Case Study Of Bruce Fox: Motivating Techniques To Increase Employee Productivity

Bruce Fox initiative to change Wazza’s behaviour

Discuss about the Case study of Bruce Fox.

A manger of any business must be aware of the motivating techniques to increase employee productivity. The assignment deals with the case study of Bruce Fox an owner of a restaurant in Sydney. In a restaurant business every worker has certain needs right from dishwasher to greeter. Aligning with the needs of the employees will help create collaborative dynamic that benefits every member of the organisation (DiPietro et al., 2014).   The aim of the report is to learn the organisational behaviour concepts and theories. The report discusses what Bruce Fox do to change employs different strategies Wazza’s behaviour. It is explained in regards to the motivational theories. Further, the reports discusses if Bruce could use a different system of rewards to get the same results from Wazza Gold. 

In the given case study Bruce Fox tried to improve the efficiency of Wazza Gold as a dishwasher boy in his restaurant. Wazza was inefficient in managing the time as he used to spend extra hours after the shift time trying to complete his work.  He was found to invest extra time in having fun and chatting with his co-workers. He always kept the kitchen in mess. Wazza would still be scraping and squirting and talking even after two hours after closing time, when everything else was ready for the next clay. Bruce Fox increased the efficiency of Wazza by fixing his salary and time limit. It made Wazza realised that he would be earning $120 even if he had worked 2 more hours after the last customer in the restaurant left. Brice had also asked him to complete the work within 12 a.m. He had set a new chalkboard in the next to the kitchen door leading out to the dining room. It read the Wazza’s Goal for a Record Time. By the end of month it read 42 minutes.  Eventually Wazza tend to finish his work at 12:42 and was motivated by the goals set or him. His increase in efficiency was celebrated by rest of the staff.

The change in the behaviour of Wazza can be explained by the Hawthorne Effect. According to Henry A. Landsberger, who identified the Hawthorne Effect, a person is motivated to work harder when observed by the investigator and with the changes in the physical conditions. It is due to the increased attention paid to them that the employees become motivated to work (McCambridge et al., 2014).  Increase in attention and observation by the Bruce may have motivated Wazza.

Motivation theories

According to “Maslow Needs Hierarchy Theory (1954)” people do not inherently hate their work. There is no tool that can control or predict their behaviour. Humans have innate needs. Human behaviour is dominated by the lower needs such as food, water and shelter. Until they are satisfied it creates a psychological tension. Eventually, human beings tend to accept responsibility, self direct and self control (Kaur, 2013). Bruce did set short term and long term goals for Wazza, provided frequent feedback as well as appraised the results. Therefore, it made Wazza more responsible. Locke and Latham’s (1990) goal setting theory is considered one of the cognitive theories of motivation. According to this theory, goals are antecedents and   the consequences of performance are the feedback. Motivation determines the course of action (Latham & Locke, 2014). In this case study, Brice did set goals for Wazza and regular feedback did help him increase his efficiency.  

Increase in efficiency of Wazza aligns with the “Locke and Latham Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance (1990)”. It states that setting goals influences the task performance by influencing their choices of task. Goals are foundation of motivation. According to this theory the goals can positively influence provided the employee is aware of goals and the tasks needs to be accomplished. As per this theory an individual must accept the goals. An employer must set specific and attainable goals. Feedback of goals leads to greater effort. When goals are accepted, persistence is increased (Locke & Latham, 2013).   When Wazza was asked to finish his task every week by 40 minutes, he had conscious goals and intentions that directed his actions.

In 1939, Roethlisberger and Dickson conducted Classic Study on Worker Performance theory. The study concluded that when a manager gives unusual level of attention to the employees, it motivates them to give high performance. This kind of attention helps the employees to meet their previously unmet social needs. To maintain the high level of performance, a manger must give the employees performance feedback and pay-for-performance. This specific criterion increases the performance and the fulfilment of social needs does not explain the changes in the performance (Burke, 2017). Bruce was giving the performance feedback to Wazza, which helped him improve his performance. Bruce was focused to increase the efficiency of Wazza and continued to attend him till the goal was achieved. This was motivating as the staff too co-operated with Wazza and celebrated his achievement.  

Different system of rewards

Other system of rewards could have been implemented by Bruce. It may include “pay for performance” as per the Roethlisberger and Dickson’s work performance model (Olafsen et al., 2015). Bruce could have used other methods of rewards or monetary benefits depending on the number of dishes he washed in a day. Additional incentives can be given for maintaining cleanliness of the workplace or any other contribution made to the organisation such as helping with kitchen activities or maintaining cleanliness in kitchen area.

Further, Bruce could have promoted challenges and accomplishments. According to Lau & Roopnarain (2014), a higher level of performance can be achieved by specific goals. Specific and challenging tasks can help increasing productivity and creativity. It leads to stronger commitment to the organisation. In addition to the time limit Bruce could set alternate goals for Wazza such as giving an “employee of month” style awards. It can go a long way in motivating employees. Rewards do not need to be in form of pay rises, incentives or extra paid nights.  Bruce can reward Wazza with books and vouchers. Books will help as Wazza cannot complete his education. This is based on the Expectancy theory.

According to the expectancy theory, an employee working in an organisation may be motivated by three elements including expectancy, instrumentality, and valance. An employee may expect that hard work may result in a desired goal. It may be based on the past experience and self confidence. Further, an individual may believe to receive a reward by meeting certain performance expectations and motivation depends on the value placed on reward (Bonner & Baumann, 2016).   It is recommended that Bruce should communicate with Wazza to recognise his desires and expectations and set relevant goals. It will help Wazza understand as to what he can expect after fulfilling the challenges given to him.

Another approach by which Bruce can increase the motivation of Wazza is by job rotation. It means in addition to dishwashing, Wazza can be allocated with other tasks that he can well perform. Job rotation is the kind of reward as it helps an individual to learn different operations in same organisation (Chen et al., 2015). Wazza can be allocated kitchen and client supporting activities. Bruce can also sustain the motivation in Wazza by ensuring that career advancement lies ahead of them.  It may include job workshops, chef training and opportunity to increase qualifications (DiPietro et al., 2014).  This will increase the commitment of an employee to work in an organisation. It is because the chefs, dishwashers rarely receive much glory.  I remember an incident where I worked as assistant in the pastry shop.  My work was to receive the new order of pastries that was delivered and maintain the records of total number of orders.  Sometimes I had to serve the clients when the person appointed for this job was absent. I had rarely received any compliment during my tenure. It was just time pass for me as I need additional pocket money. However, when I was given the role of making bills for one day I was motivated. It increased my self-esteem and confidence.

It is recommended that the manager must ensure that employees are satisfied with their jobs and recognise the factors that would motivate them to work at higher level. It is recommended to Bruce that regular recognitions even for smallest contribution to be initiated as it help sustain motivation. Further, the manager must invest a part of their time to built trust and relationship with the employees. Effective communication will foster positive relationship between Bruce and Wazza and sustain motivation (Godshalk & Fender, 2015).  Bruce  is recommended to enhance career advancement opportunities for Wazza.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that a manager’s duty is not restricted to economics, finance and information system. A manager also needs to have strong knowledge of organisational behaviour and psychology. A key aspect of the organisational behaviour is the motivation. A manager must know the way an individual can be compelled to meet the set goals. The various motivational theories discussed in the report explain the link between the employee performance and the motivation. It can be concluded from the literature review and the above discussion that motivation is important for changing the organisational behaviour of an employee, performance, efficiency and productivity of the organisation. In addition to extrinsic rewards such as incentives and bonus, there is also a need of intrinsic rewards. Feeling of accomplishment increases autonomy and ability to take more responsibility.

References

Bonner, B. L., & Baumann, M. R. (2016). An Expectancy Theory Approach to Group Coordination: Expertise, Task Features, and Member Behavior.

Burke, W. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=EWZCDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Roethlisberger+and+Dickson+conducted+Classic+Study+on+Worker+Performance+theory.&ots=KWOGSvFMlc&sig=cwadYxnGD_b0IKu6unrtesQK1IM#v=onepage&q&f=false

Chen, S. Y., Wu, W. C., Chang, C. S., & Lin, C. T. (2015). Job rotation and internal marketing for increased job satisfaction and organisational commitment in hospital nursing staff. Journal of nursing management, 23(3), 297-306.

DiPietro, R. B., Kline, S. F., & Nierop, T. (2014). Motivation and satisfaction of lodging employees: An exploratory study of Aruba. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 13(3), 253-276.

Godshalk, V. M., & Fender, C. M. (2015). External and internal reasons for career plateauing: Relationships with work outcomes. Group & Organization Management, 40(4), 529-559.

Kaur, A. (2013). Maslow’s need hierarchy theory: Applications and criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(10), 1061-1064.

Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2014). Goal setting theory: Controversies and resolutions. Handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology, 1.

Lau, C. M., & Roopnarain, K. (2014). The effects of nonfinancial and financial measures on employee motivation to participate in target setting. The British accounting review, 46(3), 228-247.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (Eds.). (2013). New developments in goal setting and task performance. Routledge.

McCambridge, J., Witton, J., & Elbourne, D. R. (2014). Systematic review of the Hawthorne effect: new concepts are needed to study research participation effects. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 67(3), 267-277.

Olafsen, A. H., Halvari, H., Forest, J., & Deci, E. L. (2015). Show them the money? The role of pay, managerial need support, and justice in a self?determination theory model of intrinsic work motivation. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 56(4), 447-457.