The lumen and absorb Teams at Crutchfield Chemical Engineering Case Study

The lumen and absorb Teams at Crutchfield Chemical Engineering - Case Study Example With this definition of intrinsic motivation in mind, several assumptions as to how these differences arose can be formulated. Primarily, it could be assumed that not all individuals on the Absorb team are working in their desired career goals, even though the majority of them hold academic-supported credentials in their current domain of work practice. Under this assumption, there would be little that could be done to improve the Absorb team’s motivational stance since working in the chemical field might simply require an adjustment of work environment in order to satisfy intrinsic needs. Secondly, as supported by the case study, there are some clues about what is driving intrinsic motivational failures present in the Absorb team that are not present in the Lumen team. Chip, the team leader, is 49 years of age and has been at the company for almost 25 years. It is probable, based on rather subjective assumptions, that Chip enjoys this field of work or would have pursued new opportunities in the past if he was not intrinsically motivated for this particular profession. Furthermore, Chip seems to have a natural propensity (an inherent motivator) to maintain a very authoritative and hierarchical management system with many control systems in place. This conflicts with virtually every team members’ desire for inherent needs for autonomy and recognition in work performance. Under models of the autocratic leadership style, this type of manager is motivated by achievement of absolute dominating power, believing that subordinates do not maintain the capacity or abilit ies to effectively work without strict and regular management presence. (Goodnight 82). Chip, who seems to maintain many of these characteristics, works as an externally-driven force that drives down motivation on the Absorb team. In the Lumen team, however, there is much more team-working occurring and social attitudes seem to sustain the same intrinsic motivations for cohesion and unity when working in group environments. Max, the team leader, is much more forthcoming both professionally and emotionally when working with his group members, applauding their performance publicly. Under respected models of psychology, one of the most fundamental aspects that drive both self-confidence production and self-actualization (the pinnacle of individual achievement) is rooted under the establishment of social belonging (Morris and Maisto 164). The case study shows a marked appreciation from the Lumen team members for this social cohesion and the ability of their team leader to find inherent satisfaction when his team members are satisfied, motivated, and willing to go the proverbial extra mile to satisfy group needs. Assuming that these team members are, indeed, motivated intrinsically by harmonious team membership environments, then Max serves as an ideal catalyst for securing these motivations by providing outward social practices that feed inherent needs in all of his group members. The effects of these differences are clear. The Absorb team members do not appreciate being second-guessed and, in some instances, allegedly deceived by their team leader. The Absorb team is not receiving proper reinforcement when they feel they have accomplished significant achievements, always being told to restructure their work in a way that satisfies this