Western Agencies Case Study: Leadership, Motivation, and Performance

This case study examines the issues faced by Western Agencies Ltd. due to employee dissatisfaction and low motivation, primarily focusing on the declining performance of a long-term employee, Arthur. The symptoms include a shift in Arthur's behavior, leading to conflicts, client dissatisfaction, and ultimately, his dismissal. The analysis points to a lack of employee engagement, inadequate feedback mechanisms, and ineffective communication as root causes. Recommendations include implementing effective communication strategies, regular performance evaluations, training and development programs, and conflict resolution techniques to improve employee motivation and overall organizational performance. Desklib provides a platform to access similar case studies and solved assignments for students.

WESTERN AGENCIES CASE STUDY 1
STUDENT NAME:
STUDENT ID:
TOPIC: WESTERN AGENCIES (CASE STUDY)
DATE: 5-2-2019

WESTERN AGENCIES CASE STUDY 2
Problem
The issue faced by Western Agencies Ltd was employee dissatisfaction due to low motivation.
The impact of motivation is a major concern that the employees have witnessed. There was a
high-performance record that was observed by the company with an increase in sales and
numerous accounts were well maintained. Arthur’s performance changed due to the buying
behavior of Eaton. There was a complaint that was filed against Arthur on a continuous basis
after 1987. The complaint was well noted and Arthur was assigned with Hudson Bay account.
Negative behavior and the attitude towards the new field were rude and irritable. Change of
behavior led to problems that were not expected by the company. Jackson was a president of
Western Agencies and he noticed that Arthur was becoming forgetful which was embarrassing
and conflict creation situation was observed.
At Western Agencies, Arthur engaged in group conflicts and there were several problems that
were depicted from 1987 with series of issues in the work areas. Conflicts arose and the style of
managing orders was poorly depicted in the work. He was shifted from one department to
another while losing the importance of the salesperson and sales accounts in an organization. The
business went expected a good return but there was no progress that was achieved by Arthur
lately. There were several concerns that were depicted with the conflict of the deriving style of
management (Surjosuseno, 2015). The change in the sales was observed drastically when
Jackson handed over the independent accounts to another staff in Western Agencies. There was
no growth when Arthur managed the accounts thereby the problem occurred.
Jackson lost the trust from Arthur and with the behavioral concern and with the complaint of
Work Wear World, he was dismissed from the job. The series of issues that Western Agencies
faced was due to employee dissatisfaction and low motivation concept. The managerial job was
not performed well after a certain stage and conflicts arose at a high time (Bhuvanaiah, 2015).
Symptoms
The symptoms of the problem are depicted in the case with several incidents that took place in
the managerial concepts. There was no performance evaluation and performance appraisal
conducted which would have stated the complications that Arthur encountered in his career. The
situation arose when the change was observed by Eaton’s buying procedure. The organization

WESTERN AGENCIES CASE STUDY 3
did not have a proper check on Arthur’s behavior and performance which led to a mistake. Trust
was the symptom that led to the situation. Due to overconfidence, work environment and
circumstances changed with the perceived and commanding position (Al Madi, 2017).
There was a problem for clients who were engaged with Western Agencies due to Arthur’s
inefficient work environment. Dissatisfied clients lead to a critical situation that may switch over
the contract of the business and have an alternate source for other business leads (Manzoor,
2012). The clear symptoms lead to behavior that dissatisfies the client and witnesses the
ineffective working style of employees in an organization (Stanley, 2012). Neglecting the work
and witnessing the problems of the business leads to a loss for Western Agencies business
operations. Recurring mistakes were made each and every time and the employees in Western
Agencies were dissatisfied with Arthur’s working style and behavior. Motivated employees
provide a good environment for the team that leads to an increase in the performance rate. This is
the case where employees face problems due to Arthur’s working style.
Problem analysis
The problem that is reflected in the case study of Western Agencies Ltd is about lack of
employee engagement and employee performance feedback. The theoretical concepts in the case
study are majorly associated with the feedback concept in management. At each and every stage
and in every department feedback is an effective strategy that enhances the business and tends to
engage employees for a better working criterion in a particular situation.
The imbalance in the working style should is the major symptom and the reason of failure for
Arthur. The top management should maintain an equilibrium that tends to resolve the situation.
Ineffective communication among employee and employer brings the situation to a critical
phase. The conflicts were not resolved effectively which was one of the reasons that Arthur had
rude and irritable nature. Despite working for a long term period, Arthur was not given a
promotion and leadership was not achieved. Due to frustration, these situations can occur in the
workplace. After giving 35 years of service and being an experienced leader, the promotion and
monetary rewards were not satisfactory for Arthur. There can be times when Arthur expected a
return form and organization and he was highly demotivated with the reward system.
Recommendations

WESTERN AGENCIES CASE STUDY 4
The problem of employee dissatisfaction and client dissatisfaction have to be solved. Employees
are dissatisfied due to the reward system, lack of motivation and inadequate incentives. These are
the important functions that Western Agencies should look forward to employee engagement and
motivation. Effective communication increases while paying attention while generating a
feedback process (Mosley, 2012). At every stage and in every department, it is important that
employee performance is measured with effective training and development programs.
Clients can be dissatisfied, thereby training provided to employees will be effective in the
communication process. The buying behavior of clients is understood and analyzed by
employees in an effective manner. The conflict resolution is a technique where the team focuses
on performance expectation and reviews the conduct of the organization (Emeka, Ozobu & Ejim,
2015). The standard performance of employees should be compared with actual performance and
effective monitoring strategy should be used by an organization. Commitment levels are
increased due to a control strategy that an organization implements for its staff (Neeraj, 2014).

WESTERN AGENCIES CASE STUDY 5
References
Al Madi FN, Assal H, Shrafat F & Dia Z (2017) The Impact of Employee Motivation on
Organizational Commitment European. Journal of Business and Management 9(15): 134
Bhuvanaiah, T, (2015) Mechanism of improved performance: intrinsic motivation and employee
engagement. SCMS Journal of Indian Management 12(4): 92-97.
Emeka N, Ozobu A & Ejim EP (2015) The Effect of Employee Motivation on Organizational
Performance of Selected Manufacturing Firms in Enugu State. World Journal of
Management and Behavioral Studies 3(1): 1-8.
Manzoor QA (2012) Impact of Employees Motivation on Organizational Effectiveness. Journal
of Business Management and Strategy 3(3): 36- 45.
Mosley DC, Pietri PH & Mosley DC (2012) Supervisory Management: The Art of Inspiring,
Empowering and Developing People. Mason OH: Thompson South-Western p. 565.
Neeraj K (2014) Using performance appraisal as an effective tool for motivating employee
performance: a live study. Business Perspectives & Research 2(2): 37-46.
Stanley TL (2012) Motivation in today’s workplace. Human Resource Journal. 55(7): 1-9.
Surjosuseno D (2015) Effect of work environment and work motivation on employee
performance in UD production division ADA plastic factory AGORA 3(2): 16-27.