Motivation - Speech or Presentation Example

Motivation is a concept that is popular in the current field of management, and this is based on the fact that most employers normally want their workforce to be motivated for the purposes of improving efficiency in their duties (Karabenick and Urdan, 2010). Motivation can be defined as a management process whereby managers of an organization create a desire on their employees to be effective and productive on whatever they do (Higgins, 2012). Motivation is an important element in the managerial practice, and this is because employees who are well motivated will always be more productive, and engaged in the work they undertake.
This is useful to the organization because it will manage to achieve its own objectives, satisfying its customers and the various stakeholders of an organization. Take for example a cashier serving customers in a retailing organization; a cashier who is well motivated will be (Higgins, 2012);
Friendly to customers, creating an atmosphere that will make the customer to return to the organization.
Process the various transactions faster, ensuring that there is an efficient delivery of service.
This cashier can even make a suggestion on an additional item or product that a customer needs to purchase, making the organization to achieve more sales.
On this basis, the advantages of motivating the employees of an organization will result to the production of high quality work (Karabenick and Urdan, 2010). It is always the role of a manager to motivate his own work force. There are a number of ways and methods of motivating the workforce of an organization. These methods include,
Paying their employee well.
Recognizing their efforts within the organization.
Rewarding the most efficient employees.
Making it possible to present opportunities of growth to the employees of the organization.
Making them engaged in whatever they do, and involving them in the decision making process of the organization.
It is important to denote that these activities fall under a motivational theory. There are a number of motivational theories developed by scholars of management and psychology. One such theory is the expectancy theory.
This is a theory developed by Victor Vroom, and it gives a proposal that people will behave in a certain manner, because of a reward that is attached to the action under consideration (Higgins, 2012). For example, an employee in a manufacturing organization will decide work double shifts in case of shortages of work force, and in return, the employee will expect to get some compensation and praise from the management. Another theory is the equity theory developed by John Adams in 1963.
This theory denotes that employees of an organization will be motivated if they are treated equally. For example, if employees of an organization perform the same job, i.e. they are both accountant, then the management should pay them an equal salary (Karabenick and Urdan, 2010). Failure for an organization to treat its employees equally could result to a de-motivated work force. Another theory is the hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow (Higgins, 2012). This theory denotes that the employees of an organization have several needs, and they are hierarchical in nature. These needs are,
1. Physiological needs, which includes the basic needs of mankind.
2. Safety needs, which involves the security of the employee under consideration.
3. Belongingness.
4. Self-Esteem.
5. Self-Actualization.
From this theory, any type of employment fulfills the lower needs, which are physiological needs, but a motivated work force, are employees whose higher level needs are fulfilled, that is self-actualization.
In conclusion, managers of an organization will always want to make their employees work hard, for purposes of achieving efficiency and productivity in their work. This cannot happen if the employees of the organization are not motivated. On this basis, motivation is a very important tool that managers should use for purposes of making their employees to achieve efficiency and productivity in their work.
Bibliography:
Higgins, E. T. (2012). Beyond pleasure and pain: how motivation works. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Karabenick, S. A., & Urdan, T. C. (2010). The decade ahead theoretical perspectives on
motivation and achievement. Bingley, UK: Emerald. Read More