Assignment task: You and a partner will take turns playing the role of a manager and an employee. The following four scenarios describe various reasons why the employee is experiencing a lack of motivation. The manager's task is to use whichever strategies they see fit to help motivate the employee.
Scenario 1: You are reluctant and unmotivated to take on a task assigned to you. You feel that the task does not align with your interests and that someone else would be better suited to handle it.
Scenario 2: You think a task that has been assigned to you should be handled by someone else as you are, frankly, overqualified. It would be a waste of your skill set and expertise to spend time working on this task.
Scenario 3: You feel unmotivated and anxious about completing a task because you are worried you will not do it well. There is a tight deadline.
Scenario 4: You are unmotivated to complete a task. You are not sure why, but you think it is because you do not like your fellow team members who work with you on the task. As a result, you have been trying to get one of your colleagues to complete the task instead. After completing the role-play exercise, answer the following questions with your partner.
Question 1: When you were playing the employee's role, how did the manager's suggestions make you feel?
Question 2: Do you believe the manager's suggestions were effective? Why or why not?
Question 3: From the employee's perspective, do you think the manager could have done anything differently to improve your motivation?