Making the most of the economic storm: Motivating staff during troubled times

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how one company responded to opportunities and threats during periods of economic downturn. It aims to explore the area of organizational change and development and how organizational dynamics can shed light on the issue. It also aims to look at how companies are implementing various schemes to motivate staff and increase morale during the economic crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on a case study and the views of a practitioner that adopts a dynamic rather than a conventional organizational dynamics (OD) viewpoint. It extracts the main points from articles dealing with managing employees through the recovery.

Findings

“Every cloud has a silver lining”. Or so they say. For companies the ability to take advantage of a financial and economic downturn and to use it to their advantage depends on a whole number of factors – some of them within their control, but others over which they have no control at all. What makes it possible for some companies to come out of a recession relatively unscathed, even healthier than they were before while for other companies it marks the beginning of their downward spiral to oblivion? This paper analyses a case study of a company that has thrived during turbulent periods, draws on the views of development specialists and organizational practitioners to critically examine current practice in these areas and provides information from relevant articles looking at managing employees through the recovery.

Practical implications

The paper provides management with useful insights into how organizations can survive an economic downturn and how employees can be motivated to support a change agenda.

Social implications

The paper looks at how working conditions can be made more employee‐friendly.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the discussion on how organizations can weather the economic crisis and examines different strategies for engaging the workforce.

Citation

(2010), "Making the most of the economic storm: Motivating staff during troubled times", Strategic Direction, Vol. 26 No. 9, pp. 22-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/02580541011069369