Ability or Motivation

Name:

Using Figure 6.7 work individually to diagnose each of the following situations as either an ability or a motivation problem. Explain your reasoning for your problem diagnosis.

1. Nancy writes a memo to all five department employees, requesting that they submit new product ideas in advance for discussion and selection at tomorrow’s departmental meeting. Dan, one of her subordinates, does not submit his ideas in advance but waits until the meeting is underway, stating that he needed additional time to develop good ideas and wanted an opportunity to defend his thoughts to the department.

2. Nancy asks Dan to create a spreadsheet analysis showing the profit and loss potential of each of the four new product ideas that come out of the departmental meeting. She asks him to submit his report by Tuesday. On Monday, she asks Dan how the project is progressing. He replies that he may not be able to meet her deadline, but he is working hard on it. He submits the spreadsheet analysis on Wednesday afternoon, but Nancy finds that the formulas are inconsistent, and the columns and rows are misaligned.

3. In a meeting with her five employees, Nancy announces that the department will win a huge trophy if it is the first to come up with a new product utilizing the company’s latest technology. After the meeting, Dan asks his colleague Kira whether the trophy will come filled to the brim with $5 bills.

4. Nancy has assigned Dan to prepare a multimedia presentation explaining the department’s new product proposals to the divisional vice president. The outline she hands him indicates the use of the corporate logo and other graphics prepared by the advertising department at headquarters. Dan leaves voice mail and e-mail messages for several members of the advertising department but gets no response. On the day when the multimedia presentation is due, Dan is forced to tell Nancy that it is not ready.

 

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