Question

If SASs CEO Jim Goodnight’s approach to leadership is evaluated from the perspectives of Vroom’s expectancy theory and Locke’s goal-setting theory, where is he on track and where is he in danger of going off track when it comes to employee motivation?

Answer 1

James Howard Goodnight, an American based businessman and software developer who co-founded SAS institute, a multibillion- dollar company. Due to his unique leadership style, the company grew from million dollar to billion dollar every year.

Victor. H. Vroom's expectancy theory mainly explained that human motivation varies from person to person according to their personal needs that is the person who wants to obtain maximum pleasure and minimum pain. He focus on the employees performance which is based on some factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, ability to work more etc and not only on the organizational management. He focuses on three points:

1) A belief to increase the employee's effort to develop the performance.

2) Individual's expected income.

3) A belief of working hard to get a good reward.

Whereas, Goodnight's leadership styles forms three frameworks:

1) By removing all distractions and consequently challanging them helps the employees to give their best performance.

2) Responsible managers helps employees by taking out the creativeness within them.

3) By engaging customers to deliver superior products.

Locke's goal-setting theory describes that If the employees are given challanging goals and motivation with the requirements of proper tools to accomplish the goals then employees will feel satisfactory and definately a good reward will come. Then they can be committed to the work.

Goodnight's main motive is to continuously motivate the employees as well as to show the creative work in the work environment. His main backbone is the company's employees. He makes sure to not let the employees from quitting.

Coming to the employees motivation, Goodnight always tries to make the employees happy and feel satisfactory. He always believes in flexible work so the people won't feel barden on them. Provides individual need of the employees such as fitness area etc to fulfill their needs. The key to the success of SAS is that Goodnight always keeps the balance of satisfying his people as well as challanging them to get a good reward because he thinks that If employees are happy then they can make the customers happy which is very important for a company's growth.