Motivation based on the Video .Dick Learns About Tipping - Case Study Example

It can either be positive or negative. In the video, Dick Solomon promises the waitress that there is one pile of one dollar bills and calls it ‘potential tip’(stimulant). This indicates that the tip will not just be unleashed for the normal service but for satisfactory service (the desire). He then tells the waitress that if he is pleased, the pile of the tip grows (positive reinforcement). Otherwise if unsatisfied, the pile shrinks (negative stimulus). As the waitress places the drinks on the table, she serves Mary the Dick’s drunk and vice versa.

At that point, Dick interchanges the drinks and goes further to penalize the waitress for that mistake as they earlier agreed. The waitress does not know the salad dressings and again the pile shrinks. On bringing the dressings, the first one doesn’t appeal Dick and he goes on to deduct the tip but on tasting the second one, he finds it nice and adds some more bills to the tip. The waitress now more enthusiastic comes with two alternatives of what the two would have for dinner. Dick is dissatisfied by the options and decides to reduce the tip.

At that point the waitress reactions show displeasure (the undesirable behavior). The expectancy theory assumes that people will perform better when they believe money will follow effective performance (Spector, p. 235-257). If money has a positive value for an individual, higher performance is expected (the waitress is happy when a tip is proposed). For a staff, outcomes are outcomes that are highly valued and high expectations will direct a person to make greater effort in the task (depicted by the waitress enthusiasm).

In this video, Dick’s strategy was not successful. This is depicted where Mary has to come in between Dick and the waitress to be a reconciler. Mary decides to pay the meals as she saw that both Dick and the waitress were unpleased by each other. To increase the success of his attempts to motivate the waitress, Dick could have employed the Goal-setting theory of motivation. This theory explains how goal setting importantly relates to job performance. It states that clear and challenging goals with feedback lead to better job performance (Locke, Edwin, & Gary, p388).

Goals give direction of what is expected thus indicates the efforts required. In this scenario of Dick, he could have stated from the word go what he specifically wanted. He ordered the drinks well without waiting for the waiter to suggest for him the variety of drinks they served. Similarly, he could have done so for the meal. In so doing, it would have been easier for the waitress to serve them efficiently because the goals are specific, clear, and realistic. The waitress serving her clients was an enough motivator for her to see her clients (Dick and Mary) satisfied.

Again, if Dick’s feedback was appropriate as it is advocated for in this theory, the waitress could have served them better. After the waitress mentioned the type of meal they offered, Dick just rushed to reducing the tip. Instead, he could have explained his displeasure and could have been served well. Tommy and Harry’s behavior was influenced by equity and reinforcement theories. Equity theory advocates the principle of balance, fairness and justice. Ones motivational level is thus measured against his level of perception of equity.

In our case, when Tommy is standing he receives tips from two passersby while Harry who is sited receives from one passerby. On realizing this,