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MGMT 340 - Building Motivation Case Notes
Strategic management (mgmt 449 ), california state university, fullerton.
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Your Name Dr. Gergana Todorova MGMT 340 2 March 2021 CASE STUDY: BUILDING MOTIVATION
Relate the motivation techniques described in the case to those covered in this chapter. What have you tried already? What do you think should still be tried? As a sales representative in the article, I have tried numerous motivation techniques described in the case to those covered in this chapter in order to increase the sales by 20%. For instance, I tried one of the levels of Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs, which is to socialize with store employees by explaining the benefits of the product. However, employees are only concerned with their paycheck and not interested in getting the best product for their customers. As a result, this technique did not work as only 7 stores agreed to help among 50 stores. The second approach I have tried was teaching the store employees about the product’s benefits and I expected them to educate their customers the same thing. I noticed that this technique has shown a little improvement in the sales at my other 43 stores. Finally, I listened to my boss’ advice, which is to ask the store manager to motivate their employees. However, this approach has not given good outcomes. There was no improvement in sales and the employees’ attitudes have decreased. From my perspective, the motivation technique we should try is offering incentives, encouragement, and rewards to the employees who have a good sales record, or they can get a commission for every product they sell. Overall, the managers should praise and encourage all employees' efforts and successes, train and improve skills for employees, and create a trust for employees.
How is it different trying to motivate people who work directly for you compared to those who work for someone else (as in the situation with the store employees in the case)? Motivate people who work for someone else is more challenging than those who work directly for me because the employees know that I am not their direct managers. In the case of trying to motivate someone who works directly for me, I have more control over their wages,
incentives, and promotions, etc. I work with them every day and have more interactions with each other, creating the employee's trust with the manager. On the other hand, I have very few opportunities of implementing some kind of incentive or pay raise scheme for those who work for someone else without the approval of their direct supervisor.
Explain the role that leadership plays in motivating these retail employees. Leadership plays a salient role in motivating these retail employees. Whether the business grows or not depends on an important part of its employees. Employees are the core force to help the company develop and implement the plans given by their superiors. The motivation of employees is a decisive factor to help businesses own quality human resources. In this case, leaders need to motivate the employees to increase sales, increase productivity, ensure job satisfaction, and generate more profit. A good leader knows how to motivate employees, makes them feel more comfortable and satisfied in the workplace.
As a follow-up to this case, the sales representative started offering financial incentives (bonuses) to employees that met the desired sales increase. Discuss the pros and cons of using incentives. One of the biggest advantages of using incentives is its enormous impact on employee motivation, and increase productivity in the workplace. Financial incentives have a partial impact on improving employee satisfaction and performance. Employees will be rewarded for their hard work and success in sales. This is really necessary for the company to recognize the achievements of its employees, creating motivation for other employees to strive. On the other hand, financial incentives can cause conflict because some employees who do not receive incentives will be jealous and upset. This leads to them having no interest in working, reducing performance and morale. Employees can also feel unfair and become unmotivated if their efforts are not recognized or when they do not meet their goals.
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Question: Hello, I need all discussion questions answered. CASE STUDY 8.1: Building Motivation Construction Products Inc. sells construction products to various retail and wholesale markets across the United States. Its only office is in Illinois, and so it sends sales representatives on the road to different territories to obtain orders and develop relationships
Hello, I need all discussion questions answered.
CASE STUDY 8.1: Building Motivation
Construction Products Inc. sells construction products to various retail and wholesale markets across the United States. Its only office is in Illinois, and so it sends sales representatives on the road to different territories to obtain orders and develop relationships with retailers. You are the newest sales representative and have been assigned to the Southeast territory. A typical workday for a sales rep involves stopping at numerous stores and talking with general managers while visiting the retail stores to view how products are marketed and displayed. On these visits, sales reps try to increase wholesale orders by improving the sales of Construction Products. Also, they complete market reports that are used by the Illinois main office for future forecasting of product demand. Most territories are responsible for about 50 retail stores and about a dozen wholesale accounts. Sales reps are expected to spend a lot of time in the stores focusing on optimizing product location within the store, training employees, and educating customers about the benefits of the company’s products. For example, a sales rep typically tries to get larger space in the store for plywood so that more can be sold. Employees and customers need to be educated on the different grades of plywood and how to match them with building projects. This is important since the stores carry competitors’ products in the stores.
After 6 months on the job, your boss has tasked you with increasing sales in your territory by 20%. You plan to meet this goal by explaining the benefits of your product and why it should be the product of choice. During store visits, you socialize with store employees but realize quickly that getting everyone on the same page is not going to be as easy as anticipated. You learn that most employees don’t really care if the customer gets the best material for their project. They get their paycheck regardless of how much of your products are sold. They listen politely but are not enthusiastic about your ideas. Among the 50 retail stores that you are assigned to, there are seven that agree to help you with increasing sales in their store. You plan to track the sales in these stores compared to the others that did not agree to help. After a month, you see only slight increases in the sales in the seven stores but you are encouraged. Sales are about the same in the other 43 stores. You realize that focusing on the seven stores will not meet your boss’s goal of increasing sales by 20%.
The next month, you try a different approach in your other 43 stores. In those stores, you spend time teaching employees about various building products so they can educate their customers. They seem to grasp an understanding of the benefits your product could bring to the customers compared to competitors’ products. They also seem to understand the applications and how to match your products with customers’ building needs. But when you ask them to teach customers what you had shown them, you were met with looks of confusion and aggravation. Although a bit reluctant, they agree to give it a try.
Checking the weekly sales figures over the next month, you notice that there has been little improvement in the sales of your product at these 43 stores. You ask your boss for advice, and he suggests that you speak with the manager of one of the retail stores to gain an understanding for the lack of motivation. You show him a printout of the sales numbers and how much income your products bring to the store as well as ask for his help getting employees on board with promoting the products. Since the store manager’s main concern is revenue for the store, he quickly agreed and offered his full support.
The store manager calls a meeting where he, the store employees, and you discussed techniques for product presentation and how employees can effectively pitch the product to customers. You left feeling confident that the employees would be effective since the goal was reinforced by their boss. However, on the next review, not only had there been no improvement in sales but the employees’ attitudes toward you had drastically declined. They either avoided you or were unfriendly when you tried to speak to them.
You realize you must come up with a completely different plan of attack to be successful and spend the next Monday morning considering your courses of action.
Discussion Questions
- Relate the motivation techniques described in the case to those covered in this chapter. What have you tried already? What do you think should still be tried?
- How is it different trying to motivate people who work directly for you compared to those who work for someone else (as in the situation with the store employees in the case)?
- Explain the role that the retail store manager plays in motivating these retail employees. What can you do to encourage more support from the managers?
- As a follow-up to this case, you started offering financial incentives (bonuses) to employees that met the desired sales increase. Discuss the pros and cons of using incentives to increase sales.
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Compare the motivation techniques described in the case to the ones discussed in the corresponding chapter by identifying specific methods such as communication and support that the representative has already attempted.
Ans.-1 In this chapter, we can see many motivation stories which were used by the sales representative to increase sales. The first techniques are used by the representative was communication and support to increase sales in stores. As we know, the p …
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5 Real-World Case Studies that Prove the Power of Intrinsic Motivation
The Call for Intrinsic Motivation
The way we think about motivation is changing, and as Learning & Development and HR professionals, it's our responsibility to adapt and guide this transformation. Traditional methods of carrot-and-stick motivation are increasingly viewed as obsolete, paving the way for a more nuanced approach focusing on intrinsic motivators like autonomy, mastery, and purpose. "Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement," as research has famously shown. Today, we'll delve into five real-world case studies to demonstrate the tangible impact of intrinsic motivation on organizational performance.
1. Google's 20% Time: Autonomy in Action
The initiative.
Google's 20% Time allows employees to spend a fifth of their working hours on projects they're passionate about, unrelated to their primary job responsibilities.
The Results
This policy has led to the development of some of Google's most successful products, like Gmail and Google News. By granting autonomy, Google has managed to foster innovation, job satisfaction, and exceptional performance.
Lessons for L&D and HR Professionals
Use similar "innovation time" projects in your organization to build a culture of autonomy. Even if it's not 20%, giving employees some time to work on what engages them can pay off significantly.
2. Zappos: Delivering Happiness Through Purpose
Zappos's core purpose goes beyond selling shoes and clothing. They aim to "deliver happiness."
Zappos has one of the most loyal customer bases, boasting a retention rate of 75%. Employees are more engaged because they see a higher purpose to their work beyond just selling products.
Work to identify and communicate the higher purpose of your company. Make this purpose a central part of your onboarding and training processes to instill intrinsic motivation.
3. Atlassian’s ShipIt Days: Mastering Skills in 24 Hours
Atlassian has a quarterly event called "ShipIt Day" where employees have 24 hours to complete a project of their choice.
This has not only resulted in valuable new product features but has also boosted employee morale and job satisfaction.
Consider short-term, intensive "hackathons" or skill-building events that allow your team to express their skills and creativity in a non-traditional setting.
4. Adobe's Check-in System: Shifting Away from Control
Adobe has replaced annual performance reviews with regular "check-ins," where the emphasis is on feedback and development, not ratings or promotions.
Voluntary attrition decreased by 30% after the implementation of the system, and internal surveys showed increased employee engagement.
Traditional performance reviews often focus on extrinsic rewards like promotions or raises. Shift the focus towards growth and development to boost intrinsic motivation.
5. Spotify’s Squads: Small Teams, Big Autonomy
Spotify organizes its engineers into "squads," small cross-functional teams that operate like mini-startups.
This enables rapid innovation and high employee engagement. Squads have the autonomy to decide what to build, how to build it, and how to work together while building it.
Autonomy can exist within a framework. Small, empowered teams can execute strategy more quickly and effectively than larger, more bureaucratic structures.
Conclusion: The Road to Intrinsic Motivation
These case studies show us that intrinsic motivation is not just a theoretical concept; it has practical implications that can significantly boost your organization's performance. Whether through granting autonomy, fostering a sense of purpose, or facilitating mastery, intrinsic motivation can be a driving force behind business success.
To deepen your understanding of how intrinsic motivation can prepare your organization for any challenge, including economic downturns, check out this asset: Practical Strategies L&D Leaders Can Use to “Recession-Proof” Their Companies and Teams . It provides L&D professionals with actionable insights to cultivate resilient, exceptional leaders and teams.
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