Highway Administrator Paper
Highway Administrator Paper
Organizational Behavior
ORGB 300 – 001
The administrator of the highway department was given a task to find a way to fill more potholes. This program to fill more potholes would decrease the number of complaints in the city and the number of damages to the residents’ cars. To do this, the Highway Administrator implemented a goal-setting program, in hopes this would encourage the workers to fill more potholes. This program sets a standard for each crew to fill a certain amount of potholes per day, no matter the location of where the crew was working. The results will then be posted for all of the crews to observe and compare. As an incentive to fill the most potholes possible, the crew who filled the greatest amount of potholes each week was given a reward. I personally believe excellent results will be achieved since the Highway Administrator’s plan follows the design of the goal setting theory.
“Goal setting theory was based on the premise that much human action is purposeful, in that it is directed by conscious goals.” (Neil, 1994) A more updated definition of the Goal Setting Theory states that goals are the primary drivers of the intensity and persistence of effort. This program is going to be successful since the goals to be met are specific, accompanied by feedback, and difficult, but accepted by the workers. These aspects of the program will increase the overall performance of the workers, meaning more potholes will be filled in the approved manner, therefore, decreasing the number of complaints in the city and damages to the residents’ cars.
Since the duties assigned to the workers are meant to help the community, it is safe to say that their job performance is meaningful. The workers have a clear, spelled out job description and a list of tasks they need to complete, in the order they need to complete them. With their specific job description and the workers helping out the
Organizational Behavior
ORGB 300 – 001
The administrator of the highway department was given a task to find a way to fill more potholes. This program to fill more potholes would decrease the number of complaints in the city and the number of damages to the residents’ cars. To do this, the Highway Administrator implemented a goal-setting program, in hopes this would encourage the workers to fill more potholes. This program sets a standard for each crew to fill a certain amount of potholes per day, no matter the location of where the crew was working. The results will then be posted for all of the crews to observe and compare. As an incentive to fill the most potholes possible, the crew who filled the greatest amount of potholes each week was given a reward. I personally believe excellent results will be achieved since the Highway Administrator’s plan follows the design of the goal setting theory.
“Goal setting theory was based on the premise that much human action is purposeful, in that it is directed by conscious goals.” (Neil, 1994) A more updated definition of the Goal Setting Theory states that goals are the primary drivers of the intensity and persistence of effort. This program is going to be successful since the goals to be met are specific, accompanied by feedback, and difficult, but accepted by the workers. These aspects of the program will increase the overall performance of the workers, meaning more potholes will be filled in the approved manner, therefore, decreasing the number of complaints in the city and damages to the residents’ cars.
Since the duties assigned to the workers are meant to help the community, it is safe to say that their job performance is meaningful. The workers have a clear, spelled out job description and a list of tasks they need to complete, in the order they need to complete them. With their specific job description and the workers helping out the
References: Hogue, M. (2004). Improving Job Performance with Feedback, Extrinsic Rewards, & Positive Reinforcement. [PowerPoint Presentation]. Retrieved from www.personal.kent.edu/~mhogue/I&G_10.ppt Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (1998). Organizational behavior (4th ed.). Boston, Mass.: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Neil, H. F. (1994). Goal Setting Theory. Motivation: theory and research (). Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates. Weir, K. (2013, December 1). More than job satisfaction. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/12/job-satisfaction.aspx Yip, P., Goldman, A., & Martin, A. (2009, January 1). JOB SATISFACTION. I/O Psychology: Job Satisfaction. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from http://www.u.arizona.edu/~ctaylor/chapter9/jobsat.html