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TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE INSUFFICIENT FOR THE MOTIVATION AND RETENTION

OF THE CURRENT AGE SALES REPRESENTATIVE

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Introduction The main issue that the author is dealing with in this dissertation is Staff Fluctuation. There are two main issues that arise for a company that suffers with high staff fluctuation.

1. Financial and Economic Issues

The financial impact is illustrated in the following chart: STAFF TURNOVER ADM SALES PER CUSTOMER CUSTOMER FLUCTUATION SALES PER SALES REP TOTAL DIRECT COST PER SALES REP OPERATING RESULT Source: Monthly Circular of the Wurth Group November 2005 The hypothesis is: If the fluctuation rate goes up the sales volume per customer will go down, customer fluctuation will increase, the sales volume per Rep will fall, and total cost per Rep will increase whereas the operating result will drop. 2. Psychological Issues At the company in-house Fluctuation seminar in Germany, October 21st, 2005, Joachim Stephan stated: “An analysis yielded that out of 10 customers, 8 will generate lower sales once the sales representative so far servicing them decides to leave the company”. This not only has an effect on the finances of the company, but has an effect on the relationship between the company and the customer. In short, it looks bad to have continuous changes in the faces calling on the customers. It has a negative impact on our reputation. This is summed up the quotation from Professor Wurth’s paper on Staff Fluctuation from 1991, “For Heaven’s sake, another new face at Wurth, there must be something wrong at that company”. As Professor Wurth stated at the same conference, staff leaving leads to “negative rumours” about the company and this negativity has the effect of “poisoning the work climate”. To sum up the emotional effect we can say that staff fluctuation leads to dissatisfaction, poor spirit and a lack of trust. There are a normal range of responses to this problem. The first point is to get an insight into the state of the market and the conditions that the company works under. The Wurth Group recommends doing the following:

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- Examination of the labour market in order to check the supply of labour and the unemployment rate. In a country like Ireland, the fact that we currently have a low rate of unemployment, 5.9% July Seasonally Adjusted figure (www.cso.ie, 8th August) and almost full employment is usually offered as a reason for having difficulties in holding onto staff.

- Checking the development of salary levels. For example in Ireland where salary levels

have increased in the past ten years it is accepted that competition for jobs is a factor that leads to high staff turnover rates.

The FAS – ESRI (Economy Wide Vacancy Report, April 2008) reported that all retail and construction sector firms currently have difficulty filling vacancies whilst eighty four per cent of service sector and fifty three per cent of industrial sector firms have difficulty filling vacancies. This has certainly been the case at Wurth Ireland. Our own internal statistics tell us that out of every ten job applicants only six on average are considered suitable for the first stage of the interview process. From the six that are chosen, only four shows up for the interview at all, having scheduled and agreed the meeting on the telephone. Having gained this insight into the market the company is then faced with having to make decisions regarding its response. The considered response to this situation has been to take the following measures as recommended by Sven Kristensen from Wurth Denmark on behalf of the group management:

1. Hiring Procedure: the procedure for hiring staff has been refined with a standard six step process in place for all sales employees.

2. Payment system: the salary levels have been increased by 20% in the past two years

in order to make the salary level competitive.

3. Competency: there is a programme of product and sales training in place in order to aid staff development.

4. Area Optimisation: ensuring that each sale is has sufficient potential for sales

growth and therefore good salary levels in turn.

5. Management: the sales managers have a range of training programmes in place that are designed to improve their skills and therefore make them better leaders.

As Sven Kristensen explains in his report, these measures are not a “cure-all” for reducing staff turnover. They are in fact a series of practical steps taken by the management of Wurth to try and combat the high rate of fluctuation amongst our sales reps. The desired result of these measures is to stay close to the sales reps and hopefully in turn have a positive effect on the rate of attrition. The result of these actions is illustrated in the following charts:

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This chart illustrates the development of staff fluctuation for the year 2007 into January 2008. The fluctuation figure reached its lowest level (twenty four per cent) in August 2007. The worst result occurred in October 2007 when the figure peaked at almost thirty per cent. In 2007 the company had one hundred and two Sales Reps, meaning that twenty five Sales Reps left the company during the year.

Staff Turnover ADM in % - IE-Würth Ireland - TOTALActual - EUR

Source: WIS

TOTAL

Jan2007

Feb2007

Mar2007

Apr2007

May2007

Jun2007

Jul2007

Aug2007

Sep2007

Oct2007

Nov2007

Dec2007

Jan2008

24.825.6

27.2

25.326.9 26.7

25.724.6

25.3

29.7

26.927.6

26.5

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Source: Wurth Information System As the charts illustrate the company has had a consistently high level of sales staff fluctuation since 2000, and has settled at 26% for the past year. This is in spite of the actions taken to reduce the fluctuation level. It can be said that the actions recommended by Mr. Kristensen have had a positive effect in many countries and especially in Wurth Denmark. It should also be said that these measures are the minimum requirement for the handling of staff recruitment and retention. However their implementation has not yet yielded the desired result for Wurth Ireland. This has led to the idea behind this thesis. The objective of this research is to search for a new alternative by examining the theory as to whether or not the sales managers require a new approach. This statement by Peter Drucker sums up the shift that has occurred in human history: “In a few hundred years, when the history of our time is written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event those historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human

Staff Turnover ADM in % - IE-Würth Ireland - TOTALActual - Jan - EUR

Source: WIS

TOTAL

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

14.713.3

19.0

26.7

22.8

37.636.0

27.9

24.4

35.0

24.826.5

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condition. For the first time-literally-substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves.” Covey, Stephen. (2004) The 8th Habit From Effectiveness to Greatness. Simon & Schuster. We are now living in what is called the “Knowledge Age” having moved from the Industrial Age. Dr. Covey explains Peter Druckers comparison of the Industrial-Manual Worker Age with today’s Knowledge Worker Age this way: “The most important, and indeed truly unique, contribution of management in the 20th century was the fifty fold increase in the productivity of the manual worker. The most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century is similarly to increase the productivity of the knowledge worker. The most valuable assets of a 20th century company were its production equipment. The most valuable asset of a 21st century institution will be its knowledge workers and their productivity.” So what causes people to leave an organisation? Still, Cundiff and Govoni (Sales Management, 1988) suggest the following causes of turnover of sales personnel:

1. Poor recruiting 2. Improper selection and assignment 3. Training deficiencies 4. Inadequate supervision and motivation 5. Breakdown in communications 6. Unsatisfactory performance 7. Disciplinary issues 8. Cutbacks in personnel 9. Transfer 10. Promotion

It follows that this change in workers should require a change in management. The first five reasons on the list above are relevant to management. The question for this thesis is whether this change has occurred in management thinking and literature. Following that the question is what management skills and techniques are used by the management of Wurth Ireland when dealing with their sales staff? Is there a gap between the development of management thinking and the techniques used by the managers? The methodology that this author has used for this examination is:

1. Review of the available literature. This author has reviewed the literature from the following points of view: - The development of management theory - Management into Leadership - Motivation and the manager’s role in motivation - Modern Management Theory – Is there a new paradigm?

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2. Survey of the sales staff in Wurth Ireland. This survey was conducted amongst 112 Sales Representatives. 3. Focus Group discussion with sales staff in Wurth Ireland. This was an in depth discussion with Sales Representatives based on the questions contained in the survey. The idea was to gain more rich information from the participants.

The review of this literature, the primary and secondary research and this author’s conclusions and recommendations are contained in the following thesis.

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Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Historical Development of Management Theory 1.2 From Management to Leadership 1.3 Motivation and Management 1.4 Shifting Paradigms – A new era of Management Thinking 1.5 Conclusions

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1.1 Historical Development of Management Theory When tracing the evolution of management it is normal to start with the scientific studies conducted by F.W. Taylor. However there is literature predating the scientific study of management by thousands of years, literature that illustrates that the concept of management and the organisation of people has been thought about throughout the ages. Some of the oldest writings come from Sun Tzu, who lived in China 2500 years ago. In The Art of War for Executives (1989) based on the writings of Sun Tzu; Donald Krause states, “Sun Tzu tells us that leadership alone determines success”. There were according to Sun Tzu, seven characteristics that come from effective leadership: - Self-discipline; meaning there is no need for external motivation. - Purpose; working in order to achieve objectives. - Accomplishment; defined results are achieved. - Responsibility; a leader takes ownership. - Knowledge; constantly trying to improve understanding and ability. - Laddership; meaning that the leader works cooperatively with his workers. - Example; showing the way.

Richard Scott of Stanford University has provided a useful grid that explains the development of Management Theory. FIGURE 1.1 Four Stages of Theory and Leading Theorists 1. 1900 – 1930 Weber Taylor

3. 1960 – 1970 Chandler Lawrence Lorsch

2. 1930 – 1960 Mayo et al. Mc Gregor Barnard Selznick

4. 1970-? Weick March

Source: Peters, Thomas J. Waterman Robert H. (1995) In Search of Excellence, Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies. London, HarperCollins Business. These writers along with Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg developed management thinking up to the modern era. In order to give an outline of this development I am going to summarise the works of Taylor, Maslow, Mc Gregor and Herzberg. Karl Marx was the first

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to offer the notion of the manual worker. F.W. Taylor was the first to study the manual worker. F.W. Taylor – Scientific Management Towards the end of the nineteenth century as trade and competition were increasing, there was a need for a more scientific approach to management. The main focus was on using workers time more effectively and minimising wasted time. Taylor based his studies on the principle that if a person is rewarded for what they do they will repeat the action. This could be called a ‘carrot and stick policy’. Conversely if the action receives no recognition there is less chance that it will be repeated. Already at this early stage Taylor was putting an emphasis on effective staff selection, training, monitoring performance and providing incentives and rewards. This theory was backed up by Edward C. Tolman who’s “Expectancy Theory” in the 1930’s stated that human behaviour was motivated by conscious expectations (Adair, John 1996) The theory is limited in that it concentrates on basic needs and not the higher needs such as esteem needs or a desire for self-fulfilment. Also it does not account for the fact that some element of human behaviour is reflexive and comes from an inner motivation that is more difficult to quantify. Maslow’s – Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs grew out of the famous Hawthorne Studies of 1924-1932. Whereas expectancy theory was based on the ‘Rational Man’, these studies took into account the importance of social factors and the influence of social groups on motivation. They developed theories proposing that the individual’s interest could be replaced by group intent. Maslow stated that a person is motivated by inner needs. Once one set of needs have been satisfied a person is motivated by a higher set of needs that have yet to be satisfied. As Stephen Covey (2004) put it, “Satisfied needs do not motivate. It is only the unsatisfied need that motivates”. John Adair (1996) called this process the ‘Alexander Principle’ – “we have new worlds to conquer”. Maslow grouped these needs starting with basic survival moving through to the highest set of needs which he called, Self-Actualisation.

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FIGURE 1.2 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Self-Actualisation Esteem Growth Self-respect Social Accomplishment Achievement Safety Belonging Personal – Status Development Physiological Security Acceptance Recognition Hunger Protection Social Life From Thirst Danger Friendship And Sleep Love Douglas Mc Gregor – Theory X and Theory Y In his book The Human Side of Enterprise in 1960, Mc Gregor put forward the theory that “behind every managerial decision or action are assumptions about human nature and human behaviour”. Mc Gregor split these into two groups of assumptions that he called, Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X states that:

1. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can. 2. Because of this dislike of work, most people have to be coerced, controlled,

directed, and threatened with punishment to get them to put an effort into the achievement of company objectives.

3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition and wants security above all else.

Theory Y states that:

1. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. 2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing

about effort towards organisational objectives. Man will exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which he is committed.

3. Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.

4. The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility.

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5. The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.

6. Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilised.

Lidstone, J. (1978) Motivating Your Sales Force. England, Gower Press. Mc Gregor’s Theory Y draws on Maslow’s hierarchy theory. The basic premise of it is that everyone is a potential success at something. As far as management is concerned, if Mc Gregor is right there is tremendous potential within people and in the right conditions their motivation can drive them to achieve great things. Frederick Herzberg – satisfiers and dissatisfiers Herzberg further stimulated management thinking with his book, ‘Work and the Nature of Man’ in 1968. This work contributed in particular to the area of sales management. Herzberg looked deeper into the factors listed in management thinking and divided them into two groups. One group he found did not provide motivation but rather, if these factors where not right they would lead to de-motivation or dissatisfaction. These factors were generally found to relate to the work environment and are called ‘Hygiene Factors’ because they need to be cleaned up regularly. The other factors that lead to motivation are centred on the job itself. These are the factors that can lead to longer lasting motivation and have a greater impact than the Hygiene factors. These factors are called ‘satisfiers’ or motivators. If we put this into the context of Maslow, the Physiological, Safety and Social needs are the hygiene factors and the Esteem and Self-Actualisation needs are the motivational factors. FIGURE 1.3 Herzberg’s Satisfiers and Dis-Satisfiers

HYGIENE FACTORS Company policy Availability of clearly And Administration defined policies and procedures Supervision Competence and fairness of supervisor Interpersonal relations Quality of social life at work Salary Total compensation package

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Status Position or rank in relation to others Job Security Freedom from insecurity Personal Life The effect of work on a person’s Family life, stress, unsocial hours Working Conditions Facilities, heating, tools, space, noise, canteen

MOTIVATORS Achievement Specific successes, completing jobs Solutions to problems, seeing the results of your work Recognition Notice or praise, concrete rewards and recognition Possibility of Growth Opportunities for learning and practising new skills, gaining new professional knowledge. Opportunities for promotion. Advancement Enhanced position/status at work Responsibility Responsibility matched with the authority to carry it out The work itself The actual doing of the job Lidstone, J. (1978) Motivating Your Sales Force. England, Gower Press

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These writers sum up the development of management thinking. The next stage of research is to investigate the evolution of management thinking. Has management theory shifted to a new wave of thinking that stimulates motivation?

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1.2 From Management to Leadership Management has many definitions most of which centre around the four main functions of management, Planning, Organising, Coordinating and Controlling. As Henry Mintzberg stated, “If you ask managers what they do, they will most likely tell you that they plan, organise, coordinate and control.” However it is not quite as simple as that. When talking about the job of the manager we are, as Peter Drucker stated in The Practice of Management,” talking about a complex subject”(Drucker, 1995). The question then arises as to the job or the work of the manager. However, according to Mintzberg, these words tell us little about what managers really do. They, at most, tell us something about vague objectives that managers have. Henry Mintzberg outlines what he calls some “Folklore and Facts about Managerial Work” (Mintzberg on Management Inside our Strange World of Organisations, 1989) There are, according to Mintzberg, four myths about the manager’s job that do not bear up to scrutiny.

1. Folklore: “The manager is a reflective, systematic planner”. Whilst there is a lot of evidence on this subject, none of it, according to the writer, supports the statement. Fact: Study has shown that: “managers work at an unrelenting pace” and that they in fact are strongly oriented to action. The writer bases this on a study of Managers that showed that they dealt with a “steady steam of callers and mail from the moment they arrived in the morning until they left in the evening”. He also observed that of all verbal contacts, “93% were arranged on an ad hoc basis”. He also noted that managers “jump from issue to issue, continually responding to the needs of the moment”.

2. Folklore: “The effective manager has no regular duties to perform.” They are

constantly delegating tasks and spending time planning and controlling. Fact: “Managerial work involves performing a number of regular duties”. According to this study, it is normal for field sales managers to regularly see customers, for example.

3. Folklore: “The senior manager needs aggregated information, which a formal management information system provides.” Managers have a number of media at their hands including documents, phone calls and meetings. Fact: “Managers strongly favour telephone calls and meetings”. Managers like to use gossip, speculation and hearsay. This soft information is in fact where managers get most of their information from.

4. Folklore: Management is a “science and a profession”.

Fact: Science is systematic, analytical and predetermined. Manager’s use judgement and intuition. This is not a scientific process according to Mintzberg. Mintzberg reaches the conclusion (Mintzberg on Management Inside Our Strange World of Organisations, 1989) that the manager’s job is “enormously complicated and difficult”.

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Brevity, fragmentation and oral communication characterise the work of a manager. Peter Drucker, one of the most prominent commentators on this subject wrote about the need for “clearly spelled out objectives” (The Practice of Management 1989). The setting of these objectives must be in accordance with the contribution the employee is expected to make. Using the example of the District Sales Manager, Drucker states, “The objective of the sales manager’s job must be defined by the contribution he and his district sales force have to make to the sales department. Sales Management is one type of management, the one that is particular to this thesis. A review of the literature on sales management reveals a number of issues. Firstly it may be worth having knowledge of the characteristics of a successful sales person. Peter Chambers (21st Century Sales Management, 2004) identified the following characteristics:

• Sensitivity • Self-Discipline • Positive work-rate • Analytical Ability • Active Listening • Persuasiveness • Problem solving skills • Creativity • Seeking closure • Tenacity • Integrity • Team working • Technical skills

Whilst this is a long list, the sales person’s job is, as Chambers says “a complex one.” Being a complex job may mean that the management of these employees is also complex? Considering its complexity, Chambers further suggests the use of tools for controlling the efforts of the sales people. He suggests measuring such activities as:

• Calls per day per person • Days worked • Active Selling Time

Strafford and Grant (Effective Sales Management, 1986) put emphasis on controlling the operation by using the following system: - Set standards - Collect Information - Analyse Variances - Take Corrective Action.

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They follow this up by stating that the manager should concentrate on the following criteria for their sales people: - How many people they call on - How often the customer requires a visit - What kind of customers are they? - What does the sales person need to do during the visit?

Simon Cooper proposes the importance of weekly performance meetings where the sales person’s role can be broken down to some key questions (Selling Principles, Practices and Management, 1997).

• Prospects – How many people have you called to this week? • Contacts – How many people have you contacted? • First Appointments – How many people agreed to meet with you? • Second Appointments – How many people agreed to see you again? • Closed Sales – How many people have you sold to this week? • Sales Value – What are the sales worth in term of order value and profitability?

The models suggested by these authors have at their core a focus on controlling the efforts of the sales people. As Professor Dr. Reinhold Wurth puts it (2005), “some of these models, gave me the impression that they were totalitarian. They seemed to me to be more likely to restrict management than to increase its creativity, flexibility, and its courage to take calculated risks.” Regarding the issue of Staff Fluctuation, the main focus of management is on their dealings with the people who work for them. Dalrymple et al. (2004) identify the two most important tasks for Sales Managers to be role modelling and trust building. The writers suggest role modelling means; leading by example, sharing best practice and having a professional attitude and behaviour. Trust building entails maintaining good rapport with the sales team, fostering open communication and helping sales people to ‘look good’. According to Peter Drucker (The Frontiers of Management, 1986) there are some basic principles in making people decisions.

1. If a person is put into a job and that person does not perform, it is the manager’s mistake. As Drucker says, “I have no business invoking the ‘Peter Principle’”.

2. Julius Caesar’s maxim, “The soldier has a right to competent command”, is relevant. The manager must make sure that the people in his command perform.

3. Of all decisions a manager makes, the ones regarding people have the greatest impact on a company’s performance.

Dr. John Adair (Effective Motivation, 1996) takes this issue for managers of dealing with people further when he makes the point that it is more important to be a “leader” than a “manager”. Dr. Adair suggests that there are three overlapping areas of need for consideration when a manager or leader is dealing with employees.

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FIGURE 1.4 Core Responsibilities of Leadership ACHIEVING THE TASK BUILDING AND DEVELOPING MAINTAINING THE THE INDIVIDUAL TEAM In order to achieve this, the author suggests certain behaviours are needed. The achievement of these behaviours leads to the accomplishment of the three core responsibilities which in turn lead to effective management / leadership and in turn motivation. Dr. Adair (Not Bosses but Leaders, 1990) draws a clear distinction between Management and Leadership using the following key points:

• Leadership and Management are not the same. In industry and commerce they should go together.

• Leadership is about giving direction, building teams and inspiring others by word and deed.

• You can be appointed a manager but you are not a leader until your personality and character, your knowledge and your skill in doing the functions of leadership are recognised and accepted by the others involved. This is a very fundamental difference.

• Leadership and change go together. Managing in the form of running an organisation is more appropriate when there is not much change going on.

• Managing entails the proper and efficient use of resources – good administration. Good leaders care about administration; the less good ones don’t.

• Management is uninspired leadership.

In Leadership that gets Results (2000) Daniel Goleman suggests six leadership “styles”.

1. Coercive 2. Authoritative 3. Affiliative 4. Democratic 5. Pacesetting 6. Coaching

Goleman suggests that while Coercive and Pacesetting leadership have their uses, they in general harm the “working atmosphere”. The other four styles have a “positive impact”. Warren Bennis further suggests that there are four ingredients leaders have that “generate and sustain trust” (On Becoming a Leader, 1989).

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1. Constancy 2. Congruity 3. Reliability 4. Integrity

Professor Dr. Reinhold Wurth takes on the theory of leadership in his model of management that is summarised by the following five sentences:

1. Every success has multiple causes. Management only needs to create the conditions that put the right people in the right place at the right time.

2. More leadership, less management, following Tom Peter’s recognition that most companies are ‘overmanaged’ and ‘underled’.

3. Fuse a bunch of soloists into a loyal team, i.e., inform, motivate and integrate staff so as to create a team spirit that can move mountains.

4. No top-heavy bureaucracy, no organisation charts and job descriptions; instead, shallow hierarchies, short paths, clear structures that leave the individual lots of free space to take his or her own initiative.

5. Create fast, flexible, small units that can apply their resources where the markets fast-changing needs guarantee the best return on investment.

Wurth, Reinhold. (1995) Management Culture the Secret of Success. Frankfurt, Campus Verlag. Perhaps the best summation of the effect of management when done well is that by Abraham Maslow (Maslow on Management, 1998) when he states: “Proper management of the work lives of human beings, of the way in which they earn their living, can improve them”, to the point where “work actually becomes part of the self part of the individuals definition of himself.”

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1.3 Management and Motivation Maier and Lawler (Effective Motivation, 1996) summarised the determinants of performance as follows:

Performance = Ability * Motivation (Effort) Ability = Aptitude * Training * Resources

Motivation = Desire * Commitment

What do we mean by motivation? Lidstone (1978) suggests: “That which moves or induces a person to act in a certain way, that which tends to moves a person to a course of action” The terms relating to motivation are listed in the table below. FIGURE 1.5 Terms Associated with Motivation ASSOCIATED TERMS ASSOCIATED QUALITIES Approach to work Energy Orientation to work Drive Application Tenacity Willingness Determination Dedication Strength of purpose Alignment of person / organisation Purposeful Commitment Work appetite Source: Adair, J. (1996) Effective Motivation. England, Pan Macmillan Ltd. Job satisfaction is important relevant to motivation levels. There are five factors that stand out as determiners of job satisfaction; achievements, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement (Herzberg, 1966). George and Jones (2006) have defined motivation as, “Psychological forces that determine the direction of a person’s behaviour in an organisation, a person’s level of effort, and a person’s persistence in the face of obstacles.” The writers describe how motivation can come from intrinsic or extrinsic sources. Intrinsically motivated behaviour can be described as behaviour that is performed for its own sake; the motivation comes from doing the work itself. Extrinsically motivated behaviour is that which is performed to acquire material or social rewards. In this case the source of motivation is the consequences of the behaviour rather than the behaviour itself. How do managers achieve motivation in their employees? As stated by George and Jones: “They ensure the members of an organisation obtain the outcomes they desire when they make valuable contributions to the company”. Managers use outcomes to motivate people to make inputs to the organisation.”

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These authors have also written about Expectancy Theory, a theory put forward by Victor H. Vroom in the 1960’s. Vroom explains that: “Motivation is high when workers believe that high levels of effort lead to high performance and high performance leads to the attainment of desired outcomes.” FIGURE 1.6 Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence Model – Victor H. Vroom Effort Performance Outcomes (An important input) Expectancy Instrumentality Valence Expectancy theory identifies three main factors that determine a person’s motivation: Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence George, Jennifer. Jones, Gareth. (2006) Contemporary Management. Fourth Edition New York, McGraw Hill. Vroom also implied the existence of a law of diminishing returns in relation to motivation. This means that increasing increments in motivation result in smaller increments in performance until the point is reached where performance no longer increases (Vroom, 1964). This raises questions as to the nature of motivation. David Mc Clelland believed that all needs were learned by the kind of events that people experienced. These needs, depending on what they were led to motivation to acquire that particular need. Mc Clelland termed these needs “nAch,” “nAff,” and “nPow.” Richard Steers and Lyman Porter summarised these needs (Motivation and Work Behaviour, 1991) Need for Achievement - nAch = “behaviour toward competition with a standard for excellence”. This applies to people with a “strong desire to assume personal responsibility for performing a task”. High need achievers are always highly motivated and do not need incentives for motivation. Need for Affiliation – nAff = “a desire to establish and maintain friendly and warm relationships”. In many ways this is similar to Maslow’s social needs. People with this need are motivated to seek work opportunities that satisfy this need. Need for Power – nPow = the need to “control others, to influence their behaviour and to be responsible for them.”

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The Irish Management Institute, (Handbook of Management, 2004) suggests workers are naturally motivated when starting a new job, feeling, “proud, elated, energised, excited, renewed in vigour, enthusiastic to begin and grateful for the opportunity.” The retention of this motivation is dependent on the employee being able to “use their knowledge, improve their skills and have the freedom and responsibility to make decisions.” This leads on to the role of management in motivation. The authors propose that there is a “Psychological Contract” in force that “provides a mutual clarity of expectations of what an individual offers an organisation and vice versa, over and above what is contained in the formal contract.” They offer the following model of motivation as a checklist. FIGURE 1.7 The Psychological Contract Psychological Safety

Role clarity

Employees know what is expected of them and have clear standards or competences by which they are measured.

Role Support

Employees are given authority and decisions are supported by their boss. They have the right resources, materials, etc to do the job.

Recognition

Employees are given praise for what they do and effort is noted regularly.

Meaningfulness of Work

Feedback

Employees receive regular feedback on their performance and guidance and development on areas that need to improve.

Contribution

Employees are encouraged to offer their ideas and initiatives and to know that their individual effort makes a difference.

Achievement

Employees are encouraged to use “stretch” goals to increase their sense of achievement and maximise potential.

Diversity

Employees are enabled to express their own personality at work and that this is safe to do so. This in turn allows potentially greater creativity, initiatives and the employee to be more committed to their work and organisation.

Organisational Style

Management Style

Supportive or non-supportive.

Culture

Competitive individualistic or group culture, blame culture or learn from mistakes and collaborative culture.

Relationship

Accessible colleagues or competitive.

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This handbook also proposes Ten Principles of Motivating Others:

1. Clarity of goals 2. Recognition 3. Feedback 4. Value Individuals 5. D is for Delegate, not Dump 6. Tools and Resources 7. Contribution 8. Positive Attitude 9. Allow Mistakes 10. Raise Expectations

In summary the authors say that good motivators encourage people to “retain the vitality and enthusiasm they first brought to the job”. They “give direction, support and enable staff, so they can meet their objectives.” Tom Peters and Robert Waterman put forward the view that the problem with the rational view of motivation is that, “people are not very rational” (In Search of Excellence, 1995). The authors state the opinion that “man is the ultimate study in conflict and paradox.” Taking this into account the authors propose that excellent companies are effective in engendering commitment from staff due to the way they deal with the contradictions in human nature. They summarise this using the following points:

• People are self centred and like praise. But, none of us are as good as we would like to think. However, “rubbing our noses in that reality doesn’t do us much good.”

• Our imaginative instinct and gut feeling is at least as important as our rational side. “Does it feel right? Counts for more than “Can I prove it?”

• People are strongly driven from within and are self-motivated. • Action speaks louder than words. People watch for “patterns in actions and will

mistrust words that in any way mismatch deeds”. • “We desperately need meaning in our lives and will sacrifice a great deal to

institutions that will provide meaning for us. We simultaneously need independence, to feel as though we are in charge of our destinies, and have the ability to stick out.”

The authors state that rather than embracing this reality, organisations instead, “set really high targets for people”. This while perfectly rational is, according to Peters and Waterman, “ultimately self-defeating”. By contrast they give the example of IBM who insists that salespeople set their own quotas in order to ensure that all their people meet them. IBM manages to ensure that 80% of its salespeople meet their quotas. The writers quote the example of a major competitor of IBM that sets quotas to ensure that only 40% make their targets. This means that 60% of the sales staff sees themselves as failures. The authors pose the question as to why IBM adopts

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the approach they do. They answer according to a recent psychological study amongst a random sample of male adults that asked the men to rank themselves on: - “the ability to get along with others” – Result: 100% put themselves in the top 60% of

the population; 25% put themselves in the top 1%. - Leadership – Result: 70% put themselves in the top quartile, only 2% rated themselves

below average. - Athletic Ability – Result: 60% put themselves in the top quartile and only 6% said they

were below average. This according to the authors means that, “We all think we’re tops”. “We’re exuberantly, wildly irrational about ourselves”. However, the writers state that most companies take a negative view of their staff and “verbally berate participants for poor performance”. According to Peters and Waterman companies “call for risk taking but punish failure” and “want innovation but kill the spirit of a champion.” On the other hand, the authors state that according to their studies, people “like to think of ourselves as winners” and excellent companies design systems “were most of their people are made to feel like winners.” As an illustration of this point, the authors quote one GM manager, who told them, “Our control systems are designed under the apparent assumption that 90 per cent of the people are lazy ne’er do-wells, just waiting to lie, cheat, steal, or otherwise screw us.” On the contrary, the authors state that, “The systems in excellent companies are not only designed to product lots of winners, they are constructed to celebrate the winning once it occurs.” The writers call this “positive reinforcement” and they put forward the theory that this is the most important factor for Motivation. Peters, Thomas J. Waterman, Robert H. (1995) In Search of Excellence, Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies. London, HarperCollins Business. Drucker reinforced this IBM philosophy (The Practice of Management, 1995) by explaining that IBM considers that they are employing a “human resource – the whole man”. As Drucker states, “one cannot hire a hand; its owner always comes with it.” Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric seems to endorse that view when he says that so much about management is “about training, positive feedback and thoughtful goal setting.” (Winning, 2000) According to Welch in order to motivate and retain good people a company must “create effective mechanisms” meaning “money, recognition and training”. Paul Mooney offers the opinion that in order to achieve high levels of motivation; Irish businesses need to develop “an attitude around failure”. He states that managers should see “poor performance or competitive threats as useful”. This will result in, what he calls, “resilient leaders”. A “resilient leader” will learn how to “help their team, remain hopeful and confident and inspire their staff”. This type of leader will “demonstrate kindness and compassion and they facilitate self determination and self-respect.” This in turn leads to high levels of motivation.

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Mooney, Paul. (2008) Transforming Failure into Leadership. Irish Entrepreneur Business and Life. Volume 7 Issue 1. This theory of motivation is important for organisations because as stated by Herbert A. Simon (Management and Motivation 1970) “Individuals are willing to accept organisation membership when their activity in the organisation contributes, directly or indirectly, to their own personal goals.” John Lidstone of Marketing Improvements Ltd. a U.K. based consultancy offers the opinion that the big challenge for companies regarding motivation centres on the fact that “the behaviour of your salesmen and women and their motivations are intensely personal and unique”. According to Lidstone the mistake that most companies make is that they “apply blanket policies to motivate their sales people”. This is, Lidstone states because “they have carried out no research to discover the real profile of the needs to be satisfied.” Testimony to this is the statement of one managing director to Lidstone that, “it is administratively more convenient and less costly to treat everyone the same. We are not in business to cater for human oddities.” Lidstone, J. (1978) Motivating Your Sales Force. England, Gower Press Frederick Herzberg offered the following insight into what he termed, “Myths about Motivation”. A reading of this list from (Manage People, Not Personnel) in the Harvard Business Review signals the complexity of the issue, when you consider that Herzberg calls these “Myths”.

1. Reducing time spent at work 2. Spiralling Wages 3. Fringe Benefits 4. Human relations training 5. Sensitivity training 6. Communications 7. Two-way communication 8. Job participation 9. Employee counselling

These points go against the opinions of a number of other writers who endorse these types of incentives in order to enhance motivation. Perhaps Professor Reinhold Wurth sums up best how it is that management are mainly responsible for the motivation of their employees with the following simple statement: “If we in Management think 75% of our employees are people who steal and who are lazy, badly qualified, and dumb then these are exactly the employees we will have. On the other hand, if we are sure that 98% of our staff have achieved superb results, and that they are committed, willing and have a positive attitude to the company, then our house is in order – because what we have then is a team that’s well motivated, has a positive mood, and which will achieve great things.” Source: Wurth, R. (1995) Management Culture: The Secret of Success. Frankfurt, Campus Verlag.

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The area of motivation is vital to managers who want to attract and especially retain good staff. The creation of motivation whether by the influence of a manager or self-actualisation as proposed by Maslow leads to an unlimited outlook on life, vital for the job of a sales representative? Joseph O’ Connor wrote: “A salesman has to have his hopes. It is not a way of life for a pessimist.” (The Salesman, 1998) A limited outlook on life only creates a limited world. Abraham Maslow proposed (Motivation and Personality, 1970), “For a carpenter who is only a carpenter, the world is made of wood”.

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1.4 Shifting Paradigms – New Management Theory Thomas Kuhn wrote that, “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” Kuhn proposes the term “Paradigm” to describe this process. Kuhn’s point is that, “Successive transition from one paradigm to another via revolution is the usual developmental pattern of mature science”. Source: Kuhn, Thomas. (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Third Edition United States of America, The University of Chicago Press. Dr. Stephen Covey brings the theory about paradigms into the field of management and leadership, (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989). Covey explains that the word paradigm is used to mean a, “model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In the more general sense, it’s the way we ‘see’ the world, in terms of perceiving, understanding, and interpreting”. Kuhn shows how every major scientific break-through is first a break with tradition, with the old way of thinking. This leads to a new interpretation, a new paradigm. The purpose of this review is to explore the most modern management theory to determine the existence or otherwise of new paradigms regarding management and leadership. Warren Bennis supports this theory of Paradigm Shift, (Leaders Strategies for Taking Charge, 1997). He writes that after a period of “mediocrities, travesties, trespasses, destructions and dislocations” that we have reached a “major turning point” in management history. “A new paradigm is being born”. This shift is part illustrated in (The Principles of Management, 1990) by Peter Druckers statement the following about the use of reports and procedures, “Most common misuse is as an instrument of report and control from above. Only superior management competence and continuously improving management performance can keep us progressing”. According to Drucker it is the spirit that motivates. Good spirit requires full scope for individual excellence. The focus should be on strengths, not on weaknesses. The first requirement on spirit is a high demand on performance. Poor or mediocre performance cannot be condoned. A manager that sets his sights low or consistently fails must not be allowed to remain on the job. Every manager should be specifically assigned responsibility for helping all who work with him to focus, direct and apply self development efforts. Regarding rules for Human Organisation for Peak Performance Drucker suggests the following:

1. Analysis and organisation of the work 2. Improvement in performance comes from improving performance of individual

parts of the job. 3. Must be a logical and systematic flow to the work.

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As William E. Halal explained “Prevailing management concepts were conceived for an industrial past, so they are not useful for a vastly different economy based on knowledge”. (New Management Democracy and Enterprise are Transforming Organisations, 1996) There is a conflict described by Halal, between Old versus New Management. On the new side are notions such as, empowerment, fluid structures, and human needs. These are often felt to be naïve to managers. One response is: “Just because an idea is old does not mean that it is bad. Another is: “There will never be a substitute for the discipline and accountability of the old system”. Halal believes that this conflict cannot only be resolved but that, “New management absorbs the old management into a broader, more powerful framework.” In his chapter on Knowledge Entrepreneurs Halal writes about how work was previously about doing a job and getting paid a salary. However changes have brought about what he calls, “enlightened work practices”, with employees being encouraged to participate in decision making. He calls the old system a “paternalistic system”. In 1994, Fortune magazine announced “The End of the Job”. Today companies need the, “intellect, involvement and creative ideas of everyone that works for them”. Halal points out those knowledge workers must be regarded as “self-employed professionals”. Work nowadays requires a deep personal involvement and therefore cannot be supervised. Drucker wrote (Management Challenges for the 21st Century, 1999) about the history of management. During the 1930’s there were two sets of assumptions:

1. Discipline of Management

- Management is business management. - There is one right organisational structure. - There is one right way to manage people.

2. Practice of Management

- Technologies, markets and end users are given. - Management’s scope is legally defined. - Management is internally focused.

According to Drucker, up to the 1980’s this theory was close enough to the reality. Now, however it has outlived its usefulness. There are, Drucker says, a number of obstacles to the practice of management. That in fact the reality has become the opposite of the original assumptions. Drucker maintains now that what is needed is new assumptions, new paradigms. “Managements concern and managements responsibility are everything that affects the performance of the institution and its results – whether inside or outside, whether under the institutions control or totally beyond it.”

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As stated in my introduction, Druckers opinion is that the most important contribution of management in the 20th century is the 50 fold increase in the productivity of the manual worker. The most important contribution needed in the 21st century is to increase productivity of the knowledge worker. The most valuable assets of the 20th century were Production Equipment. The most valuable assets of the 21st are Knowledge Workers. Drucker lists a number of factors that are essential for Knowledge Worker Productivity:

• Management must ask: “What is the task?” • Knowledge workers must manage themselves. They have to have autonomy. • Continuing innovation has to be part of the work, tasks and responsibilities of

knowledge workers. • Knowledge work requires continuous requires continuous learning for the worker. • Productivity does not only depend on quantity, quality is as important. • Knowledge workers must be seen as assets, not costs.

These factors are, according to Drucker, the opposite of what is required from the manual worker. The model of managers controlling workers no longer applies; Managers must now be coaches and facilitators. Contradicting the earlier work by Douglas Mc Gregor stating that there were only two ways of managing people; Abraham Maslow showed in his book, (Maslow on Management) that different people have to be managed differently. Peter Drucker says that Maslow’s evidence is overwhelming but that in the period up to the publication of Management Challenges for the 21st Century (1999) few people had paid attention. Rather than being subordinates, Drucker now says that increasingly, workers are “knowledge workers”. This means in effect, according to Drucker, that the workers know more about their jobs than their bosses do. Drucker further adds that today’s managers have usually not held the position that their employees hold. He goes on to put forward the theory that what motivates knowledge workers is what motivates volunteers. They need, above all else a challenge. The main things a knowledge worker needs are: - A Challenge - To believe in the organisations mission - Continuous training - Results

This means managing people as “partners”. The definition of partners is that all sides are equal. This is very different to the traditional notion of manager and employee. Partners are not ordered to do things, they are persuaded. Drucker says that the management job is in fact a “marketing job”. The key questions to ask therefore are:

1. What does the other party want? 2. What are its values? 3. What are its goals? 4. What does it consider results?

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This means that the starting point is: “Managing for performance”. This leads on to another set of questions proposed by the writer.

1. What is your task? 2. What should it be? 3. What should you be expected to contribute? 4. What hampers you in doing your task and should be eliminated?

Following the answering of these questions and the definition of the task of the employee, the next requirements can be tackled. They are:

1. Knowledge workers responsibility for their own contribution. 2. Continuous innovation being built into the job. 3. Continuous learning and continuous teaching.

Management thinking of this type has developed into the role of the manager as a coach. This theory is developed by Peter Bolt (The Whole Manager, 1999). According to Bolt, “All managers are coaches and as organisational structures become flatter this skill will grow in importance.” Bolt suggests a couple of different approaches to take when acting as a coach. The first he calls, the “Questioning Approach”. This involves the following:

• “What did you think went well and what was tricky?” • “If you were to do it again what would you do differently?” • “How did you go about preparing for the meeting?”

Bolt suggests that the responses to these questions provide an opportunity for the employee to identify the areas in which they need to improve. This is, in Bolts opinion, more effective than telling the person what they are doing wrong. The second approach suggested by Bolt he calls the “Impression Approach”. Comments attributed to this approach are:

• “My feeling is that you can do better than that. Let’s talk through your approach”. • “You appear to have had an off day. What changes would you make in the future?”

In this case, the writer highlights that the manager is leading the discussion but still encouraging the employee to identify for themselves areas for improvement. The model of coaching as opposed to management in the traditional sense goes from one end of the scale where the employee is simply told what to do to the other end where the employee is coached. The effect of being coached is illustrated in the following model suggested by John Whitmore (Coaching for Performance, 2002).

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FIGURE 1.8 Coaching for Performance

Told

Told and Shown

Told, Shown and

Experienced

Recall after

3 weeks

70%

72%

85%

Recall after

3 months

10%

32%

65%

Whitmore backs up Peter Bolt’s theory that coaching is largely a “questioning role”. By responding to the manager’s coaching questions the employee becomes aware of every aspect of the task and the actions that are necessary. This clarity encourages the employee to take responsibility. Whitmore further proposes the following model of coaching. FIGURE 1.9 Coaching

Robert Waterman expands on this theory of the manager as coach in (The Frontiers of Excellence, 1995). By drawing the distinction between coaching in sports and business Waterman demonstrates that sport concentrates on win-lose situations whereas coaching or “mentoring” is about helping individuals develop. This is win-win as opposed to win-lose. Waterman proposes a number of attributes that are specific to the coach or mentor as he sometimes calls the role:

COACHING

Boss Knows what is going on

Performer Chooses to take responsibility

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• The gift of time – spending time with people, making them fell important. • High Expectations – mentors see and demand more of their staffs’ potential than the

workers would ever see for themselves. • Approachability – although there may be a great difference in status, coaches are

easy to get close to. • Informality – the process of coaching takes place outside of any formal functions. • Competence – often the coach is an expert in their field. • Protection – mentors act as a buffer for their people from bureaucracy. • A sense of fun and humour – good coaches take their jobs seriously, but don’t take

themselves too seriously. Waterman also makes the point about “visibility”. This means accessibility, being seen around the organisation, letting people know that you are there and are available to talk. The result of this role is, according to the author, that coaches bring out the best in people often achieving results beyond what people would have had in mind for themselves. Richard L. Daft (Management, 2000) writes about the importance of creating an exciting and demanding work environment. For this he maintains human skills are becoming increasingly important. Daft considers the main task of middle managers to be the ability to motivate workers. In order to do this, they must be able to do the following: “Build relationships; empower others; promote cooperation; manage conflict”. Employees also must have the freedom to make decisions and solve problems. Tom Peters, (Thriving on Chaos, 1989) calls this “Reconcieve the Middle Managers Role”. Peters suggests the manager’s role is to “solve problems – now, on the spot – rather than passing them up.” The idea of the manager as a coach has been brought further by some authors who have moved into other, sometimes more personal realms of management. Peter M. Senge does so (The Fifth Discipline, 1993) when he states that the manager should take a broader and more challenging set of steps in taking care of his/her employees. Senge suggests that the manager:

• Support personal mastery as a part of the organisation’s philosophy and strategy. • Make it acceptable for people to acknowledge family issues as well as business

issues and to make allowance for family commitments. • Help people obtain counselling and guidance for how to make effective use of

family time. Senge’s theory is that in order for the employee to be successful there must not be a “conflict between work and home” and that management should play a supportive role to that end. Terence Deal and Allen Kennedy invented the term “Symbolic Managers” to describe what the see as the role of managers today – “their primary job as managing value conflicts that arise in the ebb and flow of daily events” (Corporate Cultures, 1982). These Symbolic Managers are “sensitive to culture and its importance to long term success”. They also

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“place a high level of trust in their fellow employees” as well as seeing themselves as “players in the daily drama of company affairs”. This is in contrast to “Rational” managers who see their jobs as “Managing” and “Hiring/firing” people. Clegg et al. (1999) do question this new form of leadership. The authors suggest that the tendency to promote this new leadership to the exclusion of all that went before “risks creating a return to universalistic thinking”. In order to balance the varying views the following case study looks at some examples of current management practice in this area. The question therefore is: Has the shift in management thinking lead to practical action in terms of a company’s ability to retain its staff? In this Case Study, “Why Are We Losing All Our Good People?” published in the Harvard Business Review, Edward E. Lawler studies the situation with the company, Sambian Inc. This company has lost a number of key people in quick succession and the management have heard rumours that another key employee is considering leaving. Lawler studies the situation from the point of view of, “How can Sambian discover what’s really driving people out the door?” A number of commentators in this case recommend a series of actions and procedures that organisations should have in place in order to discover the reasons why people leave and also to keep talent in the first place. Anna Pringle, the head of international people and organisation capability for Microsoft offers the following opinions: - The HR manager is the custodian of talent. He or she should know whether key

members of staff are happy and are thinking of leaving the organisation. Pringle says that an “Early Warning System” is important for this.

- The most effective leaders devote 40% of their time to people. This means coaching and mentoring, recruiting and re-recruiting top talent.

- Pringle also recommends holding “small, open discussions with key employees. This can be done in the form of breakfast or coffee meetings and should be held weekly.

- Pringle makes the point that at Microsoft, “we try to tailor our proposition to individuals needs”. This may mean having flexible hours for staff with families. She gives the example of giving people access to fitness clubs in order to improve the work / life balance.

In his comments on the case, F. Leigh Branham, a human resources consultant states that there are a number of “trigger events” that can cause employees to leave.

1. Misalignment between the employee’s expectations of the work and the actual work or even the workplace.

2. Insufficient feedback or coaching. 3. An imbalance between work and life.

Branham states that in general most employees are reluctant to talk to management about these “push factors”. Because of this the company must have some form of feedback sessions and encourage an environment where employees can speak freely about what bugs them. Without this, according to Branham, organisations become a revolving door.

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Jim Cornelius, he CEO and Chairman of Bristol-Myers Squibb writes about how he too faced a “talent draining situation” at his company when he first took over. He also recommends some actions that will aid the staff retention.

1. Simplify the management structure so that they can gain a direct understanding of the issues facing the firm.

2. Make sure that the mission is crystal clear so that everyone in the firms understands it.

3. Ensure that people are being compensated correctly. Cornelius also stresses the importance of meeting regularly with employees to discuss what they are doing. He emphasises “face to face meetings with senior managers”. This is important for Cornelius as he says, “Phone calls, email and teleconference won’t cut it”. The final contributor to this case study is Jean Martin, the executive director of the Corporate Leadership Council in Washington, DC. Martin explains the importance of “anonymous audits” and surveys in order answer questions about what she terms, “cultural disconnects”. Questions such as: - “What are the unwritten assumptions about the way work gets done here?” - “Do you believe hard work will be rewarded?” - “Do you feel that other employees are committed to your success and the organisations

success?” Through their study of more than 100,000 employees around the world, the Corporate Leadership Council found that although employees join companies for rational motives, they stay and work hard for emotional ones. It is also relevant that in their studies they have discovered that on average only 25% of departing employees “express dissatisfaction” before leaving. Also important is the fact that nearly one third of high performers reported that what they want for their careers is not what the company wants for them. Along with audits and surveys, Martin recommends that Sambian hold “monthly employee-run ‘mission review sessions,’ in which workers discuss Sambian’s mission and its relevance to their work.” These actions can, according to Martin, reduce attrition rates by “as much as 87%.” Lawler, E. (2008) Why are we losing all our good people? Harvard Business Review. Reprint R0806A, June 2008. The process of development is traced from along the line of Manager developing into Leaders and on to becoming Coaches. Stephen Covey has further proposed the idea of “Manager as 1st servant to his employees”, representing a further paradigm shift. Covey uses the model “Good to Great” formulated by Jim Collins (The 8th Habit, 2004) to illustrate the transformation of management.

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FIGURE 1.10 The Level 5 Hierarchy

The Level 5 Hierarchy

Level

5

Level 5 Executive

Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.

Level 4

Effective Leader

Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision; stimulates the group to high performance standards.

Level 3

Competent manager

Organises people and resources toward effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

Level 2

Contributing Team Member

Contributes to the achievement of group objectives; works effectively with others in a group setting.

Level 1

Highly Capable Individual

Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits.

Covey states that “the very top people of truly great organisations are servant leaders.” This type of leader is described as “humble, the most reverent, the most open, the most teachable, the most respectful, and the most caring”. Jim Collins following a five year study quoted in The 8th Habit states that what catapults a good organisation to being truly great is “Level 5” or “Servant” Leadership. This is perhaps the leadership required to retain the talent that we have in the company.

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1.5 Conclusions Post review of the literature this author concludes that there has been a shift in management thinking from the point of view of industrial thinking, shifting from the concentration on management control to the attitude of manager as the first servant to the employee. This is in line with the shift from the industrial age to knowledge age economy. Peter Vaill described this knowledge age as, “permanent white water” (Learning as a Way of Being, 1996). This description depicts the “complex, turbulent, changing environment in which we are all trying to operate.” This ‘Paradigm Shift’ has reached the point where there is a requirement for the manager to act as “first servant” to his employees. This represents a particular challenge for managers and businesses that are scripted in industrial style management thinking. Peters and Waterman describe the situation as thus: “Many otherwise smart and business-savvy people are operating from a theoretical base that is simply out of date” (In Search of Excellence, 1995) Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence, 1996) proposes that the most important competences required for dealing with people now are, “Self-awareness, self-control and empathy.” This shift in management thinking presents many challenges. A review of the literature on Sales Management in particular still shows an emphasis on controlling and monitoring staff. This is in direct contrast to the management styles the literature shows has developed in the past decade. The challenge is to study the situation the individual company finds itself in by conducting primary research and taking a practical view towards improvement. As Bruno Tietz said, “Sound common sense is and will always be the fundamental basis for successful management, whatever that is”. Common sense in this case will result in further study in order to determine the current position.

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Chapter 2: Research Methodology 2.1 Methodological Framework 2.2 Questionnaire Design and Data Analysis 2.3 Presentation of Results 2.4 Justification of the Chosen Methodology 2.5 Conclusions

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2.1 Methodological Framework Introduction As I referred to “paradigms” earlier in this thesis, I have attempted to take into account my own paradigms regarding this subject prior to deciding on my methodology. During the course of my MBA studies and my management work with Wurth Ireland I had in advance formed the opinion that management theory had advanced in line with this development to the knowledge age. Taking this bias into account, I was conscious of the importance of having a sound methodology. This also meant behaving in an ethical manner regarding the research. Collis and Hussey (2003) have suggested an awareness of these main problems as being important.

• Confidentiality / Anonymity: I stressed the point with the sales staff that all answers were confidential. The survey responses were sealed and mixed so that the author had no knowledge of where the answers came from. The focus group discussion was held in a general way discussing general issues with no names attached to comments made in the minutes.

• Informed consent: The participants and survey sample were informed as to the reason for the research. They understood that the responses were not for use in work and were only a contribution to research for a master’s project.

• Dignity: The anonymous nature of the research ensured that no participants were ridiculed or embarrassed. It was also stressed that participation was entirely optional. 12% of the sample did not return questionnaires.

• Publications: I was aware of my paradigm on this subject in advance of my research and so endeavoured to read widely and broadly on the subject in order to achieve balance in the research.

In order to maintain credibility of this research I kept in mind this summary by Rogers (1961), “scientific methodology needs to be seen for what it truly is, a way of preventing me from deceiving myself in regard to my creatively formed subjective hunches”. My methodology for gathering primary information took the following form:

• Questionnaire – Survey of the Sales Representatives in Wurth Ireland Ltd. • Focus Group – Discussion with Sales Representatives on the subject of challenges

and issues they face in doing their jobs. Research Objective The key questions I wanted to answer in this research were:

1. The opinions of the sales representatives on the key criteria related to successful management in the modern age.

2. Whether a gap exists between modern management theory and management practice in Wurth Ireland Ltd.

3. Are there specific areas where an execution gap exists and if so what are they?

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The Study Design The population for the survey was the Sales Representatives of Wurth Ireland Ltd. A population is a set of people that can be defined as “all workers of a certain grade in a particular company” (Collis and Hussey, 2003). Wurth Ireland has one hundred and twelve Sales Representatives. Each one of these was surveyed using a delivery and collection method. Angela Hammouda, (MBA Lecture, March 2007) recommended piloting the questionnaire in advance to ensure that:

• Each Question is understandable • The overall questionnaire is not too long and arduous • Implementation method works.

This author conducted a pilot with four Area Sales Managers in order to test these criteria. The result of this was to change the order and wording of some of the questions. There were 15 questions in total in the questionnaire. After analysing the data it was clear that only 8 of the questions were fully relevant. For future research I would do a more extensive pilot study. The response rate was eighty eight per cent. Ninety nine of the one hundred and twelve surveys were returned. Saunders et al. (2007) suggest expecting between thirty and fifty per cent response rate for delivery and collection questionnaires, therefore an eighty eight per cent response was satisfying. The Focus Group discussion was used to gather data regarding the opinions of the groups on the issues involved. The participants were made up of twelve Sales Representatives. The advantage of using Focus Groups is summed up with the quotation, “The explicit use of the group interaction to produce data and insights that would be less accessible without the interaction found in a group” (Morgan, 1988). This should provide the researcher with rich data. My role in the Focus Group was that of facilitator. Saunders et al (2007) suggest that that role allows the facilitator to; “Keep the group within the boundaries discussed and allows the generation of interest in the topic in order to encourage discussion.” Collis and Hussey (2003) suggest that the facilitator should “enlist the help of others to observe and record what is said.” For this reason my work colleagues, Lorraine Riddler (note / minute taking) and Jason Murphy (observation) also attended the discussion. The discussion took place around the subject of problems / challenges faced by the Sales Representatives in doing their jobs effectively. The topic of the management was not specifically introduced so not to bias the discussion. Rather it was left as a general discussion. At various times I introduced the topics; Targets / Strategies, Coaching / Help with achieving targets, Trust and Motivation. This was in order to ensure that the subject matter was covered. The analysis of both the questionnaire and focus group are contained in chapters 2.3 and 2.4.

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2.2 Questionnaire Design and Data Analysis I believe that the research has established a link between the quality and type of leadership provided and whether or not sales people decide to stay with an organisation. The literature has established a move towards coaching and the “manager as first servant to his employees”. FranklinCovey, the management consultancy conducted an “Execution Quotient” (xQ) Survey through Harris Interactive (the Harris Poll Online), www.harrispollonline.com, (20/05/2008) This survey was designed “from an employee and workgroup perspective” in order to establish the organisations ability to focus and execute it’s priorities. The priority in this case is staff retention. The data from the xQ Survey confirms that most organisations suffer from “execution gaps” that undermine there most important priorities. One of Wurth Irelands most important priorities is the retention of its sales staff. Therefore, what are the execution gaps that are causing staff fluctuation? These gaps are the result of a number of factors including, lack of focus on key goals, lack of accountability and little help from the organisation in achieving individual goals. The xQ survey was conducted between September 26th and October 17th, 2002 amongst 11,045 adults, employed across a range of sectors (www.stephencovey.com 20/05/2008). The execution gap that is being investigated through this thesis is whether there is a link between outdated management practices and staff fluctuation. This author’s strategy when deciding on the survey questions was to match the Key Findings from the xQ Survey with questions related to these key findings that are relevant to the issue of management and staff fluctuation in Wurth Ireland. The analysis of these results centres on the fact that sales staff fluctuation is twenty six per cent. This author’s theory is that an answer of twenty per cent or more in the negative is an indication that this attrition rate of twenty per cent plus will continue. This is on the basis that the criterion laid out by FranklinCovey is an indication of an execution gap, in this case being the high fluctuation rate. The questions are designed in order to test the company management’s performance in these key areas. In aligning the gap in performance with the fluctuation rate, we can test whether Wurth Irelands sales management team are operating in line with modern, knowledge age management practice or whether there is a gap in the management practice which in turn is leading to staff fluctuation. As this survey is a method of collecting opinion data this author has used Rating Questions. This took the form of a series of statements, keeping the same order of response categories so as to avoid confusion amongst the respondents as recommended by Dillman, (2000). In considering the layout of the questionnaire this author took note that the best way of obtaining valid responses was to keep the visual appearance and wording simple (Dillman, 2000).

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2.3 Presentation of Results Survey / Questionnaire The results of the survey are presented in Pie Chart form. The survey questions asked for the respondent to either ‘Agree’ or ‘Dis-Agree’ with the statement given. The colour coding for the chart is as follows: Agree – represented by light blue shading. Dis-Agree – represented by plum shading. The xQ Survey findings clearly indicate that in order to improve organisations effectiveness management must improve on key business priorities. In order to do this, FranklinCovey recommend the following:

1. Clarify the top goals of the organisation. According to FranklinCovey, there is no more important task for management than to “establish clear, key goals and then communicate those goals”. In order to establish the clarity of the targets and strategies of Wurth Ireland, I included the statement: Figure 2.1 “I understand the company’s targets and strategies.” As illustrated in Figure 2.1, 76% of the respondents agreed with the statement. 24% however, disagreed stating that they do not understand the company’s targets and strategies.

2. Translate top organisational goals into action.

I understand the company's targets and strategies

76%

24%

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In order to be successful, the organisation must ensure that employees have detailed targets that are in line with strategy. My examination of this was done using the statement illustrated in figure 2.2: Figure 2.2 “I have clear measurable targets that I understand.” This chart shows that 73% answered that they agree that they have clear measurable targets that they understand whereas 27% of respondents feel that they not understand their targets

3. Ensure buy-in and commitment to the top goals.

In order to achieve commitment to company targets FranklinCovey recommend involving people and having them contribute ideas to the formulation of these goals. In order to test the level of involvement and the sales reps feeling of self worth in the company I included the following statement: Figure 2.3 “I am encouraged to come up with ideas and my contribution is valued.” The results for this question were that 69% agreed that they were encouraged to contribute and felt that their contribution was valued. However, as illustrated in the chart, 31% answered that the opposite. This indicates a high level of people, in relation to the fluctuation rate that do not feel involved in idea generation nor that their contribution is valued by the management.

I have clear measurable targets that I understand

73%

27%

1 2

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I am encouraged to come up with ideas and my contribution is valued

69%

31%

1 2

4. Follow-through with discipline.

FranklinCovey recommend that people should “think through their priorities, determine where they contribute and build a plan” around this. This planning should be done in conjunction with their superior who works with the staff member in order to help them achieve their objectives. This criterion leads to the statement illustrated in Figure 2.5: Figure 2.4 “My supervisor works with me helping me to achieve my targets.”

The result of this, 82% answering that their supervisor’s do work with them in this way indicates a positive development in relation to the fluctuation rate of 26%.

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My supervisor works with me helping me to achieve my targets

82%

18%

1 2

5. Encourage workers to execute on top goals together.

The xQ Survey Report makes the statement that too much time in spent on unproductive issues such as, “infighting, politicking and covering up.” The report proposes that this is due to a “lack of trust”. In order to determine the level of trust as felt by the sales people, this author looked for a response to the statement illustrated below: Figure 2.5 “The Company provides an open, trusting workplace.” This chart illustrates that 66% of respondents agreed with the statement whilst 34% disagreed. This level of disagreement is a concern, being higher than the current percentage of leavers.

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The company provides an open trusting workplace

66%

34%

1 2 In addition to the questions based on the criteria suggested by FranklinCovey and the xQ Survey, this author based two questions on the literature review that strongly suggests a shift in management thinking from the industrial style management to the knowledge age, “manager as first servant”. These questions are based on the importance of the manager/leader as a source or aid to motivation and to the perception of the manager as a coach who guides and trains his staff towards achieving their goals. The results of these questions are illustrated in Figure 2.6 and 2.7: Figure 2.6 “My relationship with my supervisor motivates me to do well.”

My relationship with my supervisor motivates me to do well

78%

22%

1 2

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Figure 2.7 “My supervisor is my coach”

My supervisor is my coach

62%

38%

1 2 Negative responses of 22% and 38% respectively indicate a gap between the advances in management theory and the practices experiences by the sales representatives of Wurth Ireland Ltd. These levels indicate an area of concern in terms of the target of reducing staff fluctuation from the current rate of 26%. Focus Group The focus group discussion took place in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh with 12 Sales Representatives from various locations. The issue that stimulated most discussion was that of coaching and training. The following points were the main issues and suggestions:

• Product Training – require more regular product training not only on the top selling articles but on full product range.

• As well as the Area Manager, could we look at a system where the Sales Rep. has a buddy or mentor.

• Sales Reps feel hindered in their lack of knowledge on pricing. More empowerment is required here.

• Management should help more with customers that are slow to pay. Coaching and training in the area of dealing with problem customers would be helpful.

• Target setting is difficult to understand. Can target setting be explained in more detail in order to understand the company’s targets?

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2.4 Justification of the Chosen Methodology Whilst questionnaires are not good for exploratory research, they are as stated by Robson (2002) good for standardised questions that can be interpreted the same by all respondents. Also questionnaires normally require less skill and sensitivity to administer than interviews (Jankowicz, 2005). In order to ensure a high response I used a delivery and collection method, using scheduled staff meetings to conduct the survey. Delivering the questionnaire this way ensured a high response rate, 88%. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2007) recommend, “Closed questions, but not too complex”. Also important is that the subject must be of interest to the respondent. This author decided on the use of a Focus Group in order to obtain “rich information”. This allowed an exploration of some of the issues by allowing the participants to “discuss and share their views without any pressure on reaching a consensus (Krueger and Casey, 2000). This author felt the use of a focus group was more useful than interviews for the reason that the process of conducting interviews can be very time consuming. There is also the issue of confidentiality and the fact that the interviewer has an effect on the process (Collis and Hussey, 2003). As I am a senior manager in the company I felt that the sales representative may have felt uncomfortable answering questions related to his or her direct line manager. Instead it is better to encourage a relaxed atmosphere where, as proposed by Collis and Hussey, listening to other group members express their views would encourage others to voice theirs. This author also considered the use of Observation as a method for collecting primary data as suggested by Brian Boyd, (Research Methodology Notes, 2005). The suggestion here was to observe the interaction between an Area Sales Manager and a Sales Representative on a normal working day. In order to gather effective data using this method a number of days would be required. Due to time constraints this method was not used.

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2.5 Conclusions In concluding this section I am conscious of my existing paradigm in relation to the subject matter. I attempted to get around this bias by conducting both Quantitative research in the form of a questionnaire and Qualitative research in the form of a focus group discussion. Saunders et al. suggest that an advantage of using mixed methods is that it enables triangulation to take place. Denzin, (1970) argues that the use of different methods leads to greater validity and reliability than using a single approach. Collis and Hussey (2003) recommend methodological triangulation where both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. I recommend some improvements in the form of further research in the next chapter.

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Chapter 3: Conclusions and Recommendations 3.1 Literature Review

3.2 Survey / Questionnaire 3.3 Focus Group 3.4 Recommendations for Further Research

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3.1 Literature Review Having conducted a review of management literature, this author concludes that there has been a significant shift in management theory and in recorded practice over the past century. This shift is most pronounced in the past twenty years in line with the transition from the Industrial Age to the current, what is termed the Knowledge Age. The question was then to test whether this shift in management theory was being operated in practice in Wurth Ireland Ltd. 3.2 Survey / Questionnaire The structure of the questionnaire used was on the issues recommended by FranklinCovey, a leading management consultancy. The questions were designed to test whether the employees feel that the key management criteria necessary for the knowledge age worker are in practice in Wurth Ireland Ltd. This authors rationale in reaching conclusions on this survey is the following: - The current staff fluctuation rate is 26%, which means that 26% of the Sales

Representatives have left the company in the past year. - If management practice is a cause of fluctuation, a negative result equal to 26%

approximately indicates that the fluctuation rate will continue. This is on the basis that the management of the sales reps and a failure to meet the selected criteria are relevant to the reason why people leave.

- A negative result that is significantly less than the 26% fluctuation rate would indicate that, as far as the staff are concerned, management practice is in line with modern theory and is therefore not a reason for people leaving the company.

FIGURE 3.1 Summary of the Survey Results: QUESTION

AGREE

DISAGREE

POSITIVE / NEGATIVE

I understand the company’s targets and strategies

76%

24%

Negative

I have clear measurable targets that I understand

73%

27%

Negative

I am encouraged to come up with ideas and my contribution is valued

69%

31%

Negative

I am treated as an asset to the company

65%

35%

Negative

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My supervisor works with me helping me to achieve my targets

82%

18%

Positive

The company provides an open trusting workplace

66%

34%

Negative

My relationship with my supervisor motivates me to do well

78%

22%

Negative

My supervisor is my coach

62%

38%

Negative

The results of the survey, 6 out of 7 questions showing a negative result based on the selected criteria indicates that management practice in Wurth Ireland is out of line with modern management theory and is therefore a factor in the reason why Sales Reps. leave the company. 3.3 Focus Group The focus group did yield some rich information in the form of suggestions, particularly relating to training and coaching. The discussion however was too general. Saunders et al. (2007) suggested conducting the discussions several times in order to enable trends and patterns are identified. In hindsight, only conducting one focus group resulted in a low level of rich information. This was, in this author’s opinion due to the general nature of the discussion as a result of the author’s inexperience in conducting this type of research.

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3.4 Recommendations for further research On a realistic level, this author feels that this research contributes to existing knowledge on the basis that the research was conducted from the point of view of finding a link to the reasons why Sales Representatives leave companies in general and Wurth Ireland in particular. This research has highlighted a number of areas where there is an execution gap that relates specifically to the management of individuals. These gaps are, in the knowledge age, where individuals are now managing themselves, significant contributors to staff fluctuation. This author is also aware, however that the knowledge in this area is as yet limited and that further research is required in order to understand better the reasons for staff fluctuation amongst sales people in particular. This author therefore recommends further qualitative research into management practice in Wurth Ireland. This should take the form of semi structured interviews as recommended by King (2004). Saunders et al. (2007) propose that the researcher have a list of themes and questions that can vary from interview to interview depending on the organisational context that is encountered during the interview. It also allows the researcher to vary the order of the questions depending on the flow of the conversation. Additional questions can also be included if necessary. Semi structured interviews hold an advantage, for this research, over structured interviews which are standardised and unstructured interviews which explore a general area, generality being one of the shortcomings identified by this author in the research carried out for this paper. This author also recommends using the Observation method for further research. Observation in a natural setting, “a research environment that would have existed had researchers never studied it” (Vogt, 1993), provides an opportunity to collect further data. Collis and Hussey describe ‘Participant observation’ where the researcher is fully involved with the participant. The natural settings where a Sales Rep. and his or her direct line manager interact are:

• Phone calls • Workouts or ride-along where they spend the day visiting customers • Plan / Actual comparison meetings on a monthly basis

Observation in these settings would as the authors suggest provide a method of obtaining information on the motives and practices of those involved. The main problem that may arise is one of observer bias. Also some practical issues such as failure to observe some activities and differences in interpretation are suggested by the Collis and Hussey. These methods of research would, in this author’s opinion, provide more detailed rich information from which more complete conclusions could be drawn as to the contribution of management practice to the issue of sales rep. fluctuation.

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Composite Bibliography Monthly Circular to the management of the Wurth Group. December 2007 Minutes of the Fluctuation Seminar on October 31st, 2005. The Phenomenon of Personnel Fluctuation at Wurth Source: Wurth, Reinhold. (1995) Management Culture: the Secret of Success. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt. Source: Monthly Circular of the Wurth Group November 2005 WIS Wurth Information System FAS – ESRI Report Economy Wide Vacancy Rate in April. www.esri.ie 05-07-2008 Kristensen, Sven. (2007) Reducing Staff Turnover. Wurth Internal Information Still, Richard R. Cundiff, Edward W. Govoni, Norman A.P. Sales Management, Decisions, Strategies and Cases (1998) New Jersey Simon & Schuster Covey, Dr. Stephen. (2004) The 8th Habit From Effectiveness to Greatness, Great Britain. Simon & Schuster Drucker, Peter The Practice of Management Chambers, Peter. (2004) 21st Century Sales Management. Gloucestershire. Management books Ltd. Adair, John. (1990) Not Bosses But Leaders. Guildford, The Talbot Adair Press. Mintzberg, Henry. (1989) Mintzberg on Management Inside Our Strange World of Organisations. New York: The Free Press Strafford, John. Grant, Colin. (1986) Effective Sales Management. Oxford Heinemann Professional Publishing Ltd Cooper, Simon. (1997) Selling Principles, Practices and Management. Great Britain, Pitman Publishing Drucker, Peter F. (1986) The Frontiers of Management, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Source: Krause, Donald G. (1995) Sun Tzu the Art of War for Executives. London. Nicholas Brealey Publishing

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Peters, Thomas J. Waterman Robert H. (1995) In Search of Excellence, Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies London, HarperCollins Business Adair. J, (1996) Effective Motivation. England: Pan Macmillan Ltd. Lidstone, J. (1978) Motivating Your Sales Force. England: Gower Press Source: Kuhn, Thomas (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Source: Covey, Dr. Stephen R. (1989) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Great Britain, Simon & Schuster Drucker, P. (1990) The Principles of Management. Bodmin Cornwall, MPG Books Ltd. Halal, William E. (1996) The New Management Democracy and Enterprise are Transforming Organisations. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Drucker, P. (1999) Management Challenges for the 21st Century. Oxford, Butterworth – Heinemann Maslow on Management Bolt, Peter. (1999) The Whole Manager Achieving Success Without Selling Your Soul, Dublin: Oak Tree Press Whitmore, John. (2002) Coaching for Performance, Third Edition. London Nicholas Brealey Publishing Waterman, Robert H. Jnr. (1995) The Frontiers of Excellence Learning from Companies That Put People First. London Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd. Daft, Richard L. (2000) Management 5th Edition. Vanderbilt University, The Dryden Press. Peters, Tom. (1989) Thriving on Chaos. London. Pan Books Lawler, Edward E. (2008) Why are we losing all our good people? Harvard Business Review, Reprint R0806A, June 2008 Goleman, Daniel. (1996) Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ. London, Bloomsbury Publishing

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George, Jennifer M. Jones, Gareth R. (2006) Contemporary Management Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw Hill O’ Connor, Miriam. Mangan, John. Callan, John. (2004) IMI Handbook of Management Dublin Oak Tree Press Peters, Thomas J. Waterman Robert H. (1995) In Search of Excellence, Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies London, HarperCollins Business Welch, Jack. (0000) Winning, Drucker, Peter. (1989) the Practice of Management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Transforming Failure into Leadership. Paul Mooney. Irish Entrepreneur Business and Life, Volume 7 Issue 1 May 2008 Morrissey Media Ltd. Dublin Source: Adapted from Goleman, D (2000) Leadership that gets results, Harvard Business Review, March-April, pp. 78-90 Bennis, Warren & Nanus, Burt, (1997) Leaders Strategies for taking Charge. New York. HarperCollins Publishers Senge, Peter M. (1993) The Fifth Discipline – The Art and Practice of the Learning Organistaion. Great Britain. Century Business Bennis, Warren. (1989) On Becoming a Leader. London. Arrow Books Deal, Terrence E. & Kennedy, Allen A. (1982) London, Penguin Group O’ Connor, Joseph. (1998) the Salesman London: Vintage Maslow, Abraham H. (1970) United States of America, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Whetten, David A. Cameron, Kim Woods, Mike (1996) Effective Motivation London HarperCollins College Steers, Richard M. Porter Lyman W. Motivation and Work Behaviour Singapore, McGraw-Hill Manage People, Not Personnel Motivtion and Performance Appraisal (1990) Vroom, Victor H. & Deci Edward L. (1970) Management and Motivation Selected Readings, Middlesex, England Penguin Books Ltd. (Learning as a Way of Being, 1996) Peter B. Vaill

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www.franklincovey.com 27-05-2008 www.harrisonlinepoll.com 28-05-08 FranklinCovey xQ Survey Report Angela Hammouda MBA Lecture Research Methodology March 2007 Collis, Jill and Hussey, Roger Saunders et al Boyd, Brian Research Methodology Notes Part II MBA & MBS DKIT 2005 Dalrymple, Douglas. Cron, William. DeCarlo, Thomas (2004) The Sales Management Competencies United States John Wiley & Sons Inc. Clegg et al – Managing Organisations (1999) London SAGE Publications Ltd. Herzberg, Frederick (1966) Work and the Nature of Man World Publishing Company Vroom, Victor (1964) Work and Motivation Wiley Publishing www.cso.ie 8th August 2008 www.libweb.lancs.ac.uk/studyskills.htm

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APPENDIX Appendix 1: Survey of the Sales Staff of Wurth Ireland Ltd. Appendix 2: xQ Questionnaire Appendix 3: Focus Group Notes

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