American Flatbread Organizational behavior

CHAPTER 4 CASE
“EQUITY MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES AT AMERICAN FLATBREAD”
1. Is American Flatbread using a traditional approach to motivation, a human relations approach, or a human resource approach? Explain. American Flatbread is using the combination of a human relations and human resource approach. The management believes that contribution and participation would enhance motivation. They also believe that people would want to contribute anything of importance for the good of the organization. Schenk injects and contributes a sense of realness, fun, relating to the company’s mission, and recognizing beauty; all of these were his manners of applying human relations approach. Human resource approach is applied by the encouragement of the people to bring ideas because a person could not do everything all by himself. The more an organization works together, the stronger the company will get, which results to effectiveness and efficiency of work. Community efforts and recognition for every individual’s work would lead to employee perceptions of equity. The people should believe that they are equally capable of providing useful ideas, thus a manager should recognize and appreciate their efforts, and imply followership because being a good leader means being a good follower.

2. What worker needs, if any, are satisfied by working at American Flatbread? What needs, of any, are not satisfied? By working at American Flatbread, physiological, security, belongingness and esteem needs are satisfied. First, physiological and security needs are satisfied because they receive enough benefits from the company which is enough for them to stay and work in the company, otherwise, the workers would have definitely fled and searched for another higher-paying job. Second, belongingness is satisfied because the company applies human relations approach to motivate them. Schenk treats his employees of high and low positions equally. He recognizes the ability of every person in the company to be useful and to contribute what is essential and which is better for the company. He is not only a leader, but a follower who could one with the people. Lastly, esteem needs are satisfied because as what was mentioned, he recognizes the contribution of the people and he promotes those who have done well through the course of the employee’s existence in the business. On the other hand, self-actualization needs were not satisfied because we believe that, only the person can achieve this goal of need. 3. George Schenk, founder and CEO of American Flatbread, is a positive and optimistic person.
How do his attitudes and behavior affect his workers’ social learning? What impact does their learning have on the organization? Schenk infuses positivism and optimism to his workers. A positive attitude can affect the workers’ relations towards their boss and co-workers in a good way. In one way, they could comfortably work together resulting to effectiveness and efficiency of work. Schenk’s way of thinking only the best-case scenarios would feed the minds of his people with goodness, improvements and fun. Because of his positive attitude, some of his people, if not all, would unconsciously adapt his manners of positivism which is good when applied inside and out of the business relations. Chapter 1
“High-Yield Humanism”: Managing Growth and Change at Ikea
1. How did Pernille Spiers-Lopez’s personal experiences affect her behavior as a manager?
As a matter of fact, a behavior is the response of an individual to its environment. In Pernille’s life as a manager, she used her personal experience to balance her duty as a mother and wife to her husband and children by setting limitations on her career as a manager. Being a manager is not as easy as we think. Based on Pernille’s story, she had gone through many disappointments and challenges with her prior job, but it certainly not give her any grounds to bring herself down. She used that unpleasant incident to be more optimistic and confident to reach her goals in life. Therefore, as she goes on to pursue her dream, she became the first and only woman to be part on the company’s North American board in the management ranks at Ikea. Despite the fact that she turn out to be very successful, yet there is something missing in the puzzle of her life. As she was so busy chasing her ambitions, she didn’t realized that she has a family waiting for her. Therefore, after recognizing that problem, as what I’ve said earlier in my second sentence, she then set limitations in order to balance out things right. Now, she turns out to be more fulfilled and contented in her existence here on earth.
2. Does Pernille Spiers-Lopez have a universal perspective on her work or situational perspective? Why do you think so?
As what we understand based on the case, we chose the situational perspective. Generally, in connection with what we answered in the previous number, we had successfully identified the problem. Thus, we will utilize that information in illustrating the situational perspective. Situational perspective or approach essentially imply that approaches to any kind of problems and situations are contingent; that is, the precise relationship between any variables is likely to be situational- dependent on other variables. Pernille’s used situational approach on her work to build a good foundation to her workers by listening to their ideas. In other words, she believed that as a manager her action or behavior in any given situation depends on elements of that situation.
It is not realistic that everytime there is a problem there is only one best way of responding based on the universal approach. Pernille does not agree with these things therefore she tailed her work to practice the situational approach. Another reason is that she knew the complexities of human behavior and organizational settings make universal conclusions virtually impossible. In conclusion, Pernille’s decision to use situational approach is one of the best things she has done in her life as an effective and efficient manager. 3. What are some of the personal, group, and organizational outcomes at Ikea North America that maybe attributed to Pernille Spiers-Lopez?
One of the major organizational outcomes that were designed by Pernille was the Ikea’s policy of generous leave for new or adoptive mothers and fathers. This is somehow a unique kind of offer that brings Ikea to be more attractive in customers’ eyes. Under her leadership, she even flourished the organization. She promotes productivity and performance- a two important behavior as an employee. Productivity is an indicator for efficiency and is measured in terms of products created and services rendered. On the other hand, performance is a broader concept. It is made up of all work-related behaviors. She even help out to increase the number of American stores to double and sales were the fastest growing of all the Ikea regions. By doing such, she mainly assessed their financial performance that made her think of a peculiar idea to assist the organization in increasing their number. By her brilliant mind, she really contributed a big impact on the organization. Finally, by her initiative, the staff turnover has fallen from 76 percent to 36 percent. In a tight market for low-wage workers, Ikea typically receives applications for every sales floor position. Managerial jobs draw twenty applicants. In closing, Pernille’s role and contribution gave Ikea a best support for the organization’s growth.
Also read Motivational Approach to Work Design