| Course | LSM 412 Management within the Lifespan Industry (LSM/412) |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Leading and motivation paper |
| Length | about 1,010 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Health Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for LSM 412 Week 3
Why Aides Stay: Leading and Motivating a Direct Care Team at an Adult Day Center, From Pay and Schedules to Recognition, Voice and a Path Forward
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
LSM/412: Management within the Lifespan Industry
Week 3 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The organization, its staff and its results are composites written for a model paper; theory and workforce data come from the sources listed.
The director of a composite adult day center lost 12 of her 23 aides in a year, a turnover rate of 52%. Each departure meant overtime for others, agency staff who did not know participants and families complaining that their relative's favorite aide was gone. Before planning anything, she read the exit interviews for the 11 aides who had given one. This paper describes how she applied the leading function of management to the problem.
What the Exit Interviews Said
Three themes appeared. First, schedules and pay: shifts changed week to week with the new extended hours, and several aides left for jobs paying a dollar or two more an hour. Second, feeling unheard: aides said problems they raised, such as too few staff at lunch, were ignored. Third, no future: aides saw no path beyond their current job.
The Market the Center Competes In
Direct care work is essential but poorly paid. Direct care wages remain low: the national median was $17.36 an hour in 2024, and because hours are often part-time and irregular, typical yearly earnings came to about $26,000, while the field expects millions of openings over the next decade (PHI, 2025). An aide can usually find another job within a week.
Applying the Two-Factor Theory
In the two-factor account, the factors that cause job dissatisfaction, such as pay, policies, supervision and working conditions, are different from those that motivate, such as achievement, recognition, responsibility and growth. Fixing dissatisfiers stops people from leaving for those reasons but does not by itself make them engaged; motivators do that (Herzberg, 1968). The exit interviews contained both: schedules and pay were dissatisfiers, while feeling unheard and having no future were missing motivators.
Leadership Style
A large review of leadership research in nursing work environments found that relational leadership styles were consistently associated with higher job satisfaction and better work environments than task-focused styles (Cummings et al., 2018). The director, who had managed mostly by assigning tasks and checking schedules, set out to lead differently: spending time on the floor, asking before deciding and explaining the reasons behind decisions.
Fixing Dissatisfiers: Schedules
The director built fixed schedules for three months at a time, posted two weeks ahead, and let aides trade shifts through a shared board. Extended-hours shifts were staffed by volunteers first, with a small differential.
Fixing Dissatisfiers: Pay
The budget could not match every competitor, but the board approved a wage step after six months and another after 18 months, and the organization began paying for aides' certification courses. These changes cost about $62,000 a year, less than the center had spent on agency aides the year before.
Building Motivators: Voice
Every shift now opens with a brief standing meeting where aides can raise problems, and she posted each issue with its status on a board. The lunch staffing problem was fixed within a week by moving an activity aide to the dining room from 11:30 to 1. Nothing builds trust faster than a problem raised on Monday and fixed by Friday.
Building Motivators: Recognition
Each month, aides nominated a colleague for specific acts, such as calming a distressed participant, and families' thank-you notes were read at huddles. Recognition was specific rather than general, naming what the person did and why it mattered to a participant.
Building Motivators: Growth
A career ladder was created: aide, senior aide with a peer mentoring role, shift lead and, with tuition help, activity coordinator or licensed practical nurse. Two aides enrolled in practical nursing school with the organization's support.
Handling a Conflict
Two senior aides clashed over who should handle participants with the most challenging behaviors, and newer aides felt caught between them. The director met each separately, then together, focusing on the shared goal of participants' calm and safety. They agreed to rotate the most demanding assignments weekly and to co-lead a training session on de-escalation. The conflict became a teaching opportunity.
Leading Through Others
The director could not be on the floor for every shift, so she invested in the shift leads and senior aides who would lead when she was absent. She met each weekly for 20 minutes to talk through problems, praised their judgment publicly when it was sound and corrected it privately when it was not. When a shift lead handled a family's angry complaint well at 6 p.m., the director asked her to describe the conversation at the next all-staff meeting, which did more for other shift leads' confidence than any training module.
Communication With the Whole Team
Beyond huddles, the director held a monthly all-staff meeting at two times so both early and late shifts could attend, shared the center's budget in simple terms and explained decisions she could not change, such as state staffing ratios.
Results After One Year
Turnover fell from 52% to 30%. Agency hours fell by two thirds. The staff engagement score rose from 3.2 to 3.9 on a five-point scale. Families' satisfaction with staff consistency rose from 71% to 86%. Two aides still left for higher pay at a hospital, a reminder of what leadership cannot fix alone. Exit interviews for those who left in the second year no longer mentioned schedules or feeling unheard, which suggested the changes had addressed the problems within the center's control.
Lessons
Diagnose before acting. Fix dissatisfiers first, because recognition means little to someone who cannot plan childcare around a changing schedule. Then build motivators. Lead on the floor, not only from the office. Measure the results and accept the limits.
Conclusion
Leading a direct care team begins with understanding why people leave. Applying the two-factor theory to exit interviews showed which problems were dissatisfiers and which were missing motivators, and research on relational leadership guided how the director led. Stable schedules, a wage step, a voice in daily decisions, recognition and a career ladder reduced turnover substantially, though pay competition remains a limit no single leader can remove.
References
Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 85, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.04.016
Herzberg, F. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review, 46(1), 53-62.
PHI. (2025). Direct care workers in the United States: Key facts 2025. https://www.phinational.org/resource/direct-care-workers-in-the-united-states-key-facts-2025/
What the LSM 412 Week 3 instructions ask
LSM 412 Week 3 commonly focuses on leading, the management function of influencing, motivating and communicating with staff. Students may be asked to explain leadership styles and motivation theories, describe communication and conflict management and apply them to staff in a lifespan organization, often direct care workers. Some versions ask how leaders support staff through change or reduce turnover, often in a setting the student knows from work. Strong papers apply at least one motivation theory to real causes of staff behavior, use evidence on leadership and outcomes, describe specific leader actions and measure their effect, and recognize the pressures direct care workers face.
How this LSM 412 Week 3 example is built
The paper opens with the director reading 11 exit interviews from the past year, one evening after the center closed. The reasons fall into three groups: unpredictable schedules and pay, feeling unheard by management and no path forward. Herzberg's two-factor theory sorts these into dissatisfiers the organization must fix and motivators it must build. National data on direct care wages and job openings show the market the center competes in. Research on leadership styles in care settings supports a relational approach. The director's actions are described one by one, with the reasoning behind each, including how she handled a conflict between two senior aides. One-year results and lessons close the paper.
LSM 412 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
The leading week is typically graded on the application of leadership and motivation theory to real staff issues. Instructors look for accurate theory, a clear link between theory and the causes of the problem, specific leader actions with reasons and some measure of results. Communication and conflict management earn credit when shown in action. Recognizing the realities of direct care work, such as pay, schedules and emotional demands, shows understanding of the industry. Research evidence on leadership and outcomes strengthens the paper. Organization and APA references round out the grade, and a short table matching causes to actions can help. Papers that list motivational ideas without linking them to causes, or that ignore pay entirely, usually fall short.
LSM 412 Week 3 help: mistakes to avoid
A common problem in LSM 412 Week 3 is recommending pizza parties and awards for a turnover problem caused by pay and schedules. Diagnose first: why do staff leave or disengage? Then apply a theory that fits, such as separating dissatisfiers from motivators. Leaders cannot fix every wage issue, but they can make schedules predictable and pay fair within budget. Show communication in practice, such as huddles or listening sessions. Describe a real conflict and how it was resolved. Use evidence on relational leadership. Measure results with turnover, vacancies or engagement scores. Finally, acknowledge what did not work, and what a leader cannot change alone, such as regional wage levels.
Related LSM 412 sample papers
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- LSM 412 Week 2: Organizing in the Lifespan Industry
- LSM 412 Week 4: Controlling in the Lifespan Industry
- LSM 412 Week 5: Marketing Lifespan Programs
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LSM 412 Week 3 questions, answered
What does LSM/412 Week 3 usually ask for?
Many sections ask students to apply the leading function of management, including leadership styles, motivation, communication and conflict management, to staff in a lifespan organization.
Where can I find a free LSM 412 Week 3 sample paper?
The adult day leadership paper is on this page and free to read, with margin notes linking each action to theory. We will draft your first leadership paper free.
What is Herzberg's two-factor theory?
Herzberg's idea that what stops people from being unhappy at work, fair pay, sensible rules, decent conditions, is not the same as what makes them committed, which is a sense of achievement, being recognized and room to grow.
Why is turnover high among direct care workers?
Low wages, unstable hours, physically and emotionally demanding work, limited advancement and feeling undervalued all contribute.
What leadership style works best in long-term care?
Research generally links relational styles, such as transformational leadership, with higher staff satisfaction and better work environments than task-focused styles.
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