Motivational Theory - Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory - Coursework Example

PEOPLE in ORGANIZATIONS   Introduction     A famous quote by Andrew Carnegie, a famous academician says that-               “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision, the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives and is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”         This is a proverb that stresses on the strength and the benefits of a great and hard-to-attain quality called “teamwork”. Good teams are made, not born. If all members of a team have the desire and willpower, only then can an effective team be formed. Good teams develop through a never-ending and recurring process of self-assessment, careful analysis, training, and most importantly through experience.         One of the major components of a team happens to be the team leader. Derek Rollinson defines leadership as –                        “A process in which leader and followers interact in a way that enables the leader to influence the actions of the followers in a non-coercive way, towards the achievement of certain aims or objectives.”         Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. To inspire team members into attaining higher levels of teamwork, there are certain attributes that the team leader must have, certain things he should know, and, certain functions that he should perform. These do not come naturally to most of them, but are acquired through continuous analysis and study. Only those become good leaders who are continually WORKING and STUDYING to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.           As Douglas McGregor once said-       “ Most teams arent teams at all but merely collections of individual relationships with the boss. Each individual vying with the others for power, prestige and position”.         The present essay focuses on a team that has been consistently performing for some time now. Any organization’s management including the top-rung leadership and the individual teams must strive to achieve better results and aim for achieving higher objectives. No matter how well the team has been performing, it is necessary for any team to adopt such an approach because it helps in the development of a team in terms of both the performance as well as increased revenues for the company in the long run. .      Two basic things are necessary for any performing team, which is looking to improve its performance- Strategy and Tactics. Tom Peters in his book Thriving on Chaos, had said-“What have you done today to enhance (or at least insure against the decline of) the relative overall useful-skill level of your work force vis-à-vis competitors”.          With reference to a performing team, when Peters mentioned, "enhancing", he was speaking of the strategic plans that will help the team members grow in order to meet tomorrows greatest challenges. When he wrote- "insure against the decline of," he was speaking of the tactical impediments that are presently challenging teams from meeting expected requirements and performance standards. In order to grow, he says, one must be able to ward off present roadblocks. Thus, tactical plans are all about providing performance stability so that change may take affect for growth.          Strategies are normally formulated for an average of about six-years into the future. In contrast, Tactics look ahead just far enough in order to secure objectives set forth through strategy. Thus, tactics is characterized by adroitness, ingenuity, and skill. A point to be noted is that, tactics is from the Greek "taktika" – meaning matters pertaining to arrangement. On the other hand, strategy has its roots in "office of a General" or "to lead".   Improving a performing team        Improving the performance of a team, especially a performing team, is by no means an easy task. It involves the assessment of a variety of factors and necessitates some changes into the constitution and working of the team. Some of these are as discussed under:   Motivation at the Workplace            Motivation can be defined as a concept used to describe the factors within an individual, which arouse, maintain and channel behavior towards a goal. As told by Glyn C Roberts (2000), another way to say this is that motivation is goal-directed behavior.           While it is easy to see the things that a person does, it is much harder to guess at why they are doing it. As an example let us look at a team member as he/she is the core part of the present discussion, which is a hard-worker. It may be that that employee is working hard because he wants to go up the career graph, but it might also be that the team member really enjoys doing his job. He may be striving for promotions and rewards because he wants to impress his superiors or because he wants a much-better job although he is well off with the current designation or it may be that he wants to make more money, so that the performance itself is really a step toward another goal. The employee generally thinks that his performance is his only asset by which he can achieve what he aspires for.            It is dangerous to assume that you know what is motivating someone because you really cant "read his or her mind". Since it is part of a managers job to get their work done through others, managers need to understand why people do things (that is, what motivates them?) so that he/she can convince their employees to work towards the goals of the organization.           There are many systems and theories of motivation. There are numerous internal structures that lead to us acting (as opposed, perhaps, to not acting). Some of the key systems: Needs, Emotions, Beliefs, Values, Goals, Interest, and Motivating gaps.                  So if we want to motivate a team (the team members as a whole), then the leadership (the manager and the team leader) must understand the systems by which each team member is motivated! If they can get their heads around the fundamental systems, they will not need to learn hundreds of outer-level methods. It is also; by the way, a very good idea to keep an eye on what is happening at this level, no matter what they (the team members) are doing.   Motivational Theory: Herzbergs Two-Factor Theory             Motivation has been studied for many years stretching beyond the 19th century. As a result, a number of theorists have compiled their own conclusions and consequently a wide variety of motivational theory has been produced. Without going into the fine details and depth of all the motivational theory, we will use Fredrick Herzbergs (1966) research to outline the main issues concerning motivation.   In 1966, Herzberg interviewed a number of people in different professions at different levels to find out two things:   - Those factors that MOTIVATED them in the workplace   - Those factors that PREVENTED JOB DISSATISFACTION                  His research concluded that some factors fell into both categories although they held a stronger position in one of them. See the diagram below for examples of the factors that he determined for each category.                  By looking at the diagram, it shows that a sense for achievement, recognition of their effort, the nature of the work itself, and the desire for responsibility are all strong factors for motivation. At the bottom of the diagram, the way the business is run, how they are supervised, the work conditions and their pay, are all factors that can lead to job dissatisfaction if not met to the standards of the employee.                Let us apply as an example the situation of a Team (an already performing one) that has been formed 2 years back and has been functioning since then. When each team members was given a questionnaire, that was prepared in accordance to Herzberg’s theory, the following observations were made on an overall basis (on the team as a whole):    - The team members were more interested in Job-satisfaction rather than aiming for higher pays. It was found that employees preferred so because they believed that there was always room for further improvement, both with respect to themselves as well as the team.   - They believed that recognition was a very important factor that immensely determined their success and most were of the view that this could be achieved if everyone in the team collaborated and motivated each other for bettering over their present and previous performances.   - It may also be noticed that two bars on the diagram (achievement and pay) are shaped differently. This is to illustrate that, for Achievement, it was found to be something that was acquired only for a short term and is therefore an ongoing need that is searched for over and over again. In other words: During one week the team may achieve, say, a good sales figure, and the following week it’s standard could drop to a disappointing level.                Thus the Herzberg theory gives us an insight into what the team members aspire for when working for and contributing as a team. This theory helps a performing team by giving them important criteria by which it can evaluate itself. This is possible keeping in view the factors discussed above like achievement, pay, recognition etc., which the team can apply to its members and come to an understanding as to what more they aspire for. Such an evaluation helps the management in providing the employees (team members here) with what they (team members) want which can undoubtedly motivate the team members to work more efficiently.             Motivation in today’s workplace is achieved through different factors with different people as told by Carol S Dweck (1997). It is therefore important that the team identify these factors for each team member, which can be put into action once identified. The best way of identifying these factors is to issue an Employee Appraisal.              The following are also motivators that can be introduced in your business. To some degree they can also be seen as processes that reduce job dissatisfaction:   - Job Enlargement - Job Rotation - Job Enrichment             Steve Myers Team Role Theory                Another popular theory for assessing the factors necessary for team performance is the Steven Myers’ theory. Team Performance Management involves, at its simplest level:   - Identifying the team behaviors that will lead to optimum performance (the ‘ideal’ profile) - Assessing the behaviors the team are currently using (the ‘current’ profile) - Planning, implementing and monitoring actions to change the team’s behavior from the ‘current’ profile to the ‘ideal’ profile.     In particular, PERFORMING teams/managers/members... Adapt To the situation, using whichever team role is most appropriate and will lead to the best performance Synchronize Use of team roles with other members Stretch Outside their comfort zones, but getting the balance right between fulfillment in the job, and personal development.               The keys to improving team performance involve adaptation and synchronization. The key to maximize individual contributions to team performance is to have the right degree of stretch.     Adaptation              This involves being able to adopt the behaviors that, given the circumstances, are most likely to lead to better results. Adaptation can be included as part of the team performance management by:   -Identifying the balance of roles most required for the team to achieve higher targets. -Evaluating the roles currently being used in the team -Undertaking a gap analysis, between the roles required for better performance and the roles currently being assigned and performed, with special focus on any team roles that may be overused or are being avoided -Planning actions to close the existing gaps, thereby getting the team to have a balance of team roles that is more likely to lead to better results.   Synchronization             This involves getting each team member to focus their efforts in the same direction at the same time, thus cooperating to make rapid progress, rather than competing. In each situation, identifying the team roles that would be appropriate to use (not all roles are appropriate for all situations) is an important task for making a better team. Also we must use the team roles in unison or, for more advanced teams, in tandem:                        For assigning better roles to team members the team leader needs to organize meetings where he must make sure that the discussion takes sufficient account of that perspective, in addition to allowing time for other perspectives also to be raised, whilst seeking a win-win resolution of views   Stretch              Each individual in the team will be stretched to less or greater extents, and the stretch can be experienced as either a good or a bad thing. To achieve the right degree of stretch, team members can:   - Identify their preferred team role (using questionnaires such as the MBTI, PTI, Personality Profiler) - Identify the role(s) they are currently performing (using the MTR-i) - Decide whether they want to be stretched more (for development) or less (for personal fulfillment)             Taking the above points into consideration, the team leader and the management must restructure the way every team member undertakes the work so that more demands are placed on them for the team roles that they want to use more, and ditto for the team roles they want to use less.                 In summary, one’s team role identifies the type of contribution that they make to the team. Anyone can undertake any team role, though people usually prefer or are better at certain roles more than others. Efficiency on the part of the team leadership requires identifying the right types of roles for the right members. Teams striving to achieve higher and better performance teams apply the principles of performance management both to the individuals and the team collectively. They adapt their roles to the circumstances, synchronize their efforts, play to their strengths and stretch themselves appropriately.   Effective groups                Most critically, effective groups are characterized by individual and mutual accountability and a sense of common commitment. All members (whether they are "leaders" or not) must take responsibility for the overall group effectiveness and for dealing with the problems that are inevitable. "The best teams invest tremendous amount of time and effort exploring, shaping, and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to them both collectively and individually and then translate this purpose into specific performance goals." (Katzenbach and Smith).               There is no absolute checklist for what makes a group effective. Different situations may call for different approaches. For example, one particular situation may call for one dominant leader while another situation may call for distributed leadership.        An effective group is characterized by...   - A sense of urgency and direction, purpose and goals. - A lot of work at the start setting a tone, setting a "contract," specifying a clear set of           rules. - Clear notion of what the "problem" is. - Immediate and demanding performance oriented tasks and goals. - Broad sense of shared responsibility for the group outcomes and group process. - Membership based on skill and skill potential, not personality. - Use of positive feedback, recognition, rewards. - Effective ways of making decisions and shared leadership. - High level of commitment among members. - Balance of satisfying individual and group needs. - Climate that is cohesive yet doesnt stifle individuality. - Ability to brainstorm. - Confronting differences; confronts conflict; dealing with minority opinions effectively. - Effective communication patterns-both ideas and feelings; good listening skills among      members. - Can be objective about reviewing its performance objectively.       Developing            "Developing" means increasing the capacity of the team members to perform better through training, giving assignments to them that introduce new skills or higher level of responsibility, improving work processes, or other methods. It is a planned approach, which involves co-ordination and communication among the team members, team leader and the management of the company. Development efforts can encourage and strengthen good performance and help employees keep up with changes in the workplace, such as introducing new technologies.          Effective managers and team leaders evaluate and address the developmental needs of their employees and team members respectively. Carrying out the processes of performance management provides an excellent opportunity for supervisors and employees to identify developmental needs that help in enhancing the performance of the team. While planning and monitoring the work of a performing team, trivial deficiencies in performance become evident and should be addressed. Areas for improving performance are also identified, and action can be taken to help successful employees and teams to improve even further. Rewarding          "Rewarding" means providing incentives to and recognition of employees, individually and as members of groups, for their performance and acknowledging their contributions to the agencys mission. As told by Herzberg, F. (1966), There are many ways to acknowledge good performance, from a sincere "Thank You!" for a specific job well done to granting the highest level, agency-specific honors and establishing formal cash incentive and recognition award programs.           Effective managers understand the importance of using rewards well. In fact, Eliza G. C. Collins & Mary Anne Devanna (1990) consider that rewarding means recognizing employees, individually and as members of groups, for their performance and acknowledging their contributions to the agencys mission. Employees have known to be highly encouraged when they are rewarded for what they have achieved by working for the team. Such performance incentives are known to propel them into working harder in achieving better results. The team leader must identify those team members who are known to have played a substantial role in achieving the goal set before the team and must make it a point that they are rewarded appropriately for their efforts. The team leader must also take care that other team members are not discouraged or disillusioned that they have not been able to contribute as much as they could have. This can only be achieved if the team leadership makes it a point to encourage them by providing them more opportunities, assigning better roles to them in future, and helping them in setting goals. This ensures that such team members eventually begin to contribute effectively and help the team to better its performance. Conclusion       Therefore, it can be seen from the above discussion that the there are three main ingredients to better team performance- constant Motivation, efficient Leadership and the Group itself.         Any team, which is on the constant lookout for improving upon its current performances, needs a careful and a planned approach in assessing and deciding upon the future course of action that needs to be adopted for achieving better results. For assessment, there are many famous approaches and theories like some of the ones discussed above that have been formulated, which just requires their formal application for chalking out a plan.         Any performing team must keep in view that it must no matter what it has previously achieved; it must always be on the constant lookout for bettering upon its best results, which it has been able to achieve till date. This can only be possible by analyzing the present team structure and finding out if re-organization is necessary. Every team member must be made to feel comfortable when working with the team and the company must make a healthy environment available to the team.         The management must take the initiative of making the right moves when it comes to assessing the team performance. It must adopt an impartial approach and make sure that any rewarding team is rewarded appropriately. The team leadership must play a pivotal role in any performing team’s operation. The team leader must consider re-organizing of the roles to the team members in such a way that the team is properly balanced and the right person (team member) is assigned the right and appropriate role that confirms to his strengths and capabilities.         It can therefore be seen that there is always room for improvement. Any team, in spite of how well it may have been performing can always aim for scaling greater heights by believing upon the universal truth and the general human tendency common to all great personalities that Sky is the limit.    Finally, I would like to conclude with a famous quotation on leadership by Gail Sheehy- The secret of a leader lies in the tests he has faced over the whole course of his life and the habit of action he develops in meeting those tests.   References   1) Derek Rollinson (2002), Organizational Behavior and Analysis: an Integrated Approach. Indiana: Jonathan Grobe Books.   2) Edward L Deci & Richard M Ryan (1999), Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. London: Cambridge university press. 3) John B Miner (2001), Role Motivation Theories. Boston: Harvard university press.   4) Glyn C Roberts (2000), Advances in Motivation. New York: McGraw Hill 5) Richard A. Dienstbier (2004), Perspectives on Motivation: Perspectives on Motivation. London: Prentice Hall 6) Carol S Dweck (1997), Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality. New York: Houghton Mifflin.   7) Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row. 8) Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man. Cleveland: World Publishing Co.   9) McGregor, D. (1957). Proceedings of the Fifth Anniversary Convocation of the School of Industrial Management, The Human Side of Enterprise. Massachusetts Institute of   Technology (April 9, 1957).   10) Alderfer, C. (1969). An Empirical Test of a New Theory of Human Needs. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, vol. 4, pp. 142 - 175.   11) Vroom, V. (1964). Work and Motivation. New York: Jon Wiley & Sons. 12) Porter, L. & Lawler, E. (1968). Managerial Attitudes and Performance. Homewood, Ill.: Dorsey Press. 13) Buchen, Irving. Upgrading Performance and Targeting Learning. Chief Learning Officer July 2004. 14) Craig, Robert L. (1996). The ASTD Training and Development Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill. 15) Eliza G. C. Collins & Mary Anne Devanna (1990). The Portable MBA. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 16) Speizer, Irwin Recruiting and Staffing. Workforce Magazine. September 2004, pp. 51-54. Read More