Why Enhanced Motivation Is Good For Business - Essay Example

Why Enhanced Motivation Is Good For Business FormCo Pvt Ltd would want to increase the motivation level of its employees, because of the various advantages that motivation provides to the employees and to the organization as the whole. (Kinicki, 2004) It stresses on the benefits of motivation in terms of four key aspects: Retention Fulfillment of needs on the job Fulfillment of needs off the job Job design in a way which motivates Motivation is difficult to instill inside employees, because each and every person is different and is motivated by different things.

It is therefore a challenge for the managers of today to motivate their diverse workforce. (Drillings, 1994) But, then again, employees who feel that organizations are doing something for the purpose of fulfilling their needs, whether they are off the job or on the job, feel motivated to work better for the organization. It ultimately helps the organization to grow and outperform competitors. STEPS TO INCREASE MOTIVATION AT FORMCO PVT LTD The 90 employees at FormCo need to be motivated, by the application of theories which are present in literature on motivation.

Such applicative design of motivation programs for employees is sure to yield results. Each of the theories presses on the organizations to concentrate on motivating their employees and to provide benefits and security to their workforce so as to reap the best out of them. Furthermore, development of employees and ensuring they reach their highest potential improves the quality of work. (Akdere, 2001) It not only builds skills and takes an employee higher up in ranks, it also denotes the need for motivating an employee in various ways for the eventual purpose of improving their productivity at work.

   Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory There are various theories and perspectives when it comes to the topic of motivation. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory falls under the content theories. Abraham Maslow was the one to propose it, and it has been one of the foundations of management as well as psychology. The theory talks about the ladder of needs, that is, a person is always in need of one aspect or the other. When he climbs one ladder, he then wants to climb the one above it, and thus his needs finally end on the last ladder, which is that of self-actualization.

The lowest rung of the ladder is that of physical needs, then comes safety needs, then the need to belong, above that is the esteem need, and the topmost rung is that of self-actualization. (Maslow) Employees are also human beings, and thus they also pass this need ladder, whether on or off the job. Employers need to have an understanding of this concept, and act accordingly, for the benefit of the employee. When it comes to engineering employees, they can be motivated by ensuring that the physical area in which they work is absolutely safe and they are protected from all sorts of malfunctioning of the machines etc, which can harm them.

This would need the money resources since investments in creating a safe work environment would require the tools and the mechanisms in place. From safety eye goggles to ear plugs, lots of devices have to be bought for the safety of the worker. (Becker, 1996) Herzberg's Motivation Theory Frederick Herzberg gave the Two-Factor Theory, as it came to be known, in 1959. As the name suggests, there are two distinct sets of factors, with which the people are affected. The first is the hygiene factor, and the second are the motivator factors.

The hygiene factors are the basic factors, which have to be present in an organization, and their absence would cause a lot of dissatisfaction in the employees. These are job security, good supervision, the inter-personal relationship with the co workers etc. The second, the motivator factors are those whose presence will accelerate the satisfaction level of the employees to a great extent. The motivator factors are not anticipated by the employees, and thus when they are given, they have a very positive affect.

They can be growth, promotion, achievement, training etc. (Herzberg, 1959) FormCo should make sure that the hygiene factors for its employees are perfect, that each employee is satisfied with their job, and believe it is at par with the industry wage rates. Moreover, the job description and the skill set of the engineers should match, so that they can grow to their utmost potential. This would need putting in time in the recruitment stage of the hiring process. Plus, management plans like training and yearly performance appraisals would require the energy of FormCo managers.

Alderfer's ERG Theory Clayton Paul Alderfer enhanced the Maslow's Hierarchy Theory, and gave his own ERG theory, which was also a pyramid of needs. The foundation of the pyramid was laid with the Existence needs, which is equivalent to the lower tier needs of Maslow's, physical and safety. Then the middle layer of the 3-tier ERG pyramid talks about the Relatedness needs, which is the identical to the love and esteem needs of Maslow's. And the upper most layer is that of Growth needs, which is similar to that of self-actualization of Maslow's.

When an employee achieves satisfaction in a lower order need, he progresses to achieve the upper order need. But he also does the opposite. If a upper order need is not being achieved, he would regress to achieve a lower order need. This theory emphasizes the fact that employees would also have 3 tiers of needs, which the employer should fulfill. From giving him a good physical environment to work in, to the relationship with colleagues, to the achievement he feels on the completion of a project – all these motivating factors should be kept in mind.

(Kinicki, 2004) FormCo needs to ensure that from time to time, its engineers get the right training on newly developed engineering concepts and skills. This will ensure the personal growth of the employee, and this investment would give multifold returns to the company, since the employee will now be able to do higher specialized tasks. (Becker, 1996) The arrangement of special trainers would be needed, and special training sessions would have to be organized, inculcating large money and energy resources of the management.

Equity theory The equity theory on job motivation was presented by Stacey Adams in 1963. The concept of comparison plays a huge role in this theory. It goes beyond just examining an individual in isolation. Rather, it talks about the thought processes that an individual goes through whenever he faces a situation – he usually compares what he goes through to what others went through. When people feel that they were treated fairly, and that it was at par with what other people received, they are more likely to be motivated.

Thus, this theory gives the learning to employers that they should take care of the compensation packages, and ensure that when employees compare their wages with other colleagues, it does not become a source of dissatisfaction for them. (Drillings, 1994) Therefore, FormCo should take care that employees with equal skills are being paid and treated equally. If any sort of discrimination results, it would spread negative emotions among the valued employees of this company. Performance appraisals and pay scales should be set with great scrutiny of the industry wage, and with relevance to all other employees in the company.

CONCLUSION It can be said that motivation is one of the keys to increasing not just the productivity of the individual employee, but it is also a source of getting the organization to the zenith of success. Investment in designing the job in such a way so as to induce motivation to work will go a long way for a company like FormCo. This is because, like any other relationship, the employee-employer relationship is also best maintained when it is nurtured from both sides. REFERENCES Bibliography Books 1.

Kreitner & Kinicki (2004) Organizational Behavior. Tata McGraw Hill. 2. Drillings, M. (1994) Motivation: theory and research. Routledge.        Web pages 3. Herzberg, F. 12manage: Two Factor Theory Retrieved on 29th June 2007 from: www.12message.com 4. Communication, Centaur, Employee Benefits. London Periodical , Retrieved 9th July 2007, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1231416911&sid=12&Fmt=3&clientId=25727&RQT=309&VName 5. Akdere, M. & Schmidt, S, Cambridge Business Review. Vol. 8, Iss. 1;  pg. 172, 6 pgs Retrieved 27th April 2010 from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?

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Linlin, J. & Toropainen, M. (2006), In Search of Linkages – Examining the Relationships between Employee Attitudes, Customer Satisfaction and Business Performance, Göteborg, Graduate Business School 10. Dearden, L & VanReenen, J(August 2006) Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Volume 68, Number 4, pp. 397-421(25) Blackwell Publishing