1. How can expectancy theory be used to explain the differences in motivation between Alex and Stephanie?

What specifics from the case apply to expectancy theory?

Expectancy theory, when applied to business, states that employees will be more likely to put forth more effort if they believe the effort will be recognized with a good performance appraisal, organizational rewards such as a bonus, salary increase, or a promotion, and that this effort and subsequent recognition and rewards will satisfy their personal goals.
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This is based on three relationships: the effort-performance relationship, the performance-reward relationship, and the rewards-personal goals relationship.

Expectancy theory plays a large role in the differences in motivation between Alex and Stephanie. Stephanie is motivated to work hard because she gets different tasks throughout the day and has an extremely friendly boss who is easy to work with. Alex performs the same tasks every day and is constantly harassed by his boss who is not always fair to his employees. There is another employee that is equal to Alex that is getting paid more per hour for the same job, but Alex hsa been there longer. Alex does not feel like his effort is being recognized or rewarded.

Specific examples of the expectancy theory would include:

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Stephanie: While working in the Culinary Center, her boss offered her a $75 bonus if she could sell 10 bottles of a really expensive cooking oil. This motivated her to create recipes using the oil that customers would be able to try, who would then receive a list of ingredients to buy for the recipe, which included this expensive oil.

Alex: He was not motivated to work any harder or do any extra work simply because he had to repeat the same tasks daily. A bigger part of his lack of motivation was the derogatory treatment he received from his boss. It was clear that his boss did not like him so there was very little to no possibility of him getting a raise.

2. Alex states that he is underpaid for the work he does. What motivational theory does this apply to, and how would it explain Alex's behavior?

This applies to the equity theory, which says that individuals compare their job inputs and outcomes with those of others and then respond to eliminate any inequities. In other words, employees want equity with other employees who are at the same level as them. If they see that an employee who is below them is making more money, they lose motivation.

This relates to Alex's behavior because his colleague Denise does the same job with the same input and receives an hourly wage that is $2.00 higher than him. She has also been working at the store for a shorter time period than Alex. Alex's boss also allows Denise to work in different areas, while Alex must do repetitive tasks stocking produce. While Alex has been putting forth the same amount of effort as Denise for a longer period of time, there is an inequity in his outcome compared to hers. Therefore, Alex is bitter and unhappy with his job. He no longer tries as hard to please his boss because he feels that no matter what he does or how he does it, it will not be rewarded. Alex feels like he is not

respected by his manager Dan. As a result Alex says that he wants to quit and his productivity will decrease.

3. Using concepts from organizational justice, explain why Alex knocks his boss's lunch to the floor. What should Alex's boss do to improve the fairness of his treatment?

Organizational justice is the overall perception of what is fair in the workplace. Alex knocks his boss's lunch on the floor because his boss treats him unfairly.
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Procedural justice is the part of organizational justice that is the perceived fairness of the process used to determine the distribution of rewards. In this case, there is not a lot of process control or explanations. Alex does not feel like he can talk to his manager, Dan, about desired outcomes. Dan also does not give Alex clear explanations about his differential treatment. The distribution of rewards themselves is unequal because Alex and Denise have the same job and are getting paid differently.

Interactional justice is also part of organizational justice and is the perceived degree to which an individual is treated with dignity, concern, and respect. Alex does not feel like he is being treated with dignity, concern, or respect. Dan makes unfair requests on Alex and constantly says degrading and unnecessary comments to prove his authority. On the other hand, Dan does not feel like he is treated with dignity, concern, or respect by Alex. This is most likely a result and response to Dan's initial behavior and attitude towards Alex.

In order to improve the fairness of his treatment, Dan should stop making derogatory comments about Alex. This would help Alex to feel a greater sense of interactional justice. Dan should also raise Alex's pay to match Denise's. Alex would feel a greater sense of procedural justice.

4. Using concepts from the emotions and moods chapter, explain why Alex retaliates toward his supervisor. Was his behavior driven purely by emotion, or did cognition play a role? How so?

Alex retaliates because of an emotional reaction that was provoked by his supervisor's behavior. Prior to Alex's retaliation, Dan ridiculed him in front of a fellow employee. Alex was also under a lot of stress because of his supervisor's constant negative treatment. Affective events theory plays a role in this as well because its foundation is the recognition that emotions are a response to an event in the work environment. Most of Alex's work events are hassles. The nature of Alex's work events trigger negative emotional reactions.

Previous to Alexs act of retaliation, Alex had a conversation with Stephanie. Throughout this conversation, Alex seemed to be a little depressed and not in the best mood. In this situation where he reacted against Dan, he was in a bad mood and it negatively affected his emotions and caused him to act as he did. Alex was using the opportunity to express the emotions he felt, something he might not be able to do when on the floor stocking shelves because he is around customers.

His behavior was driven by both emotion and cognition.

Alex's behavior was driven by emotion because Alex had intense feelings that were directed at someone. The emotions that led to this event in particular were caused by one specific event, which was when Dan belittled Alex's education and intelligence. Since emotions are often action-oriented, it makes sense that Alex ruined his supervisor's sandwich.

Cognition played a role in Alex's retaliation towards his supervisor as well. The conflict between Alex and Dan was perceived earlier by Alex because conditions existed beforehand that could create conflict.

5. Compare and contrast Alex and Stephanie in terms of each person's level of work stress. How might stress affect their attitudes and behaviors within their work environment?

Alex suffers from hindrance stress, which keeps him from reaching his goals due to the office politics associated with his problematic manager. He is not allowed to move between departments. He has not received any recognition for his hard work, only criticism. A number of demands are placed on Alex and he has limited resources. A lot of his stress is the result of interpersonal demands placed on Alex by his manager. As a result, Alex has a lot of job-related dissatisfaction, which affects his attitude and mood. Behavior-related stress includes changes in productivity and a number of personal issues, such as sleep disorders.

Stephanie experiences a different kind of work stress, challenge stress. This is positive for her. She has a variety of projects, assignments, and responsibilities. Her manager gives her the chance to move between departments and gives her responsibilities such as

reordering supplies. Her manager has also given her the opportunity to participate in the store's culinary center, cooking food samples and selling ingredients to customers. Due to the variety of tasks and assignments, Stephanie is happy with her job and responds very well to work stress. As a result, Stephanie is very satisfied with her job. She enjoys her job and looks forward to working. She has a good attitude and due to her low level of negative stress performs only positive behaviors, including helping others.

The main factor that divides them when it comes to stress is the organization of their jobs. While they may work in the same company, having different managers drastically separates the jobs they are doing. Stephanie has freedom, variety and autonomy, which are all factors that can help alleviate stress in the workplace. While Alex has none of these factors, he works a monotonous job and has a boss breathing down his back and is always on top of what he is doing. The different work environments are what cause the difference in the type of stress they experience and their overall stress levels.

6. Discuss Alex and Stephanie in terms of each person's job attitudes (for example, job satisfaction, organizational commitment). What factors might be responsible for any differences?

Stephanie has a wonderful job attitude. She is very satisfied with her job and committed to her organization. She identifies with the supermarket and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization as well as help it succeed and grow. She has positive feelings towards her job and looks forward to being at work and future tasks. She enjoys working directly with the customers and trying to help the store sell their more

expensive products. Part of her satisfaction with the company is that she clearly feels rewarded because her boss gives her monetary and verbal incentives to do a good job.

Alex has a high level of job dissatisfaction and a low level of organizational commitment. He is overlooked for raises. His manager does not appreciate his contributions to the company. He does not feel like an important member of the organization so he is not committed to it. He is unsatisfied because of the poor treatment he receives from his boss. Alex clearly has a negative job attitude. He expressed to Stephanie that he would leave the job if he had an opportunity at another job. This shows he clearly does not have a strong commitment to his job at the supermarket. This could be because he feels underappreciated due to the difference in salary between him and an equal co-worker.

All of the above factors contribute to why Alex and Stephanie have such different overall attitudes toward their jobs. Other factors that may be responsible for differences include the organizational justice, the different forms of stress felt by Alex and Stephanie, lack of equity between Alex and his peers, and the role that expectancy theory plays because Stephanie believes her work will be recognized and rewarded whereas Alex does not.