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Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
critical thinking exercise 10-5
WHICH ARE THE BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR?
Despite stories of bad bosses and demotivating bureaucracy, some companies are able to come up
with creative ways to keep employees satisfied. Each year the Great Place to Work Institute ranks Ameri-
ca’s top employers in the annual “Best Companies to Work For.” Go to the institute’s website
(www.greatplacetowork.com/best). viii (Sometimes the Web address for a location changes. You might
need to search to find the exact location mentioned.)
1. List the top five companies.
2. Choose one company from the list and use an Internet search engine (such as www.google.com,
www.ask.com, or www.yahoo.com) to research the company. Summarize the company’s back-
ground and mission.
3. Follow the links to the institute’s listing for the previous year. Are there any companies in com-
mon for the two years?
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Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
critical thinking exercise 10-6
MOTIVATION SURVEY
Recently Jacobs Construction Company conducted a survey of its supervisors asking them to
complete the following form. They were asked to rank each factor from 1 (low) to 10 (high) as to how
important each would be in increasing their motivation. The survey results for two of the supervisors are
given below.
Factors
Hal Barrington
Frank Ramone
You
Higher wages
2
6
Better job security
1
8
Improved benefits
3
9
Better chance for advancement
8
4
More challenging work
10
3
Better supervision
5
1
More pleasant physical surroundings
6
10
Better chance to grow and develop job
skills
4
5
More responsibility
9
2
Better interpersonal relationships
7
7
1. Which factors are hygiene factors and which are motivating factors?
2. Using Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, explain how you would use this information to motivate
Hal Barrington.
3. Using Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, explain how you would use this information to motivate
Frank Ramone.
4. In the final column, rank each factor as to how it would motivate you.
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notes on critical thinking exercise 10-6
1. Which factors are hygiene factors and which are motivating factors?
Motivating factors here are better chance for advancement, work that is more challenging, better
chance to grow and develop job skills, and more responsibility. These factors cause employees to be pro-
2. Using Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, explain how you would use this information to motivate
Hal Barrington.
Barrington is probably trying to satisfy higher-level needs such as esteem and self-actualization.
3. Using Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, explain how you would use this information to motivate
Frank Ramone.
Ramone probably still has some lower-level unmet needs. His highest ranking is for more pleas-
ant physical surroundings and improved benefits—a need for security. He also ranks “better personal rela-
4. In the final column, rank each factor as to how it would motivate you.
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bonus
cases
bonus case 10-1
THE SUPERMARKET MANAGER
Fred Ferrell is the store manager of the Right-Way Supermarket in Beaumont, a small suburban
area of some 1,300 families. The store’s staff consists of a produce manager, a meat manager and butcher,
five checkers, four stockers, and a receiving clerk. The store operates six days per week from 9 a.m. to 9
p.m.
Last week Ferrell hired Amy Caldwell to replace the store’s receiving clerk. Since graduating
from high school last June, Amy has worked for one other supermarket full-time. She applied for the job
at Right-Way to gain new experiences and because the job paid $1 more per hour than she was making at
the other store. Amy likes the retail food business and hopes one day to manage a store of her own. She
plans to start school again next fall.
After two 10-hour days of training under Mr. Ferrell, Amy felt she knew the operation and proce-
dures well enough to proceed on her own. But Mr. Ferrell thought otherwise. For the rest of Amy’s first
week, Mr. Ferrell was looking over Amy’s shoulder on a regular basis. It seemed that Amy couldn’t do
anything without Mr. Ferrell’s checking it out for himself. Amy’s tasks included the receipt, inspection,
arrangement, and stacking of inventory received from a central supply warehouse owned and operated by
the parent company. She was also responsible for the various inventory control procedures and related
paperwork.
Over the weekend between her first and second weeks, Amy studied the inventory procedures and
records. She roughed out a system for streamlining the handling and felt she had found a way to reduce
the amount of paperwork by combining several forms into one and using the computer system to print
forms simultaneously. Amy felt if she could sell these proposals to Mr. Ferrell, not only his store, but all
stores in the chain, could benefit. After some hasty calculations, she figured that nearly one hour per day
would be saved and several hundred dollars in unnecessary forms could be eliminated.
Amy started work at 6:30 a.m. the following Monday, full of enthusiasm. When Mr. Ferrell ar-
rived at 8:00 a.m., Amy was waiting for him at the door, her notes in hand. Before Amy could speak,
however, Ferrell asked her what she was doing up front. Amy replied that she had already handled this
morning’s deliveries and wanted to talk over a “proposal” with him. Mr. Ferrell pulled a piece of paper
out of his pocket and began to go over each item on this checklist with Amy. When he got to item 10 on
the list, Amy replied that she would take care of that this afternoon. Ferrell told her to take care of it now.
Amy tried again to explain that she had some ideas to speed up the receiving operation. Ferrell replied,
“You kids are really something else. You’ve been here a week and already you’re running the place.
What makes you think you know a better way? The procedures we use come from downtown. That is
good enough for me. Now get to those cases out back.”
discussion questions for bonus case 10-1
1. What motivational approach is Mr. Ferrell using?
2. Amy has asked your advice. What would you suggest that she do? What are her alternatives?
3. What advice would you have for the general manager of Right-Way’s Supermarket parent corpo-
ration?
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notes on discussion questions for bonus case 10-1
1. What motivational approach is Mr. Ferrell using?
He is applying the McGregor’s Theory X system of motivation. It implies that the average person
2. Amy has asked your advice. What would you suggest that she do? What are her alternatives?
Note the timing of her approach to Ferrell—she met him at the door at 8:00 a.m. on Monday
morning. Could she have picked a worse time? Amy should wait until the appropriate time—most likely
3. What advice would you have for the general manager of Right-Way’s Supermarket parent corpo-
ration?
Management training is a continuous process and managers who fail to adopt the best motivation-
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bonus case 10-2
MANAGING VOLUNTEERS
The executive director of the Oakview Humane Society, Jordan Webster, sometimes wishes he
could fire his volunteers. The society has few paid workers and depends on volunteers to handle the day-
to-day activities of the shelter.
Lucy is a full-time mother of two toddlers who does volunteer work for the society. She is orga-
nized and energetic. Her people skills help maintain positive relationships with local veterinary clinics,
which treat the society’s resident animals. Lucy spends much of her day running society errands, answer-
ing phone calls, and arranging foster homes for animals in need, all while refereeing her two children.
Alice is a 30-something entrepreneur who owns and manages a dinner theater with her husband.
She has no children, just three dogs. The theater is open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Be-
cause of this schedule, she has considerable flexibility and uses her free time to care for animals at the
shelter. Alice is also the society adoption coordinator, doing an excellent job of matching pets with pro-
spective adopters. Her manner is a little blunt, and people frequently complain that she is “bossy.” Her e–
mails to society officers and volunteers are frequently one-line commands to do something.
The two women are jokingly referred to as the “alpha females” because each is strong-willed and
outspoken. Unfortunately, they frequently clash over issues, resulting in daily phone calls and e–mails to
the director and other society officers. Alice complains that Lucy does not spend enough time at the shel-
ter doing the “dirty work,” cleaning pens and changing water. Alice has frequently commented on Lucy’s
carefree life without a job. Lucy complains that Alice is rude and insensitive and observes that Alice has
an easy life with lots of money and free time.
Today Webster ran into Alice at the restaurant. She was furious because Lucy had accepted a
stray dog to the society when the pens were already full. “Lucy doesn’t help take care of the animals she
accepts. She doesn’t understand our limitations.” Alice has offered to resign for the good of the society.
Webster just got off the phone with Lucy who is threatening to quit because she feels Alice in-
sulted her in an e-mail.
discussion questions for bonus case 10-2
1. How does managing volunteers differ from managing paid employees?
2. What incentives can Webster use to motivate volunteers?
3. What should the director do next, if anything?
notes on discussion questions for bonus case 10-2
1. How does managing volunteers differ from managing paid employees?
Volunteers cannot be motivated by money because they don’t earn any. They can’t be bossed
around because they can easily quit. In short, volunteers are a real challenge to managers. Conflicts such
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2. What incentives can Webster use to motivate volunteers?
The highest-level motivational tool is the job itself. People volunteer at animal shelters and the
like because they love being around animals. The second highest motivational tool is recognition for a job
3. What should the director do next, if anything?
Interpersonal relations are often the most difficult things to manage. The class may enjoy talking
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endnotes
i Source: Jennifer Levitz, “UPS Thinks Outside the Box on Driver Training,” The Wall Street Journal, April 6,
2010.
ii Source: Andrea Nierenberg, “Motivating Without Money,” Fortune Small Business Online, October 12, 2004.
iii Sources: Frank Farley, “The Big T in Personality,” Psychology Today, May 1, 1986; “The Thrill That Kills,” ABC
News, May 12, 1999; David Sirota et al., “Why Your Employees Are Losing Motivation,” New Straits Times, April
1, 2006.
iv Source: Erika Fry, “Darden Restaurants Serves up the American Dream,” Fortune, May 6, 2013.
v Source: “Japan Airline Boss Sets Exec Example,” CBS News, January 29, 2009.
vi Source: “Raising the Floor,” The Economist, December 14, 2013.
vii Source: Joel Stein, “Millenials: The Me Me Me Generation,” Time, May 20, 2013.
viii The Internet is a dynamic, changing information source. Web links noted of this manual were checked at the time
of publication, but content may change over time. Please review the website before recommending it to your stu-
dents.