You work for a company that is results-driven and dedicated to motivating employees to surpass expectations. Your company is team-oriented, and employees work together during long hours and sometimes even weekends to get the job done. All new employees go through a six-month onboarding period during which they shadow and complete tasks for the manager. After the six-month period, new employees join a team and are offered incentives such as bonuses, commission, and professional development opportunities.
Your manager has asked you to sit in during an interview for a potential new employee at your company. Your manager is a firm believer in “hire for culture, train for everything else.” Since your manager knows that you are an experienced member of the organization and well-versed in behavior theory, they asked you to evaluate the candidate and the candidate’s interview responses to inform how to best support a new employee within the organization. The following are your notes from the interview:
The candidate’s values and goals perfectly align with the company’s mission and vision. Although this individual is coming to the company from a completely different industry, they seem to be a good fit for the company’s culture. They stated, “I am extremely interested in learning and growing as a professional. Although I do not have direct experience in this field, I am a go-getter! I have the ability and drive to accomplish any task I am given.”
This individual has vast experience working in teams. “I was a project manager at my previous company, so I have relevant experience leading and collaborating in a team.” This individual lives far away from the office, will need to take two children to school on the way to work every morning, and will require a flexible schedule.
Due to a health condition, the individual also needs to frequently have a private space available to check their blood sugar and needs to have access to snacks and water. With these concerns clearly stated in the interview, the individual stated, “I’ve held many positions, so I know how to manage my time and maintain a healthy work-life balance.”
Directions
Analysis: Following the interview, your manager asks you to use your notes about the candidate to write a report. You will need to provide context to your manager on organizational behavior and how it impacts the organization. Your manager has asked you to provide a holistic view of what motivates the candidate. You choose two behavior theories to apply in order to meet the expectations of your manager. Be sure to explicitly state which two theories you chose to apply in your report.
Specifically, your manager asks you to address the following:
Describe in detail your process for applying each behavior theory as it relates to the candidate.
Determine the anticipated outcomes or challenges at each level of the organization for each behavior theory that you applied. Consider how the individual, group, and organization are motivated and what behavioral changes are likely to occur by hiring the candidate.
Proposal: Your manager is quite confident that they will hire this candidate and needs your help to create a plan for onboarding the new employee. You will need to consider how the individual, team members, and organization will be affected by hiring this person. Propose strategies that your manager should implement to effectively support each level of the organization during this transition.
Specifically, your manager asks you to address the following in your report:
Recommend interventions to ensure new-hire and organizational success for each behavior theory you applied. Consider the following:
How can your manager motivate and support the candidate and team members?
What emerging trends currently exist in organizational behavior management?
Describe the limitations, risks, and ethical considerations of applying behavior theory to inform decisions.
Explain how recommending interventions impacts organizational performance. Consider the concept of an open system.
