Case Study: Motivation

You have been contacted by a manager at a large biotechnology firm to assist with a motivation problem

she is having. You ask her to describe what has been happening, and she replies,

$$I just don$$t know what to do about James, our lead scientist practicing in the laboratory today.

He just doesn$$t seem motivated to do anything anymore. He was our highest patent producer five years

in a row, and then last year, he didn$$t patent a thing. This year has been even worse. He$$s been late for

work several times, and I catch him just sitting at his desk in the lab staring off into space. I$$ve tried to

talk to him, but have gotten nowhere. I know he$$s having personal problems$---$he$$s in the process of a

divorce$---$his wife and child have stayed in the house and James is just going from friend to friend for a

place to stay. So maybe the divorce is affecting him...but when I$$ve asked him about it$,$ he swears it$$s in

no way impacting his work. He seems worried about his progress $($or lack thereof$)---$but I just tell him to

do his best and not to worry. I don$$t want him worried, you know, because that can impact his

creativity.. $..$and what kind of invention can be thought up without creativity!

Before I continue, I suppose I ought to say a few things about our compensation plan here at

BIOtechnology. It$$s good. Automatic $3\%$ raises are given each year, and you get an additional $1\%$ for

each year that you$$ve been here. Just $2$ years ago we began giving a $$10,000$ bonus to any scientist for

each patent that he or she produces. We also give generous overtime compensation, which encourages

the scientists to work long hours and really think hard and well about potential biotech breakthroughs.

This is such a great place to work$----$why, just last year we paid the highest salaries ever to our new

hires. They$$re making more their first year than I am today$---$and I$$ve been with this company more than

$10$ years $($did I mention that I am the most senior scientist here, too? I don$$t practice anymore, but I

certainly make more than any of the scientists who are here$---$except, of course, than those we just hired

last year!$)$

I suppose I should also tell you about our company. We were bought out early last year by a

European conglomerate, and things have been rather chaotic since then. Nobody at headquarters seems

to know what we really do here, and consequently they keep imposing these ridiculous rules and

regulations on me and my department. If I want to keep my job, I have to go along with their requests,

which has required that I be a bit harder on my subordinates than I$$d rather be$...$ although the way the

department is acting $($following James$$ lead$),$ I must say that I probably need to be harder on them. I$$m

finding out that employees inherently dislike work, and whenever possible, will attempt to avoid it$.$ They

won$$t achieve anything unless they are threatened with some sort of punishment. $.......$ back to James.

So here I am today, asking you for some help. How can I get James motivated?$$