Genentech
Case Study: Genentech
Discussion Questions
1. Would you characterize Genentech’s employees as experiencing distress or eustress?
Distress is the type of stress that has negative implications, whereas eustress has a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in someone’s life. Therefore, I would characterize the Genentech’s employees as experiencing eustress. For example, all these programs that Genentech offers to its employees make life less stressful. The employees, who work for Genentech, enjoy working and they are proud of the cancer-fighting drugs their company produce, and also the egalitarian policies.
2. How can the Yerkes-Dodson law be related to the impact of Genentech’s programs that are aimed at enhancing employee well-being?
The Yerkes-Dodson law dictates that performance increases with mental arousal. As arousal increases, performance also increases, but only to a point. When arousal becomes too high, performance decreases.
The Genentech’s programs arousal is high, which increases performance. The arousal is not too high to the point that affects performance and productivity. Genentech’s program includes promoting emotional health, improving health, and maintaining balance between their employees’ work life and personal lives among their employees. Therefore, the stress at Genentech Way is a good stress, eustress, which is related to the Yerkes-Dodson law, as arousal increases, performance also increases.
3. How do Genentech’s basic management philosophy and the key features of its culture set the stage for the company’s concern about their employees’ well-being?
Genentech creates a way for people to contribute to making something that can make a difference. What made Genentech so successful is the ability to recruit and retain highly qualified and motivated people. They are bright, committed people with great technical skills. They have a passion to contribute, and a sense of responsibility to
Discussion Questions
1. Would you characterize Genentech’s employees as experiencing distress or eustress?
Distress is the type of stress that has negative implications, whereas eustress has a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in someone’s life. Therefore, I would characterize the Genentech’s employees as experiencing eustress. For example, all these programs that Genentech offers to its employees make life less stressful. The employees, who work for Genentech, enjoy working and they are proud of the cancer-fighting drugs their company produce, and also the egalitarian policies.
2. How can the Yerkes-Dodson law be related to the impact of Genentech’s programs that are aimed at enhancing employee well-being?
The Yerkes-Dodson law dictates that performance increases with mental arousal. As arousal increases, performance also increases, but only to a point. When arousal becomes too high, performance decreases.
The Genentech’s programs arousal is high, which increases performance. The arousal is not too high to the point that affects performance and productivity. Genentech’s program includes promoting emotional health, improving health, and maintaining balance between their employees’ work life and personal lives among their employees. Therefore, the stress at Genentech Way is a good stress, eustress, which is related to the Yerkes-Dodson law, as arousal increases, performance also increases.
3. How do Genentech’s basic management philosophy and the key features of its culture set the stage for the company’s concern about their employees’ well-being?
Genentech creates a way for people to contribute to making something that can make a difference. What made Genentech so successful is the ability to recruit and retain highly qualified and motivated people. They are bright, committed people with great technical skills. They have a passion to contribute, and a sense of responsibility to