...Gung Ho! Compared and Contrasted to Managing Behavior in Organizations Gung Ho! (Bowles, 1998) presents to a popular audience a method to improve employee satisfaction and productivity. It does so by way of a three-phase plan. Each of the three phases is presented as a sort of parable. Bowles and Blanchard introduce a native American sage, Andy, to relate the parable to the audience in the form of a story told to the manager of a trouble manufacturing plant. Each parable is concluded by a few critical success factors that are easily understood, but perhaps not so easily incorporated into work life. The fact that this book was written in 1998 and is still generating reviews (Amazon.Com, 2012) is a testament to its continuing relevance for managers today. Managing Behavior in Organizations (Greenberg, 2010) covers much of the same material. As a textbook, however, it takes an entirely different approach. First, it is comprehensive in its coverage of organizational behavior. Additionally, its treatment of subjects is much more granular in depth. Finally, it lacks the folksy, easy reading style of the more popularly written Gung Ho!. Having said that, there is a remarkable level of correlation between the concepts presented by the two authors that will be explored below. The Spirit of the Squirrel In observing the industriousness of squirrels in a spruce forest, Bowles and Blanchard teach lessons about the nature of work and the motivational factors related to that...
Words: 2407 - Pages: 10
...and cannot be negotiated; therefore, team B will look for other solutions that will involve outside of pay. On identifying the problem, I decided to use a method that can get information on employee(s) which is used in today’s business market, so I believe it can work on ALX Couture. Secret shoppers have been use in many companies today, these shoppers walk-in to a store a rate the store on many different values such as: customer service, employee(s) knowledge, and cleanliness of the store. As a result, the secret shopper visit at ALX Couture (as an experiment) on a random weekend and reports back the following: Chart 1.1 The secret shopper who I send is my sister, which she enjoys shopping in boutique stores, and I asked her to look for the following information. | 1 (very bad) | 2 (bad) | 3 (okay) | 4 (good) | 5 (great) | | Employee A | Employee B | Employee C | Total | Customer Service | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | Product knowledge | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | Company’s loyalty | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | Since this is only a first time experiment, I do not have what the correct value is to have a great outcome; in addition, my sister enjoyed the experiment and had a good time talking to the employees. Overall, when the secret shopper,...
Words: 1284 - Pages: 6
...0 Managing transnational teams Cultural heterogeneity within a team: A value or burden? Bachelor Thesis Organization & Strategy, 2009-2010 Name : Grace Bronmans Anr : 588850 Supervisor : Miranda Stienstra E-mail : gracebronmans@gmail.com Date : 11-06-2010 Nr. of words : 7967 Management summary Globalization has become an important aspect in business the last decennia. Companies’ competitive position is challenged by a globalizing market, and globalization is a natural development for growing companies to sustain their competitive position. When a firm enters the global market, management faces the challenge to work with transnational teams. International project teams are where most of the boundary spanning works in international enterprise goes on, making them a key factor in organizational success and an important catalyst for individual and organizational development. However, little is known about the management strategies on motivation of diversity, and existing information is scattered. Motivation is a key driver of performance, therefore it is important for management to know how they can influence motivation of transnational teams. This thesis will provide an overview of the effect of culture on the motivational strategy of management on transnational team motivation. This will be guided by the following research questions: RQ 1: How is management...
Words: 9807 - Pages: 40
...definition of a team? A. Employees jointly responsible to meet a goal B. Collection of people working towards a common goal C. A group who follows the same rules D. Employees working towards their specific goals Incorrect : A team is a group responsible for creating, managing, and changing rules to meet a goal” (Jones, 2007, p. 223). Materials Creating High-Performing Groups and Teams 2. What are teams grouped by areas of expertise? A. Cross-functional B. Functional C. Virtual D. Top management Correct : Functional teams are typically sub-groups with a particular specialization who work within the same departments. Materials Types of Groups and Teams 3. A company who desires to develop new or improved products would fit best with what type of team? A. Cross-functional B. Top management C. Virtual D. Functional Correct : Cross-functional teams consist of members from various functions, such as marketing, manufacturing, and R&D, to focus on each element of a new idea or innovation. Materials Types of Groups and Teams Concept: Organizational Functions Mastery 67% Questions 456 Materials on the concept: Conflict, Bargaining, and Negotiation High-Performing Groups and Teams Types of Groups and Teams 4. What does the amount of conflict in an organization signal? A. Managers value conformity B. Openness to new ideas C. Performance goals are not clear D. Indecision by top management Incorrect : “Conflict...
Words: 2214 - Pages: 9
...advantages. Motivation enables managers to encourage workers and employees to attain goals required for organizational missions. Motivation theories have evolved in the past 100 years. Motivation theorist such as Descartes, Darwin, and Hull had many ideas regarding what drives motivation. “When stumped trying to explain why people do what they do, we can turn to theories of motivation…” (Reeves, p. 5, 2001). The goal-setting theory shaped by Edwin Locke explains how organizational goals are used in the workplace to inspire motivation. Two workplace scenarios will be described. The goal-setting theory will be applied to both scenarios. Managers and leaders need to encourage the attainment of workplace goals. “Motive is a general term that identifies the common ground shared by needs, cognitions, and emotions…” (Reeves, p. 7, 2001). When managers cannot motivate employees effectively the environment and the employee suffer. Job satisfaction drops and the employee will no longer value his or her job. When this happens productivity will suffer. Setting goals does not always produce goal attainment. Locke’s theory does have drawbacks. The employee may not value the goal or may not be given enough positive reinforcement to retain his or her goals. Locke’s goal-setting theory states goals should be set to encourage motivation. In his theory a primary goal should be set. The goal should focus on the individual. “Locke’s composite theory of job satisfaction is the...
Words: 1222 - Pages: 5
...C. Pinder Faculty of Business, University of Victoria, British Columbia V8W 2Y2; email: cpinder@uvic.ca Key Words needs, values, goals, affect, behavior ■ Abstract In the first Annual Review of Psychology chapter since 1977 devoted exclusively to work motivation, we examine progress made in theory and research on needs, traits, values, cognition, and affect as well as three bodies of literature dealing with the context of motivation: national culture, job design, and models of person-environment fit. We focus primarily on work reported between 1993 and 2003, concluding that goal-setting, social cognitive, and organizational justice theories are the three most important approaches to work motivation to appear in the last 30 years. We reach 10 generally positive conclusions regarding predicting, understanding, and influencing work motivation in the new millennium. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOTIVATIONAL FRAMEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRAITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
Words: 15793 - Pages: 64
... “Goal setting techniques of the Allstate Insurance Company” Strayer University BUS 520 Dr. Farshid Moghimi 25 July 2011 “Does Allstate have an effective goal setting program?” Goal setting is the process of specifying desired outcomes toward which individuals, teams, departments, and organizations will strive and is intended to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The process of implementing goal setting initiatives can prove to be a difficult task. Many companies have goal setting strategies because they serve as a motivational tool for teams and individuals. The goal setting model consists of many variables. The first and most important variable is the challenge. The challenge is where goal difficulty, goal clarity, and self-efficacy are accessed. The second variables are the moderators which establish ability, goal commitment, feedback, and task complexity. The third and last variables are the mediators which involve direction, effort, persistence, and task strategy. These variables make up the goal model and give individuals a guideline for how to achieve an organization’s goals. Allstate’s goal setting process has the same basic variables that the goal-setting model includes. Allstate formulated has four steps for its employees to achieve the goals of the company. Succession programming, development, measurement, and accountability are the four steps that Allstate uses to help employees progress to achieve their goals. Succession...
Words: 1327 - Pages: 6
...predict and influence behaviors. In this paper will cover three of the five process theories which are Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, Adams’ Equity Theory, and Locke’s Goal-Setting Theory. Theoretical Model: Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Description of Theoretical Model: This theory states that a person will choose to act or behave a certain way depending on if he or she perceives the reward as good or bad for that particular behavior. This theory explains that every individual has a different set of goals and can be motivated if there is a positive correlation between efforts and performance. This model is based on three beliefs valence, expectancy, and instrumentality. Valence is how an individual perceives or values the reward that is offered as good or bad. For example, some may value job promotion as a positive reward because of their need for achievement, although others may have a negative view of the advancement because it will require more time commitment. Expectancy believes that one’s hard work will result in a specific outcome. Instrumentality is the belief that if a person meets performance expectation he or she will receive a reward. Managers can use the expectancy theory to help them understand an employee’s behavior. If the employees lack motivation, the manager needs to discover what their employees’ value, what resources or training their staff may be in need of. Most important managers must be sure that the promises for rewards are fulfilled (Borkowksi, 2005)...
Words: 6199 - Pages: 25
...Analysis of data: Goal-setting Theory influence on general The diagram above indicates the correlation between each four components in goal-setting theory and academic performance. There is a positive relationship between each four components in and academic performance. Making specific tasks facilitates to get the direction clearly and to become more efficient to study. With moderate challenging target, students would be motivated to work harder for the feeling of achievement. Commitment has the highest correlation to academic performance among these four components. Without taking actions and efforts, goals are really not goals as they will never be achieved. Feedback provides clear information to compare whether goals are realized or not through endeavor. Goal-setting Theory influence on female and male The diagram above indicates the correlation between each four components in goal-setting theory and academic performance for male and female respectively. There is a positive relationship between each four components and academic performance. Moreover, the four components have stronger influence for female than male, because female are more likely dominated by plans and schedules than male. Males are always more flexible than females that their performance are not determined by only goal-settings. According to the diagram, there are significant different correlation between feedback and academic performance for male and female. Feedback is an influential composition...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...success, planning and goal setting is critical, without having a plan, and setting goals self-accountability for success is difficult. Maintaining a plan to succeed and to hold yourself accountable for both success and failure is the first step in personal responsibility. Students that plan for and take personal responsibility for their education have drastically improved success rate of achieving their educational goals. Personal responsibility is holding yourself accountable for the actions you choose or chose not to take in your pursuit of success. Students that do not take personal responsibility for their success are doomed to fail. Success is a choice and is attained by not only choosing to be successful but by making the correct choices along the way to ensure you are staying on the path to success. Students that take personal responsibility for their education have drastically improved success rate of achieving their academic goals. As a student, you must develop a plan for success and then be self-accountable to using this plan to ensure success. While there may be some outside influences such as Career Advisors, Financial Advisors, Parents, or Employers holding the student accountable to a certain extent, only the student is truly in control of the decisions they make on a day to day basis and lead to success or failure as a student. If a student looks at every decision they make and asks themselves "Will this decision move me toward my goals?" they are then making...
Words: 1485 - Pages: 6
... Due Date: 7th June 2015 Executive Summary As the Competing Values Framework (CVF) has been considered as an important construct for management in a business, managers use CVF to guide and examine employees’ performance. This report will take advantage of three tools: First, CVF Instrument, to examine current competencies like communicating and leading teams and competencies require further development like setting goals; the next two are Communication Styles Survey and Situational Leadership Style Questionnaire to find out strong skills like driver style and delegating style, and weak style like amiable style and coaching style. Then, related theories and concepts will be applied and interpreted to analyse the examined current competencies and skills and how to develop them further based on academic researches and articles. In this report, face negotiation theory, transformational theory and goal-setting theory are mainly used to have a detailed explanation about the competencies. Finally, a personal action plan will be made aimed to improving the weak competencies. Key words: CVF framework, Face negotiation theory, Goal-setting theory, Transformation theory and Personal action plan Table of Content 1.0 Introduction 4 1.1 Aims of the report 5 1.2 Methodology 5 2.0 Theoretical Framework 5 2.1 Competing Values Framework 5 3.0 Analysis of personal management competencies 6 3.1...
Words: 4217 - Pages: 17
...importance of setting achievable goals, the importance of learning styles in academic success and the validity of ethics and academic integrity in helping to achieve continuing academic and professional success. Setting Goals Distinct, clearly defined goals that can be measured will allow a person to take pride in accomplishing the goals they have set. They are able to see clear forward progress in what otherwise might seem a long drawn out process. Setting goals allows one to choose where they want to go in school or in a career and what they want to achieve. Knowing what they want to achieve, helps them know what they have to concentrate on and improve. Goal setting gives one long-term vision and short-term motivation. By setting goals students and employees can: improve their academic and career performance, increase their motivation to achieve, increase pride and satisfaction in performance and improve their self- confidence. Setting goals and measuring their achievements allow the goal setters to see what they have done and what they are capable of doing. Seeing their results gives them confidence and assurance and motivation they need to believe they can achieve higher goals. Effective goal setting requires one to express goals positively, be accurate, set priorities, keep goals small, set goals one can control and set specific measurable goals. Writing down your goals symbolizes a real commitment to strive to make them reality. My educational goal is to increase ...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...Using the model for goad setting, evaluate Allstate goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. “ Goal setting is the process of specifying desired outcomes toward which individuals, teams, departments, and organizations will strive and is intended to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness.” The goal setting has for motivational steps. (1) Goals direct attention. That is the focus an employee's attention on what is relevant and important. (2) Goals regulate effort. Not only do goals direct our attention, they motivate us to act. (3) Goals increase persistence. Persistence represents the effort expended on a task over an extended period of time. (4) Goal foster strategies and action programs. Goals encourage people to develop strategies and action programs that enable them to achieve their goals In evaluating Allstate company goal setting process Allstate has taking four specific steps on how to accomplish different task. The first step is Succession Programming. A diverse slate of candidates is identified and developed for each key position. Allstate's management information system enables it to track and measure key drivers of career development and career opportunities for all of its employee's, ensuring that the company's future workforce will be diverse at all levels. Step two: Development. The company's development process, all employees receive an assessment of their...
Words: 944 - Pages: 4
...predict and influence behaviors. In this paper will cover three of the five process theories which are Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, Adams’ Equity Theory, and Locke’s Goal-Setting Theory. Theoretical Model: Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Description of Theoretical Model: This theory states that a person will choose to act or behave a certain way depending on if he or she perceives the reward as good or bad for that particular behavior. This theory explains that every individual has a different set of goals and can be motivated if there is a positive correlation between efforts and performance. This model is based on three beliefs valence, expectancy, and instrumentality. Valence is how an individual perceives or values the reward that is offered as good or bad. For example, some may value job promotion as a positive reward because of their need for achievement, although others may have a negative view of the advancement because it will require more time commitment. Expectancy believes that one’s hard work will result in a specific outcome. Instrumentality is the belief that if a person meets performance expectation he or she will receive a reward. Managers can use the expectancy theory to help them understand an employee’s behavior. If the employees lack motivation, the manager needs to discover what their employees’ value, what resources or training their staff may be in need of. Most important managers must be sure that the promises for rewards are fulfilled (Borkowksi, 2005)...
Words: 1680 - Pages: 7
...work life is rare. It is not often that you find a company where they motivate their employee as well as maintaining diversity among its staff. In today’s society most companies are just beginning to scratch the surface on how to make their company work well in such a diverse society as we have today. Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. Before you take a closer look at Allstate goal setting process, one must compare this company to another company that may have or have not been as successful in achieving the same type of goals. Although some of these companies may not be in the same industry as Allstate, it is whether their mission is as successful. According to (Porter, 1985) Southwest's success is also dependent on its organizational capabilities that enable it to convert some of the value created for employees to customer and shareholder value. As a result of these capabilities, employees deliver both low cost and superior service which form the basis of Southwest's competitive advantage (Porter, 1985), enabling it to capture value. Thus Southwest provides an example of competitive advantage created through people, as suggested by Pfeffer (1994). So when it comes to change, the best place for a company to start with...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
