Management Problems: Unmotivated Employees - Essay Example

Your first and sur Your Due Management Problems: Unmotivated Employees Introduction This essay introduces a management problem that explains about unmotivated employees in an organization. A situation is assumed where employees are solely motivated through monetary compensation, which eventually fails its purpose due to certain reasons. To understand why this approach becomes ineffective and what other factors need to be taken will be explained from the help of theory and research journals. Traditional Management theorist, Frederick W. Taylor suggested that the study of motivation is important when the purpose is to aim towards increasing efficiency of an employee’s job. Economic rewards were known as primary and sole motivators for employees and hence improving worker efficiency. Traditional approach assumes that people are rational and would work harder for higher pay.1 However, this is not a true case for most employees. Contemporary theories2 explain higher needs of employees that are met by different incentives. This is problem should be recognized because ignoring other factors that influence motivation can cause an organization’s productivity to fall or remain stagnant/indifferent to incentives.3 Body Motivation is defined as the arousal, persistence and direction of behavior.4 The factors that may lead to motivation are subjective. These are relative to values and priorities of the employee who is working towards attaining a goal. When these priorities/needs are met, this develops motivation for an employee for work. In the study of Management, Human Relations approach recognized that there are needs greater than money, from the experiment known as Hawthorne Studies. Hawthorne Studies were a series of experiments to check changes in worker productivity and brought an unexpected outcome. The experiment involved tests that changed environment factors and also a group of people were assigned to check other possible reasons for change in worker behavior. The change did indeed improve worker productivity, but due to unexpected factors. Human relations were the strongest factor that was influencing an increase in worker productivity, because the attitude of supervisors had improved.5 This test, although no longer part of contemporary theories, it proved that people have greater needs than money, and also at one point monetary compensation becomes ineffective for improving labor productivity. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is one of the contemporary approaches to understanding motivation that introduces a host of new factors that influence motivation. Abraham Maslow detected that all employees have multiple needs and that they exist in a hierarchical order. That is, each need cannot be fulfilled unless its prior order is not met. The hierarchy involves 5 general types of needs, in an ascending order, Physiological, Safety, Belongingness, Esteem, Self-Actualization.6 It is true that once when physiological needs are met for one person, such as food and water, only then one would think about aspiring for a better place to live and work. Similarly, when safety needs are met, such as security of money, family and self, one will consider aspiring for taking more difficult risks in their investments or job decisions. Again this theory objectively highlights particular factors that determine worker motivation, hence productivity. Maslow’s ultimate conclusion is that when one becomes more self-actualized, independent, and wise, the individual is capable of responding to a variety of situations.7 Therefore, even a very large amount of raise or monetary incentive, cannot bring the kind of motivation and productivity than satisfying need of self-actualization. Employees also tend to de-motivate themselves due to changes around them, because it is in human nature to assess them through comparison. Contemporary Process theories prove that nevertheless a monetary benefit on another also affects motivation patterns. Equity Theory developed by J. Stacy Adams, emphasizes on the phenomenon that individuals tend to measure their perceptions by focusing on how they are fairly treated in relative to others. The greater the inequity an employee feels (either under-rewarded or over-rewarded), the greater distress it creates for them. While this inequity exists, the harder the employee will work to restore equity, through distorting cognitively or affectively.8 Generally workers who work in groups compare themselves from the least working performer rather than the group’s average performance. The same way, workers tend to perform better in individually rather than performing in groups, also known a social loafing.9 Expectancy Theory suggests that individual’s expectations about their ability to perform tasks and receive desired rewards are determinants of motivation.10 The theories support an issue that workers, despite having existing monetary incentives, tend to disturb their productivity levels due to irrational reasons. Ultimately their needs and perceptions must be clear, which is a subjective factor, as to how the organization wants them to approach. Finally motivation also becomes a tool to mould worker behavior in various situations. Reinforcement theories11 suggest that there are reinforcement tools that modify behavior of workers. These set of techniques evoke the law of effect12 towards human behavior. Reinforcement tools come in the form of incentives, which may not only be monetary but can also be immaterial incentive, such as verbal counseling, awards & recognitions, respect. Managers have always used their referent/expert/charismatic power to influence behavior in their subordinates, unconsciously rewarding or discouraging them for the concerned job. Even when employees move from one organization to another, their referent power brings them priority and legitimacy, that is a powerful non monetary incentive that they carry. A worker’s irrationality brings the notion that they are easily influenced by non-monetary stimulus, disproving the traditional approach to motivation in Management. Conclusion The argument about traditional approach being a success for employee work motivation and behavior fails here because the workplace, peers, and incentives bring a whole set of different factors that are responsible for influencing worker behavior. The complication arises in detecting the best and most effective tool/incentive for employees because personality differences and variability of needs make every employee different in their own positioning. Contemporary theories only help to generalize and highlight common reasons behind reducing worker productivity. The study can be used for a positive and a negative tool for influencing worker behavior. While most organizations may be restricted to routine based compensation and appreciation methods, a company should develop a boundary less science of work motivation.13 To retain employees, management should be receptive and have strong communication with its subordinates in order to monitor and control their outputs. Bibliography David M. Williams, Eileen S. Anderson, Richard A. Winnett. "A review of the outcome expectancy construct in physical activity research." Springer New York (2008): 70-79. Gary P. Latham, Craig C. Pinder. "Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century." (n.d.). Huitt, W. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. 2004. < http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html>. Kenneth L. Schultz, Tobias Schoenherr, David Nembhard. Equity Theory Effects on Worker Motivation and Speed. n.d. Piers Steel, Cornelius J Konig. "Integrating Theories of Motivation." Academy of Management Review (2006): 889-913. Samson, Richard L. Daft & Danny. Fundamentals of Management. n.d. Read More