Motivation Of Employees Report

Introduction:

Food, secure living place and power had always been the basic human needs since the advent of mankind on this planet. whereas, the main purpose of every task or work that a person gives priority to perform is the accomplishment of his basic needs, that is, any person will more willingly accept any task that could not only aid in fulfilling his food and safe living requirements but also could provide more opportunities to cater for his other needs as well.

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Among organizations, the organizational leaders and their employees work for the same purpose, that is, food, safe living and access to more amenities, but their working style is different. Organizational leaders invest capital, develop ideas and implement procedures to compose their ideas into a product or service that could earn them their basic needs and other desires. Whereas, the employees have to work on their employers implemented plans and designed procedures to achieve the organization’s targets, to fulfill the requirements of their own basic needs.

Organizational leaders to achieve their goals, requires complete focus, devotion and loyalty of their employees, whereas employees won’t be able to contribute their full efforts to aid the organization in achieving its targeted goals unless they are assured that their basic requirements like food, safe living, health and other amenities could be achieved successfully. As such, organizational leaders adopt varied techniques and strategies to guarantee not only the achievement of the basic needs to their employees but also other benefits to enhance their devotion and efforts, which would not only benefit the organization but the employees as well.

Motivation:

An encouragement or a want that compels an individual for a specific performance or action can be termed as motivation. Motivation can be defined as the process to make a start, guides, and maintain goal-oriented behaviors (Gopalan et al, 2017). For a successful completion of any task or action, element of motivation is of great significance. In simple words motivation can be interpreted as the main driving force for the attainment of specific goals.

Motivation appears in different forms in accordance with the personal desire or goals of an individual performing a particular task, job or learning. For instance, for a student motivation is the appeal of prosperous career, for a soldier motivation is capturing enemy’s lands, for an employee motivation is the attainment of his food and better living needs, and for an entrepreneur motivation is achieving a leading market position among the competitors. Hence, an effective motivation will aid in accomplishing the desired goals.

Among organizations employee’s motivation is the main factor that influence their performance. Acknowledging the importance of the employees in an organization, the organizational leaders implement varied plans to enhance employee’s motivation making them more productive.

Theories of Motivation:

Different scholars and researchers have presented varied theories to elaborate the types of motivation and its impact on an individual’s performance.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

Around 1940 – 1950, Abraham Maslow developed a pyramid of needs to explain the factors that motivates an employee in an organization or in practical life (McGuire, p. 3, 2011). Maslow’s theories illustrate that at different levels an individual is motivated by different needs. The pyramid of needs implies that the particular motivation technique utilized for a given person should depend on where the person stands for in the pyramid of needs (Badiru, p. 65, 2012).

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According to Maslow’s needs theory, an individual’s needs are arranged in a hierarchy in a pyramid structure from the lower level physiological needs to the higher-level needs of self-actualization (Ozguner & Ozguner, p. 208, 2014). Food, shelter, and peaceful life being the basic needs of an individual are placed in the first or lowest level of the pyramid, the same are also regarded as the most fundamental motivating factors. Whereas, once the basic needs are fulfilled, individual’s needs are upgraded moving to upper level that is once a need is met, it is removed from the need list and a new need emerges (Camilius, p. 87. 2011).

The second level of needs in pyramid of needs is the safety and security, that is job satisfaction, healthy living, satisfactory economic condition and well-being. As stated by Smart (p. 127, 2012) that when one need is met, the individual will then become motivated to fulfill higher level needs. Thus, now the second level would be the motivating factor for the individual.

According to Maslow’s theory, one does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied or the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on (Jerome, p. 41, 2013). Hence, which level could be motivating for an individual depends on what he had achieved and what are his new wants. As such, for individuals at different levels their motivating factors would also be different.

McGregor’s Theories X and Y:

Theories X and Y developed by Douglas McGregor in 1960, illustrates two varied aspects of human behavior at work, the negative termed as Theory X, and the positive aspect termed as Theory Y (Christiana, p. 153, 2017). Theory X is concerned with a particular group of employees among organizations who are least focused or devoted towards their assigned tasks. As job security is the only priority for such class of employees, they cannot be inspired by any motivational factor. According to the Theory X, the same class of employees could only be persuaded for a better performance through punishments and constant directions by the concerned managers.

Whereas, according to Theory Y, employees who enjoys their work contribute their sincere efforts for the performance of their tasks aiding the organization in achieving its goals. Such employees need acknowledgment of their efforts in the form of rewards or granting self-authority, which will enhance their commitment to their job and loyalty for the organization.

Herzberg’s Motivation Theory:

Herzberg’s theory also called as a Two Factor Theory, defines two individual factors, one could motivate the employees, while the other could restrict or minimize the employee’s performance as required by the organization. The main hypothesis of Herzberg’s theory was that certain factors lead to positive attitudes towards work, and others lead to negative attitudes (Alshmemri, Akl, Maude, p. 12, 2017).

The two factors presented by Herzberg’s theory are Motivators and Hygiene factors. Motivators are composed of the elements that encourages an employee to pour in more efforts for their task and enhances his loyalty with the organization. Main elements of motivators are growth opportunities, acknowledgment of efforts, achievements, work itself, and responsibility. For instance, among organizations offering opportunities for the employees to enhance their skills or providing safe and favorable working conditions, employees are compelled to devote more energy for the performance of their task, thus their productivity would be as required by the organization.

Whereas, the Hygiene factor is comprised of elements like organizational policies, work conditions, security, salary packages, relationship with the management or coworkers and supervision, which if not favorable may decline the devotion and productivity of the employees.

Needs that motivate the employees most:

Every single individual is working for the accomplishment of his needs, and so are the employees. Employees when are assured that they would be able to fulfill their needs upon reaching a specific performance level they would utilize all their skills and knowledge to reach the required performance level to satisfy their needs. Thus, it is the urge of fulfillment of needs that motivates an employee.

In consideration of the above-mentioned motivation theories, job security, safe working environment, growth opportunities, performance acknowledgment, and most importantly food and healthy living are the most preferred needs that motivates an employee.

Reward an effective mode of motivation:

According to Child (p. 172, 2015) rewards are in principle intended to encourage the type of behavior that precedes them. Reward is undoubtedly a compelling factor for the employees to enhance their devotion and efforts towards the organization’s goals. This may be in the form of salary, bonus, incentive, training, mentoring, and other developmental opportunities (Gallo, 2011). Employees of organizations having an efficient reward system are more productive, whereas it is the manager who decides that which form of reward would be more motivating for which level of employee.

Though, rewards are an encouragement for the employees, but simply relying on rewards is not enough. As for some employee’s rewards could be least appealing in the absence of other factors like safe working environment, salary packages, relationship with the coworkers and the management, and other organization’s policies. For instance, in an organization where proper safety protocols are not followed or there’s communication gap among the employees and the management the employees would be least motivated to perform under such conditions.

Incentives to influence employee behavior:

Employees are always captivated to the incentives that accomplishes their main needs or desires, it could be in the form of cash, salary increment, promotion, training or a leisure family vacation. To influence an employee’s behavior, I would firstly analyze their needs, then accordingly would decide the most appropriate form of inventive that could effectively motivate the employee. However, my personal preference would be further training of the employee entitling him for a promotion to upper level.

Moreover, employees when considered for any decision-making procedure or are consulted for modifications in policies their trust with the organization is strengthened and enhances their devotion for the organization’s goals. Besides, other rewards I would take onboard my employees for decision making processes to enhance their motivation and loyalty with the organization.

Part 2.

How important do you think group identification really is to an individual’s motivation to work on a task? Do you think this could differ between individuals? What other factors would be relevant?

Importance of group identification for an individual’s motivation:

Groups are formed for the accomplishment of a common goal. Thus, all group members should be jointly contributing their individual skills and knowledge for the same goal. However, the level of each member’s contribution may not be the same, as besides the group’s common goal individual member may have their own specific goals as well. some people on a common job have high satisfaction, whereas others have low satisfaction (Salvendy, p. 458, 2012). As such group identification is of significance for motivating individual group members enhancing their efforts and devotion for the group’s common goal.

Moreover, as personal goals or needs are different among the individuals in a group, as such their factors of motivation would also be different. How an individual group member could be motivated would be based on the level of his needs as mentioned in Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Whereas, besides routine rewards or compensations, developing effective communication among the group members, promoting support of each other and sharing of personal expertise would also be effective for motivating individuals in a group.

Alignment between the argument posed by Fishbach and colleagues with other theories of motivation:

Fishback and colleagues argued that though feedback, setting goals and implementing incentives are regarded as an effective motivating factor but employing the same without proper guidelines or consideration of group identification of an individual member may produce a negative outcome. Though in most of the other theories of motivation the same factor has also been highlighted as an effective factor for individual’s motivation but have not clearly mentioned the situations making the same motivating factors least effective.

Strategies to improve group identification, goal commitment and member motivation working in a group:

Group identification is most important as it enables to determine the personal needs and level of motivation. Besides going through the personal profiles of each group member, I will establish an efficient communication system among the group members, encouraging them to share their viewpoints, ideas or suggestion. It will also aid in group identification of the individual group members.

Secondly, for an effective joint effort all group members must be clear with the group’s objective. In reference with the organization’s policies, outcomes of achieved goal, common reward for the group and for each individual member, and through discussions the targeted goal will be stated to the group members. Once the goals are clearly understood, members would align their skills and knowledge jointly for accomplishment of the group’s objectives.

Considering the personal needs of individual group members, it is not necessary that the planned common reward for the group would be motivating for all group members. As such in taking support of group identification, need of each individual member would be analyzed to determine the most appropriate motivating factor for individual members of the group.

 References:

Alshmemri, M., Akl, L. S., Maude, P. (2017) Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Life Science Journal, 14(5), 1-5. https://www.lifesciencesite.com/lsj/life140517/03_32120lsj140517_12_16.pdf

Badiru, A. B (2012) Project Management: Systems, Principles, and Applications. CRC Press: USA.

Camilius, E. C (2011) The Epistemology of Motivation. Xlibris Corporation: USA.

Christiana, M. B. V (2017) Organizational Behaviour. Educreation Publishing: India.

Child, J (2015) Organization. John Wiley & Sons: UK.

Gopalan, V., Bakar, J. A. A., Zulkifli, A. N., Alwi, A., Mat, R. C 2017, A Review of the Motivation Theories in Learning, The 2nd International Conference on Applied Science and Technology, pp. 2-8. https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.5005376

Gallo, F. T (2011) Business Leadership in China. John Wiley & Sons: Singapore.

Jerome, N. (2013). Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture, human resource and employee’s performance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention. 2(3), 39-45. www.ijbmi.org Volume 2 Issue 3 ǁ March. 2013ǁ PP.39-45

McGuire, K. J (2011) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. GRIN Verlag GmbH: Germany.

Ozguner, Z., Ozguner, M. (2014). ‘A Managerial Point of View on the Relationship between of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Dual Factor Theory’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5(7), 1-9. Retrieved from https://ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_5_No_7_June_2014/26.pdf

Smart, J (2012) Disability Across the Developmental Life Span. Springer Publishing: USA.

Salvendy, G (2012) Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics. John Wiley: USA.