Motivation of Employees in UAE Companies - Essay Example

Motivation and Engagement of Employees in UAE Companies Introduction Organizations all over the world want employees who invest their efforts in the organization being productive and getting involved in achieving organizational goals. A great amount of research has been focused on trying to isolate and understand the factors that enhance employee’s productivity, ensure that employees deliver great results consistently, and stay committed to organizational goals (Robbins, 2001). Among the factors that have been identified by such research, a few seem to share strong relationships with not just the desired outcomes, but also with most of the other variables that are implicated in these outcomes. Employee motivation has been accepted as an important factor for a long time, and a number of theorists have tried to understand the mechanism by which employees experience motivation to meet organizational goals (Robbins, 2001). Another factor that has become valuable over time is that of employee’s engagement (Saks, 2006). This factor has also been found to mediate the effects of other variables, and shares strong relationships with productivity and satisfaction. Understanding the mechanism by which employees get motivation about and engagement in their work is definitely useful to organisational management, but this information also provides valuable insight into what makes workers happy in a society (Robbins, 2001). This paper has been designed as a means of understanding the various factors that affect employee motivation and engagement; particularly in the UAE. While it is possible to accept that basic factors associated with motivation and engagement would be the same for all humans, it is necessary to understand the context within which an organization functions (Robbins, 2001). The specific nature of the needs and resulting emotional experiences of employees is affected not only by the organizational policies, but also by the cultural context within which the organization functions (Abdulaziz, Saad & Saad, 2011). Thus, this paper shall try to identify the particular factors that are associated with employee motivation and engagement in the UAE. Motivation Motivation has been described as an internal urge to exhibit a specific behaviour or set of behaviours towards a particular end goal. Traditionally, the study of motivation has focused on survival, and social development; but soon researcher understood the value of applying motivation theories to the work environment. Some of the most popular theories of motivation are Maslow’s (1946; in Robbins, 2001) need hierarchy theory, Vroom’s (1964; in Robbins, 2001) expectancy theory, the ERG theory (Alderfer, 1972; in Robbins, 2001), the goal setting theory (Locke, 1968; in Robbins, 2001) and more modern theories like the path goal theory (Robbins, 2001). Motivation theories can be categorised on the basis of whether they describe the locus of motivation as being internal to the person, or whether the individual derives motivation from external sources (Bredillet, Dwivedula & Müller, 2011). While some of these theories categorised human needs according to importance and described how some needs take precedence over other; other theories described the mechanism by which an individual experiences motivation with respect to the experiences that he/she has (Bredillet, Dwivedula & Müller, 2011). Employee motivation has been found to be associated with many factors that organizations are interested in. Among others; employee motivation is associated with job satisfaction, commitment, engagement, task achievement and productivity (Robbins, 2001). Of these, job satisfaction is of particular interest to students and researchers in human resources management since it is in turn associated with a number of outcomes that organisations value. A person who experienced job satisfaction is more likely to perform well and consistently, takes leave not that often, has positive and fruitful interactions with colleagues, enjoys work, aligns with the organization and is less likely to leave the job (Abdulla, Djebarni & Mellahi, 2011). A satisfied employee is also more likely to show more consistent motivation to perform well at the tasks set to him/her. Although in common sense terms, motivation is directly associated with results; this is not always seen in empirical research. The evidence shows that motivation shares only a moderate relationship with output variables and overall productivity (Robbins, 2001). That phenomenon has cast a shadow on the large amount of research into work motivation; but it can be explained. It has been observed that a number of different factors affect work output (Robbins, 2001), and situational variables are often discounted by motivation studies. Thus, it may be understood that work motivation is a set of internal and external factors that cause employee intention to exhibit behaviours that would enhance the quality of work, within the constraints set by situational factors. Engagement Recent studies into the antecedents of employee performance have implicated a factor that has been named as employee engagement (Saks, 2006). Engagement has been defined as every person in the organization understanding and being committed to the success of the business strategy (Right Management, 2006) and as the factor that harnesses selves of employees to their work roles (Kahn, 1990). Engaged people tend to employ and express themselves fully in their physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects during work. These employees are invested in their role performances and share organizational beliefs and vision (Kahn, 1990). Engagement seems to explain the interactions between traditional work variables, and thus, has become an important factor in understanding the experiences as well as the performance of employees. Engagement has been associated with job characteristics, rewards, recognition, perceived support from both, the organization as a whole and the supervisor in particular, job satisfaction and organizational justice (Ahmed, Rasheed & Jehanzeb, 2012). Research shows that these factors function as antecedents to engagement, while organizational citizenship behaviours, more job satisfaction and commitment to work are the consequences of engagement (Saks, 2006). When employees feel that they are taken care of and that the organisation values them and is invested in them, that seem to be more willing to align themselves with the goals and needs of that organisation. An unengaged employee would not be able to commit to the welfare of the organisation or to specific tasks as they would be dissatisfied and unhappy with their work experience. Employee engagement has been found to be strongly associated with work performance in a number of different contexts, ranging from the medical industry to the financial organizations (Adi, 2012; Abdulaziz, Saad & Saad, 2011). The more an employee is engaged with his/her work, the more likely are they to feel invested in the organisations’ goals. Employee engagement has become an important factor that seems to explain employee performance more effectively than motivation as an isolated factor. But it is important to note that engagement has motivation at its base – an employee cannot be engaged without being motivated. An employee who experiences external motivation through factors that enhance the quality of his/her experiences in the work place is more likely to feel engaged with the work and the workplace. On the other hand, when an employee feels engaged, he/she is more likely to experience internal motivation to partake in activities that lead to better performance for themselves and the organisation as a whole. Understanding the Context of Country and Culture Most of the research in organisational variables has been conducted in western countries, and thus it is not a matter of surprise that the theories that have been developed with respect to the interactions between the different variables that affect performance in the workplace have also been developed within the context of the Western culture. While the basic principles of these theories can be applied to human behaviour, thought and emotion across all civilizations, the specific variables that play a role in causing them can change with references to culture and social norms (Abdulaziz, Saad & Saad, 2011). It has been established that there are distinct differences in the way persons form different cultures exhibit emotion, interact with others, show approval and relate to specific tasks (Robbins, 2001). The most basic factors like the orientation of the culture (individualistic v/s collectivistic) (Robbins, 2001) can influence the way in which the employees in an organisation respond to a particular stimulus. Thus, it is not possible to apply the findings of research from one country to an organisation in another country blindly. With this understanding of the role of social culture and social context, it becomes important to evaluate its effect on different processes. When a researcher tries to discuss the role of motivation and engagement in non-western countries, it is important to reanalyse the relationships shared by these factors with their antecedents and consequences. The social culture in the UAE is more collectivistic, with an emphasis on family and relationships (Cory, 2011). As a people, these individuals are happier to share both positive and negative feedback, and prefer group approved responses as compared to individual choices (Cory, 2011). While this attitude is conducive to the development of a cohesive workforce, it also means that individual employees tend to carry less responsibility as compared to the group. The Arab culture is risk averse, and prefers to make choices that minimise risk – either to individual, or to a group (Cory, 2011). At the same time, they are motivated workers, who place an emotional and philosophical value on working well. UAE has seen steady but rapid development in a number of fields, and although a number of multinational organisations see it as a valuable location, these cultural motifs are evident in the values and aspirations of the workers in these organisations (Cory, 2011). Application to Motivation and Engagement It is thus evident that employees within the Arab culture will respond better to group motivators as compared to individual ones. They would be less inclined to take risks at work, and would prefer to approach new and untested ideas or opportunities with caution. Such a people are more likely than not to take time to develop a commitment to an organisation, but would be more likely to remain committed and involved in an organisation. Employees in the UAE would be more serious about their responsibilities and would value individual and group success more. Thus, with reference to motivation and engagement, employees in the UAE need to be treated somewhat differently compared to their counterparts in western countries. These employees would on the whole feel happier in jobs that required interaction and where responsibilities and benefits were shared across teams (Cory, 2011). They would appreciate the involvement and support of their supervisors, and would also be encouraged easily through the use of a personal touch when communicating as compared to informal interaction. Besides these specific considerations, it must be noted that the value employees ascribe to factors such as compensation, recognition or rewards is different for employees from different countries and that work values are rated differently in different cultures. Thus, job satisfaction is likely to have different antecedents, and consequently so would motivation and engagement. Employees from collectivistic cultures and particularly from the UAE relate job satisfaction (and as a consequence engagement) to both internal and external factors (Bredillet, Dwivedula & Müller, 2011) and thus respond best to a combination of internal and external motivators. Behery (2009) found that high personalisation of values between the individual employee and the organisation was a particular predictor of job engagement and commitment in the UAE. This effect seems to be more pronounced in collectivistic cultures as compared to individualistic cultures – possibly since members of collectivistic cultures respond better to the experience of group membership. Adi (2012) also found that employees from collectivistic cultures show a significant relationship between engagement and motivation on one hand, and job satisfaction, absorption, and retention. According to the findings of this study, employees valued intangible rewards and place a particular value on trust with and within the organisation. Conclusion Employee motivation and engagement provide vital cues to the extent to which an employee will exhibit outcomes that the organisation values. This is evident from the particular relationship shared by these variables with commitment, retention, productivity, efficiency and others. While this relationship may be found in all parts of the world, it is necessary to understand the particular antecedents to motivation and engagement in any country, as these would be dictated by social and cultural norms. Collectivistic cultures like that seen in the UAE place a premium on group membership and involvement; and, thus, the employees in these cultures are more likely to experience high engagement if they believe that they have a valuable relationship with the organisation and its members. These employees would also respond faster and more positively to intangible benefits likely inclusion, trust, and approval. Thus, organisations should understand the value of these variables for the employees and use them where possible to enhance outcomes like retention and productivity. References Abdulla, J., Djebarni, R. & Mellahi, K. (2011). Determinants of job satisfaction in the UAE: A case study of the Dubai police, Personnel Review, 40 (1), 126 – 146. Abdulaziz, A. 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