Motivation and Teams Case Study

The goal-setting theory states that employees are motivated when they are given a specific goal. Mary Ellen Sheets set goals and had business plans made so she knew approximately how well the company would do. She wanted everyone to have a good experience with a business known to cause less stress and she worked hard to accomplish that. Ms. Sheets created Stick Men University to create consistently high-performing teams for her company. The franchise owners and the men who do the moving are taught everything she has learned from the initial contact with a customer to the end of the move.

Franchisees and movers learn the basics—from answering a customer’s first phone call to a handshake after the move is done. The job enrichment theory states that if employees have control over how their jobs are preformed or managed they will be motivated to work better. Klaus Kleinfeld was able to negotiate with employee representatives to get work done quicker by working flexible shifts. Work that is finished quicker translates into more money and job security, two things that would motivate employees to perform their jobs better.

Mr. Kleinfeld encouraged his employees to pull together to get their job done. He understood that many jobs are being outsourced to other countries and to keep their jobs it was important to work together. He works hard at knowing everything about Siemens so that he was an important part of the company and he has job security. He answered e-mails from employee reps almost immediately, even late at night. He was able to motivate people to pull together.