Practices and Cases

Managing Motivation in a Difficult Economy. Question CC-9. a) Which parts of the program appear to fit well with research evidence on goal setting? "The HR team came up with five options for the management system" (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 624). This means there were five programs individual managers could choose out of the five. Program I was not a good fit when it comes to goal setting because it stuck to the old ways of the company. Meaning, it did not let employees participate nor receive information.

When it comes to research on goal setting, employees well informed and active within their job feel more motivated to meet goals, especially when they set them or are part of the process of setting them. Essentially, Program IV, where managers communicate with employees only a weekly basis through "brainstorming sessions" not only allows employees to self-evaluate their own performance but also keeps them informed of what they can do to improve and allows them to give feedback on store performance.

This kind of participation promotes effective goal setting as described in a recent article because it allows employees room for feedback and accountability. "And yet, true transformation in schools can only happen when there is a clear target that is known and owned by those who are implementing the goal and to those who are striving to achieve it" (Newman, 2012, p. 12). Furthermore, goal setting provides a very significant strategy for construction of a culture of collective leadership.

Program IV not only increases employee evaluation and feedback, but it also generates higher levels of communication within the employees and managers. This part of the overall program seems to fit best with the objective of goal setting. Case III: Building a Coalition b) Which parts of the program would you change to get more substantive improvements in employee motivation? As previously mentioned, program I sticks to the old way of performing.

"Program I is opting out of the new idea, continuing to stay the course and providing employees with little to no information or opportunities for participation" (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 624). There is no room for improvement and employees may feel as though they are not fully aware of how well or how bad they are doing. Limiting participation and feedback is not conducive to employee motivation. Although some employees within the company welcome no change and do not like altering things, most employees may feel stuck within their current situation.

A study featuring a sample of 84 customer advisors were surveyed to understand impact of change in the workplace. The participants were recently affected by significant changes in retail banking workplaces. "The participants completed a questionnaire consisting of instruments to map their self-rated personal initiative, self-efficacy beliefs, reflection at work and perception of psychological safety in work relations with colleagues and supervisors" (Hetzner, Heid & Gruber, 2015, p. 34). The results indicated most were happy with the changes especially when they had the ability to give feedback concerning possible changes.

Program I eliminates any options for employees to give feedback in exchange for a no-change work environment. This is not helpful for increased productivity and communication and therefore should be removed. Question CC-17 The development team will be more effective if members have some idea about how groups and teams typically operate. Review [in detail] the dominant perspectives on TEAM [not group] formation and performance from the research and theory presented in the textbook for the committee so it can know what to expect.

Question CC-18 Given the profiles of candidates for the development team, provide detailed suggestions for who would likely be a good group member and who might be less effective in this situation. The most effective group member out of the profiles of candidates would be the first one, Victoria Adams. "Victoria Adams is the superintendent of schools for Washington, D.C. She spearheaded the initial communication with the Woodson Foundation and has been building support among teachers and principals" (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 630).

She is the superintendent of schools within the Washington D.C. area, which means she already has excellent leadership, administration, and management skills. She began early communication with the foundation making her one of the reasons why things moved in this direction in the first place. Anyone who actively searches for and promotes communication is an important team member to have. Causes such as those described in the case like parental control, need mediation and open communication. Adams seems to be an ideal candidate for this.

Adams appears to promote and take initiative. These are important to promoting positive change. A study on organizational culture shows people with volunteer traits such as Adams promote such positive behavior. "Results of hierarchical regression analysis have shown that personal development dimension of volunteerism was found to be the positive predictor of OC and OCB both" (Jain, 2015, p. 116). Although Dupree seems like a good candidate, he does not actually seem like he would take the initiative necessary to get things done.

"Community organizer Mason Dupree doesn't like the level of bureaucracy either. He worries that the school's answer to its problems is to throw more money at them" Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 630). First, he is a community organizer. Therefore, he does not have actual.