SimuLearn Scenario 2: Motivation

MGMT 6330, Dr. David Sturges
SimuLearn Scenario 2: Motivation
Group D1 Flash Report 3
Jose Delgado, Daniel Anzak
July 15, 2014
Introduction to Scenario 2
At the beginning of this scenario, we find our friend Oli sitting at a table with another employee,
Rosa. Rosa has been with the company for 7 years, and she has strong opinions on topics she
personally takes interest in. The second thing we notice is that there are a number of tasks that
either need to be completed, or deflected. The tasks are shown below, along with a brief
description that gives some background, and allows us to develop a strategy.
Finish Meeting – This one is obvious, of course. It is also a particularly popular topic, introduced
by both Oli and Rosa incessantly when the tension levels become too high. It is your job to
reject this idea until you have covered all the other ideas you need to have discussed.
Use Automation – This relates to an automation system implemented within the call center that
Corey (that is you) manages. It is exceeded in expense only by its lack of popularity among
employees and customers. Corey’s manager has tasked him (you) with getting it running, and
to make it successful. Neither Oli nor Rosa like this idea, but Corey needs to convince them to
get on board with it.
Fix Environment – This topic proposes that some money be spent making the call center and
break room more pleasant, in an effort to improve employee morale. Both Oli and Rosa like this
idea.
Raise Retention – Customer retention in this call center has plummeted from 82% to 40%.
Corey is expected to improve this statistic to at least 65%. This idea is unpopular with both Oli
and Rosa. As with the Use Automation idea, this one needs to be passed.
Fix Morale Problem – This idea is an effort on Corey’s part to address the morale of the
employees in the call center, which apparently is not good. While both Oli and Rosa both agree
that this needs to be addressed, we found that they sure seemed to enjoy arguing about it.
Crisis Looming – This idea relates to Oli’s opinion that the customer retention issue is at a
critical stage. Getting this passed with as much support from both Oli and Rosa as possible will
help to bring everyone in line with the Raise Retention issue.
Stop Complaining – Apparently a previous manager had proposed implementing a “no
complain” policy in the cost center. This means that anyone caught complaining would simply
be punished. Rosa likes this idea, while Oli does not.
Coffee Shop – This idea centers around the suggestion that these meetings take place at a
coffee shop, rather than the call center’s break room. It is thought that this might improve the
mood of the meeting participants, and enhance productivity. Oli does not like this idea, while
Rosa does.
Issues can be raised and interrupted by any of the meeting participants at any time. As the
meeting progresses, it is important to monitor tension levels between both Oli and Rosa, in
order to make sure they do not get too high, or too low. Praising an employee can lower their
tension, but it may also make them feel as though they have the authority to control the
meeting’s agenda.
Outcome-Directed Thinking (ODT)
We began our endeavor to create this White Paper and presentation with an Outcome-Directed
Thinking (ODT) Map. To build our ODT Map, we started with our primary goals for this project.
We settled on two goals: The first goal was to pass Scenario 2 with a score of 90 or better. The
second was to create a Flash Report that not only describes how we successfully completed
Scenario 2 in Virtual Leader, but also explains the concept of Motivation and how it relates to
the scenario. The map is depicted below. Team Benefits Become an Effective Team Gain More Experience working with Other People Personal Benefits Become a Better Leader by Applying Principles Learned Get a Good Grade on the Assignment Pass Scenario 2 with a score of 90 or b etter Goal Create a Flash Report that analyzes the Virtual Leader Scenario and explains the concept of Motivation Obstacles We do not know how to effectively pass Scenario 2 Lack of Knowledge of Motivations Insufficient Technical Expertise in Blackboard Wiki and Collaborate Research Motivation Communicate Techniques and Practice using the software Solutions Research strategies for Scenario Watch tutorials and PRACTICE! After establishing our goals, we moved on to determine what motivated our group to achieve
them. Personal Benefits included to get a good grade in Management 6330 and to become
better leaders by applying the principles we learned while going through the scenario, and doing
the research necessary for this White Paper. Team benefits were that we would gain the
experience of building an effective team, and improve our skills of working with other people.
The obstacles to achieving our goal were determined to be:
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Lack of familiarity required in order to successfully complete Scenario 2 with a score of
90 or above.
Lack of knowledge of the concept of Motivation
Insufficient technical expertise in Blackboard Wiki and Blackboard Collaborate
In order to get over the first hurdle, we watched the instructional videos and read the materials
related to the Scenario, which were provided on Blackboard. We also went online to find
additional resources regarding SimuLearn in general and this Scenario in particular. Our
second strategy to overcome our lack of familiarity was to actually practice the Scenario. After
several attempts, we saw our scores improve, and finally exceed the required score of 90. To
overcome our lack of information regarding motivation, as it relates to this course, we did some
research on the topic, and incorporated what we learned into our White Paper. Finally, we went
online through Blackboard to access Collaborate, and the Wiki tool, in order to become familiar
with them. After working together on both, we became confident that we had the competence
required to successfully complete this project.
Motivation
What motivates people? In order to get people to work in the desired direction, and to their
fullest potential, it is helpful for a leader to know what motivates the people they are leading. To
fully understand the impact motivation has on a person’s performance, we need to know what
motivation consists of. Generally speaking, motivation consists of amount of effort put forth, the
direction that effort takes and the persistence of the effort applied.
Amount of effort, of course, refers to how much work an individual is willing to perform in order
to accomplish a given task. The direction of effort relates to whether that individual is willing to
work towards the task assigned, or another one that the individual considers more appropriate.
As mentioned in our reading, this often shows up as an individual who would rather spend time
trying to avoid work than actually doing work. Persistence of effort refers to how long an
individual is willing to “stick with it” in order to complete their task.
It can easily be argued that motivation is one of the most important factors in employee
productivity. With that said, there have been many theories regarding how to provide the proper
type and amount of motivation. In Shelley Ovrom’s summary of The Enthusiastic Employee:
How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want (Sirota, et al), three different factors
are discussed: Equity, Achievement and Camaraderie. We will look at each of these factors as
they relate to Scenario 2 when we discuss our strategy for completing the simulation with a
score of 90 or above.
In Cathy A. Hanson's summary of Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitive
Edge (Luthans, et al), positive organization behavior (POB) has been the focus of developing
and maintaining a competitive advantage through human resources. Four attributes have been
identified with POB: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resiliency. Organizations and leaders
play a crucial role in developing these attributes, and higher levels of these attributes will lead to
an increased work performance and profitability. After specific ideas have been passed in
Scenario 2, opportunities are presented for team members to increase these attributes.
Associates who take pride in their work have increased job satisfaction, higher productivity
levels, and greater success rates. In AnneMarie Kaul's summary of Why Pride Matters More
than money: The Power of the World's Greatest Motivational Force (Katzenbach), pride,
institutional-building pride in particular, can be easily directed and controlled by leaders within
corporations. Good leaders appeal to emotions rather than rational compliance, and Scenario 2
has tasks that will appeal to the emotions and pride of Oli and Rosa.
Strategy
Strategy #1: Manage Tension
Tension management was by far the most difficult thing to manage in Scenario 2. Not only are
Oli and Rosa resistant to all the important ideas that you need to get passed, but they also do
not get along with each other. One way to overcome the conflict between these two characters
is to begin the scenario with the more popular ideas, on which both Oli and Rosa agree. These
include the Fix Environment and Fix Morale ideas. If you can get these ideas passed, you will
begin to build trust between Corey and both employees, as well as a certain level of cooperation
between Oli and Rosa. This tends to make it easier to get them to go along when you introduce
the less popular ideas.
This strategy relates to the Equity factor, which is based on the idea that employees want to be
treated justly, in comparison with other people. This treatment is reflected in basic conditions of
employment:
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Physiological – decent working conditions/environment
Economic – satisfactory compensation/benefits
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Psychological – respectful and consistent treatment by management
It is easy to see that by working to pass the ideas of Fix Environment and Fix Morale, that Oli
and Rosa will see that you are willing to provide a more equitable work situation. In fact, at one
point, just before Fix Morale gets passed, Rosa suggests that she could talk to HR about reinstating a program in which the most positive employee of the month got a free lunch. This is
an example of a psychological benefit. When working to pass Fix Environment, Oli at one point
suggest that maybe they could switch out the lighting in the building, which easily fits into the
physiological factor.
Strategy #2: Provide Encouragement
Another helpful tool is to provide positive reinforcement to Oli and Rosa as they begin to show
cooperation. This must be done sparingly, however, as Oli and Rosa can begin to take
advantage of your encouragement by taking over the meeting. If a proper balance is struck,
however, Corey will find the tension decreasing to a more manageable level, which makes it
much easier to get important ideas passed.
Providing encouragement gives Oli and Rosa the opportunity to feel a sense of achievement.
As they propose good ideas, and volunteer to step up and get some work done, they see that
their efforts are appreciated. Shelley Ovrom provides a list of six primary sources to creating a
sense of achievement, according to Sirota, et al.:
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Challenge of the work itself
Acquisition of new skills
Ability to perform
Perceived importance of the job
Recognition received for performance
Feeling proud of their employer
Providing positive feedback provides the recipient(s) with a sense of recognition, but it also can
increase their perception of the importance of their job and their ability to perform. Beyond that,
however, it is interesting to note that our first strategy, of trying to pass Fix Environment and Fix
Morale, will also contribute to Oli’s and Rosa’s sense achievement. Immediately after passing
Fix Environment, Oli makes the comment that finally, he won’t have to be embarrassed when he
brings his friends around to his office.
Institutional-building pride will also result from Fix Environment and Fix Morale, and Oli and
Rosa will become more motivated to help others and work for the good of the enterprise. This
type of pride will help motivate them to excel in their own profession as well as the interests of
the organization, and passing ideas such as Raise Retention and Use Automation will be easier
with pride-influenced employees.
Strategy #3: Find Common Ground
As was mentioned in Strategy #1, a good way to build trust with Oli and Rosa is to introduce
and support the more popular ideas on the agenda. An important point to remember, though, is
that some ideas, such as Crisis Looming, Coffee Shop and Stop Complaining, are only popular
with one of them, and disliked by the other. They will often be introduced by the character who
supports the idea. It is Corey’s job to deflect those ideas, and continue to promote ideas that
both Oli and Rosa like, such as Fix Morale and Fix Environment.
Finding common ground is a great way to build camaraderie. Camaraderie provides two
benefits for managers. It fulfills the general need people have for social interaction and a sense
of belonging, and it also encourages cooperation. A sense of belonging is likely to result in
more satisfied employees, which makes them more productive, and lowers employee turnover.
It is easy to find examples of people who are willing to forgo certain levels of additional financial
compensation if they feel as though their work place is a “family”. Finally, it goes without saying
that cooperation among employees is critical to the dynamic capability of an organization.
Strategy #4: Become a team member rather than a Boss
As was mentioned in Strategy #3, the feeling of being a "family" is a powerful motivator when in
the workplace. Ideas that Corey wishes to pass, such as Use Automation and Raise Retention,
are disliked by both Oli and Rosa. These ideas still need to be introduced into the meeting, yet
they cannot have a positive association with Corey since Oli and Rosa will feel like Corey is
forcing an authoritative role rather than being team member. This is where Corey needs to really
be a leader rather than a superior.
Negatively introducing Use Automation and Raise Retention lets Oli and Rosa think that Corey
agrees with disliking these ideas, but following up on these ideas in a more positive manner will
show both of them that these ideas still need to pass. Corey will shows signs of high SelfEfficacy when speaking positively about Use Automation and Raise Retention, and being a part
of a cross-functional team with Oli and Rosa, this self-efficacy will flourish throughout the team.
Speaking of Use Automation and Raise Retention in this way will make the group feel like a selfmanaged team (SMT). Having a supervisor, Will, as the one who seems to be asking for these
ideas of Corey will have Oli and Rosa feel like they are part of the SMT interacting together
toward the common performance goals. This sense of camaraderie will help keep the group
enthusiastic as well as maintain the group’s morale. Corey needs to spearhead the passing, and
a couple of positive comments towards Use Automation or Raise Retention will cause Oli and/or
Rosa to interject and give some support to the idea as well. While these topics are not
something that the team would like to do, it is something that the team knows it should do for
the best of the organization.
Conclusion
Without learning how to motivate employees a leader becomes little more than a dictator. The
more a leader must demand performance, the more difficult, and less effective his/her work
becomes. In order to truly inspire people to better performance, care must be taken to know
what your employees care about. The next step is to show them how the organization’s goals
align with concerns. If an employee feels that his/her work truly means something, and is an
important piece of a much larger puzzle, they will want to do what is required of them.
References:
Jon R. Katzenbach. Why Pride Matters more than Money: The Power of the World's Greatest
Motivational Force. New York: Crown Business, 2003.
Fred Luthans, Carolyn M. Youssef, and Bruce J. Avolio. Psychological Capital: Developing the
Human Competitive Edge. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
David Sirota, Louis A. Mischkind, and Michael Irwin Meltzer. The Enthusiastic Employee: How
Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want, Philadelphia, PA: Wharton School
Publishing, 2005.
Bad Boss vs. Good Leader. Digital image. Modern Servant Leader. Ben Lichtenwalner, 3 Mar.
2013. Web. 11 July 2014. <http://modernservantleader.com/servant-leadership/bad-boss-vsgood-leader-image/>.