lChapter 2: MARS model of individual behaviour

Scenario:
The sales office of a large industrial products wholesale company has an
increasing problem that salespeople are arriving late at the office each morning.
Some sales reps go directly to visit clients rather than showing up at the office as
required by company policy. Others arrive several minutes after their appointed start
time. The vice president of sales does not want to introduce time clocks, but this may
be necessary if the lateness problem is not corrected. Using the MARS model of
individual behaviour, diagnose the possible reasons why salespeople may be
engaging in this "lateness" behaviour.

According to MARS model of individual behaviour, the four possible reasons why
salespeople may be engaging in “lateness” behaviour are:
1. Motivation
The first factor in the MARS model of individual behaviour is the motivation. It
is the driving force of the person to pursue a particular direction or goal. In this
case, the possible reason why salespeople engage in this lateness behaviour is
first the lack of the motivation to show on their scheduled time and the cause for
this could be the lack of incentive given to them if they show up on time. Another
possible reason is that since the sales office does not give any punishment or
negative consequences when the salespeople are not showing on time, it gives
the idea to the salespeople that the sales office is not serious about the policy.

2. Ability
Based on MARS model, the employee’s ability refers to their natural aptitudes
and learning capabilities. With that, the salespeople were likely to be accept on
the job because of their ability to entertain and gain new customers and sell the
products or services the company offers; therefore they think that their job is the
most priority than showing up on their office on time.

3. Role Perceptions
The role perception is the third factor of MARS model which refers to how the
employee’s view their job duties that aligns with the company’ expectation.
Therefore, the possible reason of the salespeople engaging in this lateness
behaviour could be they do not have better understanding that being present on
their scheduled office time is important and is part of their duties. In addition, the
role perception is the major factor of the conclusion on number 2.

4. Situational Factors
The last and fourth factor of MARS model is the situational factors. This factor
refers to environmental conditions beyond the individual’s skills or personality
and frequently out of their control. With that, it could contribute to the problem
about lateness behaviour of the salespeople and the possible reasons could be
the location of their house and the office, or other conditions like traffic. For
instance, the salespeople could have been caught in a traffic while commuting or
they might find it inconvenience to travel to the office when their client’s house is
much closer to their location.