Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting

School of Management

A Question of Motivation
Case Study 2

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

MAC301: Human Behavior in Organization

Submitted By:
Francesca Gaille Castillo
201409

Submitted to:

Mr. Eduardo Mauricio

Faculty-in-Charge

April 2024
 I. Relevant Facts of the Case

The case revolves around Alex and Katrien, two college students who work at a supermarket to
pay for their tuition and their motivation, job satisfaction, and performance within the workplace.
They report to different supervisors, Jacque and Jonathan, respectively. Jacque is a supervisor for
the produce department, while Jonathan is a 10-year veteran who has a friendly demeanor and
relaxed management style.

Jacque tasks Alex with the same responsibilities daily, assuming that repetition will make him an
expert. However, Alex feels disheartened by this approach and becomes bored with the
monotonous work. In contrast, Jonathan assigns his team members various weekly tasks based on
their interests, fostering motivation and job satisfaction.

Alex observes that Jacques, his supervisor, treats his staff unfairly. For instance, Jacques rewards
a girl with an extra $2 for praising him, and he enforces strict lunchtime regulations, requiring
employees to finish their meals within 30 minutes, despite granting them 45 minutes. In
comparison, Jonathan encourages his employees by providing them with opportunities and
responsibilities to complete specific tasks independently, offering bonuses for timely completion.

II. Main Issue

The different approaches of the supervisors, Jacque and Jonathan, show the contrasting effects on
the attitudes, behaviors, and even the motivation of their people in the workplace. Hence, the
main issue in this case would be whether the different leadership styles and approaches of
superiors impact employee motivation, job satisfaction, and employee performance within the
workplace.

Statement of the Problem: Do different leadership styles and approaches of superiors impact
employee motivation, job satisfaction, and employee performance within the workplace?

III. Alternative Courses of Action/Options

1. Improve Employee Motivation through proper implementation of Compensation

and Rewards
a. Identifying the root cause of degrading employee motivation tied to attitude,
behavior, job satisfaction, and performance.
b. Revisiting Employee Compensation and Rewards with the recommendation of
implementing Performance-Based Incentives
c. Regular reviewing and monitoring of annual performance review and system of
the supermarket
2. Improve Leadership Style through Leadership Training and Development
 a. Assessment of the leadership style of supervisors under certain departments is
effective and efficient (identify challenges and stuff
b. Leadership Training and Development Program
3. Task Rotation and Assessment
4. Improve Performance Management of Employees
a. Promote Employees’ Voice
b. Offer coaching or mentoring to employees of the organization

IV. Analysis of Alternatives

1. Improve Employee Motivation through proper implementation of Compensation

and Rewards
a. Identifying the root cause of decreasing employee motivation tied to attitude,
behavior, job satisfaction, and performance.
● To improve an aspect, whether inside or outside, identifying the root
cause of the problem is the first best way to approach the problem and
produce optimal results. Open communication with an employee should
be done to determine the root cause of decreasing employee motivation,
which often translates to poor performance. A one-on-one
interview/sit-in with the employee or an anonymous survey for
transparent and truthful feedback (which could be conducted online)
would suffice for management or whoever is tasked to identify the root
cause of the reason for the decreasing employee motivation.
b. Revisiting Employee Compensation and Rewards with the recommendation of
implementing Performance-Based Incentives based on Annual, Quarterly and
Monthly Performance Review
● In this specific case, there is no clear compensation and rewards for
every employee of the supermarket. As the supervisors have the
prerogative on how they would rewards or compensate their employees
regardless of their performance. Implementing a performance-based
compensation for rewarding the employees in the supermarket based on
their periodic performance review would be effective. It boost motivation
as they are rewarded equitably and just. For instance, if the employees of
the supermarket weren;t under the prerogative of he supervisors and
there is a standardized system of awarding them– decreasing employee
motivation would not be a problem within the organization.
c. Regular reviewing and monitoring of annual performance review and system of
the supermarket
● Regular reviewing and monitoring of the annual performance system
would be vital once these are implemented so that progress and
improvement is closely monitored. Regular reviewing and monitoring
would also asses whether implemented solutions are effective or if not
much has changed then improvements could be executed.
2. Improve Leadership Style through Leadership Training and Development
a. Assessment of the leadership style of supervisors under certain departments is
effective and efficient
● Surveys and interviews (if not too time-consuming or could be conducted
in the most efficient way) should be conducted with the employees to
identify to assess the leadership style of the superiors, in this case, the
supervisors of the supermarket. Employees should be surveyed on how
they perceive their supervisors regarding whether they are efficient and
effective within the workplace. What are the strengths of the supervisor?
What are his weaknesses? Is he biased? Does he listen? Does he
communicate effectively? What aspects could he improve on as a
supervisor?
● Supervisors should also be asked whether they are facing any difficulties
in whatever aspect of managing their people. Some of the shared
leadership problems many leaders face today are emotional intelligence
and cultural intelligence, which could take a lot of effort, time and
dedication to improve on but are possible. The sacrifices to learn such
leadership skills and overcome leadership challenges such as those
mentioned, are very worth it once results are visible and already translate
to highly productive team members (employees).
b. Leadership Training and Development Program
● The supermarket could implement mandatory leadership training for all
supervisors, focusing on emotional intelligence, motivational techniques,
and the importance of adapting situational leadership styles to meet the
needs of their employees. This training would develop a more cohesive,
flexible, and effective approach to leadership within the organization
which would enhance the overall performance of the organization as it
could translate to highly motivated, highly skilled, and highly competent
employees.

3. Task Rotation and Assessment

● One of the issues raised in the case was Alex's monotonous work environment.
To combat monotony and increase job satisfaction, a formal task rotation and
enrichment program could be established, allowing employees to experience
different roles or take on new responsibilities within their departments. This
would help in matching tasks with employees' interests, similar to Jonathan’s
approach, but in a more structured manner.

4. Improve Performance Management of Employees

a. Promote Employees’ Voice
● It was mentioned in the case that Alex had a hard time voicing his
concern to Jacque as he felt like it would resolve nothing as he felt like
 he would not empathize or listen to his concerns. Hence, open
communication channels should be established between employees and
management to discuss job satisfaction and workplace issues, and
suggestions for improvements should be made. Regular meetings or
forums could be held to encourage a culture of openness and trust.

b. Offer coaching or mentoring to employees of the organization

● Depending on what is needed by the particular individual, whether
employee or superior, coaching or mentoring should be offered to get
them where they need to be or help them develop. Whichever would
work best for them, but what matters is that it caters to their needs.

V. Conclusion and Further Recommendations

In conclusion, the case study of Alex and Katrien at the supermarket underlines the significant
impact of leadership styles on employee motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. The
contrasting approaches of Jacque and Jonathan highlight how a supervisor's behavior and
management style can directly influence the morale and efficiency of their staff. The case
demonstrates that a rigid, monotonous approach to task assignment and a lack of fair
compensation and rewards can lead to decreased employee motivation and job dissatisfaction.
Conversely, a more flexible, interest-based task allocation and a fair, performance-based reward
system can enhance motivation, satisfaction, and overall performance.

The analysis suggests that improving employee motivation requires a multifaceted approach
that is centered on assessing the needs of the employees and the leadership style of the
superiors, as it is clearly evident that the two are interrelated when it comes to employee
motivation tied into employee motivation, employee attitudes and behaviors, job satisfaction, and
employee performance within the workplace. The approach includes the implementation of a fair
compensation system, regular performance reviews, and leadership training programs.
Furthermore, promoting employees' voices through open communication channels and offering
coaching or mentoring can significantly contribute to a more motivated and satisfied workforce
which were all briefly discussed in the analysis above. Ultimately, this case study serves as a
reminder of the critical role leaders play in shaping the work environment and underscores the
need for effective leadership practices that foster a positive and productive workplace culture.