One of the main problems during a recession is employee attitudes. Excellent management skills are needed in trying economic times in order to boost employee morale and productivity. One of the methods used include Schwartz’s 10 values that guide a person’s behavior. Another method used is affective, cognitive, and behavioral components that influence behavior by increasing organizational commitment. Increasing employee involvement is also important to management. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior can be used by managers to increase employee performance during a recession.
Schwartz proposed that there are 10 values that guide a person’s behavior. The 10 values that he proposed are as follows: power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Many of these values are driving the behavior of managers at Bain & Company, Home Depot, and Best Buy. Frank Blake the Chairman and Chief Executive of Home Depot decided to boost morale by lowering bonus guidelines for hourly employees to set more realistic goals. This exemplifies the values of achievement, power, stimulation, and self-direction. The end result was that the highest percentage of in store employees receiving bonuses in the first half of that year.
Steve Ellis is the worldwide managing director of Bain & Company. His behavioral component of his attitude in managing during a recession is one that includes hiring managing consultants in “hot-growth areas such as emerging markets and corporate turnarounds” (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013 p.176). He also solicits former employees who may be unhappy with the financial services firms they are now with. This shows the cognitive component whereas he believes that the best talent can be acquired in this fashion.
Home Depot and Best Buy are both trying to increase employee involvement. One way that Best Buy accomplished this was by setting up online
References: Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (2013). Organizational behavior. (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.