Motivation at Work - Essay Example

BEHAVIOURAL YOURSELF Man is a social animal and all his needs and desires are fulfilled while living in a social set up and interacting with other members of society. A child learns how to act and react at some specific situation from other individuals, and comes to know how to behave with the people in his surrounding. As man’s behaviour is learned one, and he performs differently at different occasions as well as while working at various organizations, his behaviour also changes time and again during the fulfilment of his obligations. Further, man comes across different institutions and socioeconomic organizations during the course of life. Economic institution is one of the most dominating one among all the social institutions, and is related to man’s career and financial stability, gains and achievements. It is financial institution that not only keeps man engaged and busy in something productive, but also earns pelf, prestige and popularity for him. But it is not so easy to win all these triumphs in life. An individual has to work hard with determination and concentration to achieve his goals in life. Both determination and concentration look for motivational effects in order to continue performing all the tasks during financial activities. Hence, motivation plays pivotal role in man’s life and career. Thus, it is the most important thing to find out what motivation is and how an individual attains it. Moreover, how its works in individuals’ career and whether the standard of obtaining motivation is one and the same in all individuals or it varies from person to person. The term motivation has been defined by different theorists differently. “Motivation is”, Kreitner views, “the psychological process that gives behaviour purpose and direction.” (1995). In other words, motivation is the main factor behind performing something purposeful towards some specific direction. “It is an inner drive”, Higgins states, “to satisfy an unsatisfied need.” (1994). Motivation is an urge that supports man during the course of fulfilment of some tasks individually and collectively. Motivational factors are extremely significant not only for the employees during their job in a corporate firm, so that they can be proved more and more productive for the organization and work place, but also it is important for the companies and organizations for the enhancement of their sales volume and creativity as well. It is the leadership of an organization that provides a staff-motivating atmosphere within an organizational structure; it is therefore the role of leadership revolutionises the very scenario of an organization under its dynamic supervision. Taking the example of the world famous automobiles brand Honda Company and its new President, Mr. Nobuhiko Kawamoto, it is evident that Kawamoto motivated the employees by introducing collective and group work rather than individual efforts especially in the decision-making process. He not only brought tremendous motivation to the employees and senior management, but also observed each and every aspect of all departments keenly. On the basis of his observation and study, he formulated new sitting plan for the executives and high officials of the top order management. The strategy fastened communication between the executives and decision-making process got tremendous acceleration. In addition, the environment turned out more frank and friendly in comparison with the past. Consequently, ‘right-first-time’ policy upraised quality and controlled the manufacturing cost. All the popularity of Honda is because of company’s policies and strategies, including planning, marketing and advertisement that has very successfully supported in capturing the markets of the world at large from micro to macro level. There was one and the only thing behind that all i.e. the new presidents motivation and encouragement for staff members and employees. Theories have been articulated and researches have been conducted to measure motivation factors in employees belonging to different organizations and departments as well. Famous psychologist and the father of humanistic psychology, Abraham H. Maslow has elaborated five levels of motivation in his famous Need Hierarchy Theory in 1943. These levels include physiological, safety, social, ego and self- actualizing ones. Maslow opines that as the motivation takes start from the lowest level, so the lowest level needs and requirements of the employees must be fulfilled in priority to motivate and inspire them towards their work and to develop as well as strengthen their interest in the tasks they are to fulfil. He submits that if senior management is interested in patronizing the addressing of most significant motivational factor in the staff of an organization, all these above mentioned levels of motivation should be satisfied. Physiological needs, according to Maslow, are those which offer an employee happiness and satisfaction. Maslow takes the interesting work at job as the first and foremost factor of motivation and the part of his concept of self-actualizing factor. More attractive and relevant to the disposition and aptitude of an employee the work is, higher will be the level of his motivation while performing his obligations and giving results to the organization. In the same way, Maslow keeps reasonable remuneration as the second most important factor of motivation. If an employees salary or wages are not sufficient to buy basic necessities including food, clothing and shelter for him and his family, his motivation level will surely be low and he will be unable to pay due heed to his work. Similarly, Maslow lays stress on admiration and appreciation from the management on doing good job and showing commendable performance at job by the employee. It will raise employee’s self-esteem and he will work more arduously in future. The theorist calls security of job as the safety factor which is the fourth one in his list of motivational factors. If an employee’s job is not secure, he may be involved in trying his luck to some other job or company all the time, and his energies will not be focused on the tasks he has been assigned with. Another psychologist V. H. Vroom presented his Expectancy Theory of Motivation in his famous publication Work and Motivation. “Vroom theory”, Lindner states, “is based on the belief that employee effort will lead to performance and performance will lead to rewards.” (Vroom, 1964: Quoted in Lindner, June 1998). Expectancy theory simply proposes that motivation is based on how much we want something and how likely we think we are to get it. Here appear the concepts of reward and punishment as motivational factors in organizational behaviour. Reward is said to be an important factor to enhance the working of employees. Vroom is of the view that if proper rewards are offered to the employees by assessing their performances; it may boost their morale and motivation to the great extent. Reward may be in the form of appreciation as well as increase in salary package and incentives etc. Frederick Herzberg has articulated his Motivation Theory that is based on two factors theory; according to which individuals are generally influenced by two factors i.e. Hygiene Factor and Motivational Factor. Dissatisfaction, according to the theory, is the outcome of hygienic factor, while satisfaction and development are the result of motivation factor. The former is applied to ensure that the employees do not get dissatisfied, while the later is exercised in order to motivate the employees for better performances. Working conditions, quality of supervision, salary, status, safety, company and job are among hygiene factors, while achievement, recognition for achievement, responsibilities for tasks, interesting job, advancement, and growth as well as development in the career ladder are stated as motivation factors by the theorist. (Quoted in http://www.12manage.com/methods_herzberg_two_factor_theory.html). All the above described theories maintain practical significance and application in organizations and companies. Especially Maslow’s theory, based on five levels, has practical application in organizational behaviour and corporate culture. According to the strategic analysis, it is the duty of management to get things done through employees within an organizational structure. It is manager who motivates the employees and members of staff regarding the achievement of tasks and goals determined and decided by the top management. All the famous brands of global reputation including Honda automobiles, Coca Cola beverage industry, Microsoft Corporation, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Hitachi automotive production company and others exercise different aspects of motivational theories in their strategic planning in order to increase their market volume as well as widen the canvas of their sales and production consequently. The famous brands and trademarks announce incentives and benefits on annual, quarterly and even monthly basis for the uplift of the morale and spirit of the employees. These benefits include rewards on achieving the task, free transportation facility, few holidays without deduction from salary, foreign trips, free medical treatment, discount while visiting hotels and parks, promotion on the basis of performance and assigning of some most important tasks. The same is the case with the Hitachi Company. Looking into the motivational strategy of a well reputed American automotive industry i.e. Hitachi Automotive Products, it is evident that the company offers multiple inspirational and motivational benefits to its employees, which also endorse the theories articulated by the scholars and psychologists. The company offers all its employees free of cost medical check up and treatment facilities by the team of competent physicians as soon as an individual joins it. It provides the employees with happiness and satisfaction and physiological benefits in words of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory. There is a free and frank corporate culture in the company and no one is discouraged to communicate with the senior management or the member of different departments. Honda automobiles industry has also introduced a free corporate culture under the leadership of Kawamoto, who had suggested for the common sitting arrangement for all the staff in order to mitigate the communication gap as well as fasten the decision making in respect of introducing new model, making marketing strategy and applying latest technology. All this gives the employees self-esteem and the feelings of being in one and the same thing and environment. Sitting and working along with the senior management fills their hearts with joy according to Kovach’s theory of motivation, which suggests least communication gap between high and low management. Hitachi Company provides the managers with the company vehicle and credit card facility, which is a token of reward against their performance and services for the Company. In addition, the company offers travelling allowance on business and even recreational trips. These steps resemble with Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory in which he has presented the concept of rewards as an important motivational factor. Additional benefits and incentives like company vehicle and credit card are sign of reward and an important motivational factor. The management has devised comprehensive motivation schemes for the employees. Safety and quality incentives are also offered by the company to the employees just after six months of joining Hitachi Company. In addition, the company get its employees insured by reputed insurance companies. The company also supports its employees in respect of purchasing automobiles and other commodities of domestic and personal use. Furthermore, the Hitachi management helps the staff members on getting house building finance loans too. It also looks after the personal problems of the staff members and has established an atmosphere where everyone can share his personal concerns with other members and management, which help him till his restoration to normalcy. It is due of all these benefits and incentives that the employees and workers of the Hitachi Automotive work day and night utilising all their energies and capabilities to earn more profit and fame of their organization. Teamwork under the shadow of wonderful motivation has made Hitachi an international organization of high repute. It is the fact beyond doubt that motivation always results in positive. Every company introduces its own norms, values, traditions and traits in the organizational set up, which are called the corporate culture of that company. Though leadership and top management dominates in this regard, yet staff, employees and workers of the organization also influence this culture while interacting with other members of staff. Both individual as well as collective behaviour becomes the identity mark of a corporate firm. Looking into the history of all the great companies and firms, it is evident that their success is the outcome of long and continuous struggle, where so many fluctuations and crises come in their way to haunt and sabotage the journey towards progress and triumph. If an individual is devoted to his work, precise and polite in his behaviour and committed to his goal, he gets achievements in his work-place. His commitment to the cause and hard efforts to achieve his destination is the source of permanent motivation for him. Being the member of such an organization where he obtains additional motivation is an extra advantage for him. Every one’s role and performance make up the motivation in the corporate firm, though big and multinational organizations encourage and appreciate their workers by motivation. It is the motivation that accelerates the profit as well as good name and fame of the organization from where he is earning his bread. Motivation is a source of inspiration for both ownership and the workers. REFERENCES Higgins, J. M. (1994). The Management Challenge (2nd edition). New York: Macmillan. Kreitner, R. (1995). Management 6th edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Lindner, James R. (1998). Understanding Employee Motivation. Journal of Extension, Volume 36 No.3 Maslow, Abraham. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, July 1943. 370-396. Herzberg, Frederick. (1959). Two Factors Theory (Quoted in http://www.12manage.com/methods_herzberg_two_factor_theory.html). University of Phoenix (Ed). (2002). Organizational behaviour [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. New York: Wiley. Read More