Modern day managers who care less about employee motivation and satisfaction do so at the business’s peril. It is imperative that the business managers put in place strategies to maintain low staff turnover by placing value not only on clients but also on the employees (Grant, 1984). Fullerton and Toossi (2001) assert that doing this assures the business of continuity and gives it a competitive edge over its competitors. The case of a Peter Gibbons working for Initech exemplifies this issue by contrasting the working conditions at Initech to those at Coffee Beans.
Peter’s achievement orientation
Peter is not motivated and cares less about his work. He has been underperforming at work, and his lack of adherence to office procedures and policies can attest to this (case study). He is oriented to working just hard enough to not get fired. He wants to achieve some efficiency and does not want his bosses to hassle him for making mistakes. The high number of bosses (eight) is the main cause of Peter’s declining performance at work. The different superiors Peter has could be sending mixed signals to him confusing him on their expectations on him. He therefore does things to in an attempt to please his superiors disregarding company procedures and policies.
Peter would be show improved performance working for Initech if a clear chain of command existed. According to Inamori & Analoui, (2010) the observance of clearly defined instructions from one boss improves motivations as one seeks to fulfil clear tasks devoid of confusion
Peter Gibbons needs not being met at Initech
There are several discomforts for Peter while working at Initech. Firstly, Peter lacks job security. The making of mistakes could lead him to getting fired. He cynically confides to one of the efficiency experts that the fear of losing his job and, not being hassled, are his motivation factors. Secondly, Peter needs to be under a clear working structure to replace the current one where he reports to eight bosses! He is worried over making mistakes as he will have to account for the mistakes to several superiors. Being answerable to many bosses demeans Peter’s self-esteem and hence reducing his motivation to work to a point of declaring that he does not care. He does not see the need to work hard as he won’t get promoted based on pure and genuine hardwork, rather by “seeming busy” and presenting meticulous paperwork.
Peter feels imprisoned and seeks freedom where he neither has to present meticulous paperwork nor does he have to look busy to earn a promotion. He also seeks the freedom to question authority.
Changes that might improve Peter’s motivation
Several things might improve Peter’s motivation. Firstly, he has to be under a clear chain of command where he reports to a single boss and not eight. Secondly, he seeks to have his superiors treat and judge him on more based on his personality and not on his performance at work. He personally seems to detest promotions based on presentation of meticulous paperwork. He would appreciate it if his superiors diversified and based their promotional criteria on more employee-oriented factors. He also feels that the freedom to question superiors can improve his motivation.
Environment at Initech
The leaders at Initech invoke the Golem effect. The Golem effect is one where employers have placed low expectations on their employees as a result of which the employees underperform (Rosenthal & Babad, 1985). This is attested by their strict supervising as seen in Peter’s case where he has eight superiors. They seem to have a low opinion of their employees; that the employees cannot work with minimal supervision. They fear being questioned by their juniors and neither do they seem to value their ideas.
The criteria they use to promote the employees are also superficial; employees who look busy and present meticulous paperwork are regarded highly. The management has no regard for employees who may not be predisposed to positions where they do not present paperwork. Moreover, employees like Peter who think lowly of these criteria are not given any thought by the management. The employees at Initech work driven by fear and just hard enough to keep to their jobs. The management style is therefore the reason why employees like Peter underperform and fail to care. These aspects point to a management that strongly invokes the Golem effect.
Environment at the Coffee Bean
The environment at Coffee Bean invokes a Pygmalion effect where the employer places high and attainable expectations on the employees, (Rosenthal & Babad, 1985). The management has placed the employees first by pursuing a philosophy that is employee-driven. This shows that the management thinks highly of its employees and expects highly of them leading them to perform better at work (Rosenthal & Babad, 1985). The management of Coffee Bean pursues a philosophy that encourages fun at the workplace as espoused in the four principles of the FISH philosophy. The four principles give employees the freedom of choice (choose your attitude), motivation (making their day), encouragement (Be there) and ultimately the choice to make working fun (play) (case study).
The management also seems to have loosened supervision on the employees and also allowing them to voice their concerns and contribute in decision making. The management also extended the philosophy to its customers by incorporating their favorite sports into their daily schedules. These aspects show that the management at Coffee Bean values personal tastes and preferences and therefore places high and achievable expectations on its employees.
Why the Coffee Bean seen such a significant reduction in its turnover
The staff turnover at the Coffee Bean has reduced significantly because the employees are motivated to work there. The management has invoked the Pygmalion effect where it thinks highly of them and places achievable expectations on them. Moreover, the management has made their workplace fun, comfortable and friendly. The pursuance of the FISH philosophy has also improved relationships at the company. Participation in fun activities has improved employee to employee, employee to management as well as employee to customer relationships.
The management also incorporates the employees in decision making and improves communication which is healthy for the sustenance of talented human resource (Fullerton & Toossi, 2001). The incorporation of favorite sporting events into the company increases employee loyalty and gives them something to look forward to; catching up on spectacular NFL touchdowns for instance. The employees are also able to network and create many friends from the large number of clients who become regular patrons at the coffee shops. People naturally like to keep the company of friends with whom they participate in fun activities. The management of Coffee Bean has managed to create a close-knit community among the employees and the customers and thus the reduced staff turnover.
Conclusion
Today’s managers must value employee motivation and satisfaction in order to ensure continued sustainability and competitiveness of the business. The case of Peter Gibbons elaborates this point. Peter’s achievement orientation was one where he opted to be less supervised and one where he felt free to voice his concerns to his bosses. He also valued promotion based on more personal issues instead of paperwork presentations and “seeming busy”. Peter unmet needs include a sense of job security and a clear working structure. He can be motivated if the management at Initech met these two needs. But Initech is seemingly not ready to meet Peter’s needs since it invokes the Golem Effect. In other words, the management has placed low expectations on employees thereby lowering their morale them and causing them to underperform. Coffee Bean on the other hand, has embraced the Pygmalion effect by pursuing philosophies that encourage fun at the workplace. These has significantly reduced staff turnover and placed the business on the path to success.
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