It's A Case Study (feel Free To Give It A Title)

Case Study Analysis and Solution

Connell D. Gaskin

Columbia Southern University

Case Study Analysis and Solution

Introduction

Relocating the office can have many benefits for the employees and can be an important step in business success. It is understood that office relocation news is not happy news for most of the employees and the relocating process can have a toll on their motivation. Here the job of a human resource manager is to keep the employee motivation high because the change in location can cause insecurity and uncertainty to flare. Maintaining employee morale is, therefore, a necessary step towards the office relocation.

Motivating Employees to Keep Productivity

In order to motivate the employees throughout the 60 days, the first step I would take is to encourage early communication to the employees. I will encourage Mr Davis to have Mr Woods as soon as possible to share the new time with all the employees in order to keep them informed since the law also requires notifying with a 60-day notice. There are many ways to keep the employee motivation at par so that they keep on producing efficiency for the company. One way to do this is to empower employees by asking them about their opinions. Employees’ opinions are also important to know their expectations of the relocation package and the severance package. If the relocation packages, rewards and incentives will be designed according to the employees’ choice and expectations from the organization, the company will be able to keep all the efficient and productive employees. Inspiring employees towards the greater vision is what motivates them and this is the style of Steve Jobs ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a22gc6fec9u","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Charisma on Command, n.d.)","plainCitation":"(Charisma on Command, n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1875,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/4G29LGXZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/4G29LGXZ"],"itemData":{"id":1875,"type":"motion_picture","title":"Steve Jobs Leadership Skills Breakdown - How To Motivate People","source":"YouTube","dimensions":"692 seconds","URL":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLERJ5IdrA&feature=youtu.be","author":[{"literal":"Charisma on Command"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Charisma on Command, n.d.).

In addition, the communication must emphasize on the positive outcomes that will be generated for the employees by relocation. As suggested by Herzberg, money is a hygiene factor and cannot motivate all the employees. Sense of achievement, recognition and advancement in a position are the great factors that can motivate employees ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1ohib9cp72","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bassett-Jones & Lloyd, 2005)","plainCitation":"(Bassett-Jones & Lloyd, 2005)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1869,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/4ECJ4K3K"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/4ECJ4K3K"],"itemData":{"id":1869,"type":"article-journal","title":"Does Herzberg's motivation theory have staying power?","container-title":"Journal of management development","page":"929-943","volume":"24","issue":"10","author":[{"family":"Bassett-Jones","given":"Nigel"},{"family":"Lloyd","given":"Geoffrey C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bassett-Jones & Lloyd, 2005). According to Maslow need hierarchy theory, employees need assessment must be done and if their unmet needs can be a driving factor for motivation. Moreover, if employees are communicated what is expected of them in the case of relocation as well, they will be well informed about what is expected of them. The communication plan must also involve a detail of the assistance plan that will help employees after relocation, in this way employees will stay during the 60 days, owing to the fact that company is well aware of their needs and it cares for them.

Establishing oneself as a Positive Reinforcer

Reinforcement is a great way to encourage the desired behavior and the leader needs to encourage the behaviors that have desired outcome for the company. In this scenario, a leader has to act like a positive reinforcer. In one way or another, the leader has to deliver positive reinforcements, to keep the behavior of employees consistent. Here are some ways in I can act as a positive reinforcer using my plan. The communication plan does not involve huge promises to employees, in fact, less should be said and more should be done ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"abjeqdmukf","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Daniels, 2014)","plainCitation":"(Daniels, 2014)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1873,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/TSZ58I4L"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/TSZ58I4L"],"itemData":{"id":1873,"type":"article-journal","title":"semper fidelis! a recipe for leading others.","container-title":"Supervision","page":"6-8","volume":"75","issue":"9","source":"EBSCOhost","archive":"bth","abstract":"The article discusses qualities of a leader and the role of a leader as a positive reinforcer. Topics include the role of a leader to motivate employees and encourage behaviors that benefit the company, the role of leaders in pairing antecedents and consequences, and details on the role of leaders as students.","ISSN":"00395854","journalAbbreviation":"Supervision","author":[{"family":"Daniels","given":"Aubrey"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014",9]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Daniels, 2014). It is too early to make promises with employees, if the management fails to fulfill those promises, employees trust can be at stake. Therefore, the communication plan must only include what the company is doing rather than what it intends to do.

Before devising the plan, an assessment of employees must be done. However, I have been monitoring employees as per my role requirement. Learning about the employees is very important before proposing them anything as part of the communication plan. This will help identify the positive reinforces of the people. The last step is to identify and use the positive reinforces of the employees. If the positive reinforcers of employees are incorporated in the plan, there is a likelihood that employees will consider myself as a positive reinforcer, which will help me in directing them to behave what is most suitable for the company at this time of relocation.

Leadership Style of Mr Davis

The leadership style of Mr Davis as observed in the case is Laissez-faire or hands-off style. The way he said that the managers are solely responsible for everything, shows that he is not taking responsibility for things. This style is also referred to as a hands-off style, which involves no supervision ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1pffj40es4","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & Van Engen, 2003)","plainCitation":"(Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & Van Engen, 2003)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1871,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WXVHJFEQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WXVHJFEQ"],"itemData":{"id":1871,"type":"article-journal","title":"Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis comparing women and men.","container-title":"Psychological bulletin","page":"569","volume":"129","issue":"4","author":[{"family":"Eagly","given":"Alice H."},{"family":"Johannesen-Schmidt","given":"Mary C."},{"family":"Van Engen","given":"Marloes L."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2003"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & Van Engen, 2003). Mr Davis clearly shows that he does not want to participate actively in the process of employee dealing and motivation. Neither he prepares for that and exerts the responsibility on regional human resource director to take care of the matter and devise the plan to better deal with employees and keep them motivated to stay with the company. In addition, he just shares a message from the president and Mr Woods without devising any plan.

Leadership theories that will be used in this situation to motivate employees

The leadership theories that can be applied to this situation to motivate employees. studies show that leaders behavior has a high influence on employee motivation, here one of the leadership theories that can work is behavioral theory. Leaders who focus on behaviors linked with charisma are able to motivate employees ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1ng07uqt5h","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Webb, 2007)","plainCitation":"(Webb, 2007)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1872,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/X6A8XMVP"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/X6A8XMVP"],"itemData":{"id":1872,"type":"article-journal","title":"Motivating peak performance: Leadership behaviors that stimulate employee motivation and performance","container-title":"Christian Higher Education","page":"53-71","volume":"6","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Webb","given":"Kerry"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2007"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Webb, 2007). Another theory that can be used is transformational leadership, which implies the person who inspires them will motivate the employees. Study reveals that transformational leadership has a high influence on employee behavior and motivation. The last theory that can be applied to this case in order to motivate employees is participative leadership, which focuses on getting input from employees. This is a great way to encourage employee involvement and results in employee empowerment, eventually motivating employees.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bassett-Jones, N., & Lloyd, G. C. (2005). Does Herzberg’s motivation theory have staying power? Journal of Management Development, 24(10), 929–943.

Charisma on Command. (n.d.). Steve Jobs Leadership Skills Breakdown - How To Motivate People. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLERJ5IdrA&feature=youtu.be

Daniels, A. (2014). semper Fidelis! a recipe for leading others. Supervision, 75(9), 6–8. Retrieved from both.

Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 569.

Webb, K. (2007). Motivating peak performance: Leadership behaviors that stimulate employee motivation and performance. Christian Higher Education, 6(1), 53–71.