After reading the following scenario, please respond to the three questions below Be as
inclusive as possible: identify all theory and relate to scenario Cite any works you may use to help support your responses
It’s All a Matter of Personality
Largely because of downsizing, the survivors are working harder and longer hours every year
– and although some get burned out and stressed, others seem to thrive on it At Apple
Computer, for example, development teams are well known for wearing T-shirts that proclaim
“90 hours a Week and Loving It“
And high-tech firms are now coaxing double and triple time out of their employees, a practice
that is spreading to other sectors of the economy One of the best examples is provided by the
increasing number of telecommuters who work at home Buy giving employees PCs, cellular
phones, and other devices, the company can stay in contact However, many of these
telecommuters are now finding that they are on call 24 hours a day Some of the new rules of
survival in an increasing number of workplaces appear to be: If you don’t have the personality to
work round-the-clock, don’t bother applying for a job here
Of course, for some people, work is extremely enjoyable, and they do not mind the new
demands Take the case of entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga, a self-made billionaire He started
out with a partner in the garbage collection business, confident that his firm could outperform the
small mom-and-pop companies and get their business He was supremely confident of his own
ability; it was not long before his plan started to come true Wall Street did not think much of his
ideas, however, and when he issued his first stock offering in 1971, it was to raise a mere $5
million By the time he left in 1984, the market value of the firm’s stock was $3 billion
His next move was to Blockbuster entertainment He was convinced that the movie rental
business was a wave of the future Again, he was right For a mere $185 million, he and his
partners were able to buy the company – and soon thereafter sales took off, rising from $43
million annually to over $2 bullion By the time he sold out to Viacom in 1994, he had put
another billion dollars in his pocket
The same thing can be said of Steve Wynn of Mirage Resorts Wynn’s company was listed as
one of fortune’s 10 most admired firms in America Why? Part of it is a reflection of Wynn’s
personality He is eternally optimistic and wants his people to be the same Wynn’s strategy is
to keep everyone happy If anyone is not, Wynn’s employees are to fix it As he tells his people,
“If you see a hotel guest with the tiniest frown on her face, don’t ask a supervisor, take care of it
Erase the charge; send the dinner back; don’t charge for the room” In addition, Wynn sponsors
elaborate parties to honor staffers who have kept the most customers happy At one recent party
for a Vietnamese woman who was being honored as employee of the year, Wynn brought in
George and Barbara Bush to congratulate the lady It cost a lot of money, but as Wynn puts it,
“It’s an investment“
1 Why is job satisfaction and organizational commitment so high at Mirage Resorts?
2 Identify areas of leadership exhibited by Wayne Huizenga
3 Identify, define and discuss the “Big Five” Personality Traits