Kelly is the program manager for training services, a small but growing part of client work for HR Outsource.The three members of Kelly’s staff are Christina, Pe-ter, and Maria, all of whom hold the job title of “human resources consultant.” All three consultants are perform-ing adequately, yet Kelly has been thinking lately about enhancing their performance. Kelly’s immediate man-ager, the vice president of client programs, agrees that her staff has room for improvement in terms of effort and commitment. Kelly’s preliminary action plan for en-hancing the motivation of her staff is to interview them to search for specific motivators.In Kelly’s words, “As an HR professional, I’m not naïve enough to think that a one-size-fits-all approach to motivation is going to work. I’m going to offer each member of my team a gift certificate to their favorite online shopping service as a reward for outstanding per-formance. Gifts are nice, but I want to try something a little more sophisticated.”Excerpts from the interviews are as follows:
KELLY: “Christina, what do you really want from working at HROutsource? What would it take to get you to the next level of effort?”CHRISTINA: “Thanks for asking me, Kelly. I haven’t given the issue much thought yet. But off the top of my head, I would say I want your job, and then keep moving. I see a great future in human resource programs being outsourced, and I want to be part of that future. I’m 26 right now, and I can see myself as a CEO of a human resources outsourcing firm by the time I hit 35. So if I could see some clear signs of career advancement, I would put a little more pressure on the accelerator.”KELLY: “Peter, what do you want to get out of working for HROutsource? How could we get you to be even more strongly motivated?”PETER: “I like what I see at the company, yet I’m falling into a little bit of a routine. I keep doing safety training and diversity training for clients. It’s getting a little repetitious. I have to appear excited and enthusiastic even if I’ve given the identical training program seven times in 1 month. I want to branch out, and maybe help install a bonus system for a client or two. I want to get into other aspects of HR. I don’t want to feel like I’m finished growing as an HR professional. I’m only 31.”KELLY: “Good morning Maria. How are you doing today? I wanted to learn a little bit more about what makes you happy and motivated. What do you hope to get out of working for HROutsource? What type of work would get you even more fired up?”MARIA: “I thought I was pretty fired up. I think I could be more committed to the company if the company was more committed to me. I feel I am only as good as my last client assignment. Suppose the company runs out of client assignments for me. Does that mean I’m out the door? Stable employment is pretty important for me. I have a child, and my husband is a full-time student in a field with little prospect for high-paying work. I would like to wake up every morning and feel that my job at HROutsource will be there.”
Case Questions
1. What needs are Christiana, Peter, and Maria at-tempting to satisfy?
2. Make a suggestion to Kelly and her manager for motivating Christina, Peter, and Maria.