Preview

Motivation in Ebay's Innovation Program

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
9267 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Motivation in Ebay's Innovation Program
Abstract
This paper examines SPARK, eBay’s current innovation program, as a platform to collect and develop innovative ideas generated by current employees. Some employees at eBay expressed that they found it difficult to track and implement their ideas through SPARK. We feel the current SPARK program does not fully offer eBay the innovative advantage for the future. In our research, we employed two primary methodologies: (1) in-depth interviews with relevant employees and (2) quantitative surveys. Data was then analyzed using the STAR typology and Expectancy theory as frameworks. While at first we sought to propose a whole new innovation program for eBay, our research has proven that there is more value in the current program than we had realized and it has completely changed our point of view about the role of an innovation program in an organization.

Statement of the Concepts
There are two primary management concepts that we utilized in this study: the STAR typology and Expectancy theory. Each concept provides a framework that will support our analysis.
The STAR typology is a sorting tool that can be effectively used as a guide to organizational analysis. The STAR typology recognizes an organization as a system with five different but interrelated areas: People – the individual or group aspects within the organization, Infrastructure/Systems – the policies and procedures in place, Technology – the methods and tools used to do the work, Structure – the chain of command that forms the organization, and Context – the environmental aspects that affect the organization’s strategy and economic outlook. Given the complexity of organizations, change in one area requires adjustments in others and changes cannot happen all at once1.
Expectancy theory is a theory of human motivation. The theory seeks to explain the cognitive process of how a person selects one behavior over another behavior(s). Expectancy theory was developed by Victor Vroom in 1964 through his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    "Expectancy theory directs us to determine employees ' current views or perceptions about the odds of achieving certain goals and relative preferences for different rewards or "outcomes" in their work.…

    • 4999 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Schermerhorn, J. R., & Bachrach, D. R. (2015). Management (13 ed.). NY: John Wiley & Sons.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let1 Task1

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Expectancy is the first key component of the Expectancy Theory of Motivation. It can be explained as the belief that the employees have about their ability to meet the performance of a certain level. It is often called the effort-performance relationship. If a person does not believe that they are able to meet their employers performance standards no matter what they do, they will lose all of the motivation that they have.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bus 210 Week 6 Checkpoint

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    (Jones, G. R. 2007) the expectancy theory “argues that work motivation is a function of an…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    University of Phoenix. (2004). Week Four overview. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, MGT/230-Management Theory And Practice website.…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Innovation is the process of using ideas within a company to create new products, services, technology, or processes. Myths used to acknowledge that innovation was the idea of one individual with no support from others. In reality, innovative ideas that become new products and services require the support and knowledge of a significant amount of individuals. The individuals involved in the innovation process become involved in an array of business functions ranging from manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution. Companies will need employees with a diverse set of skills to develop, test, and commercialize the new products and services. Therefore, companies rely on “strong consistent processes and frameworks in order to manage, develop, and test ideas” (Phillips, 2011, p. 5). Before the innovation planning process can begin, management must provide a clear definition of the work to be completed, the individuals responsible for working within the different steps, and provide the defined workflow necessary for the teams to achieve and accomplish the tasks needed for the innovation to properly work. In the following report, the innovation planning and design process will be addressed. Further discussion will include an analysis of the internal and external factors influence on the innovation design process. Furthermore, a description of the steps needed for the innovation planning process will be addressed.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organizational Structures

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Organizational Structures. (2006). Wikipedia the free online encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 17, 2006 from http://www.wikipedia.com…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the business world we all wrestle with how do we get our employees to be innovative and how do we get them to adopt a new innovation that can possible take this organization to a level that will generates profits and even sometimes make their jobs much easier. This paper will help define, compare, and argue the differences of four key phases that help with the innovative decisions and culture. These four styles are as follow…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Innovation may be a hard concept for some individuals to sell within the organization. Companies have certain ways of conducting business and do not consider new forms of ideas. In the following paragraphs there will be an assessment of the impact of innovation on three types of organizations (Sears, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart) in the home and office entertainment. The impact of strategy, process, product, and services of these organization will also be discussed.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    I/O Psychology and the Union

    • 2842 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Behling, O. & Starke, F.A. (1973). The postulates of expectancy theory. Academy of Management Journal, vol. 16, pp. 373-388.…

    • 2842 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    The ability to be creative and think outside of the box is fundamental in today’s more challenging and competitive business landscape. Organizations today are looking for business professionals who have the ability to lead through innovation. Innovation is the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments, and society. In order for organizations to stay fresh and up to date they need individuals who are able to innovate and inspire new products or ideas. CEO of HCL Technologies, Vineet Nayar, is most notably known for his approach to leading innovation and transforming his at-risk IT services company into a global leader. By examining Nayar's innovation model, and that of other leaders like him, we can learn more about the skills and behaviors of such leaders and how they prepare their organizations to be more innovative. In this essay, the author will analyze research studies conducted on leaders of innovation and expound on the discovery skills of successful leaders in innovation.…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The expectancy theory is a process theory (how people think, how such thoughts influences their behaviours). It focuses on the outcomes rather than needs. This theory believes that effort, performance and motivation must be linked in order to be motivated.…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Of the two disciplines, Burgoon's Expectancy Violations Theory falls under the extreme end of the objective, or scientific, category. The objective worldview is unbiased and “concerned with facts uninfluenced by opinions or feelings” (Dictionary, 2016). The reason EVT is an object theory is because it tries to find one answer that works most of the time and works in terms of probability as it scientific in nature. It follows the premise that “truth is singular and is committed to uncovering a cause-and-effect relationship” (Griffin, 2015). Objectivity relies on empirical evidence and facts rather than perception. Two key purposes of EVT to explain and predict the relationship between expectancy violation and interpersonal communication. Within objective theories, prediction and explanation are essential components to defining the reasoning behind of a theory. Objective theories require testing, which EVT has endured several times throughout the…

    • 2206 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    MOTIVATION AND EMOTION

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Expectancy Theories – connect taught and motivation and are explanations of behavior that focus on people’s expectations of success in reaching a goal and their need for achievement as energizing factors.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Week 6 - Technostructural Interventions Restructuring Organisations Org structures should be designed to fit with at least five factors: - the environment - technology - organisation strategy - worldwide operations The Functional Organisation - departments that are task specialised - standard pyramid - specialists are grouped together - adv ::: promote specialisation of skills and resources - disadv ::: tend to promote routine tasks with a limited orientation - best suited for small to medium-sized firms that face relatively stable and certain environments - also best suited to routine technologies - also suited to organisational goals that emphasise efficiency and technical quality The Self-Contained Unit Organisation - group organisations activities on the basis of products, services, customers or geography - the org'n needs to be relatively large to support the duplication of resources assigned to the units - each unit is designed to fit a particular niche; therefore the structure adapts well to uncertain conditions - adv ::: allows diversification, ensures accountability by dept mgrs, heightens dept cohesion - disadv ::: limits career advancement The Matrix Organisation - Two-boss managers who need to both achieve technical sophistication and meet customer expectations - Performance management systems get input from both functional and project bosses - Positive ::: allow multiple orientations - Negative ::: heavy managerial costs and support - Conditions o There must be outside pressures for a dual focus o Pressures for high information-processing capacity o Pressure for shared resources Processed-Based Structures - Multidisciplinary teams are formed around core processes - Few hierarchical levels - Particularly appropriate for highly uncertain environments - Enable organisations to manage non-routine technologies and to coordinate workflows that are highly interdependent.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays