Trident University

Tyrone Hill

Module 1 Case Assignment

Course Number: MGT501 Management and Organizational Behavior

Dr. Peter Haried

January 21, 2019

 Introduction

This paper will explain why working at Six Flags over Georgia was extremely motivating. It will

show in a methodical way that this was achieved by simple practices implemented by

management. Management was effective in its execution of a fluid workplace by using a team

based culture that built esteem, camaraderie, and value.

The Experience

Every day before work, during break time, and after work employees were to meet at The

Canteen. The Canteen was a place located just outside of public view along the gate adjacent to

the amusement park. The Canteen provided meals to employees at a significantly discounted

rate and gifts from the park that could be purchased at cost. When one walks into the Canteen,

they will see a sea of colors displaying every uniform donned by employees in the park. The

employees were sectioned of into groups that detailed the literal geographic area of the park

that the employed worked. If one employee worked in Gotham City wearing a grey polo shirt

then another employee would wear red in the Confederate part of the park. This did not deter

us from talking to each other as we all worked for the same company and basically had the

same skill sets. The managers were not seen in the Canteen too often and unbeknownst to the

employees, the managers met in another location. The practice did not prevent us from falling

in line with the structure that was in place at that time. It was prior to the September 11th

terrorist attacks in New York. Much has possibly changed since then in all amusement parks

surely. The Canteen was by far the most inclusive place one could be as an employee at the

park. One was able to share ideas freely with peers and be able to implement them in their
daily task as long as no one felt that there was any danger to the current structure being at risk.

Managers would then be able to the employees as a team with one voice and have very

productive days ahead.

Reflection

Six Flags over Georgia was by no means a career for many of its employees. The basic attendees

were usually high school or post-secondary education students who worked there prior to

being sent off to college. The motivating factor is that the job allowed all of us to speak freely,

and express ourselves without feeling ashamed and embarrassed. If a co-worker was having a

bad day everybody knew about it and would huddle around them for emotional support and

seek whatever solutions available to us before approaching management with the issue. This

was very motivating. So much so that when we all felt that we could take up the slack for a

weakened individual the manager would allow the person to have the time needed to take care

of whatever it was to be taken care of. This system of cohesiveness and team reliance would

allow any organization to function better in a more productive and efficient manner. And in

that way it was and still is a major motivating factor for any organization.

Abstract Conceptualization

The behavior patterns expressed in the employees, including myself, were those of Maslow’s

Hierarchy of needs. The desire to be part of a group and the esteem associated with it brought

respect and admiration for all involved (Maslow,A.1943). According to Kerns(n.d.), Team

dynamics are an essential part of an organization. In his paper, he followed examples laid out in

Henri Fayol’s early work on the fourteen principles of administration, that Fayol stated that
 espirit de corps was the focal point of this team dynamic goal and that coordination is the

bringing together of the team’s work(Fayol,H.1916). And lastly, the importance of job

satisfaction illustrated by Landy(1978) that a person’s health is impacted because most of their

life is spent at work. These concepts explain why I was motivated because it was what was

needed for the demographic of the park employees. After adjusting to puberty one might say

that life becomes a bit complicated to go at it alone. A general principle of motivation derived

from this experience would be co-worker relations, social relationships, and supervision. All of

which played a heavy role in making this job extremely motivational.

Experimentation

In my next experience I will rely heavily on team building and a social nursing structure that will

ensure that the individual’s well-being is being highly cared for. I will put the lessons learned in

this module to use by making monthly assessments on the effectiveness of each motivator and

have daily and weekly discussions on the matter. We can use this knowledge to motivate others

by expressing concern for one another and promote each other’s significance to the

organization. I will create a motivational work environment by maintaining these assessments

and implementing them as achieving and promotional factors.

Conclusion

It is in all very effective to take the employees well-being into consideration by building esteem

within my employees with daily interaction amongst each other, camaraderie by allowing each

employee to help one another first before bring it up to management, and value by showing

that we care about each other and our organization building a system that works for us all.
 References

Fayol, Henry (1916) Retrieved January 21, 2019 https://study.com/academy/lesson/henri-

fayols-management-principles-managing-departmental-task-organization.html

Kerns, D. (n.d.). An overview of management theory.

http://www.kernsanalysis.com/sjsu/ise250/history.htm

Landy, F.J. (1978) An Opponent Process Theory of Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied

Psychology,

63(5), 533-547

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-96.

Redmond, B. F. & Bower, C. P. (2015). Job satisfaction. In Work Attitudes and Job Motivation

Retrieved from https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/11.+Job+Satisfaction