Laurie Willer has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has just graduated with an MPA in public affairs from a top ranked school. To earn money during her undergraduate years, Laurie worked part tim

Laurie Willer has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has just graduated with an MPA in public affairs from a top ranked school. To earn money during her undergraduate years, Laurie worked part time every summer as a claims processor at the Department of Workforce Development. She also worked an internship at Lilly Pharmaceutical Company during her undergraduate senior year. Both jobs had been interesting, but Laurie particularly liked working at the Department of Workforce Development. Although her work there as a claims processor was monotonous at times, she felt a sense of reward helping people find jobs. In fact, it was that satisfaction that led Laurie to start on her master’s degree and to consider a different career path. With her MPA now in hand, Laurie has to think seriously about her career. Looking over the jobs posted at the University Career Center Laurie is still not sure what she is looking for in a career. On the bulletin board she reads over job descriptions for openings in three different positions, one in government, one for a Nonprofit organization, and one large For-profit company.

Discussion Questions

As you read through the job postings, consider the following:

1. What types of individuals are attracted to each of these jobs? What types of individuals are ill-suited for each of these jobs?

1. What motivation-related challenges can you identify for each job?

1. What motives and incentives do you think are specific to each organization?

1. How would you describe the culture of each organization?

1. Identify dependencies for each organization.

1. In what ways are each of these organizations likely to change over the next few years?

1. Provide some recommendations to successful organizational transformation?

1. How clear are the mission and goals of each organization?

1. Do the job descriptions adequately clarify the candidate’s responsibilities?

1. Is there a specific type of leader that you would expect to be successful in Job 1 (the public service)?

1. What factors are likely to affect a person’s performance in each job?

Job 1: Public Service

Agency: Dept of Workforce Development Job Title: Supervisor Claims Taker

Job ID: 5666

Apply Before: 09/23/2009

Location: Harding County

Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

Full Time

Regular

Salary: $44,500 starting

Job Description: Supervisor will work in Employment Security Division overseeing representatives receiving and processing compensation benefits provided by various state and federal laws. Completed work is spot-checked for technical accuracy.

Duties: Hire and train three new claims takers

Report weekly on productivity of existing office staff of twelve claims takers. Increase productivity of existing staff by 10 percent over a twelve-month period.

Description of staff responsibilities for employees that will be under your supervision: works at counter from 8:00 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. and takes initial and continued claims for unemployment compensation benefits; interviews claimants to obtain work history necessary to determine the type of claim to be filed; assists claimants in completing necessary forms required to file for unemployment compensation benefits; reviews forms for completeness, questions claimant in order to obtain information required by law and in order to determine that he has been available for work; posts claim balances on claimant record card and purges expired claims from files; prepares a variety of forms used for processing benefit payments such as pay authorization forms, change of name, and/ or address forms, tracer forms for non-receipted checks, and transfer forms for claims records between local offices; prepares correspondence concerning claimant information and compensation status; and performs related work as required.

Supervisor applies established guidelines that are applicable to individual situations. Most guidelines are received in written form, but judgment is required in determining types of claims that should be filed. Supervisors are also expected to be available for technical guidance and to spot-check completed work for technical accuracy. Errors are not easily detected and will result in delay in the processing of claims, causing possible incorrect payments and inconvenience to claimant.

Personal Work Relationships: Contacts are with local office staff, claimants, and employers in order to explain unemployment insurance programs available in order to effect payment of claims.

The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job 2: Full Time Program Coordinator, Mother-Daughter Program

Program Description: Mother-Daughter is a program designed to empower Latina girls to continue their education through high school and beyond by helping them to value the importance of education, develop self-esteem, foster supportive relationships, and explore future dreams and goals.

Job Description: Coordinate, manage, implement, and evaluate the Mother-Daughter program at three to four middle schools.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. La Plaza is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Specific Duties:

Develop annual goals and objectives and update or develop program materials

Organize, plan, and implement group sessions with students and monthly meetings with the girls and their mothers

Conduct home visits and maintain contact with participants and their mothers; offer referrals to community services and enrichment opportunities

Implement a mentor program (including recruiting, training, and supporting mentors)

Develop relationships and communicate with partner schools and community partners

Monitor academic progress of students

Research and schedule community service activities and educational field trips

Encourage continuing education support for the mothers, such as enrollment in English, GED classes, or other courses

Coordinate program recruitment

Maintain records of participants, activities, evaluations and events

Supervise and mentor college interns

Be available some evenings and at least one Saturday per month

Perform other duties as requested

Qualifications: Bachelors degree in social work, education, or related field; ability to lead and motivate youth; experience in facilitating groups. Applicant should be committed, responsible, enthusiastic, organized, and energetic.

Job 3: Associate Brand Manager-Lilly Pharmaceutical

Location: Indianapolis

Education Required: Bachelors degree

Functional Area: Marketing

Company Description: For more than 130 years, Lilly has been dedicated to meeting the health care needs of people in the United States and around the world. We address these needs primarily by developing innovative medicines—investing a higher percentage of our sales in research and development than any other major pharmaceutical company. If you are interested in being considered for employment with a “Best in Class” Pharmaceutical company, please review the following opportunity:

Job Description: This position is responsible for Lilly USA Multicultural Consumer marketing strategy, planning, and implementation across all brands. Transformational efforts include ensuring that diverse populations are appropriately represented in emotional insights discovery, consumer segmentation, white card development, campaign development, media or channel strategy and planning, implementation, and measurement. This position reports to the Director of Consumer Transformation, Lilly USA.

Key Objectives or Deliverables:

Redefine the Lilly approach to multicultural marketing from tactics and translations to holistic strategies and plans that are a natural extension of brands strategies

Lead development of multicultural consumer strategies and marketing plans, including insights, segmentation, white card, campaign, media or channel strategy, and planning

Be accountable for multicultural funding, plan implementation, and business results

Ensure that all multicultural consumer efforts are insight- and data-driven, and deliver against specific brand objectives

Foster productive multicultural agency relationships (including ownership of the AORs) and manage integration among agency partners

Collaborate in the development of consumer marketing capabilities within Lilly USA; lead development of the multicultural marketing capabilities

Ensure that a multicultural consumer perspective is represented in clinical trials and label development

Develop as appropriate DDMAC pre-clearance strategy and implementation for multicultural initiatives

Collaborate with market research colleagues to deliver a meaningful multicultural measurement plan and specific consumer metrics

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelors degree

Proven track record in marketing strategy and planning, advertising and media

Breadth and depth of agency management experience

Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (for example, H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Additional Skills or Preferences:

Alliance or partnership management experience

Demonstrated leadership

Critical thinking skills (strategic, analytical, creative)

Effective communication skills

Ability to achieve results with others

Relationship management skills

Experience on both client and agency side a plus

MBA preferred

Other Considerations:

Travel: 15 percent.

Lilly credits its exceptional employees for its successes, and knows that the key to ongoing achievement lies in attracting and retaining the best people. A company rich in heritage, Lilly employs individuals, conducts research, and markets products worldwide. By providing for the unmet needs of our customers through a continuous stream of innovation, we will outgrow all competitors.

Lilly earns consistent and wide recognition for creating an exceptional work environment while maintaining our highly regarded reputation in the pharmaceutical industry and community:

Fortune Most Globally Admired Companies

Fortune Top Companies for Leaders in North America

Chronicle of Philanthropy Most Generous Companies in the U.S.

Business Week Magazine Best Places to Launch a Career

Information Week 500 Most Innovative Users of Technology

Science magazine Best Companies for Scientists

The Scientist Best Places to Work in the Industry

Black Enterprise Top 40 Companies for Diversity

Working Mother Best Companies for Working Mothers

Source: This case was written by William Miller, Center for Policy Studies, Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, The University of Akron

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