Case Study: Motivation in the Workplace. 

Step 1: Read the Case Entitled ...  "Pat's First Vet Tech Job"  The Case can be found below.

Step Two: Analyze and reflect on the Case and the four (4) questions below

1. What, according to you, were the reasons for Pat Wilson's disillusionment with her new job? (Answer the question using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ...  i.e. What motivational needs did Pat have and how did the job make it difficult to get those needs met.) 

2. If Pat had had a better insight into her own motivations, what could she have asked in the job interviews that would have helped her make a better career decision?

3. What can a Manager, like Mary, do to ensure high levels of motivation among all of his/her team members even if their needs differ?

Case Study

Pat's First Vet Tech Job

Employee Motivation - A Short Case Study

My name is Pat Wilson. I recently completed my Vet Tech degree and was excited to get my first job in my new career. Armed with new knowledge and my love of animals, I was motivated to succeed.

My First Job as a Vet Tech

 I joined the Pinehurst Pet Hospital after a successful stint at another vet clinic, where I had worked as an intern while getting my degree.  I had always wanted to go back to my hometown and live near my parents. So when I got a job offer there, I didn't waste a single moment in saying yes.

I felt the Pinehurst Pet Hospital offered good career prospects, since it was large, growing practice with a good reputation.  I was sure I would excel in my new position at Pinehurst, just as I had done in my old job as an intern.Knowing that this job would give me a lot of good experience, I was quite excited to join Pinehurst's veterinary team. I also received a substantial pay hike from my salary as an intern.

The Job Interviews

During the job interviews at Pinehurst I met Mary, the Office Manager, and was looking forward to working under her. The doctors and my co-workers seemed warm, friendly, and comfortable with their work environment. I introduced myself to the team members and got to know more about each of them. Wanting to know more about my boss, I casually asked Sandra, one of other Vet Techs, about Mary. Sandra said, "Mary does not interfere with our work. In fact, you could even say that she tries to ignore us as much as she can."

 I was surprised by the comment but decided that Mary was probably leaving them alone to do their work without any guidance, in order to allow them to realize their full potential. I wanted to believe that Mary was the non-interfering type of manager. If that was the case, surely her non-interference would only help me to learn and grow.   

My First Week

 In my first week at work, I found the atmosphere at the office a bit hectic and confusing. However, I was still quite excited. The team had a few glitches with the schedule and assignments. I thought about the problems I experienced till late in the night and had come up with several possible solutions.

I could not wait to discuss them with the other techs and Mary. I smiled to myself when I thought of how Mary would react when I told her that I had come up with several possible solutions to the problems I had observed. I was sure she would be happy with me, having put in so much thought into my work, right from day one.

My Meeting with Mary and the Team

I started to tell her about the problems we were having, but before I could even finish, she told me that she was busy with other things, and that she would send an e-mail to me and the other staff members with a solution by the end of the day.  I was somewhat taken aback. However, me being ever the optimist, I thought that she had perhaps already discussed these problems with the staff and knew about the way to solve them.

I came out of Mary's office and went straight to where the other Vet Techs sat. I thought it would still be nice to bounce my ideas off them and also to see what solutions others might come up with. I told them of all the solutions I had in mind.

I waited for the others to come up with their suggestions but not one of them spoke up. I was surprised, and asked them point-blank why they were so disinterested. Gary, one of the older Techs, said, "What is the point in our discussing these problems? Mary is not going to listen to us or implement anything, so why waste everyone's time?"

My Enthusiasm and Motivation Gradually Drained

I felt my heart sink. Was this the way things worked here? However, I refused to lose heart and thought that maybe, I could change things a little. But as the days went by, I realized that Mary was the complete opposite of my old boss. While she was efficient at what she did and extremely intelligent, she had neither the time nor the inclination to involve her subordinates in making improvements.

She was not willing to discuss or debate the merits of any improvement ideas that the team might have. She just e-mailed new procedures and solutions to the staff and expected them to be implemented. She expected the team to simply do their work and did not interfere unless there were complaints from clients.  If there was a client problem, her style was to look for who to blame rather than search for solutions.

In fact, she rarely said anything at all! If work did not get finished on time, she would just blame the team, and totally disassociate herself from them.The other Techs seemed to have adapted to Mary. As Gary put it, "The pay is good and she leaves us alone to do our work. It could be worse."

But Mary, without actively doing anything, had managed to significantly lower my motivation levels. I gradually began to lose interest in the work and just did the minimum like everyone else. I was learning nothing new, and felt my career was going nowhere.

As I became more and more discouraged, my performance suffered. I was a new Vet Tech with great promise and potential. Now, I was in danger of becoming just another mediocre Tech.