Bill Bailey, Chairman of the Board of the Utah Opera, could use Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation in order to convince those involved in the opera to support the merger. Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation states “how an individual’s motivation to behave in a certain way is fueled by feelings of inequity or a lack of justice.” (Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010). It would be important for Bailey to have a full understanding of distributive and procedural justice. Distributive justice refers to the fairness of the dispersal of supplies and incentives as comprehended by the employee. Procedural justice refers to the “perceived fairness of the process and procedures used to make allocation decisions”(Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010).

Bailey would have to convince the members of the opera and the Opera’s board that there would be equity between the opera and the symphony once the merger took place. The opera would not have to play second fiddle to the symphony, but be equally respected. It would also be important to stress that the members of both the symphony and the opera would be treated as equals with no one group receiving greater benefits or resources even though the needs of each group differ greatly. Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation deals directly with how one perceives a situation and since this is the case the best way to approach it would be to stress that justice and equity would be carried out for all parties.

Scott Parker, Chairman of the Board of the Utah Symphony, could use Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory to try to convince Mrs. Abravanel to support the merger. Maslow’s needs Hierarchy Theory break all human needs into 5 basic categories: physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. One cannot advance to a higher need until the lower needs are satisfied. This theory has been used to explain all human behaviors since its inception.

Parker would have to tap into Mrs. Abravanel’s esteem needs in this particular case. Abrvanel is concerned about losing her reputation and the prestige the symphony holds if the merger were to occur. It would be beneficial for Parker to focus on all the positive aspects of the merger such as the combining to two well-known and well-respected art entities in the area. Parker has to appeal to Abravanel’s need for recognition to encourage her to support the merger thus being a public face of its potential success.

Anne Ewers was the general director of the Utah Opera, and CEO of a combined symphony and opera if the merger proposal was successful. Anne possessed both positional and personal power that needed to be harnessed in order to push the merger through. Positional power, also known as legitimate power, is based on the fact that one can “obtain compliance through formal authority.” (Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010) Personal power, also known as referent power, works on the basis of “obtaining compliance through charisma or personal attraction.“ (Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010)

Anne Ewers was in a place of power as director of the opera and stood to ascend into a higher position if the merger was successful. She had definite legitimate power as a formal authority to those beneath her in the organization. Carefully harnessing this power could sway people to support the merger proposal. Anne needed to create and maintain “positive legitimate power” (Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010). This means she has to focus on obtaining compliance with the employees based on their performance only. Ewers would have implied power over the employees based solely on her authoritative position. She would have to become very skilled at performance evaluations in order to use this power properly. Ewers could also create teams that are comprised of members from both the symphony and the opera. This team would be given a mission and have shared goals, which would be helpful in merging successfully.

Anne also held personal power in this proposal. Anne has been described as a good listener, energetic and having a good mind for business. She could use the positive aspects of her personality to convince others to support the merger. Anne has a better chance to growing support for the merger using her referent power. Referent power inspires others to make a commitment to a cause or company, which is superior to forcing others to be compliant. Referent power is an internal, self-derived feeling, which creates a greater sense of satisfaction of one’s successes.

Keith Lockhart was the music director of the Utah Orchestra. He was a well-respected musical director and has had many accomplishments since joining the Utah Symphony. Anne Ewers could have used her personal power to empower Keith Lockhart. Ewers will be able to give Lockhart the ability to make decisions on his own. Ewers has a proven track record in business. This gives her credibility in the field, which should earn her respect from Lockhart. That respect and credibility combined with Ewers’ enthusiasm allows her to empower Lockhart. If Ewers can inspire Lockhart to embrace her goals and objectives for the merged group they can stand as a unified front in front of the other employees, board and community. Their belief in success could also inspire others to support the merger. By sharing the same goals and standards as Lockhart, Ewers shows the whole company that she respects and believes in him and their shared vision. This will gain his respect and the respect of others in the company who feel Lockhart deserves the opportunity to decide what is best for his orchestra. Once Ewers and Lockhart have a shared vision for the orchestra and opera, Lockhart will have both the confidence and the freedom to make decisions without consulting Ewers most of the time.

There were many potential issues that could have jeopardized the continuing organizational performance of the musicians. The musicians have always been heavily supported by the by the symphony. An issue that could in the course of the merger is how much support they will receive once the two groups merge into one entity. They have had freedom in their choice of material and number of performances. The musicians may fear they will no longer be a main focus since Ewers is the director of the opera and she may favor the opera heavily in regards to capitol, supplies and resources. If these issues are not tackled right away the orchestra may lose some of its musicians to other orchestras or they may not put forth their best effort for the orchestra. If musicians left, it would be a process to replace them, thus possibly dropping in ticket sales or other support. These types of issues, going unresolved, could seriously jeopardize continuing organizational performance.

Ewers could debunk these fallacies by engaging in participative management and delegation tactics. Participative management entails involving the musicians in some decision making within the organization. It is incredibly important to stroke the egos of employees who are putting forth their maximum effort for the good of the organization. It would be in her best interest to make the musicians feel like their opinions matter and are taken into consideration when major decisions are being made. The feeling of commitment is much stronger when people feel respected. Delegation is another tactic Ewers could use to solve the aforementioned issues. This allows employees to have the authority to make decisions on their own without consulting a manager. This empowers the employees to be problem solvers. Allowing the musicians to be problem solvers and make decisions provides them with feelings of respect and accomplishment, which goes a long way with them.

Anne Ewers may have to use some influence tactics to persuade the opera’s full time staff and artists under contract to support the merger. Anne could use the tactics of consultation and inspirational appeal. It would be beneficial for Anne to use the consultation method in this case because it involves the employees. If Anne was able to involve the employees in “planning, making decisions, and changes”(Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010) they may have an easier time endorsing the merger. It allows them to become part of the process and provide input and ideas to making the merger successful. Also, Anne could get others to support the merger by using the inspirational appeal tactic. Inspirational appeal works by “trying to build enthusiasm by appealing to others’ emotions, ideals, or values.”(Kreitner & Kiniki, 2010) If she could excite the artists by appealing to their emotions she may be able to gain their support. These artists are emotionally attached to their work in the opera and the orchestra. They spend hours practicing and perfecting their own abilities so they have something to offer the group. If Anne can appeal to their hard work and dedication to their own position she may be able to influence them to support the merger. Anne is a very engaging and energetic; this could be the key for her to appeal to the musicians emotions and invoke support for the merger.

Reference:

Kreitner, R. & Kiniki, A. (2010). Organizational Behavior:

9th Edition. Retrieved from http://wgu.coursesmart.com/9780077333881/434?CSTenantKey=wgu#