WORKPLACE MOTIVATION: Case Assignment

Subject Human Resources Management (HRM)

Question
WORKPLACE MOTIVATION
Case Assignment
In the background materials you read about some very traditional theories of motivation such as Theory X and Theory Y, and the hierarchy of needs. But one trend that has received a lot of attention in the media is that of weird or offbeat methods to motivate employees. The recent move The Internship is set in the odd (or “googly”) workplace culture of Google. Zappos Shoes even mentions “weirdness” in the list of corporate values.

CashLinq, a financial services firm, is famous for their Nerf gun battles in the office. Eric Ryan, founder of the highly successful soap company Method, was known to go to extremes to motivate employees such as dressing up as a chipmunk or holding impromptu office dance parties. Other examples of unorthodox motivation techniques may include unusual perks such as health insurance for your pets, or allowing employees to ride scooters in the office.

But is this just a passing fad for trendy new companies, or there actually a method to their madness? For this assignment, you will be doing some research on these offbeat new motivation techniques and investigating whether or not these techniques actually fit in with standard textbook theories of motivation. Review the background materials, and then read the following articles and also see if you can find any other examples of bizarre or unusual workplace motivation techniques:

Alsop, R. J. (2010). The last word.Workforce Management, 89(10), 50. [ProQuest]

Petrecca, L. (Dec. 30, 2011). Quirky perks for workers: Pet insurance, massages.USA Today[ProQuest]

Quirky offices may inspire employees. (Dec. 17, 2010, Dec 27).McClatchy – Tribune Business News[ProQuest]

Habib, M. (Oct. 7, 2011). Foosball? bah. employers dangle offbeat incentives.The Globe and Mail[ProQuest]

When you are done with your research, write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following issues:

Are these unusual motivation techniques more closely matched to McGregor’s Theory X, or his Theory Y?
Which of Maslow’s needs do think these techniques address or do not address – physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization?
Overall, what do you think the main advantages and disadvantages are of these new and unusual motivation techniques as compared to more traditional techniques?

Module 3 – SLP
WORKPLACE MOTIVATION
For the Session Long Project, you will be writing about an organization you currently work for or have worked for in the past and applying the background materials to your own experience. So the first step in this assignment is to choose an organization that you have worked for that you want to write about.

Think about your own experiences at this organization, and how motivated you were and what factors increased or decreased your motivation. Then write a 2- to 3-page paper covering the following issues:

What steps did management at your organization do to motivate workers?
Did management seem to apply Theory X or Theory Y for their motivation strategies? Or did they use elements of both?
What needs in Maslow’s hierarchy does management at your organization try to address?