Bella’s A Case Study In Organizational Behavior
Given your understanding of job satisfaction and employee engagement, discuss/describe why each is important in organizational settings?
Discuss/offer your insights regarding the results of the employee survey. As you study the results, what stands out? What conclusions can you draw?
Offer general suggestions/recommendations to Kris Jenkins regarding how to improve the job satisfaction and employee engagement of Bella’s workforce.
Evaluate Kris Jenkins’ decision to accept the general manager’s position. Given the information available, did she make the right decision? Why or why not?
3. “Job satisfaction & employee engagement are important in
organizational setting. J.S. is a person’s felling of satisfaction with job.
E.E. is a degree of employees’positive/negative emotional attachment
with job. ”
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4. INTRODUCTION
The case we are going to present is about: ‘Bella Salon and Day Spa.’
It discusses the importance of job satisfaction and employment engagement in
an organization.
It twists around Illa Fitzgerald, Lynn Gibson and Kris Jenkins that depicts the
forms of management that can make or break a company.
Bella's has been a fairly successful enterprise with good turnovers and profits.
Unfortunately, now it is facing a tough time.
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5. COMPANY PROFILE
Company Name: Bella's Spa and Hair
care service
Headquarters: Southern United states
Founder: Illa Fitzgerald
Founded:12 years ago
Active G.M. : Kris Jenkins
Former G.M. :Lynn Gibson
Consultant: Lynn Gibson
Employees: 25 per store
Last Year Revenue: $3,000,000
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6. Vision:
A company that offers a complete array of products and services
aimed at creating and maintaining healthy minds, bodies, and
spirits.
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7. CHARACTERS
Illa Fitzgerald:
A very passionate woman with a dream of starting her own spa/saloon.
Highly qualified and ambitious woman.
She lacked business or managerial experience.
Lynn Gibson:
Work experience in operations management.
In need of a change.
Key role in operations decision making in Bella's.
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8. CHARACTERS [Contd.]
Kris Jenkins:
Highly qualified but with work experience as well.
Dreams similar to Illa Fitzgerald.
Good with both operations management and with employees.
Employees (Illa Fitzgerald):
Satisfied and motivated with good management from lynn and incentives.
Very well coordinated organization.
Employees (Under Lynn Gibson):
Dissatisfied and quitting due to poor management techniques.
Illa’s unexpected interference with only limited information about issues.
Illa’s tendency to regularly monopolize the manager’s time on trivial or personal matters.
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9. CURRENT SITAUATION
Situation as per Kris Jenkins:
Absenteeism high.
12% reduction in annual sales than
last year.
Attrition has raised.
No formal performance appraisal.
Dissatisfied with job and owner.
Challenges for Kris Jenkins:
Motivating the employees.
Improving the present incentive
system.
Decentralizing the decision making.
Reducing the attrition rate and
increasing profits.
10. Question:1
Given your understanding of job satisfaction and employee
engagement, discuss/describe why each is important in
organizational settings?
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11. EXPLANATION
Job Satisfaction:
The term job satisfaction describes a
positive feeling about a job, resulting
from an evaluation of its characteristics.
Some factors that has effect on job
satisfaction are:
Rewards and incentives
Relationship with superiors
Opportunities to use skills and abilities
Job security
Employee Engagement:
Employee engagement is a workplace
approach designed to ensure that all
are committed to their organization’s
goals and values, motivated to
contribute towards success and at the
same time are able to enhance their
own sense of well-being.
Employee engagement depends on
job satisfaction.
12. EXPLANATION Contd.
Both job satisfaction and employee engagement are necessary for any organization
because
It will ensure that absenteeism and attrition rates are low.
It will improve efficiency and productivity.
Maintaining good organizational environment.
Reputation of the organization among the general public will be more.
13. Question:2
Discuss/offer your insights regarding the results of the employee
survey. As you study the results, what stands out? What conclusions
can you draw?
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14. EXPLANATION
Following insights can be offered on the basis of employee survey:
Managers as well as common employees are not satisfied from the management tactics of the
owner
[She interferes in their work without knowing the whole scenario completely, Illa's tendency to
regularly engage managers in trivial or personal matters]
Employees are satisfied with their coworkers
[The case study states the major cause of employee dissatisfaction was Ill's management. Thus,it
can be inferred that the coordination among the employees is not disturbed and they are working
as a team.]
15. Illa is not fit to make operational decisions
[As stated earlier Illa's inefficiency in managing the tasks at hand has been the major factor
in employee dissatisfaction so she must appoint someone who has experience in
management and is also qualified enough]
A need of decentralization
[The managers at various levels must be involved more in decision making process apart
from the GM and the owner]
EXPLANATION Contd.
17. For improving job satisfaction following steps can be taken :
Giving promotional opportunities
The case study describes that employees were leaving because of lack motivation. Giving
promotional opportunities at workplace like promotion on the basis of output or experience,
etc. can motivate the employees.
Improving incentives
Another step can be the increasing of incentives. This along with promotions will help to
motivate the employees as monetary benefits are something that any employee likes.
EXPLANATION
18. Timely rewards
The management can decide on providing rewards to those employees who stand
out or who perform well. This will give them a sense of recognition at workplace which
will provide job satisfaction to them.
Giving more importance to Kris's opinions
As it is evident from the survey that Illa is not good at managing the operational tasks
more priority should be given to Kris's decisions and ideas.
EXPLANATION Contd.
19. Question:4
Evaluate Kris Jenkins’decision to accept the general manager’s
position. Given the information available, did she make the right
decision? Why or why not?
20. Yes, her decision to accept the GM post was right in my opinion because of the following
reasons:
It is the dream of any employee to get the freedom in job to make decisions on his own. This
gives him confidence and job satisfaction. In this case, Kris is getting the GM position at Bella's
with total authority on the operational tasks and decisions. She can decide on assigning the jobs
and also everyone will be accountable to her.
She will be able to attain valuable experience in making 'Executive Decisions' which she is
craving for. She can learn on -the-job and can bring up the company by herself which is a huge
credit for anyone in their resume.
EXPLANATION
21. The current situation calls for employee satisfaction. The employees will be more open to
a GM who is good with them and who understands them. As Kris is someone who has
valuable experience in dealing with employees, it is quite clear that Kris is tailor-made for
the job.
Finally, she wants to be the owner of a saloon with vision and objectives almost identical
to Illa's views. So, she can learn from the experiences of Illa and Lynn as well which will
ultimately help in future with her saloon.
EXPLANATION Contd.
22. SUMMARY
The case study shows the attributes of three different people who managed an
organization with contrasting effects.
The case also discusses the impact these effects had on the employees who are the
building blocks of any organization.
The importance of job satisfaction and employee engagement is depicted with
evidence of the organization (Bella's) output in two comparative years.
The suggestions to Kris Jenkins on improving the conditions at Bella's are also discussed.