Chapter 10: Motivating Employee Performance

Complete set of links to companies

View the information about employee motivation at the web sites of Lincoln Electric and IBM. Then answer the following questions:

1. What approach have these organizations taken to motivate employees?
2. Does each organization strive to enhance motivation through any of the currently popular motivational strategies?

Internet Exercise

Examine the web site of The Container Store, named Fortune magazine’s number-one or number-two pick on the "Best US Companies to Work For" list for four years in a row. Then read the Fortune article about The Container Store.

1. In what ways does The Container Store seem to be following the content perspective on motivation? The process perspective? Reinforcement perspectives?
2. Describe The Container Store’s reward systems. How does the reward system contribute to employee motivation?
3. Would The Container Store’s approach work for other firms or industries? Why or why not?

Explore Further

Examine Fortune magazine’s list of America’s Top Employers. Choose two or three firms from the top of the list, and learn more about them. What do they have in common with The Container Store? What are their differences?