Introduction Stephanie and Alex both just started working part-time at a low paying supermarket to help pay for

university. Stephanie has a good relationship with her manger Jonathan. Her day to day tasks and always changing and she is given a lot of responsibility. Stephanie is often given extra tasks to work on throughout the day so that she is accomplishing more than the minimum expectations she is given. She is often given goals with incentives such as bonus's on her pay check. Stephanie really enjoys her job and always comes with a smile on her face. Alex on the other hand does not have as positive a relationship with his manager. Alex and Dan do not get along and Alex often complains about the strict schedule his employees follow, even when the company says differently. Dan says the best way to excel at a job is to do it over and over again. This means Alex is working at the same station of the supermarket every day. Alex feels watched over by his manager, and does not like the inflexibility of the job. Dan, his manager has a tendency to push employees to take less time for lunch then they are entitled to. Dan will often use verbal abuse towards his employees when they do not perform the way he expects. Alex responds by treating Dan with disrespect as well. Although she does not work for Dan, Stephanie also has a dislike for him as a manager. Although they are working the same job, both employees feel very differently about the situation they are in. Problem: Why is one employee experiencing job satisfaction while another feels unmotivated and unsatisfied? Analysis: Values and Attitudes Values are what one views as right, wrong, or desirable. There are two types of values. there is terminal values and instrumental values. Terminal values are goals that individuals would like to achieve during their lifetime while instrumental are the way people prefer to behave.(Organizational Behaviour (2009) pg. 86. para. 5) Attitudes are evaluative statements on what people think on a topic. The attitudes that will be based on the case study will be job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Stephanie in this case study is a student working full-time at a local supermarket, her values are being ambitious, capable, cheerful, clean, helpful, honest, intellectual, logical, obedient, polite, responsible, and self-controlled. These are her instrumental values for which she prefers behaving. Stephanie is a Ne(x)t generation in which she seeks meaning in her work and what she does. Stephanies attitudes towards work are positive because she has a boss who assigns different jobs to her. This job rotation gives her satisfaction and is linked to her productivity and motivation. Stephanies job satisfaction is reflected by the enjoyment she has for the jobs that she does. She is very upbeat and friendly because she sees value in the work she does, and therefore enjoys it more. Stephanies organizational commitment is affective commitment so her employee engagement is very high.

Alex is also a student working full time at a local supermarket. He is not ambitious, broadminded, cheerful, courageous, forgiving, helpful, polite, and responsible because of the way he is being treated at his work place. He is allowing the work place to change his attitude. Alex is also a Ne(x)t generation in which he seeks meaning in his work, but at the same time is very needy in his work. The attitude Alex has towards work is directly linked to how he feels towards the job. He is not satisfied with his job because of the repetitive and mindless nature of the work he is given every day. His job satisfaction is low, causing his productivity and effort at work to drop. This means Alex is working slowly and not accomplishes his task as efficiently and effectively as he should be. Alexs is choosing to express dissatisfaction towards his job by neglecting the conditions of his job, and passively allowing them to worsen. Alexs organizational commitment is continuance commitment because he needs the job for the money to be in university. If it weren't for this need, Alex openly admitted that he would have quit by now. Alexs employee engagement is low because his work is repetitive and boring. Jonathan is Stephanies supervisor. He is ambitious, broad-minded, capable, cheerful, forgiving, helpful, honest, logical, polite, and responsible. He is a theory Y manager because he feels that everyone is capable of any job if they are given the chance. He is the ideal boss and everyone wants to work for him because he strives for job rotation. Jonathan is a generation X and seeks autonomous post-materialists. The attitude that Jonathan has towards work is positive, thus making his job satisfaction high because he holds positive attitudes towards work. He likes to set goals for his employees so that they can surpass the goal and enjoy work even more. Jonathans organizational commitment is affective commitment because he is attached to his job and the employees because he feels that they will be able to accomplish things if they just set their minds to it. Jonathan's employee engagement with his job is very high as he believes that is important and meaningful. Dan is the supervisor of Alex and he is a theory X boss. Dan isnt broad-minded, helpful, and ambitious. He believes that people needs to repeat something over and over again to master it. So unlike Jonathan, Dan keeps his employees doing the same job over and over again. Baby boomer is more suited because he is intimidated by change. Dans attitudes towards work are positive as he feels that his underlings are actually happy working for him and doing the same thing over and over again. Job satisfaction in this case is high as he enjoys his job of commanding others to do work. The organizational commitment is affective commitment as he enjoys his job. Dan's employee engagement is low because he doesn't feel that his job is meaningful. Job Rotation, Job Enlargement, Routine Job and Job Enrichment Job design is something that is important to keep people motivated in their jobs. Job rotation is a helpful way of getting rid of a routine job. Having had the training to do more than one thing in their job makes employees feel less bored. Jonathan realizes this, and cross-trains his staff to work different departments within the store so they don't have to work the same place day after day. Stephanie, being on Jonathan's team, gets the

opportunity to work in different departments every week. Alex on the other hand, doesn't get the same opportunities as Stephanie and is usually stuck doing the same menial tasks all day. Job enlargement is one of the least effective ways to redesign a job. It does not give the employee any higher level of skill; instead it just gives him or her tasks that are relatively on the same skill level. Job enlargement leads to a lack of diversity in the job and does nothing to add to the meaningfulness and challenge of the job. Alexs supervisor Dan has him doing the same tasks every day. Alex gets to unload the boxes as they are shipped to the store and put the contents on the shelves. These tasks that he is in charge of are not challenging enough for him to want to do them. However, Stephanies supervisor, Jonathan, does not want her doing the same tasks every week. He gets her to do different work and gives her certain tasks that would be more of a challenge for her. Job enrichment is the vertical expansion of jobs. It increases the degree to which employees get to plan, execute, and evaluate the work that they do. It makes the employees feel as though they have more freedom and a higher independence at work. It also helps them work with more responsibility and they receive feedback from the work that they do directly, which helps them correct any issues that they might have. Dan doesnt let his staff do any kind of work that they would have some kind of challenge. He feels that they need to do the same work every day and master the same skills. Jonathan lets his staff have higher job enrichment. Job enrichment is separated into five different dimensions, skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. The more these areas are involved in a persons job, the higher the job enrichment. For example, when Stephanie works in the culinary centre, she gets to decide the recipe that is being made. She also gets to choose the ingredients and gets to see how well her ideas work by getting direct feedback from the customers or from her supervisor. That shows that her job lets her have skill variety, autonomy, and feedback. Because he gets stuck doing the same work every day, Alex has little to no skill variety and does not feel his job has any significance. He is aware that his job is not going to affect the life of someone else, so he doesn't put any effort into his work. Stephanie on the other hand has a higher skill variety and gets to work in different areas each week. She gets trained in running a checkout one week, stocking shelves another, and working in the culinary centre the next. Her favourite area to work is in the culinary centre and Jonathan notices how good of a job Stephanie does in there, so he puts her in there more often. She likes it better knowing her supervisor trusts her enough to do the work on her own without someone breathing down her neck. The Motivational-Heigene Theory separates intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and says that extrinsic motivators lead to dissatisfaction in a job if they are absent. It also says that intrinsic motivators lead to job satisfaction if they are present. This theory also says that intrinsic motivators do not effect dissatisfaction and extrinsic motivators do not effect satisfaction. In our case study, Alex feels very dissatisfied with his job because of factors that affect

the context or environment of his work. Salary is not that great, so Alex feels dissatisfied, especially because another employee whom he feels doesnt deserve it, gets paid more than he does. He is dissatisfied with his supervision and the relationship that he has with that supervisor, but it doesnt mean he will feel satisfied if these problems are fixed. It will only mean he will no longer be dissatisfied. To be satisfied with his work, Alex would need good content. He would need to feel achievement, recognition and responsibility. He needs to enjoy the work he is doing. Alex has a very repetitive job with limited responsibility and recognition. Because of the simplicity of stocking apples all day, it is almost impossible for Alex to feel any sort of achievement. Stephanie is also facing the same factors, but she is feeling very satisfied. She receives a lot of recognition for the work she does and is given a lot of responsibility. This gives Stephanie the opportunity for growth, advancement and the chance for achievement. The loves the work she is doing. All of these factors lead to job satisfaction. She is not dissatisfied because she has a very good relationship with her manager, and likes the way he supervises her. Although the pay is not great, this factor is not strong enough to override all of the other factors leading to satisfaction. Expectancy Theory Stephanie and Alex have different levels of motivation. Because of the work environments they encounter on a daily basis, their outlook on their job is very different and this is effecting their motivation. The expectancy theory suggests that ones motivation is higher if he or she receives positive feedback and rewards. Stephanie receives positive feedback from her boss Jonathan, which makes her more inclined to do her job. Throughout her regular workday, she gets the chance to try new things such as working at the checkout counter to stocking shelves. While doing these different tasks each day Stephanie also sets goals with Jonathan that will benefit her. Jonathan tells Stephanie that if she sells a certain amount truffle oil bottles, she will receive a seventy-five dollar bonus. With any other aspect of her job, Stephanie can apply the expectancy theory. She knows her effort will lead to high performance. The more effort she puts in, the better chance she has of selling the oil. The instrumentality of this goal is high because she knows that if she does sell the oil, she will receive the bonus. The Valence is also strong because the reward is something she values and wants. With the different job tasks, positive feedback, and special bonuses that she could receive Stephanies motivation to come to work every day with a smile on her face increases. With effort on her part she will receive that positive feedback that she needs to be motivated and that will lead to rewards that will satisfy her needs. On the other hand, Alex does not have a very motivating everyday work environment. His boss Dan believes that his employees will benefit most from working in the same area each day. Alex wants recognition, job rotation and responsibility. In theory, Alex should have expectancy because the more effort he puts in, the better he can do his job. Because of his manager Dan, Alex has no instrumentality to support his effort because he knows that his work performance will not lead to rewards, only a lack of punishment. In Alex's mind,

this is not relevant or valuable to him unless he receives the respect he desires. Therefore, Alex lacks the valence he needs to be motivated through the expectancy theory. Although Alexs motivation is very low because he believes that he is being treated poorly and like he is getting nothing in return. He needs the positive feedback from his boss in order to enjoy his job and to help him have better job performance. If he received some feedback from Dan then he would feel better about coming to work, which would motivate him to do better and possibly earn some rewards that satisfy his personal goals. Maslow`s and ERGs Theory of Needs Maslow`s Hierarchy of needs theory; explains how physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs affect employee motivation. They are important for an individual because these five needs show what Alex is lacking. Physiologically, Alex needs this job because he needs money to take care of his basic needs. With this job, Alex's hunger, thirst, and shelter are taken care of. Safety is very important to Alex as well. Although he is physically safe from harm at this job, He receives a lot of emotional harm from the verbal abuse Dan uses. Alex often hears about the level of intelligence he should have. This creates an unsafe environment for alex to work in. Living in a sociable environment good because it allows an individual to meet people and create relationships with them. Alex`s relationship with his boss Dan lacks affection, belongingness, acceptance and friendship. The assumption can be made by seeing how Alex talks about his boss I don`t even care anymore. What`s the point? If I stock more apples, or something meaningless like that, what does it get meanother sticker that says good job`? Oooh, that`s really great. Thanks a bunch Dan! replied Alex, punctuating his last sentence with a sarcastic thumbs-up. (Langton, Judge, Robbins, (2009) p.596-597, para.5). This shows how Alex really feels about his boss. He feels that Dan doesnt care about him, or his work efforts, and what Dan really cares about is that people praise him, and only him. Although Alex has a good relationship with other employees such as Stephanie, he is still not fully accepted. Self-esteem is an important part of an individuals job satisfaction. Self-esteem is when others respect and give value to the persons effort. This is what Alex wants from Dan. To be respected, and be valued for what he does. For him his selfesteem is going down, because he feels Dan doesnt respect him, or his work. There is no motivation or encouragement. So again, their relationship has a negative impact. Self-actualization is based upon what one wants to be. Alex wants to work where he is working right now, but feels that he cant, because of his boss. Dan has assigned him to do one thing (stock apples) so because of this one task, he feels that his job is tedious and useless. Alex cannot improve or show anyone what he can do. He has very little drive to become better at his job because of the lack of self-fulfillment and potential.

Unlike Maslows theory of hierarchy needs, ERG Theory is based upon the three groups of core needs and they are: existence, relatedness, and growth. These needs are the basic needs for an individual to be in a working area. 1) Existence is when someone or something is there for another person. In this case Alex feels that his existence is minor, because his boss doesnt give him the attention that he needs. Dan doesnt show any intuitive of Alexs work. Alex feels that the only reason he is present is because Dan needs someone to stock apples! This making Alexs self-esteem go down negatively. 2) Relatedness is when two people are connected by any type of relationship; it can be marriage, friendship, partnership, or an employee, employer relationship. Relatedness is very important in a persons life, because it connects that one person with other people. Just like in this case; this job connects both Alex and Dan together. But this doesnt mean that, just because they are connected they connect well. Relatedness means that two or more people connect and as they connect they associate; talk, argue, listen. All these aspects should be present. But in this case its not like that. The connection is only through assigning the task of the day, or week. There is no communication, no argument, and no discussion. 3) Growth is the very important, because in this the person grows out of ones past and into the future. One learns from ones mistake, and goes on with better learning. But here Alex feels that he hasnt grown at all. This is because he hasnt done that much. He has only done one task and for him this isnt much. For him there is nothing more to learn. He himself doesnt know; why he isnt being assigned different tasks, or what mistake he makes, or why there isnt any connection between Dan and him. So this is why there is no improvement for him at all. Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Y apply to managers and their approach to working with people. Jonathan, Stephanies manager takes a very open approach to his job. He believes that everyone can motivate themselves if they are committed to the objectives given. This requests a lot of trust from Jonathan, but because he is willing to give that trust and responsibility to his employees, he is considered a Theory Y employer. Most people respond very well to this management style. Dan is very much a Theory X employer. He avoids giving responsibility to employees because he feels they will not act on it appropriately, therefore slowing down the progress of the company. In reality, it is this lack of trust, respect and responsibility from Dan that has assisted in reducing Alexs productivity in the grocery store. Alternatives: (Analyze -pros and cons) Alex should Confront Dan To solve a problem, one must know how the problem begins. Just like this, Alex should talk to Dan right away. This could help both Dan and Alex find common ground. He should use problem solving management style to solve the problem. No matter how long it takes, he should solve it.

Pros: the solution can work positively. Dan may understand that Alex is having troubles and that he should make changes the context of their relationship. He can even explain to Alex why he has not been assigned other tasks or gotten a raise. Both can resolve the issue by calmly discussing the matter and finding the solution together. Cons: the solution could work negatively because Dan could be a little aggressive and assume that Alex should know what his job is and he shouldnt argue. Dan may want Alex to figure out why he hasnt been assigned other tasks. If Alex continues to argue, he could get into trouble. If the problem continued to escalate, Dan and Alex could get into an argument that could result in Alex losing his job. Dan should instill job rotation for his employees. In order to use this option, Alex would still have to talk to Dan about how introducing job rotation would help motivate his employees to work harder and do a better job at their work. Pros: The employees would be less bored at work, having more variety in their jobs would want them to keep working hard knowing they wouldn't be doing the same things every week. Alex could quit At the grocery store, Alex has some flexibility with his school schedule. Since he is a university student, he needs to be able to earn some money to make ends meet and to help pay for school. Pros: He would have more time to focus on his school instead of having extra stress with work. Cons: He would not have any money to pay for things he needed to school. If he found another job, the flexibility wouldn't be as guaranteed. Dan could be fired This option could give Alex the opportunity to get a new supervisor. He would have to take a chance with what his new supervisor would be like. Pros: He could have a new supervisor, who would be more open to methods of job design that would make the job better. Another option is that the other supervisors would absorb Dan's employees, and Alex could be put with Jonathan's group, giving him the opportunity to do more than one job. Cons: His new supervisor could be just like Dan. Dan could give Alex a raise Alex could ask to be paid as much as Denise, a worker on Dan's team that makes $2.00 more than Alex does, and she has been working working there for a few months only. Pros: Dan could say yes, and Alex would make more money. Cons: Dan would say no. Alex could ask the store manager to switch supervisors He could ask a higher authority to switch to work for someone else, who treats him fairly. Pros: He would get more respect than working for Dan, and he could have more opportunities to learn more duties, and even perhaps, make more money.

Cons: The store manager could say no, and if Dan found out, he could make Alex's job even worse. Vroom Theory of Expectancy Question #1 The expectancy theory argues that the tendency to act in a certain way depends upon the strength of the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. The expectancy theory implies that employees will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe that effort will lead to a good performance appraisal; that a good appraisal will lead to organizational rewards such as bonus, a salary increase, or a promotion; and that reward will satisfy the employees personal goals. Effort-performance relationship: One possible reason for Alexs low motivation is his belief that no matter how hard he works, the likelihood of obtaining positive feedback from his manager, Dan, is low. An example of Dan showing Alex little empathy is when Dan spoke harsh words to Alex even when Alex finished his lunch within thirty minutes instead of the allotted forty-five minutes. This is one example of how Dan fails to motivate Alex. Another is that he does not give Alex any job variety; instead Alexs only job is stocking apples. On the other hand, Stephanie had higher motivation than Alex because she believed that if she put more effort toward her job, her manager Jonathan would be more than likely to praise her. Stephanie works hard because she knows she is guaranteed verbal, monetary, and other reward-type praise. Also, she has much more job variety which helps to keep her interested in her work. She is allowed to create her own meals and works right now on her favorite part of the store. Furthermore, Jonathan gives her challenges and Stephanie strives to meet these challenges, which increases both her motivation and her productivity. Performance-reward relationship: Another possible cause for Alexs low motivation is his belief that even if he were to get a good performance appraisal, the chances for him to get monetary rewards, such as a bonus, are very low. Alexs belief is...

case study (orgnizational behavior)- A Questions of Motivation 1 . Expectancy theory of motivation holds that employees expect an increase in their rewards in return for increased efforts . When this theory is applied in an organization , employees are motivated to put in extra efforts to increase their performance and thereby qualifying for higher pay . Stephanie is well motivated on her job because her boss gives her clear cut goals to achieve in to earn well defined incentives . Alex , on the other hand , is not motivated to give his best to his job because he feels the job is monotonous and mundane Moreover , there is no indication of any rewards package for better performances . This is how Expectancy Theory relates to this case 2 . Alex feels he is underpaid because a co-worker who is doing pretty much the same job with even fewer work-experience , is being paid more than him . In Alex 's department , there seems to be a lack of equity of pay among its employees . According to equity theory on motivation , when employees feel underpaid compared with others in the organization , their morale is negatively affected and so , they tend to perform at mediocre levels . Alex feels that he is not progressing on the job in terms of pay and exposure to work-variety . That explains his anger and frustration 3 . Alex is angered by the derogatory comments passed by his boss in front of a friend , and he wants to get back at him . The lunch box gives him a rare opportunity to hurt his boss . Alex...