The Content Theory Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory - Case Study Example

Structured Essay: Motivation Theories Introduction This designed and handed out a questionnaire on motivation of employees to ten fellow employees of the company where he is working as a sales floor associate at a supermarket chain in London. The questionnaire was given to 8 sales floor associates and two floor supervisors. The sole aim of the questionnaire was to make a realistic assessment of the impact of process theories and content theories of motivation on them. However they were not told in advance as to what type of theoretical postulates were being tested (McBrewster, Miller & Vandome, 2009). As for the content theory Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory has been used while for the process theory, Vroom’s expectancy theory has been used. Maslow used a pyramidal hierarchical structure to depict the needs of employees at the work place (Huczynski & Buchanan, 2008). According to him self-actualization occupies the top-most rung in the hierarchy of needs. Secondly self-esteem needs come as of importance. Thirdly needs of love and affection come and fourthly safety related needs are of importance to the employee. Finally at the base of the pyramid there are those physiological needs. Vroom on the other hand developed his process theory of expectancy in keeping with the hypothesis that an employee can be motivated by linking effort, performance and motivation. In support of his theoretical approach he proposes three variables – expectancy, valence and instrumentality (Latham, 2006). Thus these two theoretical approaches are used in this paper to ascertain the impact of motivation related strategies and measures on the learning outcomes such as productivity and loyalty adopted at the above mentioned retail chain. In this respect a series of supporting correlations have been drawn. The theoretical and conceptual framework of analysis is based on the contingency model building efforts that are intended to create the necessary environment for testing the process theory and the content theory chosen by this writer. Thus the predominant assumption is that only a few variables can be allowed into the model thus avoiding many so that the learning outcomes can be well controlled with a degree of accuracy and predictability. 1. Analysis 1.1. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1.1.A. Self-actualization needs Question 2 was based on the too often asked for explanation, i.e. what motivates, money or non monetary aspects like job satisfaction. All of them gave the same answer as was expected by the writer. They held the view that money mattered but not so more than job satisfaction coming from such factors as self-actualization and self-esteem needs that Maslow uses in his hierarchy of needs. Spontaneous response by managers to employees’ requirements was highly regarded by the respondents to the questionnaire. Next the recognition of employees’ creative ideas and their genuine grievances mattered to them all (Cruz, Perez & Cantero, 2009). All ten respondents agreed that pay and other monetary benefits were the most important for survival and sustenance. Thus Maslow’s theoretical enunciation has struck an identical chord in the respondents though the extent to which such monetary benefits would be helpful in motivating the average employee is open to debate (Furnham, 2006). Organizational culture, leadership and structure have invariably played a very pivotal role here. The retail chain being a very popular one and the biggest retailer in the world could have impacted on their responses (Haasen & Shea, 2003). The psychology behind such opinions cannot be discussed here because it’s beyond the remit of this paper but nevertheless there is a constantly evolving feeling among these employees that especially in times of an economic recession or a downturn monetary benefits including pay stand out as the most important factor of influence in motivation. Above all it can be the sole factor thus eliminating all others in the hierarchy of needs. 1.1.B. Self-esteem needs As the responses to the next question showed, self-esteem needs as Maslow has outlined in the second tier of his hierarchy from the top also mattered to them (Deci & Ryan, 1985). For example confidence and respect for others all contributed to motivation but nevertheless the order in which they appear in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs couldn’t be verified. The respondents agreed with this writer that these concepts had an impact on their way of thinking about the work and thus efficiency. However they felt that those physiological needs have to be more articulated in terms of a modern economy. Indeed they come first in the hierarchy of needs but they need to be more elaborate. The leadership has had such a big influence in motivating these employees. Additionally organizational culture and structure played a role in motivating them (Stone, 2008). The fact that these implications are equally significant as the recorded responses in the questionnaire can be demonstrated through an analysis of the outcomes related to the process. All ten respondents felt that the leadership qualities such as setting up parallel structures for communication and information feed-back facilitated the positive relationship between the top management and the subordinates (Bates, 2008). This is all the more highlighted by the fact that the leadership is not only democratic but also more open to dialogue at each level of the hierarchy. 1.1.C. Love, affection and sense of belonging Yet again in response to the 4th question on cultural diversity and job satisfaction all ten respondents agreed that despite the predominant feeling among employees about good pay as the most important factor in motivating them, there was the requirement for love and affection (Gione, 2008). Multicultural workforce needs such a sense of belonging against the backdrop of an evolving uncertainty. These respondents in fact belonged to a number of cultures from almost all the continents. They felt that single family-like atmosphere at the store was created by the top management with the sole purpose of encouraging the labor force to be more productive. Productivity gains are essentially associated with sharing feeling as well (Bobinski, 2009). Thus the respondents felt that the work environment was important. Recent research has proved that retail chains have successfully adopted this strategic approach to motivate their lower level employees (Wingfield, 2001). From Wal-Mart to Tesco this strategy has worked wonders during the past decade by way of churning up sales volumes and profits. A contented work force as all content theories tell would generate higher levels of productivity and therefore bigger profit margins. However it must be noted that what Maslow predicted was membership in associations like trade unions and societies. This aspect of the work environment is missing everywhere in the modern business organization (Peterson & Quintanilla, 2003). In fact the management doesn’t encourage the employee to entertain the feeling that his collective bargaining power is reinforced by being a member of a trade union. 1.1.D. Safety needs These needs according to Maslow are just above the physiological needs and are therefore very important after the basic needs have been met. All respondents agreed that even the legislation about safety at the work place ensured that employers maintained a minimum set of standards concerning safety and security of the individual employee. The EU Directive on safety regulations at work places is obviously the most significant piece of goals on safety measures to be adopted by employers. The subsequent compliance legislation adopted by each member country ensures that employers comply with these regulations (Kovach, 1995). Maslow didn’t necessarily envisage such legislation with a far reaching impact though he articulated a complex enough work environment where the average employee was granted enough security and safety against not only risks associated with the job but also other possibilities including sudden termination of contract (Lu, 1999). All ten respondents agreed that there were potential hazards at the workplace and therefore they needed some security and safety. They also agreed that the threat of being arbitrarily dismissed didn’t count in the current dispensation of affairs at the workplace for the sole reason that the management didn’t feel that such security was warranted. Thus the inadequacy of the Maslow’s theory in addressing modern and complex needs of the workforce cannot be denied. In the first instance a modern workforce might require much more than simple safety and security. Especially arbitrary decisions of the management can have a negative impact on motivation of the workforce. The knowledge that the workforce has about the degree of probability of such decisions would either give them some sense of security or not. In the absence of such certainty employees might be feeling insecure about their future. Thus Maslow’s theory fails to come to terms with the modern perception of safety and security needs of the employee (Podmoroff, 2005). 1.1.E. Physiological needs In any paper on the Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs the reverse order as applied here seems to be more appropriate than the other way about. After all physiological needs as outlined by Maslow are the basic needs such as food, sleep, fresh air, water and so on. Actually these needs cannot be satisfied without means, viz. money. Thus the basic pay is essential for the employee in the first instance to accept a job offer. Here the employee is able to size up the offer in terms of his own value (Greenwich, 2001). The self-perception of the employee as to how much he would need to buy up these basic needs would compel him either to accept or reject the offer. According to all the respondents to the questionnaire they felt that the basic salary was the basis on which they made their decision to accept the job offer. However as already pointed out almost everybody felt the need for more benefits both monetary and non-monetary. According to them nobody had a longer service period beyond 4 years at the retail chain. Thus they felt that within a very short time period it’s very difficult to form an opinion about the future except that initially being able to meet the basic needs was enough to make a positive decision. After all only three of them had the idea of going up the promotion ladder. These three employees felt that there would be a lot of opportunities in time to come so that additional pay plus other benefits would be available to them (Diamond & Diamond, 2005). It’s clear that no employee expected to have those other needs fulfilled during the first few months in service. It’s here that the shortcomings of Maslow’s theory are well highlighted. For instance those physiological needs of Maslow’s hierarchy aren’t well articulated with regard to what the average employee expects in the first few months of employment (West, 2004). All of the respondents to the questionnaire said that they expected some freedom to contribute to the decision making process. However according to Maslow this comes in the top rung of self-actualization needs. Naturally very few employers permit newcomers to have that freedom. They cite various reasons for this such as lack of experience and sewing the seed of discontent among those experienced workers. Thus Content or Need Theory of hierarchy of needs is not altogether free from shortcomings. However its strength lies in the fact that employees are motivated on a gradient-like scale from the lowest needs to the highest (Osteraker, 1999). Thus the pyramidal structure facilitates it. 1.2. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Victor Vroom’s process theory of expectancy is based on three assumptions: (a). There must be a valence or a depth of what an employee would desire by way of outcomes rewards such as pay, promotions, benefits and so on. (b). Employees have some expectations about their own abilities and capabilities (Dell, 1993). Thus employers must be able to identify them in accordance with associated rewards. (c). There must be an instrumental mechanism to ensure that rewards are not only promised but they are actually given out to employees and the later are aware of such awards (Green, 2000). 1.2. A. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and expectations The above three assumptions of Vroom’s Expectancy Theory gives rise to a number of variables such as those related to the convergence of individual beliefs (Darboe, 2003). In the first place there must be a positive link between the individual employee’s performance and efforts. Individual employees would essentially make a positive effort towards meeting goals knowing that positive work would be followed by positive reward (Rudolph & Kleimer, 1989). Next each reward given in recognition of such effort and performance must be able to satisfy a need of the employee. Thus the individual employee makes a genuine effort because it’s worth the trouble to win rewards. The rewards are there because employees want to win them by being efficient (Dauten, 1998). According to Vroom the individual employee has no qualms about being efficient because the employer has the capacity to acknowledge it. Thus performance-based pay as in a modern organization would encourage the employee to be more productive. All ten respondents to the 6th question in the questionnaire said that they believed in the fact that the management was genuinely interested in their performance and thus rewards were possible. However the Expectancy Theory doesn’t make reference to the existence of basic needs as such. It regards all needs as essential for the employee’s progress (Dweck, 2000). The 7th question in the questionnaire was about the employees’ perception of their own abilities. All ten of them were of the opinion that while they thought positively about themselves and their capabilities, the shortcomings in performance were inevitable given the amount of pressure on them. This idea about work pressure isn’t recognized adequately in Vroom’s theory though. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory isn’t altogether exhaustive in treating cultural diversity because it doesn’t adequately address the issue of deficient performance due to a lack of language ability and so on (Green, 1992). 1.2.B. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Employee Perceptions Employees ought to have a certain amount of confidence in their skills and capabilities. Employees expect a reasonable quantity of support from their superior staff and even subordinates. Employees have a positive perception of the quality of the equipment and tools being used in the workplace. Employees have positive perception of the availability of information to perform their tasks better free from trouble. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory as against other process theories dwells on the employees’ perceptions about what they are expected to do while at the same time concentrating on the critically important aspects of the motivation process (Denny, 2006). For instance it invariably focuses on the organizational goals such as sales volumes and productivity of employees. However, as this writer realized from the responses to the 8th question given by the respondents to the questionnaire, there is a link between the psychology of employee perception and the psychology behind employees’ worries about being overlooked for such rewards as promotions by employers simply because they (employees) don’t fit into a certain mental frame of an employer (Oestmann, 2008). 1.2.C. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Practical Shortcomings Thus practical problems exist on the way to satisfying and motivating an employee at each level of the organization (Vroom, 1990). These practical hurdles were highlighted by the responses to the 10th question. They all agreed that the workplace didn’t always afford them an opportunity to show their skills or/and talents. The most remarkable analogy that they drew was about the procrastinating managers. Most of the managers were not taking important decisions on time simply because they were somewhat unpalatable to them. Thus employees were forced to act willy-nilly in accordance with the managers’ delaying tactics. Vroom’s Theory has some advanced features about employees’ expectations but lacks the practical rigor and relevance in the real settings at times. Conclusion Motivation theories can be divided into content theories and process theories on a broader level (Shields, 2007). Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an example of the former while Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory is an example of the latter. Maslow identifies five layers of needs ranging from the basic physiological needs at the bottom to self-actualization needs at the top. The respondents to the questionnaire were in agreement with the most of these Maslow’s theoretical postulates though his theory lacks some very important features like the determination of satisfaction on the basis of pay and non-monetary means (Smith, 2000). On the other hand Vroom’s expectancy Theory has been able to explain some of the very important aspects of motivation related behavior of the employees surveyed here. They came out with startling revelations about their expectations and perceptions of their own skills and the employer’s response to them (Ramlall, 2004). However, this theory also has some shortcomings. For example it’s practically uncertain as to how employers would respond to demands by employees to be more efficient in making important decisions. REFERENCES 1. Bates, S 2008, Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! Suzanne Bates (Author) › , Visit Amazons Suzanne Bates Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central McGraw-Hill, Ohio. 2. Bobinski, D 2009, Creating Passion-Driven Teams: How to Stop Micromanaging and Motivate People to Top Performance› , Visit Amazons Dan Bobinski Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Career Press, New Jersey. 3. Cruz, NM, Perez, VM & Cantero, CT 2009,‘The influence of employee motivation on knowledge transfer’, Journal of Knowledge Management, vol.13, no.6, pp. 478 – 490. 4. Dauten, D 1998, ‘The best way to motivate employees: have them bet on their own success’, New Hampshire Business Review, vol. 20, no.13, pp.8 –9. 5. Darboe, K 2003, An Empirical Study of the Social Correlates of Job Satisfaction among Plant Science Graduates of a Mid-Western University: A Test of Victor H. Vrooms (1964) Expectancy Theory, University Press of America, Lanham. 6. Denny, R 2006, Motivate to Win: How to Motivate Yourself and Others, 3rd edn, Kogan Page, London. 7. Dell, T 1993, Motivating at Work, Revised Edition: Empowering Employees to Give Their Best (A Fifty Minute Series Book), 2nd edn, Find all the books, read about the author, and more.See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Crisp Learning, California. 8. Deci, EL & Edward L. Deci (Author) › Visit Amazons Edward L. Deci Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Ryan, RM 1985, Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior (Perspectives in Social Psychology), Plenum Press, New York. 9. Diamond, H› Visit Amazons Harriet Diamond Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central & Diamond, LE 2005, Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding Employees (Perfect Phrases Series), McGraw-Hill, New York.John Shields (Author) › Visit Amazons John Shields PageFind all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central 10. Dweck, C 2000, Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology), Psychology Press, Pennsylvania. 11. Furnham, A 2006, Just for the Money?: What Really Motivates Us at Work (Truth About Business), Cyan Communications, London.Are you an author? Learn about Author Central 12. Gione, M 2008, Employees... 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Smith, GP 2000, TNT: Dynamic Ideas to Reward, Energize & Motivate Your Teams, CYC International Publications, Georgia. 30. Stone, RJ 2008, Human resource management, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. 31. Vroom, VH 1990, Manage People, Not Personnel: Motivation and Performance Appraisal, Harvard Business Press, Massachusetts. 32. West, M 2004, Motivate Teams, Maximize Success: Effective Strategies for Realizing Your Goals, › Visit Amazons Michael West PageFind all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Chronicle Books, California. 33. › Visit Amazons Gary P. Latham Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Wingfield, B 2001, Retaining Your Employees: Using Respect, Recognition, and Rewards for Positive Results, Barb Wingfield (Author) › Visit Amazons Barb Wingfield PageFind all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Crisp Learning, Canada. Appendix I Questionnaire 1. Please state your gender □ Male □ Female 2. How long have you been working at this super market chain? □ less than one year □ more than one year & less than 2 years □ more than two years but less than five years □ more than five years 3. What is your current position? □ Super market manager □ Assistant manager □ Supervisor □ Stacker/Cashier 4. Are you aware of any motivation practices and initiatives at this super market? If yes please specify. □ Yes □ No ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. How would you be motivated in your job at this super market? □ Monetary benefits □ Non-monetary benefits 6. How would you rate the success of monetary benefits for employee motivation, if any, on a scale of 1to10? □ between 1 to 3(the lowest) □ between 4 to 6 □ between 7 to 8 □ between 9-10(the highest) 7. How would you rate the success of non-monetary benefits for employee motivation, if any, on a scale of 1 to 10? □ between 1 to 3(the lowest) □ between 4 to 6 □ between 7 to 8 □ between 9-10(the highest) 8. How do you assess the impact of rewards on employee motivation on a range of ten points? □ 1to 4 □ 5 to 7 □ 8 to 10 9. Do you think that the management at this super market has been more concerned about rewarding employees according to their performance? □ Yes □ No 10. What are the employee rewarding mechanisms adopted at your store? □ Attendance bonus □ health care insurance □ Promotions & salary increments □ delegation of responsibility to subordinates □ Job enrichment & enlargement programs □ any other(please specify)……………………. Read More