BUS176 Report: Applying Motivation Theory to InsureCo Case Study

This report delves into the motivation challenges faced by InsureCo, applying motivation and expectancy theories to understand the root causes of low employee morale and decreased productivity. It identifies issues such as inadequate employee valuation, lack of career development opportunities, and friction within teams as primary contributors to the company's downfall. The report examines the impact of new policies and leadership changes on employee satisfaction, referencing theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Hertzberg's Two-Factor Theory. A SWOT analysis is included to assess the internal and external factors affecting InsureCo. Recommendations are provided to improve employee engagement, foster a more supportive work environment, and enhance overall organizational performance. This comprehensive analysis aims to provide insights into effective motivation strategies for businesses facing similar challenges. Desklib provides access to a variety of solved assignments and past papers.

Surname,1
Report on InsureCo: Combat Training
Name
Subject
Lecturer/Professor
Date

Surname,2
Table of Contents.
1.0 Cover page.................................................................................................................................... 1
2.0 Table of Contents..........................................................................................................................2
3.0 PURPOSE.....................................................................................................................................3
4.0 OUTLINE OF A REPORT FOR BUS176......................................................................................3
4.1 Executive Summary.................................................................................................................3
4.2 Introduction..............................................................................................................................4
4.3 Main Body of the Report..........................................................................................................4
4.4 SWOT Analysis.......................................................................................................................8
4.5 Recommendations....................................................................................................................8
4.6 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................8
4.7 Reference List..........................................................................................................................9
4.8 APPENDICES.......................................................................................................................10
4.8.1 Appendix 1. Maslow's Theory Structure.............................................................................10
4.8.2. Appendix 2. SWOT Analysis..............................................................................................11

Surname,3
3.0 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to identify the cause of poor motivation in view of motivation or
expectancy theory and in the context of Combat Training case. Understanding the theory of
motivation plays a central role in ensuring proper and appropriate analysis of the case study
given in Combat Training. At the end of this report, the writer seeks to achieve the following
stated objectives;
 Identify causes of poor motivation with reference to the case study provided
 Define all primary and secondary sources
 Provide recommendations
 Give a SWOT analysis for the organization under study.
4.0 Outline of the Report
4.1 Executive Summary
The key objective of this report is to analyze and identify the major issue that affects the
InsureCo. in terms motivation for its staff and how the resultant effect can be rectified by
application of the motivation theory. The root cause of the problem that might have led to staff
low morale and eventual downfall of the company is of great significance in determining what
businesses need to know about their employees.
It appears from the analysis of the situation at InsureCo that worker valuation and
contribution gets inappropriate attention. This led to some workers, in this case Kate, being
valued more than the other experienced colleagues are. The result of this jealousy, sense of
rejection, and little chances of career development is the result experienced in the company. This
is the case of Emma, who resorted to a two weeks leave due to stress and frustrations within the
company.
When employees takes unexpected leaves, when there is a lot of frictions within the
organization, and when there is blame games within the company, the management ought to rush
to the rescue of the situation before it gets worse. That begins by identifying and examining the
root cause of the problems at hand and seeking long-term solutions to the problems identifying.
Employees who do not enjoy work life balance, face frustrations and harassment by their
colleagues, is hardly promoted easily give up and reduce their commitment towards making the
business productive. Changes in policies that govern the company require democratic

Surname,4
involvement of each employee, as they are the first stakeholders of the company they are
working for.
4.2. Introduction
There are many theories developed and defined by many scholars that influenced the
observations they made from various companies and researches they conducted during their
time. Miner, John (2007, 4) identifies among the theories; Hertzberg’s two factor theory that
include motivator and hygiene factors, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Expectancy theory.
Moreover, there is the Hawthorne effect and the Three - Dimension theory among others.
Understanding these theories and their applications in the workplace is important in
understanding the case study of the InsureCo since the theories help the analyzers know the
problems associated with lack of proper motivation in a company.
The report may have limitations associated with such issues as context and practicality of
the case study. The context is not realistic since the writer analyses the recordings through
imagination. Another limitation is associated with whether the information about the motivation
factors that led to downfall of the InsureCo used as a general reference or not. It is a secondary
source of information. The case study writers are not present to confirm the truth of the
information provided.
The case of the InsureCo has no reliable sources per se. There is no reference either that
can make the analyzer confirm that this is true. However, the writer refers to a number of books
that will guide any reader interested to understand the relation between the theory of motivation
and the importance it lays in the workplace.
4.3. Main Body of the Report
By definition, to motivate is to inspire a person in order to obtain the best from them.
Bailey, Adrian (2014, 67-98) reiterates that the theory of motivation is divided into several
parts/forms that generally speak on the tactics a manager or the management can use to attract,
keep, and maintain individuals with the best skills and commitment for a business’ growth..
There are numerous ways helpful even in the situation of InsureCo where the manager, Mr.
Steve did not seem to understand the needs of the employees. Miner, John (2007, 57-78) states
that Maslow’s theory of motivation; touches on the aspects of psychological, love, esteem, self-
actualization and esteem needs. Brooks, Ian (2018, 78-89) explains that expectancy theory
suggests that workers choose to behave in a particular when expecting particular outcome. For

Surname,5
example, Emma of the InsureCo worked hard and was expecting a promotion, but only got
disappointment from by the management.
Motivation, defined as something or a factor that makes an employee emotionally
attached to their places of work. They have a great like for the work they do. The emotional
attachment depends on the how the employer designs and describes the tasks for the employee.
In the case of the InsureCo, the management-designed jobs in a manner that enabled Emma get
recognition as the employee of the quarter. This is the evidence that when tasks are well
structured and described, the outcome is fruitful and leads to a boosted workplace environment.
Chandler, Alfred (1997, 36) states that every employee joins a company with expectations and
when the system is rigid, the employee can barely attain any progress while serving in such a
company. This again, is true for the case of Emma, in paragraph four of the analysis provided in
InsureCo when the management changed certain policies that in the end adversely affected the
company’s performance
“….While InsureCo was a large finance and insurance company with a long, profitable local
history, the new leadership at the firm wanted to make an impression and promptly initiated successive
waves of change over several years…”
…Yet the problems did not go away and there was continuing friction and several resignations in
the team…”
With reference to the Vroom’s Expectancy theory, the motive behind the theory is to minimize
dissatisfaction while maximizing satisfaction. In essence, Wolper, Lawrence (2012, 161) explains this to
mean that the employee’s skills and determination defines or determines the level of performance. By
maximizing satisfaction, the employer needs to put in place strategies that will ensure a 360-degree
feedback in order to know areas of improvement within the workplace ; Romano, Denise (2010, 189).
This is what was lacking in InsureCo and unfortunately, the new leadership did not consider this when
they established a new wave of changes that drove the workers into immense pressure. “…the new
leadership at the firm wanted to make an impression and promptly initiated successive waves of change
over several years. With most jobs now changed or changing in the firm, the training function was under
immense pressure to meet these demands and to somehow provide a training compliance audit as a result
of the government’s proposed new Financial Services Reform Bill…” Employees need to be listened to
and any chances of frustrations or friction need eliminated to create flexibility while minimizing pressure
for task completion.
Maslow’s theory of motivation majorly touches on five factors including physiological, safety,
social, esteem, and self-actualization needs (see appendix 1). Of interest in this report is the social,

Surname,6
esteem, and self-actualization needs which entails association with others, acknowledgement from others
and desire to attain higher limits in one’s lifeline respectively. The analysis of InsureCo provides a clear
evidence of lack of the three needs by the company to motivate the workers. The friction, frustrations and
group break ups experienced in the company resulted to poor performance as evidenced in the case of
Emma and Kate. “… Yet the problems did not go away and there was continuing friction and several
resignations in the team. The team became fractured into two distinct factions; one made up largely of
more recent appointments with Kate as the dominant force, the other with Emma. “
The group company needed to create programs that could bring its members together and help
them build solid teams. By introducing new Bills and policies, there ought to be strategies put in place to
ensure there is unity, freedom of association and opportunities for growth and progress Gross, James and
Compa Lance (2009, 123-45). This is necessary to avoid such problems as resignations. “…Yet the
problems did not go away and there was continuing friction and several resignations in the team…”,
frequent leaves/offs by the employees… “Distraught, Emma ended up taking stress leave for two weeks
as a result of what she contends was “workplace hostility.” , and groupings by the workers to destroy one
another. “…continued friction and several resignations by the team members. The team became
fractured into two distinct factions; one made up largely of more recent appointments with Kate
as the dominant force, the other with Emma..” It is by such initiatives that the theory of motivation
comes to play and to the rescue of the company’s well-being.
Hertzberg’s two-factor theory comes into play in the analysis of the InsureCo. Richard,
Alikira (2012, 7) explains that the “….theory suggests that achievement, the tasks, duties and
responsibilities; recognition, progression, and advancement are needed factors to attain
satisfaction by the employees.” In assigning duties and responsibilities, the management needs to
look at the skills and the capabilities of the individual worker and match the skills with
respective task to achieve maximum commitment and results. The manager, Mr. Steve made a
good move (“…I have had to find other mechanisms to get higher performance such as using
development opportunities, project work and so forth. My staff knows I work hard promoting
their good work which is why many of my employees have won Employee of the Quarter and/or
Year…”.) to assign Kate responsibilities that matched her skill, the same case with Danielle and
Emma. However, he made an inappropriate move by trusting Kate with more leadership
responsibilities, which in effect brought problems for the company.
In addition is the Hawthorne theory that suggests that employees work harder under close
supervision. Stoya Stoyanov (2017, 67) however, advices that employees prefer autonomy,
where they are allowed to perform by their own and can solve work problem without close

Surname,7
supervision. Hertzberg’s two-factor theory suggests that employee’s needs opportunity to
progress their career ladder, enjoy their work and feel safe while working. Failure to provide
such conditions for them may lead to serious consequences as in the case of InsureCo where Mr.
Steve the manager did not promote Emma by recognizing her hard work and that led to the
company’s reduced productivity.
4.4. SWOT Analysis; (see appendix 2 for diagram)
SWOT analysis implies studying both the internal and external environment of an
organization or business with an intention to identify strengths (S), weaknesses (W),
opportunities (O), and threats (T) and find a reliable solution to each finding- Sarsby, Alan
(2016, 3). In the case of InsureCo, the analysis clearly indicates no moment that the new
management did a SWOT analysis before coming up with new policies and changes for the
insurance company. InsureCo’s new management upon realizing it Strengths that enabled it
realizes maximum profits, decided to put into place more strategies that will enable expansion.
This is proven by the statement…InsureCo was a large finance and insurance company with a long,
profitable local history, the new leadership at the firm wanted to make an impression and promptly
initiated successive waves of change over several years ….” This was a good move as it was going to
help the company maximize its strengths on any available opportunities. In addition, the
management did a… massive increase in training loads created by InsureCo’s restructuring and other
initiatives designed to fend off growing competition from larger global competitors…
The policies so introduced by the management ignored the internal Threats and
Weaknesses like inter-personal conflicts (for the case of Emma and Kate), mismatch between
employee skills and the job descriptions and productivity ratio of the company. The weakness of
the insurance company was the failures to do a thorough internal audit to enable management
realize such big threats as conflicts between employees and this later ended up failing the
company in terms of productivity. “…. problems did not go away and there was continuing
friction and several resignations in the team … The team became fractured into two distinct factions
…” Besides, no benchmarking took place to know what opportunities the company had at hand
and the strengths the company had to take advantage of any productive opportunity. Drucker,
Peter (2017, 57) explains that lack of objective benchmarking may prove costly in the end.
Generally, for a company or business to grow, there needs to be good strategies that will
inform the company of its performance both internally and externally. Bhm, Anja (2009, 6) notes
that one of the strategies employed by successful companies is the SWOT analysis. Floyd, David

Surname,8
(2006, 94) further elaborates that focusing on being competitive while ignoring the internal
problems facing the company and the employees may prove costly. This was the case with of
InsureCo.
4.5. Recommendations
This report proposes three recommendations related to the case study. Having found out
that the major problems experienced in the InsureCo revolved around motivation, the
recommendations will draw from motivational theories. The report recommends that the
company adopt policies that will ensure proper work-life balance strategies are put in place in
order to earn employee commitment while eradicating the problem of frequent leaves. The
second recommendation proposes that the company put in place a 360-degree feedback program
that will enable management to put in place strategies to eliminate friction, jealousy and
resignations by the skilled staff. Lastly, the report recommends proper matching job descriptions
with worker skill and having programs like rotations, job enlargement as well as enrichments.
Including this will ensure commitment and improved productivity of the InsureCo.
4.6. Conclusion
For a company or organization to grow and develop, there is need to create opportunity
for development and progress for the employees. One way of doing this is to ensure that the
employees are well motivated and enjoy their work place. Understanding the theories of
motivation will make the management, to not only like their work but also feel a sense of
belonging to the organization. Fogli, Lawrence (2009, 273) agrees to the fact that there is a sense
of commitment from the side of the employees when they are given flexible work time, are
protected by the management, and are given opportunity for progress. The resultant effect is
growth of the company and the business as well.
Proper analysis of the strengths and weaknesses, that is SWOT Analysis, informs the
business about opportunities and threats that may surround its well-being (see appendix 2). The
company is as a result cultured to approach any situation with courage and commitment towards
meeting the set goals and targets without any fear. The number one stakeholder that the company
will always learn to value is the employee.
4.7. References

Surname,9
Adrian, Bailey, The Retail Sector. (London: Stationery Office Ltd, 2014), 67-98.
Bhm, Anja. Swot Analysis. (Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2009), 6.
Brooks, Ian, Organizational Behavior: Individuals, Groups and Organizations. (London:
Pearson, 2018), 78-89.
Chandler, Alfred. The Visible Handle; The Managerial Revolution in American Business
(Massachusetts: The Belknap Press).
Drucker, Peter. The Theory of Business (Harvard Business Review Classics). (New York, N.Y:
Harvard Business Review Press, 2017), 57-63
Floyd, David. Business Studies: Revision Guide. (London : Letts and Lonsdale, 2006) 94.
Fogli, Lawrence, The Professional Practice; Customer Service Delivery. (San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass, 2009), 273.
Gross, James and Lance, Compa, Human Rights in Labor and Employment Relations. (Nadu
Tamil: LERA Publishers, 2009), 123-45.
Miner, John, Organizational Behavior 4: From theory to Practice. (London: M.E Sharpe, 2007),
4.
Richard, Alikira, Job Satisfaction from Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory Perspective. (London:
GRIN Verlag, 2012), 7.
Romano, Denise, The HR Toolkit. 2nd Ed. (Madrid: MHID Publisher, 2010), 189.
Sarsby, Alan. SWOT Analysis; A Guide to SWOT for Business Students. (London, U.K: Lulu,
2016), 3.
Stoya Stoyanov, A Theory of Human Motivation. (London: Macat International Ltd, 2017), 46.
Wolper, Lawrence, Physician Practice Management; Essential Operational and Financial
Knowledge. (Burlington: MGMA, 2012), 161.
4.8. APPENDICES

Surname,10
4.8.1. Appendix 1.Maslow’s theory structure
Self-actualization needs
ESTEEM NEEDS
LOVE NEEDS
SAFETY NEEDS
PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
Source; webpage.ship.edu

Surname,11
4.8.2. Appendix 2. SWOT Analysis
SOURCE: Personal diagram
STRENGTHS
Skilled employees, high sales and
productivity, good image etc
WEAKNESSES
Resignations, poor services,
stakeholder dissatisfaction, low
productivity
OPPORTUNITIES
Includes market, demand for
services, skilled employees,
networking etc
THREATS
Competition for market, low
demand, etc