Student Case Study

Course: Management Functions & Organizational Behaviour

Session: 22
Topic(s): Case Study

Globsyn Business School (Knowledge Cell)

Globsyn Crystals, XI – 11 and 12, Block EP, Sector V, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata –
700 091, India

All information, including graphical representations/maps, etc provided in this presentation/document is only for
classroom discussions at GBS. The materials are used for no other purpose by the school.
 Student Case Study

CASE-STUDY: BULLYING BOSSES

"It got to where I was twitching, literally, on the way into work," states Carrie Clark, a 52-
year-old retired teacher and administrator. After enduring 10 months of repeated insults and
mistreatment from her supervisor, she finally quit her job. "I had to take care of my health."

Although many individuals recall bullies from their elementary school days, some are
realizing that bullies can exist in the workplace as well. And these bullies do not just pick on
the weakest in the group; rather, any subordinate in their path may fall prey to their torment,
according to Dr. Gary Namie, director of the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute. Dr.
Namie further says workplace bullies are not limited to men-women are at least as likely to
he bullies. However, gender discrepancies are found in victims of bullying, as women are
more likely to be targets.

What motivates a boss to be a bully? Dr. Harvey Hornstein, a retired professor from Teachers
College at Columbia University, suggests that supervisors may use bullying as a means to
subdue a subordinate who poses a threat to the supervisor's status. In addition, supervisors
may bully individuals to vent frustrations. Many times, however, the sheer desire to wield
power may be the primary reason for bullying.

What is the impact of bullying on employee motivation and behavior? Surprisingly, even
though victim s of workplace bullies may feel less motivated to go to work every day, it does
not appear that they discontinue performing their required job duties. However, it does
appear that victims of bullies are less motivated to perform extra-role or citizenship
behaviors. Helping others, speaking positively about the organization, and going beyond the
call of duty are behaviors that are reduced as a result of bullying. According to Dr. Bennett
Tepper of the University of North Carolina, fear may be the reason that many workers
continue to per form their job duties. And not all individuals reduce their citizenship
behaviors. Some continue to engage in extra-role behaviors to make themselves look better
than their colleagues.

What should you do if your boss is bullying you? Don't necessarily expect help from
coworkers. As Emelise Aleandri, an actress and a producer from New York who left her job
after being bullied, stated, ' Some people were afraid to do anything. But others didn't mind
what was happening at all, because they wanted my job." Moreover, according to Dr.
Michelle Duffy of th e University of Kentucky, coworkers often blame victims of bullying in
order to resolve their guilt. "They do this by wondering whether maybe the person deserved
the treatment, that he or she has been annoying. or lazy, they did something to earn it," states
Dr. Duffy, One example of an employee who observed this phenomenon firsthand is Sherry
Hamby, who was frequently verbally abused by her boss and then eventually fired. She
stated, 'This was a man who insulted me, who insulted my family, who would lay into me

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while everyone else in the office just sat there and let it happen. The people in my office
eventually started blaming me."

What can a bullied employee do? Dr. Hornstein suggests that employees try to ignore the
insults and respond only to the substance of the bully's gripe. "Stick with the substance, not
the process, and often it won't escalate," he states. Of course, that is easier said than done.

Source: Bullying Bosses - Organizational Behavior by S. P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Seema

Sanghi ; 13th Edition, Pearson Education

CASE-STUDY: THANKS FOR NOTHING

Although it may seem fairly obvious that receiving praise and recognition from one's
company is a motivating experience, sadly, many companies are failing miserably when it
comes to saying thanks to their employees. According to Curt Coffman, global practice leader
at Gallup, 71 percent of V.S. workers are "disengaged," essentially meaning that they couldn't
care less about their organization. Coffman states, "We're operating at one-quarter of the
capacity in terms of managing human capital. It's alarming." Employee recognition
programs, which became more popular as the V.S. economy shifted from industrial to
knowledge based, can be an effective way to motivate employees and make them feel valued.
In many cases, however, recognition programs are doing "more harm than good," according
to Coffman.

Take Ko, a 50-year-o ld former employee of a dot-com in California. Her company proudly
instituted a rewards program designed to motivate employees. What were the rewards for a j
ob well done? Employees would receive a badge that read "U Done Good" and, each year,
would receive a T-shirt as a means of annual recognition. Once an employee received 10 "U
Done Good" badges, he or she could trade them in for something bigger and better-a
paperweight. Ko states that she would have preferred a raise. "It was patronizing. There
wasn't any deep thought involved in any of this." To make matters worse, she says, the
badges were handed out arbitrarily and were no t tied to performance. And what about those
T-shirts? Ko states that the company ins tilled a strict dress code, so employees couldn't even
wear the shirts if they wanted to. Need less to say the employee recognition program seemed
like an empty gesture rather than a motivator.

Even programs that provide employees with more expensive rewards can backfire, especially
if the rewards are given in sincerely. Eric Lange, an employee of a trucking company, recalls
a time when one of the company's vice presidents achieved a major financial goal for the
company. The vice president, who worked in an office next to Lange, received a Cadillac
Seville as his company car and a new Rolex wristwatch that cost the company $ 10,000. Both
were lavish gifts, but the way they were distributed left a sour taste in the vice president's
mouth. He entered his office to find the Rolex in a cheap cardboard box sitting on his desk,
along with a brief letter explaining that he would be receiving a 1099 tax form in order to pay
taxes on the watch. Lange states of the vice president, "He came into my office which was
right next door, and said, 'Can you believe this?'" A mere 2 months later, the vice president
pawned the watch. Lange explains, "It had absolutely no meaning for him."

Such experiences resonate with employees who may find more value in a sincere pat on the
back than in gifts from management that either are meaningless or aren't conveyed with
respect or sincerity. However, sincere pats on the back may be hard to come by. Gallup's poll
found that 61 percent of employees stated that they haven't received a sincere "thank you"
from management in the past year. Findings such as these are troubling, as verbal rewards
are not only in expensive for companies to hand out but also quick and easy to distribute. Of
course, verbal rewards do need to be paired some times with tangible benefits that
employees value- after all, money talks. In addition, when praising employees for a job well
done, managers need to ensure that the praise is given in conjunction with the specific
accomplishment. In this way, employee may not only feel valued by their organization but
will also know what actions to take to be rewarded in the future.

Source: Thanks for Nothing - Organizational Behavior by S. P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Seema
Sanghi; 13th Edition, Pearson Education