The Duty of the Management in Any Organisation - Essay Example

? Motivation Table of Content Introduction 4 I.Individual and group resistance 5 Concepts of Motivation 6 Need-Based Approach 8 Need hierarchies 8 Process-Based Approach 11 II.Role of Conflict Management in resistance 12 III.Power and politics 12 IV.Structure, culture and employee motivation 13 Conclusion 15 Reference 16 Bibliography 19 Introduction The duty of the management in any organisation is to satisfy its workforce. Management the word itself states that individuals need to be brought together and they work towards achieving the common goals of the organisation. Managers perform different functions that include staffing planning, controlling, directing, organising. The role of present day managers has been empowered and different management styles have a different set of impact on the performance of the employees within organisations (Weaver & Farrell, 1997, p. 1-2). Change is a process which plays an important role in our lives. Change is a process that triggers immediate reaction. Managerial decision making is crucial while planning for change as change can either reinforce trust or might destroy the same (Rudolf, 2009, p. 40). The fact that change is not all positive should not deter individuals from embracing change. Change is all pervasive and people seeking change as well as those opposing it must realize that change has its own drawbacks and deficiencies. People who do not seek change and oppose are known as opponents of change and ‘resistance’ is the action adopted by these individuals when they sense that change can be a threat to them. Although resistance is a common thing in the workplace it can also be found in other places. Change and resistance go hand in hand. This is so because people have a tendency to resist change as they feel threatened when they sense change coming. This report will discuss the causes of resistance to change which can be due to individual resistance, group resistance and organisational resistance. The organisations around the globe are experiencing a rapid change in there structure. The influence on managerial decision for the organisational change is a major concern and can affect the organisation in a great way. It is important to analyse the after effects of this decision taken by the leaders of the organisation. Moreover it has become difficult for the staff members to sustain in the changing organisational environment which leads to employee turnover and job dissatisfaction (Bianco et al., 2007, p. 188). The influences on managerial decision in context to the organisation change are directly related to the resistance of individuals and groups to the organisation change. This can further be elaborated as: I. Individual and group resistance There are various reasons behind the resistance of people towards the organisation change. In some cases it is an individual who resists the change while in most of the cases group resistance is common. The main causes related to the individual resistance could be the outcome of the change which is uncertain makes the individual insecure and causes the resistance towards organisation change. Another reason why individual resist change is due to their tendency to perceive selective information which is linked to their existing outlook about the organisation. This makes them vary of the changes as they tend to focus on the outcome which has an impact on them while rest of the benefits are neglected. Another fact is the habit of the individuals or the preferences of individuals for similar proceedings and activities which also acts as an obstruction to change (Jennifer, 2009, p. 602). Group resistance is another form of opposing the change and occurs when the alteration in the relationship and task caused by the change makes it difficult for the group to adapt to the change. The change disturbs the norms made by the groups. Secondly it has been found that attractiveness between members of a group affects the performance. To overcome this changes are required in the structure of the organisation. This change is bound to have an impact on the group and its members which makes them to resist the change. Moreover when the team members realise that the course of action adopted by them is wrong and still they continue to proceed makes it more difficult for the organisation to bring in the change. Groupthink along with the escalation makes it difficult to change the behaviour of the group. Concepts of Motivation The motivation at work for the employees is based on two important motivation factors: External rewards, requests and pressure do not play any role in the intrinsic motivation. It has also been noted that the intrinsic motivation differs from person to person. Every individual is not motivated intrinsically and neither all the people get intrinsically motivated for the same challenge or task (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2006, p. 160). Extrinsically motivated people are part of the action that may result in the achievement of external rewards such as prestige, pay, bonus, benefits and positive assessment. The extrinsic rewards associated with the motivation does not comes in only from the work but are usually awarded by others such as managers, customers, teachers, etc (Bateman & Crant, n.d., p. 4). Leadership is a responsibility; it is the step towards the success story for any organization. Leadership qualities are measured on the basis of employees’ performance and their job satisfaction which vastly depends on the motivation factor. A leader can be called successful only if his/her followers equally contribute towards the growth of an organization (Ccl, 2009, p.2). Leadership in itself is an important quality but there are certain factors which define the true leadership qualities a leader should possess. These essential components to develop leadership qualities are- a) Setting an example and motivating others b) To be an influential figure c) Honesty d) Being ethical e) Bringing in the desired change f) Rewarding for the success (Oxcel, 1998). Motivation can be divided into five major approaches or theories which lay out different ways through which a leader can motivate the people. These five theories can be discussed below: Need-Based Approach This theory explains the need of motivation amongst the people when they are to achieve certain objectives and satisfaction level in life. The need-based approach to motivation is assorted into dual structure and need hierarchies. Need hierarchies Maslow’s hierarchy theory and ERG theory are two of the most admired need hierarchies. Maslow’s hierarchy theory is the most acknowledged motivational theory which is widely implemented by organisations around the world. According to Maslow’s theory every individual possesses five hierarchical needs (Robbins & Coulter, 2008, p. 453). Physiological needs The physiological needs include sleep, water and food. It has been noted that if these low level needs are not met by the individual then motivating them for the attainment of the organisational goals is a tough ask (Kreitner, 2007, p. 378). Safety needs The physiological needs are followed by safety needs which determine the protection for the employees against the loss of physiological needs (Naidu & Rao, 2009, p. 84). Social needs: The social needs include social activities, affection, friendship and sense of belongings to the organisation for an employee (Mullins, 2005, p. 480). Esteem needs: The esteem needs for the employees are of two types, low and high. The low level esteem needs include fame, recognition, status, appreciation and reputation. The high level esteem on the other hand includes competence, freedom and confidence (Hoffmann, 2007, p. 17). Self-actualisation needs: Self-actualisation needs always remains with the employees and tends to become stronger as they get access to these needs. These needs involve the desire to accomplish the objectives and also drive the employee to become the potential person he/she is likely to become. The theory emphasises on the importance of satisfying one need and then proceeding to the next one. Maslow’s motivational theory provides a structure for the need-based approach by classifying different needs but fails to provide an apparent representation of the needs. ERG theory of motivation is another need-based approach to motivation and was developed in lieu of criticism faced by Maslow’s hierarchy motivational theory. ERG which stands for Existence, Relatedness and Growth is different from the Maslow’s theory on two bases: ERG theory proposes that motivation can be caused by two or more needs. ERG proposes that if certain high level need remains unsatisfied for an individual then he/she is more likely to follow the needs of low-level again. All these factors make an immediate need to understand the aspects that helps motivate employees. The Two Factor Theory of Herzberg is also known as Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory. This theory suggests that both job satisfaction and dissatisfaction which occurs at the work place are affected by different set of factors (Gmaaweb, 2009). 1. Process-Based Approach Process-based approach signifies the need for motivation and the way motivation occurs. The two well known process-based motivational theories are equity and expectancy theories. Equity theory of motivation illustrates that the employees of an organisation will get motivated only if the organisation treats them reasonably. Equity theory is largely dependent on organisational culture. There are three main components of equity theory i.e. inputs or the contributions made by the employees, referent are the other people which are looked upon by the employees while comparing the treatment of the organisation and outcomes are the rewards received by the employees from the organisation (Williams, 2006, p. 424) Expectancy theory states that motivation can be determined through the beliefs of individuals regarding the relationship between the performance and the outcome of the work. Expectancy theory illustrates the probability of work performance being followed by the effort accomplishments (Schermerhorn et al., 2011, p. 111). The reinforcement approach to motivation also known as behaviour modification can be defined as the motivational theory where the organisation plays an important part in motivating its employees by creating friendly work environment and praising the employees for their effort. The theory also states that the punishment to the employees for poor performance can have negative effect on the organisation (Koontz, Weihrich, & Aryasri, 2004, p. 15.11). II. Role of Conflict Management in resistance Conflict management can play a major role in resolving the issues related to the conflicts occurring within an organisation. Conflict management which uses different styles such as avoiding, compromising, forcing, etc. to overcome the conflict can be otherwise held responsible in accommodating the resistance to change. Instead of handling the conflict in a more appropriate manner the management tries to force the change or avoid the conflict. This makes the implementation of change even more difficult. III. Power and politics Certain individuals or groups have greater knowledge, have more expertise which makes them demanding and attain power in the organisation. Politics is all about bringing the power into action through influence or certain techniques and tactics. Organisation change can affect this coordination of group members and this makes them resistance to any change. IV. Structure, culture and employee motivation Any organisation or the leadership planning for a change in the organisational structure or the management style needs to proceed with much care considering the affects of changes on the employees and the functionality of an organisation. Employees being part of a specific culture and structure prefer being part of the same organisational structure and culture. This behaviour of the employees leads to the resistance to change. Moreover, lack of motivation also affects the process of change and ultimately the organisation suffers a setback in implementing the change. Organisation change is not an easy process as there are certain factors that may affect the change. These factors can be discussed below: Inertia: The work demands from the organisations on daily basis reduces the importance of change and ultimately the decision fails to get implemented. Communication: It is important for an organisation to inform every member about the change to prevent the conflict at a later stage. Miscommunication can lead to different perceived expectation by the staff members regarding the change in organisation. Organisation Environment: An organisation that prefers punishment over change in context to mistakes will make the things even more difficult. The staff members in this case are bound to develop resistance to the organisation change and rather prefer a low-risk and safe organisational environment. Resources: The managerial decision to change without appropriate resources such as staff, time, funds, etc. will lead to failure of the implementation plan (Jeritt.msu. n. d., p.12.10). Motivation is the tag associated with the process which involves the behavioural direction necessary to attain certain goals. The persistence, strength and direction of behaviour are said to be affected by the motivation. Motivation becomes all the more important in context to organisational change, organisational culture and management style. The employees are finding it difficult to adapt to the changing organisational environment. To overcome such problem the organisations across different sectors are laying more emphasis on motivational practices, and different motivational approaches are playing an important role for these organisations. The managerial decision in context to the change in organisation can lead to both negative and positive impact for an organisation. The decision making should be such that it is welcomed by the other members of the organisation apart from the leaders because it is the employees who hold the key towards the well being of an organisation. Motivation is one factor which can make the process of organisation change simpler for the management. Implementing the most effective motivational theory will deliver the result for the organisation. It will not only ensure attainment of organisational objectives but also lead to increase in productivity and faster adaptability to the changes by the staff members. Conclusion Corporate culture strains on the acceptance of change by the team members. There are many reasons why employee’s resists change but structure, culture and motivation in the organisation also have a role to play in the resistance. Individuals need to be motivated to make them accept the change. This report clearly highlights that resistance can be effectively subdued with effective motivation. The way in which employees are treated is vital to the success and growth of the organisation as employees are a crucial component. It is also important at the same time for the organisation to realise the role played by the employees as the growth of a company depends on it. The intellectual capital of the organisation can be increased only by nurturing the employees, while at the same time it can be decreased by mishandling by the management. Conflict can arise anytime but an organisation should always be prepared to deal with conflict an resistance for its own betterment. Reference Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (No Date). Revisiting Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.ou.edu/cls/online/lstd3673/pdf/IMOBHDP24.pdf. [Accessed on 19 April 2012]. Bianco, A. T et al. (2007). Managerial Coping Organization Change: The Role of Motivation. Psychology of Motivation. [Online]. Available at: http://ohio.academia.edu/JosephBianco/Papers/123140/Managerial_Coping_with_Organizational_Change_The_Role_of_Motivation. [Accessed on 19 April 2012]. Ccl.org. (2009). The Leadership GAP. [Pdf]. 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