Question

Use this scenario to address the subsequent three questions:

Dan and Juanita are co-workers at the State Department of Health. Both work in the Office of Health Education. Juanita has worked there for six years and Dan is completing his second year. Both have similar backgrounds and education. Dan and Juanita have a common boss, Sally, who has asked both to work together on developing a program to increase sources of healthy foods in the metropolitan area, such as farmers’ markets. They must complete this assignment in nine months so that Sally can present this information to local community health department boards. Dan is made the leader of this project and given authority to delegate tasks to Juanita and summer interns even though he is less familiar with the processes and assignments needed for the project. Sally is known to be very results-driven and routinely takes credit for her employees’ accomplishments. Sally believes an employee’s main goal should be to make the superior look good by providing the superior with the most accurate and reliable information available. Because of the duration of this project Dan and Juanita’s annual evaluation will be largely based on the overall performance of this project.

1. What motivation process issues do you think might arise between Dan and Juanita during this project, and what solutions might help address potential tension

2. How might Herzberg’s motivational theory apply to this scenario?

3. Putting yourself in Sally’s position, how might you have approached this task differently?

Answer 1