Leadership and Employee Motivation - Research Paper Example

? Leadership & Motivation Thesis ment Do effective Leadership and Motivation Process help an organization to achieve its objectives and goals? Introduction There are two important influences that have huge impact on the performance of individuals in organizational work environment. These two influences are style of leadership and personal motivation process. Global business environment is becoming highly competitive. According to the leading global organizations, employees are the important assets of an organization. Therefore, several organizations are trying to retain their effective employees in order to improve their business performance and core competency. The organizations are focusing on effective leadership strategies and motivation process to retain employees. Lack of motivation and self confidence level of an employee can affect the organizational performance. Therefore, the organizations are trying to fulfill the personal needs of an employee to achieve significance work performance. Leadership Effective leadership strategy is an important tool that helps an individual to achieve organizational objectives and goals by influencing or motivating other employees (Williams, 2008). Successful leadership strategy depends upon specific situation and environment involved in those dynamics. Leaders within an organization have to follow several pathways to fulfill organizational goals. Following theory will help the readers to examine different kinds of behavior of a leader. Path Goal Theory of House Robert House stated that most important activity of a leader is to clarify the pathway of different goals of interests to the employees and subordinates. Effective leaders always try to develop a connection between the organizational goal and subordinate goal. Major objective of a leader within an organization is to improve the group performance through several motivation processes. Robert House developed four different leadership behaviors like directive, participative, supportive and achievement-oriented behavior. Directive behavior includes maintaining performance standards, scheduling work and letting the subordinates know about the organizational expectation. In supporting behavior, leaders try to maintain pleasant interpersonal relationship with the subordinates (Whitney, 2007). In participative behavior, leaders generally consult with the employees and subordinates and then consider their views and options. Leaders with achievement oriented behavior support and encourage the subordinates or employees to apply superior efforts. The leaders try to strive for a superior level of goal achievement (Chance, 2009). Achievement oriented leaders believe that their subordinates can accomplish the goals. The characteristics of subordinates and several environmental aspects effectively influence the success. Moreover, these create potential opportunity for the successful leadership. Motivation The leaders and the managers of an organization try to motivate their employees through several motivational strategies in order to accomplish the organizational goal. Individuals can be motivated by several external environmental factors like supervision, pay, job perks and job benefits. This motivation process is known as extrinsic motivation. Moreover, people also can be motivated by the effective relationship between the job task and workers. This motivation process is known as intrinsic motivation. Following motivation theories will help the readers to understand about several aspects of human needs. Hierarchy of Needs Theory of Maslow Abraham Maslow established a theory based on five sets of human needs that are effectively arranged in a hierarchy. These are physiological, safety, social recognition, self esteem and self actualization needs. Physiological needs include needs for water, shelter, clothing, money and food. Safety needs include stability, structured environment and job security. Social recognition needs include affection, love, socialization, friendship and companionship. Self esteem needs include confidence, competence, recognition by others, adequacy, appreciation and independence. At this stage, the intrinsic value is more important to the individuals (Lauby, 2005). Lastly, self actualization includes adventure and extrinsic power. This need does not deal with monetary power. Effective incentive or reward plan or an effective performance appraisal and a handsome salary structure can fulfill the physiological needs of an individual. Job security and job stability, insurance plan and individual objective within an organization can satisfy the safety and security needs of an individual. Effective relationship with other employees and high social companionship fulfills the social recognition needs. People generally try to fulfill social needs after satisfying their physiological and safety needs. Self esteem is one of the critical human needs. People try to fulfill their intrinsic needs in this stage. Effective job experience, promotion in terms of job post and freedom in decision making process within an organization help an employee to fulfill their esteem needs. Generally, people try to satisfy their own ego in this esteem needs. It is very much difficult to define self-actualization needs. People try to achieve several untouched objective after satisfying all the four human needs (Nevid, 2010). Purchasing an expensive car or flat is the example of self actualization need. However, all these needs are important in an individual’s life. Therefore, in order to enhance organizational performance, it is important for the leaders to satisfy the individual needs of an employee. ERG Theory of Alderfer Clayton Alderfer also developed a needs-based theory of motivation. This theory is quite similar to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. Alderfer’s ERG Theory consists of three human needs namely existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs. Existence needs includes physiological and safety needs of Maslow in which people wish to satisfy their food, pay, shelter and safety or stability needs (Hoffman, 2007). Related needs can be considered as social recognition needs. Lastly, growth need includes Maslow’s self actualization and esteem needs. Under growth needs, people try to achieve intrinsic rewards in order to satisfy their esteem and actualization level. Alderfer’s ERG theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory effectively described several aspects of motivation and human needs. Findings After analyzing both the leadership and motivational theory, it can be stated that the organizations try to achieve their business goals and objectives through effective leadership quality and motivation process. Employees cannot perform effectively until and unless their individual needs get satisfied. Skilled and knowledgeable employees are important for effective business performance and organizational growth. The leaders of an organization have to follow different leadership strategies based on several work place situations. It is important for the leaders to understand the personal needs of the employees. Employee motivation enhances the performance of the employees. It is important for the organization to develop an effective induction and training program regarding employee motivation. The leaders or the managers should educate the employees about several reward and motivation strategies. This program will increase the self confidence and motivation level of the employees. Effective training program, significant performance evaluation, increment, bonus payment and post promotion are effective motivational tool for the employees that can be taken care of by the leaders. The leaders should integrate and manage both the organizational and individual goals. Effective leadership and motivation process will help the organization to increase its potentiality. Conclusion Leading organizations are trying to achieve effective business output through leadership and motivation strategy. Skilled and knowledgeable employees are the greatest assets of an organization. Therefore, it is important for an organization to retain these effective employees to increase organizational productivity. The leaders or the managers of the organization should implement effective leadership strategy in order to control and maintain effective workplace environment. Significant employee motivation strategy will help the leaders to guide both organization and employees towards the success. Effective motivation process cannot be implemented without effective leadership strategy. On the other hand, an organization cannot achieve significant business output without effective employee motivation process. References Chance, P. (2009). Introduction to Educational Leadership and Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: Eye on Education. Hoffmann, S. (2007). Classical Motivation Theories. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Lauby, S. (2005). Motivating Employees. New York: ASTD. Nevid, J. (2010). Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Whitney, C. (2007). The Application of Path Goal Theory of Leadership to Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. London: ProQuest. Williams, C. (2008). Effective Management. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Read More