Your Assignment
Your task is to prepare a report for Reynaldo on the potential effectiveness of her cash
reward and structured interview programs. Make certain it is in the form of a
professional business document that you’d actually give to an experienced manager at
this level of a fairly large corporation. Reynaldo is very smart when it comes to
managing finances and running a plumbing business, but she won’t necessarily know
about the organizational behavior principles you’re describing. Because any new
proposals must be passed through top management, you should also address their
concerns about cost containment. You’ll need to make a strong evidence-based
financial case that changing the management style will benefit the company.
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When you write, make sure you touch on the following points:
CC-11. Although it’s clear employees are not especially satisfied with their work, do you
think this is a reason for concern? Does research suggest satisfied workers are actually
better at their jobs? Are any other behavioral outcomes associated with job satisfaction?
CC-12. Using job characteristics theory, explain why the present system of job design
may be contributing to employee dissatisfaction. Describe some ways you could help
employees feel more satisfied with their work by redesigning their jobs.
CC-13. Reynaldo has a somewhat vague idea about how to implement the cash rewards
system. Describe some of the specific ways you would make the reward system work
better, based on the case.
CC-14. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using financial incentives in a
program of this nature. What, if any, potential problems might arise if people are given
money for achieving customer satisfaction goals? What other types of incentives might
be considered?
CC-15. Create a specific plan to assess whether the reward system is working. What are
the dependent variables that should change if the system works? How will you go about
measuring success?
CC-16. What types of hiring recommendations would you make to find people better
suited for these jobs? Which Big Five personality traits would be useful for the customer
service responsibilities and emotional labor?
Case Discussion
The fact finding on the issues listed would appear in the report in the
“summary/background section” of the body. Facts drawn from the research on these
topics should be placed in the “Detailed Page 7 Discussion/Analysis Section.”
Conclusions about these case questions will be in the “Recommendation Section” along
with any recommendations for change in the current operations or structures.