The sales office of a large industrial wholesale company has an problem that salesperson are arriving late at the office each morning. Some sales reps go directly to visit clients rather than showing up at the office as required by company policy. Others arrive several minutes after their appointed start time.
The vice president doesn't want to introduce time clocks but this may be necessary if the lateness problem isn't corrected.. how to diagnose the possible reasons why salesperson may be engaging in this lateness behavior using MARS model.Motivation, Ability, Role perception and Situational factors. I've done a lot of psychology stuff, but never much industrial psychology, so please forgive me if I am using the wrong terms! Motivation- what is the driving force behind the targeted behavior? There is little reinforcing them to engage in behavior that management wants.
The basics of behaviorism suggest that the time clock would be a punishment that would cause workers to engage in "avoidance" behavior. So one would most likely want to create a way to positively reinforce the behavior of showing up on time, and going to the office first.The employer must have a strong relationship with their employees so they understand what is the real motivating force behind their behavior as well. See link below for more info Ability - Do they have the training necessary for this task? Clearly they do so this portion is not a problem Role Perception- Their perception may need some redefining. If a person in that position believes it is their role to service clients above all else, they may need to reorganize their understand of the position. If they understand that there role is to document thoroughly all interactions and that must be done by visiting the office first hat may help.
This can be improved with a very extensive job description so people know what they are supposed to do, as well as continuous feedback about their work. Situational Factors- Are their situation factors that are forcing people to engage in the behaviors? It can be a matter of stress or perhaps the environment is poorly organized. Imagine if the clients are waiting on the first floor of a building, and the office where they need to check in is on the 10th floor. The employees don't want to seem rude and ignore the clients when they see them there, so one may assume situational factors are now influencing behavior.
