Employee Motivation - Assignment Example

Employee Motivation Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name (11, 04, 2009) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….. 2. Motivational Theories Models....……………………………………………………..... a) The Hierarchy of Needs: Maslow (1954) b) Motivation / Hygiene Theory: Herzberg (1959) c) Expectancy Theory 3. How Young People are motivated to Work……………………………...…………….. 4. How the Younger Workforce Feels About Motivation on Job….……………………... 5. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Motivation…………...………………………... 6. How Organisations can Motivate Younger Workplace enough………………….......... 7. Differences between Generation X and Generation Y…………………………………. 8. Psychological Contract – Changes................................................................................... 9. Appendix……………………………………………………………………………….. Introduction Motivation refers to a set of reasons which are responsible for determining how a person engages himself in some action. There are several theories that suggest that motivation is possibly entrenched in the fundamental requirement of minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure, or it could consist of some particular requirements like eating and resting, or a wanted thing, hobby, aim, situation, ideal, or it may be ascribed to not so clear reasons like humanity, honesty, or evading honesty. Motivational Theories Models Ever since there was the industrial revolution, business owners have wanted a way of expanding output. Due to this search the scientists started studying the work surroundings, businesses and the relationship between individuals and companies. Due to their studies there were several theories developed; of which some were regarding the physical surrounding or the company framework while others were about the reasons which lead to people working and the factors which contribute to their motivation. All those conventional theories are mainly about the requirements of workers to get motivated or about the need of managers to encourage them. These theories allow for understanding the factors that drive workers to perform at peak levels of output, and this assists the managers in understanding the causes of low output. The Hierarchy of Needs: Maslow (1954) Abraham Maslow was a behavioural scientist and he introduced his “hierarchy of needs” so as to provide an explanation about how people fulfil their requirements by means of work. Maslow examined the human nature mainly from a motivational viewpoint. He stated the significant fact that humans are “creatures of desire” and we continuously require something or the other (Reiss, 2002). “This theory describes needs that begin with the most basic requirements for life – food, shelter, and basic physical comforts – and progresses through stages of growth as people strive to fill higher-level needs” (Bogardus, 2009). Although Maslow’s theory was a general one, about what makes the people act, but it was made relevant to the work state. Maslow stated that here are five levels of needs which are responsible for motivating people. And these are: Physiological needs Safety needs Social needs Esteem needs Self-actualization needs Physiological needs are the most fundamental and essential ones. Persons who strive for finding sufficient food so they can get away with hunger, or look for some shelter to live in are motivated by acquiring such objects. Actions which would allow for the essential requirements of life can motivate the people who are at this level. After finding the basic necessities of food and shelter, the people need to find methods as to how they can stay secure from any kind of hurt, whether physical or emotional. At the level of social needs, the want to be accepted and to belong to their social commune is the motivation factor for individuals. Then come esteem needs. That means the people require credit in order to be motivated to work. Self-actualization needs refer to when the individuals have had their essential requirements fulfilled. At this stage they are motivated through the opportunities to become original and to meet their own capability (Doyle, 2003). Here, the people do not try to find for such chances from somewhere else; they only rely on themselves to get them and proceed on them. Maslow’s theory explained that the needs of the workers are according to how important they are, the top being the essential requirements of water and food and shelter, and the last are the complicated ones of esteem (Straub, 1999). Maslow stated that it is the unsatisfied needs which motivate people to perform better and put in more effort and not the satisfied ones, since the latter can be fulfilled if and when they come up. Thus, a business should provide with various inducements to the employees so as to assist them in fulfilling their every need in turn and reach up to the hierarchy. Also, managers should see to the fact the every worker is different and requires different motivation in order to move up the hierarchy. Therefore, they would have to provide with various types of inducements for each employee, depending on his needs and wants. Motivation / Hygiene Theory: Herzberg (1959) Frederick I. Herzberg was another important psychologist and very influential in business management. He approached this topic in a different way. While Maslow looked into the sources of motivation in a life-in-general gist, Herzberg went on to focus on the sources of motivation that appear to be relevant to work and work success. Still, Herzberg’s studies showed that the needs, that were more or less same as those identified by Maslow, operate in the professional situation (Charnov & Montana, 2000). Herzberg’s motivation / hygiene theory (it is also called the two-factor theory) was started with a research conducted on job approaches. Herzberg performed the study in Pittsburgh in the 1950s (Bogardus, 2009). Herzberg initially thought that the reasons for job satisfaction are the converse of those for job dissatisfaction. However, the evaluation that he has done of the so many publications on job approaches did not help him with his point, since they did not absolutely support his view. Therefore, Herzberg went on to perform a study and in that study he asked his respondents to recognize all those experiences in the work sector which made them feel positively and also those that made them feel negatively. Herzberg explained the results that he obtained by saying: “What makes people happy is what they do or the way they’re utilized, and what makes people unhappy is the way they’re treated” (An Interview with Frederick Herzberg: Managers or Animal Trainers? 1971 in Bogardus, 2009). The motivation elements induce by altering the character of the job and that enables people to get challenged to improve and expand their skills and to meet their capabilities. As an example it can be mentioned that, adding duties which offer with chances to learn to a receptionist who performs at an unsatisfactory level would lead to enhanced performance of every duty delegated if his bad performance was due to the tedium with recurring works. The dissatisfaction (hygiene) elements encourage to the degree that they help the individuals in avoidance of unwanted moments. For example, provided that the workers keep on performing their duties properly, they would keep on receiving their salary. It is stated that workers get only short-terms advantages from hygiene factors (Freeman, 1999; Ellis, 2004) but obtain longer term job satisfaction through those factors that are associated with motivation. Due to Herzberg’s theory the idea of job enrichment came up. Job enrichment relates to increasing the importance of the duties in a job so as to offer with demanding work and expansion chances (Bogardus, 2009). Expectancy Theory A third theory that will be discussed here is the expectancy theory of motivation and it was developed by Victor Vroom (Green, 1992). It is the “most widely accepted explanation” for the fact that people are motivated towards work, to perform, to learn, and to modify (Lawler, Worley & Poras, 2006). This theory allows for the parts that are missing in the two theories mentioned above. The needs approach to motivation that was introduced by Maslow and Herzberg fails to properly take into account the disparities in people. Vroom’s approach makes an attempt in explaining the behaviours according to the person’s aims and his anticipations of attaining those aims. An assumption made by the expectancy theory is that the people are able to assess what results they would rather have and that they are able to make practical approximations of the opportunities that they may get for acquiring them (Charnov & Montana, 2000). Therefore, this theory is even known as the preference-expectancy theory. Vroom’s theory stresses on the requirements of a company to correlate prizes with quality of performance and also to make sure that those prizes offered are the ones that are earned and required by the receiver. The argument that the expectancy theory makes is that people usually makes decisions sensibly and consider their actions and perform in such a way that would allow for fulfilling their requirements and assist them in attaining their objectives (Huber, 2006). This theory identifies the fact that people can at times have misperceptions concerning reality, can err in the way they assess things, and badly misread circumstances (Lawler, Worley & Poras, 2006). However, as a whole the theory makes the assumption, and there is support from research that verifies it, that individuals attempt at dealing sensibly with the world as they perceive it. According to the theory the individuals are practical, future oriented and enthused so that they act in such a way that would allow them to reap rewards. The reason that the expectancy theory is so widely accepted is that it comes into use in order to understand the way individuals are motivated in various phases of their lives, and that includes communal relations, family and job. Expectancy theory recognizes Maslow’s viewpoint that great disparities are present amongst people in their requirements, and therefore in the significance they feel towards rewards. As can be inferred from the name, expectancy theory states that individuals get motivated due to the assurances of rewards. In simple words, it takes on the assumption that individuals act in such a way that would allow them to reap rewards that wish for. How Young People are motivated to Work Today’s companies face major challenges in the business sector. One such challenge is attaining and retaining good employees (Collison, 2001) and many companies do not know how to do this. Many companies offer various inducements to keep their employees but they have to find ways to keep their younger workers with the company. In order to keep the employees a company is required to motivate the younger people of the company as they need encouragement. This is done through rewards or employee incentives (Hurd, 2008). Several of the companies think that simply providing with monetary incentives would motivate a worker. However, this is not the case as today’s workers, especially the younger ones, require that they are valued by the organisation (Damiani, 1998). Younger workers feel that recognition is a very significant matter at a job (Podmoroff, 2005). When the workers achieve a goal, or even simply perform highly, they want to be praised and recognized. There are various ways through which recognition can be made of the high performing employees. Like, they may be given titles such as “employee of the month”, or they can be praised on the spot in front of their colleagues when they make a sensible point. This motivates them and boosts their confidence. Likewise, any negative comments about a particular employee should not be made in front of other people. Then there is the concept of communication between the employer and the worker. This builds relationships and motivates the employees. This can possibly be due to the fact that younger workers are appreciative when the managers or their seniors genuinely show interest in them. Then there should be performance reviews made frequently. Such reviews would enable the employees to find out how they have been performing. They would get to know the areas where they are doing great and where they require training. Also, the company would benefit through this. The feedback should start off on a positive note and should ask the employees about their opinions. The managers should also help the employees in getting over their shortcomings (Max & Bacal, 2002). How the Younger Workforce Feels About Motivation on Job For this section primary research was conducted and the results were gathered and analysed. Younger workforce was asked about what they feel about motivation on job. The responses obtained showed that the younger workforce considered motivation to be an important factor at their place of work. They require that they are motivated at every stage and their idea of motivation is not simply offerings of money or such incentives. In fact, they want more of recognition too. They want that their work is appreciated by their mangers and they are credited. The younger employees also want that their seniors show interest in them and this can be done by means of an effective communication between the two parties. Apart from this the employees require reviews of their performance. They want instant feedback. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Motivation Today’s world is an unstable and disordered one and in order to succeed commercially, the employees of the company should be making absolute use of their skills. However, regardless of the innumerable theories and models available on the topic, managers frequently perceive motivation as being mysterious. This can partially be due to the fact that different people have different motivation factors. Motivation is extremely necessary for a company’s employees as it leads to various advantages and benefits for the company as a whole. A positive motivation attitude and exercise leads to an improvement in the output, excellence and service. Through motivation people are able to attain the objectives they have set for themselves; they attain a positive viewpoint; they are able to produce the authority to change; their sense of worth and potential builds and they are able to direct their own improvement and also assist their colleagues in developing. Motivation is solely an advantageous process with no side effects. That is to say that there are no disadvantages of motivation. However, there are certain obstacles that are to be conquered. Such obstacles can comprise of oblivious or absent managers, incompetent infrastructure, obsolete devices, and rooted attitudes, for example: the employees may say that they are not getting additional pay to work harder; they have always been doing something in a particular way and don’t want change; their managers do not know anything about what his employees are doing; that they will do the minimum work that is possible while keeping the job. Views such as these require influence, firmness and the evidence of knowledge in order to overcome. How Organizations can Motivate Younger Workplace Enough In order for the organizations to be motivating their employees properly, they have to be providing them with what is desired. The younger workforce does not require money incentives as much as they want recognition and appreciation, so the companies should make sure that they appreciate their employees. This would boost the morale of the workers. Every individual has different motivation factors. However, the general ones include wanting some kind of activity; wanting power and recognition; wanting to be affiliated; etc. By fulfilling the desires of the employees the organizations can make sure that they are providing with the required motivation. It is a much globalized world today and the companies need to see to it that they are able to retain their employees, and they can do this by offering appropriate motivation factors. Differences between Generation X and Generation Y Generation X and generation Y have several differences related to vocation and those are described in this section. First of all, in gen X the workers want only the capable managers to lead the company. However, the gen Y prefers that there is collaborative work and the workers cooperate with the administration. The younger generation does not have much value of experience. They say that experience is unrelated since the world changes at such a rapid pace. On the other hand the older generation values experience (Deal, 2006). Then, gen Y has the sense of autonomy, they require instant and direct feedback, their idea of reward is money. This generation will continue working till it is required or till they find it tedious. They have a sense of work-life balance (Gardner, 2007); they wish to have time for themselves, they are busy people. To them money is something that lets them uphold their way of life. Conversely, the older generation did not ask questions. You just gave them the orders and they did it. They wish for regular feedback and their reward would be the autonomy. In the training side they wish to learn continuously. Unlike the younger people the elders complete their work and leave. They wish to take absolute pleasure in life and are dedicated to work. They believe that money allows them to be free and independent. Psychological Contract – Changes By psychological contract we mean personal thinking or viewpoints concerning the exchange conditions between the person and the company. To manage the psychological contract there has to be a provision of practical job prospect; talks of expectations should be held frequently; the awareness of the worker should be checked regularly; feedback should be provided; any alterations in the expectations of employees should be looked for. There have been changes in the psychological contract over the generations. Generation X was independent and flexible; they wished for regular feedback; they were both working parents and they experienced the times when their parents were laid off; plus they were cynical. The Generation Y is different from their ancestors. They are the kind of people who give their kids everything. They have a feeling of claim and are concerned with what is given to them. This generation is self-assured and multi workers. They wish to be directed, that is their managers give them objectives to complete. These people put in effort in their work and have a good know-how of the technology. Generation Y is concerned with getting money, demanding jobs, chances to learn new stuff. They need greater guidance and are more difficult to make happy. The new generation, that is the younger employees of today offer alternatives. They want high-tech, obliging preparation, several alternatives and the liberty to practise them. They wish for work-life balance. The younger workforce offers with training opportunities and require instruction plus rewards. They provide with a developing place of work. They look for novel motivational systems, relationship concentrated setting, and they wish to be included in the procedure of taking decisions. Appendix Further Theories and Models ERG Theory Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was further expanded and abridged by Clayton Alderfer. He came up with a shorter set of three requirements: Existence Relatedness Growth Clayton did not classify these in a hierarchy like Maslow did. Instead he said that these needs are more of a band The first need is of existence. It means that a person needs to live and to have safety at the current moment as well as later on. When such needs are fulfilled it means the person is safe and comfortable. “Existence” comprises of Maslow’s physiological and safety needs. The second need of relatedness comes after a person is secure. This includes the social needs. An individual now wishes to have relations with others. Through this need the individual feels being identified and having a position in his commune. This need comprises of Maslow’s love/belonging and esteem needs. Next is the need for growth. A person requires to grow and to become innovative for himself as well as for the surrounding. A person experiences wholeness, attainment and success when he is improving. This need comprises of Maslow’s self-actualization and transcendence. Acquired Needs Theory According to this theory our needs are fashioned due to the circumstances we pass through. The majority of these needs can be categorised into: Achievement (nAch) Affiliation (nAff) Power (nPow) This theory is also referred to as the “Three-Need Theory” or “Learned Need Theory”. Every individual has different requirements. Each person will have one of the above mentioned desires and that would be affecting him more than the others, therefore affecting his conduct. First there is the need of achievement. Such people look for excelling and appreciating regular recognition of the way they are performing. People with this need will not go for high risks where there is not an enough probability of winning. Also, they will not go for low risk activities which would not have much gain. The second need of affiliation requires people to search for pleasant relations with the society. Such people want more of approval instead of recognition. Then comes the need for power. Such people wish for power to manage others (to get their objectives) or to attain higher aims. These people do not wish for either appreciation or support. All they want is accord and fulfilment. Bibliography Bogardus, A. 2009. PHR / SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide. 3rd ed. US: Sybex, Charnov, B. H. & Montana, P. J. 2000. Management (Barron's Business Review Series). 3rd ed. US: Barron's Educational Series. Collison, J. 2001. 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