Creating a Motivating Work Setting - Essay Example

? Creating a Motivating Work Setting Table of Contents Introduction 3 Case Example-McDonald’s 4 Conclusion 11 References 13 Introduction In the present days, employers often face dynamic and increasing challenges. Business environment pressures, rising healthcare expenses and requirements of the employees have placed management in a difficult situation. Creating a work environment that maintains employee job satisfaction as well as motivates people towards exceptional performance is one of the fundamental roles of leaders to play. Recently, a survey was conducted by the Conference Board, which specified that only 45% of Americans are really satisfied with their work, the least record ever observed by the Conference Board in about 22 years of research (Chartcourse, 2011). Organizations which are not able to implement an adequate improved job satisfaction are at tremendous risk of losing their talented personnel to the existing competitive market. Leaders are entitled with huge responsibility of sustaining their talented employees by providing them with motivating elements. McDonald's is a renowned name of restaurants functioning globally. McDonald's is an American based company. The company is counted amongst the largest restaurant businesses and considered as part of the American life style. An estimate of its current global workforce would be around 1.5 million people, and 10 million people are estimated to have worked for the corporation, since its formation (McDonald's, 2011). The increasing expansion abroad appears to be the sound answer to an increasing economical market in the USA, where McDonald's is no longer trying to expand but is instead trying to increase the sales of existing restaurants. McDonald's is a service-oriented company where their products and personnel act as their face to their consumers. Therefore, providing them with satisfactory atmosphere is an essential aspect of motivation. In order to sustain in this competitive market, McDonald's has come up with strategies and development programs for motivating employees and polishing leadership qualities. In the paper, the motivation strategies of the organization and the effective techniques of leadership adopted by McDonald's will be analyzed. Case Example-McDonald’s The culture of any organization plays a very vital role in motivating employees. Work culture of McDonald's is highly dependent on the unit manager in charge at any particular time (Goldman, 2009). The most essential thing that any unit manager can do to create a motivated environment is to make sure that work performed by the employees is in accordance to strategies prepared. The unit managers need to ensure that the work performed by the employees is productive in nature with the point of view of the company. The responsibilities of leaders; in this case the unit managers or the line mangers, are intense in nature. Motivation does not mean employees doing their work accordingly when the manager is around but is what employees do when the manager is not around. A good leader is the one who does not only gives order but also welcomes feedback from employees. Managers are usually supposed to use position and power and adopt a telling style of leadership considering the employees are inexperienced and young. And, certain managers are found of running the departments in mechanical way, mostly during peak business stage. Though, in quite a few cases managers were comparatively relaxed and at times were not different from their employees. Certain managers welcome the ideas of their employees, making them feel important. In this process, good ideas are generated and conceived whereas also add to the motivational factors in the organisation (Goldman, 2009). Generally, the managers avoid any strong vertical barriers themselves and between their employees. Motivation can be of four types such as extrinsic and intrinsic, and negative and positive. Extrinsic motivation is when one is working according to others’ will and intrinsic motivation is what one wants to do; whereas positive motivation is said to be prevalent when one wants to achieve certain desired aims and objectives. Negative motivation is getting away from certain unwanted actions to avoid it (Goldman, 2009). Managers get involved emotionally with their employees to provide them with the comfort of home. For example, one of the unit managers of the McDonald’s asking about the kids and the weekend to the employee cleaning the floors can be identified to be a similar emotional attachment with the employee which in turn can enhance motivational level. This would contribute in making the employee-employer relationship stronger. Legitimate efforts can be observed to motivate the employees even operating in line worker level. As stated by Herzberg, in two-factor theory, only working environment goes so far, and that employees seek higher level of fulfilment such as status upgrading, recognition and motivation in order to be satisfied. A motivated employee will perform his/her job responsibilities better. And on top of all, satisfied employees lead to increased productivity, increased productivity leads to good customer service and good customer service leads to satisfied consumers. McDonald's believes in well-trained employees who can understand their job responsibilities better and can perform their roles more efficiently, and therefore training is undertaken to improve employees’ skill. Management of McDonald’s emphasizes on training and development at every level so Hamburger University came into existence which provides valuable support to the organisation (McDonald's, 2011). Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds once stated that, “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves" (Coaching-Business-To-Success, 2006).  As quoted by Ray Kroc, “If we are going to go anywhere, we’ve got to have talent. And, I’m going to put my money in talent” (McDonald's, 2011). This ideology specifies that McDonald’s does not believe their employee members are just components in an engine that can be simply replaced. But, they are taken much seriously and considered as a member of McDonald's family. The leadership style adopted by McDonald's is quite appealing in nature. McDonald's being a rejoicing spot has conformed informal and relaxed environment. The managers wear calm attitude and with McDonald's “100% satisfaction goal”, middle-of-the-road type of management is quite expectable where the leader’s behaviour is that of like compromiser (Northouse, 2009). Many employees do not feel motivated at workplace, and it is only because the motivational techniques adopted by the employer are not effective enough. McDonald's corporate values also incorporated ‘people’ as one of its success pillars (McDonald's, 2011). Corporate policy states that employees should be hired at or above the local market rate, and they should value their pay and their benefits. By meeting employees’ higher level needs, McDonald's has established a prominent image among the employees. Training also plays its role at reinforcing the culture at every level through educating and encouraging a positive picture of the employees’ significance to the company (McDonald's, 2011) In all of the McDonald's restaurants, new employees are whole heartedly greeted. Motivation of working in McDonald's is that it promotes a laid working environment and the work itself is not extremely hectic. Even in the period of lunch and dinner rushes, employees never seemed particularly stressed or anxious. When many consumers are not around, employees are found in conversation with other co-workers, clean their station or get a drink for refreshment. The employees are found to be relaxed and calm minded and in most time they do not fear their managers. As placed by Daft, fear is one of the main reasons of weakening the trust and communication, usually dimotivate employees rather than motivating them towards their work (Daft, 2008). Any employee from any environment can find the working in laid back environment of McDonald's very adequate. Schedule pattern of McDonald's works as benefits, as any employee with their respective preference can take up the schedule. New talents are always welcomed. Another motivation of McDonald's to be considered is the opportunity presented by such a job. As mentioned earlier, working environment of McDonald's is very flexible and casual. For instance, most employees working at McDonald's are students. They belong to a same age group and usually share common interests. They also get chance of knowing new people and develop friendship out of the work space. The chances of developing a healthy relation with the fellow workers work as a plus point as the management system followed is very compatible. Flexible scheduling facility is another motivation of working at McDonald's. Most of the restaurant of McDonald's operates in multiple schedule system in reference to accommodate maximum employees, providing the employees to maintain a healthy balance between work life and personal life. According to the requirement of an individual, the schedule is designed. Since, the requirement of the company in certain level is low skill job; another employee can take over the employee’s shift, providing the other person to take on other obligations and not be entirely fixed to the place of work. Part time employees have the facility of rotating their shifts in accordance to who has a day off. These aspects provide the employees with a sense of empowerment because every employee has some say in their schedule and are less likely to call with fake excuses to avoid work, which would lower the team morale and the admiration between the employees and the manager (Daft, 2008). Even though most of the employees are not skilled or the job they perform does not demand major skills, by empowering them and thereby making them feel important and they can be motivated towards work. Most of the McDonald's restaurants are located at a convenient area making it more preferable for job seekers. These restaurants are available globally, and probably the only available job which does not requires any special training or skill, making it more easy job. Employees, who do not own a personal vehicle, can even take up a public transport to travel (McDonald's, 2011). McDonald's provides its employees with the facility of numerous growth opportunities. For example, if an employee sustains in McDonald's for longer period of time, that particular employee could be promoted to assistant unit manager or unit manager level. Since McDonald's has a high rate of turnover, employees have a fair chance of being promoted within a few years of working at a restaurant. This facility must be very appealing for those employees who, for certain reason, could not complete or attend their higher studies. During the analysis of the management of McDonald's one can examine that the management uses various need based theories of motivation. Generally, average employees working at McDonald's do not sustain there for a long period of time. Most of the employees joining McDonald's have a common intention of meeting their lower level needs. The management of McDonald's emphasizes much in safe environment where employees can earn money to meet their physiological based needs (Daft, 2008). McDonald’s does not provide their employees with any such fringe benefits but only with the free food. McDonald's does not maintain any contract or any other guarantee of continuity of employment. Good customer service is one of the most important fundamentals in any service oriented industry. It becomes very important for the employees belonging to this sector to present real concern, courtesy, and thorough service. McDonald's is very particular about their employees’ behaviour. The manager’s role is to execute the work smoothly, assist employees, and fill the spaces up whenever essential and also to carry out other managerial duties such as budgeting, maintaining record, controlling inventory and managing human resources among others (Goldman, 2009). The leadership style adopted by the unit manager of McDonald's portraits performance oriented style for the employees. The commitment towards the allotted task is determined from the employees’ motivation and leadership approach. Works which are mechanical, repetitive and not challenging in nature tend to reduce the motivation level of the employees (Northouse, 2009). The most convenient leadership style to be adopted by the managers of such type of work i.e. monotonous type of work is the supportive style. This approach of leadership style offers with nurturance and creates the job environment pleasant for the workers. Talent people are hard to sustain in this competitive environment. McDonald's has even shown its interest in talent management by developing, inviting and keeping hold of talented employee from every level. The company provides each employee with necessary equipment to perform their task efficiently. The main principle responsible for the satisfaction of employee is McDonald's offers with a comfortable, healthy and friendly environment. With the purpose of motivating the employees, McDonald's has come up with idea of rewarding the employees with “the best employee of the month” award. In McDonald's, the employee’s performance is considered by efficiency level of the work performed. Cooperation is very important for any organisation to function smoothly, and McDonald's being a service based industry, cooperative workforce works in its favour. Each employee is dependable on his or her co-worker. Any worker, who shows any such qualities of cooperation, activeness and devotion to work, could see his or her photo hung on the wall, titled as “best employee of the month” (McDonald's, 2011). This too can be identified to be one of the classic ways of motivating and rewarding the employees adopted by McDonald's. The good leader is the one who provides his group members with pleasant working environment to work with limited motivating factor. Though, the manager’s job is not limited to his employees, he also requires focusing on maximising productivity and customer satisfaction. The proficient leader must adopt coaching leadership style, demonstrating both directive and helpful nature as well. In McDonald's, it is predefined that the manager of the restaurants is in control of each facet of the complete food service method. For example, when things go completely wrong; managers demonstrate the employees on how to accomplish a specific aim. Whenever the manager hears or sees any employee doing anything wrong, they advice the employees to do the thing in the way it should be performed (Goldman, 2009). Conclusion McDonald's is a renowned multinational company with global values. McDonald's welcomes and respects every different culture that it comes across. The employees working in McDonald's comes from different culture and different places. People of McDonald's are not treated as mere machines instead they are considered as pillars of success. McDonald's has a happy corporate image that prides itself on excellence and hygiene, as well as good quality foods and good quality services. The company has employed state-of-the-art expertise to help the workers in their work and to increase and to accelerate productivity. McDonald's pays full details on customer satisfaction, from on time delivery to quality service. A cheerful and supportive work environment is promoted by the managers of the McDonald's. The managers are cooperative in nature. The convenient working schedule is one of the motivating factors involved which helps in attracting younger working group. Freshers are welcomed as well because the work does not require any special training. The growth opportunity is over whelming for those employees who are keen to work hard and develop leadership skills. There is great opportunity of upward promotion for the McDonald's employees, if they are determined to work for a longer period and work hard. However, McDonald's has also marked heavy attrition rate because most employees joining McDonald's are with short-term needs. The flexible schedule facility empowers the employee making them feel more important. And, this in addition, works as a motivating factor. Good leadership qualities can be observed in among the McDonald's managers. Most of McDonald's managers follow coach leadership style which exhibits supportive behaviour of managers. Cooperation is another motivating factor of McDonald's. Employees get enough time to know each other which further develops in bonding emerging into co-operation between the co-workers. McDonald's puts enough emphasis on maintaining cleanliness and hygienic service. McDonald's takes steps in involving each and every employee to the group making them feel important and confident. Each and every employee’s satisfaction is taken into account. For an employee, new to market, McDonald's can be a best place to start with. The company not only helps in satisfying their old employees but also helps in develop leadership skills in newer ones. Hamburger University is one of the examples of McDonald's attempt. They also promote scholarship and education programs (McDonald's, 2011). McDonald’s always possesses intention towards educating the employees in the right way so that they can represent McDonald's well to the customer as well as to the world. Various motivational strategies are adopted to motivate the employees with intention to contribute to their interests and to make the same routine and repetitive work interesting. To promote and to enhance the productivity of employees, the company came up with different effective motivating strategies followed worldwide. Each and every employee has been contributing factors towards the success of McDonald’s. The identity of McDonald's is its products and the employees’ behaviour. They are given an appropriate preference. These aspects have transformed McDonald’s as one of the leading names in the global business echelon. References Chartcourse. (2011). The Pride. Retrieved from http://www.chartcourse.com/articlepride.htm Coaching-Business-To-Success. (2006). Leadership Styles. Retrieved from http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com/leadership_styles.html Daft, R. L. (2008). New era of management. UK: Cengage Learning EMEA. Goldman, E. (2009). Observation of Leadership & Organisational Behaviour of McDonald’s. Retrieved from http://www.ericgoldman.name/non-technical/28-leadership/34-observation-of-leadership-a-organizational-behavior-at-mcdonalds McDonald's. (2011). Our Story. Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story.html McDonald's. (2011). Hamburger University. Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com/content/us/en/search/search_results.html?queryText=Hamburger%20University&collection=us McDonald's, (2011). People. Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/careers/our_people.html Northouse, P. G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks. CA: Sage Publications. Read More