GEDUCOS, Argyll Cyrus B. BMC III-3 Organizational Communication Prof. Edric S.

Torres Case Study: Motivation at HealthTime Fitness Club Case Analysis Questions: 1. IF YOU WERE JENNY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO MATT? WHAT FACTORS HAVE LED TO HIS DIFFICULTY IN MOTIVATING HIS EMPLOYEES? If I were Jenny, I think these are the following factors which have led to hid difficulty in motivating his employees: o Matt's being too devoted and too ambitious about his new position Matt wanted for HealthTime to do a better job or performance than before so he tend to do things without thinking of his employees. Eimimation of positions Since HealthTime was not that financially stable, membership was slightly dropping, and personnel costs were too high, he had no choice but to eliminate positions. This made the employees unhappy. Matt's high standards for his employees Matt noticed that his employees are not performing the way he used to or the way he hoped to. He became stricter and established rules that they should follow. And these rules are unfulfilling to the employees thus making them lose their joy while doing their jobs.

2. HOW WOULD MASLOW, HERZBERG, McGREGOR ANALYZE THE PROBLEM? WHAT KINDS OF ASSUMPTIOMS DOES MATT SEEM TO HOLD ABOUT HIS EMPLOYEES? o MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY According to Maslow, humans, especially employees, seek to first have their most primal needs met before seeking fulfillment of their secondary or higher needs. With this, employees need to enjoy and feel secure in order for them to do their jobs fully. Physiological and safety-wise, after Matt eliminated some positions, the employees must have lost the feeling of security in terms of their wages and positions so some of them quit. Matt's employees lost the feeling that they belong and they lost social relationships with their co-workers since Matt became more strict and implemented timesensitive rules. This might have made them bored with their job. Matt also didn't encourage his employees much. Yes he gave them sweatshirts to apparently keep them motivated but this is still related to the work of his employees and not on their personal lives.

HERZBERG'S MOTIVATION-HYGIENE THEORY Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are distinct concepts impacted by either internal or external factors. Employees must be satisfied both with himself and his workplace in order for them to do their jobs properly.

HYGIENE FACTORS Achievement Matt's employees must feel achievement before when they finish a session but now the sense of achievements lost since Matt started to question their behavior. Morale The morale of his employees spiraled down to its lowest because they lost their love for their job. Responsibility Matt pointed out that some of his employees are not doing their duties well and this might have probably hurt or offended them. MOTIVATION FACTORS Working Conditions Matt set rules which he thought would keep his employees on their feet but these rules suffocated them. Salary and work place The employees are receiving the minimum wage but not the good working environment.

McGREGORS THEORY OF X AND Y Suggests that there are two divergent schools of managerial thought. THEORY X Proposes that management has the greatest organizational responsibility. Management must control and motivate employees by modifying their behavior. Employees are passive entities that must be controlled. Matt must have thought that his employees are people who will just obey his words. But what his employees showed are contradicting McGregors X Theory. Matts employees are not lazy, self-centered, and lacks ambition. Theyre just chatting with their co-workers because thats what their jobs a little easier. And they were smart enough to quit their jobs when it has become hard for them. THEORY Y The Y Theory is in contrast with the X Theory. Matts employees showed that a simple sweatshirt cannot motivate them.

Matt must have assumed that his employees would be motivated by his sweatshirts and that his employees would follow his rules regarding job behavior and scheduling. But he was wrong when his employees started to quit and those who stayed and followed his rules lost their morale. 3. WHAT COMUNICATION STRATEGY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO MATT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM? In order for Matt to resolve this problem I suggest that he use the following strategies: Confidence Matt should be confident while talking to his employees. Well-reasoned Matt should clearly state his motives and objectives for HealthTime so his employees wont mistake his intentions as something negative He should have a convincing argument so he could persuade his employees to stay. Supportive Matt should give support and assistance to his employees. He should encourage, understand, sympathize and reassure them. Do not be forceful His employees already hate him for setting those rules so Matt should probably cease from forcing them in doing things which are hard for them. He should let his employees somehow enjoy the job so they can function or work well.