question archive Q#01 ) Case Incident : Stressing out employees is your job Some of the most admired business leaders argue that the only way to get the most of out of people is to stretch them; this view would seem to be backed by both business anec-dotes and research evidence
Q#01 ) Case Incident : Stressing out employees is your job Some of the most admired business leaders argue that the only way to get the most of out of people is to stretch them; this view would seem to be backed by both business anec-dotes and research evidence
Subject:PsychologyPrice: Bought3
Q#01 ) Case Incident : Stressing out employees is your job
Some of the most admired business leaders argue that the only way to get the most of out of people is to stretch them; this view would seem to be backed by both business anec-dotes and research evidence. " if you do know how to get there, is not a stretch target" former GE CEO Jack Welch has said" we have found that by reaching for what appears to be the impossible, we often actually do the impossible; and even when we don't quite make it, we inevitably wind up doing much better than we would have done"
The goal setting theory _whereby managers set the most difficult goals to which employees will commit-is perhaps the best-supported theory of motivation.The implication is that to be the most effective manager you need to push, push and push more.
But dose this pose an ethical dilemma for managers? What if you learned that pushing employees to the brink came at the expense of their health or their family life? While it seems true that managers get the performance they expect, it also seems likely that some people push themselves too hard. When Kathie Nunley ,who travels more than 100 days a year, had to miss her son winning an art competition, the only person she should share her news with was the Delta ticket agent," it hit me how sad it was that I was sharing this moment with an airline agent rather than my son' she said.
On the other hand you may argue that employees should be responsible for their own welfare, and that it would be paternalistic and encourage mediocrity, to 'care for" employees. On the other hand , if you stretch goals mean that your best employees are those who give it all for the organization-even putting aside their own personal or family interests-is that what you wish to be as a manager?
Question:
1) Do you think there is a trade-off between positive (higher performance) and negative performance (increased stress) effects of stretch goals?
2) Do you think a manager should consider stress when setting stretch goals for employees? If no, then what should a manager do if a valued employee complaints of too much stress? If yes, then how might this be done?
3) How do you think you would respond to stretch goals? Would they increase your performance? Would they stress you?
