Organizational Behavior Chapter 8 Case Study

1. Why is it important to focus on motivating employees who survive a layoff?
Most companies focus on layoff processes, but they should take more in consideration the layoff survivors who in fact experience more anxiety and tension. After the layoff, the survivors are the ones who “suffer” more. Their workload becomes heavy and as a result their stress levels are increased. It is important to focus on motivating the employees who survive a layoff because after that, they feel a lack of security on their job, due to the fact they don’t know when it will be their turn. Motivating surviving people reduces the negative feeling they experience during this layoff event, and the negative consequences. This is what company should do, if it wants to develop the organization during an economic turndown.
2. To what extent is Conaty’s advice consistent with equity and expectancy theory?
The equity theory is based on the very important task for the managers which is giving and paying attention to the perceptions that an employee can have. He can look for fairness and equity as well. Therefore the managers should communicate with wariness and explain their decisions very well.
Vrooms Expectancy Theory states that people are motivated to behave in ways that produce desired combinations of expected outcomes. Expectancy and Instrumentalities are not involved, because anxiety is increased and financial rewards are reduced in the process of layoff
3. Do you believe that recognition will motivate layoff survivors? Expain
First of all recognition is being seen as the primary key motivator for employees in different theories that OB explains. As we can see from the key study, the survivors of the layoff will have some consequences such as they will lose the trust of the company. In the same time, employees can feel guilty or not very comfortable while they are the ones who will stay and will feel misused by having to much work to do.
4. Do you agree that managers should find ways to have fun in the work environment after a layoff? Why or why not?
For my opinion managers should find solutions to turn in place the company and to help survived employees after a layoff. Due to the fact that in a fun work environment, employees can become more motivated, somehow this reason can be resultant. In a way or another, it is the best and the most simple solution for managers , but it can’t change everything because the damage is very deep and it consists on the psychology of the survived employees.
5. What is the biggest takeaway you get from trying to link content in this chapter to this case?
One of the most important conclusions is : recognition. We can obviously see, that employees can loose their self esteem and therefore they cannot be secure for their job. Therefore, it is difficult for employees to trust their employers easily. Secondly, the layoff process has direct contact on the psychology of survived employees and as a consequence affects the productiveness of the organization.
In conclusion, managers can improve their job by planning or coordinating different tasks in order to achieve the desired goals. They should take in consideration the surviving employees, who don’t feel very good, readjust the mistrust and the fear in order that company can reach the desired goals and increase the productivity.