Motivational Management and Communication - Essay Example

Communication and Motivation Communication and motivation Communication is one of the most important management issues that the management must address for the growth of the organization. Communication involves both communicating with the employees and other stakeholders in the company who may include the creditors and the customers. Motivating the employees is also a major aspect of any growing entity as the employees in a company should be well motivated to increase their productivity. A happy employee reflects it on the type of job they do and their performance and commitment in a given job assignment. Motivation can be achieved through proper communication by the management team to their employees, which raises the morale of the working team thereby achieving the targeted results. This paper looks at the role of effective communication in the motivation of the employees. It also highlights the implications of communication and motivation with the employees on the management while looking at how this could be a problem if not addressed properly. The paper further looks at the skills the managers need in order to be good motivators of their team and communicate effectively. Motivation is mainly associated with increase in pay or other better payment packages, career opportunities and also good relationships with co-workers at the workplace. However, communication acts as a pivotal aspect in employee motivation, and the management needs to understand the role of communication in motivation (Morreale et al., 2008). Effective communication entails proper information distribution in the company as all the information involving the company decisions should disseminated to the company employees (Bates, 2009). The company should ensure that they give the employees proper information involving the company such as the sale of shares, changes in the workforce and management, which eliminates incorrect rumours that the employees may form while at the same time making the employees feel respected by the company. Proper relationships are built by the employees, the management, and all departmental heads throughout the company. Communication strengthens the relationships between the workers and the management making the employees more productive as they relate well with their supervisors and managers (Eunson, 2007). This can be achieved by holding departmental meetings weekly where the members of the department discuss the issues of the company or even employee assistance programs by the management to help the employees improve their skill set in a given aspect. In the decision making processes by the company, the management should ensure that they communicate with the employees to ensure that they contribute their own ideas and opinions in the decision-making process (Gellerman, 2007). This makes the decision-making process smooth as it involves all the members of the company while at the same time improving the productivity and support of the employees as they were involved in making the decision (Bates, 2009). Decision-making is important to any organization; it requires the support of all members. This can be achieved by proper and active communication of decision making in the company. Improvements of the employee skills through training programs with assistance from the management help the employees receive career development assistance. The management should ensure that they take their employees through assistance programs and widen their scope in order to improve their skill set and opportunities. Communication helps in improving the employee skill set as they are able to communicate different areas, which they are weak and need assistance from the management. At the same time, the management is able to motivate the employees in order to succeed. The form of motivation and the management techniques can either be beneficial or detrimental to the company depending on the type of employees in the company. The problem of using the wrong motivational techniques by the management can be compounded by the use of motivational theories. First, there is the Management by objectives (MBO) theory, which asserts that the employees are more motivated if they are involved in the company decision-making process, and if their contribution has helped in any form of the company’s growth (Sullivan, 2009). Under this theory, the management should not dictate their terms and decisions to their employees, but they should actively involve them in the decision-making processes. This eradicates the prospect of the loss of the most bright and motivated workers in the company as they are usually well driven and most innovative among the employees. The self-motivated employees aim to make a difference in the company and to grow it to the next level through a set of their own generated ideas. Therefore, the employees are discouraged from performing if they are not involved in decision-making processes. The hierarchy of needs theory is another motivational theory by Abraham Maslow, which states that employee’s needs can be categorised into five progressive categories from the basic physical needs to the personal growth and self-fulfilment stage (Greene, 2009). Employees, who feel that a company fails to meet the attributes which they deem necessary for their growth, end up leaving the company as they do not deem their future well catered for by the company. It is, therefore, important for the management to set up career improvement and development programmes in the company to aid in improving the employees and their careers in the future so they can attain self-fulfilment. The expectancy theory, on the other hand, states that the employees are committed to the amount of work which is directly related to the benefits they expect in return (Lewis and Thornhill, 2003). These employees expect something in return for their efforts in the company. The commission compensation programs and structures are used by the management under this theory, since the employees aim to earn as much as they desire and that they are paid for their job performance. Employees should be promised job promotions and better pay for their efforts and contributions. Furthermore, many of them leave the company if these factors are not addressed and look for alternative jobs. Other times they may become less productive, since the lack of development in their careers diminishes their morale. The management is tasked with the role of employee motivation in a company as it relate directly with both the employees and the owners of the company. Therefore, the management understand the company goals very well, and they should be able to integrate them with the employee goals to enhance growth (Vroom, 2006). The management should ensure that they plan strategically to ensure that the employees and company roles are well catered for in the company. Proper understanding of the employees through communication ensures that the employees are not frustrated, which also reduces the employee turn-over (Greene, 2009). The management should also understand what the main motivator of their employees is as they should be able to make decisions based on the type of employees they deal with in the company. Understanding the employee’s attributes and the main motivators is only achievable through constant engagement and thereby knowing the type of responsibility that should be assigned to the employees to boost productivity (Hiam, 2008). The management should also lead the company by example and be seen by the employees as focused and self-motivated in their job. The management should motivate the employees to work through giving them their experiences, as well as offering them encouragement. Creating a fair system is also crucial as the employees’ need to be sure of the steps and procedures which are taken in a company that may lead to either promotion or a pay rise. The management should be fair and consistent in its policies to offer the employees certainty in their work, which acts as their motivator as they are assured of rewards from their hard work. There are problems which arise in a company if the employees are not properly motivated by the management. First, there is poor performance and low productivity by the employees (Jones and Page, 2007). If the employees do not deem the company as an entity that can help them in achieving their goals, then the level of productivity and performance goes down significantly as they do not feel compelled to deliver. Lack of motivation also leads to dissatisfaction and poor customer service (Tracy, 2013). The employees are not satisfied with the treatment they receive in the company. As a result, they treat the customers badly, hence chasing them away. This, also, leads to loss of revenue by the company and as a result low profits. In conclusion, motivation is a key component in any organization to increase the productivity of the employees. However, the employees have different motivational aspects which make it difficult to motivate all of them with a single method. The management should, therefore, engage the employees through regular communication to understand each of them and their diverse motivational aspect to help improve productivity in the company. References Bates, S. (2009). Communication Is The Key To Motivation. Employment Relations Today, 36(2), 53-58. Eunson, B. (2007). Communication in the workplace. Milton, Qld: Wiley. Gellerman, S. W. (2007). Management by motivation. New York: American Management Association. Greene, J. C. (2009). Toward a linking of motivational theories. Kingston, R.I.: University of Rhode Island. Hiam, A. (2008). Motivational management inspiring your people for maximum performance. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association. Jones, L., & Page, D. (2007). Theories of Motivation. Education + Training, 29(3), 12-16. Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2003). Employee relations: understanding the employment relationship. Harlow, England: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Morreale, S. P., Spitzberg, B. H., & Barge, J. K. (2008). Human communication: motivation, knowledge & skills. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Sullivan, J. J. (2009). Self Theories and Employee Motivation. Journal of Management, 15(2), 345-363. Tracy, B. (2013). Motivation. New York: American Management Association. Vroom, V. H. (2006). Management and motivation (2nd ed.). NewYork: Penguin. Read More