A Theory of Human Motivation, Development, and Health - Essay Example

?Motivating employees in four different sections in the firm manufacturing and selling widgets would require different motivation techniques to ensure high job satisfaction, low employee turnover but high productivity with high quality work. Motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation occurs when internal factors impel an individual to act while external factors are inducements to act. Motivation can affect choice, effort and persistence (Locke & Latham, 2004). Motivation affects not only the acquisition of skills and abilities but also the utilization of these skills. The minimum wage workers, mostly in the assembly section, would be at the level where the basic needs have to be satisfied. The basic needs or the lowest levels needs are the physiological needs and unless these are satisfied, other needs will not even surface. This is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that explains what motivates people and the type of needs that cause action. Based on this theory, it is thus necessary that minimum wage workers are given wages that meet their basic needs. This is their primary concern and can motivate them to work. Moreover, it takes lot more than money to make people happy. People seek job security, recognition and status. Job security is particularly important for people that seek to satisfy lower order needs (Latham & Ernst, 2006). However, even though their basic needs are met, they also expect distributive justice. If an employee feels he is underpaid, it could adversely affect performance. This may also lead to feelings of hostility towards the management. Adams’ equity theory focuses on the motivational effects of distributive justice where the workers would compare the inputs and outputs of their own self versus those of others (Locke & Latham, 2004). To ensure low turnover, management should try to increase the link between efforts and performance evaluation, and performance and outcomes. Providing the right job role and training to fulfill the job role would motivate the minimum wage worker because they would feel recognized. This is the based on the Hawthorne Studies, which found that supervision, incentives and working conditions impact performance. Self-determination theory (SDT) is another theory of human motivation and development. One of the theories it focuses on is controlled motivation. Controlled motivation consists of external regulation as well as introjected regulation (Deci and Ryan, 2008). Once the basic needs of the minimum wage workers are provided, to achieve the desire productivity, they need some amount of control. Through control behaviour should be regulated by means of external contingencies such as rewards and punishment. Under control people are pressurized to think, feel or behave in particular ways. They may also try to give their best as this could bring them rewards and failure to do so could result in punishment. As far as employees from other sections (sales, technology and administration) are concerned, different set of motivation strategy can be adopted. Goal-setting theory by Locke and Latham focuses on the effects of conscious goals as motivators of task performance. Goal setting is a powerful motivation technique as it creates a “strong situation” (Latham & Ernst, 2006). The strong situation minimizes the effect of personality difference among workers. In sales and technology people with differing skills and personality are likely to be in the same team. Goal-setting theory states that setting high goals can lead to high performance, the higher the goals the higher will be one’s performance and variable such as participation in decision making and feedback enhance performance (Locke, 1968 cited in Locke & Latham, 2004). When people attain goals they feel satisfied. This will also ensure high quality work. To minimize the impact of individual differences, goal-setting should be based on individual talent and capabilities. At the same time, high but attainable goals could enhance productivity and performance. Organizational behavior can also be influenced based on Vroom’s expectation theory. Psychologists now consider people to be immersed in thoughts and these thoughts can be influenced. This theory is expressed in a mathematical equation and it is possible to predict a person’s choice, effort and persistence, the three pillars of motivation (Locke & Latham, 2004). According to this heuristic, people engage in a given behavior based on their own estimate that their effort will lead to effective behavior and that their performance will lead to various outcomes. The person is thus motivated to apply his knowledge and skills. Thus, especially in the field of sales, while some guidelines would be provided, they should also be given the autonomy in achieving the sales targets. A person’s motivation can also be influenced by others to the extent that they achieve the outcomes that are valued by the person. Thus, based on the expectancy theory, money can motivate if they value the amount that is offered, if they believe that they will achieve the desired outcomes, and if they believe that their effort will result in effective performance. Sales should thus be associated with incentives on slab basis to enhance performance. In small business power groups are also at play just like larger organizations. Small businesses are characterized by informal groups and informal groups develop ‘norms’. These norms have a powerful motivational impact on performance and jobs satisfaction of organizational members (Doyle, Pignatelli & Florman, 1985). The group norms also have impact in the behavior of group members. Thus groups are able to monitor and control productivity of group members. In the assembly team, the managers should employ the strategy of ‘pitching in’ (Doyle et al, 1985). In this strategy the team spirit of productive group can be effective in enhancing efficiency, and more so if the team spirit is reinforced by the norm of cooperation. Thus groups can have positive or negative influence relative to organizational goals. The goals should be clearly defined to all the members at the outset, to achieve the desired results. In the technology team new members at times face issues in settling down and in getting acclimatized to the new environment and with the new technology. The senior workers should lend a ‘helping hand’ to the new team workers or less competent workers even though formal rules stipulate that such help can be given only by the supervisor (Doyle et al, 1985). Thus informal relationship matters more than formal and hierarchical relationships. Therefore, creation of a cohesive work group in small firms can enhance overall performance. In the sales team the manager controlling the team should not be too authoritative or focus only on achieving sales targets. This can have a detrimental effect on the team members in the long run. Interpersonal relationships are important and downward pressure may initially be effective but it actually violates group norms. Sales people should not be pitted against each other; instead they should be encouraged to work in cooperation and cohesion (Doyle et al, 1985). Pitting against each other would amount to interference with the dynamics of the informal group. When the focus is on individual behavior, team members would tend to demotivate others. They could undermine the efforts of others through insults. This can arise when there are conflicts among personalities, values and goals that are not aligned with organizational goals (Locke & Latham, 2004). This is particularly likely in small firms where power groups are at play. Management should strive to encourage team members to build team efficacy through persuasion or through offering of new ideas. Integrating goal-setting theory (set specific high goals that are attainable), expectancy theory (attainment is tied to outcomes that are valued), and equity theories (appraised as equitable), this company can create a highly motivated workforce. Unenriched jobs can lead to psychological depression and these adverse effects can be minimized by introducing participation in decision making and providing the opportunity to acquire new skills (Latham & Ernst, 2006). This should be applied in the case of technology and sales teams. Even before people have acquired the skills and knowledge and even without setting goals it is possible to enhance performance by urging people to give their best. Thus to regulate behavior in this company under study, the manager/owner should be efficient enough to recognize the existence of informal groups, because managers who fail to do so or who relate only in terms of individual employees, will not be able to tap the potential positive power of work groups, according to Doyle et al (1985). In small firms intrinsic motivation is not likely because people use small firms as a springboard to gain experience and move on. However, from the point of view of the firm, talent utilization has to be maximized. Small firms cannot invest in training and development as they recognize that employees would move on. Therefore, motivation has to be extrinsic, controlled but regulated to achieve the optimum results. Each of the four departments would have to be treated in a different manner, with different motivation strategies. Recognizing the existence of informal groups is critical and no efforts should be made to create misunderstandings among the members of the informal groups to serve personal interest. References Deci, E.L., and Ryan, R.M. (2008). Self-Determination Theory: A Macrotheory of Human Motivation, Development, and Health. Canadian Psychology, 49 (3), pp. 182-185 Doyle, S.X., Pignatelli, C. and Florman, K. (1985). The Hawthorns Legacy and the Motivation of Sales People. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, November 1985, pp. 1-6 Latham, G.P., & Ernst, C.T. (2006). Keys to motivating tomorrow's workforce. Human Resource Management Review, 16, pp. 181–198 Locke, EA., & Latham, GP. (2004). WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT MOTIVATION THEORY? SIX RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. Academy of Management Review, 29 (3), pp. 388-403 Read More