PSY 272 Homework Assignment -Motivating and Retaining Employees

PSY 272 Fall 2016Homework Assignment #4 (45 points)Motivating and Retaining EmployeesDue: November 15, 2016 at 10:30amFor this homework, you are hired as a consultant for Hummingbird Inc., an Indiana manufacturingcompany specialized in producing precision instrument and equipment. Your main task is to motivate andretain employees.When reviewing employee data from the last quarter, the HR manager of Hummingbird found that aconsiderable number of employees left the company. She also overheard a few others talking in thecafeteria about wanting to quit their jobs. She is concerned about employee morale and attitudes in thecompany and recruited you, an I/O consultant, to detect the problem and find potential solutions.Again, here are the employee statistics for Hummingbird: Sixty-two percent of its 1,200 employees aremale and 87% are White. Fifty-four percent of employees are machine operators, 16% are engineers, 9%are managers, 19% are clerical staff, and the rest are janitors. On average, the employees have 7.35 yearsof experience at the current job. Nineteen percent of the employees have master’s degrees or higher, 21%have college or associate’s degrees, and the rest have high school or vocational-technical school degrees.You may want to factor some of these statistics in when analyzing the case.Integrate everything you have learned about theories and methods in I/O psychology this semester andanswer the following questions. Think critically and creatively. Do not be bonded by my examples.1. Detect the problems. Explain in detail what you would do to find out why turnover rate andturnover intention were high in the company over the past quarter. Include at least thefollowing information: (1) what variables or constructs do you plan to measure, (2) how exactlywould you measure those variables/constructs, (3) who would be your sources of information,and (4) what problem(s) may you identify. (14 pt.)Note. For (2), be specific. For example, do not just answer “I’ll do a survey.” Instead, describehow you want to design the survey, what questions you are going to ask, how you are going toimplement the survey: e.g., In person? Online? On company bulletin boards? For (4), think aboutthe differences between functional and dysfunctional turnover and various reasons for employeewithdrawal behaviors. You can feel free to create hypothetical scenarios or add information if itwould help you answer this question. There are many possible answers.2. Use at least THREE theories in I/O psychology to explain possible reasons for the problem(s)that you have identified in #1. Think broadly. You can approach this case from many angles andmay use theories from any chapter that we have covered so far. (14 pt.)3. Based on your analysis above and what you have learned so far about motivation, job attitudes,and employee withdrawal behaviors, suggest at least THREE solutions to address the problemsand to motivate and retain current employees at Hummingbird Inc. Make sure that yoursolutions are evidence-based and supported by existing research in I/O psychology. Provide atleast one citation for each of your solutions—it should be either a theory in I/O psychology or anempirical study that demonstrates the effectiveness of a particular organizationalpractice/intervention. (14 pt.) PSY 272 Fall 2016 Important Note on Academic IntegrityYou are to complete your own work for this assignment. You are not allowed to look at other students’homework or verbally ask for their answers. You are not to share your answers with anyone else. Studentswho submit nearly identical answers will receive zero points and be reported to Dean of Students foracademic dishonesty. Please feel free to ask me for clarifications and directions to relevant informationbut do not ask for an answer.FormatThe paper should be typed and submitted in either a Word or a PDF format, double-spaced with 1-inchmargins. Use fonts no smaller than Times New Roman 11 or Arial 10. Your answers will be evaluated byits clarity, cohesiveness and strength of arguments, and the level of critical thinking demonstrated. Whenyou provide supporting evidence, both in-text citations and a reference list at the end are required….e APA style to cite your references (the Purdue Online Writing Lab is a great resource about APA style:https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/). Assignments will be graded for proper spelling,grammar, and adherence to the formatting requirements. (3 pt.)Please submit via Blackboard. Grading RubricAreaDetect the ProblemsTheoretical explanationSolutions to Address ProblemsProper citation of research & creativity, grammar, & styleTotal Points14 pts.14 pts.14 pts.3 pts.45 pts.