5 Foundations of Employee Motivation LEARNING OBJE.docx

5
Foundations of
Employee Motivation
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Diagram and discuss the relationship
between human drives, needs, and
behavior.
2. Summarize Maslow’s needs hierarchy and
discuss Maslow’s contribution to the field of
motivation.
3. Summarize McClelland’s learned needs
theory, including the three needs he studied.
4. Describe four-drive theory and discuss its
implications for motivating employees.
5. Diagram the expectancy theory model
and discuss its practical implications for
motivating employees.
6. Describe the characteristics of effective
goal setting and feedback.
7. Summarize equity theory and describe how
to improve procedural justice.

8. Identify the factors that influence
procedural justice, as well as the
consequences of procedural justice.
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132 Part Two Individual Behavior and Processes
Rewards, social events, strength-based feedback, and various
celebrations for good
performance are designed to maintain and improve employee
motivation at Rack-
space Hosting. This motivation has catapulted the company’s
performance in a highly
competitive market. Rackspace is also recognized as one of the
best places to work.
Recall from Chapter 2 that motivation refers to the forces
within a person that affect
the direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behavior.
2 Motivated employees
are willing to exert a particular level of effort (intensity), for a
certain amount of time
(persistence), toward a particular goal (direction). Motivation is
one of the four essen-
tial drivers of individual behavior and performance.
This chapter introduces the core theories of employee
motivation. We begin by

introducing employee engagement, an increasingly popular
concept associated with
motivation. Next, we distinguish between drives and needs and
explain how needs
are shaped through the individual’s self-concept and other
personal factors. Three
theories that focus on drives and needs—Maslow’s needs
hierarchy, McClelland’s
learned needs theory, and four-drive theory—are introduced and
evaluated. Next, we
turn our attention to the popular rational decision model of
employee motivation:
expectancy theory. This is followed by a discussion of the key
elements of goal setting
and feedback. In the final section, we look at organizational
justice, including the
dimensions and dynamics of equity theory and procedural
justice.
Employee Engagement
When Rackspace Hosting executives discuss employee
motivation, they are just as likely
to use the phrase employee engagement. This concept, which
is closely connected to em-
ployee motivation, has become so popular in everyday language
that we introduce it
here. Employee engagement’s popularity far exceeds its
conceptual development; its
definition varies across studies, and its distinction from job
satisfaction, organizational
commitment, and other variables is unclear. 3 Even so, there
are enough threads of simi-
larity that we can cautiously define employee engagement
as the employee’s emo-
tional and cognitive motivation, self-efficacy to perform the
job, perceived clarity of the

organization’s vision and his or her specific role in that vision,
and belief that he or she
has the resources to get the job done. 4 This definition relates
to the four cornerstones of
individual behavior and performance identified in the MARS
model (see Chapter 2):
motivation, ability, role perceptions, and situational factors.
Employee engagement en-
compasses the employee’s beliefs about and emotional
responses to these conditions.
Additionally, some writers suggest that employee engagement
includes a high level of
absorption in the work—the experience of “getting carried
away” while working.
Employee engagement is a hot topic among executives and
consultants. One re-
port estimates that one in every four large organizations has a
formal employee en-
gagement program, and three out of five intend to develop plans
to improve employee
engagement. 5 Some companies even have employee
engagement departments or
managers. The popularity of employee engagement is partly due
to preliminary evi-
dence that it improves organizational effectiveness. Royal Bank
of Scotland calcu-
lated that when its employee engagement scores increase,
productivity rises and staff
turnover falls. British retailer Marks & Spencer claims that a 1
percent improvement
in the engagement levels of its workforce produces a 2.9 percent
increase in sales per
square foot. JCPenney has calculated that stores with higher
employee engagement
produce higher sales. Other research indicates that employee
engagement is associ-

ated with higher organizational citizenship and lower turnover
intentions. 6
motivation
The forces within a
person that affect the
direction, intensity, and
persistence of voluntary
behavior.
employee engagement
The employee’s emo-
tional and cognitive
motivation, self-efficacy
to perform the job,
perceived clarity of the
organization’s vision
and his or her specific
role in that vision, and
belief that he or she has
the resources to get the
job done.
05
Chapter 5 Foundations of Employee Motivation 133
The challenge facing organizational leaders is that most

employees aren’t very en-
gaged. Several consulting reports estimate that only about one-
quarter of American
employees are highly engaged, which is slightly above the
global average. Less than
60 per cent are somewhat engaged, and approximately one-fifth
have low engagement
or are actively disengaged. Actively disengaged employees tend
to be disruptive at work,
not just disconnected from work. Globally, employees in
Mexico and Brazil seem to
have the highest levels of engagement, whereas several Asian
countries (notably Japan,
China, and South Korea) and a few European countries (notably
Italy, Netherlands,
and France) have the lowest levels. 8 Some writers suggest
that globalization, informa-
tion technology, corporate restructuring, and other changes have
potentially under-
mined the levels of trust and commitment necessary to motivate
employees beyond
minimum standards. 9 Others point out that companies have
not adjusted to the chang-
ing needs and expectations of new workforce entrants. 10
Overall, these reports of low
employee engagement imply that many employees are not very
motivated to perform
their jobs. To create a more motivated workforce, we first need
to understand employee
drives and needs and how these concepts relate to individual
goals and behavior.
After reading this section, you should be able to:
1. Diagram and discuss the relationship between human
drives, needs,

and behavior.
2. Summarize Maslow’s needs hierarchy and discuss
Maslow’s con-
tribution to the field of motivation.
3. Summarize McClelland’s learned needs theory, including
the three
needs he studied.
4. Describe four-drive theory and discuss its implications for
motivat-
ing employees.
Getting Engaged at JCPenney In the hypercompetitive retail
industry,
the number-one ingredient for winning the hearts and
pocketbooks of
customers is the quality, style, and price of the merchandise.
What’s
the second most important ingredient? It’s employee
engagement,
according to executives at JCPenney. “We feel strongly there’s
a
correlation between engaged associates and store
profitability,” says
Myron “Mike” Ullman, CEO of the Plano, Texas, retailer. In
fact, the
company’s internal research revealed that stores with the top-
quartile
engagement scores generate about 10 percent more in sales per
square foot and 36 percent greater operating income than
similar-size
stores in the lowest quartile. A few years ago, about two-thirds
of
JCPenney associates were “engaged.” Thanks to improved

training,
career development, and other management practices, more than
three-quarters of employees now are engaged. Per-share
earnings
have more than doubled since JCPenney management focused
on
improving employee engagement. “We see a 200 basis-point
[increase
in] profit when we engage the associates,” Ullman claims. “This
isn’t
just warm, fuzzy stuff. It’s solid business logic.”7
Learning
Objectives
05
Self-concept, social norms,
and past experience
Drives
(primary needs)
and emotions
Needs
(secondary)

Decisions and
behavior
Exhibit 5.1
Drives, Needs, and
Behavior
drives
Hardwired characteris-
tics of the brain that
correct deficiencies or
maintain an internal
equilibrium by produc-
ing emotions to energize
individuals.
needs
Goal-directed forces
that people experience.
Employee Drives and Needs
To figure out how to create a more engaged and motivated
workforce, we first need
to understand the motivational “forces” within people.
Unfortunately, many writers
conveniently avoid this topic, and the result is a stream of
confusing phrases such as
innate drives, learned needs, motivations, instincts, secondary
drives, and primary needs. 11 We
define drives (also called primary needs or innate motives
) as hardwired characteristics
of the brain that correct deficiencies or maintain an internal
equilibrium by produc-
ing emotions to energize individuals. 12 Drives are the “prime
movers” of behavior

because they generate emotions, which put people in a state of
readiness to act on
their environment (see Chapter 4). Although typically
overlooked in organizational
behavior, emotions play a central role in motivation. 13 In
fact, both words (emotion
and motivation) are derivations of the same Latin word,
movere, which means “to
move.” Although there is no clear list of human drives, several
are consistently identi-
fied in research, such as the drives for social interaction,
understanding of the envi-
ronment, competence or status, and defense of oneself against
physiological and
psychological harm. 14
We define needs as goal-directed forces that people
experience. Needs are the
motivational forces of emotions channeled toward particular
goals to correct deficien-
cies or imbalances. So drives produce emotions, and needs are
essentially the emo-
tional experience channeled toward goals believed to address
the source of emotion.
Consider the following example: Everyone has a drive to
bond—an inherent need to
be associated with other people to some degree. The drive to
bond generates nega-
tive emotions when we are rejected by others or lack social
interaction over time.
These negative emotions are experienced as unfulfilled needs;
they motivate us to do
something that will increase our connectedness to and
acceptance by other people.
Individual Differences in Needs
Even though all people have the same drives, they don’t have

the same emotional
responses (such as loneliness, curiosity, or anger) or needs in
the same situation.
Exhibit 5.1 explains why this difference occurs. The left side
of the model shows that
the individual’s self-concept (including personality and values),
social norms, and
past experience amplify or suppress drive-based emotions,
thereby resulting in stron-
ger or weaker needs. 15 People who define themselves as very
sociable typically expe-
rience a strong need for social interaction if alone for a while,
whereas people who
view themselves as less sociable would experience a less
intense need to socialize
over that time. These individual differences also explain, as you
shall discover later in
this chapter, why needs can be “learned” to some extent.
Socialization and reinforce-
ment may cause people to alter their self-concept somewhat,
resulting in a stronger or
weaker need for social interaction, achievement, and so on.
Self-concept, social norms, and past experience do more than
adjust the emotions
generated by our built-in drives. The right side of Exhibit 5.1
shows that these individual
05

Maslow’s needs
hierarchy theory
A motivation theory of
needs arranged in a
hierarchy, whereby
people are motivated
to fulfill a higher need
as a lower one becomes
gratified.
characteristics also regulate a person’s motivated goals and
behavior. Even if you have a
strong desire for social interaction, you probably wouldn’t walk
up to strangers and start
talking to them; this action is contrary to social norms of
behavior in most (but not all)
cultures. Similarly, suppose that you dislike your boss’s
decision to assign you to a par-
ticular project. Openly confronting the boss about this
assignment is common in some
companies and cultures and much less common in other
contexts. People regulate their
goals and behavior on the basis of these social and cultural
norms, as well as their self-
concept and reinforcement (or observation of others) in
previous situations. Employees
are more likely to direct their emotional energy toward speaking
up if they view them-
selves as being forthright, live in a low power distance culture,
and work in a company
that encourages constructive debate.
We have presented this detail about needs and drives for a
few reasons. 16 First, as

mentioned, motivation theories use the terms needs, drives,
and motivations so loosely
that they make it difficult to compare theories, so it is important
to settle this confu-
sion at the outset. Second, the field of organizational behavior
has been woefully slow
to acknowledge the central role of emotions in employee
motivation, as will be ap-
parent when we review most motivation theories in this chapter.
Third, Exhibit 5.1
provides a useful template for understanding various motivation
theories. In fact, you
will see pieces of this theory when we discuss four-drive theory,
expectancy theory,
goal setting, and other concepts in this chapter. The remainder
of this section de-
scribes theories that try to explain the dynamics of drives and
needs. Later theories
in this chapter explain how experiences—such as expectancies,
feedback, and work
experiences—influence the motivation process.
Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory
By far, the most widely known theory of human motivation is
Maslow’s needs
hierarchy theory (see Exhibit 5.2 ). Developed by
psychologist Abraham Maslow
Exhibit 5.2
Maslow’s Needs
Hierarchy
Belongingness
Safety

Physiological
Source: Based on information in A. H. Maslow, “A Theory of
Human Motivation,” Psychological Review 50 (1943),
pp. 370–396.
05
in the 1940s, the model condenses and integrates the long list of
needs that had
been studied previously into a hierarchy of five basic categories
(from lowest to
highest): 17
Physiological. The need for food, air, water, shelter, and
the like.
Safety. The need for a secure and stable environment and the
absence of pain,
threat, or illness.
Belongingness/love. The need for love, affection, and
interaction with other
people.
Esteem. The need for self-esteem through personal
achievement as well as social
esteem through recognition and respect from others.
Self-actualization. The need for self-fulfillment, realization

of one’s potential.
Along with developing these five categories, Maslow
identified the desire to
know and the desire for aesthetic beauty as two innate drives
that do not fit within
the hierarchy.
Maslow’s list represents drives (primary needs) because they
are described as
innate and universal. According to Maslow, we are motivated
simultaneously by
several needs but the strongest source is the lowest unsatisfied
need at the time. As
the person satisfies a lower-level need, the next higher need in
the hierarchy becomes
the primary motivator and remains so even if never satisfied.
Physiological needs are
initially the most important, and people are motivated to satisfy
them first. As they
become gratified, the desire for safety emerges as the strongest
motivator. As safety
needs are satisfied, belongingness needs become most
important, and so forth. The
exception to this need fulfillment process is self-actualization;
as people experience
self-actualization, they desire more rather than less of this need.
Thus, while the
bottom four groups are deficiency needs because they become
activated when unful-
filled, self-actualization is known as a growth need because it
continues to develop even
when fulfilled.
Limitations and Contributions of Maslow’s Work In spite of
its popularity,
Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory has been dismissed by most

motivation experts. 18
Maslow developed the theory from only his professional
observations, and he was
later surprised that it was so widely accepted before anyone
tested it. Empirical stud-
ies have concluded that people do not progress through the
hierarchy as the theory
predicts. For example, some people strive more for self-esteem
before their belong-
ingness needs have been satisfied. The theory also assumes that
needs priorities shift
over a long time, whereas in reality needs priorities rise and fall
far more frequently
with the situation. A person’s needs for status, food, social
interaction, and so forth,
change daily or weekly, not every few years. As Global
Connections 5.1 describes,
companies around the world routinely motivate all staff through
recognition. These
examples illustrate that people regularly need—and are
motivated to receive—respect
and belongingness in the workplace.
Although needs hierarchy theory has failed the reality test,
Maslow deserves
credit for bringing a more holistic, humanistic, and positive
approach to the study of
human motivation. 19 First, Maslow brought a more holistic
perspective by explain-
ing that needs and drives should be studied together because
human behavior is
typically initiated by more than one of them at the same time.
Previously, motiva-
tion experts had splintered needs or drives into dozens of
categories, each studied in
isolation. 20

05
Shining the Spotlight on
Employee Recognition
David Gachuru lives by a motto that motivates employees with
much more than money: “If an employee’s work calls for a
thumbs-up, I will appreciate him or her as many times as pos-
sible.” Translating this advice into practice is a daily event for
the general manager of Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi,
Kenya.
In addition to thanking staff personally and through e-mails,
Gachuru holds bimonthly meetings at which top-performing em-
ployees are congratulated and receive paid holidays with their
family. Employee achievements are also celebrated in the
hotel’s newsletter, which is distributed to guests as well as
to employees.
Sarova Panafric Hotel and other firms are returning to good
old-fashioned praise and recognition to regularly motivate
staff. Good thing, because recent surveys in several countries
identify lack of praise, recognition, or appreciation as a major
reason why employees are demotivated and disengaged and
decide to find work elsewhere. For instance, on the basis of
1,000 exit interviews, Ireland’s Small Firms Association (SMA)
recently reported that lack of recognition was a top reason
why employees in that country quit their jobs. “Increasingly
people need to feel that their contribution is valued,” suggests

SMA director Patricia Callan. “If people do not feel important,
they are not motivated to stay.”
The challenge of recognition is to “catch” employees do-
ing extraordinary work or showing organizational citizenship.
Peer recognition, in which co-workers identify exemplary per-
formers, is an increasingly popular way for companies to iden-
tify employees deserving special recognition and reward. At
the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, co-workers
write words of appreciation to each other using First Class
Cards. “This serves as a motivational aspect of the work envi-
ronment,” says an executive at Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur,
which is rated as one of the best places to work in Asia.
Amgen, the California-based biotechnology company, re-
cently introduced globally a more intricate peer recognition pro-
gram called Bravo! Tier I recognition is an e-mail–based
thank-you sent by co-workers through a special Bravo Web site.
Tier II peer recognitions are accompanied by an electronic gift
certificate. At Tier III, employees nominate individuals or
teams,
and an “award wizard” determines the amount of the reward
(ranging from $100 to $500). A Tier IV recognition is
accompanied
by a larger financial reward for those who significantly
improved
the company’s operations. The Tier V award, which is reviewed
by the executive team, is received by employees who have made
the highest material impact on company performance.21
Global Connections 5.1
David Gachuru (left in photo) motivates staff at Sarova Panafric
Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, through
plenty of praise and recognition.
137

05
Second, Maslow brought a more humanistic perspective to the
study of motiva-
tion. In particular, he suggested that higher-order needs are
influenced by personal
and social influences, not just instincts. In other words, he was
among the first to rec-
ognize that human thoughts (including self-concept, social
norms, and past experience)
play a role in motivation. Previous motivation experts had
focused almost entirely on
human instincts without considering that motivation could be
shaped by human
thought.
Third, Maslow brought a more positive perspective of
employee motivation by
focusing on need gratification rather than only on need
deprivation. In particular, he
popularized the previously developed concept of self-
actualization, suggesting that
people are naturally motivated to reach their potential and that
organizations and
societies need to be structured to help people continue and
develop this motiva-
tion. 22 Due to his writing on self-actualization and the power

of need gratification,
Maslow is a pioneer in positive organizational behavior .
Recall from Chapter 3 that
positive OB says that focusing on the positive rather than
negative aspects of life
will improve organizational success and individual well-being.
In other words, this
approach advocates building positive qualities and traits within
individuals or
institutions as opposed to focusing on trying to fix what might
be wrong with
them. 23
What’s Wrong with Needs Hierarchy Models?
Maslow’s theory is not the only attempt to map employee needs
onto a single hier-
archy. Another hierarchy model, called ERG theory ,
reorganizes Maslow’s five
groups into three—existence, relatedness, and growth. 24
Unlike Maslow’s theory,
which only explained how people progress up the hierarchy,
ERG theory also
describes how people regress down the hierarchy when they fail
to fulfill higher
needs. ERG theory seems to explain human motivation
somewhat better than
Maslow’s needs hierarchy, but that’s mainly because it is easier
to cluster human
needs around ERG’s three categories than Maslow’s five
categories. Otherwise,
research studies have found that ERG theory only marginally
improves our under-
standing of human needs. 25
Why have Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, ERG theory, and
other needs hierar-
chies largely failed to explain the dynamics of employee needs?

The most glaring
explanation is that people don’t fit into a single needs
hierarchy. Some people place
social status at the top of their personal hierarchy; others
consider personal develop-
ment and growth an ongoing priority over social relations or
status. There is increas-
ing evidence that needs hierarchies are unique to each person,
not universal, because
needs are strongly influenced by each individual’s self-concept,
including personal
values and social identity. If your most important values lean
toward stimulation and
self-direction, you probably pay more attention to self-
actualization needs. If power
and achievement are at the top of your value system, status
needs will likely be at the
top of your needs hierarchy. This connection between values
and needs suggests that
a needs hierarchy is unique to each person and can possibly
change over time, just as
values change over a lifetime. 26
Learned Needs Theory
Earlier in this chapter we said that drives (primary needs) are
innate whereas needs
are shaped, amplified, or suppressed through self-concept,
social norms, and past
ERG theory
A needs hierarchy
theory consisting of
three fundamental
needs—existence,
relatedness, and
growth.

05
experience. Maslow noted that individual characteristics
influence the strength of
higher-order needs, such as the need to belong. Psychologist
David McClelland
further investigated the idea that need strength can be altered
through social influ-
ences. In particular, he recognized that a person’s needs can be
strengthened
through reinforcement, learning, and social conditions.
McClelland examined three
“learned” needs: achievement, power, and affiliation. 27
Need for Achievement People with a strong need for
achievement (nAch)
want to accomplish reasonably challenging goals through their
own effort. They
prefer working alone rather than in teams, and they choose
tasks with a moderate
degree of risk (i.e., neither too easy nor impossible to
complete). High-nAch people
also desire unambiguous feedback and recognition for their
success. Money is a weak
motivator, except when it provides feedback and recognition.

28 In contrast, employ-
ees with a low nAch perform their work better when money is
used as an incentive.
Successful entrepreneurs tend to have a high nAch, possibly
because they establish
challenging goals for themselves and thrive on competition. 29
Need for Affiliation Need for affiliation (nAff) refers to
a desire to seek approval
from others, conform to their wishes and expectations, and
avoid conflict and con-
frontation. People with a strong nAff try to project a favorable
image of themselves.
They tend to actively support others and try to smooth out
workplace conflicts. High-
nAff employees generally work well in coordinating roles to
mediate conflicts and in
sales positions where the main task is cultivating long-term
relations. However, they
tend to be less effective at allocating scarce resources and
making other decisions that
potentially generate conflict. People in decision-making
positions must have a rela-
tively low need for affiliation so …
Name:
HRT 4760 Assignment 10
Tact
This is one of a package of 15 different assignments that
comprise the Elements of Service, which you will study this
term. For this assignment, you will observe elements of service
in almost any particular service establishment. A few examples
of service establishments would include, but not be limited to
these: Hotel, resort, private club, restaurant, airline, cruise line,
grocery store, doctor’s office, coffee house, and scores of

others. Your answers to this assignment will all focus on the
particular service element that appears in the above template
title (Tact), which also corresponds to those listed in your
textbook and Power Point slides.
Here is a list of the 15 Service Elements that I am asking for
you to observe and, by answering a set of questions provided in
each assignment, critically analyze. While the question
templates all ask for you to answer the same questions, each
assignment’s set of questions focuses on a different Service
Element (15 in all):
01 Timeliness
02 Incremental Flow
03 Anticipation
04 Communication
05 Customer Feedback
06 Accommodation
07 Supervision and Organization
08 Body Language
09 Attitude: Tone of Voice
10 Tact
11 Attentiveness
12 Naming Names
13 Guidance
14 Selling Skills
15 Gracious Problem Solving
Here are a few tips for successfully completing the assignment:
· The most frequently asked question by students: "The
templates all look the same. Won't I just be writing a lot of
repetitive answers?" Answer: The answer is, “No.” While there
will be some repetition, each assignment has a separate title.
Your answers to the particular assignment will all focus on the
particular service element that appears in the template title,
which corresponds to your textbook and your Power Point

slides. For example, your first assignment is about Timeliness
(and only about timeliness). Your second assignment is about
Incremental Flow (and only about incremental flow). Your third
assignment is about Anticipation (and only about anticipation).
· To prepare for this assignment: Read the text, review the
Chapter Power Point Slides, and view the streaming chapter
lecture.
· Enter your name in the block provided above.
· This is an individual and not a group-project-oriented class.
To receive credit, each of you needs to do your own individual
write-up for each assignment, make your own individual
submittal, and learn and experience the 15 elements of service.
· Because many of the questions in this assignment build, use
and refer to the same establishment throughout the assignment.
So, if you are using Starbuck’s for this assignment, use this
Starbuck’s for each of the questions in this assignment. (The
examples in this assignment use different establishments to give
you a variety of perspectives, but you should use the same
establishment.)
· For subsequent assignments, you may change establishments
or you may continue referring to the same establishment
throughout all of these Service Element assignments. Whichever
works better for you is okay. If you plan to use this course to
give yourself practice for applying this package of Service
Elements to one organization (perhaps where you work), then I
strongly suggest that you use the same organization for all of
your Service Element assignments. The consistency of using
one organization will aid you in learning and application.
· When making observations, realize that you can get a far
better and more accurate understanding of your subject
organization by visiting and observing multiple times before
reporting your observations. Visiting and observing at different
times and days helps to provide a clearer picture of how the
establishment performs overall.
· This assignment, like everything that you do for this course,
has a set deadline (both time and date). The deadline is listed in

the syllabus. While you can turn in any assignment early or on
time, you cannot turn in anything late. No credit will be given
for assignments turned in late.
· Make this and all assignment submittals through Blackboard.
Do not submit any assignment by email attachment, as it will
not receive credit.
· If you are unsure how to submit an assignment correctly using
Blackboard, refer to and follow the directions provided in the
syllabus.
· Begin your answer immediately after each question. Don’t
worry about skipping lines or other formatting.
· Answer each question completely. Don’t worry about the
length of your answer as long as you answer completely. Use
correct sentence structure (complete sentences) and not word
blurbs (bullets).
Your 11 Questions Begin Here (remember to answer these 11
questions focusing on the particular service element that
appears in the template title):
I. Category. If you were looking up this service establishment
on Google, what words would you use in your search?
(Examples: Restaurant, Grocery Store, Private Club, Hotel, Dry
Cleaners, Doctor’s Office, etc.)
Category. Begin Your Answer Here:
II. Name of service establishment.
Examples: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop, Hilton Waterfront,
Sawgrass Country Club, CVS Pharmacy, Trader Joes, The
Fairmont Hotel, Watson Real Estate, Smith & Wollensky
Steakhouse, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Target, Starbuck’s,
Delta Airlines Reservations, Dr. Larry Porter’s Dental Office,
etc. As is evident from the examples, almost any type of service
establishment can be observed using this system.

Name. Begin Your Answer Here:
III. Location.
Examples: Rancho Cucamonga, Chicago, Claremont, West L.A.,
Malibu, Charlotte, etc. I don’t need the street address or phone.
Location. Begin Your Answer Here:
IV. Describe the situation in which you observed this element of
service. Examples: While I was at the front desk checking in,
while I was waiting to see the doctor, while I was waiting for
the check to be closed at the restaurant, when I couldn’t find the
aisle for coffee, etc. Notice that some examples take less
description than others. Provide enough description so that a
reader will be able to envision what it was that you were doing
(the contextual situation) when you made the observation.
Situation. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
V. Definition. Assume that no definition exists for this service
element. Based on the category, name, location, situation, your
expectations, and other experiences, how would you define this
element of service in your own words (do not use wording from
any of the examples or slides)? If a definition of this element
does exist at this location (and this will not be the case often),
then write how the establishment could effectively define this
element.
Example definition: The time that it takes the product or service
to get to each customer.
Definition. Begin Your Answer Here (Two or three sentences):
VI. Benchmark (what?). Benchmarks are also sometimes
referred to as service standards – our aim and ideal way of
performing this service. Referring back to your definition (so

stay within this context), past experience, and reasonable
expectations what is it that this establishment should ideally do
to perform this element correctly? Think for a moment. If you
were in charge of the employee training at this organization,
what is it that your employees should, ideally, always do in
performing this service standard element of service correctly?
The best benchmarks provide objective measures (counts and
times), to help ensure that all staff members better understand
the level of service desired by the establishment. A count might
be how many times something will occur. A time might be how
long a particular service element may take or at what point in
service contact an item should occur.
Example benchmark: The seater greets and makes first contact
with arriving guests within 30 seconds. (Notice that the
Benchmark relates back to the Definition.)
Benchmark. Begin Your Answer Here (Two or three sentences):
VII. Actual (how?). Overall, and not using any specific
example, during your time there, how was this particular service
element actually performed (in summary form)? What did you
observe? Provide an answer that describes both how the service
element was performed (overall) and whether or not it met your
expectations (based on your definition and benchmark above).
Be sure to tie it contextually to your definition and benchmark.
Example actual: Usually customers were greeted within the 30-
second benchmark. When Frosty’s Ale House was particularly
busy, customers had to wait for a greeting for as long as 2-3
minutes. This occurred primarily because the seater also has
responsibility for bussing and table set up. (Notice that the
Actual relates back to the Benchmark.)
Actual. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
VIII. Strength(s). Despite whether you were left (overall) with a
positive or negative impression of this service establishment,

think about one or two particular incidents during your time
there that were enjoyable relative to the benchmark of this
service element and describe it (them) in detail. Be sure to
include details such as date, time, service person’s name, and
details. In formulating your answer, imagine yourself as a secret
shopper. The idea is for you to capture enough detail, so that if
you were reporting details to a manager, he or she could go
back to that person and thank them for their effort.
Example strength: On July 23, at approximately 8:30 PM, I
arrived at the establishment. Macy, the seater, not only greeted
me immediately upon arrival, she also opened the door and
warmly welcomed me into the restaurant with a smile.
Strength. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
IX. Weakness(es). Despite whether you were left (overall) with
a positive or negative impression of this service establishment,
there that were underperformed relative to the benchmark of
this service element and describe them in detail. Be sure to
back to that person and counsel him or her on what was
observed compared to what was expected. When counseled
properly, these service failures can become learning
opportunities for improvement in service and growth
opportunities for the service providers. Even if you are
observing at a Four Seasons Resort, there is always room for
incremental improvement in service. If you write that there
were no weaknesses, then that means that you weren’t observing
closely enough and you will lose points.
Example weakness: On February 22, at approximately 11:45
AM, I arrived and there was no one at the host/check-in station.
I waited for 3 minutes and 45 seconds before Willard came back

to get menus and seat me. There was no welcome – just a “sorry
for the delay, we have to bus and re-set tables now, as well as
seat. I don’t know how they expect us to do all of this.”
Weakness. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
X. Armchair. Now that you have experienced the actual
encounter (refer back to your summary in VII), revisit your
benchmark. If you were in charge of the employee training at
this organization, what details would add to your benchmark to
help make service even better and more consistent? Think for a
moment. Even if service in this element met your benchmark
and expectations, what details would you modify in terms of
expected times and or counts that would help ensure an even
higher level of service? Refine and improve the details of your
benchmark in this question. This is good practice for you for the
future. Discuss.
Armchair. Begin Your Answer Here (One or two paragraphs):
XI. Effect. As a result of your experience with this element, are
you pleased, okay, unhappy, or somewhere in between? What is
the likely effect this element of service will have on you
returning to this establishment and or what you will tell others
about your experience? Discuss.
Effect. Begin Your Answer Here (One or two paragraphs):
Now, look back over your answers and ensure that you have
provided thoughtful, insightful, and detailed observations. Run
spell and grammar check, do an additional save, make sure that
you are happy with the document and ready to upload the entire
completed assignment template (including the front-end
instructions and tips), and then upload. Now you can relax a bit.
Learning how to do this type of observation and detailed
analysis will help make you a more perceptive, effective, and

successful leader.
2
Name:
HRT 4760 Assignment 09
Attitude – Tone of Voice
This is one of a package of 15 different assignments that
comprise the Elements of Service, which you will study this
term. For this assignment, you will observe elements of service
in almost any particular service establishment. A few examples
of service establishments would include, but not be limited to
these: Hotel, resort, private club, restaurant, airline, cruise line,
grocery store, doctor’s office, coffee house, and scores of
others. Your answers to this assignment will all focus on the
particular service element that appears in the above template
title (Attitude – Tone of Voice), which also corresponds to
those listed in your textbook and Power Point slides.
Here is a list of the 15 Service Elements that I am asking for
you to observe and, by answering a set of questions provided in
each assignment, critically analyze. While the question
templates all ask for you to answer the same questions, each
assignment’s set of questions focuses on a different Service
Element (15 in all):
01 Timeliness
02 Incremental Flow
03 Anticipation
04 Communication
05 Customer Feedback

06 Accommodation
07 Supervision and Organization
08 Body Language
09 Attitude: Tone of Voice
10 Tact
11 Attentiveness
12 Naming Names
13 Guidance
14 Selling Skills
15 Gracious Problem Solving
Here are a few tips for successfully completing the assignment:
· The most frequently asked question by students: "The
templates all look the same. Won't I just be writing a lot of
repetitive answers?" Answer: The answer is, “No.” While there
will be some repetition, each assignment has a separate title.
Your answers to the particular assignment will all focus on the
particular service element that appears in the template title,
which corresponds to your textbook and your Power Point
slides. For example, your first assignment is about Timeliness
(and only about timeliness). Your second assignment is about
Incremental Flow (and only about incremental flow). Your third
assignment is about Anticipation (and only about anticipation).
· To prepare for this assignment: Read the text, review the
Chapter Power Point Slides, and view the streaming chapter
lecture.
· Enter your name in the block provided above.
· This is an individual and not a group-project-oriented class.
To receive credit, each of you needs to do your own individual
write-up for each assignment, make your own individual
submittal, and learn and experience the 15 elements of service.
· Because many of the questions in this assignment build, use
and refer to the same establishment throughout the assignment.
So, if you are using Starbuck’s for this assignment, use this
Starbuck’s for each of the questions in this assignment. (The
examples in this assignment use different establishments to give

you a variety of perspectives, but you should use the same
establishment.)
· For subsequent assignments, you may change establishments
or you may continue referring to the same establishment
throughout all of these Service Element assignments. Whichever
works better for you is okay. If you plan to use this course to
give yourself practice for applying this package of Service
Elements to one organization (perhaps where you work), then I
strongly suggest that you use the same organization for all of
your Service Element assignments. The consistency of using
one organization will aid you in learning and application.
· When making observations, realize that you can get a far
better and more accurate understanding of your subject
organization by visiting and observing multiple times before
reporting your observations. Visiting and observing at different
times and days helps to provide a clearer picture of how the
establishment performs overall.
· This assignment, like everything that you do for this course,
has a set deadline (both time and date). The deadline is listed in
the syllabus. While you can turn in any assignment early or on
time, you cannot turn in anything late. No credit will be given
for assignments turned in late.
· Make this and all assignment submittals through Blackboard.
Do not submit any assignment by email attachment, as it will
not receive credit.
· If you are unsure how to submit an assignment correctly using
Blackboard, refer to and follow the directions provided in the
syllabus.
· Begin your answer immediately after each question. Don’t
worry about skipping lines or other formatting.
· Answer each question completely. Don’t worry about the
length of your answer as long as you answer completely. Use
correct sentence structure (complete sentences) and not word
blurbs (bullets).

Your 11 Questions Begin Here (remember to answer these 11
questions focusing on the particular service element that
appears in the template title):
I. Category. If you were looking up this service establishment
on Google, what words would you use in your search?
(Examples: Restaurant, Grocery Store, Private Club, Hotel, Dry
Cleaners, Doctor’s Office, etc.)
Category. Begin Your Answer Here:
II. Name of service establishment.
Examples: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop, Hilton Waterfront,
Sawgrass Country Club, CVS Pharmacy, Trader Joes, The
Fairmont Hotel, Watson Real Estate, Smith & Wollensky
Steakhouse, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Target, Starbuck’s,
Delta Airlines Reservations, Dr. Larry Porter’s Dental Office,
etc. As is evident from the examples, almost any type of service
establishment can be observed using this system.
Name. Begin Your Answer Here:
III. Location.
Examples: Rancho Cucamonga, Chicago, Claremont, West L.A.,
Malibu, Charlotte, etc. I don’t need the street address or phone.
Location. Begin Your Answer Here:
IV. Describe the situation in which you observed this element of
service. Examples: While I was at the front desk checking in,
while I was waiting to see the doctor, while I was waiting for
the check to be closed at the restaurant, when I couldn’t find the
aisle for coffee, etc. Notice that some examples take less
description than others. Provide enough description so that a
reader will be able to envision what it was that you were doing
(the contextual situation) when you made the observation.

Situation. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
V. Definition. Assume that no definition exists for this service
element. Based on the category, name, location, situation, your
expectations, and other experiences, how would you define this
element of service in your own words (do not use wording from
any of the examples or slides)? If a definition of this element
does exist at this location (and this will not be the case often),
then write how the establishment could effectively define this
element.
Example definition: The time that it takes the product or service
to get to each customer.
Definition. Begin Your Answer Here (Two or three sentences):
VI. Benchmark (what?). Benchmarks are also sometimes
referred to as service standards – our aim and ideal way of
performing this service. Referring back to your definition (so
stay within this context), past experience, and reasonable
expectations what is it that this establishment should ideally do
to perform this element correctly? Think for a moment. If you
were in charge of the employee training at this organization,
what is it that your employees should, ideally, always do in
performing this service standard element of service correctly?
The best benchmarks provide objective measures (counts and
times), to help ensure that all staff members better understand
the level of service desired by the establishment. A count might
be how many times something will occur. A time might be how
long a particular service element may take or at what point in
service contact an item should occur.
Example benchmark: The seater greets and makes first contact
with arriving guests within 30 seconds. (Notice that the
Benchmark relates back to the Definition.)
Benchmark. Begin Your Answer Here (Two or three sentences):

VII. Actual (how?). Overall, and not using any specific
example, during your time there, how was this particular service
element actually performed (in summary form)? What did you
observe? Provide an answer that describes both how the service
element was performed (overall) and whether or not it met your
expectations (based on your definition and benchmark above).
Be sure to tie it contextually to your definition and benchmark.
Example actual: Usually customers were greeted within the 30-
second benchmark. When Frosty’s Ale House was particularly
busy, customers had to wait for a greeting for as long as 2-3
minutes. This occurred primarily because the seater also has
responsibility for bussing and table set up. (Notice that the
Actual relates back to the Benchmark.)
Actual. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
VIII. Strength(s). Despite whether you were left (overall) with a
positive or negative impression of this service establishment,
there that were enjoyable relative to the benchmark of this
service element and describe it (them) in detail. Be sure to
back to that person and thank them for their effort.
Example strength: On July 23, at approximately 8:30 PM, I
arrived at the establishment. Macy, the seater, not only greeted
me immediately upon arrival, she also opened the door and
warmly welcomed me into the restaurant with a smile.
Strength. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
IX. Weakness(es). Despite whether you were left (overall) with
a positive or negative impression of this service establishment,

there that were underperformed relative to the benchmark of
this service element and describe them in detail. Be sure to
back to that person and counsel him or her on what was
observed compared to what was expected. When counseled
properly, these service failures can become learning
opportunities for improvement in service and growth
opportunities for the service providers. Even if you are
observing at a Four Seasons Resort, there is always room for
incremental improvement in service. If you write that there
were no weaknesses, then that means that you weren’t observing
closely enough and you will lose points.
Example weakness: On February 22, at approximately 11:45
AM, I arrived and there was no one at the host/check-in station.
I waited for 3 minutes and 45 seconds before Willard came back
to get menus and seat me. There was no welcome – just a “sorry
for the delay, we have to bus and re-set tables now, as well as
seat. I don’t know how they expect us to do all of this.”
Weakness. Begin Your Answer Here (Three or four sentences):
X. Armchair. Now that you have experienced the actual
encounter (refer back to your summary in VII), revisit your
benchmark. If you were in charge of the employee training at
this organization, what details would add to your benchmark to
help make service even better and more consistent? Think for a
moment. Even if service in this element met your benchmark
and expectations, what details would you modify in terms of
expected times and or counts that would help ensure an even
higher level of service? Refine and improve the details of your
benchmark in this question. This is good practice for you for the
future. Discuss.

Armchair. Begin Your Answer Here (One or two paragraphs):
XI. Effect. As a result of your experience with this element, are
you pleased, okay, unhappy, or somewhere in between? What is
the likely effect this element of service will have on you
returning to this establishment and or what you will tell others
about your experience? Discuss.
Effect. Begin Your Answer Here (One or two paragraphs):
Now, look back over your answers and ensure that you have
provided thoughtful, insightful, and detailed observations. Run
spell and grammar check, do an additional save, make sure that
you are happy with the document and ready to upload the entire
completed assignment template (including the front-end
instructions and tips), and then upload. Now you can relax a bit.
Learning how to do this type of observation and detailed
analysis will help make you a more perceptive, effective, and
successful leader.
2

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