Understanding the Motivation of Pamela Jones
Understanding the Motivation of Pamela Jones
Pamela Jones enjoyed banking. She had taken a battery of personal aptitude and interest tests that suggested that she might like and do well in either banking or librarianship. Since the job market for librarians was poor, she applied for employment with a large chartered bank, the Bank of Winnipeg, and was quickly accepted.
Her early experiences in banking were almost always challenging and rewarding. She was enrolled in the bank’s management development program because of her education (a.B.A. in languages and some postgraduate training in business administration), her previous job experience, and her obvious intelligence and drive.
During her first year in the training program, Pamela attended classes on banking procedures and policies, and worked her way through a series of low-level positions in her branch. She was repeatedly told by her manager that her work was above average. Similarly, the training officer who worked out of the main office and coordinated the development of junior offices in the program frequently told Pamela that she was “among the best three” of her cohort of twenty trainees.
Although she worked hard and frequently encountered from senior bank personnel (as well as customers) because of her sex, Pamela developed a deep-seated attachment to banking in general, and to her bank and branch, in particular. She was proud to be a banker and proud to be a member of the Bank of Winnipeg. After one year in the management development program however, Pamela found she was not learning anything new about banking or her employer. She was shuffled from one job to another at her own branch, cycling bank over many positions several times to help meet temporary problems caused by absences, overloads, and turnover. Turnover-a rampant problem in banking-amazed Pamela. She couldn’t understand, for many months, why so many people started careers ”in the service” of banking, only to leave after one or two
Pamela Jones enjoyed banking. She had taken a battery of personal aptitude and interest tests that suggested that she might like and do well in either banking or librarianship. Since the job market for librarians was poor, she applied for employment with a large chartered bank, the Bank of Winnipeg, and was quickly accepted.
Her early experiences in banking were almost always challenging and rewarding. She was enrolled in the bank’s management development program because of her education (a.B.A. in languages and some postgraduate training in business administration), her previous job experience, and her obvious intelligence and drive.
During her first year in the training program, Pamela attended classes on banking procedures and policies, and worked her way through a series of low-level positions in her branch. She was repeatedly told by her manager that her work was above average. Similarly, the training officer who worked out of the main office and coordinated the development of junior offices in the program frequently told Pamela that she was “among the best three” of her cohort of twenty trainees.
Although she worked hard and frequently encountered from senior bank personnel (as well as customers) because of her sex, Pamela developed a deep-seated attachment to banking in general, and to her bank and branch, in particular. She was proud to be a banker and proud to be a member of the Bank of Winnipeg. After one year in the management development program however, Pamela found she was not learning anything new about banking or her employer. She was shuffled from one job to another at her own branch, cycling bank over many positions several times to help meet temporary problems caused by absences, overloads, and turnover. Turnover-a rampant problem in banking-amazed Pamela. She couldn’t understand, for many months, why so many people started careers ”in the service” of banking, only to leave after one or two