Applying Motivation Theories - ABC Consulting - Case Study Example

Case study Name Institution Affiliation Date Overview of the case study George had just completed his MBA and was excited about stepping into the real world where he dreamed of being a management consultant. After applying for a job, George was given two offers by two large organizations. One was from Big 4 organization and the other from ABC Consulting, a medium-sized company. The Big 4 organization offered a better salary and exposure to big-name clients and multimillion-dollar projects. However, George assumed that consultants in larger organizations worked extremely long hours, in conflict-ridden environments, and under the ‘kiss up, kick down' management style. Money was important to George but more important was work–life balance, the freedom to be creative and having supportive and collaborative colleagues. In the end, George chose ABC Consulting because he believed that the company's espoused values matched what he wanted. The HR director informed George that he was eligible for the company's bonus system after working for three months, after which the company would evaluate him. The mistake came in when the HR director mention that the probation period was just a formality and that every employee of the company got into the bonus system after all. George translated this to mean that he did not have to work very hard since at the end of it all he would get a chance to be enrolled in the company's bonus program. This presents the second case of miscommunication that occurred between the company and George. The project With his review meeting approaching, George decided he would make amends with the client report. He saw it as an excellent chance to be creative and add his own ideas. He would be in the office by 7 am and not leave before 7 pm, and often continue working at home. In the end, he completed what he thought was an excellent report, and emailed it to Janet and Daniel two nights before it was due. His morale took a dip after he saw that he was not being treated fairly by the company, people who had heaped a lot of praise on him saying that he was the best and that they were looking forward to working with him. George felt demoralized and realized that each morning he did not feel like going to work and when he went there was no urge to be creative and do any extra work. In short he just went because he was required to go. Over the next few weeks, George's enthusiasm for the job gradually went down as he felt that there was no need to work hard. He came to work later, left earlier than usual, and took increasingly longer breaks. He was no longer interested in ‘dazzling' anyone. The thought of resigning crossed his mind, but so did the 10% bonus he was entitled to if he stayed[Lew02]. Analysis of the case study George's problems at the ABC Consulting started during the interview when the area manager described him as a smart character and that they were looking forward to working with him. First of all, George was delusional on the exact type of environment he would be working in. He assumed that there would be a work-life balance, the freedom to be creative and having supportive and collaborative workmates. As it turned out, George did not like being criticized or directed as it can be seen from the moment that his area manager questioned his report on the project. Being his first assignment, George should have expected that the report would not be perfect and should have taken Janet's comments positively and work towards improving his reporting skills[Dav12]. The next problem occurred when the HR manager informed George that he would be eligible for the company's bonus program. The HR manager made the mistake of mentioning that the evaluation which was conducted by the company just a formality and that each employee, in the end, was put in the bonus program. George translated this information to mean that he did not have to work hard since the evaluation did not matter. By stating that the evaluation was just a formality, the HR manager meant that George did not have to work hard for the evaluation to be positive. So it came as a surprise when George was informed that he did not qualify for the bonus program since he did not perform as expected by the company. The disappointment that followed made George quit his job and start looking for a new job[Daw10]. Strategies a company can use to prevent turn over When the rate of employee turnover increases, it can prove to be very costly to an organization while at the same time disruptive the normal operations of an organization. However, no organization can expect to have zero employee turnover since now and then issues arise which force the company and the employees to part ways. Despite this, a company can implement a few strategies that the company can use to retain its employees and prevent a high turnover rate. Hiring the right people The best time for an organization to avoid employee turnover is to make sure that it hires the best employees. Some steps are involved whenever an organization wants to hire the best employees. The company needs to assess the competencies of the candidate to ascertain whether he/ she has the right skills for the job. The steps are as follows; Behavior best testing which is meant to make sure that all the behaviors of the hired employee are suitable. Screening the competency of the employee before hiring them Background checking to know the employee better. Checking if the candidate has a capacity for learning The candidate should also be motivated and be supportive of the organizational goals Designing the best compensation package Employees nowadays prefer the companies which offer personalized compensation packages. The compensation packages also need to be reviewed annually so that it can stay attractive to the employees. There is a clear relationship between benefits offered by the company and turnover rates because an employee will not hesitate to quit their job and go to a firm that pays them more money. A good company values its employees and is always open to negotiate its salary packages with employees, tying it with performance[Jos10]. Effective communication A company should effectively communicate and engage with its employees as well as make sure that it boosts their morale. The tone for employee morale is set by the management of the organization by making sure that it communicates its strategies well while at the same time having systems in place to boost the morale of the employees. Career development and training A company should keep offering training opportunities for the employees of the company to make sure that they work well with the current technologies and strategies that are currently prevailing in the market. Employees are motivated by seeing that the company is investing in their knowledge hence a company should set aside training programs to equip the employees with the need much knowledge. Provision of a great working environment The organization should provide its employees with a healthy, attractive and safe working environment where they will feel motivated to give their all to achieve their personal goals as well as the goals of the company. Organizational culture and respect The culture of the organization plays a great role in preventing turnover since most employees are attracted by the culture that is prevailing in an organization. Other factors such as team work, respect and mutual collaboration among the employees also play a great role in ensuring employee retention. Healthy competition among the employees also should be encouraged as they work hard to achieve their personal goals and also the goals of the organization as well[Ber72]. Motivational theories explaining George's attitudes and behaviors Motivational theories describe the activation of goal-oriented behaviors in humans. Motivation is a theoretical concept that is used to explain the behaviors of humans and how their behaviors are influenced by internal and external factors. The concept of motivation shows the reasons that people give because of their actions, needs and desires as well. Expectancy theory of motivation This theory explains that a person will act or behave in a certain way because their motivation guides them to behave in such a way over behaving in another way. A person is said to select a certain behavior over another one simply because of the results that the person perceives they will get because of selecting that certain behavior. In George's case, expectancy theory can be applied in that George was at first motivated to work because of the promises that he got from the management of the company at the beginning of their working relationship. The area manager had motivated George by telling him that his credentials qualified him and that she was sure he would perform well in the job. George was motivated by the talk of the area manager when he learned that the company would be a good working environment which will enable him to grow and become a better employee. Expectancy theory is seen here because George made a choice to work for the ABC consulting because he felt that he would get the desired results. From the look of the scenario, George made the choice because of the expectations that he had about the company. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is a motivational theory used in psychology and it argues that people first seek to satisfy their basic needs first while also seeking to satisfy higher needs that are represented in the form of a pyramid. The hierarchy of needs is as follows; physiological needs, safety need belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. In George's situation, he was more interested in the bonus program because he wanted to satisfy his psychological needs which include food, water, and sleep. Psychological needs need money to be satisfied hence that is the reason why George was waiting for the bonus to be awarded, and he felt disappointed when that plan did not go through[Dav12]. The company also failed to satisfy other needs of the employee such as the need for belongings where after sometime George felt that the company had neglected him and made him feel like an outsider. During the first meeting, the area manager had made George feel like part of the organization by encouraging and motivating him. Overtime, George felt that he was neglected hence his morale took a dip, and he started feeling less motivated to go to work. His esteem needs were also not met since the company crushed his ego by telling him that he did not perform as expected. George was not the type of an individual to take criticism positively. Hence, he decided to quit the job. Recommendations Motivating employees plays a very significant role in ensuring that the business goes ahead to achieve its goals. Motivating employees means that they remain highly productive and this goes a long way in helping the organization to achieve set targets. ABC consulting failed in motivating George hence he ended up being demoralized after only three months of working. They should have communicated well with him to ensure that he understood what the company required of him and not just assuming that he understood from their first meeting. Motivating employees play a great part in ensuring that the productivity of employees is high and also works to prevent employee turnover rates. The case study reveals a high level of miscommunication between the management and the employees since they meant one thing and the employee understood another thing. For the organization to retain its employees, it needs to put strategies in place that are meant to encourage and motivate the employees to perform better[Dav12]. References Kiazad, K2016, Organizational behaviour, 5e, McGraw-Hill Education (Australia) Pty Ltd. Lew02: , (Aiken, 2002), Dav12: , (Allen, 2012 ), Daw10: , (McCooey, 2010), Jos10: , (Walsh, 2010), Ber72: , (Weiner, 1972 ), Read More