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Case Study 1:

“Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (A)”

[Name Redacted]

[Program name redacted]

MGT 541: Organizational Behavior

Dr. Rita Fields

July 11, 2021

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Case Study 1:

“Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (A)”

1. As uncovered from her conversation with her coach Belinda (Cates & Booth, 2019, p. 1), it

seems that part of the problem contributing to Kiera’s high levels of stress on the job is a lack

of clarity around Rudy’s expectations of her in the management role in Dallas. Developing a

greater sense of clarity around this point would help Kiera have a better understanding of

how she can re-prioritize her commitments to be more in line with these expectations, and

should thus be the focus of her conversation with Rudy. With that being said, I also believe

it’s important to address the lack of support she has been feeling from Rudy from the

beginning of her relocation. Although there might be a mismatch regarding what’s expected

of her and what projects she is pursuing, Kiera’s enthusiasm for the regional conference and

for redeveloping the training videos (p. 3) show her creativity, initiative, loyalty, and

willingness to go above-and-beyond in her work as she’s done throughout her career. Her

assessment that the regional meeting would draw on a blend of her skills and experiences in a

way that would be both beneficially for the company and for her own career growth (p. 4), as

well as her assessment of the negative impact the outdated training videos have on the sales

team and new hires (p. 3), are both level-headed and directly relevant to her role and

strengths. It may be helpful to discuss her workplace stress with Rudy and emphasize her

need for meaningful support from him. At the end of the day, he did approve all the projects

she was interested in working on, even though he did so with a condescending and

unsupportive attitude, and so it’s incredibly inappropriate for him to express such an “I-told-

you-so” attitude about her hospitalization.

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2. On Rudy’s end, a compassionate approach that recognizes the strengths that Kiera has been

bringing to her new assignment in Dallas, and a commitment to being more supportive of her

projects and initiatives could be precisely the motivation Kiera needs to significantly reduce

her workplace stress. Although self-imposed burnout seems to be a contributing factor to

Kiera’s stress at work and her hospitalization, the deeper issue is with her management at her

new placement in Dallas. Indeed, according to the case study, taking on the regional meeting

and the revamping of the training material are not a departure from her typical workplace

behavior throughout her career. Time and again, she’s consistently exceeded expectations.

For example, she had a stellar reputation of “never receiving a request that she could not

fulfill” in her role in guest services at the University of Illinois and the study highlights that

“Kiera’s energy level and performance as a sales rep exceeded expectations at Safety Supply

Company” (p. 2). She has what Robbins & Judge (2019) would describe as a positive Core

Self-Evaluation (CSE) (p. 184), believing in her competence and ability to succeed and

tackle obstacles in her path. What changed when she moved to Dallas was support from

management. While Kiera approached Rudy after her hospitalization with a “voice” response

“actively and constructively attempting to improve conditions” (Robbins & Judge, p. 126),

the critical response from Rudy further pushed her towards to an “exit” response (p. 126)

where she repeatedly questioned if she should stay in the position and with the company at

all (Cates & Booth, p.4). A more supportive approach from Rudy isn’t just important in

improving Kiera’s job satisfaction, it’s crucial to attempt to prevent her potential exit from

the company!

3. In Robbins & Judge’s review of the “Big Five” personality treats, he notes, “Highly

conscientious individuals can prioritize work over family, resulting in more conflict between

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their work and family roles (termed work-family conflict). They may also become too

focused on their own work to help others in the organization, and they don’t adapt well to

changing contexts” (p. 180). It can be argued that the double-edged sword of

conscientiousness could be a contributing factor towards her ability to perform in new

workplace sustainably. That being said, I stand by my stance that Rudy’s management

approach towards Kiera is the crux of the issue and it would be disingenuous to target Kiera

as the needed point of intervention while failing to address Rudy’s managerial behavior

towards her.

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References

Cates, K. L., Booth, E. B. (2019). Leader as coach: restoring employee motivation and

performance (A). Northwester Kellogg School of Management, (1-6).

Robbins, S. P. Judge, T. (2019). Organizational Behavior. Pearson.

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