Research Topics: Motivation Theories

Correlation of motivation, reward and performance

Correlation of motivation, reward and performance

ARTICLE REVIEW: HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR PROBLEM PEOPLE

How to Motivate Your Problem People An Article Review.               Running a company is hard. But running the people that help make the company run is even harder. According to , its easy to motivate people to do things your way when they really like what they are doing, but there are those exceptional few who eat up most of you time but don’t seem to move an inch in productivity rate.  probes into the issue of those people who, more or less, lacks the proper motivational urges to make any movements in their chosen fields.             According to , there are three stages in attacking the said problem:             <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none"> Create a rich picture – try to delve into the inner world of your employee. Try to see what makes him do things, and not just do things, but do things with vigor, outside work. Once that has been done, figure out a way into which this employee could harbor the same vigor into doing his assign work.</li> </ul> Of course, another aspect should be considered into having this undertaking. Try to asses your image to your employees. Do you do your part in motivating them? Do you create an environment that helps them be motivated at work?     <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none"> Reframe your goals Try to be open-minded on the issue. Perhaps other people have better ideas to add motivation to others. Be careful in listening to the problem employee when you choose to discuss the issue. He may have ideas that can bring motivation into his work. And of course, never forget the central issue and the possible solutions that you have. Always focus on the major issue.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none"> Stage the encounter –The stage wherein you have formal colloquy with the employee. Make sure that when this stage is reached, you talk about how you can create this “rich picture” and the considerations that has been done in order to reconstruct these goals.  This is the perfect opportunity in which you could talk about the contributions of the employee to the company and the need to remedy the situation the problem employee has posed.  reminds us that the conversation should be a “two-way street” in which both of you have active involvement.</li> </ul>    is not arguing that every situation similar to this can be solved. Each case is unique. It’s up to the manager on how he handles the operation. , does however provide counsel on how to wholly understand the situation and to gather enough perspective before making the right decision.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

ARTICLE REVIEW: HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR PROBLEM PEOPLE

How to Motivate Your Problem People An Article Review. Running a company is hard. But running the people that help make t...

Effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success

Chapter 1 Introduction Today’s organizations, leaders, managers, and other employees are under tremendous pressure from markets, customers, and competition to bring needed changes to their organizations. It has been our experience that an organization’s change agents do not intentionally go about creating more frustration for their employees. They desperately want to involve people in the increasing number of change issues that are employees who are ready to put themselves wholeheartedly into the effort to bring about the required changes rather than employees who sit back or on the sidelines and take the attitude of this too shall pass (2002). Simply getting employee buy-in has been the keystone of most change efforts to date. Change agents must move toward deeply involving employees in the change process itself, creating a critical mass of highly energetic employees who help design, sell, implement, evaluate, resell, and support change in the organization. Increasing employee involvement means going beyond the one or two handfuls of individuals that are typically involved as change agents and involving hundreds, even thousands, of employees, suppliers and customers (2002).    In practical terms, increasing involvement means expanding the notion of who is expected to participate in every phase of the change process. One way of increasing involvement is to make an informed, upfront effort to include new and different voices. Another way is by expanding the number of employees in order to create a critical mass for change so that the few change agents are no longer left in the position of deciding for the many, which is what typically happens in many exchange efforts. In addition to creating a critical mass for change, achieving maximum employee involvement also enhances innovation, adaptation, learning, and a change agent mind-set within the organization’s employees. In the end, by inviting and building in employee involvement, employees are able to influence the needed changes and make things happen. In any case, both sets of information are necessary to address today’s systemic change issues (2002). Changing the way people manage change also means that organizations must continue to eliminate boundaries or barriers between themselves and outside stakeholders. In the new economy organizations must be more sensitive to the reality that these outsiders care about the way the organization operates (2002).   Often accompanying the employee involvement misconception is the fear that if outsiders are included in the need to change or in the change process, the organization will be airing its dirty laundry in public, thus alienating some of the very people who are necessary to its success (2002).  In every successful business there are employees who participate well in various transactions and procedures. These employees provide a distinct advantage to the company over its competitors.  For employees to participate they have to be properly motivated, encouraged and satisfied. This research study will take a look at the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success. Problem statement There are different factors that contribute for a business to be successful. One factor is the strategies the business use; another factor is its brand name and image, moreover a factor can be the quality of the product and lastly a factor that contribute for a business to be successful can be the relation of the company with the society. One business that has benefited from the different factors of business success is Bahrain’s duty free businesses. This group of businesses will not be successful if its employees will not cooperate for the achievement of the company’s goal. Good employees are not easily acquired they have to be motivated and satisfied for them  to provide the best service to the company. In lieu of this the paper will correlate the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction with Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success.   Research questions Generally the paper intends to find out about the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success. Specifically, the study will try to answer the following questions:  <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What constitutes the motivation strategies used by various companies?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What motivates the employees of Bahrain’s Duty free?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> How does Bahrain duty free give job satisfaction to their employees?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Which job satisfaction strategies work well towards the employees of Bahrain duty free? </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What makes Bahrain duty free successful?</li> Aims and objectives The study intends to get the appropriate data to help in making the proper assessment. While the research questions were stated, they nevertheless only referred to the information that the researcher intended to question. The objectives, however, will focus on the necessary problems and objectives that should be clarified in order to gather the intended information and also be able to derive specific information that are not limited by the previous questions. With these objectives, the study will be able to attain the necessary information that can help derive further conclusions and proper recommendations. The aims and objectives of the study include: <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%"> To determine what Bahrain Duty Free do to motivate their employees. </li> 2.    To determine the actions taken by Bahrain Duty Free to provide job satisfaction to their employees. <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%"> To determine and assess the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction on Bahrain Duty Free’s success </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%"> To identify how successful the company is and how the employees contribute to the success of the company. </li>   Importance of the Study             The study is important to Bahrain’s duty free business since they can know how employee motivation and job satisfaction can affect the company’s status. The management of the duty free shop can see the difference of the time they were not using employee motivation and job satisfaction concepts with the time they began using such concepts. This study can provide management of Bahrain’s duty the ability to gauge how satisfied and motivated their employees are. The study can help management know whether their employees are still motivated and it will provide the management information about the level of satisfaction the employees have.  With the establishment of the goals given, this study may also be of importance to the goals that have been set. By fulfilling the aims that were stated in the previous section, this study will be helpful for other researchers who may be focusing on the current customer orientated strategies, and innovation being ultimately destructive to the principles of sustainability or of other areas especially with regards to the method of gathering the information. Such data will hopefully be helpful for researchers in establishing their own means of conducting their study. As such, the notable significance of this study is the possibility that it may be able to use the findings for the other studies that may wish to analyze the factors for the success or demise of a particular study.   The methods that this study will take must also be credible and help researchers in knowing how to look for particular information and know how to analyze them. It is through this that researchers will then be able to find out how they will be able to focus on their particular investigation and also know the possible methods that they may choose in the possible time that they may choose to already conduct their study. Thus, another significance of this study is to serve as a guide for researches that focus on the analysis of the success of certain corporations as they venture into internationalization, and especially focus on the possible factors that may have affected these companies’ success or downfall. Scope of the study The study intends to determine the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s business success. The study limits itself on gathering information from the employees and the management of Bahrain Duty Free. The employees will be helpful in knowing how are they motivated and satisfied by the company. At the same time the study will help to find out how do the different managers motivate their staff and how successful the motivation strategies were. The study limits itself to interviewing most probably a hundred (100) respondents to minimize the time and expenses that will be used in the study. The 100 respondents would be compassed of around 90 staff and 10 managers. By having lesser people as respondents the study will not waste time in interviewing more people that has different ideas and concepts. More interviewees means more ideas and it might get mixed up and cause more problems to the study. With the study having lesser participants means that the researchers will not have a hard time in spending for more materials and other forms needed.   Methodology Type of research The research process onion of (2003) will guide the study in order to come up with the most suitable research approaches and strategies for this study. The research process union will be used as a basis to show the conceptualization of the most applicable research approaches and strategies that will lead to the gathering of the necessary data needed to answer the research questions stated, as well as to arrive to the fulfillment of this research undertaking’s objectives. The research will use the descriptive method to determine the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s business success. Descriptive research tries to explore the cause of a particular event or situation. It also wants to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study (1994). In addition, such method tries to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the participants of the research. Basically, a descriptive research utilizes observations and surveys. For this reason, the study calls for the use of this approach because it is a goal of the study to gather first hand information from the company managers and other people knowledgeable about risk management and financial stability.   The descriptive approach is also quicker and more practical in terms of financing. Moreover, this method will allow for a flexible approach, thus, when important new issues, probabilities, and questions come up during the duration of the study, a further investigation and confirmation may be allowed. Lastly this type of approach will allow for decisions to drop unproductive areas of research from the original plan of the study. The choice and design of methods are constantly modified during data gathering based on continuing analysis. This will give way for creation of an investigation of important new issues, concerns, probabilities and questions as they arose.  Research Strategy For this research data will be gathered through collating published studies from different books, articles from different related journals and studies, and other literary instruments. The next thing that will be done is to make a content analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material. The study will then summarize all the necessary information. By summarizing it additional knowledge of the study will be imparted to me. The study will then make a conclusion based on the said information.   Data Collection and Analysis The study shall use survey using questionnaires for the employees and management to gather pertinent data, and questionnaire to the managerial level. The survey and the questionnaire will be made in such a way that participants will spend less time in answering it. Moreover, the study shall also use previous studies and compare it to its existing data in order to provide conclusions and competent recommendations. Survey can be done either by personal survey, telephone survey, self administered questionnaire, mailed questionnaire, and email questionnaire.   Primary Data The primary source of data will come from a survey using the questionnaire that will be conducted. The primary data frequently gives the detailed definitions of terms and statistical units used in the survey. These are usually broken down into finer classifications. The primary source of data will give actual responses from various people who encounter different kinds of things.  The primary source of data will provide answers not found in written documents or other written source of information. This kind of data will give a further understanding of the situation.   Secondary Data The secondary source of data will come from researches done by the organization, previous studies and surveys. Acquiring secondary data are more convenient to use because they are already condensed and organized. This kind of data can be found anywhere. The researchers work for same organization and because of this they would have access to the needed data at any time needed. It saves more time and effort.   Sampling To determine the number of respondents that will be asked to participate and give information regarding the study random sampling will be used. The participants are different people working in Bahrain Duty Free and the different managers in there. As much as possible the respondents should at least have been serving in the company for more than one year so that accurate data can be achieved. The respondents should have been in the company for more than a year so that the information that can be gathered from them will be tested by time and improved by the different experiences they had with the company. Data analysis Data gathered will be analyzed through frequency distributions. This procedure of analyzing the data will give way to reviewing the data categories and the number of referrals in each category. With relation to data analysis, the indicators that will be used in evaluating the study include the age of the respondent; the gender of the respondent, the social status of the respondent; the educational attainment of the respondents; the position of the respondents in the company and the number of years the respondent served as an employee of the company.   Time frame The first thing to be done is to collect necessary data and information. This includes colleting data from primary and secondary sources. Within this time frame the questionnaire has been formulated and ready for use, the survey will be conducted to the respondents. After gathering such data the next thing to be done is analyzing it to use it in the study. This will be done for a month. The next activity is formulating the first two chapters. Within the said activity the data is integrated with the research, and the related literature is included. This will be done in 2 weeks. The next activity is formulating the last few chapters of the study wherein the data gathered from the survey is integrated and the analysis of the data is included in the research. This will be done for at least 3 weeks to ensure that the study is done well.  The last activity is finalizing the paper and preparation to present the results of the study. Chapter 2 Review of related literature This section of the study primarily focuses on the different researches and other literatures that focused on several aspects that will help with the progression of this study. With the topic mainly concerning on the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success, the paper’s main aim is to determine appropriate information that can help in the study of the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success The literatures presented will come from books, journals, and reports that are deemed to be helpful in the advancement of awareness concerning the subject.   Bahrain and Duty Free Through the amount of space it allocates to concessions and through the locations chosen the airport authority attempts to convert passengers and others into potential customers. The concessionaire’s role is to induce potential customers to become actual customers and to spend as much as possible. They do this through the ways they display and offer their goods or services, through the range of goods on offer, through their pricing strategy and ultimately through their skill and professionalism as retailers or providers of services (1992). Current retailing practice favors the former but the more expensive the goods offered the more customers expect service from high-quality sales staff. Thus if a shop is selling expensive perfumes or high-fashion goods experienced assistants will help push up sales rather than leaving customers to pick out goods for themselves from accessible displays. The layout of shops is also important particularly for those selling a wide range of products such as duty-free shops. Customers must be encouraged to browse and to see as many goods on offer as possible (1992).The range of goods on offer at both landside and airside shops clearly must impact on the total turnover of concessionaires and therefore on the airport’s concession revenue. The number of shops and the size of shops available, which are both dependent on the airport authority, limit what can be offered (1992).    But within these physical constraints at any airport, the concessionaires and the airport’s commercial managers must together consider what types of shops, and for that matter catering outlets, should be offered and what range and quality of goods each should sell. The goods on offer must be matched to the target markets be they passengers or airport employees or visitors. The pricing of goods and services will also impact on sales. Staffing costs of airport shops or service desks is high because of the long opening hours, sometimes requiring three shifts, and the need to stay open on weekends and public holidays. Despite this, it is important to ensure that in the landside shops and catering outlets prices are no higher than in comparable city-centre shopping areas (1992).The quality of the personnel employed by concessionaires also helps in generating sales. Passengers, in particular, are demanding and have high expectations. Concessionaires must make sure that they have highly motivated and efficient staff. This is easier to do if the concession contracts let out by the airport are rather longer than three years or less. Employers may also have to offer bonuses or commissions of various kinds to motivate their staff in view of the fact that they are required to work unsocial hours and that staff facilities at airports are often relatively poor because of the shortage of space (1992). The duty free of Bahrain provides various products for different consumers.  It boasts of a 24 hour duty free shopping. It has an online pre ordering service wherein clients before arriving at the airport can make their orders on the product they want.  It also has staffs that are friendly and they provide various advices.   Competitive strategy A customer may defect to a competitor even if satisfied with the current provider because the competitor may be offering a value bundle with the perceived potential for a higher degree of satisfaction for that customer. Therefore, firms have to strive to achieve higher levels of satisfaction than their competition by providing superior customer value. This is the essence of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Technology alone will not provide a competitive advantage ( 2003). The combination of superior technology and superior employees with a service orientation will contribute to achieving sustainable competitive advantage. It also quickly becomes evident that they need suppliers as well as distributors and agents who have a similar and compatible culture. Thus, there are two strong themes in any discussion of creating superior customer value at a sustainable profit and this includes a customer-focus imperative and a service orientation ( 2003). If all aspects of the firm and how the firm creates and delivers value to the customer are focused on the customer, the firm can provide a superior level of customer value. Such a firm is well positioned for a sustainable competitive advantage. A customer focus necessitates a deep understanding of customers and their activities, interests, and opinions around the particular value or solution that the firm is providing. It should be an attitude that is pervasive and that permeates throughout the firm such that it becomes ingrained as a culture. Once this focus becomes a given, then the firm will find itself in the mode of serving the customer while ensuring a reasonable profit ( 2003).   Every firm in any industry provides some customer value. The firm that provides superior customer value is the one that has a sustainable competitive advantage. Firms compete with each other on differentiable aspects of the total solution. If organizations can conceptualize that every product has parts that are commodities and parts that differentiate it from others, superior value is in the augmented product, not in the conceptual core ( 2003). As firms focus on customer needs and become service oriented to deliver satisfaction, there are favorable ripple effects throughout the firm. Consistent delivery of customer satisfaction persuades customers to be loyal because perceived risk in buying a product from that firm is substantially reduced. By way of their continued patronage, they become more valuable to the firm. When customers are loyal to the provider by choice, it is also in their best interest to support the provider because the prosperity and longevity of the provider is beneficial to the customer ( 2003). Similarly, with regard to employees, research has shown that when employee satisfaction is high employees are more likely to be loyal to the company. When employee loyalty is high, employees are likely to be more productive and to be providing quality products and does for the customer and everything associated with it ( 2003).  Companies cannot survive without an effective competitive strategy; an effective competitive strategy gives a company an easier chance of attaining its goal with lesser focus on the problems they have. A company that is wiling to use a competitive strategy must create changes in its internal environment. In doing this every aspect of the business can be checked before the strategies can be used for success in the firm.   Changes in workforce Organizations are downsizing, restructuring, merging, and reinventing themselves. Mid-level management layers are diminishing. Functions are being eliminated and replaced by online automation and networked infrastructures. Knowledge workers with technological and people skills must manage processes and themselves in cyberspace with speed, efficiency, and accuracy. These and other changes continue to impact the relationships, rights, and obligations between employee stakeholders and organizations. Organizations saw their workforce as permanent, and tried to build loyalty among employees by making financial investments in training and by providing guaranteed long-term employment (2003). Employees were committed to the organization and expected steady advancement up the corporate ladder. The seeds of change are taking root, and with these changes new social contracts are developing between organizations and their members. No longer is the traditional social contract that once existed between the organization and the employee valid. Changes like those cited thus far have profoundly changed the ways in which organizations and their employees relate (2003). Three decades ago, employees stayed in the same company for years, and those companies rewarded that loyalty by offering job stability, a decent wage, and good benefits. Today’s typical worker has had nine jobs by the age of 30. The workforce of today is more mobile, less loyal, and more diverse. Their trust in their employers has eroded over the past twenty years to the point where only 38 percent of employees surveyed felt their employer was committed to them. Today’s employees aren’t looking for a promise of lifetime employment. Instead, they are seeking competitive pay and benefits coupled with opportunities for professional growth (2003).   They want employers who provide them with opportunities, recognize their accomplishments, and communicate openly and honestly. These workforce changes have contributed to a newly emerging social contract between employers and employees. Employee stakeholders today are more sensitive about employee rights Issues because of experiences like those of the new hires and the new social contract. Employee rights may be afforded on the basis of economic, legal, or ethical sources of justification. Failure to understand and effectively manage the rights of employees can create many ethical dilemmas for organizations and further strain the social contract with employees (2003). Many social investors are concerned about the ethics, social responsibility, and reputation of organizations in which they invest; and a growing corps of brokers, financial planners, portfolio managers, asset management, and mutual funds have made themselves available to help investors evaluate investments and purchase stock in ethical organizations for their social impacts (2003). As the world changes so thus the situation in the workplace changes particularly the attitudes of personnel. Personnel of this generation have changed the way they beliefs with regard to opportunities. The personnel of this generation are more peculiar on opportunities rather than loyalty.   HR practices and its role in a company Human resources play a critical role in developing and implementing organizational strategies and structures. Successful HR professionals will be those who can align their organizational HR practices with the unique demands of team-based organizational structures. In addition to recognizing and adapting the assumptions on which they base their practices, HR professionals must also modify those practices to support teams. The practices to be modified cluster in five areas: recruitment and selection; task design; training; evaluation; and compensation. During recruitment, organizations aspiring to create a workforce of effective team members should clearly communicate the importance of these proficiencies (1999).The second set of practices that must be modified relate to task design. Effective teams are designed around the tasks they perform. Two key considerations are that teams should be relatively self contained and handle many aspects of their own functioning. First, teams should be collectively responsible for an identifiable and substantial part of the work of the organization. To the extent possible, support services should be included in the team so that it has the resources necessary to accomplish its goals ( 1999).    Training constitutes a third set of practice modifications for effective team implementation. There is often a mistaken belief that people who are highly educated have the basic skills to work effectively in team settings. In fact, highly specialized individuals are often used to working alone and may lack some of the basic interpersonal skills necessary for collaboration. Training programs designed for interpersonal skills in teams take one of two approaches that includes traditional classroom instruction in which a lecturer delivers material about techniques or strategies for working in teams and creative off-site team-building sessions in which teams participate in athletic, artistic, or competitive activities unrelated to their actual day-to-day responsibilities (1999).   A fourth set of practices that must be modified involves evaluation. If organizations wish to motivate teamwork, they must incorporate teamwork into their appraisal systems. It is important that the appraisal system not only reward good team players but also discourage behaviors that are not conducive to team effectiveness. An organization-specific job analysis should be conducted to determine the precise nature of the behavioral and performance measures to be included in the appraisal form for each individual team member. A final set of HR practices that should be examined when implementing teams pertains to compensation. Good practices for rewarding team performance require good processes for defining what the performance should be and for measuring and evaluating the performance ( 1999). The HR practices dictate the performance of the employees.  An HR practice that is based on proper governance provides good employees that any company can rely upon. The role of the HR is to make sure that the duty free staff will still listen and follow the changes initiated by the company.   Welfare of employees The argument that welfare work was a business proposition, not charity, shifted responsibility from the shoulders of the individual entrepreneur to the more abstract entity of the modern corporation. Welfare work took shape as company- or plant-wide policy rather than as special favors granted on a case-by-case basis at the employer’s discretion. Whereas nineteenth-century employers had exercised benevolent paternalism as isolated individuals, those who engaged in welfare work participated in a national movement that defined labor relations as an essential management responsibility. A few firms adopted employment stabilization as a conscious part of their welfare programs. Welfare managers used their understanding of the relationship between home and work lives to argue for shorter hours as well. Although higher wages, steady employment, and shorter hours were deemed essential, welfare advocates never believed that these alone could solve the labor problem (2002).Welfare advocates offered workers a broad agenda of programs designed to inculcate the middle-class work ethic and foster a desire for a middle-class standard of living. Of the two strategies, economic and cultural, the latter proved to be the most popular among welfare advocates and came to dominate the actual practice of welfare work ( 2002).   Two factors account for this development. Most obviously, employers resisted both the challenge to their authority and the costs associated with raising wages, stabilizing employment, and shortening hours. Hired welfare workers generally reinforced their employers’ preference for cultural strategies over economic ones. On a practical level this minimized the potential for conflict between welfare workers and their employers.  It focused the welfare worker’s energies in an arena where she, rather than her employer, could claim expertise teaching and enforcing proper standards of conduct. Welfare workers supported decisions to charge all expenditures for employee welfare to a single welfare account. There was little dispute that some features, such as libraries and company bands, should be charged to welfare work. However, features that touched production phases of a firm’s operations could generate controversy (2002). While welfare workers placed better lighting, ventilation, and clean drinking water high on their list of priorities, these often required structural improvements that were traditionally charged to production departments. Production managers naturally had little interest in seeing welfare managers make decisions that affected their departmental costs. Welfare workers, on the other hand, recognized that if such costs were included in their own budgets, they would have greater control over employee welfare, as well as preclude some of the opposition from line managers (2002).   Conflicts between welfare workers and employers have received little attention because both contemporaries and historians have assumed that welfare workers acted simply as surrogates for their busy employers. The fact that employers were among the most prominent advocates of the welfare system has further reinforced assumptions that businessmen and welfare workers acted in unison. Progressive employers seemed to confirm these perceptions when they joined welfare workers in publicly admonishing fellow businessmen to change their managerial practices. Assumptions about the affinity between employers and welfare workers are, to a large extent, accurate. However, the actual practice of welfare work quickly exposed the very different interpretations each had of the other’s responsibilities (2002). As welfare workers developed their maternal role to better fit both the corporate setting and their own ambitions, they recast themselves as indispensable members of the managerial bureaucracy. Employers, however, rarely accepted them on these terms. Although they expected significant economic benefits from their welfare programs, few employers accorded labor relations the same importance as their production, or even accounting, departments. In their own minds they appointed welfare workers to pursue essentially maternal, not business, tasks to establish personal relations with employees, teach good work habits, and foster company loyalty. While this might require skills that they and their shop-floor managers did not possess, employers rarely thought of these as business skills. These differences between welfare workers and employers contributed their own dynamic to the welfare system and, ultimately, inhibited its potential to restructure labor-management relations (2002). An important thing that business owners should be concerned of is the welfare of the employees. Employees who are properly cared for can work well and they can be an asset of the company.    Employee Motivation Managers who want their employees to participate in performance growth and development plans need to recognize that employees have reasons for everything they do. Managers should realize that employees choose to perform the way they do because of some internal or external motivation. Employees participate when the goal they have chosen to pursue is attainable. To ensure greater participation, managers must understand this simple motivational principle. Employee motivation can be greatly enhanced when managers understand the seven assumptions that underlie change behavior (1999).  First, employees are motivated to change their behavior when given clear, sharply focused objectives. Employees are not encouraged to participate in change activities when they are written in ambiguous, unmeasurable terms. Managers who help identify skill gaps and work closely with their employees in the construction of performance objectives that are clear and precise have a much better opportunity to enhance employee growth and development (1999).Second, employees need to thoroughly understand how to perform their jobs correctly. Employees need to know not only what to do but also how to accomplish the task. Any attempt to motivate an employee to change without adhering to this basic assumption may be counterproductive. Most employees want to perform their jobs correctly. Failing to tell them exactly what to do and how to do it will serve as a demotivator. Third, employees are more likely to change their performance behaviors when they are given opportunities to participate in problem solving and decision-making activities that directly affect them (1999).    Employees need to be given the authority to make decisions about how to improve their performance. Fourth, change requires personal commitment for action, which obligates managers to secure employee buy-in prior to the creation of growth and development plans. In this way, employees own the learning acquisition and transfer process. Fifth, managers must clearly communicate positive and negative rewards that are linked directly to performance improvement. Care must be taken when identifying rewards to ensure that correct behavior is rewarded rather than punished (1999). Sixth, managers must demonstrate patient, persistent follow-through when providing positive feedback and reinforcement. Seventh, managers need to be realistic regarding the types of rewards offered, while acting within their discretion and authority. It is counterproductive to offer promotions, merit pay, bonuses, or other material rewards if they cannot be granted to employees. False hopes or expectations lead to distrust and the deterioration of synergistic relationships (1999). To motivate employees, companies should first know the behaviors of employees and why it changes. By doing this companies can know how to approach a certain employees and what motivational strategy can be used towards them. This will lead to better performance of the employees and a better relationship amongst themselves.   Job Satisfaction Judgments of job satisfaction reflect conscious attitudes toward one’s job. Although job satisfaction measures are influenced by the conditions that exist in one’s job, they are also influenced by one’s affective disposition and overall life satisfaction. However, the moderate correlation between life satisfaction and job satisfaction does not preclude job satisfaction measures from providing unique information about an employee’s attitudes toward his or her job, attitudes that may have distinct implications for productivity beyond the effects of life satisfaction or affective well-being (2003). Positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction, and job satisfaction are not simply attitudes about one’s life and one’s job. These components of happiness and well-being play a functional role in the choices that people make and the behaviors in which they engage (2003).However, the specific impact that these differences will have on worker productivity likely depends on the nature of the worker’s task. Happy workers may be more sociable, but whether this benefits productivity depends on the precise nature of their task. In addition, happy workers may be creative and efficient when performing complicated tasks, but this creativity and efficiency may come at the expense of caution and vigilance (2003).   Job satisfaction is an attitude, not an affective state. As an attitude, it is best conceptualized as an evaluation of one’s job, influenced in part by affective events that have occurred at work and, as a source of error, the mood one is in at the time of making the evaluation. In addition, most measures of job satisfaction have a large cognitive component (2003).Psychological strain as an outcome of exposure to job stressors has many operationalizations, including job satisfaction, frustration, anxiety, depression, burnout, and physical health problems. Some of these may be considered emotional reactions, but, interestingly, even so are generally measured over a period of time (2003).  Job satisfaction covers the ability of a company to maintain a good relationship with the company and provide them the opportunity to do something they want at the same time something that will give benefits to the company. Job satisfaction can be attributed to the different emotional things encountered by an employee on his/her workplace.  Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to Bahrain Duty Free’s Business success

Chapter 1 Introduction Today’s organizations, leaders, managers, and other employees are under tremendous pressure from markets, custome...

Job Redesign: Improving Performance

Job Redesign: Improving Performance   Introduction Designing and redesigning jobs in such a way that they become attuned to what individual employees are able and willing to do is an important issue in the world of work today. In order to prevent stress, jobs must enable employees to remain motivated, work effectively, develop themselves and not become isolated. Job redesign aims to improve jobs in the organization (2003).   Job Design and Job Redesign The goal of job design and job redesign is to create or reconstitute jobs or work roles in terms of work functions and worker capabilities that are both appealing to individuals and re in alignment with the organization’s strategy and vision ( 1999). Job design involves the planning of the job including its contents, the methods of performing the job, and how it relates to other jobs in the organization (Rahim 2001). Job design and redesign’s goal is to connect the needs of the individuals performing various jobs with the productivity needs of the organization. An important aim for job design and redesign is to provide individuals with meaningful work that fits effectively into the flow of the organization. The goal of job design is simplifying, enriching, enlarging, or otherwise changing jobs to make the efforts of each employee fit together better with jobs performed by other workers. Redesigning one job can make the overall system work more efficiently (2002). Job redesign according to  (1975) is more likely to improve performance when: o   The changes in job content are sufficiently non-trivial to be perceptible to the workers, typically in terms of greater self-regulation, diversity, meaningfulness, challenge, and social responsibility (). o   The changes in job content are part of a more pervasive program of improved working policies and practices, which include also as elements adequate pay and job security, proper resources and working conditions, increased mutual influence by people at all levels, and constructive labor-management relations ().   Job Redesign: Improving Performance             Job redesign can improve organizational performance through job rotation, horizontal job enlargement, vertical job enlargement and the creation of autonomous working groups.   Job Rotation             Workers can change places from time to time. Under this system the job of each worker may be simple, but variety is introduced as they swap places. Workers can learn to carry out any number of the tasks, instead of staying put at one position on the line (1993).   Horizontal Job Enlargement             A given workstation may be allocated more to do – thus the cycle time is extended. This change may also mean that the transformation to the product is more obvious. The enlargement is ‘horizontal’ in the sense that the level of difficulty is constant (1993).   Vertical Job Enlargement (Job Enrichment)             Vertical job enlargement gives the worker more responsibilities in handling his or her job. It is also known as ‘job enrichment’ because it contributes to self-esteem. Added responsibility for planning and for quality control indicates to a person that he or she is being trusted to exercise judgment (1993).   From the management’s viewpoint, jobs, as performed, must lead to efficient operations quality products, and well-maintained equipment. From the workers’ viewpoint, jobs must be meaningful and challenging, provide feedback on performance, and call on their decision-making skills. Jobs must be designed in such a way that they allow the organization to take full advantage of technological breakthroughs without alienating the workers affected by change. Redesigning jobs allow companies to retain skilled workers, while enhancing output (2002).   Job Redesign Approaches 1. Motivational Approach             Grounded in the earlier work on job enrichment, job enlargement and various characteristics of jobs, the motivational approach has primarily been developed within the domain and scope of organizational psychology. The motivational approach has generally searched for job design constructs that will be correlated with such primary outcomes variables as satisfaction, motivation, involvement, absenteeism, and job performance (1994). 2. Mechanistic Approach             The mechanistic approach to job redesign has generally been on improving the efficiency with which jobs can be performed. Jobs that are constructed according to the mechanistic approach require less training and less expensive to staff. In essence the jobs are simplified and have lower levels of responsibility. With mental demands being lower, output quality may increase (1994). 3. Perceptual-Motor Approach             The presumed benefits of the perceptual-motor approach include the increase in output quality and a predicted decrease in accident rates due to the emphasis on the reliability and safety of the job. The reduced mental demands of the job would also reduce employee stress and fatigue (1994).                 Job Redesign: Satisfaction, Motivation and Performance   Job Satisfaction Early organizational theorists such as Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg stated that job satisfaction is caused by individuals’ desires to fulfill personal needs, which include intrinsic and extrinsic needs. Researchers who follow this approach argue that an individual’s job satisfaction is determined by the degree to which job characteristics will fulfill the person’s needs. Some of the factors that affect job satisfaction are: o   Task clarity – refers to the degree to which job tasks and the rules affecting how to perform them are clearly communicated to individuals. It affect individuals’ sense of knowing what is expected of them and what to do (1997). o   Skill utilization – refers to the degree to which jobs allow individuals to utilize their skills and abilities. This factor is believed to be a strong predictor of job satisfaction, since individuals desire jobs that allow them to make good use of their skills and abilities ( 1997). o   Task significance – define as the degree to which individuals perceive their jobs contribute to organizational missions. This factor affects individuals’ experience of the meaningfulness of their jobs. o   Relationship with Co-workers and Supervisors – the job satisfaction of individuals within a work group can be influenced by both co-workers and supervisors, especially as tasks performed by individuals become more interrelated ( 1997).   Employee Motivation  (2002b) defined motivation as the process of satisfying internal needs through actions and behaviors. It is concerned with a composite of mental and physical drives, combined with the environment that makes people behave the way they do. Adair (2004) believes that motivation is something within a person that pushes him to move forwards, to achieve a goal, and to make a progress in a task. Signs of motivation in a person are an energy and determination to achieve. A motivated person displays the following signs: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> A willingness to work</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Dedication to the project or common cause</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Alignment with the goals of the organization</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Commitment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Hunger for achievement</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Energy</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Drive and determination</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Persistence</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Strength of purpose</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Orientation to work</li> </ul>   According to Herberg’s theory of motivation, people have two sets of needs and requirements: motivator needs and hygiene needs. Motivator needs are related to the nature of the work itself and how challenging it is. Outcomes such as interesting work, autonomy, responsibility, being able to grow and develop on the job, and a sense of accomplishment and achievement help to satisfy motivator needs. Hygiene needs are related to the physical and psychological context in which the work is performed. Hygiene needs are satisfied by outcomes such as pleasant and comfortable working conditions, pay, job security, good relationships with coworkers, and effective supervision ( 2002).   Herzberg’s two-factor theory provided real impetus to job redesign. Herzberg’s approach to job redesign involves improvement of the motivation factors, such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and opportunity for growth. This approach is based on the assumption that job enrichment or redesign increases job satisfaction, which, in turn, increases motivation and better performance ( 2001).  (1975) identified five core dimensions that must be considered in job redesign. These dimensions are positively related to motivation, satisfaction, and performance. The five core dimensions are: o   Skill variety – this refers to the degree to which a job requires a variety of activities that involve the use of a number of different skills and talents of employees. o   Task identity – this refers to the degree to which the job requires an employee to perform a complete piece of work, that is, doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome. o   Task significance – this refers to the degree to which the job has an impact on the live or work of other people within or outside the organization. o   Autonomy – this refers to the degree to which the job provides freedom, independence, and discretion to the employee in scheduling his or her work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out. o   Feedback – this refers to the amount of information that results from the performance of a job by an employee about how well she or he is performing ( 2001). The jobs that are high on skill variety, task identity, and task significance influence the meaningfulness of the work. Job autonomy and job feedback influence responsibility for outcomes of the work and knowledge of the actual results of the work. Higher levels of psychological states lead to positive personal and work outcomes, such as high internal work motivation, high growth satisfaction, high general satisfaction and high work effectiveness (1999).           Conclusion             Job redesign can improve performance through work intensification as fewer employees are responsible for performing jobs that are similar. Through effective job redesign, employee contribution, performance and reward are being connected. Employees are given more responsibility in performing their jobs and they are able to deal with job-related issues. Increased responsibility motivates employees to perform better. Through job redesign work efficiency in increased. The discussion about the relationship between job satisfaction, employee motivation and performance reveals that performance are affected by both job satisfaction and employee motivation. Job satisfaction and employee motivation have a significant impact on performance. Job redesign increases job satisfaction, which, in turn, increases motivation and better performance. Employee motivation is affected by factors such as challenging work, autonomy, responsibility, growth and development and a sense of accomplishment. Job satisfaction is affected by factors like task clarity, skill utilization, task significance and relationship with co-workers and supervisors. Redesigning jobs can improve performance if it is aimed at providing employees with satisfying jobs and fulfilling their needs.           Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Job Redesign: Improving Performance

Job Redesign: Improving Performance Introduction Designing and redesigning jobs in such a way that they become attuned to what indivi...

Motivation Theories

Theory of Motivation Abraham Maslow Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation dealing with employees had set the hierarchy for the five sets of goals which are also called the basic needs; the physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization or self-fulfillment. In summary, the employee’s basic needs are same as the entirely basic needs of all humans. The importance of the needs should be satisfied or being replaced by safety and protection against the danger or deprivation. When the needs are satisfied, there is a self-esteem need, the desire for self-esteem and self-respect is also affected y their reputation, and need for recognition and appreciation. The need for self-actualization or desire for self-fulfillment will push an employee for development, creativity and job satisfaction. The management reward system has attempted to satisfy the employees’ needs for safety and security, and the threat to a worker or his family. From a training or educational perspective, you can use the five levels of motivation that Maslow identified to focus your efforts in encouraging learners to accomplish established learning goals and to reward them for successes. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs addresses the basic needs must be fulfilled before any other level can be attained because the first level involves basic survival issues. The key to successfully applying Maslow’s theory or any other motivation concepts is to remember that what motivates one person does not necessarily motivate another. In fact, some motivators might actually de-motivate a learner. Consider all learners when designing and using strategies in your sessions. Make sure that you provide a wide spectrum of rewards, incentives, and opportunities so that you appeal to all levels of learning need. Frederick Taylor Frederick Taylor’s Principle of Scientific Management described to apply the scientific method to the employees to improve productivity. The scientific management methods are optimizing the way that tasks by simplifying the jobs enough to train the workers in the best way it could be. The scientific management’s idea was to perform the job in full skill and they can make their own decisions. Meanwhile, the other simplified jobs could be performed by the average employee can be easily converted or trained in a specified way. The productivity is the main interest of Taylor’s theory of motivation. Every career of every individual lies in the hands of their own productivity and skills. The principles of Scientific Method revolve in the train and development on each worker that eventually can leave the employees train their own. The cooperation with other workers to ensure the development methods, as well as, the division of work nearly equal between the managers and workers is being emphasized. The management principles of planning the work and the workers can actually perform the tasks. The cornerstone of scientific management is prosperity for employer and employee. The object of management should secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee. The work of Taylor emphasizes the management to take on new responsibilities to develop a science for each element of man’s work. The select and train, teach and develop are the beginning of the employee in tracking the work-related opportunities. Conclusion The motivation of employees relies in focusing the employee characteristics and organizational environment. The employee characteristics have determinants of work motivation that are the employee motives and job satisfaction. The employee motives represent what employees want or expect from their jobs, job satisfaction reflects the employees’ reactions to what they will receive. The majority of work motivation is from the perspective of need-based or drive-based theories in which the individual needs, values, and preferences. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Motivation Theories

Theory of Motivation Abraham Maslow Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation dealing with employees had set the hierarchy for the five se...

Chapters 3,4, 5 and Questionnaire if needed

Chapters 3,4, 5 and Questionnaire if needed

Motivation

Management and Personal Development     Motivation According to  (2002), motivation is the process of satisfying internal needs through actions and behaviors. It is concerned with a composite of mental and physical drives, combined with the environment that makes people behave the way they do (). According to  (2004), motivation is about something within you impelling you to move forwards, to achieve a goal, to make progress in a task. The ‘something’ is the driving force may be a need, or desire, or an emotion but it leads you to act in a certain way. Signs of motivation in a person are an energy and determination to achieve (). Typical qualities of a motivated person include: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> A willingness to work</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Dedication to the project or common cause</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Alignment of the person with the organizational goals</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Commitment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> An appetite to achieve</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> An energy</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Drive and determination</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Persistence</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Strength of purpose</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Orientation to work ( 2004)</li> </ul>     To be able to get the best from people, to achieve results through individuals and teams and to maintain consistent high performance, is all about inspiring oneself and others into action – this all depends on the skills of motivation and leadership.   Motivation Theories Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Organizations that strive to meet the needs of their employees attract the best people and motivate them to do excellent work. Some insight into how this may come about is provided by psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. Maslow’s basic idea was simple: People will not be healthy and well adjusted unless they have their needs met. Specifically,  (1954) proposed that all people seek to satisfy five basic kinds of needs: psychological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Maslow suggested that these needs constitute a hierarchy of needs, with the most basic or compelling—physiological and safety needs—at the bottom. Maslow argued that these lowest-level needs must be met before a person will strive to satisfy needs higher up in the hierarchy, such as self-esteem needs. Once a need is satisfied, he proposed, it ceases to operate as a source of motivation. The lowest level of unmet needs in the hierarchy is the prime motivator of behavior; if and when this level is satisfied, needs at the next highest level in the hierarchy motivate behavior.     Some key conclusions that can be drawn from Maslow’s hierarchy are: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> There are several aspects of the workplace other than money (to provide for physiological needs)</li> </ul> <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Since people can be at any of the levels of the hierarchy, what substantially motivates one person may provide only minimal motivation to another—thus managers must be aware of the needs of each individual</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> What motivates a person may change over time, thus the assessment of a person’s needs must be continuous. </li> </ul> Individual growth is the key vehicle for organizational success. Managers must attempt to identify individual employee needs and foster satisfaction. If they do so, employees will progress toward self-actualization, permitting the organization to be all that it can be ( 2002).   McClelland’s achievement Theory  (1961) theorized that individuals have three basic motivational needs: affiliation, power, and achievement. The affiliation motive can be explained as a strong desire for individual and group approval, and it reflects the desire for social acceptance and friendship. The power motive can be satisfied by being in control. It is expressed as a strong desire to change events and to exercise influence over others. The achievement motive is based on the need to achieve and win. It is characterized by seeking a challenge, establishing goals, working hard, and succeeding. For managers, all three motives—affiliation, power, and achievement—are important when it comes to motivating employees. What is more, McClelland found that learning, education, and training can stimulate a greater need to achieve. Managers can use their understanding of the three needs to match employees to tasks that help them fulfill these needs, resulting in high performance. For example, it is wasteful to place a person with a high need for achievement in a job with routine demands. This person would not feel challenged, would probably become bored, lose interest, and perhaps leave the job. People with a high need for affiliation are likely to perform better in jobs with a lot of interpersonal contact, as well as personal support and approval tied to their performance (2002).   Herberg’s Hygiene Theory of Motivation Herberg’s theory focuses on two factors: (1) outcome that can lead to high levels of motivation and job satisfaction and (2) outcomes that can prevent people from being dissatisfied. According to Herzberg’s theory, people have two sets of needs or requirements: motivator needs and hygiene needs. Motivator needs are related to the nature of the work itself and how challenging it is. Outcomes such as interesting work, autonomy, responsibility, being able to grow and develop on the job, and a sense of accomplishment and achievement help to satisfy motivator needs. In order to have a highly motivated and satisfied workforce, Herzberg suggested, managers should take steps to ensure that employees’ motivator needs are being met. Hygiene needs are related to the physical and psychological context in which the work is performed. Hygiene needs are satisfied by outcomes such as pleasant and comfortable working conditions, pay, job security, good relationships with coworkers, and effective supervision. According to Herzberg, when hygiene needs are not met, workers will be dissatisfied, and when hygiene needs are met, workers will be satisfied. Satisfying hygiene needs, however, will not result in high levels of motivation or even high levels of job satisfaction. For motivation and job satisfaction to be high, motivator needs must be met. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Some of the various motivators (work itself) identified by Herzberg include Recognition</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Advancement </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Work content</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Possibility of growth</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Achievement</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Responsibility </li> </ul> Various hygiene factors (environment) include <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Status </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Working conditions </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Company policy and administration</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Money </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Supervision </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Interpersonal relations</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Security </li> </ul>   Managers should apply the conclusions of Herzberg’s research because they are relevant to understanding motivation. According to his findings, an organization may provide adequate salary, safe working conditions, and job security—yet still have low motivation. Physical conditions are not as important as psychological conditions when it comes to motivating people. In conclusion, Herzberg’s theory stresses the importance of helping individuals satisfy all their needs, not just lower-level needs (2002).   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory examines motivation through the perception of what a person believes will happen. According to the expectancy theory, human motivation is affected by anticipated rewards and costs. An employee will be motivated to work toward a particular goal if it is perceived that a personal need will be satisfied. The employee’s desire for a goal (valence) multiplied by what the organization expects (expectancy) will equal satisfaction and motivation. Expectancy Theory helps managers to identify key leverage points for influencing motivation. The following implications are crucial: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Provide a work environment that facilitates good performance, and set realistically attainable goals.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Provide training, support, and encouragement so that people are confident they can perform at the levels expected of them.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Understand what people want to get out of work. Think about what their jobs provide them and what is not but could be provided.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Make sure that good performance is followed by personal recognition and praise, favorable performance reviews, pay increases, and other positive results.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Make sure that working hard and doing things well will have as few negative results as possible.  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Ensure that poor performance has fewer positive and more negative outcomes than good performance (Sims 2002).  </li> </ul>   Motivating Employees: Theories in Practice Pay for Performance Pay for performance refers to any compensation method that ties pay to the quantity or quality of work the person produces. For a Pay for Performance plan to be successful, according to Sims (2002), the manager must: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Ensure that effort and rewards are directly related</li> </ul>       The incentive plan should reward employees in direct proportion to their   increased productivity. Employees must also believe that they can actually          do the tasks required. Thus, the standard has to be attainable and the    manager and organization have to provide the necessary tools, equipment,          and training to meet it.    <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Make the plan understandable and easily calculable by the employees. </li> </ul>       It should be easy for employees to calculate the rewards they will receive for various levels of effort.  <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Set effective standards that will benefit the organization. </li> </ul>       The standards should be viewed as fair by employees. They should be      high but reasonable; that is, there should be about a 50–50 chance of success. The goal should also be specific, such as, “decrease the work        order by 10 percent.” This is much more effective than telling someone to       “do your best.”  <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Guarantee your program. </li> </ul>       The rewards offered for a particular level of work should be viewed as a     contract between the organization and the employees. Once the plan is             operational, great caution should be used before decreasing the size of the incentive in any way.  <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Guarantee a base rate. </li> </ul>       It is often advisable to give employees a safety net by providing them with             a base pay. They will know that no matter what happens, they can at least earn a guaranteed minimum amount. Merit Pay Most employees, when they do a good job, expect to be rewarded with at least a merit raised at the end of the year. A merit raise is a salary increase – usually permanent – that is based on the employee’s individual performance. It is different from a bonus in that it represents a continuing increment, whereas the bonus represents a one-time payment. To the extent that it is actually tied to performance, the prospect for a merit raise may focus the employee’s attention on the link between performance and rewards, which is in line with the expectancy approach to motivation (2002). Spot Awards A spot award is a financial award given to an employee literally on the spot as soon as the laudable performance is observed. Spot awards have a sound basis in motivation. For example, to the extent that the rewards are both contingent on good performance and awarded immediately, they are certainly consistent with the expectancy approach, and provide the recognition most people desire (2002). Recognition Most people like to feel appreciated. Being recognized for a job well done – and not necessarily just financially – makes a lot sense in terms of motivation theory. Immediate recognition can be a powerful reinforcer, for instance, and can provide some immediate outcomes to counterbalance the employees’ inputs and efforts. Recognition also underscores the performance-reward-expectancy link, and it helps appeal to and satisfy the need people have to achieve and be recognized for their achievement. (1991) gave eleven types of employee behavior that must be recognized by organizations and individual managers. These are: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Solid solutions instead of quick fixes  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Risk taking instead of risk avoiding  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Applied creativity instead of mindless conformity  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Decisive action instead of paralysis by analysis  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Smart work instead of busywork  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Simplification instead of needless complication  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Quietly effective behavior instead of squeaky wheels  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Quality work instead of fast work  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Loyalty instead of turnover  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Working together instead of working against  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Lack of absenteeism and tardiness (2002).</li> </ul> Job Redesign Managers have long been concerned about the monotonous and boring qualities of highly specialized, short-cycle, assembly-line jobs. In an effort to respond to these concerns, many employers set up programs aimed at redesigning their workers’ job. Job design refers to the number and nature of activities in a job; the basic issue in job design is whether jobs should be more specialized or, at the other extreme, more “enriched” and no routine. Job enrichment means building motivators like opportunities for achievement into the job by making it more interesting and challenging. This is often accomplished by giving employees more autonomy and allowing them to do much of the planning and inspection normally done by their managers ( 2002). Empowering Employees Empowering employees is a popular approach to work organizations. It means giving employees the authority, tools, and information they need to do their jobs with greater autonomy, as well as the self-confidence required to perform the new jobs effectively. Empowering is inherently a motivational approach. It boosts employees’ feeling of self-efficacy and enables them to more fully their potential, satisfying high-level needs for achievement, recognition, and self-actualization. Empowerment results in changes in employees’ effectiveness. The result is that people take more initiative and persevere in achieving their goals and their leader’s vision even in the face of obstacles. In order to effectively empower the employees, the manager must: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Make sure people understand their responsibilities</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Give them authority equal to the responsibilities assigned to them</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Set standards of excellence that will require employees to strive to do all work “right the first time”  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Provide them with training that will enable them to meet the standards</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Give them information that they need to do their jobs well</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Trust them</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Give them permission to fail</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Treat them with dignity and respect  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Provide them with feedback on their performance  </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Recognize them for their achievements  (2002)</li> </ul> Goal Setting Managers and employees need to understand each other’s goals. In addition, managers are responsible fro helping employees in setting goals or objectives. With a clear understanding of explicit goals or objectives, managers and employees can work together to achieve specific outcomes ( 2002). Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning provides extensive continuing training, from basic remedial skills to advanced decision-making techniques throughout employees’ careers. Lifelong learning programs can achieve three things. First, the training, development, and education provide employees with the decision-making and other knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences they need to competently carry out the demanding, team-based jobs in today’s organizations. Second, the opportunity for lifelong learning is inherently motivational. It enables employees to develop and to see an enhanced possibility of fulfilling their potential; it boosts employees’ sense of self-efficacy; and it provides an enhanced opportunity for the employee to self-actualize and gain the sense of achievement that psychologists like  correctly argue is so important. Third, although lifelong learning may not cancel out the potential negative effects of downsizing, it might at least counterbalance them to some degree by giving the employee useful and marketable new skills (2002).   Employee Motivation in Practice: General Electric GE has been profiled for what it calls “workout” program that had its goals the tearing down of the hierarchical nature of the company along with the facilitation of communication and exchange of information. The result has been an atmosphere of entrepreneurship where ideas come from anywhere and anyone in the company with managers responsible for everything from development of the idea to the resulting returns. GE rewards its employees for producing results, particularly in its Six Sigma program. GE employees earn bonuses based on savings that come through employees’ changes that reduce defects. Six Sigma Black Belts, the troubleshooters who implement changes to minimize debts, are given bonuses based on savings when they can show that the problems are fixed permanently. GE managers have 40 percent of their bonuses tied to Six Sigma goals. GE also encourages employees to look outside the company for “best practices” and then bring those ideas into GE for continual improvement. GE instills a value to have the self-confidence to look outward for change and resolution. One executive described the culture of the company as one in which any employee could reflect on an idea, process, or change. No offense is permitted, and the discussion proceeds to explore why the employee offered such sharp critique. Despite the culture of “What’s your point?” that dominates GE, managers and executives have tremendous regard for the work of all employees and acknowledge the work and contributions of many who have brought GE to its nearly unequaled status (2002).. Motivation through Developmental Leadership Developmental leaders exercise servantship to help employees become all that they can be. Well-served employees realize that they have the power to achieve great things – to grow and develop, to become masters of their careers, and to achieve professional success. Developmental leaders possess the heart of a servant willing to put the needs, expectations, interests, and success of their employees above their own. Developmental leaders advocate, support, and promote their employees; accept their overall and career development responsibilities by working tirelessly to help employees grow and develop; assist as they struggle to become the best they can be; share organizational success with subordinates; make certain that other decision makers in the organization are aware of employee contributions to achieving their successes. Above all, developmental leaders operate without regard for their own well-being or career advancement because they believe their employees are the organization’s most valuable asset. Jack Welch, president and CEO of General Electric, is often touted as an exemplary developmental leader, one who values employees and makes their growth and development a prime directive. Welch, for example, regularly devotes his time to facilitate employee training, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the importance of employees to the organization and its success. Developmental leaders delegate tasks and responsibilities to others because they are secure with themselves and realize that such opportunities for growth and development stimulate employees. These leaders also understand that they will receive credit for a job well done since part of their job was being delegated (2000).. Motivation through Diversity and Inclusiveness GE works to ensure that all employees, no matter where they are located in the world and no matter where they come from, have an opportunity to contribute and succeed. One of the key mechanisms for facilitating dialogue and progress in GE’s diversity efforts is its Affinity Networks. These affinity networks play a critical role in attracting, developing, engaging and retaining employees at all levels across the company, These networks work in close partnership with the top management, business leaders and the human resources team to continually uncover ways to improve in this area and opportunities for growth (). Motivation through Learning and Training In companies such as General Electric, the leaders focus on organizational learning. General electric believes that managing, controlling, directing, and facilitating learning is a key role of management (2000). According to Marquardt (1996), learning organizations have the following dimensions and characteristics: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Learning is accomplished by organizational systems as a whole, almost as if the organization were a single brain</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Organizational memebers recognize the critical importance of ongoing organization-wide learning for the organization’s current and future success</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Learning is a continuous, strategically used process, integrated with and running parallel to work</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> There is a focus on creativity and generative learning</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> System thinking is fundamental ()</li> </ul> GE has a long history of recruiting top college undergraduate and graduate students for its premier entry-level global Leadership Development programs. Many of GE’s top leaders can trace their career beginnings to these programs. It is through these programs that a common culture is nurtured and core processes and levels of expertise are developed that flood the company. Challenging assignments, mentoring, and regular exposure to senior management help to identify and develop future high potential leaders. GE’s dynamic culture promotes lifelong learning. GE employees are both expected and encouraged to fulfill training that helps them navigate a more competitive market place, learn domain expertise, develop skills and comply with the company’s integrity and citizenship initiatives (). Motivation through Employee Empowerment General Electric emphasizes the importance of empowering employees in order to motivate them. According to (2000), at General Electric, every member of the organization has participated in ‘Work Out’ sessions. These sessions are facilitated by a process expert and are intended to teach skills of consensus, negotiation, and decision making among individuals representing different levels and functions (). GE prides itself on creating a culture where employees are empowered to achieve their greatest potential. GE’s performance meritocracy is demanding but the rewards can be just as great. GE manages its relationships with employees through several forums. All are geared toward understanding what is important to employees and providing access to tools, resources and information tom help employees reach their potential. Former General Electric CEO,  believed that the best way to motivate and revolutionize the company was to delegate authority to the employees and to let them control their own destiny. The company allows the employees to take personal responsibility and control what they can in the workplace (1998). Welch despised the traditional role of management, which is an organizational structure built on control. Rather, Welch believes that managers should be leaders. Instead of controlling workers, leaders should liberate and empower them. Jack Welch used shared values and employee empowerment as the guiding principles of the GE organization (1998). Motivation through Pay, Rewards and Recognitions General Electric believes that empowering employees works hand in hand with effective pay and reward system. Motivating employees and understanding the psychology behind employee motivation are essential to any successful organization. General Electric makes employee motivation and job satisfaction a top priority (2002). GE strives to create a balance between the value that employees contribute to the company and the rewards offered in return. GE fulfills this goal by fostering a work environment where good ideas and a string work ethic are encouraged throughout the company (). In addition, the company also showcases a select number of “growth heroes”. Growth heroes are employees who demonstrate the behaviors associated with innovation. These growth heroes are recognized by featuring them on the company’s intranets and on public documents like the GE annual report. Motivation through Information Sharing GE’s annual Session C process is at the core of its people development process and focuses on the needs of both the individual and the company. It begins with the employees assessing their own accomplishments, strengths/development needs and career aspirations, followed by an assessment by their managers. The employee and manager enter their assessments in a computerized tool, which facilitates a one-over-one review (). Inside GE is General Electric’s global intranet and serves as a regular source for executives and employee news, individual business tools, growth strategies, values and integrity policies. Inside GE also provides tools to help employees access information more easily to help them get their jobs done. Employee can share resources and information, and access on-line learning, career development and training tolls, HR information, IT resources and support networks (). Motivation through Work/Life Flexibility GE is famous for its demanding high-performance culture. At the same time, however, the company also recognizes the value of work/life flexibility in order for employees to be truly productive, and to feel professionally and personally fulfilled. GE is responsive to meeting specific employee needs to enable them to deliver their contributions to the company while managing their personal life responsibilities ().               Conclusion The motivation theories studied in this report focuses on self-actualization of employees and its impact on the employee motivation. The employees’ needs that were identified in the theories in this report must be thoroughly met in order to achieve a motivated workforce. It is important that the manager and the organization understand motivation. Effective managers must understand the general patterns of individual motivation. Motivation according to  (2002) is the process of satisfying internal needs through action and behaviors. It involves a composite of mental and physical aspects, combined with the environment and other factors that aid in explaining why people behave the way they do. The motivation process model suggests that a need leads to action or behavior that, in turn, results in the satisfaction of the need ( ). In general, the motivation theories in this report focus on: 1. Promotion of a healthy workforce 2. Provision of financial security 3. Provision of opportunities to socialize 4. Recognition of the accomplishments made by employees 5. Different factors that affect employee motivation   General Electric uses motivational theories together with specific organizational methods and policies that will attract retain and motivate its employees. The focus of the motivation formula present all throughout the organization is empowerment of employees. The employees at General Electric are motivated because the company allows them to take responsibility of their jobs. They are given authority over their jobs and they are encouraged to voice out their opinions and suggestions that will enhance those organizational processes. The managers do not just manage but they lead their followers toward the achievement of the company’s goals and employee development. The culture that the company promotes allows all the people inside the organization to share information and knowledge. The company also embraces diversity and equality among its employees.   The company facilitates communication and exchange of information that allows the employees to learn and be aware of the issues and developments inside the company. The company also uses a reward and pay system that rewards employees who produces results. The employees are also given opportunities for development and advances. Employee and leadership training are keys to a more productive and motivated workforce. The employees are given tasks and responsibilities that constantly challenge them and promote learning. Each employee is given opportunity to contribute to the company’s success. The employees have a sense of belongingness – a feeling that generates motivation and loyalty. The employees are being trained to deal with difficult yet rewarding experiences. The culture that the company created is one where employees are empowered to achieve their greatest potential. The company delegates authority to the employees and allows them to control their own destiny. Organizational leaders liberate and empower the employees. The company also strives to create a balance between the value that employees contribute to the company and the rewards offered in return. The company is open to meeting specific employee needs to enable them to deliver their contributions to the company and at the same time managing their personal life responsibilities.                               Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Motivation

Management and Personal Development Motivation According to (2002), motivation is the process of satisfying internal needs through ac...