Organization Behavior of Hospitality Management - Coursework Example

Essay, Management 24 November Organization Behavior of Hospitality Management Introduction This paper discusses the motivational theories in an organization and how a knowledge and understanding of them can assist a hospitality manager understand his/her workforce. Discussed are four theories namely; Abraham Maslow’s theory, Aldefer’s ERG Theory, McGregory Theory X and Theory Y and Herzberg Two-factor theory. Abraham Maslow Theory The Maslow’s theory hierarchy of needs was proposed by Abraham Maslow in his work A Theory of Human Motivation. Abraham developed this model in 1940-1950 in the US. This hierarchy of needs continues to apply in the understanding of human motivation, management training, and personal development. His theory was related to the responsibility of the employer to provide a workplace environment that encouraged and motivated employees to reach their maximum potential. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is showed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest need at the bottom and the need for self-actualization at the top (Mukherjee 149). The pyramid contains four layers which consist of deficiency needs like esteem, friendship and love, security and other physical needs. If these needs are not fulfilled, a person tends to be angry, tensed and anxious. Physiological needs: These needs are the physical necessities for human existence. If these needs are not met, a person can’t function properly. These needs are considered to be the most important and they are placed as the most important. These needs are like air, water and food, which are necessary for survival. Safety needs: When the psychological needs are satisfied, an individual’s safety needs take the second place and control one’s behaviour. If the safety needs are not fulfilled, there is a likelihood of war, natural disaster, family violence and abuse. Love and belonging: After the physiological and safety needs are met, the third level is the human being’s needs that involve feelings and a sense of belonging. These needs can override the need for safety for children who have abusive parents. According to this theory, human beings have the desire to have a sense of belonging and acceptance among their peers. Esteem: According to Maslow, humans have the need to feel respected, which includes the ability to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem represents the human acceptance and value for one another. People often get into hobbies for recognition; these activities give a person a sense of value. Low self-esteem or inferiority complex results in an imbalance hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization: This refers to what a person can be or should be. This level shows a person’s full potential and the realization of that potential. Maslow explained that this is the desire to accomplish everything that a person can be. A hospitality manager can use the hierarchy to identity his employees needs and use this data to be able to fulfil their needs, for better working conditions. The Airbnb hospitality company used the hierarchy of needs developed by Maslow to change their business and have all needs regarding employees met. Managers struggle with the concept of self-actualization. The managers at Airbnb ensured that the employees understood their roles. Aldefer’s ERG Theory Clayton Alderfer came up with a theory of motivation. He condensed Maslow’s five human needs into three groups namely Existence, Relatedness and Growth. Existence needs include the physiological desires for example food, water, clothing, safety and love. These are found in the first two levels of Maslow’s theory. This level is the most concrete and easiest to identify. Relatedness consists of the social and external esteem. This encompasses friends, co-workers and employers. This means recognition and being valued by family and peers. This level takes the third and fourth levels in Maslow’s theory. It is less concrete compared to the existence needs, since it is based on a relationship between two or more people. Growth needs are the last group. Internal esteem and self-actualization make a person to be more creative and productive in the workplace and environment (Mukherjee 151). This level is the least concrete according to different objectives and it depends on an individual person. This is especially because priorities differ from one person to another. Maslow’s theory on work levels portrays a situation where managers recognize their employees multiple needs, but in this situation, it focuses on one unique need at work. This theory just focuses on one need at a time, which might make it difficult or fail to motivate people. The frustration-regression has impacted the workplace motivation. An example is that growth opportunities are not given to the employees. For this reason, they may fall back to needs of relatedness. It should therefore be ensured that there is more socialization among workers. If a manager points out such conditions at the earliest, steps or measures will be taken to curb the frustration needs, until employees are able to reach their full potential. Managers should provide an opportunity for employees to capitalize on the importance of high level needs. The hospitality manager should recognize that people are different. He should recognize that people have come to earn a living (existence needs), and don’t have the desire to have conflict (relatedness needs), and finally, they all have need to earn a promotion or recognition (growth needs). McGregory Theory X and Theory Y Douglas McGregor came up with two theories to motivate employees. These theories namely X and Y began with a management role. In Theory X, the management think that the employees are lazy and dislike work. This has made the management assume that employees need to be closely monitored and supervised. According to McGregor, employees show little ambition and avoid responsibilities. This theory relies on threats and punishments. As a result, it leads to mistrust, high supervision and a harsh working environment. There is also a tendency of blaming others for their mistakes (Mukherjee 153). In Theory Y, the management thinks that the employees are ambitious, self-motivated and have self-control. In this theory, employees enjoy their mental and physical work. These employees have the ability to solve problems, but their talents are underused in their workplace. In this theory, managers ensure proper working conditions and employees learn to find and accept responsibilities. These theories also help hospitality managers understand their workforce, their needs and how to handle them. This is especially after knowing which employees need to be punished or threated in order to be productive and employees who can be productive even when left alone. Herzberg Two-factor Theory Fredrick Herzberg’s theory is known as the hygiene factor or motivators theory. The hygiene factor covers a vital need that all people have and when not catered for, there is job dissatisfaction. Hygiene is associated with working conditions, interpersonal relations and structure. Motivator factors are linked with job satisfaction. They include achievement, recognition and responsibility (Mukherjee 152). This theory helps prevent punishments. A hospitality manager can satisfy the employees’ needs by providing pleasant and comfortable working conditions, better pay, job security and encouraging good working relationships with coworkers and management. When hygiene needs are not met, the worker is bound to become dissatisfied. Managers need to learn that hygiene alone doesn’t lead to a motivated employee. For this reason, hospitality managers must meet several other needs related to employees’ personal characteristics like values and nature of the job. For a manager to ensure these needs are fulfilled, he needs to work on improving the motivator and the hygiene factors. The employees need to feel appreciated and supported. Feedback from the manager is important so employees can know their progress. Conclusion Maslow’s theory, Aldefer’s ERG theory, McGregory Theory X and Theory Y and Herzberg Two-factor theory can all be used by hospitality industry managers to handle their employees. By understanding the theories and applying them to their workforce, they can make them more satisfied hence improved productivity. Works Cited Mukherjee, KumKum. Prin of Mgmt & Ob, 2E (2ed). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.   Read More