motivational analysis of organizations

_____ 17. Deal with the problems humanely and carefully at the unit level. Problems
of this sort rarely go away. If ignored they usually become worse, and
people take sides. Once a unit’s esprit de corps goes, it is hard for that unit
to recover. Get involved if asked to.
_____ 18. If you wanted to manage personal problems, you would have become a
manager. You produce work; that is what everybody should concentrate
on. Let management cope. People should not bring their personality
problems to work anyway.
_____ 19. You do not have serious personality problems at work without underlying
organizational problems. Try an organizational intervention with a third
party to defuse things.
_____ 20. It depends on who is involved and what the issues are. There are some
people in any unit with whom it would not be wise to become involved,
and some issues can leave long-lasting ill feelings, even if you manage to
resolve them in the best possible way.
VI. You are in mid-career, progressing moderately well, and have just been offered the
chance to move into a new line of work in another firm. The work seems more likely to
be in demand five or six years in the future than the work you are in now. You might be
able to go further in your personal advancement in the new position, but it would mean
a lot of retraining on your part. Assuming that the move would create no problems in
your family life, what would be the best thing to do?
_____ 21. Given the state of the current job market, it probably is best not to switch
jobs or firms. You have too much to lose in terms of seniority and
“insider” status in your present firm and too many unknowns if you move.
_____ 22. Progress in your present firm has been only “moderate”; if you are going
to make a breakthrough in your career, it will not be in your present firm.
The new line is promising, and there may be more opportunities for
promotion in the new firm, so moving seems to be a good idea. You are
probably going to have to retrain sometime. Also, the broader experience
probably will make you more valuable.
_____ 23. The move will be worth the risk only if the new firm will make you the
project leader. Make your acceptance of the job conditional on that.
_____ 24. You only are really trained once. Mid-career retraining may be
fashionable, but it just produces half-trained, overaged workers. You
would never be accepted by the younger people who are properly trained
in the new line. Forget it.
10 ❘❚
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 19, 2nd Edition. Copyright © 1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer