RUNNING HEAD: Milestone 2: Analysis and Evaluation 1

Milestone Two: Analysis and Evaluation

PSY 618

Teneisha Wilson

Southern New Hampshire University

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Motivational Theories

One motivational theory that can be used when explaining the lack of productivity and

motivation at Sanderson Soaps is Adam’s Equity Theory. The Adam’s Equity Theory this theory

states that for people to be motivated employees need to feel like the rewards that they receive

are equal to the contributions that they make to the company (Lawler, 1968). Some companies

are under the impression that these rewards have to be monetary, they do not. The rewards can

come in the form of praise, recognition, and advancement. Employees at Sanderson contribute

ideas in addition to long hours and even some physical work and their contributions are not

acknowledged. Some do not even feel like they are appreciated. Simply put, employees like to

feel like they get what they put into their workplace. A potential strategy to alleviate some of

these feelings is to utilize a strategy that Disney uses to help motivate their employees. Leaders

are encouraged to be as involved with their direct reports as much as possible. Leaders actually

talk to their employees and gather their feedback. This is in an effort to show value in the

contributions that the employee makes to the company. People that are doing the work firsthand

often see things from a different perspective than leaders because their lens does not have to be

so wide.

In addition to actually talking to the employees and getting their feedback, Sanderson

Soaps leaders could also develop a better system of set goals with your team that equates to some

sort of meaning to the work they do every day. Setting these goals could help employees

visualize what success in their current role looks like and help establish a path to moving on to

higher roles within the company. Motivation can also be a tool to retain good employees. What

better way to show your appreciation for the contributions that an employee makes than to carve

out paths and advancement opportunities for them.

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An additional theory that can be explained with Sanderson Soaps is Maslow’s Hierarchy

of Needs. This theory prioritizes needs into the following categories: physiological needs, safety

needs, belongingness or love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization. The self-actualization

category is the one that will directly impact one’s productivity at work. Once self-actualization is

achieved people become the best version of themselves. If an employee is the best version of

themselves that means that they can contribute more to their organization. One strategy for

helping employees achieve self-actualization is by celebrating the milestones that they have both

big and small. An achievement for one person is not the same as the achievements of another,

however, it does not make it any less of an achievement.

An additional strategy for helping people to achieve self-actualization is to pour into their

development. This can be achieved by providing career training and professional development.

Skills are transferrable and can be utilized in a lot of different ways that help add value to the

company nonetheless the individual departments. Positions lacking growth and development can

be a major factor in a company not being able to retain promising employees. In addition to this,

training and talent development encourage the entire team to do better and continue to build up

their department. This contributes to the prosperity of the company.

The two-factor theory can also be utilized to describe the Sanderson Soaps. This theory is

also known as Herzberg’s motivation or hygiene theory. Hertzberg theorized that t motivational

factors are things that influence feelings of satisfaction l (Haque, M.F, Haque, M.A., & Islam,

2014; Lazaroiu, 2015). These feelings of satisfaction actually challenge a person to be a better

version of themselves or present a better version of their work l (Haque, M.F, Haque, M.A., &

Islam, 2014; Lazaroiu, 2015). Hygiene factors include management characteristics, colleague

bonds, and working conditions. A unique thing about the Hertzberg theory is that the hygiene
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factors will not increase the satisfaction that the employees feel but if the hygiene factors are

absent then dissatisfaction can increase. In the case of Sanderson Soaps, the leadership team

needs to make sure that hygiene and motivation factors are met to address the low morale and

motivation that is currently in place at the company.

Leadership Style

Leadership style is a direct correlation to the environment. The leader creates the

environment therefore the leadership approach is embedded into all aspects of the organization.

In the case of Sanderson Soaps, there does not appear to be a leadership philosophy, instead,

each department leader leads based on their personality and what they think will work for their

specific teams. Under the current administration, there does not seem to be a desire to establish a

leadership style or philosophy. Anthony, a Sanderson Soaps executive, tends to be the only leader

with a philosophy, transformational and democratic. Transformational and democratic leaders

focus on input from employees, collaboration, and cooperation between employees and

employers (Mitrovic, Simovic, & Raicevic, 2019). Anthony collaborates and listens to his

associates in addition to displaying that he is indeed a part of the team. This style has allowed for

his team to be the most productive at Sanderson Soaps. At the time of the case study Anthony’s

direct reports did not have any reports of contention.

John and James have a more authoritative approach. They have a more direct approach to

leadership and consider no input from their subordinates. They take complete control. John tends

to have a little bit of a bully mentality. One could say that he goes as far and disrespects his

employees. As mentioned previously, the environment is a direct correlation of the leader. John’s

attitude has impacted his team severely, so much so that the other departments have been

influenced. James on the other hand tends to leave the “hard” decisions to his daughter and
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instead focuses his attention on developing new products as he really enjoys the chemistry

aspect. His leadership style can be described as laisse-faire. The laisse-faire and authoritative

approach has directly influenced the turnover and attrition issues that the company has

experienced (Mitrovic, Simovic, & Raicevic, 2019).

The impression is that all of the departments interact and operate on an independent

basis. Each department has a culture and norms of its own. It makes the idea of a cohesive

leadership style a little more difficult to implement. Researchers Mitrovic, Simovic, & Raicevic

(2019) advise that the leadership style in each division must be aligned with those departments

and employees in order for the culture to be amended.

Employee Morale

Employee morale, similar to the environment, is influenced significantly by the

leadership team. At Sanderson Soaps there are a variety of leadership styles and this has severely

impacted the employee morale across the company. An additional big factor that can influence

employee morale is the way that the leader communicates. A leader can pour into their staff

based on the way that they speak to them and they can also belittle their staff based on the way

that they speak to them. Communication influences morale as well. John would have a way of

belittling his employees whereas Anthony may have the opposite effect on his team.

Collaboration

Sanderson Soaps is a family-run company. This can serve as an obstacle when

implementing new cultural standards. Leaders may feel like they have to consider familial

loyalty. The issue with this is the family has been considering loyalty and it has negatively

impacted the business. Collaborating in family-run organizations can be difficult because most of
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the members need to be in agreeance with the proposed changes. This requires a certain level of

emotional intelligence to be aware of the ways that the current way is not working and that

familial loyalty may be standing in the way of a better company. The organization would need to

acknowledge this before the consultant would be able to implement the change that they say that

they want. McNamara (2006) advises that the organization’s confidence and commitment to the

change come only after the organization does a self-assessment to see that these things need to be

done for the longevity and productivity of the company. Based on the case study it is understood

that changes need to be implemented, they are just not particularly sure on how to implement

them.

Consultant’s Role

The consultant can advise and provide recommendations. It is up to the organization to

put in the work and make the changes that they want to see. The consultant can be considered

more of a supportive role. Considering each department is currently operating in an independent

way, the consultant’s role may vary in the individual departments. The role could range from

advisor to interim leader. The consultant’s role could be imperative because being a family

company, it would be easier for leaders to fold to those familial bonds and expectations for the

way things have always been. The consultant’s support could be beneficial to the change being a

phase or it withstanding long-term success. Schippmann & Newson (2008), advise that a

professional be aware of the way that personalities really have an effect on the organization. An

underrated role of the consultant is to also understand the reputation of the company.

Understanding the reputation may help a consultant be aware of any reluctance for the

suggestions changes or ways to implement them.

Ethical Standards and Responsibilities

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Ethics are embedded in every part of our personal and work lives. Sanderson Soaps has

its own industry-standard ethical standards. Such standards could involve direction around

product testing and labeling of chemical ingredients in the lab. Animal testing has been a source

of concern for Sanderson Soaps employees. The handcrafted soaps and cosmetics industry does

not have specific verbiage around animal testing however it is seen as unethical. Employees at

Sanderson Soaps are divided on the matter. Acting in an ethical manner and avoiding taking

shortcuts could also impact productivity. Doing things, the way they are intended to be done may

not always be the most efficient way of doing them. An example of unethical treatment and how

it is tolerated at Sanderson Soaps is the treatment that John’s employees are subject to. It portrays

a picture that the unfair unpleasant treatment of employees is tolerated. If this is not addressed

Sanderson Soaps will continue to have a turnover problem.

In the process of providing psychology services to individual clients, professionals may

not feel the pressure of keeping a client’s secrets, promises, or a certain level of loyalty.

Consultants, on the other hand, may be in those positions in order to develop trust and really

engage in their collaborative relationship. An easier standard for the consultant to follow would

be one of confidentiality. A lot of information that the consultants may be privy to would be

considered “need to know” basis.

An additional standard would be for them to avoid any conflicts of interest. The

consultant should avoid working on an additional project or collaborating with others in their

field that may be currently working with a competitor. It is also important for the consultant to

maintain professionalism. They should be able to maintain their objectivity. If for any reason

they cannot then they would need to stop working with Sanderson Soaps. An example of them
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not being able to maintain their objectivity would be if the consultant started dating one of the

employees.

Diversity

Sanderson Soaps is lacking in diversity. They currently have one non-white employee

who happens to be a in-law. Sanderson Soaps appear to be aware of their diversity issue and is

looking to diversify its workforce. Diversity helps organizations stay competitive at being able to

attract and retain high-value employees (Prieto et al., 2009). People’s experiences can help shape

and define the culture of an organization. Being a part of a diverse organization can include

having a variety of ages, ethnicities, and cultures. The lack of diversity at Sanderson Soaps could

also be an obstacle when the consultant considers the reputation of the company and any public

perception that they may want to work to change. As with most companies, they want to hire the

right person for the job but they do want to be able to reach larger job markets.

Working Teams

There are teams at Sanderson Soaps however, there is no teamwork. Anthony does a good

job of not only being a leader but also showing that he is a part of the team. He leads by example

and will jump in and assist in order to accomplish their goal. James on the other hand is

primarily “checked out” for some of the most important aspects of his job. He is not fully

committed to the role as it is and instead picks and chooses where to focus his attention. This is

also leading by example, hence some of the issues in his department. His lack of attentiveness to

his employees has manifested low productivity.

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References

Haque, M.F, Haque, M.A., & Islam, S. (2014). Motivational Theories – A Critical Analysis. ASA

University Review, 8(1).

Lawler, E. E. (1968). Equity theory as a predictor of productivity and work quality.

Psychological Bulletin, 70(6, Pt.1), 596–610. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0026848

McNamara, C. (2006). Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development: A

Collaborative and Systems Approach to Performance, Change and Learning.

Authenticity Consulting, LLC

Mitrovic, D. M., Simovic, O., & Raicevic, M. (2019). The Relationship between Leadership

Styles and Organizational Culture in Sport Organizations. Sport Mont, 17(3), 85–89.

Prieto, L. C., Phipps, S. T. A., & Osiri, J. K. (2009). Linking Workplace Diversity To

Organizational Performance: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Diversity Management, 4(4),

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Schippmann, J., & Newson, D. (2008). The role of the internal consultant: How internal

consultants can promote successful change. In The I/O consultant: Advice and insights

for building a successful career. (pp. 45–51). American Psychological Association.

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UYSAL, H.Tezcan & Aydemir, Sibel & Genç, Emine. (2017). MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDS IN 21ST CENTURY: THE EXAMINATION OF VOCATIONAL DIFFE

Wilson, T. (2021). Motivational Theories Unpublished manuscript, Southern New Hampshire

University