Understanding Unrealistic Job Expectations and Proactive Socialization

James' New Job

Chapter Eight

James’ New Job
After two weeks on the job, James was seriously frustrated.  James had spent many summer days at the local amusement park growing up and had always dreamed of working there.  The park had fun rides including a roller coaster and a ferris wheel, carnival games where you could win prizes, and food stands that sold everything from hot dogs and hamburgers to cotton candy, cake, and ice cream.  He had thought working at the park would be fun as he envisioned being in charge of rides, working with friends, getting free food, and flirting with girls.  Now that he had made it past the interview and finally got the job, nothing was as he had expected.  On his first day, James was shown quickly around the park by one of the managers before being given a radio and a cleaning cart.  The rest of his shift and the next few days were spent emptying trash bins, mopping out the washrooms, and cleaning up vomit near the roller coaster and other rides.  He worked alone and was constantly busy answering radio calls to cleaning emergencies.  During his most recent shift, he thought things were getting better when he was selected to wear the mascot costume and walk around the park.  Little did he know that the costume was 30lbs and smelled horrible.  Kids would push him down and laugh as he struggled to get to his feet.  He thought it couldn’t get much worse until he picked up his paycheck and found out that the cost of the soda pop that he had assumed was free had been deducted from his wages.  James was very dissatisfied and considered quitting his job and going somewhere else.

QUESTIONS
1)Explain how unrealistic job expectations and the psychological contract can help us understand Jason’s situation.
2)Is there anything the organization should do so that other new hires don’t have the same experience as Jason?

Proactive Socialization
Many students come to Thompson Rivers University knowing very little about Kamloops, Thompson Rivers, and university life in general.  They spend their first semester just figuring out how to live (cooking, cleaning, laundry, budgeting, etc.) and their grades can suffer as a result.  Those who are prepared tend to do better in both school and have an easier transition to their new life.

QUESTION
1)Based on what you know of proactive socialization behaviors, what could a potential TRU student do who wants to be more proactive in their socialization process?

Chapter Nine
Hiring a Manager
You are responsible for hiring a manager for a North American fast-food restaurant.  The operations within the store are highly standardized, and employees have very specific job descriptions.  The person will be in charge of managing around 30 employees.  There is a high degree of turnover among employees, so retention will be an important priority.  Most employees who work in the restaurant are young with low levels of work experience, and few of them view the restaurant business as a full-time career.  The atmosphere in the restaurant has a fast pace.  In this company, managers are often promoted from within, and this position is the exception.  Therefore, the incoming manager may not expect a warm welcome from employees who were passed over for a promotion, as well as their colleagues.  Finally, the position power of the manager will be somewhat limited because employees are unionized.  Therefore, the manager will have limited opportunities for distributing pay raises or bonuses.

QUESTIONS
1)Identify the leadership traits and behaviours that are desirable for this particular position.
2)Use Fiedler’s Contingency Theory to analyze this position and comment on the leadership orientation that would be most appropriate.