Assignment
Amy is a 20-year-old young woman who is going to college and living with two friends in an apartment. To support herself she has taken out college loans, but she is also working part-time at a doughnut shop for minimum wage. She really needs the job, and it is in a convenient location that is easy for her to get to, and it is close to her apartment and school. Her boss is OK and is very flexible with her hours and will work with her college schedule. Although there are things that make this a good job for her, she does not like working in the doughnut shop because she is trying to lose weight and hates being tempted by the Boston Creams every day. She also does not have much in common with her coworkers, and although most of them are not too difficult to deal with, there are a few who are obnoxious, and one guy keeps "hitting on her" and simply will not take "No." for an answer. This is not a job that she wants to keep any longer than she must, is not interested in getting more hours than she is currently receiving, and is not concerned about a promotion-she just wants to do her job, get her paycheck, and leave.
She is living in the same town she grew up in, and her parents and brother also live locally. Although she does not have a regular boyfriend, she does date occa-sionally, and there are a couple of guys whom she might get interested in. She visits her family once a week or so to do her laundry and to get some "home cookino " which is a nice treat. She gets along fine with her family but they are not financially able to help her with her college other than feeding her occasionally. The main problem that she has at work is motivation-the job is not terrible, her coworkers are all right (mostly), and her boss is OK. However, she dreads going to work, does a good job, but never goes out of her way to do more than she absolutely must. Some people might think she is lazy, but that is not true ; she just does not really care about the job or the people at work. The real question for Amy, is "what can she do to get a little more motivated for work and to possibly enjoy it more?
Motivation is a bit of a tricky issue from a psychological perspective. We never actually see motivation directly but infer it from looking at changes in behavior. If we give someone positive feedback about his or her job performance and then notice that he or she is working harder, we might very appropriately assume that the positive feedback increased the worker's motivation. For Amy to be more motivated in her current job situation, we should break it down into what it is that Amy wants to be different. To begin with, she would like to enjoy the job more that is, to have higher job satisfaction. Further, she would probably like to enjoy her coworkers more than she does and would like to avoid being tempted by the doughnuts that she really does not feel like she should eat. Of course, she would like to earn more money but is not interested, nor does she have the time in working more hours or taking on more responsibilities.
By looking at motivation from the standpoint of goals or objectives in this situation, it will be easier to suggest and implement changes in Amy's behaviour that might help her attain the outcomes she wants at work or at least to minimize the things that she dislikes. To help Amy enjoy what she is doing at work, we need to remind her why she is working. This job is not a career, nor is it something that she intends to continue after she leaves this job. She took this job because she needed to make money to help support herself while she is in college. Second, the job is conveniently located, so it does not take more time to get to work, and it does not require her to use much gas for her car or to spend money on a bus. Third, her boss is very flexible about her hours and is good about letting her work her hours around her college schedule.
Fourth, most of her coworkers are decent people who are nice to her. Finally, even though this is not a great job, by doing her work conscien-tiously, she will have an opportunity for a good reference for future jobs, and it does look good to employers that she worked during college, managed her time well, and supported herself even in this type of job. To get herself more motivated, one thing that Amy needs to do is to remind herself that this job is meeting her needs and goals very well now; this job is not a career--it is a paycheck and a temporary solution to some very specific but important short-term needs. One specific thing that she can do to improve her motivation and job satisfaction is to change her own behavior in the situations that bother her. We can never improve things for ourselves by waiting around for other people to change_-if we want things to be different for ourselves, we need to look at what is under our control and what we can do differ-ently. For example, if she wants to enjoy the people at work, she can talk to them more, get to know them better, and ask about their lives and inter-ests.
Even the guy who is "hitting on her" could possibly be dealt with dif ferently. She could tell him that she really is not interested in going out, and she would appreciate it if he would not keep asking her. If he does not respect that request, the I would ask for a meeting with the boss and with this worker, and she could say that she is not interested in getting him in trouble but really would like him to stop asking her for a date and flirting with her. The boss can handle this in a way that is not threatening but just reinforces the idea that sexual harassment is not acceptable in the workplace. To keep from being tempted by the doughnuts, she can substitute something whenever she has the urge of having one. She can get something else that is nonfattening, she can go talk to a coworker to get. her mind off the doughnuts, or she can even ask the boss if there is some other task or chore she can do. By addressing her own needs and goals is one way that she can foster better work motivation, and by addressing directly some of the things that she does not like about work will help. The main thing to remember is that the best chance she has of making things better is to look at changes she is willing and able to make herself
Task
A. Briefly critique the analysis and discussion provided by the author in relation to the case information provided. What do you see as strengths? Weaknesses?
B. Identify and discuss 2 additional pieces of information that would help you understand the case better (e.g., about the individual, the company, etc.).
C. Identify and discuss which 2 contextual factors (e.g., gender, age, economic climate, etc.) seem to be the most relevant to your case.
D. Compare and contrast the concerns/interests/needs of the individual in the case vs. those of the organization (and/or management) on at least 3 dimensions. Which dimension presents the greatest challenge? How and/or Why?
E. Briefly discuss your process of working through this assignment. What aspects were the most challenging? What did you find the most meaningful? Describe any 'aha' moments you had.