culture, motivation, and change, oh my: a case study at the toledo zoo

CULTURE, MOTIVATION, AND CHANGE, OH MY: A CASE STUDY AT THE TOLEDO ZOO

Kristine Hoover

Bowling Green State University

Case Objectives and Use

An executive director of a nationally renowned zoo has been in the job for almost a year. During this time, the Zoo has begun to face the major challenge of enhancing motivation and moral along with the strategic focus of the organization. The case allows students to focus their attention on how to develop effective goals and on the role of employee involvement as it relates to goal setting. In addition, students will be able to recommend actions for the executive director to facilitate a successful planned change process. The case was developed for the use in undergraduate management, leadership, and organization development courses.

Case Synopsis

This is a case study of the Toledo Zoo over a 6 year period of time. The award winning Zoo has had an exceptionally successful track record based on public attendance and on recognition from professional associations. Beginning in 2001 with the death of a Zoo animal and followed by the firing of the Zoo veterinarian in 2004, the Zoo undertook an employee survey as a means to improve morale that may have been sagging as a result of these events. Outcomes of the survey indicated that although there were issues that were perceived favorably by the employees, a large percentage of the employees reported some unfavorable opinions about the Zoo’s communication and leadership/management. In 2006, a new executive director was hired. Part of the expectations for her leadership include motivating the employees and increasing the overall effectiveness of the Zoo. The focus of this study is on understanding goal setting theory and the use of a culture survey as a diagnostic tool for targeting focal areas for organizational change.

The author developed the case for class discussion to explore use of various management concepts. The case, instructor’s manual, and synopsis were anonymously peer reviewed and accepted by the North American Case Research Association (NACRA) for its annual meeting, October 18-20, 2007, Keystone , CO. All rights are reserved to the author and NACRA. © 2007 by Kristine Hoover. Contact person: Kristine Hoover, College of Business Administration, Bowling Green State University, BA 3013, Bowling Green, OH 43403, 419-372-8450, [email protected].

Culture, Motivation and Change Case Study 1

Running head: CULTURE, MOTIVATION AND CHANGE CASE STUDY

Culture, motivation, and change, oh my: A case study at the Toledo Zoo

Kristine Hoover

BA 3013

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, Ohio 43403

Ph: 419-372-8450

Fax: 419-372-6057

Email: [email protected]

The author would like to thank the Toledo Zoo, Dr. J. Gillespie, and Denison Consulting for their

support and acknowledge the efforts of Bowling Green State University graduate students in

PSYC 758 during Spring 2007 for their work to complete the culture survey and the Toledo Zoo

Culture Assessment: Final Report.

Review copy for use of the Case Research Journal. Not for reproduction or distribution.

June 11, 2007.


Case Manuscript

“To be one of the world’s outstanding zoological institutions.” That is the vision of the

Toledo Zoo and it is the challenge faced by the Zoo’s new Executive Director. The Toledo Zoo

is one of approximately 500 zoos in the United States with total industry combined annual

revenues of $1.8 billion (NAICS code 7121). The zoo industry as a whole is undergoing

considerable change as it struggles to balance pressures for wildlife conservation and

entertainment. Conservation activities such as educational programs, management of wildlife,

and recovery programs for endangered species must be financially supported through revenues

generated by patrons who may also view zoos as tourist attractions.

Research suggests that in order for zoos in general to remain viable in today’s

marketplace, they must strategically identify target markets, focus on visitor satisfaction, ensure

animal welfare, and enhance their creditability as providers of wildlife conservation and

education. In addition to the common struggles that many zoos face, the Toledo Zoo faces some

additional challenges. Patronage of zoos is dependent upon local income and tourist travel. The

Toledo Zoo lacks some of the benefits of higher incomes and accessibility afforded attractions in

other larger cities. The major industry in the Toledo area is industrial manufacturing, which has

declined in recent decades. Toledo also has a declining population, measuring less than 300,000

in 2006. However, Toledo is home to one of the busiest ports on the Great Lakes and benefits

from being the nation's third busiest rail hub and 15th-busiest air cargo hub. It is uncertain as to

whether these transportation assets can be translated into the benefit of increased zoo patronage.

The question is, can the new Executive Director successfully lead the Toledo Zoo in this

environment?


Toledo Zoo background

The vision for the Toledo Zoo is supported by its mission statement: “Our mission is to

promote wildlife and its conservation through excellence in animal management, educational

programs, and scientific activities while providing our visitors with an enjoyable, recreational,

and family-oriented experience.” The Zoo warmly welcomes guests to learn about the 4,000

species that call this much loved collection of architecture and gardens their home. Adored

residents have included Babe, the elephant and Puddles, the baby hippo. The Zoo offers patrons

the opportunity to visit the world-famous Hippoquarium as well as exhibits for Apes, Siberian

tigers, Asian sloth bears, African wild dogs, and many other creatures. Recently, the Zoo was

also able to lay claim to being home to three of only four newborn polar bear cubs in North

American Zoos. In 2003, the Toledo Zoo received the North American Conservation Award

from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for the Oak Savanna Butterfly Conservation

program.

Works in progress according to the master plan include a Butterfly house opening, a new

children’s Zoo design, and aquarium improvements funded in part by $8.6 million a year in

revenues from a 10-year capital improvement levy. With 875,000 to sometimes more than

1,000,000 visitors each year, the Zoo has been a popular destination location. To maintain

operations, the Zoo has approximately 150 full time employees (both union and non-union) and

500 seasonal employees. The average tenure of a Zoo employee is 12 years of service.

The beginning signs of trouble

In 2000, the Zoo celebrated its centennial with great fanfare. The history was documented

in photographs and prose, and many special events took place. Unfortunately in 2001, a giraffe


named George died at the Zoo. Based on an internal investigation, the death was blamed on a

failure of animal keepers and curators to communicate. In 2004, the Zoo administration replaced

the attending veterinarian after warnings regarding the veterinarian’s poor communication skills

and intimidation of other employees. A financial settlement was eventually awarded to the 22-

year chief veterinarian, at which point the long time Executive Director stepped down without

further notice. The Executive Director had been with the Zoo since 1975 and was only the fourth

person to hold the position of Zoo Executive Director since the Zoo’s humble beginnings. A

great deal of public concern had emerged with the firing of the beloved veterinarian and a series

of follow up activities ensued, including an employee survey and the formation of a County

Commissioners’ task force to review operations, both of which occurred in 2005.

The 2005 employee survey asked about animal care, communication, fairness, leadership,

quality, and compensation. Results of the survey indicated that overall employee satisfaction was

good, with 68.9% of the responding employees answering favorably to the question “Overall, the

Zoo is a good place to work.” Teamwork, communication, and leadership/management were

indicated as areas in need of improvement. As the vice-chairman of the Zoo Board had stated in

a May 26, 2005 press release, the Zoo had a clear intention of using the employee survey data as

a “benchmark for measuring future progress.”

Recovering from difficult times

The Zoo Board had committed in 2005 to continue to measure progress and on-going

efforts to improve the Zoo. Following the several years of upheaval since 2001, in April 2006, a

new Executive Director was hired. In 2007, the Executive Director and Director of Human

Resources engaged graduate students from the Department of Psychology at a Midwest State


University to administer a culture survey. With input from the Zoo’s leadership, the project team

chose the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) for its use as a tool that could provide

a good basis for future action planning efforts. The Denison Model is a diagnostic tool used to

measure organizational culture around four primary traits: adaptability, involvement,

consistency, and mission. Research has indicated that an effective culture as defined by the

Denison Model is related to financial performance metrics, employee satisfaction, and customer

satisfaction. From the perspective of the Executive Director and based on the 2005 intervention,

a driving question was “To what degree do the multiple departments and various levels of the

organization work together in a synergistic way to maximize overall performance?”

The project team administered the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) and

conducted several focus groups with Zoo employees in order to collect additional information for

action planning and organizational change efforts. Given the concerns expressed by the Zoo

leadership, deliberate steps were taken to involve the employees of the Zoo in the culture study

in both the survey process design, as well as through focus groups.

Data collection process

Although the change initiative was lead by the Executive Director and Director of Human

Resources, to be effective the process required participation and input from the management

group as well as from the front line employees. This was especially a concern given that there

was still some residual discomfort over the unrest caused by the staffing changes in the

veterinarian’s and Executive Director’s positions.

The project team met with the Zoo Senior Management Group (SMG) to establish a

relationship with Zoo employees, to identify and address concerns about the upcoming culture


survey and focus groups, and to determine how to analyze the data. The project team also met

with a group of Zoo employees who were selected to assist the project team with survey efforts.

The project team collected information about appropriate wording of the survey, thoughts about

the 2005 assessment, and issues that should be considered when implementing the DOCS. The

process was also introduced at a Zoo-wide meeting to all Zoo employees.

In the survey process, each of the four DOCS primary traits (adaptability, involvement,

consistency, and mission) were measured. The survey had a 98% response rate, with 142

employees voicing their opinions. The high level of participation seemed to be an indication of

the desire by employees to work toward improving the Zoo and positive change.

Focus groups were conducted with approximately 30% or 50 of the Zoo’s full time

employees. Six focus groups were held; all of the individuals that signed up to participate did

indeed participate. The focus group questions were structured around the four cultural traits

(adaptability, involvement, consistency, and mission) to encourage alignment between the two

data collection processes. In several of the focus groups, there was little to no “down time” as

employees were willing to share experiences, reminisce, and listen to each other.

Survey results

Results of the survey were analyzed at many levels. Combined overall responses, as well

as senior management group (SMG) and non-senior management group (NMG) analysis yielded

the most informative data. Although the Zoo employees as a whole indicated the opportunity for

improvement in all of the four trait areas of the DOCS, an area of relative strength was the Zoo’s

ability to empower and develop employees, and also to create a vision. The survey items that

received the most positive responses also indicated relative strength in the organization’s


flexibility regarding both customers and employees. However, the data shared by the employees

also indicated a relatively low ability to agree and focus on the strategic direction and goals, and

objectives for the organization.

In addition to analysis of the overall responses, each of the traits was analyzed by

comparing the senior management group (SMG) to non-senior management group (NMG)

perceptions. There were 16 senior managers and 113 non-senior managers that had completed

the survey. These two groups saw the Zoo through very different lenses. In general the SMG

perceived the culture of the Zoo to be more effective than the non-senior management group in

every area surveyed. The portrait painted by the SMG was one of an effective culture in general.

Alternatively, data from the NMG suggested a meaningful disconnect between the two groups.

Whereas the NMG responses still pointed to employee involvement as a relative strength, the

overall profile was considerably less positive than that provided by the SMG.

Focus group results

Participants in the focus groups shared a great deal of information. Although the

conversations were always respectful, it was not uncommon for participants to sometimes

interrupt each other due to the clear passion and commitment they felt towards the Zoo and the

animals. Diverse departments were represented among the participants in each of the sessions.

There were both union and non-union employees, as well as animal care providers and non-

animal care providers. Employees with both long and short tenure participated. Through the

focus groups, it was clear that employees became aware of common perceptions and unique

experiences that each faced as an employee of the Zoo. A general sense of appreciation for the

opportunity to talk openly about their opinions was evident.


Each of the six focus groups began by asking participants how optimistic they were about

the Zoo’s current culture, and what they were most concerned about. Following the focus group

questions about Denison’s four traits, participants were asked if they had any other helpful

information about the Zoo’s culture to offer and what could be done to make the most of this

diagnostic process. There were stories such as employees in one department being written up for

rule violations (e.g. being late or using mobile phones) in some departments whereas in other

departments the policy were more lax or not enforced. Frustration was also voiced about a lack

of information about why decisions were made, followed by simple requests for more

information so that employees could better understand their leaderships’ actions. Other stories

indicated a concern for greater attention to be given to conservation efforts with suggestions for

greater funding for the conservation area and use of more environmentally friendly practices,

such as not putting animal waste in plastic bags and using less plastic foodservice plates and

cups. Through it all, the underlying sense of pride in their work, commitment to each other, and

desire for quality did not waiver. Between touching stories, participants mentioned the need to be

able to spend more time sharing information and answering questions with zoo visitors as well as

being able to gain more knowledge themselves through trainings and programs like Dinner with

the Doctor.

At the conclusion, additional concerns were raised regarding actions to be taken once the

DOCS process was completed. Participants wanted a voice both in the survey process (e.g. focus

groups) and in action planning. They valued mixing with employees from other areas and wanted

to see follow through by management. There was a desire for clear communication of results and

as well as rationale for decisions made regarding planning. When each focus group ended, there


was a sense that the participants had gotten to know one another better and desired to continue to

expand the communication process to create tangible changes for the Zoo.

Next steps

The Zoo leadership and employees are anxious to implement positive change. The

difficult job now lies with the leadership to design a change process using the data from the

culture survey and focus groups. How can the leaders motivate their employees to embrace the

change? Can the culture at the Zoo be changed? What steps are important to create a successful

change process? They know there is much work ahead, but they are confident that armed with

the data, the future will be different.