What is the Best Way to Motivate People in Organisations - Literature review Example

What is the Best Way to Motivate People in Organisations? Motivation can be regarded as a set of factors which affect people’s actions toward achieving a given objective. Through their different policies and strategies, organisations can motivate employees to achieve the goals that they have set; or they can motivate them to pursue their own personal goals that will not benefit the organisations. This in essence implies that depending on how employees are managed by an organisation, they can be motivated to achieve the goals that the organisation has outlined, or otherwise they will pursue their own personal interests at the expense of what the organisation desires. This essay argues that employees are motivated by the rewards and punishments they receive in the workplace and these determine whether they will pursue their own goals or those of the organisations that they work for. Consequently, it is argued that the best method of motivating people in organisations is to understand their needs and link these needs with the objectives of the organisation such that when the needs are met, employees are inspired to work towards attaining the objectives of the organisation. The term motivation has been defined differently in literature. One such definition is that motivation refers to the “willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organisational goals, conditioned by the effort’s ability to satisfy some individual need” (Robbins 1993, cited by Ramlall, 2004, p. 53). This definition implies that when employees are motivated, they will be willing to put some extra effort in their work to achieve organisational goals, provided that the extra effort is rewarded by satisfying their individual needs. Conversely, it can be said that if employees are not rewarded (i.e. not motivated), they may not put extra effort in their work, or their effort may not be aimed at meeting the objectives of the organisation but satisfying their own personal needs. This sentiment is captured well by Burrow and Kleindl (2013) when they note that “employees may be motivated to achieve company goals, or they may be motivated to pursue other goals that do not benefit the company” (p. 115). The same authors also note that managers of organisations do not actually ‘motivate’ employees, but they can use different types of rewards and penalties to encourage the workers to motivate themselves towards pursuing the objectives of the company. This can be perceived to imply that there is no single agreed way to motivate employees since different people have different things that motivate them. Therefore, as noted by Burrow and Kleindl (2013), the best approach of motivating staff is to understand what they value and provide them those things so that they can be inspired to produce better results. Understanding what employees need so as to provide for them as a way of motivating them is an equally difficult task since different people have different needs. According to Nohria, Groysberg and Lee (2008), making sense of what motivates human beings is an arduous puzzle, and so is the attempt to get individuals to perform their best in their tasks. The level of difficulty of meeting people’s needs and hence motivating them is seen when one looks at the different theories relating to needs and motivation. These theories are based on two types of motivation: internal motivation, which stems from an individual’s feelings, beliefs as well as attitudes that influence the individual’s actions; and external motivation, which emanates from rewards and punishments that are provided by other people (Burrow & Kleindl, 2013, p. 115). For example, motivation theories that pertain to needs, such as Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs and McClelland’s need theory, attempt to identify the internal aspects that energise behaviour (Ramlall, 2004, pp. 53-55; Armstrong, 2002, p. 58). Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs highlights the different levels of needs that people have and how the levels progress once the initial needs are met – from the very basic physiological needs to the highest level of self-actualisation (Benson & Dundis, 2003). McClelland’s need theory on other hand notes that people are motivated by achievement, affiliation and power (Ramlall, 2004, p.55; Armstrong, 2002, p. 58). Other important theories of motivation include Herzberg’s two-factor theory, equity theory and expectancy theory. Herzberg’s two-factor theory identifies groups of factors that spur job satisfaction and hence motivation (motivators or satisfiers) and those that can be used to avoid dissatisfaction (hygiene factors) (Armstrong, 2002, p. 59). According to this theory, the motivating factors are intrinsic to the job and include things such as the job itself, recognition, growth and responsibility, while the dissatisfaction avoidance factors are extrinsic to the job and comprise remuneration, organisation rules and general management. Equally important, equity theory appreciates that people have interest in the value of compensation they get for their effort as well as how the rewards compare with what others receive (Ramlall, 2004, p. 55). In short, employees will generally be happier if they think that they receiving equal treatment for their effort in comparison to others who possess skills like them. Expectancy theory on the other hand posits that individuals believe that there is a connection between the efforts they put in a job, the performance they attain from the work, and the compensation they get for their work and achievement (Lunenburg, 2011, p. 1). In order for organisations to motivate their employees, they need to consider the factors addressed in each of the theories above and other motivation theories. Along this line, Nohria et al. (2008) suggest that there four factors that are the basis for motivation: the urge to acquire, the urge to bond, the urge to comprehend, and the urge to defend. The best approach to achieve employee motivation is thus to understand how each of these urges affect employees and strive to satisfy them. The urge to acquire relates to people’s desire to possess scarce goods that boost their sense of wellbeing. This is achieved by offering employees rewards such as pay (Rynes, Gerhart & Minette, 2004). The urge to bond denotes employees’ sense of belongingness in an organisation. Employees are arguably more motivated when they are able to form networks and interact in work groups that focus on attaining the organisation’s objectives. The urge to comprehend relates to employees making sense of what is around them. Nohria et al. (2008) note that employees are motivated by tasks that are challenging and which offer them an opportunity to grow and learn. Hence, to motivate employees, organisations must strive to make their jobs more involving and provide learning opportunities for the employees. They must also measure performance, describe the rewards that are related to performance and show how good performance has resulted in better rewards in the past (Lunenburg, 2011, p. 4). Lastly, the urge to defend is concerned with employees being able to express their opinions and ideas freely and being confident of their achievements (Nohria et al., 2008). That is, organisations must create a culture that promotes and appreciates innovation, new ideas and free expression among their employees. The discussion above is supported by the findings of a study on understanding and motivating workers in the health care sector (Benson & Dundis, 2003). In the study, it was concluded that motivating employees requires organisations to make employees “feel secure, needed and appreciated” (Benson & Dundis, 2003, p. 315). One example of organisations that are addressing employee motivation is the global information technology firm Hewlett-Packard (HP). According to the HP (2011) Global Citizenship Report, the company has taken many steps to improve its employees’ experience in the workplace. It also initiated a worldwide effort to determine the critical actions and behaviours that it desires from a cultural point of view, involving people from different areas of the organisation to get as much participation as possible. Since 2011, the company has been enhancing its social networking capacity to ensure that its employees engage more with each other and with its customers. It has also allowed employees and managers more flexibility by having policies that enable them to move between different roles. In regard to rewards and benefits, HP raised funding and eligibility for bonuses and initiated a global wellness strategy for its employees. The company also maintains strong internal communication between employees and the management with a view to upholding an honest and open culture. The company believes that keeping employees informed about its operations through means such as company intranet, news website and regular communication meetings with the senior management among others motivates them to produce better results (HP, 2012). In conclusion, this essay has argued that the best approach to inspire people in any organisation is to be aware of their needs and connect these needs with the aims of the organisation such that when employees’ needs are met, the employees are inspired to meet the goals of the organisation. Organisations thus need to understand their employees’ needs and strive to cater for them as a way of motivating them. This can be achieved by understanding the various need and motivation theories outlined in the essay. Ultimately, organisations should ensure that their employees are well remunerated, have a sense of belongingness, feel wanted, and are appreciated. HP has been presented as an example of a company that addresses employee motivation by understanding employees’ different needs and putting in place measures to meet these needs. References Armstrong, M. (2002). Employee reward (3rd ed.). London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Benson, S. G., & Dundis, S. P. (2003).Understanding and motivating health care employees: integrating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, training and technology. Journal of Nursing Management, 11,315-320. Burrow, J., & Kleindl, B. (2013). Business management (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. HP. (2011). Global citizenship report. Retrieved from http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/media/files/hp_fy11_gcr_hp_people.pdf HP. (2012). Communications. Retrieved from http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/07gcreport/employees/communications.html Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Expectancy theory of motivation: Motivating by altering expectations. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1-6. Nohria, N., Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. (2008). Employee motivation: A powerful new model, Harvard Business Review, July–August Issue. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2008/07/employee-motivation-a-powerful-new-model Ramlall, S. (2004). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention in organisations. Journal of American Academy of Business, 5(1/2), 52-63. Rynes, S. L., Gerhart, B., & Minette, K. (2004). The importance of pay in employee motivation: Discrepancies between what people say and what they do. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 381-394. Read More