The worker bee’s dilemma: move out to move up?

Abstract

Theoretical basis

This case is underpinned by multiple motivational theories, including Maslow’s Hierarchy, Alderfer’s existence relatedness growth, equity theory, expectancy theory and Herzberg’s two-factor theory.

Research methodology

This data was gleaned from the protagonist and corporate documents. Names have been changed to conceal the identity of the firm and its employees.

Case overview/synopsis

Vivienne consistently earned high-performance ratings at her firm. She designed the internal firm university, a permanent learning program. She then noticed other employees being promoted based on her work. She was not offered a promotion, so she conducted a job analysis. Based on those findings, Vivienne decided to develop and present a retitling proposal for her promotion to a title better aligned with the level of work she performed. This case analyzes Vivienne’s organization, the firm university program, and her retitling proposal using management theories, human resources laws, and concepts, and it leads to an important career crossroads.

Complexity academic level

Undergraduate courses: organizational behavior and human resource management.

Citation

Paul, T.V. (2022), "The worker bee’s dilemma: move out to move up?", , Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 630-640. https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-04-2021-0060