The Role of Motivation for Employee Performance - Literature review Example

Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: Table of Contents Abstract In a workplace, the morale of the employees determines productivity and satisfaction. Several firms are engaging in activities that motivate the workers and promote job satisfaction so as to reap optimum benefits. Some of the ways that firms have motivated workers are; rewards/ incentives, feedback, participation, empowerment and effective leadership. Consequently, work performance has improved in these firms. In this paper, the impact of motivation on performance ahs been discussed as well as the factors that influence motivation and work performance. Introduction The business world of today is very competitive and organizations cannot afford the luxury of letting the workplace potential drain down the drain. There are a number of factors within the workplace that influence the degree and motivation by the workforce. The environment of the workplace sets the pace that impacts the morale of the employees as well as participation and productivity. The impacts are both positive and negative. Currently, in various respectable companies, a number of new principle programs gave been introduced to address a wide range of issues that affect the workers e.g. changes in lifestyle, work/ life equilibrium , well being and fitness etc. These factors were not being considered in the past (Chandrasekar 2011: 2). Primarily, companies have implemented several practices in a bid to motivate their workers for example; introduction of performance- based payment, agreements on employment security, practices that facilitate for the achievement of balance between work and family life and a number of ways of sharing information. Apart from motivating the workers, it is important that their performance is also improved and this can be achieved by improving the skills and the ability of the employees to work effectively. Motivation and Performance Overview Motivation has been generally defined as a process that arouses and helps in sustaining objective-directed behaviors. There are two main theories of motivation that have been used to explain motivation and work performance. The theories are; intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation comprises of workers seeking to be recognized by peers hence they uphold the interests of the company and clients before their own. Such individuals do not have conflicting goals with the management. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation influences workers who depend on external forces to motivate them and to make them improve their work performance. The forces could be; incentives, promotions and money etc. (Chowdhury 2007: 240) Several companies in the current society where globalization has expanded, are working endlessly to find effective ways to ensure successful performance of their employees and their firms. Companies are facing several economic pressures hence each company is concentrating on the available opportunities that would increase productivity and reduce expenses/ losses. It is very challenging for the managers to ensure high rate of productivity using limited resources (including human capital resources). Therefore, building relations and trust through improved participation, empowerment and self efficiency etc, in any firm is paramount to accelerating motivation and work performance (Heavey et al 2011: 2). Relationship between Managers and Subordinates Chowdhury (2007: 238) points out that it is vital that managers or supervisors have a direct contact with the subordinates because it enhances motivation of the workers. According to a number of research studies, work performance and motivation in the workplace is determined, in one way or the other, by the behavior of the supervisor. This is attributed to the fact that, contact between supervisors and their workers influence the workers because they depict the supervisor’s charisma of supervising. Additionally, supervisors use different ways to influence the performance of workers e.g. there are some who use punishment in order to influence how workers behave. Therefore, the relationship between supervisors and their subordinates differ depending on the measures that the supervisors use to enhance performance in the workplace. Basically, the behaviors of the supervisors influence performance by workers and also their motivation to work. Positive reinforcements are also common among other supervisors. In order to improve performance and motivate the workers to do better, some of the supervisors build a positive relationship with their subordinates by exhibiting reinforcements such as; recognizing the worker’s hard work, praising them etc (Dickson et al 2003: 730). For that reason, the behavior of the supervisor towards the employees influences their relationship and more so, it influences motivation and performance. In other words, reinforcements and punishments are often used by supervisors to trigger performance and this also influences motivation of the workers (Chowdhury 2007: 238). Leadership Motivation and performance in any wok place can only be achieved when the leadership in place is effective. Good leadership skills are necessary in building trust, enhancing commitment and developing satisfaction in the workplace. These factors motivate the workers to perform better and thus culminate to improvement in the level of productivity. Significant literature shows that there is a positive connection between type of leadership and performance. The literature shows that, type of leadership influence trust, obligation and satisfaction and consequently the motivation to perform. For that reason, the type of leadership that has been implemented in the given work environment impacts the kind of trust that is developed and in turn the commitment and motivation for the workers to perform. Good leadership skills lead to the development of trust, satisfaction and commitment thus motivation to exhibit good performance (Chen, Hwang & Liu 2009: 128). Apparently, behaviors of supervision exhibited by the supervisor influences motivation of subordinates and consequently, work performance. Based on numerous studies, four types of behaviors of supervision that influence motivation and performance have been identified. These supervisory behaviors are; Contingent approving behavior Supervisors can motivate workers and improve performance by recognizing exceptional work. In particular, the supervisor praises good work, criticizes poor performance and approves efforts made. Scholars have found out that, leaders who reward their subordinates as a result of performance trigger the satisfaction of the worker hence improved work performance. Upward influencing behavior This type of supervisory behavior focuses on the relationship between the supervisor and the employees. The supervisor relates with the subordinates in a manner that he/ she causes the subordinates to act in a favorable manner. In turn, the supervisor obtains rewards from the top management for the subordinates. Achievement oriented behavior This involves setting objectives that are challenging to the workers and expecting them to exhibit high level of performance. Consequently, the workers continue to improve their performance and get motivated by the confidence that their leaders instill in them. Arbitrary and punitive behavior In this type of supervision, performance is expected from the workers i.e. the workers are expected to conform to certain levels of work performance and punishments are given to those who do not perform as expected. Although the behavior often causes dissatisfaction among the workers, it enhances work performance due to the risks attached to it. (Chowdhury 2007: 239) Self Efficiency Apart from the relationship between supervisor and his/ her subordinates influencing motivation and work performance; research also indicates that, self efficacy contributes to motivation and work performance. Lunenburg (2011: 1) notes that self efficacy is the sense of self confidence and it influences the employee’s “perception, motivation and performance”. This is because; people work on learning and performing the activities that they believe that they perform effectively. There are various ways through which self efficacy influence motivation and work performance. Firstly, it influences the goals that workers set for themselves. When employees believe that their self efficiency is high, then they set high goals for themselves hence better performance than those with the believe that they have low self efficiency. Secondly, self efficiency impacts learning in such that, high levels of self efficiency augments the desire and confidence for the employee to learn new tasks and to perform them. Thirdly, self efficiency affects persistence. i.e. high self efficiency thoughts among the employees triggers them to learn new activities and perform them. In turn, they are prone to keep trying in case of difficulties or failure on initial attempt. Lunenburg (2011: 2) outlines four sources of self efficiency as: Past Performance Vicarious Experience Verbal Persuasion Emotional Cues Participation and Empowerment The other element that influences performance at a workplace is participation/ empowerment. Forde, Slater and Spencer (2006: 297) mention that participation of workers influences work performance especially when the workers are involved in activities such as decision making and work organization. according to several research studies, it has been found out that, when workers are motivated to participate in the organization of their work, they depict high level of workplace performance. In participating, the workers are given the opportunity to influence decisions made by the management and this can be done either through the supervisors, representatives or unions. Furthermore, studies have shown that, in work environments were participation of workers is motivated, productivity is high. Therefore, based on studies, it is evident that participation of workers in the workplace motivates them to perform better thus improving productivity because; they are given the right supporting measures to contribute to decision making process and thus leading to the creation of a workplace environment that is build on trust and mutual benefits (Kunz & Pfaff 2002: 276). Heavey et al (2011: 3) add that, trust is important in improving performance due to the reason that, when trust is built between the workers and their managers, then the attitudes of the employees become positive and thus; “higher levels of cooperation and superior levels of performance”. Generally, with trust, employees are motivated and they become committed to their work leading to improved level of performance. High level of motivation on the employees is also important in contributing to the success of a company in the long term. One way that employees are motivated is through empowerment. By empowering the employees, surveys have shown that, it increases not only the employee’s level of motivation, but it also contributes to learning and development. Research undertaken using the antecedents and impacts of psychological empowerment model illustrated that; the two elements that had a significant impact in empowerment were rewards and feedback. Generally, the study indicated that, building self confidence and providing rewards according to performance, increased the thought of psychological empowerment among the employees. In other words, when employees are given the opportunity to participate in the workplace tasks and rewarded for good work done, then, they develop a feeling of empowerment which motivates them to perform (Drake, Wong & Salter 2007: 73). Psychological empowerment has also been discussed by Tuuli and Rowlinson (2009: 1334). According to the authors, empowerment is the key that is used to unlock the power gaps that exists in various workplace environments. That is, through empowerment, employees are brought closer to their supervisors to create a trustworthy relationship that offers them mutual benefits. Empirical evidence indicates that, the power sharing behaviors between the manager and the subordinates enhances the motivation of the employees and more so, it results to improved level of performance. With power sharing, the two groups actively participate in decision making and thus eventual increase in productivity. By and large, feedback on performance, provision of rewards depending on performance, encourage participation of workers and at the same time, create self confidence and locus of organization hence empowerment. Empowerment of workers has an immense effect on their self determination and their capability hence motivating them to exhibit successful work performance. Conclusion In any workplace environment, evidence has shown that motivation is fundamental to performance. Motivation influences the morale of the employee, as well as participation and performance. In the world of today, competition is high and each company is implementing strategies that would enable it be at the top of the competition. One of the effective ways that has been found to have a positive impact on the productivity of any company is motivation of employees. As indicated in the paper, motivation of employees is achieved through development of relationship between the managers and the subordinates, effective leadership, increased participation, empowerment of employees and self efficacy. These factors enable worker to develop trust, commitment and attain job satisfaction. This is vital for their performance because; with trust, commitment and satisfaction, workers develop motivation to perform better and eventually, improve the productivity of the respective company. Therefore, each firm should implement measures that lead to the motivation of workers in order to achieve productivity (an indication of performance). References Chandrasekar, DK, 2011, Workplace Environment and Its Impact on Organizational Performance in Public Sector Organizations, International Journal of Enterprise Computing and Business Systems, Vol.1 (1), pp.1-19 Chen, T, Hwang S & Liu, Y, 2009, Employee Trust, Commitment and Satisfaction as Moderators of the Effects of Idealized and Consideration Leadership on Voluntary Performance: a Structural Equation Investigations, International Journal of Management, Vol. 26 (1), pp.127-141 Chowdhury, MS, 2007, Enhancing Motivation and Work Performance of the Sales People: The Impact of Supervisor’s Behavior, African journal of Business Management, Vol. 1 (9), pp.238-243 Dickson MW, Hartdog DND & Michelson JK, 2003, Research on Leadership in a Cross Cultural Context: Making Progress and Raising New Direction, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 14 (2003), p.729-768 Drake, Wong & Salter 2007, Empowerment, Motivation, and Performance: Examining the Impact of Feedback and Incentives on Non-management Employees, Behavioral research in Accounting, Vol. 19, pp.71-89 Forde, C., Slater, G. and Spencer, DA., 2006, It’s the Taking Part that Counts? 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