Frederick Herzberg Theory of Motivation - Coursework Example

University Of Westminster London, UK Marketing management BBUS401Perspectives on Organizations By Polina Popova Student ID – w1473897 Module Leader - Beverley Marsland “Which motivation theory do you regard as the most powerful and helpful in explaining how motivation works and why? Illustrate your answer with reference to one organisation which appears to support the theory you have chosen.” Date: 17.12.14 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation 4 Benefits of employee motivation 10 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction Motivation is an aspect of igniting the employees to improve their productivity, which can help to increase the competitiveness of an organisation (King &Lawley 2013). Motivation is an internal desire to offer skills, which can help to perform tasks effectively. Due to changes in the business environment, the management of many organizations is contemplating on how to achieve their goals and objectives by increasing the productivity of the employees and this is achieved through employee motivation. The employees can work in teams so that they can develop their skills by sharing information, which is important in improving their productivity. Employee motivation can be achieved through financial and non financial rewards which are provided to the employees so that they can be satisfied with their work (Arnold et al 2010). In this effect therefore, this paper will discuss the concepts of motivational theories by selecting the most appropriate motivation theory which is applicable at Sainsbury Plc (Silvia 2012). This is because the various motivational theories are appropriate at different organizations hence it is important to select the most effective motivational theory to motivate the employees. Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation Frederick Herzberg developed the theory of motivation after conducting a study to determine the factors, which motivate the employees effectively. The study was aimed at looking at the attitude and motivation of the employees towards some aspects in the organisation (Huub et al 2011). The study was conducted by employing interviews whereby the employees were asked about their satisfaction with the management of the organizations and the efforts, which are done to motivate them. According to his research, he developed two factor motivation theory, which are regarded as hygiene, and motivators, which help to improve the satisfaction of the employees. According to his research, the satisfaction of the employees is as a result of two factors (Pamm& Anne-Marie 2013). Frederick Herzberg argued that there are certain factors which affect the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the employees which affect the employees and that are why he developed the factors into two categories. The motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic implying that the two factor motivation theory can be useful in meeting the needs of the employees thus improving their morale (Blosi et al 2007). In this context, the motivational theory influences the management aspects as it is able to meet the needs of the employees which influence their productivity. Considering this context, the organisation which seems to support and implement the Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation is Sainsbury. The company has managed to gain its 16.4% of the retail industry in UK due to its commitment to motivate the employees which has led to improved productivity (Silvia 2012). The company has managed to implement the hygiene factors or maintenance factors effectively to meet the needs of the customers. For instance, the working conditions of the employees is upheld by using robots to handle risk jobs like loading and offload large cargo to the trucks (Bratton et al 2010). The employees are also provided with protecting clothing like gumboots when packing the cargo. This improves the working conditions and this is important in meeting the needs of the customers thus increasing their morale (Buelens et al 2011). In addition, there is work life balance which means that the employees have the potential to balance between work and their personal life. This helps to manage stress which can otherwise lead to conflicts affecting the productivity of the employees. Other maintenance factors which have improved the organizational performance through employee motivation include paying the employees according to the prevailing market rates (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2005). This is one way in which the employees are motivated since the organisation is competent in meeting their financial needs which implies that the organisation is able to attract and retain employees because it is competent in paying the employees. There is also job security since the employees are employed on permanent basis once they have been confirmed. This is one way of ensuring job security and this motivates the employees (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2005). There is also good communication between the employees and the management because of the effective communication and corporate social responsibility activities which increase the interaction between the employees and the management thus they can share information effectively. This improves the satisfaction of the employees and they improve their productivity. Frederick Herzberg further identified true motivators, which influence the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the employees. Examples of these factors are the achievement and recognition of the employees. Once the employees have been recognized and appreciated or helped to achieve their performance objectives, they are motivated and they can offer their best competencies to improve their productivity. This is because there will be improved job productivity (Cooper 1998). Training and development among the employees further improve their satisfaction since they acquire new skills which help them to perform their tasks appropriately. In this way, the employees are satisfied and they become motivated as they are trained towards achieving their tasks hence they are retained in the organization which is helpful in reducing the employee turnover. Frederick Herzberg recognized that money is the key motivator of the employees. The research indicated that all the hygiene and motivator factors are associated with employee satisfaction and they cost financial resources. For instance, effective and competent salary and wages are made possible due to availability of funds. However, the employees can also be motivated through non financial strategies like recognition and appreciation as well as promotion designed to encourage the employees to improve their productivity (Dick & Ellis 2006). Sainsbury Company has been successful in implementing this theory to motivate the employees since it has effective compensation as well as non financial rewards like appreciation and recognition which improve the satisfaction of the employees (Silvia 2012). This is why the organisation has been successful in attracting and retaining customers leading to its growth in market share. The Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation is effective in the organisation since it considers that job satisfaction is the main factor that leads to employee motivation. This is why Frederick Herzberg developed the two factor theory of motivation. After conducting the interviews he developed the motivation factors as satisfiers and dissatisfiers (Fincham & Rhodes 2005). In this effect, it is possible to determine the factors influencing the motivation of the employees by identifying the dissatisfiers and eliminate them and instead employ the satisfiers to ensure employees are satisfied with their jobs. This implies that Frederick Herzberg has been effective in meeting the needs of Sainsbury leading to its increased productivity in relation to the policies and procedures available. For instance, the employees at Sainsbury are provided with long term services benefits after every five years that is 5, 10 and 15. In addition, the employees of the company are provided with 10% discount on the shopping they conduct on the company thus improving their motivation (Uni Assignment centre 2012). Further, Frederick Herzberg’s motivation theory is effective since it focuses on the psychological needs of the employees and developing appropriate strategies (Fineman et al 2010). However, Frederick Herzberg extended the psychological needs into safety and security and the belonging of love. In this effect, theory is effective since the motivation of the employees starts with meeting the psychological needs of the employees so that they can be able to be satisfied with their jobs. Therefore the theory extends the psychological needs and this has been taken into consideration by the management of Sainsbury. For instance, in order to meet the basic needs of the employees, Sainsbury provides shares to its employees at 20% discount unlike other shareholders. This not only motivates the employees but also enable them to meet their psychological needs (Uni Assignment centre 2012). In this way the company has managed to attract and retain qualified and competent employees. The first three needs of the employees, which include psychological, social and security are categorized in the hygiene factors according to Frederick Herzberg motivation theory (Grint 2005). This means that the needs can be regarded as the basic needs and this is the same as the Maslow Hierarchy of needs except the categorization of the needs. In this effect, the Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation focuses on the basic needs of the employees as motivation factors. This improves the motivation of the employees because once the basic needs have been achieved it is possible to satisfy the needs of the employees. Moreover, the Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation helps to create favorable working environment which is important in improving the satisfaction of the employees (Hollway 1991). Better working conditions help to promote interaction between the employees and the management since they are forums where they can meet and share ideas. Further, by ensuring safety at workplace can improve the perception of the employees towards the management. In this effect, the management will be able to motivate the employees and this is helpful in improving the motivation of the employees. Considering these findings, Frederick Herzberg’s theory can be used to motivate the employees since it helps the management to enable the employees to achieve their self actualization and self esteem (Huczynski& Buchanan 2010). This will promote sense of enjoyment while the employees are working thus improving satisfaction. The end result is improved productivity and ability to motivate the employees. However, the criticism of Frederick Herzberg is that it does not focus on the job factors which can affect the motivation of the employees. For instance, job scales can influence the motivation of the employees (Matthewman et al 2009). This is because Frederick Herzberg used standardized scale while conducting his research and this may not be applicable to all jobs and the end result is that the employees might not be motivated. Benefits of employee motivation The following are benefits of motivating employees. In the first place when employees are motivated they feel recognized and accepted. This improves the motivation of the employees since they feel that they are part of the organizations since they are recognized thus they have been able to improve their productivity (Robbins 2009). The second benefit of motivating employees is there will be less number of absenteeism and high turnover. This means if Sainsbury Plc Company motivates their employees properly by satisfying their wants, needs and desires their morale will increase and they will be ready to work to any extent to improve productivity (Rollinson 2008). For instance, the employees are provided with 10% discount on their shopping and also they are provided with 20% bonus on the shares they take and this helps to minimize the employee turnover (Uni Assignment centre 2012). Further, the employees are provided with annual bonuses based on the financial performance of the organisation. Another benefit of motivating employees is efficiency work will be achieved. This will be achieved if only Sainsbury Plc Company pay their employees effective remuneration which will motivate them to improve their efforts to see performance being on then higher side. Moreover motivation is beneficial in that it retains and attracts more employees (Sennett 1998). This is so if only Sainsbury Plc Company listens to their employees by giving them chance to participate in decision making to give their suggestions and ideas which they think can be implemented to achieve the organizational goals. For instance, the employees undergo regular training and development like when the company introduced MIS so that they can develop better approaches to achieving tasks. The management ensures that the employees are updated on the changes of skills through training (Uni Assignment centre 2012). On the other hand when employees are being motivated they become committed to their jobs. This means they will develop positive attitude towards work since their needs are taken into consideration (Thompson & McHugh 2009). In addition motivation is important because it makes employees to accept performance appraisal because after appraisal those who performed better are rewarded good amount of money. Conclusion Motivation helps to improve the performance of employees because it makes them satisfied with their jobs. Motivation can be internal or external and helps to encourage the employees to work hard towards achieving their goals. According to Frederick Herzberg, the employees are motivated by hygiene and motivators which help to improve the satisfaction of the employees such as effective compensation, good working conditions, rewards and effective communication as well as training and development. The need for motivating the employees is to attract and retain competent employees, improve organizational productivity and ability to improve organizational reputation and managing conflicts between the employees and the management. In this regard, Frederick Herzberg theory of motivation helps to improve the satisfaction of the employees. References Arnold, J., Randall, R., Patterson, F, Silvester, J, Roberston, I,.T., Cooper, C., Burnes, B, Harris, D., Axtell., C & Den Hartog, D 2010, (5th edition) Work Psychology: Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace, Prentice Hall: London. Blosi, W., Cook, C &Hunsaker, P 2007, (2nd European edition), Management and OrganisationalBehaviour, McGraw-Hill: Maidenhead. 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