5.2 What's the Matter with These People? When Ron took over as supervisor at Midway Machine Works, he had no idea what was facing him. He had inherited a group of workers who were producing at a capacity that he estimated was at least 50 percent below what was reasonable compared to the industry standard. Ron debided on a systematic interviewing procedure in which he would ask the same questions each week of every employee he had. His questions included, "Do you feel your co workers are working as effectively and as hard as they could?" and "Do you feel you are working up to your capabilities?" Ron was surprised at the consistency of the answers. Nearly all the workers expressed the feeling that "Nobody cares anyway, why should we work hard when nobody else cares?" Also, nearly all the workers believed that those around them didn't work as hard as they easily could have. Fewer of those interviewed said such things about themselves, but all of them acknowledged that, whatever else could be said about their performance, they could be putting forth considerably more energy without wearing themselves out. Ron was shaking his head in discouragement one