Question

Management at Work

William is a manager at Macy’s. He recently received a special motivation report, but he isn’t sure how to use the information it contains. Can you help? Knowing that you are studying expectancy theory, William wants you to read the motivation report and help him write an e-mail that will motivate his employee Abigail. Review what motivates employees at Macy’s by reading the “Motivation Report.”

Motivation Report

In general, motivation at Macy’s is high. However, different employees are motivated by different things. In William’s department, Abigail is motivated by learning new things, Garrett is motivated by money, and Richard is motivated by interesting work.

Use your knowledge of expectancy theory to answer William’s questions.

Hi Abigail,

As you may know, Macy’s is in a battle with Abercrombie & Fitch for sales among 15- to 20-year-old female customers. We are relocating our Junior department to the basement of our store to give young people a separate entrance and a place to call their own. We want to beat Abercrombie & Fitch, and we’ll all need to work together to make that happen.

Do you think some kind of reward would be appropriate to motivate Abigail? If so, what should it be?

1. A choice of work assignments

2. A $200 bonus

3. Full tuition for a course of her choice

Which of the following sentences should I use to increase Abigail’s instrumentality?

1. Your attitude is critical in this effort—I know you can do it.

2. For every 200 Macy’s coupons you hand out, you will receive 25% off any item in the store.

3. You will have to work hard to sell more.

Which of the following sentences should I use to increase Abigail’s expectancy?

1. If you are able to complete this transition before the scheduled completion date, you will receive a $500 bonus.

2. In the coming weeks, I will be relying on you to make decisions on how best to make this transition.

3. Your role will be more passive during this transition, allowing you to focus more on what needs to get done.

Answer 1