Case Study Examples For Students

Many of our clients are representatives of the business world. Our employees successfully work with both online and offline commercial projects. With their help, entrepreneurs, marketers, salespersons reach professional purposes.

CASE STUDY: Employee motivation (for Business Management course)

Initial data

1) The situation

N* is a commercial enterprise selling gadgets. Their real story inspired us to write a case study as a sample of our work. So, the staff comprises forty sales managers. Over the last year, their motivation has been significantly decreasing. For now, both experienced employees and newcomers are demotivated.

2) Decisions taken by CEO

'We held training courses, team building events, and a party devoted to the company's birthday. Still, the results of the work are the same. The sales levels are minimal, and we cannot pay bonuses. Such situations look like a vicious circle...'

It is a good case study to demonstrate understanding of motivation in practice. Thus, our employees have applied their professional knowledge to create a constructive solution to it.

How we have solved the case study

1) Examination of the situation

The given background information seems sufficient to understand the problem. For this case study, we also asked the company to give us sales reports. We have invited our experts in human resources to work on it. They are pretty good at such issues; otherwise, we could also search for additional theoretical information on motivation.

2) Revealing the core problem

The main issue of the company: a lack of employees' motivation resulting in low incomes.

There could be at least two reasons leading to it:

• Employees are not interested in good outcomes, they do not see any sense in their work.
• There could be someone or something sabotaging the team's work and focusing their effort on fighting the situation.

3) Offering solutions

At this stage, we have used brainstorming techniques. During the discussion, we have offered the solutions:

• to interview the personnel and ask what disturbs them most;
• reveal people with negative attitudes to the company;
• offer a dilemma to the so-called 'toxic employees': to stay and contribute to the overall success or to leave the company.

As we see it, people did not want to sell more gadgets and earn more bonuses. Importantly, their aims were absolutely achievable. (Our assistants have checked the report). Hence, a non-material motivation is a good idea:

• making a rotation and giving new opportunities for personal growth;
• formulating new goals to raise excitement (instead of 'selling more' — 'striving to become better than competitors').

The last year implied remote work for most of the business world and stresses connected with the pandemic. It could bring health issues, psychological problems, and simply negative thoughts. In order to minimize them, we offer:

• reconsidering of the benefits package (adding days to sick leave);
• flexible hours of work;
• focus on positive moments of the employees' results.

The above steps enable us to show that the company cares of employees. Before, only income was a priority. And now people can see that they are part of the global project, where their preferences are considered.

4) Formulating possible consequences of the chosen way

Real life shows that the wage is far not the only method to encourage the team. Elements of non-financial motivation work well too. The research of this case study shows that people want to feel safe and protected. If employees see that the company cares for them, their inner motivation grows significantly. Creating reliable conditions is one of the best ideas in this situation.

5) Explaining our final findings

We have come up with the following strategy: the enterprise should focus on non-material motivation.

Supporting arguments

• Financial bonuses do not always work, as they often imply a short-term effect. The employee sells a big number of goods or services today and receives enough payment. Yet tomorrow he/she can have issues (health problems, family circumstances) and remain without bonuses.
• In uncertain times, people require, above all, reliable relations with an employer. As we see from this case study, vague bonuses are not very effective, because sellers do not always control the situation. (In the context of the global economic crisis, the purchasing power can become lower.)
• Besides, team-building events do not work, as employees are too tired of the consequences of the pandemic. Amid psychological stress, such activities can seem an additional burden and waste of time.

6) Executive summary

One has to keep in mind that apart from financial motivation, employees expect reliability from the employer. Hence, we have come up with the suggestions:

• enhance the communication with the staff (to reveal their issues and expectations from work and company);
• improve non-material motivation (job rotation, benefits package).