Building Systems that Learn on a Large Scale - Research Paper Example

Running Head: Management and Motivation Management theories, concepts, and practices dealing with the motivation of staff by YourName In partial fulfillment of Course Number and Name Professor University Name Semester Year Table of Contents Introduction 3 Purpose Statement 3 Theories, Concepts, and Practices 4 Resolutions 10 Reference List 13 I. Introduction A. Globalization and technological advancements are transforming both the character of the workplace and the quality of employees, making the task of organizational survival and competing in the marketplace more challenging for companies and managers (Gagne & Deci, 2005). A global business is one of a geocentric nature where the firm's position in one country is influenced by company assets in other countries. The members of the company board of directors should reflect the nationalities represented in the business. This brings diversity and market knowledge into the organizational culture (Ayman, Kreicker, & Masztal, 1994). II. Problem Statement A. As the workplace structure and workers themselves change, management faces the problem of how to motivate employees (Gerstner, 2002). Gerstner (2002) poses the questions of "How do you pull the levers of motivation to change the attitudes, behavior, and thinking of a population Different people are motivated by different things that may include money, career advancement, and recognition" (Gerstner, 2002). Effectively changing the attitudes, behavior, and thinking of workers demands that a manager knows what levers of motivation to pull in the first place. B. This manager adaptation calls for a variety of change and motivation factors from the manager and employees. III. Theories, Concepts, and Practices A. Much research has been done to identify proven theories and methods that managers can use to motivate their employees (Gagne & Deci, 2005). B. A global executive should provide leadership and direction to management levels according to business goals, mission, and vision. Global leaders and executives have certain characteristics and skills in order to succeed in the globalize world of business (Gregersen, Morrison, & Black, 1998). C. Knowing how to motivate well will enable managers to realize the full potential of each employee. Much literature about theories of motivation and work relate to the subject of inspiring employees to be their best (Gagne & Deci, 2005). D. This report will discuss motivation and how managers can use it for a better, more profitable, efficient workplace. This report will also explore the different theories, concepts, and practices managers can use to motivate employees. E. A leader is a visionary who has the end goal in mind and can see the big picture. A leader is a motivator of his/her followers. There are a variety of leadership styles a leader may holds; what separate a leader from the rest are the traits they posses to succeed and the various background assumptions held true by the . Some of these traits may include intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability (Cox, 2001). F. Executives are motivated by the goal and fits in the business component. S/he reacts rationally to external conditions and develops new ideas. This person holds superior information in regards to customer needs and company resources. A leader can visualize change and progress as well as the creation process. These leaders have certain characteristics such as creativity, innovativeness, and flexibility, posses certain leadership characteristics as high ethical standards, energy, prioritization skills, commitment, dedication, goal orientation, empathetic, and extroverted. Leaders adapt leadership styles accordingly in order to better create and develop new ideas or reform existing ones (Northouse, 2004). G. A manager's job is to get things done through employees, so knowing how to motivate employees is always a challenge that has never been easy and is not getting any easier. Many changes driven by worldwide social and economic forces are happening in the workplace and in the workers themselves. The end of the Cold War in the early 1990's and the globalization of businesses are transforming corporations, public and private, large and small, in a radical way (Stiglitz, 2002). H. Global competition and the rise of democracy are pressuring companies to be more competitive, agile, and lean, changing the nature of organizational structures and the relationships between managers and workers (Micklethwait & Wooldridge, 2000). Companies have many challenges including global competition, economic dislocation, and corporate downsizing (Jusela, 1994). I. These challenges call for executives to assess and advance in improving performance and individual development in a global competitive environment (Porras & Silvers, 1991). These transitions come from the challenging situations managers confront. It requires the development of new concept and ideas. Because of their experiences, global managers learn and adapt (Spreitzer et al. 1997). Management encounters a variety of situations where motivating others is necessary. J. When referring to Abraham Maslow's need-hierarchy theory, people are motivated by satisfying five levels of human needs: (1) Physiological (hunger and thirst); (2) safety (bodily); (3) social (friendship and affiliation); (4) esteem (for oneself and others); and (5) self-actualization (growth and realization of potential) (Chapman, 2004a; Nondhichakorn, 2005). K. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory says work satisfaction results from presence of hygiene factors like salary, status, working conditions, supervisor and management, security, relationship with subordinates, policies, and motivational factors like achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth. A worker will be satisfied if the motivation factors are met (Chapman, 2004c; Nondhichakorn, 2005). L. According to Adam's equity theory, what workers put into their work (inputs) is fairly balanced with what they expect to get out of it (outputs). Motivation will get the most out of employees inputs like personal effort and hard work by making the employees see it balanced by outputs (salary, benefits, and intangibles like praise and achievement) (Chapman, 2004b). M. Victor Vroom's expectancy theory refers to three factors: (1) valence (value placed on the expected reward), (2) expectancy (belief that efforts are linked to performance), and (3) instrumentality (belief that performance is related to rewards) (Gagne & Deci, 2005). Porter and Lawler built on Vroom's theory by proposing a model of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation. People are intrinsically motivated if they do something they find interesting and from which they derive satisfaction. N. Also people are extrinsically motivated if they do the activity because they are satisfied with the tangible or verbal rewards attached (Gagne & Deci, 2005). All these theories may be said to be based on Skinner's reinforcement theory, which refers to behavior being shaped, changed or maintained through the use of positive and negative reinforcement (Kearsley, 2005; Accel Team, 2005). This implies that a person can behave in a certain way through the use of motivational levers. O. What motivates a manager (upholding the company's prestige) may not be the same lever that motivates an employee (who may be working just to pay the mortgage). The manager's job is to know which sets of levers will work for each employee (Gerstner, 2002). P. Motivation can be used to improve employee performance and productivity. Employees can be motivated to do their work better, that is, improving their work performance, and working more effectively to improve their productivity. One way is to share information (like profit and loss or quality of service) on how the employees' department is doing in comparison with others in or out of the company (Bruce & Pepitone, 1999). Q. Getting employees warmed up is good, but it is not enough. After getting them initially motivated, the manager has to help each one establish and achieve higher goals. Motivation can be a useful tool in goal-setting by pointing out targets that will bring employees out of their comfort zones to attain personal growth (Hiam, 1999). R. Motivation is a useful tool, not only when setting higher work performance goals, but in assessing the success or failure of employee efforts. Through the use of positive reinforcement (praise and encouragement) and negative reinforcement (suggestions for improvement or behavioral change), managers can sustain organizational morale and help employees overcome falling enthusiasm or a lack of personal ambition (Heller, 1998). Positive feedback is more motivating than negative feedback (Hiam, 1999). S. Boosting self-confidence is one of the best ways to maintain high levels of motivation in employees (Bruce & Pepitone, 1999). Therefore, a manager who believes in his employees can sustain high levels of motivation. Not believing in employees can be fatal for the organization and the career of a manager. T. It is a scientifically-proven fact that men and woman are different from each other (Ridley, 1999). They also differ in their motivational styles. While men find it easier to motivate using the basic needs and tangible rewards, women may be better at using higher levels of needs and intangible factors (Gerstner, 2002). All good managers, regardless of gender, should combine their abilities to motivate using all the tools available (Sachs, 1995). III. Resolutions A. Motivating workers well in these times of rapid change demands a balanced combination of emotional and intellectual levels. Any manager, man or woman, should learn to use and combine as many needs, factors, modes of reinforcement, and outputs into their message as may be necessary to motivate their employees (Ridley, 1999). A manager can become a good motivator by knowing two things well: first, which tool or level of motivation will work for each and every employee, and second, how to motivate and communicate effectively with the use of positive or negative reinforcement (Kearsley, 2005; Accel Team, 2005). B. Each employee is different thus their motivating factors vary from one and other (Ridley, 1999). The manager's task should be to locate motivational factors of each individual or group in order to develop a motivational environment. This will assist the manager in creating a better working environment enhancing productivity and job satisfaction (Gerstner, 2002). C. The manager should be tactful in providing feedback whether positive or negative. Negative feedback should be given in a constructive form. Positive reinforcement should be given in increments. This means that if it is given too often then it becomes normal and not a special positive feedback (Kearsley, 2005; Accel Team, 2005). D. The management team should have clear expectations dictated in order for the staff to follow them. Without a clear picture of what is needed it is hard to know how to motivate. The staff needs to know what they are working towards (Emmerich, 2005). E. Leaders and managers are the ones that provide motivation and vision to a project. This person should posses the capabilities, abilities, and skills of a leader in order to create a motivating working environment (Gregersen, Morrison, & Black, 1998; Cox, 2001). IV. Reference List Accel Team. (2005). Employee motivation in the workplace. Retrieved on November 1, 2005 from http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html Ayman, R., Kreicker, N. A., & Masztal, J. J. (1994 Winter). Defining global leadership in business environments. Consulting Psychology Journal, 46(1), 64-77. Bruce, A., & Pepitone, J. (1999). Motivating employees. New York: McGraw Hill. Chapman, A. (2004a). Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved October 19, 2005, from http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm Chapman, A. (2004b). Adams' equity theory. Retrieved October 19, 2005, from http://www.businessballs.com/adamsequitytheory.htm Chapman, A. (2004c). Frederick Herzberg's motivational theory. Retrieved October 19, 2005, from http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm Cox, D. (2001 August). Ten leadership characteristics. Innovative Leader, 10(8). Emmerich, R. (2005). Follow the ten commandments of employee motivation. Des Moines Business Record. 23(20), 26-27. Gagn, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362. Gerstner, L. V. Jr. (2002). Who says elephants can't dance New York: HarperCollins. Gregersen, H. B., Morrison, A. J., & Black, J. S. (1998 Fall). Developing leaders for the global frontier. Sloan Management Review, 40(1), 21-32. Heller, R. (1998). Essential managers: Motivating people. (1st American ed.) New York: DK. Hiam, A. (1999). Motivating & rewarding employees. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation. Jusela, G. E. (1994). Meeting the global competitive challenge: Building systems that learn on a large scale. In W. L. French, C. H. Bell, & R. A. Zawacki (Eds.) Organization development and transformation: Managing effective change, (pp. 369-397). Boston, MA: Irwin. Kearsley, G. (2005). Operant conditioning. Retrieved October 29, 2005, from http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html Micklethwait, J., & Wooldridge, A. (2000). A future perfect. The challenge and hidden promise of globalization. New York: Crown. Nondhichakorn, N. (2005). Organization and management. Retrieved October 13, 2005, from http://202.28.46.22/mflu/1203141/ chapter7.html Northouse, P. G. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice, Third Edition. Sage Publications: Thousands Oaks, California. Porras, J. I. & Silvers, R. C. (1991). Organization development and transformation. Annual Review of Psychology, 42:51-78. Ridley, M. (1999). Genome, the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. New York: HarperCollins. Sachs, M. (1995). Men and women communication styles. Retrieved November 2, 2005, from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5280.html Spreitzer, G. M., McCall, M. W. & Mahoney, J. D. (1997 February). Early identification of international executive potential. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(1), 6-29. Stiglitz, J. E. (2002). Globalization and its discontents. London: Penguin. Read More