Case Study

$($Please note that the case study is not an actual company situation.$)$

John Sithole is the managing director of manufacturing and operations of a medium$-$sized

steel construction organisation. John has a PhD in engineering but has not been directly

involved in research and new product development for $20$ years. He runs a $$tight ship$$ when

it comes to operations. The company does not have a turnover problem, but it was evident to

John and other key management personnel that the hourly people put in only eight hours daily.

They are not working at their full potential and have become $$clock watchers$.$ John is upset

with the situation because, with rising costs, the only way the company can continue to prosper

is to increase the productivity of its hourly people. John called the human resources manager,

Zamile de Wet, and said, $$What is it with our people, anyway? Your wage surveys show that

we pay near the top in this region, our conditions are tremendous, and our fringe benefits are

unbeatable. Yet, these people are still not motivated. What in the world do they want?$$ Zamile

replied: $$I have told you and the CEO time after time that money, conditions, and benefits are

insufficient. Employees also need other things to motivate them. Moreover, I have been

conducting some random confidential interviews with some of our hourly people, and they tell

me they are very discouraged because, no matter how hard they work, they get the same pay

and opportunities for advancement as their co$-$workers who are just scraping by$.$ John replied,

$$Okay$,$ you are the motivation expert. What do we do about it$?$ We must increase their

performance$.$

QUESTIONS:

a$)$ Identify Maslow$$s hierarchy of needs and discuss how it relates to the case study by

explaining the motivational problem in this organisation. $(7)$

b$)$ Discuss Hertzberg$$s two$-$factor theory of motivation and apply it to the case study to outline

motivational challenges in this organisation. $(8)$

c$)$ Briefly discuss the equity theory and relate it to the case study. $(5)$