George Mason University Define The Amazon Problem I have the assignment attached bellow with the rubric. Let me know if you have any question. MGMT 313 Rea

George Mason University Define The Amazon Problem I have the assignment attached bellow with the rubric. Let me know if you have any question. MGMT 313 Reaction Papers (2) are evaluated using the following Grading Rubric:
Criteria
1. Submits well organized paper within 1500
word limit that includes a thesis
statement and a conclusion
2. Integrates at least 3 organizational
examples from personal experience in
the discussion.
3. Represents a solid understanding and
implementation of course material
covered to date into the writing
assignment.
4. Includes at least 3 peer reviewed
references external to the article/book/or
concept reacting to for the assignment
5. Use APA Style Guide for all citations
6. Complete Reference List
0%
Unacceptable
70%
Developing
The student
submits a paper
that does not meet
accompanying
criteria.
The student
submits a paper
that partially
meets the
objectives as
outlined in the
criteria.
85%
Competent
The student
submits the
minimum number
of required
components as
outlined by the
criteria.
95-100%
Exemplary
Student meets
and exceeds all
required criteria.
12:44 7
O
< Kinicki - Organizational Behavioi Aa : problem you defined in Step 1? This might lead to the conclusion that the characteristics Amazon uses to select and hire employees contribute to the problem. B. Follow the same process for the situation factors. For each ask yourself, Why is this a cause? For example, Amazon's HR practices likely have some effect on the problem you defined. If you agree, which specific practices and why? Leaders (managers and Bezos) greatly influence employees' experiences at Amazon. Do they cause the problem you defined in Step 1? If yes, then why? By following the process of asking why multiple times you are likely to arrive at a more complete and accurate list of causes. Again, look to the Organizing Framework for guidance. C. Now consider the Processes box in the Organizing Framework. Are any processes at the individual, group/team, or organizational level potential causes of your defined problem? It certainly seems that their emotions are notable aspects of Amazon employee experiences. Do they help explain the problem defined in Step 1? What about performance management? For any process you consider, ask yourself, Why is this a cause? Again, do this for several iterations to arrive at the root causes. D. To check the accuracy or appropriateness of the causes, be sure to map them onto the defined problem. Step 3: Make recommendations for solving the problem. Consider whether you want to resolve it, solve it, or dissolve it (see Section 1.5)? Which recommendation is desirable and feasible? A. Given the causes identified in Step 2, what are your best recommendations? Use the material in the current chapter that best suits the cause. Remember to consider the OB in Action and Applying OB boxes, because these contain insights into what others have done. Details of this case, for instance, describe how Amazon has particular stock vesting practices to help ensure retention. This might be part of the solution, but is it sufficient? B. Be sure to consider the Organizing Framework- both person and situation factors, as well as processes at different levels. C. Create an action plan for implementing your recommendations. LEGAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGE Companies Shift Smoking Bans to Smoker Ban An increasing number of companies are using smok- ing as a reason to turn away job applicants. Employers argue that such policies increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs, and encourage healthier life- styles. They raise the ante on earlier and less effective efforts, such as no-smoking work environments, cessa- tion programs, and higher health care premiums for smokers. "Tobacco-free hiring" often requires applicants to submit to a urine test for nicotine, and violations by new hires are cause for termination. The shift from "smoke-free" to "smoker-free" workplaces has prompted sharp debate about employers intruding into employees' private lives and regulating legal behaviors. Some state courts have upheld the legality of re- fusing to employ smokers. For example, hospitals in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas, among others, stopped hiring smokers. Some justified the new poli- cies as ways to reduce health care costs and to ad- vance their institutional missions of promoting personal well-being. Supporters of these policies note that smoking con- tinues to be the leading cause of preventable death. About 17 percent of U.S. adults still smoke, 97 and smokers cost approximately $5,800 per person per year in lost productivity and additional health care ex- penses.98 Moreover, smokers are not recognized as a protected class, which means they typically are not covered by anti-discrimination laws. Opponents argue that such policies are a slippery slope. Some say that, legality aside, implementing anti-smoker policies is in principle the same as discriminating on the basis of gender, race, or disease (alcoholism). Furthermore, successful nonsmoker policies may lead to limits on other legal employee behaviors, like drinking alcohol, eating fast food, and participating in dangerous sports. 120 PART 1 Individual Behavior Q page 149 of 770 19% read 12:44 7 O < Kinicki - Organizational Behavioi Aa : personal loss for the sharer and a gain for somebody else. Moreover, other's ideas are not just scrutinized; they are undermined. Groups of employees often con- spire against others on the peer feedback system to get ahead (or to put somebody else behind). As for managers, they must both defend the direct reports they deem most valuable to their own performance, and at the same time determine whom they can sacri- fice-not everybody can pass the performance test. 92 most valuable asset is ground up and discarded in such a way and at such a high rate. 96 To be fair, surely some percentage of the company's more than 150,000 employees are quite satisfied and successful. The system works for some, and for many it works for some period of time. And the incredibly high bar, marquee name, and extreme work ethic required to get hired at Amazon make former Amazonians very valuable to the company's competitors and many other companies both inside and outside the technology industry. APPLY THE 3-STEP PROBLEM- SOLVING APPROACH TO OB AMAZON = BEZOS Much of the praise and many of the complaints are di- rected to Jeff Bezos. Not only is he the founder and CEO, but he also is the chief architect of all things Amazon. His personality is embodied in the company values and the way it operates. Like Bezos himself, employees are expected to use data, confront, perse- vere, and win. This approach appeals to and is sustain- able for only a very specific type of employee. One former employee described Amazon's hiring process as “panning for gold."93 The company is looking for the rare stars who can thrive in its demanding environ- ment, and it must sift through many, many people to find them. This strategy is a real challenge for Amazon. Its size, growth rate, and turnover require the company to hire thousands and thousands of employees every year, and this doesn't include the thousands of temporary workers it hires to meet the holiday rush. Interviews with male employees in their 40s revealed that many are convinced Amazon will replace them with employ- ees in their 30s, who worry in turn that the company prefers employees in their 20s. The implication? Younger employees have fewer commitments and more energy. 94 Step 1: Define the problem. A. Look first at the Outcome box of the Organizing Framework in Figure 3.6 to help identify the important problem(s) in this case. Remember that a problem is a gap between a desired and current state. State your problem as a gap, and be sure to consider problems at all three levels. If more than one desired outcome is not being accomplished, decide which one is most important and focus on it for steps 2 and 3. B. Cases have protagonists (key players), and problems are generally viewed from a particular protagonist's perspective. You need to determine from whose perspective-employee, manager, team, or the organization-you're defining the problem. As in other cases, whether you choose the individual or organizational level in this case can make a difference. C. Use details in the case to determine the key problem. Don't assume, infer, or create problems that are not included in the case. D. To refine your choice, ask yourself, Why is this a problem? Focus on topics in the current chapter, because we generally select cases that illustrate concepts in the current chapter. Step 2: Identify causes of the problem by using ma- terial from this chapter, which has been summarized in the Organizing Framework and is shown in Figure 3.1. Causes will tend to appear in either the Inputs box or the Processes box. A. Start by looking at the Organizing Framework (Figure 3.1) and determine which person factors, if any, are most likely causes of the defined problem. For each cause, explain why this is a cause of the problem. Asking why multiple times is more likely to lead you to root causes of the problem. For example, do particular individual differences employees possess help explain the WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? To combat the churn, Amazon has structured its stock options to vest (transfer to the employee as owner) on an unusual schedule. Instead of vesting evenly over a period of years, Amazon employee options vest at 5 percent in year one, 15 percent in year two, 40 per- cent in year three, and 40 percent in year four. Employ- ees who leave within one year of hire must repay part of their signing bonus, and if within two years they must repay their relocation package if any. Many ex- perts question the effectiveness of such policies, how- ever. Lindsey Thorne, manager at a Seattle recruiting firm that places many former Amazon employees, says, “The potential payout of waiting for stock to vest won't tie down unhappy employees who are ready to jump ship."95 Still others question whether Amazon can continue to innovate and lead in the marketplace if its Individual Differences and Emotions CHAPTER 3 119 Q page 148 of 770 19% read < Kinicki - Organizational Behavioi Aa : PROBLEM-SOLVING APPLICATION CASE Amazon to Competition: We Will Crush You! Amazon to Employees: We Will Churn You! Amazon is not just a surviving company of the 1990s tech boom; it is now one of the largest and most suc- cessful companies in the world in any industry. It has leveraged its game-changing approach to selling books to sell almost everything to almost everybody almost anywhere. Today Amazon is a leader in all things customer service, and it has achieved this lead- ing position through groundbreaking technological in- novation. Technological innovation also has made Amazon one of the largest web services companies in the world and much more than an formidable retailer. All these legendary accomplishments are the result of the commitment and contributions of thousands of ex- tremely talented Amazonians. As you would certainly expect, the standards for hiring are exceptionally high. But what it takes to thrive and survive at the company is even more challenging. anonymous peer feedback (which employees are en- couraged to use). Her boss said he couldn't defend her in her performance review if her own coworkers were critical of her. Can it get worse? Yes. Amazon also uses a "rank and yank” performance management sys- tem. Employees are ranked by their managers, and those near the bottom are terminated every year. This leaves little room for taking a breath or backing off, even if you have a miscarriage, take care of an ailing parent, or receive treatment for cancer. There are sto- ries of employees in all these predicaments who were essentially told that their lives were incompatible with working at Amazon. It is no wonder one former em- ployee said, "Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk."89 Amazon disputes some of these claims as simply those of disgruntled former employ- ees. And because it has so many, even a small per- centage is a big number. IT'S NOT ALL SUNSHINE AND ROSES While Amazon's accomplishments and future endeav- ors are widely reported, until recently relatively little was known about its approach to managing employ- ees. But recent reports describe a “punishing corpo- rate environment: long hours, disparaging bosses, high stress, no time or space to recover, all resulting in uncommonly high employee turnover."86 Just how bad is it? PayScale ranked Amazon 464th among the For- tune 500, with median employee tenure of approxi- mately one year! (A competing estimate puts average tenure at 18 months.) 87 What pressures drive such high turnover? In a letter to shareholders in 1997, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos wrote: "You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon you can't choose two out of three."88 This sug- gests that employees must always be on, be in the game, and play it well. Amazonians experience many of the common pressures of today's workplace- 80-plus-hour workweeks, 24/7 connectivity, no real vacations or holidays (no surprise given that Amazon is the largest retailer on the planet). Amazon's "always on" culture is manifest in a num- ber of chilling stories, such as that of an employee who negotiated a 7 to 4:30 schedule with her boss after having her first child. The problem was that her co- workers didn't see her arrive early and crushed her in WE CAN MEASURE “THAT” ... AND “THAT” MATTERS Another key contributor to the pressure cooker envi- ronment is that everything is measured. For instance, warehouse employees are monitored using sophisti- cated systems to track how many boxes they pack per hour. White-collar employees participate in routine "business review” meetings, for which they need to prepare, read, and absorb 50 to 60 pages of reports amounting to thousands of data points. During these review meetings employees are often quizzed on par- ticular numbers by their managers, and it is not uncom- mon to hear managers say that responses are "stupid" or tell workers to “just stop it."90 To be sure, the company succeeds in large part be- cause of the immense customer data it collects and uses to select and sell its products. The plan is to use data the same way to make performance management an efficient and effective everyday process, rather than a once-a-year event. However, many employees describe the result as "purposeful-Darwinism"91 in which every employee constantly competes with other employees. Such relentless and pervasive competi- tion, while well intended, has many undesirable conse- quences. For instance, it is common for employees to hoard ideas and talent, because sharing becomes a 118 PART 1 Individual Behavior Q page 147 of 770 18% read Purchase answer to see full attachment