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Just a Little Something from All of Us: Conflicting Expectations for Gift Fund Management Lead to Dissatisfaction
Case 9 40 2019 003
Case published in the International Journal of Case Studies in Management, Vol. 17, No. 1
Languages : 
  • English
Keywords: 
  • Organizational behaviour,
  • Perception,
  • Organizational justice,
  • Motivation
Year of production : 
2019
Registration date : 
2019-03-19
Teaching notes included : 
Yes
Abstract

Jeanette Williams, the administrative assistant of the IT department of a large firm, had suggested creating a departmental gift fund to which employees would each contribute a set amount each year and that could be used to purchase gifts to mark significant events in the lives of department employees. Though she had managed the fund since its inception, Dave Babcock, the interim manager, had decided to take over its management. Over the course of several months, a number of events occurred requiring the use of the gift fund. In most cases, those events were of the type for which the fund had been created – births, deaths, promotions, and departures. However, Dave had also used the fund to pay for a social event, generating mixed reactions from employees. The fund had been depleted, and Dave had solicited volunteer contributions from employees when more events occurred calling for gifts. Department staff had begun to ask questions about Dave’s management of the gift fund. Faced with another event and a depleted fund, Dave had to decide what to do next.

Primary domain : 
Management  - Organizational behaviour
Secondary domain : 
Not available
Sectors : 
  • Professional, scientific and technical services
Source : 
HEC Montréal
Type : 
Traditional case (Descriptive or analytical case)
Type of data used in the production of the case : 
Factual data that is not public but masked/anonymised
Event location : 
North America
Year of start of the event : 
Not available
Year the event ended : 
Not available
Business size : 
Large enterprise
Main themes covered
  • The importance of communication, collegiality, courtesy, and consideration in a team environment;
  • Perceptions of fairness and the effects that feelings of inequity can have on employees;
  • The potential consequences of differing expectations and dissatisfaction on work-related attitudes and behaviour, particularly, on perceptions of organizational justice and motivation
Teaching objectives

Students will develop their analytical skills by applying theoretical concepts to examine relationships between supervisors and employees in cases where employees have a vested interest in management decisions; gain a better understanding of how different factors can interact (e.g., factors related to the actors involved and the context) to impact perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours, and ultimately work motivation and satisfaction; draw on both their analyses and knowledge of the literature to make recommendations as to how the manager should approach the current situation and improve it going forward.

Concepts and theories related to the case

Organizational behaviour; Perception; Organizational justice; Motivation