Drive Theories the \"It\'s Not Fair\" Case

Drive Theories

The "it's not fair" case study is an interesting one; it involves a situation that is quite common in the workforce. Mary receives an adequate starting salary and has been working for the company for one year upon discovering that even with her 10% raise a new employee with essentially the same credentials is earning more per year than she is. Before discovering that Sue had started her employment with company earning $5,000 more per year than her, Mary was on cloud nine. She had successfully navigated the workplace waters; presenting herself in an ethical and professional manner. So much so, in fact, that she had received a 10% raise when before her first annual review she would have been happy with 6-7% and satisfied with a 5% raise. Her euphoric feelings were immediately dashed when discovering that Sue would still be earning more than her though only just starting her career with the company. The change in Mary's thinking and disposition were immediate and drastic. Though not explicitly stated in the case study, it is implied that she ran off in a tiff upon learning Sue's salary. This change is understandable; she has discovered that her worth is not as great as what she had deemed it to be. It is a tough psychological blow to anyone's psyche, yet it happens time and time again.

Mary has a number of choices; obviously she is a good employee, well respected for an individual with only one year under her belt. She could return to Tom's office displaying anger and angst and pushing a confrontation that would just as likely cause ill feelings as it would to rectify the situation. On the other hand, she could return to Tom's office, ask for a clarification and let her feelings of disappointment be known in a cool, professional manner. A third choice, would be to let the situation lie for a period of time, while she simmers down and decides on the appropriate course of action.

As one recent study determined "changes in the American professoriate's employment patterns, types, demographics and work life are the greatest we have seen in over half a century" (Miller, 2011, p. 17) and this is true not only in academia but in the corporate world as well. It might well behoove Mary to take a deep breath, relax and contemplate her actions, before setting forth on a path that might not lead her to a destination she wishes to achieve.

A number of motivational theories comes to mind when addressing Mary's situation. Of course, most individuals in the workforce can be said to have some form of incentive motivation for being there. The individual wishes to have an income (and the things that the income can purchase) and are therefore motivated to work to achieve that income. In Mary's case, she was happy to receive the raise, felt that she deserved it, and was even happier when contemplating the fact that other employees would not be receiving the same type of raise that she had. This thinking is more in line with the drive theory of motivation which contemplates what drives individuals to work harder and achieve more.