Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing
Mike Miller (A) – HBS Case Study What leads us to make pivotal decisions that will impact our professional and personal lives? After reading the Mike Miller HBS Case Study, we learned the implications of our choices, the importance of “match” and especially “mismatch” when looking for the ideal postMBA career and the relevance of prioritization. Mike Miller is a confident, ambitious and talented professional. The Frontier Case repeatedly demonstrates his high sense of direction and perseverance in reaching the top and becoming successful in business, especially given economically disadvantaged background. On the personal front, Mike is a responsible family-oriented person. Both his business and personal proclivities are largely due to his childhood and his former work experience in the U.S. Military services. Mike's father had 4 different businesses, two of which ended up in bankruptcy. Hence, Mike was determined to avoid such failures in his future. His career began in the military, where he was a highly successful captain. However, he discovered that upward mobility in the military was almost solely attached to service duration. Studying at Harvard, however, served Mike's Mike's sole goal: initiate his managerial role with high starting salary and fast track promotion without fierce competition. Considering the Ranking Work Motivation questionnaire, Mike mostly aspires to fulfill needs included in groups A and B (please see appendix A) - related to protection, physical
Comment [TSW1]: Yes, this gives us an indicator for personality trait Comment [TSW2]: This gives us indicator f values
Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing
Frontier can be perfectly characterized as an X-theory company according to the Philosophy of Management Questionnaire: a dynamic, aggressive, hierarchical company that
offers highly competitive financial rewards in return of complete employee devotion. Employees in Frontier are considered tools, which require tight control and carrots so as to meet objectives. While Herzberg's 1 motivators are constantly met by Frontier, the company fails to provide hygienic aspects such as clear policy and administration, relationships with
Formatted: Highlight
supervisors, peers and subordinates and work conditions. The most resonating description regarding Frontier's lack of hygiene on one hand and bountiful motivations on the other is stressed during the orientation workshop: the underlying principle at Frontier was that money was the most powerful motivator and the most important corporate goal. Managers in Frontier did not set behavioral examples to employees. Public quarrels were not rare sight, even amongst senior managers, and communication problems between Frontier's employees seemed to be the company's policy. Frontier's long track of above-theindustry-average profits on loans to potentially risky institutions had created somewhat alienating, competitive office environment. Despite high motivators Frontier had offered, throughout the year prior to Mike's arrival, third of its employees left. Utilizing Kohn's
2
conceptual framework, Frontier's had rewarded its employees and motivated them via constant flow of rewards in the short run, but it ignored their temporality and lack of ability to create commitment. Initially, Frontier perfectly complemented Mike's career expectations and fully fulfilled his set of criteria. However, shortly after joining the company it has caught up to him that he
Comment [TSW3]: Very astute assessment and application of the research article.
Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing
practices. He valued a company that would accept him for who he really was and believed that Frontier did so. One might ask though, was Mike really himself during recruiting stages or was he mesmerized by wrong signals such as "we need people who look like him" type of statements of leading figures? Mike faced hurdles throughout his time in Frontier, the most prominent being communication-deprivation. Managers as well as employees repetitively failed to communicate their messages, leading to resentment and dissatisfaction. In one example, Mike was requested not to share with colleagues his immediate promotion to supervise the small business operations.
Mike was unwillingly forced to deny his promotion, dismissing any
rumors and obeying the boss' irrational demand. Moreover, Mason’s management-by-decree, together with his increasing abrasiveness and Mike’s inability to earn his confidence, were all a growing source of frustration in M ike’s dealings with his boss. The conflict over the promotion between Mack Rogers and Mason exemplified Frontier's
communication-deprivation.
As
Mason's
subordinate,
Rogers
repeatedly
demonstrated his reluctance in dealing with Mike. Rogers backdated several memos and complained that Mike did not implement tasks that he supposed to complete. However, when Mike approached Mason about this issue, Mason did not seem to believe him. Both Mason and Rogers used Mike in their continuous feud. Correspondingly, Frontier ’s state of turmoil provided another daily front Mike was required to face. Endless relocations in the office and lack of logistical tolerance disturbed
Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing
Dear Team E, This report does an outstanding job of applying OB research to the analysis of the case. Generally, your applications are accurately made and demonstrates effort and understanding of these concepts and how to use to explain what is happening and why. The analysis in the appendices was extensive and although I could argue with some of the specifics, overall it is well done. Although brief, your evaluation of the two basic alternatives demonstrates sensitivity to the situational factors and realism concerning changing a company’s culture such as this one.
Grade A-
Appendix A – Mike Miller’s Work Motivation Analysis Name
Mike Miller
Physiological Balance
Seeks to work location in proximity to his wife’s parents and always put work location
Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing aggressiveness, as well as worshiped money. Further,
Mike's
acquired
leadership
capabilities during the military played an important factor in choosing a management role as one of his career objectives. Self-fulfillment, Independence and Creativity
Strived to reach his full potential, building on his military and Pointer experience, Mike devoted tremendous efforts to change his career – enter HBS and seek the ideal role that fits his expectations.
Group E, Section 1
Course: Organizational Behavior Professor: Tara Wernsing
Appendix B – the Herzberg Analysis of Mike Miller and Frontier -40%
-30%
-20%
-10% Achievement Recognition Responsibility Salary Advancement Growth Personal life Status Work Itself Supervision Company Policy and Administration Relationship with supervisor Work conditions Relationship with peers Relationship with subordinates Security
Mike
Company
Result
+++ ++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +/++ N.I. N.I. N.I. → + ++
+++ ++ +++ +++ + N.I. --++ +++ N.I. ----- -----
Very Satisfy Satisfy Satisfy Satisfy Kind of Satisfy Kind of Satisfy
N.I. → +++
N.I. N.I. → +++ N.I. → +++
+++
N.I. = Not Important N.I. → +++ = Not Important at firts. Very Important Later
6
Doesn’t Affect
S atisfy N/A N/A D is satis fac tio n Dissatis faction N/A D is sa ti sf ac ti on D is sa ti sf ac ti on Dissatisfaction
10% +40% +25% +20% +10% +8% +5% +2% +2% 0% 0% -4 0% -10% -5% - 5% - 5% -5%
20%
30%
40%
