I spent this past summer working for the City of Lloydminster Engineering Department in which was my fifth straight season surveying with this same organization.

Problem

Primary Problem

The main problem is with Adam.  He is not a mature, responsible adult and is not to be a leader.  His only worry is for his own well being and reputation.  He is very self-absorbed.  

Secondary Problem

The second problem was with the organization. Ron did not hire an individual who was fit for the position.  Ron did not maintain an open, confident level of communication with the summer student employees about their feelings towards the position as a whole including attitudes towards co-workers.

Indications of the Problem(s)

There are many indications that a problem exists with Adam.  

• Adam would usually spend his mornings sleeping in the truck while the other two students he worked with were outside completing all of the work in which he was supposed to be supervising and most importantly making sure it was done correctly.  This was the case because Adam would spend his weeknights in the bar drinking and would therefore come to work unfit to perform most tasks, including driving the work truck to the job site.
• Robin, whom I was unfamiliar with at the beginning of the summer season, would often mention to me that Adam was not treating her and Mandy with any respect and he was not helping them learn the proper methods in completing the tasks.  When she had the opportunity Robin would also ask me for instruction and tips to help their group before more efficient and reliable.
• The work that Adam, Mandy, and Robin were responsible to complete was often done poorly with many mistakes being made and short cuts being taken as a result of Adam trying to do the least amount of work possible.  The few instances when their work as a team was completed correctly was when they were working in close proximity and I was able to assist them and point them in the right direction.  As Robin became more knowledgeable and took over leading the group, the tasks completed by their group were completed more consistently with fewer errors.

There are also indications that there should have been more communication between us as the summer students and our boss, Ron.

• For the most part Mandy and Robin were very frustrated with their work environment, more specifically Adam, and were becoming less motivated to come to work each day.  These two were in no position to say anything to Ron about there inner group conflict.
• Adam, Mandy, and Robin were lacking task identity and significance as a result of having to complete the same tasks multiple times and because Ron would not inform them of the importance of each task and how it fit into the big picture.
• Because I had worked with Adam for quite some time now and knew of his lack of effort at work it was evident to me that something had to be done.  The problem was I honestly did not know what to do about it.  Should I mention something to Ron? Do I just leave it alone and hope it gets better eventually? Do I threaten Adam to pick up his act or I go to Ron? These were all questions I asked myself and debated over for sometime until a change in the grouping structure meant Adam would be teaming up with Kiel and myself.  After going through less than a week with the new group and Adam showing up for work intoxicated on two occasions, I confronted Robin with the idea of discussing our issues with Ron one lunch break.  That afternoon after work Robin and I set up a meeting with Ron and finally discussed the conflicts we both had been having with Adam.

Causes of the Situation

1. Lack of Self-Monitoring/Absence of McLelland’s Learned Needs Theory

The position that Adam occupied was one in which he was supposed to act as a model to Kiel, Mandy, and Robin, who had no experience with this organization.  The actions which he displayed were not ones of leadership and guidance, but were opposite of this including social loafing and ignorance.  Adam’s beliefs and attitudes in this situation can be explained by his lack of having the ability to monitor himself and realize that his needs are not being met.  If he was a self-monitoring individual he would realize that the needs discussed in McLelland’s Learned Needs Theory are not present for him.

Need for Achievement

Adam has a false need for achievement, which is evident through his lack of motivation to complete the tasks that are asked of him.  When it is time for his group to go back to the office and discuss with Ron the completion of their task, he does not hesitate to take credit for getting the job done.  A perfect example of this was when he, Mandy, and Robin completed a topographic survey of Bud Miller Park (Lloydminster) he came back to the office and talked of how “he was doing all of the work and the girls were useless and slowing down the job”.  It just so happened that he had been spending most of the time at that particular job site, which was conveniently located in a remote brush covered area, sleeping the morning away in the truck and tanning in the afternoon in his shorts and sandals.

Adam’s false need for achievement is also characterized by his gratification of completing mindless and menial tasks such as driving to the supply store to pick up wood and hammers.  If my group was in need of supplies I would personally send Adam to get them for us because I knew how much driving around in the truck and wasting time was gratifying to him.  I also had him do it instead of Kiel or myself because we had important work to complete in order to meet construction standards and deadlines, which were always being changed at the drop of a hat.

Need for Social and Personal Power

Adam’s false need for social power is very evident in this situation because he does not care about the other people’s feelings or reputation in which he works with.  He only wants to have the power to make them look bad for the benefit of himself and his reputation.  This is an example of Adam’s need for personal power.  This again is a perfect example of the problem; the only thing he cares about is himself.  Adam used his personal power, which he gained in this position, to “pull the wool over Ron’s eyes” and stay on at this position when other, more capable students were let go.

Need for Affiliation

In Adam’s case no need for affiliation existed as he expected people to put up with him no matter what his attitude towards them was.  Adam did not respect any of the other summer students whatsoever, but ironically did expect them to have respect for him and what he needed at that instant.  

2. Application of Needs Theories

Coming from a home where he was given everything he ever wanted without having to earn it himself did not do anything to help Adam become a well rounded individual.  Adam has never taken any pride in anything he ever did unless there was a reward for it.  Whether it was playing hockey for the money his grandparents would give him for each goal or assist he got in a game or the trips all over North America he got for visiting his mom, Adam did not do anything unless there was an extrinsic reward.  This is an example of how Adam was always trying to meet his lower level needs.  

This summer is another example of how Adam was always looking to do things for the extrinsic rewards.  He was very externally driven to go to work because he wanted the money to spend on his habits.  A little bonus, which came along with the job was that he was able to save money and time on tanning by wasting company hours tanning himself on the back of the truck.  This could be viewed as a very extreme example of a process loss.

3. Lack of Expectancy Theory Application

Adam is not the only person who is behind the cause of this situation.  As mentioned previously as the other problem Ron hired an individual, namely Adam, who was not fit for the position.  Ron did not do everything he could have to ensure he had the proper individuals for the position.  He did not use the expectancy theory applications, which are:

• Ensure individual has required knowledge, skills, and attitudes
• Ensure individual has the ability
• Provide training through observation and practice
• Provide resources
• Provide, use technology required
• Set goals

In the case of Ron hiring Adam he used the opinion of Adam which he gained being subjected to Adam’s behavior in soccer and hockey as Adam participated with Ron’s son Andy.  Ron did not use anyone else’s opinion of Adam to make his decision of whether or not Adam was worthy of hiring and therefore did not make sure he had the right attitude for the position.  Ron did provide training for us as the summer students, but the training did not adequately show each person’s knowledge level when it came to surveying.  Another problem with this was that when Adam, Mandy, and Robin would complete a task Ron would send them to do something that required more knowledge and application of it than the first job.  This was a big issue because they had come to me for assistance in completing the first task to begin with and were now supposed to complete a more detailed one.  So you can see how this all snowballed and led to a greater problem, because Adam was too stubborn to admit to Ron he did not have the knowledge base required.  Robin and Mandy had both informed me that this was an issue amongst their team and that they both had wanted to admit to Ron they did not know what they were doing, but Adam had used his personal power and seniority to influence them.  

4. Equity Theory

In this case with Adam this past summer the elements of the equity theory were major causes of the problem.  Adam viewed the situation that he was in to be inequitable for himself while using Robin and myself as referent people to compare to.  When using us as the referent people, Adam views negative inequity in ways such as:

• Adam has seniority and more experience than Robin and therefore should be earning a higher salary than her.
• Adam is viewed as a team leader by Ron and therefore should be earning a wage comparable to mine.

Adam uses these gaps/discrepancies of negative inequity as an excuse to take actions to restore the inequity he feels is upon him.  The actions he takes include:

• Putting forward less than required effort to complete tasks

• Putting in fewer hours in the day, by sleeping in the morning and tanning in the afternoon
• Having a less Organizational Citizenship Behavior

The truth of the matter is that what each individual earns in the organization is well deserved.  These reasons are:

• I was in my 5th year with the organization and excelled at my position, completing tasks efficiently and correctly.
• Robin is married and needed to be paid a higher wage in order to attract her to the organization and make it worth her while to take the job.
• Mandy and Kiel were both paid 1st year, City of Lloydminster Summer Student wage, which was less than Adam who was earning 3rd year wage.

Solution

There are a few solutions that could solve these problems.  

• Adam needs to stop being a social loafer.  
• Adam needs to become motivated and intrinsically driven in order to succeed in life
• Ron needs to explain in great detail to Adam why each individual earns the wage that they do to reduce his feelings of negative inequity.
• Adam needs to realize that his lower level needs have been met and he should focus on achieving his upper level needs.
• Ron needs to attain a better communication level with the summer students in order to earn their trust so they can go to him with any and every problem they have with confidence.

• Ron needs to ensure that effort leads to performance with the individuals he hires by applying the expectancy theory application when hiring and dealing with new summer student workers. The problem with Adam would have never occurred if Ron had ensured that Adam had the proper attitude to be competent at work dealing with other people and working in a team atmosphere.

If Adam and Ron followed through with these suggestions the problems would have gradually been erased over the past summer.  Because it would have taken a long time for these implementations to occur, the “quick fix” was to simply release Adam from his position, as he was the main cause of lower efficiency and satisfaction levels

What I Learned and My Opinion

After a very busy, eventful, frustrating, and exciting summer I came out with a greater appreciation of who I am as a person.  Without considering myself as better than anyone else it was confidence building and motivating to know that I was capable of handling a situation like this where I was in leadership position and had to make a big decision that would affect me a great deal.  Comments I got from Ron in the latter days of the summer were ones of praise and really improved on my job satisfaction and overall organizational citizenship behavior and organization commitment.  I also learned that when it comes down to it an individual has to do the right thing and stick to their beliefs and values to make decisions.  A person must also think through all the facts when faced with a big decision and weigh all of the benefits against the consequences.  Reflecting back on this situation has also made me more knowledgeable as to what people think and how they act in certain situations.  It once again reminded me that not everyone thinks the same way I do because everyone is different.  This reflection most all has made thankful to my parents and friends for instilling me with beliefs and values, which give the ability to analyze, comprehend, and act the way I do.