1. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 1
1
Team Consulting Project: Part 2
In Part 1, we identified and analyzed some of UBS’ most significant OB weaknesses--namely,
poor vertical and horizontal communications, collaboration, and consistency and low task variety and
minimal opportunities for employee growth and development. In this document, we will propose a
Noodle for inter-departmental collaboration, invest time in developing a company mantra, establish a
comprehensive solution plan meant to address these OB issues. In order to increase employee engagement
and foster superior communications, collaboration, and consistency, we suggest that UBS purchase
mentoring program that pairs new non-operations-level employees with long-time, senior employees,
hold an annual company barbeque, and put a foosball table in the break room. We believe that these
solutions will drive improvements in organizational and individual mechanisms (such as job satisfaction
and motivation), which will in turn increase both key OB outcomes: job performance and organizational
commitment.
One of our solutions is to implement an information system devoted to connecting employees and
providing a common platform on which departments can collaborate. A report by the McKinsey Global
Institute (MGI) estimates that the average interaction worker “spends an estimated 28 percent of the
workweek managing e-mail and nearly 20 percent looking for internal information or tracking down
colleagues who can help with specific tasks.”1
By making the switch from email to a social intranet
platform, communication becomes more direct and employee operations become more streamlined, thus
“raising the productivity of interaction workers—high-skill knowledge workers, including managers and
professionals—by 20 to 25 [%],” MGI estimates. (See Appendix A for additional related statistics.) One
such communication platform is Noodle, an intranet software on which employee information, schedules,
app-wide bulletins, and collaboration tools can be shared. The Journal of Organizational Culture,
Communications & Conflict states that timely access to relevant information gives employees more
1
“The Social Economy: Unlocking Value and Productivity through Social Technologies.” McKinsey Global
Institute.July 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

2. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 2
2
control over their tasks2
; greater control implies greater autonomy, and autonomy is a key psychological
need3
, a significant predictor of job satisfaction, and a major component of intrinsic motivation4
. High
motivation and high job satisfaction are both positively correlated with job performance and
organizational commitment.5
The cost of Noodle is roughly $300 per month or a one-time payment of
$9,500. Noodle could be implemented in a timely manner because it would not require the installation of
any new hardware. A free,30-day trial is also available.6
The application of such a system could prevent discrepancies in policies across departments and
reduce miscommunications; problems with procedural justice and underreward inequity (see Part 1)
would be lessened. According to the International Journal of Business Communication, employees are
more likely to be responsive to information received from a channel that they prefer,and with social
media becoming increasingly popular it is critical to harness this medium.7
Compared to other
collaboration software like IBM Notes or Microsoft Sharepoint8
, Noodle provides considerably more
features that are a better fit for UBS’ needs. Styled as a “corporate social-network,” some of Noodle’s
useful features include an employee personal home page and instant messenger- simplifying
communication and collaboration across UBS’ vast directory of employees. Additionally, the task
manager and notifications and activity feed will allow employees to stay up-to-date with what’s new at
UBS and keep their daily tasks organized. We contacted the Noodle Team,and they have provided a
calculator to estimate the ROI if this system is implemented (see Appendix B).
2
Phipps, Simone, Prieto, Leon, and Ndinguri, Erastus. "Understanding The Impact Of Employee Involvement On
Organizational Productivity: The Moderating Role Of Organizational Commitment." Journal Of Organizational
Culture,Communications& Conflict 17.2 (2013): 107-120. Business Source Complete. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
3
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 173. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
4
Keng, Fong. “Management & Leadership: Session 10: Motivation 2.” Retrieved from Lecture Notes.
5
Colquitt, LePine and Wesson 116,189. Organizational Behavior.4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2015. Print.
6
“Noodle Intranet Software for the Enterprise” Noodle. Vialect Incorporated, 2015. Web.26 Feb. 2016.
7
Mishra, Karen, Lois Boynton, and Aneil Mishra. "Driving Employee Engagement: The Expanded Role Of Internal
Communications." Journal Of Business Communication 51.2 (2014): 183-202. Business Source Complete. Web. 26
Feb. 2016.
8
Laudon, Kenneth and Jane 62-63. Management Information Systems. 14th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2016.
Print.

3. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 3
3
Another way UBS can improve employee engagement and foster a greater sense of company
unity is through the establishment of a mentoring program that pairs newly hired, non-operations-level
employees with long-time, senior employees. Mentoring has been used successfully in a variety of
companies, including McGraw Hill Education.9
Given the breadth and depth of possible benefits (and the
relatively low cost) of mentoring to companies, it’s no surprise that 76% of companies use some form of
mentoring.10
During our interviews, severalemployees alluded to a disconnect between ‘old culture’ and
‘new culture’ employees. Some even contended that some ‘old culture’ employees had no interest in
improving the company in the long run. A mentoring program could help eliminate such misconceptions.
It could also help new employees integrate themselves into the company culture more quickly and form
bonds that increase their likelihood of remaining with the company. Specifically, according to OB theory,
as employees learn about and adapt to their company’s culture (a process called socialization), they
eventually reach a stage called ‘understanding and adaptation’, which is when they internalize the norms
and expected behaviors of the organization.11
The longer it takes for an employee to reach the
‘understanding and adaptation’ stage, the longer it takes for employees to reach peak productivity.
Additionally, some management-level employees noted that, while training for operations-level personnel
is often more-than-adequate, training for higher-level positions is often more limited. A mentoring
program would allow new non-operations-level employees to learn from a reliable source. Thus, a
mentoring program could not only reduce the disconnect between newer employees and senior
employees, but it could speed early improvements to job performance and foster strong employee bonds
(between the mentor and mentee), increasing organizational commitment12
.
A mentoring program would be easy to implement, low cost, and potentially high reward. In
examining only the trade off between the opportunity cost of employees’ time devoted to the mentoring
9
Kessler, Sarah. “How to Start a Mentoring Program.” inc.com. 6 Apr. 2010. Web.22 Feb. 2016.
10
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 554. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
11
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 546-547. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
12
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 67. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.

4. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 4
4
program and additional productivity from employees, it is evident that only small increases in worker
productivity are necessary to compensate for the lost time of say, 90 minutes a week spent meeting with a
mentor/mentee. (See Appendix C for a full analysis.) And this tradeoff ignores the possibility of further-
reaching benefits from the program. While UBS HR would need to consider the scope and focus of the
program, the actualpairing of employees need not be cumbersome; were UBS to begin the program now,
any employees that have joined the company in the past year (and, of course, any new employees) would
immediately be paired with a mentor with at least eight years experience in the company--someone who
had occupied the same (or a very similar) position as the mentee previously.
UBS should also consider developing and instilling a company mantra in order to foster a
stronger sense of company identity and purpose. One of the most common themes of our interviews (see
Part 1) was a lack of common vision among employees; we noted that this deficiency negatively affected
employee bonds, departmental consistency, and employee job satisfaction. A strong sense of purpose and
common vision for the company could not only address these issues, but it could also combat the issue of
low job variety; employees who find greater meaning in their work are more likely to have high job
satisfaction, even if tasks are repetitive and not inherently meaningful.13
In contrast to mission statements,
mantras are short and memorable, and they communicate to employees what makes a company unique. If
UBS developed a strong company mantra and emphasized it during training, an employee in the
textbooks department and an employee in the finance department would have common understanding of
the purpose and uniqueness of UBS, leading to more synchronous policies and mindsets. A common
sense of purpose would also help strengthen employee bonds.14
The primary costs of this solution are the
labor costs required to develop a mantra and the additional minutes of employee training devoted to
explaining the company mantra; the latter is clearly a second-order cost, and, the former would also be
relatively insignificant if the mantra delivers any of the proposed benefits.
13
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 106. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
14
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 364. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.

5. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 5
5
Workplace fun is a valuable, but often overlooked feature in many businesses. Successful
investments in workplace recreation can provide a myriad of benefits, including stronger employee bonds,
reduced stress,and, to a lesser extent, increased job satisfaction.15
Company-wide opportunities for
recreation have been shown to reduce departmentalization that can hinder workplace satisfaction and
efficiency. Recreation also encourages employees to bond with their coworkers on a more personal level.
For UBS, we believe that upgrading the employee break room and holding an annual company barbeque
would provide these benefits.
The employee break room needs to be a place in which employees feelencouraged not just to sit
for lunches but also to engage with other employees. Ideally, the break room would closely resemble a
common area. Adding in a foosball table would encourage employees of different departments,
experience levels, etc. to bond in a fun way. This could lead to valuable intra-departmental and cross-
functional workplace relationships in which employees feelmore comfortable sharing knowledge and
asking for coaching from their superiors. Enjoyable interactions with coworkers in a non-work setting
could also help employees learn more about each other's interests, possibly increasing coworker
satisfaction, one of five key components of job satisfaction16
. And, of course,a fun, social game would
allow employees an outlet from workplace demands, reducing stress. Overall, revamping the break room
is an easy,quick fix that could make a big difference to employees. Also, compared with more expensive
alternatives such as exercise rooms and equipment (employed by larger companies), a foosball table is
more practical and probably provides higher “bang per buck”; it fits within the space,and it may provide
similar benefits. Employee wellness programs are well known to reduce healthcare costs and improve
employee moral and positivity (and, thus, productivity).17
The Society for Human Resource Management
suggests that it’s not unusual for wellness programs to return $3-$6 in health care costs per dollar
15
Karl, Katherine A., and Joy V. Peluchette. “Does Workplace Fun Buffer the Impact of Emotional Exhaustion on
Job Dissatisfaction?: A Study of Health Care Workers” Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016
16
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 101. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
17
Schaefer, Jennifer. “The Real ROI For Wellness Programs.” shrm.org. 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

6. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 6
6
invested. The National Business Group on Health observed that companies with wellness programs have,
on average, 8% higher productivity.18
A full wellness program goes beyond the scope of what we are
suggesting, but some of the intended benefits of our suggestion--lower stress and happier employees--are
strongly associated with the benefits of wellness programs.
In addition to improving the break room, holding an annual company barbecue would increase
employee bonds and strengthen company unity. Similar to the foosball table, a companywide event would
allow all employees to get to know each other better and develop stronger relationships. A barbeque
would also provide an excellent opportunity for newer employees to be introduced to full-time employees
that have been with the company for at least a year.19
In addition to the structured mentoring program, a
company barbeque might lead to informal mentoring between lower-level and upper-level employees.
Overall, the creation of a companywide outing will improve relationships and company unity, boosting
general productivity and commitment throughout UBS.
From an economic standpoint, our proposed solutions are low cost (excluding Noodle) but
potentially high return. If effective, our solutions would increase employee satisfaction and motivation,
which would in turn drive increases in job performance and organizational commitment. More productive
employees provide a myriad of financial benefits20
; if cashiers process transactions faster,customers are
more satisfied and more likely to buy in the future (higher sales), and fewer new workers are needed
(lower labor costs). If operations personnel perform better, unit costs are lower, labor costs are lower, etc.
When organizational commitment is higher, turnover costs are lower. Productive and committed
employees are the foundation of a profitable company.
18
Vanderkam, Laura. “Do Corporate Wellness Programs Really Boost Productivity?” 24 July 2014. Web. 27 Feb.
2016.
19
Karl, Katherine A., and Joy V. Peluchette. “Attitudes Toward Workplace Fun: A Three Sector Comparison” 1
Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
20
“A Happy Staff is a Productive Staff: How to Motivate Employees.” smallbusiness.intuit.com. 2016. Web. 27
Feb. 2016.

7. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 7
7
Appendix A: Employee Activities Chart
Appendix B: Noodle ROI Estimator
Please click the link below to view Noodle’s ROI projection for UBS. Needless to say, Noodle is not an
unbiased source; however, taken in conjunction with information from the sources listed on pages 1 and 2
of our report, it doesn’t seem unbelievable that substantial productivity increases would occur. And the
analysis does not account for less quantifiable effects on employee motivation. Potential increases in
organizational commitment are also ignored. Thus, while the analysis is optimistic and mostly ad hoc,
taken in conjunction with our other sources, it does provide some quantitative support for the software.
https://drive.google.com/a/uw.edu/file/d/0B1WWJVJj-
Et2dm5wdlB2a05iVzVjeW1ISTlZbTRKU0tRVzNZ/view?usp=sharing

8. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 8
8
Appendix C: A Brief Economic Analysis of a Mentoring Program
While the possible benefits of mentoring programs are nearly endless (a brief search of articles about the
benefits of mentoring produces dozens and dozens of possible benefits ranging from better knowledge
management to retention to team synergies), they aren’t always easily quantified--most evidence is
anecdotal. However,there have been several case studies. By far the best-known (“the Gartner Report”)
was completed at Sun Labs (a technology firm now owned by Oracle); employees at Sun Labs who were
assigned to the mentoring program were six times more likely to perform at a level necessary to be
promoted to the next salary level.21
Results implied an ROI in excess of 1,000%. Other studies have
produced similar results. It’s easy to see why ROI could be so high for a mentoring program. A mentoring
program is relatively low cost, but if mentees really gain knowledge and integrate well into the company
culture as a result, returns could be high. Let’s assume that UBS begins a mentoring program that pairs 15
mentees with 15 mentors. The mentors and mentees meet for an average of 60 minutes per week. Let’s
also assume that the average marginal product of labor for the mentors is $35 per hour, and the average
marginal product of mentees is $20 per hour. In that case,the weekly opportunity cost of the ninety
minutes of meetings is $27.5x30x1=$825. During the first month of the program, on average and in
aggregate,perhaps average mentee productivity increases by 5% to $21 per hour. The additional weekly
productivity is: $20x0.05x40x15=$600. Weekly losses from the program are $225. However, in the
second month, suppose that weekly productivity again increases by 5%,$1.05 higher than the previous
month. The weekly gains are now: $2.05x40x15=$1,230, $405 more than the opportunity cost of the
meetings. Even if weekly mentor-mentee meetings continue indefinitely and the mentees never make
additional productivity improvements, the program has positive net present value.
Note: We have provided no specific economic analysis of the costs and benefits of an annual company
barbeque. The only direct costs involved in a company barbeque are second-order; the total annual cost
21
“Workplace Loyalties Change, but the Value of Mentoring Doesn’t.” wharton.upenn.edu.16Mar. 2007. Web. 26
Feb. 2016.

9. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 9
9
might be around $400 (for reserving a space and for food), but the benefits, though impossible to track
precisely, could easily outweigh such a small amount.
Works Cited

10. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 10
10
Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 67, 101, 106, 116, 173, 189, 364, 546-547, 554. Organizational Behavior.
4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print.
“A Happy Staff is a Productive Staff: How to Motivate Employees.” smallbusiness.intuit.com. 2016.
Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Karl, Katherine A., and Joy V. Peluchette. “Attitudes Toward Workplace Fun: A Three Sector
Comparison” 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Karl, Katherine A., and Joy V. Peluchette. "Does Workplace Fun Buffer the Impact of Emotional
Exhaustion on Job Dissatisfaction?: A Study of Health Care Workers." Journal of Behavioral
and Applied Management 7.2:128-41. Web.
Keng, Fong. “Management & Leadership: Session 10: Motivation 2.” Retrieved from Lecture Notes.
Kessler,Sarah. “How to Start a Mentoring Program.” inc.com. 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Laudon, Kenneth and Jane 62-63. Management Information Systems. 14th ed. New Jersey:Prentice Hall,
2016. Print.
Mishra, Karen,Lois Boynton, and Aneil Mishra. "Driving Employee Engagement: The Expanded Role
Of Internal Communications." Journal Of Business Communication 51.2 (2014): 183-202.
Business Source Complete. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
“Noodle Intranet Software for the Enterprise” Noodle. Vialect Incorporated,2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

11. The #1 Team:
Odin Atkinson, Isabelle Hyatt, Mike Otgonbaatar,
Diana Rusnov, Kyle Walkley, Angelina Yeremeyeva 11
11
Phipps, Simone T. A., Leon C. Prieto, and Erastus N. Ndinguri. "Understanding The Impact Of Employee
Involvement On Organizational Productivity: The Moderating Role Of Organizational
Commitment." Journal Of Organizational Culture, Communications & Conflict 17.2 (2013):
107-120. Business Source Complete.Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
Schaefer,Jennifer. “The Real ROI For Wellness Programs.” shrm.org. 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb.
2016.
“The Social Economy: Unlocking Value and Productivity through Social Technologies.” McKinsey
Global Institute. July 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
Vanderkam, Laura. “Do Corporate Wellness Programs Really Boost Productivity?” 24 July 2014. Web.
27 Feb. 2016.
“Workplace Loyalties Change, but the Value of Mentoring Doesn’t.” wharton.upenn.edu.16 Mar. 2007.
Web. 26 Feb. 2016.