Motivational Problem - Essay Example

Running head: motivational problem Motivational Problem Employee motivation is critical for organizational performance and its success. For example,consider the case of a team that has been a high-performing team for more than 2 years and is known to be high incentive earners. Recently, this team has been assigned to a new manager. This team has 10 members of which only two are new and the rest are experienced members. This team’s performance has been gradually decreasing over the last six months.

Managers’ conversations with the team members revealed multiple reasons. The 3 top performers expressed that they wished to move to a different department because they were no longer finding the present job interesting. Another team member that is relatively new to the job blamed his personal problems affecting his work performance. Although most of the other team members did not point out any specific issue, their performance seemed to be steady but not improving. Research indicates that the Expectancy theory helps in predicting performance, effort, intentions, preferences and choices (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009).

The present situation can been best explained on the basis of the expectancy theory, which attributes motivational level of employees to their effort to perform a task that will produce a specific outcome and the way the individual values this outcome. These attributes are explained as expectancy, instrumentality and valence by Vroom (1964) in this theory. According to this theory, motivation is a product of these elements (M=VxIxE). Valence (V) refers to the value of an outcome that an individual places on various outcomes of their jobs like pay, incentives, interest in the work, relationships, etc.

If an individual values relationships, then he/she would be happy to work where relationships are strong and valued. Instrumentality (I) refers to an employee’s opinion or belief about the extent of efforts required to achieve an outcome. Employees tend to put in efforts to perform a specific job only if they believe that their efforts would result in outcomes they value. The third component, Expectancy (E) refers to the employees’ perception about the extent to which his/her effort will result in certain level of job performance.

Expectancy refers to level of confidence individuals possess about a specific action or job (George & Jones, 2008). Applying the Expectancy theory to the present situation, it is clear that the team members’ expectancies (E) are not aligned to what they are receiving in return (instrumentality) and their values (V) are not being reinforced. Various reasons are identifiable in the present situation. Firstly, top performers’ that expressed their wish to be moved to another department indicates that they were not satisfied with their manager because their efforts are not being recognized appropriately.

Probably these team members were appreciated for their contribution by their previous manager, which the present manager did not realize. In this case, these top performers’ motivation is associated with recognition and feeling important. Secondly, the new team member’s personal problems were probably related to financial issues, which were not being addressed by the current job and also inability to earn incentives because of his performance. In this case, the team members’ instrumentality associated with the amount of effort required to earn incentives did not correspond with the actual efforts he put in order to meet his expectancy related to the job.

Therefore, this rendered no hopes of achieving what he desired at that moment due to lack of confidence. Expectancy theory provides sufficient insight into understanding employee behavior, which is reflected in their commitment towards their jobs (Borkowski, 2010). This theory assumes that individuals tend to assess the costs and benefits in choosing specific behavior. Lack of commitment indicates the desire to avoid or indifference towards the expected outcomes. Newsom (1990) has highlighted nine criteria for motivation based on Expectancy theory, which include challenge, criteria (related to job), compensation, capability, confidence, credibility, consistency, cost and communication (Borkowski, 2010).

Appropriate interventions can be applied based on these criteria, which will help in restoring the team members’ motivation. The main implication for managers is to understand and assess what their employees value. In the present case, the manager needs to spend more time the team and individuals to understand what each member values and expects from the job. Further, the manager needs to facilitate achievement of their expectations and reinforce their values. For example, the new team member needs more coaching so that his performance can be enhanced and can qualify for incentives.

Secondly, the manager needs to understand what practices were being followed earlier and try to continue the good practices. This can be done by asking the team members to point out all activities that were being followed earlier and which they wish to continue and those that they do not want to continue. In conclusion, expectancy theory of motivation provides a good framework for managers to understand employee behavior associated with individual motivational factors. This theory helps manager to identify extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors of each team member and act accordingly.

References Borkowski, N. (2010). Organizational behavior in healthcare. 2nd edn. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. George, JM and Jones, GR. (2008). The nature of work motivation. In Understanding and managing organizational behavior. (5th edn; pp:186-190). New Delhi: Pearson Education Ltd: New Delhi. Kinicki, A and Kreitner, R. (2009). Organizational Behavior: key concepts, skills and best practices. New York: TataMcGraw Hill Inc.