TMA 2 - Power of Proactivity Fatima's Journey to Job Satisfaction Assignment

Assignment Task

Instructions:   Analyze and answer the questions included in the case incidents.

Case 1  OB

Consider for a moment a midlevel manager, Fatima, who seems to be doing well. She’s consistently making her required benchmarks and goals, she has built successful relationships with colleagues, and senior management has identified her as having “high potential.” But she isn’t satisfied in her job. She’d be interested in understanding how her organization can use social media in marketing efforts at all levels of the organization, for example, but her job doesn’t allow her to work on this. She wants to quit and find something that better suits her passions, but in her

economic situation this may not be an option. So she has decided to proactively reconfigure her current job. Fatima is part of a movement toward job “crafting,” which is the process of deliberately reorganizing your job so that it better fits your motives, strengths, and passions. So how did Fatima craft her job? She first noticed that she was spending too much of her time monitoring her team’s performance and answering questions, and not enough time working on the creative projects that inspire her. She then considered how to modify her relationship with the team so that her activities incorporated her passion for social media strategies, with the team’s activities more centered on developing new marketing. She also identified members of her team who might be able to help her implement her new strategies and directed her interactions with these individuals toward her new goals. As

a result, not only did her engagement in her work increase, but she also developed new ideas that were recognized and advanced within the organization. In sum, she found that by actively and creatively examining her work, she was able to shape her job into one that is truly satisfying. As you may have noted, Fatima exhibited a proactive personality—she was eager to develop her own options and find her own resources. Proactive individuals are often self empowered and are, therefore, more likely to seek workable solutions when they are not satisfied. Research leads us to believe Fatima will be successful in her customized job and that she will experience increased well-being. To the extent possible, then, all employees should feel encouraged to be proactive in creating their best work situations.

Questions

1. Fatima chose to remain in her old job rather than looking for a new one elsewhere. What are her constraints?
2. Fatima is described as having a proactive personality. What does this mean and what is the pre-requisite for it?
3. Are there any potential drawbacks to the job crafting approach? If so, how can they be minimized?

Case 2 OB

The Youngest Billionaire

Picture this. The billionaire owner and founder stands in the conference room trying on bras while the CEO stands behind her, adjusting the straps. The floor is littered with underwear. The owner takes off one bra and puts on another. Five executives in the conference room barely blink. Welcome to Sara Blakely’s company, Spanx. In just a few years, Spanx became to slimming underwear what Jello is to gelatin and Kleenex is to facial tissue: So dominant that its name is synonymous with the industry.  Blakely is one of the youngest billionaires in the world. Like many stories of entrepreneurial success, hers is part gritty determination, part inspiration, and part circumstance. The grit was easy to see early on. As a child growing up in Clearwater Beach, Florida, she lured friends into doing her chores by setting up a competition. At 16, Blakely was so intent on success that she listened to self-help guru Wayne Dyer’s recordings incessantly. Friends refused to ride in her car. “No! She’s going to make us listen to that motivational crap!” Blakely recalls they said. After twice failing to get into law school, Blakely started her first business in 1990, running a kids’ club at the Clearwater Beach Hilton. It worked until the Hilton’s general manager found out. Later, while working full-time in sales, Blakely began learning how to start a more viable business. Her inspiration for Spanx came while she was cold-calling customers as a sales manager for an office supply company. She hated pantyhose. “It’s Florida, it’s hot, I’m carrying copy machines,” she noted. At the Georgia Tech library, Blakely researched every pantyhose patent ever filed. She wrote her patent application by following a textbook she read in Barnes & Noble. Then she worked on marketing, manufacturing, and financing, treating each as its own project. After numerous rejections, she finally found mill owners in North Carolina willing to finance the manufacturing. “At the end of the day, the guy ended up just wanting to help me,” Blakely said. “He didn’t even believe in the idea.” For a time, Blakely relied on stores like Neiman Marcus to set up her table and on word of mouth to get the news out to the public. Her big break came when she sent samples to Oprah Winfrey’s stylist. Harpo Productions called to say that Winfrey would name Spanx her favorite product of the year and warned Blakely to get her website ready. She didn’t have a website. Billions of dollars in sales later, Blakely has no plans to slow down. Spanx is sold in 55 countries, and Blakely wants to double international sales. She says: “The biggest risk in life is not risking. Every risk you take in life is in direct proportion to the reward. If I’m afraid of something, it’s the next thing I have to go do. That’s just the way I’ve been.”

Questions

1. How much of Blakely’s success is due to her personality and effort and how much to serendipity (being in the right place at the right time)? Does attribution theory help you answer this question? Why or why not?
2. What evidence is there in the case to suggest that Blakeley is not risk-averse?
3. Use the three-stage model of creativity to analyze Blakely’s decision making. What can you learn from her story that might help you be more creative in the future?

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