Miami Moral Motivation and Dysfunctional Organizational Culture

(1) Analyze the low levels of employee morale and motivation at the VA in the context of the VA’s organizational culture. Note that organizational culture impacts morale and motivation and vice versa.

(2) Craft an argument about how to improve the VA’s organizational culture and its employees’ morale and motivation levels based on a thorough assessment and rigorous analysis of the materials we are reading this week. Make sure to make very specific connections between the theories, concepts, and strategies you’ve studied this week and the specific VA Case Study.

For example, you may include:

i) theories of organizational motivation (content and process)

ii) incentives and performance measures to improve motivation, morale, and culture (See the Rainey text 297-334 and the O’Riordan reading, pages 20-21)

iii) tools to lead cultural development (Rainey, pgs. 354-363; O’Riordan, pgs. 22-23)

iv) organizational-level cultural change tools (O’Riordan, pgs. 24-26). For example, how might you apply the Competing Values Framework (to which you were introduced in Week 3) to the VA in terms of improving its organizational culture?)

Organisational Culture and the Public Service

Click paper clip. Then click on the title “Culture and the Public Service” to get the pdf version of this Report.

I chose this reading because it investigates the theory and practices of organizational culture as specific to public organizations – though the focus is on Ireland, the lessons are relevant for U.S. public organizations, including the Veterans Administration.

Riordan, J. (2015, November).

‘Corrosive Culture,’ Weak Leadership Cripple VA, Report Says

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

Ellis, R., & Crawley, J. (2014, June 28).

Audit: VA staffers used methods to make wait times seem shorter

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

American Health Line (2014, July).

NOTE: HERE I ACCESSED THE ARTICLE MYSELF ON MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT, IT ALLOWED ME TO MAKE A pdf; I then uploaded the pdf; thus the drop down arrow for students to access the article.

NOTE: I think that this is confusing for students: sometimes a link takes them directly to an article; sometimes there is a drop down arrow to access a pdf, sometimes they have to do a search in the library and sometimes that search yields nothing. Help! VA’s handling of whistleblowers continues to irk lawmakers

Clark, C.S. (2015, April)

Overall morale at VA dips, along with faith in leaders

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text. This article can be found at the UM Library Online.

Lunney, K. (2014). More VA Employees Said They Were Told to Falsify Data

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text. This article can be found at the UM Library Online.

Devine, C., Turk, M. & Bronstein, S. (2014).

Acting VA staff says money, staff, and time needed to resolve Vets treatment delays

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

American Health Line (2014, July). Despite scandal, VA firings nosedived in 2014

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

Katz, E. (2015, February).

House backs bill to cut VA bonuses

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

Katz, E. (2013, August).

VA bosses falsified wait times in 7 states

I chose this reading because it illustrates specific organizational problems that may be solved using concepts from the Rainey text.

Price, S. (2016, April)