Part A
Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs and Herzberg Two-Factor theory are some of the motivation theories that underlie the switch to the new scheduling system at Montego Bay. Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of needs postulates that human beings have a set of five needs arranged in a definite order with three low-level level needs (physiological needs, safety needs, and social needs) and two high-level needs (esteem needs and self actualization needs) (Griffin, 2016).
The scheduling system generates work schedules based on the daily performance metrics. Consequently, employees like Sylvia find themselves with lesser hours with which they are not able to cover for their living expenses. Since the physiological needs of employees are unmet, employees respond by outhustling colleagues and being more aggressive with customers in order to secure enough work that can cover for their basic needs. The introduction of the scheduling system at Montego Bay has lowered employees in the Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs and they are now struggling to meet their physiological needs. With the new system, employee’s sole motivation is the need to satisfy their basic needs. Consequently, employees have no regard to how their practices harm the collegial working environment. The employees may be unhappy even though they are working harder because most of their needs including some of their physiological needs (having a living wage) are unmet. In addition, employees are worried about their job security because they fear more aggressive sales people might replace them. According to the Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs, with the new scheduling system confines employees to meeting low-level needs i.e. physiological needs and safety needs and may fail to rise through the hierarchy. In the short-run employees are likely to get more angry and frustrated at work. In the long run, the rising employee dissatisfaction is likely to lead to labor turnover. Montego Bay Club may lose its talented employees to competitors.
Herzberg two-factor theory argues that factors that cause job satisfaction and thus motivation are different from factors that cause job dissatisfaction (Schermerhorn, 2010). In the case of Montego Bay, employees may be motivated to work hard by the need for recognition as the most productive employee and the chance to work during prime sales days. On the other hand, employees may be feeling dissatisfied because of poor interpersonal relationships and lack of job security.
According to Herzberg two-factor theory, Lisa should eliminate dissatisfiers such as job insecurity, hostile work environment, and low pay. On the other hand, Lisa must build enough satisfiers such as recognition, growth opportunities, job enrichment, and achievement in order to motivate the employees.
If I were Lisa Mahoney, I would consider both the qualitative and quantitative factors in assessing the success of the six-month trial period. In quantitative terms the scheduling system has achieved its objectives i.e. sales had increased 2.8% and labor costs had decreased 5% by the end of the six-month period. However, in qualitative terms, the system was a failure. Employees were feeling devalued and the collegial work environment had been destroyed. In the view of all these facts, I would not stick with the scheduling system. Instead, I would propose to implement a commission based compensation scheme and the work schedule to consider not just the performance metrics but also the personal needs of the employees. Having a commission based system would act as an incentive that would motivate the sales people to increase sales. Preparing a work schedule that considers both the performance metrics and the personal needs of the employees would give the employees a sense of being valued. Such a system would not only drive performance but also it would improve the work relationships making Montego Bay a great place to work.
In my opinion, the new system would make employees to push products to customers without regard to what the customer needs. Consequently, customers would feel that Montego Bay is only interested in making money and not help customers’ to satisfy their needs. After a sales transaction, customers may feel like they were conned into buying something that they really did not need. Over time, customers may start growing resentment towards Montego Bay and the sales would decline. In addition, because the system gives employees an incentive to be aggressive with customers, some customers may find the shopping experience a hassle and wish to avoid visiting the store in future. Overall, an aggressive sales strategy is likely to lead to an awful customer experience that would elicit resentment from customers and in the long run sales are likely to decline.
Part B
Mike Murphy assumes that success begets success and thus people will be motivated if they expect to succeed. Mike argues that “parents want their boys to be in a successful program,” and thus there are high expectations from parents, the boys, and to the sponsors that the Cub Scout will win something. Consequently, everybody puts in the required effort to make the program successful.
Mike seems to subscribe to the expectancy theory of motivation. The expectancy theory of motivation contends that people’s motivation is a function of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence (Lunenburg, 2011). Expectancy theory of motivation is premised on four assumptions. One, individuals join organizations with expectations that their needs will be met (Lunenburg, 2011). In this case, parents enroll their boys in the program with expectations that they will be successful. Two, individual behavior is a result of a conscious choice (Lunenburg, 2011). Prospective boy scouts are free to choose in which program they wish to enroll. Three, individuals want to satisfy different needs in the organization. Parents want their boys to be successful, boys want to win, and the sponsors wants to be associated with a successful club. Four, individuals will choose among various alternatives in order to maximize outcomes (Lunenburg, 2011).
Expectancy is an individual assessment that effort will lead to a desired outcome (Daft, 2008). Parents enroll their children in the Cub Scouts with the expectation that they will win and be successful. Mike captures the high expectations everyone has about the Cub Scouts being successful “Our kids expect to win, and so do their parents.”
Instrumentality is an individual estimation that a given level of effort will lead to the desired outcome (Lunenburg, 2011).Mike is able to galvanize everybody in the team the boy scouts, the parents and the sponsors to participate to make the Cub Scout successful. Mike notes, “Everybody understands that we want a successful program and that means we all have to participate to achieve that success. I can’t do it all, but if we can unleash the energy these bots have there isn’t anything in the Cub Scout we can’t do!”
Valence is the strength of the individual preference for a given reward (Lunenburg, 2011). In this case, parents and the boys have a very strong desire to win and are willing to do all that is required of them in order to win and be successful. Mike notes that, “Success leads to success” the boy Scouts and their parents are willing to participate in the program because they want the program to be successful.
Vroom hypothesized that motivation, expectancy, instrumentality, and valence can be expressed in the following equation:
Motivation = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence
Mike has been so successful in turning around the organization by appealing to the desire for the boys and parents to be successful. Mike understands that everyone wants to win, and people are likely to rally behind a winning team than a losing team. In addition to having a compelling vision, Mike is an effective leader and shares out responsibilities to others. When everyone plays their part, it is easier to be successful. Mike is also very keen on winning, and this keeps the commitment of the boys and parent to the Cub Scout very high.
I would motivate people in a volunteer organization by first establishing a cause that people would like to pursue, a cause that appeals to the individual intrinsic motivation. A cause that does not appeal to the individual intrinsic motivation is unlikely to be successful because volunteer organizations do not pay their members and so it is difficult to provide extrinsic motivation. Some of the common causes I can choose from include charity, community service, and religion. A clearly articulated cause would be the foundation of the volunteer organization.
Once the volunteer organization is established, a critical factor is providing leadership to achieve the goals of the organization. I would run the organization in a fair and transparent manner. I would also actively involve every member in running the organization. Sharing responsibilities among members and empowering them to be able to make the required contribution for the success of the team. The Vroom’s Expectancy theory argues that people’s motivation does not lie in the strong desire to fulfill unmet needs or in order to get rewards. Rather individuals motivations stems from a rational assessment of the probability that effort will lead to the achievement of the desired outcome, the belief that performance will be rewarded, and the reward valences (Lunenburg, 2011).
References
Daft, R. (2008). Management. Mason, OH, USA: Thomson Southwestern.
Griffin, R. (2016). Management. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Luneneburg, F. (2011). Expectancy Theory of Motivation: Motivating by Altering Expectations.
International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1-6.
Schermerhorn, J. (2010). Management. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
