Team Case Study Research

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Motivation in the workplace – Equity Theory

Prepared by Group 3: Kip Walker, Kyle Gummere, Sean Hall

Agenda

Equity Theory

Interview Questions

Interview Answers

Results of the Data

Supportive Answers

Divergent Answers

Conclusion and Recommendations

Reference

Appendix

Equity Theory

Equity Theory: What motivates people to work?

Developed in 1960’s by John S. Adams

Focus: Input and outcome

Employees compare their job’s inputs with an outcome ratio

Inequality causes employees to act to correct inequality

Human motivation of fairness between inputs and outputs

Developed by John Adams in the 1960s to explain the main motivation factor for employees. Equity Theory Hinges on what input an employee gives vs what they receive as an output (Guerrero, Anderson, Walid, 263). According to the Hashemite University employees compare their input to an output ratio. These inputs can include education, intelligence, experience training, skills, seniority, age, time background etc. and outputs include pay, intrinsic rewards supervisor satisfaction, benefits job status etc. (Al-Zawahreh, Al-Madi 158-170). As long as the inputs and outputs stay in balance in the mind of the employee the employee stays motivated. When there is an imbalance the theory states that the employee will attempt to re-create balance. When an imbalance exists will seek to reduce it by distorting inputs and/or outcomes in their own minds (“cognitive distortion”), directly altering inputs and or outcomes, or leaving the organization (Carrell, Dittrich 202-210).

Interview Questions

Synopsis: Utilize survey questions to draw conclusions and evaluate the validity of Equity Theory

Survey Questions:

Question 1: Have you ever experienced a situation in the work place where you felt that you were being treated unfairly compared to a coworker? In the situation, how did you react? Did your work ethic or output suffer?

Question 2: What do you consider to be the number one factor that motivates you in your current position?

Question 3: If you received a pay cut, and your coworkers did not, how would this effect your output?

Question 4: If I were to increase your salary by 150%, do you believe that you would be 150% more productive?

Question 5: Do you agree with the statement that the individuals who get paid more than you are more productive and contribute more to the company than you do? Why or why not?

The synopsis for our research project is as follows: Question 1 was designed to test if people have felt an imbalance in the workplace which correlates directly to the equity theory.

Question 2 was designed to ascertain which outputs (factor) is the most important to the individual (intrinsic vs extrinsic motivators).

Question 3 was meant to determine what action an individual would be willing to take if the perceived imbalance was deemed too great.

Question 4 examines the opposite reaction once might take. Finally,

question 5 is meant to determine whether there is a direct correlation between pay (outcome) and motivation. The objective of the interview questions was to determine if an individual will actively seek to correct a perceived imbalance in the workplace and how they may go about correcting it. We believe, generally speaking, that the majority of respondents will validate the equity theory. Limitations on our case study are the sample size taken and non-numerical responses because that leaves the conclusion to our perception of the data. The methodology that we utilized to evaluate the validity of the equity theory was to ask a series of predetermined interview questions to a small sample of people.

*The Results, Discussion, and conclusion will be discussed later on.

RESULTS OF DATA: Interviewee Descriptions

Interviewee	Background
Caleb F.	Over 19 years experience as a construction project manager for a $47 billion-dollar company
Brittany G.	Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Las Vegas, NV. Avid volunteer for numerous organizations
Cpt. Harry Salcone	Police watch commander. Firm believer in a fair and friendly work environment.
Sarah Hall	Account manager for a Hospital with 56 employees underneath her
Sam Walker	Benefit coordinator for Whole Foods. Responsible for over 22K teammates
Daniel Miller	Head manager and ophthalmic tech at Austin Eye. Manages over 20 people

The respondents to our survey questions were: Caleb F. who has Over 19 years’ experience as a construction project manager for a $47 billion-dollar company. Manages 200-300 individual jobs a year that require line extension work from an existing underground communications backbone.

Brittany G. Holds a Master’s degree in social work and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Las Vegas. She’s a current volunteer and passionate fundraiser for Desert Grey Matters after losing her father to brain cancer in 2016.

Cpt. Harry Salcone is a Police Watch Commander. He is a firm believer in a fair and friendly work environment based on trust, support and encouragement, self-respect and the respect of others.

Sarah Hall- is a patient accounting manager for a local hospital and has around 56 employees who work for her. She recognizes that motivated employees benefit the company by working with passion, coming up with new innovative ideas, and helping move the company forward by being offered the opportunity for personal fulfilment, like learning new skills and working towards personal goals.

Samantha Walker - Samantha is a benefit coordinator that supports the benefit enrollment and management of over 22,000 “teammates” with Whole Foods. She is a dedicated employee that works overtime to make sure each one of her assigned “teammates” are taken care of. Recently Whole Foods has been purchased by Amazon, which has brought some changes to her organizational structure.

Daniel Miller - Daniel is the head manager and ophthalmic technician at Austin Eye. He manages over 20 people and is directly responsible for the care and treatment of Austin Eye patients.

RESULTS OF DATA: Supportive responses

Question	Response themes
1: Imbalance situations	Most have experienced an imbalance with coworkers. All but 1 sought other employment. Only a few lowered their performance.
2: Motivations factors	Diverse answers. Ranging from career advancement, retirement, current employment, verbal confirmation, and meeting deadlines.
3: Pay cut imbalance	A few would lower output, majority would seek other employment, most would seek understand why the pay cut happened.
4: Pay increase motivator	Increase pay does not correlate to increase productivity. A few would attempt to take on more projects or change output.
5: Peer pay perception	Majority believe those who get paid more do not contribute more. A few have seen it both ways.

The results were slightly inconclusive. As a whole the answers were as a expected, supporting equity theory, but with a few caveats. Here we will discuss the responses that directly supported equity theory.

Question 1: : Which was Have you ever experienced a situation in the work place where you felt that you were being treated unfairly compared to a coworker? In the situation, how did you react? Did your work ethic or output suffer? All but 2 respondents had experienced this situation, and all but 1 sought other employment. Most of the interviewees would not change their performance. Only a few lowered their performance and 1 attempted to become a better employee.

Question 2: Which was What do you consider to be the number one factor that motivates you in your current position? Since this question is based on perception and the people we interviewed were diverse in sex, education level, type of position, and age it comes at no surprise that the answers were also diverse. Their were a few commonalities 2 respondents said they are motivated by the company they work for. A few mentioned reaching the next state of their career like retirement, completing a cert, or advancement. Others responded with solving problems, performing at a high level, and meeting a deadline.

Question 3: which read If you received a pay cut, and your coworkers did not, how would this effect your output? Most responses were directly in line with equity theory. A majority would attempt to change their view by distorting the input. If the company was experiencing a down turn, or if they were not contributing enough understanding this helps them to accept the pay cut. Also, as the theory states, some would change their output, however the majority would keep working just as hard. Also, the majority o the respondents said they would seek other employment.

Question 4: Which read If I were to increase your salary by 150%, do you believe that you would be 150% more productive? This answer was unanimous, no. However, a few did say they would attempt to take on more projects or change the quality of their outputs.

Question 5: Do you agree with the statement that the individuals who get paid more than you are more productive and contribute more to the company than you do? Why or why not? Majority of respondents believe those who make more do not contribute more. 3 of the respondents have seen positions both ways either at one company they would agree with the statement but another they would not or at their current company there exist both employees that get paid more an contribute more and those who do not.

RESULTS OF DATA: divergent responses

Question	Response themes
1: Imbalance situations	Despite being treated unfairly compared to coworkers, some interviewees didn’t alter seek to correct imbalance through reduced output
3: Pay cut imbalance	When receiving a pay cut, while their coworkers did not, some interviewees wouldn’t change output as a result
5: Peer pay perception	Some respondents didn’t believe there is a direct correlation between pay and output

Here we will discuss the responses that diverted from the equity theory.

1. Imbalance Situations: A couple of respondents noted that despite the perception of being treated unfairly, they would not seek to recreate a balance between their input and outputs; contrary to equity theory. These respondents noted that their outputs would remain unchanged; unless the problem was long-term (then they would seek action). The equity theory, by contrast, would suggest that an individual would seek to correct this mistreatment by reducing output proportionally.

3.. Pay cut Imbalance: Despite a reduction in a respondents pay, some interviewees wouldn’t change the output of their work. Some respondents gave the organization the “benefit of the doubt” and would continue working at a high level despite the perceived slight.

5.Peer Pay Perception The equity theory centers on input = output and recreating that balance when necessary. One respondent believes that input doesn’t always equal output. Meaning that the output of one person could be greater than input (effort) of another despite receiving equal pay. So the two are independent of each other.

What we learned

Equity Theory proved true

Communication is imperative

Output (pay) doesn’t always correlate to input (effort)

Leadership is important

Overall, the Equity theory proved true. As long as the inputs and outputs stay in balance in the mind of the employee, he/she stays motivated. When there is an imbalance the respondents agreed they would attempt to re-create, albeit not explicitly stated, a balance. Respondents also wouldn’t seek a rebalance immediately, giving the employer/manager a “chance”. If the perceived imbalance persisted, respondents noted they would seek to reduce it by distorting their inputs and/ or outcomes in different ways. Commonly, respondents noted “searching for new employment” would be the last resort if other methods of recreating a balance were unsuccessful. Another common theme was communication. Over and over interviewees stated that they would want to know why. Why would a co-worker make more? Why would their pay be cut? If there is a reasonable explanation, this may even motive employees to work harder and learn new skills. Notice and reward accomplishments. Even if the reward is not monetary, just acknowledging good work can be a positive motivator. Finally hire the right leadership. It seems that the interviewees that saw their leadership as worthy for a larger salary were more satisfied with their position and the company.

Conclusion and recommendations

For our interviewees equity theory remains mostly in tact. The answers were widely based on perception of imbalances and finding a way through perception, inputs and outputs to re-balance circumstance.

Recommendations

Treat employees fairly!

Communicate effectively and be transparent.

Hire managers that deserve the job.

In conclusions for the most part equity theory could be easily applied to our interviewees. Consistently our respondents experienced imbalance and either modified their perception, input, or outputs to remain in balance. Also, almost every individual remarked they would seek other employment if the imbalance remained which is directly in line with equity theory.

Based on our data we have 3 recommendations for employers.

First – Treat employees fairly. It is apparent that if an employee is being treated unfairly when compared to a co-worker they will seek to fix the issue. This may result in the company losing a good employee, and it costs way more to hire and train a new employee rather than keeping the original.

Second – Communicate effectively and be transparent. Consistently or interviews noted that if an employer was open and honest, and if there was a good reason for a pay cut, they would be able to accept this imbalance.

Finally - Hire managers that deserve the job. The most important aspect of a mangers position is to manage people. It is vital that when an imbalance occurs that a manager is able to step in and fix the issue. If the imbalance remains this will affect job satisfaction, performance, and even attrition.

references

Carrell, M.R., and Dittrich, J.E. (1978). Equity Theory: The Recent Literature, Methodological Considerations, and New Directions. The Academy of Management Review. 3;2: 202-210.

Al-Zawahreh, A., & Al-Madi, F. (2012). The Utility of Equity Theory in Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness . European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, (46), 158-170. Retrieved March 4, 2018, from http://www.eurojournals.com/EJEFAS.htm

What is Equity Theory? (2014, April 28). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-is-equity-theory

Guerrero, Laura K; Peter A. Andersen & Walid A. Afifi. (2014). Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships, 4th Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications Inc. p. 263

Appendix

Raw Data: Question 1

Question 1	Kyle Gummere
Caleb F.	Yes, I have experienced that situation more than once in my career and with more than one employer. I can definitely say my work ethic or output did not suffer because of my strong work ethic. I did note the injustice however. It caused me to lose respect for my employer and on more than one occasion led to me find another job.
Brittany G.	I have been in a situation in which I felt that I was being treated unfairly compared to my coworkers. At the beginning of my clinical internship I did not feel comfortable going to client’s homes in really rough areas of town. Since I turned down a couple of clients, my boss decided to not give me any more clients. Instead my newer colleagues were being offered clients, despite the area of town, whereas I was not offered any clients at all. I asked for clients but was passed up due to saying no in the past. I was upset and frustrated with the lack of clients I had on my caseload. My paychecks suffered and it took me longer to complete my clinical internship due to having a low caseload. I tried to communicate with my boss via text messages but that was not helping so I made a face-to-face appointment with her in order to express my feelings. My work ethic did suffer as I felt not valued as part of the team. I also did not know what to do as I felt trapped in my clinical internship. My output did not suffer as I continued to uphold high standards as a clinician.
Kyle Gummere	Yes, I have experienced situations in the work place where I felt I was being treated unfairly compared to a coworker. My best friend and I enlisted into the Marine Corps on the same day. My buddy went back and forth about whether he really wanted to join or not, while I signed up without hesitation. The recruiter (we each had different recruiters) offered my friend a “shipping” bonus if he signed the paperwork, but I wasn’t offered a bonus for enlisting. I had no idea he received a bonus until we got to boot camp and it came up in a casual conversation. He just assumed that I was offered the same thing for enlisting as him, but because I didn’t hesitate they didn’t feel the need to “bribe” me to enlist. I was extremely upset and confronted my recruiter once I graduated boot camp, but he had zero remorse and told me “such is life.” I pressed further and was told they not only offer bonuses for those “on the fence”, but the amount varies too. They had a cap on the bonus, but had the freedom to give anywhere from nothing to X amount of money. No, my work ethic and output didn’t suffer as a result. Naturally I was upset, but I was raised in a great family and I didn’t let that determine the quality of my work. That would’ve been a direct reflection of my character had I let my work suffer, so it wasn’t even an option.

Raw Data: Question 1

Question 1	Sean Hall
Capt Harry Salcone	Yes. My reaction was to immediately conduct a self-analysis of my own job performance and output. During this self-analysis, I asked myself difficult questions i.e. am I upholding the organizational core values, am I committed to those core values and what can I do to improve. Often, the perception of feeling that I was being treated unfairly can be traced back to my own issues. I continued to seek feedback, education and mentoring. The journey is to become the best version of myself. This means I must learn to serve other before myself.
Sarah Hall	At this time, I cannot recall a situation in the work place where I was being treated unfairly. However, I have seen it happen to others within other departments. I have had other employees come to me about how their manager has been treating them compared to others. I spoke with the employee and basically stated that everyone is annoyed by something, and when the pressures of work begin to mount, the irritations can start to interfere with teamwork and productivity. Working with others is challenging. People who are easily irritated are difficult to work with, and people who don’t deal with their concerns with others create more issues down the road. For me, I try to always make sure goals are clearly communicated to everyone on the team. If it happens anyway, I try to find out what I can do differently, so the problem doesn’t repeat itself.
Sean Hall	I have not experienced a situation in the work place. However, no matter how much you love your job, navigating workplace politics in any line of work can lead to a lot of awkward situations. Throughout your career or even life, others are going to lie about you, stab you in the back, confuse your motives, and misinterpret your intentions. They are going to over react, blame you, say mean things about you to everyone around you. They're going to shout, point fingers, lie, scream, and accuse you of things that are just not true. In the situation, how did you react? I try my best not to get caught up in all the drama at work. However, sometimes a person can get caught up in it and not even realize. Did your work ethic or output suffer? My work ethic or job output did not suffer. If I let small and simple things get to me within my line of work, there is a possibility that I could miss something, and the result could end up with someone getting hurt or possibly worse.

Raw Data: Question 1

Question 1	Kip Walker
Samantha Walker	Yes, it's never a good feeling when this has happened. It motivated me to work harder in hopes the situation would remedy itself. If that did not work and I continued to be treated unfairly I would seek other employment opportunities.
Daniel Miller	I have experienced this in the past. In most cases, it was simply an instance of favoritism. In both situations, the other employee was a close/personal friend of management. In each situation, I didn’t let it affect my work ethic, but I was much more motivated to seek other employment opportunities.
Kip Walker	Yes, I have experienced this working for a very large bank. At the time I had the highest sales in the North Texas region and 2nd in Texas. I was also offered a promotion by corporate to another group. However, my manager took the bonus I earned and gave it to a son of a friend that she hired. She could do this because 6 months earlier I was robbed as a teller the day before moving to be a banker. Based on corporate policy I was put on a notice which gave my manger the right to withdraw my bonus. She also refused to sign for my promotion, because, and she admitted this to my face, that the branch would lose the extra budget since my sales would now be under a different department. I completely stopped putting in effort and did the bare minimum. I also took another job 4 weeks later. My former manager was later fired, because the other manager that offered me the promotion complained to HR about the incident.

Raw Data: Question 2

Question 1	Kyle Gummere
Caleb F.	Reaching my retirement goals. I currently work for a failing company with extremely poor ethical values towards their customers and employees alike. I would never have tolerated this situation previously but given my time horizon for retirement I'm hanging in and riding it out.
Brittany G.	I am currently at a crossroad where I recently finished my 3000-hour clinical internship to become a fully Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Therefore, the number one factor that had been motivating me during my internship was completing my required hours to reach my ultimate goal. Time was also a factor as I needed to complete my hours as quickly as possible so I could start my professional career and be at the pay raise I had been working towards for the past several years.
Kyle Gummere	Pride in being part of an organization whose mission is to help ‘the little guy’ succeed. I take great pride in helping ‘small businesses’ disrupt the industry and take market share away from the competition. My company truly believes in their mission and it resonates down to the lowest levels in my organization. I love going to work and making a difference in the lives of others across the country.

Raw Data: Question 2

Question 1	Sean Hall
Capt Harry Salcone	This is a great question and it reminds me of a story I shared with a gentleman while riding on an escalator during a corporate meeting at a large convention center in the mid-west. At these events, the corporation brings all the leadership and director together and talks strategy and earnings and business acumen. As you check into the convention center you receive a lanyard with your title and area of the country you are from. I was a Regional Director at the time and this individual standing one step next to me on the escalator saw my name badge. He politely introduced himself to me and said that he was new to the company and was excited to be attending this convention. He read my name badge and said, “Regional Director, what is it that you actually do for the company”.
Sarah Hall	I have always been motivated by the desire to meet a deadline. Setting and reaching deadlines gives me such a sense of accomplishment. I love creating an organized schedule for completing a task and achieving my deadlines. For example, when I ran a fundraising event last year, I set multiple deadlines for a variety of tasks leading up to the event. Achieving each milestone motivated me to keep working, as well as ensuring that the event ran smoothly. I'm very deadline-driven and enjoy having the opportunity to figure out a new organizational system that will help keep me on track to meet the deadline. When employees are not recognized or given credit for a job very well done or immense effort they have put in towards a project, they become demotivated. They lose interest and may not even want to try thinking innovatively, get some extra work done or even just perform their role with feelings of obligation and energy because their boss doesn’t seem to care or notice their hard work and dedication.
Sean Hall	My main motivation comes from providing excellent service to every individual with whom I come into contact. I look for opportunities to improve my policing skills so that each person I interact with will have a positive experience. My responsibilities include not only preserving the peace, preventing criminal acts, enforcing the law, investigating crimes, and arresting those who violate the law but also anti-terrorism and

Raw Data: Question 2

Question 1	Kip Walker
Samantha Walker	My top motivator is my current work environment. I love where I work and truly feel fortunate every single day. Because of my work environment I feel a deep connection and purpose to my coworkers and to my daily tasks. I strive for excellence so others feel the same joy of working where we do. .
Daniel Miller	Acknowledgement of accomplishments. Raises are nice too, but you don’t always get one after putting a lot of time/effort into a project. A verbal acknowledgement of a job well done is easy to convey, free, and typically motivational enough for them to continue putting forth the effort.
Kip Walker	I am motivated when creating something new to solve a problem. I put the most effort into things I find interesting. However, this may because when I have successfully done something new and solved an issue the company was having, I have received acknowledgment and praise. Secondarily, I work hard to get the next promotion. I never want to be complacent.

Raw Data: Question 3

Question 1	Kyle Gummere
Caleb F.	At this point in my career I would reduce my output proportionally.
Brittany G.	I would be extremely frustrated if I received a pay-cut and my co-workers did not. That would not affect my output as I would still need to be ethical when working with my therapy clients. However, if the pay cut would be permanent I would apply to different agencies or really consider opening my own private practice.
Kyle Gummere	Simple answer, it wouldn’t. Not one bit. I take pride in always giving my best and anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time. If I felt I had been ‘slighted’ or taken advantage of, I would “retaliate” by looking for another job. I wouldn’t damage my reputation or character by letting my work suffer as a result.

Raw Data: Question 3

Question 1	Sean Hall
Capt Harry Salcone	I would seek to understand why this occurred. For example; working for the government, I was furloughed. Because of the furlough, I received a pay decrease or pay reduction for a specific period. Now the work still needed to be done and on the operational side of the department, they were receiving their pay without any reduction. My output didn’t change as a matter of fact, my output had to increase because I needed to accomplish more in a shorter period. Subsequently, I understood why, and this helped me process the entire situation better.
Sarah Hall	This may be a difficult question to answer, especially if the reduction is the result of a general downturn in the organization. It may be in your best interest to accept the decrease, but you can be proactive at the same time. While nobody wants a pay cut, it does happen. But as with any bump on your career path, it's how you react to it that matters most. Make a list of questions to ask your manager like: How Long Will the Reduction in Compensation Last? Will the Decrease Adversely Affect Any of Your Benefits? When Will the Reduction Take Effect? You need to know this, so you can plan in managing your finances.
Sean Hall	I would want to know the reason for the pay cut. If you dislike your supervisor, you can still do your job; the job will not be as pleasant, but there is no reason why you cannot do it at the same level you would achieve if you liked and respected your supervisor. If I were to receive a pay cut, this to me is you are taking money from my family. I would continue to do my job as if nothing had happened. Having some income is better than no income. If all else fails I would get a part-time job and work on my days off.

Raw Data: Question 3

Question 1	Kip Walker
Samantha Walker	It would make me work harder and if that did not get me a pay increase I would leave the company.
Daniel Miller	Luckily, this has not happened. However, I would like to think it wouldn’t affect my output. In fact, it may cause me to look at my overall work performance and re-evaluate on what I could do better. I would expect management to provide an explanation. If they couldn’t provide one and I felt my work ethic was strong with little to no room for improvement, I would seriously begin to look elsewhere for employment.
Kip Walker	I have not experienced this before, but, If I had worked just as hard and contributed just as much, I believe my output would suffer, and I may seek other employment. If it was because my skill was not on par, I believe, I would work harder and try to grow more.

Raw Data: Question 4

Question 1	Kyle Gummere
Caleb F.	No, I do not. That question assumes there is a 1:1 ratio between one's salary and output. Salary is a different pay treatment than unit-based compensation where an individual is paid X amount for every unit they produce. ( ie: If I produce 2X as many units I would be paid twice as much).
Brittany G.	No, I do not believe an increase in my salary would equal the same amount of increased productivity. I am currently about to be receiving an increase in my salary based on receiving my final licensure. However, I do believe my productivity would increase by that value as I still uphold the same ethical guidelines of practice regardless of salary. However, I will be more responsible with my pay raise since I will no longer be in intern.
Kyle Gummere	No. Again, Anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time. If I was able to give 150% more just because I got a raise, that would mean that I wasn’t giving my all to begin with. I was raised with an extremely strong work ethic and firm beliefs on how others should be treated. If I needed help, would I want somebody who only gave me 75% or someone who always tried to give me their best?

Raw Data: Question 4

Question 4	Sean Hall
Capt Harry Salcone	In my opinion, No. Although there may be studies that show there is a correlation between increased wages and increased productivity.
Sarah Hall	If you are asking for a raise, be honest with yourself about what this is about. Do you like your job, team, manager, and company? Or is your frustration over pay simply a lightning rod for your broader dissatisfaction? If you genuinely like your job, make sure you discuss with your manager specifically what you like about it and why. As the manager, I want to know that this is the place you want to be, so that fighting for the extra raise is going to be worth my time.
Sean Hall	No, because I believe that if I am giving you my all or already giving my employer 100%, one would not want to push the level of reaching the stage of burnout.

Raw Data: Question 4

Question 1	Kip Walker
Samantha Walker	I would try my best to work harder and take on additional projects to make myself worthy of additional pay. I'd like to think I would try my best to be 150% more productive but couldn't guarantee it on a daily basis.
Daniel Miller	Bottom line…no. Staff do tend to work a little harder and increase productivity after receiving a raise (not by 150%). The spurts of productivity and improvement tend to be short lived. The days go on, the stress of the job pile back on.
Kip Walker	No, it might incentivize me to be more productive and product better outcome, but I don’t believe my work ethic is dependent on how much money I make.

Raw Data: Question 5

Question 1	Kyle Gummere
Caleb F.	The question is a general one. For instance: A CEO is paid more than a front-line worker. Even if both equally productive in their own specific roles at the company they do not add the same value to the company. A CEO should add a lot more value than any other employee and is therefore paid more. If the question refers to workers having the same job title then the answer is different. There can be situations where two people having the same job title are paid differently. That can be due to many reasons. For instance, if I have a heavier work load and greater responsibilities than someone who simply has the same job title as me then it's not unreasonable for me to be considered more productive and therefore paid more than the other person. Even if all things are equal there can still be differences. Seniority and education can be two "positive" reasons for disparities and then there is the favoritism reason that falls in the negative category. So there are many reasons I could agree with or disagree with the statement.
Brittany G.	In my line of work I do not agree with that statement. Regardless of the salary amount, all clinicians are required to follow the same code of ethics. I do think that being a licensed clinician holds more liability than being an intern or being a lower ranking service provider but that does not equal more contribution to the company. My answer might be different than others as I work as a 1099 independent contractor and not as a salary employee at a typical W2 company.
Kyle Gummere	Absolutely NOT. In every job I’ve had or will ever have, there will be those who make more than me, but work a fraction as hard as I do. I understand there are very few willing to work as hard as me, but get paid more and understand that to move up the ladder I must “put in my time” and eventually I will be recognized and make more money.

Raw Data: Question 5

Question 4	Sean Hall
Capt Harry Salcone	No not necessarily. Responsibility and Burden of Risk must be taken into consideration.
Sarah Hall	No, I do not agree and here is why. Great managers tend to empower their employees to be successful through strong coaching. They understand how to manage relationships - this is commonly referred to emotional intelligence. They must be able to handle both client and staff situations that require them to be calm under pressure to clearly think of solutions to complex problems. Most importantly they must be able to articulate the vision to the team and inspire them to work together to collectively achieve that goal.
Sean Hall	It’s the factors which stir our intrinsic ambitions which truly motivate us, such as increased autonomy, acquiring new skills, being able to express ourselves. There have been many discussions into this question over the years, and one conclusion we all have reached is that, for most of us, money’s more of a sub-motivator than a prime motivator. It’s like a question my son asked me just the other day. Why did you join the military dad, was it because of the money? My answer to him was it was not because of the money, but the love of my country and doing the job.

Raw Data: Question 5

Question 1	Kip Walker
Samantha Walker	I do not agree with that statement. I can think of at least 4 people that are getting paid more than me and are not more productive. These particular individuals have been in their role for several years and have become complacent. I'm passionate about my role and do not feel they share that same passion.
Daniel Miller	Not necessarily. There are individuals at the top that get paid more, and they have put in the work to earn their position/compensation. On the other hand, there are some that live up to the saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know”.
Kip Walker	In my current position, yes. The company I work for is highly competitive and employees the best candidates they possibly can. They also believe in fair pay for the work, so I would agree that the individuals that make more are contributing more. However, in other companies, this was not the case. I have experienced working conditions where pay was dependent on seniority and not merit.