Factors That Affect the Employees Motivation Levels - Research Paper Example

Factors That Affect the Employees’ Motivation Levels Executive Summary The human resources department is a core department in any organizational setting as it plays a major role in the performance of the organization’s employees. When the human resources management team is not focused on the right things, the organization will face big problems in the current challenging economic times. Without the best practices, it will be harder to keep and prosper the employees during economic booms. This paper seeks to explore the best motivation and performance practices and the impact they have on the employee’s working morale. The paper will have an introduction with a brief description of the topic, the research methods used, the outcome of the research, conclusions and the recommendations made. In particular, this paper explores how the understanding of theories on motivation can aid managers in increasing the employee performance if implemented doable and practical applications aiming at increasing employee motivation. The creation of a motivational workplace engaging in non-demotivating practices; the development of a managerial approach that is motivational in nature and promotes satisfaction and performance; and the institution of equitable reward policies providing real and attainable incentives to the employees based on a well understanding of the motivational theories will help in bringing the motivation theories into the realm of practicality. Motivation and Performance Motivation is a key component in the work behavior. It can be defined as the force driving the employees’ behavior at the work place. It is the reasons behind an employees’ stake of carrying out a certain task and involves both emotions (feelings) and cognition (thinking) aspects. Motivation is a key factor contributing to performance levels of the employees at the work place (Mwita, 10). There are three aspects of motivation namely; direction, what is the behavior and level of accomplishments of the employees; effort, what level of psychological or physical capacity is an employee devoting to the behavior; and persistence, for how long can an employee maintain the direction and efforts. However, it should be noted that the employee’s motivation does not dictate all the behavior. The ability of an employee and resources available to the person among other factors contribute to the person’s behavior. Successful work performance by employees results from different motivational factors. Performance and incentives management some work behaviors aspects more than others. In dealing with motivation and performance it is wise to differentiate between what motivates an employee’s behavior (content) and ways of unlocking motivation and feeding through to behavior (process). The sole responsibility of a manager in any organization is to get work done through employees thus he/she has the obligation of motivating the employees. For efficient and effective motivational practices, one has to understand human nature clearly (Lumande & Ojedoku 25). Effective employee motivation leads to effective leadership and management. There are basically seven motivation strategies: positive reinforcement; fair treatment to people; effective discipline and punishment; setting goals directly related to work; satisfying the needs of the employees; jobs restructuring; and rewards be based on job performance. Motivation is inducing other people in a particular way towards the achievement of certain goals set by the motivator. The goals in the motivation system must be line with the corporate policies and thus the motivation system must be tailored to the organization and situation. Research Methodology The researcher employed various research methods in his work in reaching at the conclusion. These are active participation, case study, observation, interviews and questionnaires. Active Participation The researcher in investigating the factors and issues that motivate employees towards improved performance and ordinary people towards undertaking various activities took an active participatory role. Through this he was able to understand the various employee environments, impacts of the employee behavior resulting from the managers’ actions and effects of employee behavior due to the behavior of fellow employees. The method is efficient in that one gets first hand information about the various scenarios and understands the situation better than using secondary data or information from other people. However, the method is time consuming and interferes with someone’s way of life. To obtain the best information, the researcher has to be charismatic in his/her work. Any action that prejudices the researcher’s honesty will definitely lead to access to limited information. In the past, active participatory role in the organization’s activities has always given the best results. The method is prone to biasness in arriving at conclusions. From the fact that the researcher is aware that he/she is carrying out a research may maneuver the data collected to suit his/her observations thus arriving at subjective conclusions. Case Study The researcher used case studies in data collection. This involved taking scenarios and analyzing the motivational practices implemented by the management and the performance of the employees. This helped the researcher gain an in depth understanding of the different scenarios and thus able to arrive at an objective conclusion. Through use of case studies the researcher was able to explore possible solutions in solving complex issues, apply knew skills and knowledge and develop problem solving and analytic skills. Cases study research methodology is particularly important in capturing the imminent and emergent properties of life in business enterprises and organizations. Through this method the researcher is able to follow the flow of activities in an organizational especially in a dynamic environment. The researcher has highly used case studies in arriving at the generalizations reached during the research. Though the method was efficient in arriving at the conclusions of the research, it may not be the best method for elementary level researchers. The method can lead to inappropriate conclusions and recommendations if there is insufficient information. Use of case studies in any research work tends to slow down the process leading to unjustified delays of results and increase of financial costs. Observations Observation research method is considered on of the best research method as the researcher collects primary data. This is the major reason why the researcher embarked on use of the method in the research work. The researcher visited various workplace set ups to verify on the employee motivational practices implemented in the organizations and the effect they had in employee performance. The method is advantageous in that it is flexible and there is no need of structuring the research around a hypothesis. The method provides more valid results and the research findings are usually strong (Cargan 142). However in use of the research method, there are problems in generalizability or external validity and reliability. There are usually problems in generalization of the observations made in one scenario to the rest of the scenarios. Data collected may only apply to one of the scenarios and thus have generalization problems therefore need to combine the method with other research methods in reaching at conclusions. Though the researcher maintained objectivity in his work, there may be problems in arriving at conclusions that are subjective in nature due to researcher bias. Interviews Different scenarios call for different research methodology. The researcher used interviews to establish the correctness of the data and information collected through the other methods. The researcher interviewed the manager. The interview related mainly to performance appraisal focusing goals achieved. In carrying out the interview, the researcher inter-related achievements with what the achievements say about what the researcher does well. It was exploratory in nature seeking to establish the reasons behind the motivation. Use of interviews in data collection was helpful to the researcher in that he was able to investigate issues in a detailed way, read the emotions of the interviewee, add a humane dimension in collecting of impersonal data and improved the understanding of the statistical data. With the use of interviews, the researcher was able to ask detailed questions and sought clarification where the answers weren’t clear to him. However there were challenges in time management as the setting up, transcribing, analyzing, interviewing, reporting and feedback process was time consuming (evaluedbcu par1). Questionnaires The researcher also used questionnaires in data collection. There were two types of questionnaires one of them being questionnaire to work colleagues about how the researcher is motivated. The questions asked related to how many employees get one of the employees to work for them, their actions to get the best out of the employee, what they know to avoid doing and what they do if work is not well done. The questionnaires used either were emailed to the respondents or given as hard copy to the respondents. The emailed questionnaires had a strict time deadline and if not met then the questionnaire was termed unsuccessful. There were also questionnaires to work subordinates related to how one is motivated in the workplace. This took the form of round table discussion as there were communication challenges arising from language barrier. There would be a number of questions asked to the employees about what they notice about the researcher’s mood and behaviour and how that impacts on their needs and wants. The method is best to be used where the employees need to maintain their privacy and confidentiality. The method proved cost efficient as compared to interviews. This was especially so if the sample is large and the geographical distances to be covered is large. Also the questionnaires are usually easy to analyze resulting from the use of computer software packages. The process of data collection using questionnaires was a convenient way as most of the respondents are familiar with filling and completing questionnaires. Use of questionnaires do not make people or the respondents apprehensive and reduces bias in reaching at conclusions. Most of the respondents termed the method efficient as they spent less time completing them and also they are flexible in that the respondents could fill them at their own time and submit later. Use of the method gave rise to certain challenges either in terms of content or time constraints. The questionnaires were developed to be completed by employees who assign duties to their fellow employees. The questionnaires designed were standard and aimed at collecting information that the researcher termed important. However, the researcher may have forgotten some of the details which the employees could give to help in the research work but were denied the chance since there was no space for the same. Also some of the questions were open ended thus generated lots of data that made it extremely difficult to analyze. There were communication problems as most of the employees were not proficient in writing and reading of the English language. This called for extra efforts like having a round table discussion with the employees to be able to collect the correct information. However, the researcher in order to curb the challenges of time constraints ensured that the questionnaire was extremely simple to answer so as the respondent could spend less time. Results According to the research carried out, various methods were identified that motivates an employee towards better performance in the job place. This involved keeping the employee involved, holding conversations with the employee, seeking for opinions from the employee, positive praise of work done, participating in discussions, not ignoring the employee, informing the employee of what are the milestones to achieve in regard to corporate policies, receiving feedback from the management and being honest with the employee. The research undertaken revealed that employees are highly motivated when working in a team to achieve results. The interview revealed that the employee is motivated by working with people who share the same values and dislikes people who take advantage of others and/or who are not prepared to put in a hard days work. Close monitoring of the employee revealed that he likes to be involved with people’s lives and motivates his staff through one on one personal interaction. Being an open minded and honest person, he uses empathy to get his point across and involve himself with others. There were also actions identified that demoralize an employee: dishonesty, criticism without a valid reason, taking advantage of the generosity extended by other employees, deceptive behavior, talking without making a point, seeking for solutions to problems without having tried to solve and people who pay long visits. Discussion The use of different approaches in methodologies has brought about different aspects of motivation and performance of employees in workplaces. Motivation theories There are various theories employed in the study of motivation and performance in the workplaces such content theories include: McGregor; ERG theory; Herzeberg’s Dual factors theory; and McClelland’s 3-Need theory. According to Douglas McGregor, there are two different theories. The managers of various organizations tend to believe one and ignore the other and treat the employees accordingly. Theory X states that employees of organizations dislike and thus try to avoid work. These employees must be motivated ort coerced into doing it. Most of the employees lack ambition while performing their work and value job security as the important factor in workplaces. However, McGregor proposes a more optimistic theory Y which in his view is more valid. According to theory Y, the employees view work as natural, they are creative, appreciate responsibility and self motivated. The ERG theory’s base is physiological or existence needs which include needs for drink, foods, security, shelter and the need to feel connected to other people. The fulfillment of these needs is through establishment and maintenance of relationships. High in the hierarchy is the growth needs, self actualization and personal achievement needs. If these needs are not met, then there arises a frustration regression process. Herzberg view job satisfaction and dissatisfaction as dual scales. Hygiene factors like pay, physical work environment and job security may cause employees to be unhappy while carrying out their jobs (Griffin & Moorhead, p.118). Employees are motivated by such factors as assignment of responsibilities, recognition or achievements of certain ambitions and targets in their workplace. Through use of thematic Aptitude Test (TAT) McClelland measure employees in three different dimensions: affiliation; achievement; and need for power. Employees driven by the high need for power are prone to taking actions that affect the behavior of other people and arouse strong emotions in them. Those employees with a strong need for achievement enjoy competing against some set standards and accomplishments. High achievers like tasks that are neither simple nor very difficult but that will challenge them to do their best. Employees with a strong need for affiliation need to be accepted and liked. They tend to establish restore and maintain closer personal relationships with the other employees. Motivational processes include intrinsic reward (intangible and extrinsic reward (tangible) Results Comparison to Theory The motivation one gets in the workplace is determined by a combination of different factors which may either relate to the conditions prevailing at the workplace or those in the outside environment. It is clear that the whenever the researcher had quarrels at home with his family, he ended up performing poorly at work the following day. The pre work and post work environments dictated the extent to which the researcher performed his duties the following day. Good environment before going to the workplace lend to performance of a better percentage of the assigned work. The environment in which one is undertaking his duties contributes to the employees’ motivation and performance. Though an employee may be having a bad day at home, the situation in the workplace may reverse the motivational levels therefore making the employee to have high productivity. For instance, a positive feedback from the manager and accomplishments of some task motivates an employee towards better performance. When the managerial personnel understand the factors influencing employees’ motivation in relation to the different situations, then high employee productivity will be achieved. The days of the week also had a lot of impact on the employee’s motivation and subsequent performance. Mondays has proved to be the worst day of week and recorded very poor performance whereas the midweek days recorded high employee productivity. Though Friday may, to many, be viewed as one of the days with low performance it was not the case. Being a Friday, the employees were motivated to work harder in preparation for the weekend therefore recording high employee productivity. Fatigue after or before work had impacts on the performance levels of the employees. When the employees are tired either before they report to the workplace or after leaving the workplace is a factor that determines the level of motivation of the employees in task performance. When the employees are tired before they report to the workplace determines the level of performance of the employees. Tiredness is a demotivator of an employee. However, according to the results of the research, the situation at the workplace is a great determiner of the level of motivation and performance of the employees. Bad day at work led to low motivation and subsequent low performance despite the fact that there was good atmosphere outside the organization. Whenever the employees are in bad moods when reporting to the workplace and are welcomed in a good way, the level of motivation and performance is improved leading to better results. In regard to McGregor’s theory X, employees are not naturally lazy and do not try to avoid work. The circumstances been experienced at the workplace and the employees’ character traits mainly contribute to the level of motivation of the employees. Whenever the employee had bad moods at home but was received in a good way and appreciated at the job place resulted in high performance. Despite this fact the employees should be motivated and coerced into doing a task assigned to them in a good way. Though job security is highly valued by the employees, it has little contribution to the level of motivation achieved in an employee. The employee taken as sample of the research work was more oriented McGregor’s theory Y which states that the employees view work as natural, they are creative, appreciate responsibility and self motivated. The employee in question is more oriented to ERG theory’s whose base is physiological or existence needs. According to the employee in question, he values personal attributes like honesty and leadership skills. He relates the core values like trust, respect, honesty, integrity and teamwork to motivation and performance. High performance is achieved whenever the employee relates well with fellow employees and the management. A positive response feedback from the management leads to high productivity by the employees. The working morale of the employee is boosted whenever he is recognized for good work done or receives a complementary feedback on how to improve the quality of work. From the fact that there are different employees possessing different behavioral characteristics, the management should take time and learn their employees. Through this, the management will be assured that the steps taken to motivate the employees towards high performance will be effective and thus beneficial to the company. The employees should also go through a self actualization process to know their strengths and weaknesses better. Through this the employees will be able to build on their strengths to mitigate their weaknesses. As realized from the research carried out, the nature of environment in the workplace highly contributes to the levels of motivation achieved and therefore the performance (Gold & Shuman, p. 120). It would be advisable then for the management to create a friendly environment for the employees to work in. Conclusion In conclusion, there are many factors that affect the employees’ motivation levels but the major factor is the working atmosphere created by the employer and the employees. Recognition of the employees’ abilities, positive feedbacks and the employee’s character traits are the other factors influencing motivation in employees. The relationship between performance and motivation is non unitary aspect and thus has to be complemented by other factors like talent, culture and cognition among other factors (Stenberg, p.308). Recommendations The employers and managers have the responsibility of identifying the motivational factors to use on an employee. Different motivation practices have different impacts on the different categories of employees. Therefore the management should identify the motivational factor applicable to each employee so as to gain high productivity from the employees (Beich, p.165). The right selection of the right method to use in motivating employees is not a unitary process but a broad process that encompasses the interests of different people and therefore all the interested groups should be involved in arriving at the motivation practices to be implemented. Works cited Beich, E., ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals, New York, American Society for Training and Development, 2008. Cargan, l., Doing social research, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Evalued.bcu.ac.uk, Interviews, viewed on 16th September 2010, http://www.evalued.bcu.ac.uk/tutorial/4c.htm, 2006. Gold L. H. & Shuman D. W., Evaluating Mental Health Disability in the Workplace: Model, Process, and Analysis, Tokyo, シュプリンガー・ジャパン株式会社, 2009. Griffin R. W. & Moorhead G., Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, 9 Edn., London, Cengage Learning, 2009. Lumande E. and Ojedoku A. A, Employee motivation, African journal of library, archives & information science, Volumes 17, 2005, p. 25-30, Lagos, Archlib & Information Services, 2005. Mwita, J. I., The role of motivation in performance management: The case of performance-related-pay schemes in British local authorities. Ph.D. thesis, University of Birmingham, 2003. Stenberg, R. J., Handbook of creativity, Cambridge, Cambridge university press, 1999. Read More