How to Motivate Fred Maiorino
Fred Maiorino was a successful sales manager for Schering-Plough for over 31 years before Jim Reed was appointed general sales manager over the South Jersey sales district. Upon Jim Reed’s arrival he implemented several changes to try to increase sales and motivate staff. Jim Reed was unsuccessful at motivating Fred. Fred Maiorino was later terminated after countless unsuccessful attempts were made to motivate him. After analyzing the situation Jim Reed lacked the management skills needed to motivate Fred a successful employee of over 31 years.
Jim Reed’s unsuccessful leadership attempt and a failed appraisal system were factors in the demise of Fred Maiorino. Jim Reed’s leadership can be described as directive leadership which is typically used with new employees according to Dubinsky, Yammarino, Jolson and Spanger (1995). Jim felt the need to micro-manage Fred as he attempted to tell Fred how to accomplish his goals and increase his sales.
The appraisal system was a failed attempt in motivating Fred. Fred was accustomed to excelling at a certain level in which he failed to do under Jim Reed. When one does not excel or meet certain expectations with an appraisal system he or she will not be awarded merit raises or bonuses. This can be and was demeaning for Fred. In an appraisal system an employee is rated and given feedback on his or her deficits. The feedback should be constructive criticism that should help the employee improve upon his or her duties. The different motivation efforts were not sufficient to assist Fred in raising his sales because they were vague suggestions, and in some cases merely concepts created by Jim Reed, rather than motivational techniques. There are several alternatives that Fred's superiors, including Jim Reed could have done to better motivate Fred. In turn, this could lead to a set of