Read CASE STUDY: Passion for the Outdoors and for People and response below:
1. According to Maslow's hierarchy, which basic needs does the Patagonia culture meet? What would it be like to work at Patagonia? (Hint: Go to Patagonia's website and find the section on jobs.) What's your assessment of the company's work environment?
2. Use the expectancy theory and/or the equity theory of motivation to explain how feeling underpaid might affect the work of a Patagonia associate and what a manager can do to increase the employee's motivation.
3. What do you think might be Patagonia's biggest challenge in keeping employees motivated? If you were managing a team of Patagonia employees in the retail stores, how would you keep them motivated?