
Situation: The tough economic times have really taken a toll on your
organization. You've been having a conversation with your boss, and your boss
noted that upper management is getting concerned about the motivation of the
workforce over the next couple years. Your boss then says "I just wish there were
ways to motivate folks that didn't revolve around money." Rely on three concepts
from class (as different from one another as possible) that can be used to provide
viable strategies for maintaining motivation levels, even in the absence of
economic incentives.
Instruction reminder: In the text box below, begin by listing the three keywords
that your answer will revolve around. Write them as a numerical list (e.g., 1., 2.,
3.), though the order of your list is not important. Note that, although you can
mention other concepts in your answer, most of the content in your answer
should revolve around the three keywords written in your list. After creating your
list, go on to craft your actual answer.
1. Openness to Experience
2. Intrinsic Motivation
3. Satisfaction with the work itself
Employees that are open to new experiences are inquisitive and intellectual. They are known to
be creative, curious, and imaginative. Creating an environment where they can be creative and think
outside of the box, is creating a work environment where they can thrive.
Not all employees are motivated by pay. Pay is known as an extrinsic outcome. Using intrinsic
motivation will suppress the effects of intrinsic motivation. Assigning employees specific and
difficult goals, is known as goal setting. Goal setting is a technique used to increase intrinsic
motivation throughout the organization. You will have “buy-in” from the employees, and they will
accomplish task because they want to, not have to. Intrinsic outcomes include enjoyment,
interestingness, accomplishment, knowledge gain, skill development, personal expression, lack of
boredom, lack of anxiety, and lack of frustration.
Satisfaction with work itself is the strongest driver of overall job satisfaction (.70 correlation).
Having simplified and routine jobs is known to bring lower job satisfaction and increase absenteeism
and turnover within an organization. Creating variety within a job, where it requires a number of
different activities, skills and talents, applies meaningfulness to work. Allowing employees to have
some type of autonomy with their job by letting them be responsible for job outcomes, gives
employees satisfaction with the work itself.
Situation: You've been promoted and will, for the first time, have a set of
employees who report to you as their manager. To prepare for these new
responsibilities, you've been having a conversation with your old boss. She's
given you the following tip for how to be an effective manager: "let them 'sink or
swim'—don't be too quick to involve yourself in how they do their jobs and why
they do what they do." On the one hand, you recall that she was quite distant
and detached in your first weeks on the job, and that you actually did grow from
that. On the other hand, something about that philosophy concerns you. Rely on
concepts from class (as different from one another as possible) that can be used
to question the wisdom of your boss’s advice.
Instruction reminder: In the text box below, begin by listing the three keywords
that your answer will revolve around. Write them as a numerical list (e.g., 1., 2.,
3.), though the order of your list is not important. Note that, although you can
mention other concepts in your answer, most of the content in your answer
should revolve around the three keywords written in your list. After creating your
list, go on to craft your actual answer.
1. Decision making style
2. Personality
3. Intrinsic/Extrinsic outcomes
Different types of situations, call for different decision-making styles. In circumstances where
you have a new employee to a job, life -threating or emergency, you need to use a more autocratic
style. Using this style, you are highly in control, making decisions for the team and not asking or
allowing input. As your team is more experienced and cohesive, you can choose a facilitative or
delegative style, where you look from input from your team, or let them make decisions on their
own. Considering I am a new manager on this team, I need time to get to know the team, and how
they work together.
Personality traits determine our emotions and behavior. A person who is highly conscientious
values accomplishments and may want direct input and feedback from me as their manager. An
employee who is highly neurotic can be negative in nature and may need direct guidance from me. I
agree that employees with a high level of extraversion and openness to experience will want to be
more creative and will suffer in an environment where they feel crippled because it is too
structured.
It is important for me to get to know the members of my team, to determine how they are
motivated. Are they motivated by extrinsic outcomes such as pay, benefits, free time, and praise? Or
are they motivated by intrinsic outcomes such as accomplishment, enjoyment, and personal
expression? Knowing how my employees are motivated, will determine how I lead the team. If I
choose the wrong methods, I can decrease motivation and be seen as controlling. I could also be
seen as not caring due to having zero input to the team and their efforts.
Situation: You've come to notice that your company pays a lower rate than most
of your competitors, and that there seems to be little linkage between pay and
performance in your organization. You've raised this issue with your boss, and
your boss responded by saying: "There's more to life than money. I want people
to work here because they want to work here, not because they get a bigger
check." You want to convey to your boss that his/her opinion is misguided. Rely
on three concepts from class (as different from one another as possible) that can
be used to explain why your boss should view pay as more important than he/she
currently does.
Instruction reminder: In the text box below, begin by listing the three keywords
that your answer will revolve around. Write them as a numerical list (e.g., 1., 2.,
3.), though the order of your list is not important. Note that, although you can
mention other concepts in your answer, most of the content in your answer
should revolve around the three keywords written in your list. After creating your
list, go on to craft your actual answer.
1. Extrinsic motivation
2. Equity Theory
3. Value-Percept Theory
While I agree that employees should work here because they want to work here, some
employees are motivated by their pay. Extrinsic motivation is motivation controlled by some
contingency that depends on task performance. Positive valences such as salary increases make
employees more motivated if they know this is the expected outcome. Not all employees have intrinsic
motivation. This is where completing the task itself, is its own reward.
Equity theory acknowledges that motivation doesn’t only depend on your own beliefs and
circumstances, but also on what happens to other people. If employees feel they are not properly
compensated, they are not motivated to do a good job or stay within the organization. If employees
know they can willingly go to a competitor and receive a larger salary for the same work, how can we
stop them?
Value-percept theory argues that job satisfaction depends on whether an employee perceives
their job supplies the things they value. Big differences between wants and haves create a sense of
dissatisfaction. If pay is important to our employees, and they are not receiving the pay they feel they
are entitled to, employees will leave our organization.