Sharon Kendall, a Single Mother of Three, Was the Best

question 70

Essay

Sharon Kendall, a single mother of three, was the best secretary in the accounting division for more than a decade. Sharon excelled at the detail work in report preparation, liked the variety of dealing with the people in the department, and managed occasional outside division contact very well. Five to seven secretaries shared the division work. Sharon usually helped out on parts of many projects and seldom followed a project or document set from start to finish. Four years ago, Sharon's manager, Ryan Reece, rewarded Sharon's excellent work with the ability to arrange a flexible work schedule. Since then, Sharon has attended all of her sons' soccer games and her daughter's recitals. Recently, Ryan walked past Sharon's desk and asked, "How's everything?" Sharon replied, "The kids are great, but I'm starting to get bored with this job." Ryan hurried to the corporate motivation expert. "Sharon is a great employee. How can we keep her?" They came up with three options. The first was to write a piece for the corporate newsletter featuring Sharon. There was an "EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE FOCUS" section. In addition to the article, the featured employee was given a $500 bonus. The second idea was to promote her to division secretary supervisor, giving her oversight of all the accounting division secretarial staff and their work. She would have her own office, a nice raise, and regular 9 to 5 working hours. The third option was to send her to an accounting and finance technical school for six months. This option would bring more money, more challenge, more opportunity, and a work cubicle on the fifth floor with other accountants. The consultant mentioned that a slot in the next cycle of the accounting school had just opened up. Ryan thanked the consultant for all his help and arranged to take Sharon to lunch to tell her of his solution to her boredom. Ryan began the lunch with, "You scared me when you said you were bored at work. I was afraid you would resign. So, I went to corporate and have found the perfect solution." Ryan ended his news about the accounting school with, "So, it's all set. You fly to the coast next Monday, and when you get back in six months, you'll have a new office on the fifth floor. You have been the best secretary ever in this division. I know you will be a great accountant. Congratulations!" He extended his hand to Sharon. Sharon stabbed Ryan's hand with a fork and shouted, "You insensitive jerk. I quit!" Puzzled, Ryan rubbed his hand as Sharon rushed out of the restaurant. Please refer to this scenario for the following question. What would you have done in Ryan Reece's position to address Sharon Kendall's boredom? Use expectancy theory to diagnose the issue. Apply at least one relevant theory from each of these areas: personal, job, and managerial.

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Definitions:

Implementing Change

The process of applying strategies and actions to transform an organization's goals, processes, technologies, or culture to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Diagnosing Needs

The process of identifying and assessing gaps between current and desired performance or outcomes, often used in organizational development and training.

Change Process

The sequence of steps or actions that are taken in order to successfully implement new methods, practices, or systems in an organization.

Double-Loop Learning

A method of learning that involves questioning current assumptions, examining a problem from different perspectives, and questioning the validity of the problem.