“Organizational Behavior – It’s all about people!” That is how the organizational behavior class is called at the Copenhagen Business School, where I spent the fifth semester of my studies in European Business Administration and which influenced the choice of topic for my Bachelor’s Thesis.
Organizing people’s daily cooperation is very important in order to ensure efficient and effective business operations. But coordination alone does not suffice: employee motivation is indispensable since a motivated staff with a high degree of commitment to the company is crucial for success. Especially the front-line people, who represent the company in the direct contact to the customer, should not only be well organized but also highly motivated in order to deliver an outstanding service, to put across the right image and to leave a good mark, so that the satisfied customer decides to return and to recommend the company to others.
In order to understand people’s needs, expectations and driving forces, the complex studies of motivation have established various theories over the past decades. However, drawing the right conclusions from theories which seem to be suitable in particular work situations, and effectively applying the results is very challenging for the manager in charge. This job becomes even harder in times of organizational change, when uncertainties exist among employees, which might easily result in low employee motivation. Employees’ fear of and resistance to change is one of the major problems when it comes to organizational change and motivation. Still, this difficult situation of organizational change can become even more challenging, namely in times of severe crisis when a company’s survival is heavily threatened.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Problem Description
- Objectives
- Methodology
- Aspects of Change and Crisis Management
- Organizational Change
- Types of Organizational Change
- Change Management
- Organizational Crisis – Aggravated Conditions for Change
- Crisis Management
- Critical Behavioral Factors: Resistance and Conflict
- Resistance
- Organizational Resistance
- Individual Resistance
- Conflicts
- Aspects of Motivation
- Introduction to Motivation Concepts
- Basic Terminology
- Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
- Content and Process Theories
- Content Theories
- Common Key Findings
- Models of Content Theories
- Maslow's Need Hierarchy
- Alderfer's ERG Theory
- Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory
- Process Theories
- Common Characteristics
- Models of Process Theories
- Vroom's Expectancy Theory
- Locke's Goal-Setting Theory
- Critical Reflection and Synthesis
- Motivation Theories against the Background of Change and Crisis - The Conceptual Framework
- The Necessity for Sustaining Motivation during Times of Organizational Change due to Crisis
- Key Issues for Motivation during Times of Change due to Crisis
- Focusing on Higher-Order Needs and Intrinsic Motivation
- Solving Motivation Problems Resulting from Lack of Confidence, Trust, and Direction
- Establishing Adequate Working Conditions
- Implementing the Key Issues through Communication Measures for Management
- Communication
- Making Mission Statements
- Providing Constructive Feedback
- Using the Power of Emotions
- Providing Proper Information
- Overcoming Dysfunctional Conflicts
- Supporting Team Building
- Applying the Conceptual Framework to a Real Business Case: Scandinavian Airlines System
- Company Presentation
- The SAS Group
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Changes and Crisis around and within Scandinavian Airlines
- History of Change in SAS under Jan Carlzon
- The Cabin Crew as Frontline Employees
- Cabin Crew Structure
- Working as a SAS Cabin Crew Member Reasons, Values and Motivation
- Experiencing the Crisis - Perceptions, Attitudes, and Needs
- Management's Perspective and its Evaluation
- Frontline People's Perspective and its Evaluation
- Summary of Impressions and Opinions
- Solutions for Management to Sustain Motivation
- Making Mission Statements
- Providing Constructive Feedback
- Using the Power of Emotions
- Providing Proper Information
- Overcoming Dysfunctional Conflicts
- Supporting Team Building
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to investigate the challenges of sustaining motivation during times of organizational change due to crisis, specifically focusing on the case of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). It analyzes the factors affecting motivation in such situations and explores strategies for effective crisis management and employee engagement.
- The impact of organizational change and crisis on employee motivation.
- The role of different motivation theories in understanding employee behavior during times of change and crisis.
- Effective communication strategies for managing employee motivation and fostering resilience during crisis.
- The application of the conceptual framework to a real-world case study: SAS.
- Recommendations for managers to sustain motivation and engagement among employees during times of organizational crisis.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the research by defining the problem, outlining the objectives, and explaining the methodology used in the study.
- Aspects of Change and Crisis Management: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of organizational change, including different types of change, change management techniques, and the concept of organizational crisis. It further examines critical behavioral factors such as resistance and conflict that can arise during times of change.
- Aspects of Motivation: This chapter delves into the fundamentals of motivation, examining various theories and models, including content theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, as well as process theories like Vroom's Expectancy Theory and Locke's Goal-Setting Theory. It also explores the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the context of organizational change.
- Motivation Theories against the Background of Change and Crisis - The Conceptual Framework: This chapter builds upon the previous chapters by integrating motivation theories with the realities of organizational change and crisis. It identifies key issues for sustaining motivation during times of change and proposes a conceptual framework based on these issues. The framework emphasizes the importance of focusing on higher-order needs, solving motivation problems stemming from lack of confidence and direction, and establishing adequate working conditions. The chapter concludes by outlining communication strategies for implementing the framework.
- Applying the Conceptual Framework to a Real Business Case: Scandinavian Airlines System: This chapter examines the case of SAS, a company that has undergone significant changes and crises in its history. It provides a company presentation, delves into the history of change under Jan Carlzon, and focuses on the experiences of the cabin crew as frontline employees. It analyzes their perceptions, attitudes, and needs during times of crisis, drawing insights from both management and employee perspectives.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this thesis include organizational change, crisis management, motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, content theories, process theories, Maslow's Need Hierarchy, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, Vroom's Expectancy Theory, Locke's Goal-Setting Theory, communication strategies, employee engagement, frontline employees, and case study analysis.
- Quote paper
- Ellen Meyer (Author), 2004, Sustaining Motivation in Times of Change due to Crisis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/44617
