Question

Max asks Jack if he would join him in an initiative to increase employee satisfaction in the workplace. On its face, the initiative sounds good. However, Jack is not sure that Max has the same values or management style or, more importantly, whether Max has ulterior motives for launching this initiative (for his own self-promotion, etc.).

draft a conversation Jack may engage in with Max, including a list of questions regarding his concerns.

using three of these theories, analyze the situation:

motivation/ ability/ role perceptions/ situational factors/ task performance/ organizational citizenship

Answer 1

Solution -

It is true that if Jack needs to undertake this initiative of increasing employee satisfaction then he must carefully ascertain the motives of Max so that there is some credibility and ethical intention attached to this task.

For this purpose the questions that Jack will ask Max would revolve around the organizational citizenship theory, motivation theory and role perception theory. Following would be the understanding that Jack would like to gain from Max -

Organizational Citizenship Theory - This will provide Jack the aspects when Max has gone beyond his duty to provide for the organizational objectives of his company. This would show his inherent interest and nobility of his intention.

Motivation Theory - This will provide Jack the reasoning and the motivation that Max has towards the achievement of employee satisfaction goals. It will also give out the factors that Max is looking at which will define the extent of his thought process.

Role Perception Theory - This aspect will helps Jack define if Max has the clarity on the employee roles that exist within his organization and is also clear on thebground realities and not in any false perception. It will also help understand if the same clarity has been conveyed to the employees so that they are on the same platform. This would provide Jack the answer if the management has been taking initiatives to ensure to provide role clarity to the employees and pump their motivation.

The questions would be as below -

• How many employees work in the organization and what is the structure of the authority.
• What are the initiatives that have been taken by the management to ensure that employees are kept motivated
• What is the motivation strategy that has been followed in the organization
• Has the employees received any written communication on their roles and responsibilities.
• What is the appraisal and feedback system
• What are the objective of employee satisfaction
• What does tha management wish to achieve from employee satisfaction
• Is Max ready to provide for a budgeted project.

The above questions will provide Jack with the basic clarity on the objectives and motives that Max has regarding the employee satisfaction initiatives.