If Successful, Then Why Does My Frustration Grow?
Stacy Lynn is the Coordinator of Student Activities at Mid-State Community College (MSCC). Stacy has just completed three new student orientation (NSO) sessions. The initial feedback from 525 new students and their families has been overwhelmingly positive. Stacy considers the NSO sessions to be a success, however on a personal level Stacy is feeling anything but success. This is due to the set of circumstances that led to the recent completion of the NSO sessions. Stacy was reassigned the NSO project when her colleague Kim Hickman, Director of Enrollment Management, informed Stacy that she was resigning and, as a result, the NSO was now Stacy’s responsibility. This news caught Stacy off
Therefore, for her to come into work with a “why bother?” attitude is cause for concern. Needless to say, the application of the expectancy theory results in a low level of motivation, since she does not see the value in performing at a high level since it will go overlooked by her supervisor.
Another theory that comes into play for Stacy’s motivation, or lack thereof, is the goal-setting theory. This theory states that employees working towards a goal is a major source of motivation. Having clear goals gives lets employees know what is expected and how much effort is needed to attain said goals. Additionally, receiving feedback on their performance of reaching goals is more effective and leads to a higher performance than not receiving any feedback. This is especially evident throughout the case. Stacy considers herself to be a goal-orientated individual, however she is never given any kind of goal by Royce pertaining to the NSO project. Stacy even attempted to set up a meeting with Royce to discuss her unspoken concerns from their initial meeting. The follow up meeting got cancelled by Royce, and was never rescheduled. Although not explicitly stated in the case, this is a pretty clear indicator of Royce’s stance on the NSO project. He could not be bothered to even provide Stacy with a clear set of goals for the NSO’s, thus leaving Stacy in the dark on a project that she only ever had slight