Fredrick Winslow Taylors Theory on Motivation - Essay Example

F.W Taylors view that money is the greatest motivator Introduction Motivation is the drive that inspires individuals to act in a certain manner. It can be defined as the process of arousing and sustaining goal-directed behaviours. Motivation is very important for the achievement of goals and objectives for individuals and for organizations. The motivation to achieve organizational goals and objectives are unique for different individuals. The human resources management part of an organization realizes this and therefore utilizes different aspects in the organization to deal with this issue (Gong, Law & Xin, 2009). There are different theories of motivation which are generally classified under classical and modern theories of motivation. Fredrick Winslow Taylor’s theory on motivation highlighted on the issue that money is the greatest motivator to high productivity in the work place. To some extent, this theory is true because people have expenses that need to pay for. However, ‘the one shoe size fits all’ is an inaccurate description of situations at the workplace. Some individuals at the workplace are motivated by passion and actual love of what they do in the organization. According to Dessler: 2008, globalization has resulted in a lot of focus being placed on money as a source of motivation for working. There is a lot of competition for the few existing jobs. Social status and wealth are also an important motivating factor so that one can gain recognition and a high sense of living in the society. Taylor introduced his motivation theories in the early 20th century when there was a lot of industrialization that was going on (Gong, Law & Xin, 2009). According to Taylor, it was important to pay employees on their rate of production so that they could feel more motivated to work harder. As a result of this theory, employees were paid based on the number of units produced. Therefore, it was general knowledge that if an employee wanted a high monetary reward for their work, then they should increase their productivity. This ‘piece rate’ aspect of paying employees was later criticized as being too scientific (Dessler, 2008). Taylor felt that organizations should make a detailed analysis of the roles and duties to be fulfilled by their employees. Analyzing the cost returns and monetary value made by employees would assist in planning and increasing of efficiency at the work place. Taylor also proposed a high rate of uniformity in the organization as far as machinery and processes are concerned (Beardwell & Claydon, 2007). Standardization of equipment and machinery would ensure that all employees in the organization are given an equal and fair chance in gaining as much monetary gain as possible from their work. If money is used as a source of motivation to increase per unit production, then employees should feel that they have a level playing field. All employees should also be trained on how to use the machinery and equipment in the organization. In theory, Taylor’s theory looked very practical and highly rewarding. If F.W. Taylor’s theory was applied to the letter, then there would be a high expected gain for everyone. If employees were highly motivated, they would work harder so as to achieve high monetary gains (Gong, Law & Xin, 2009: 273). Higher production units should translate to higher revenue generated for an organization. Taylor felt that his scientific management theory would be very effective since all parties stood to gain and therefore cooperation would be easy to achieve. It was felt that the most effective leadership style for Taylor’s theory of motivation would have to be an autocratic one. Many organizations adopted Taylor’s theory of motivation and applied it in managing their employees. Many organizations recorded increased production levels since employees knew that they would be paid depending on the volume of their output. The management of the organizations was also able to easily track their relatively lower operating costs in their organization (Beardwell & Claydon, 2007). Taylor felt that if any problems arose, then they could be solved through experimenting and observing; and learning from completed exercises. However, after a while, there were widespread complaints about the scientific management and motivation theory used in organizations all over the country. Many complaints also arose from the final products that had been placed into the market from the peace per unit production in the organization. Other management gurus that came after F.W. Taylor cited that there are other intrinsic factors that are involved in motivating individuals other than just money. Although money is a great motivating factor to work, it is not the only factor that motivates individuals to perform highly at work. There are many intrinsic actors that would result in high production in an organization. Employees like to feel valued and appreciated beyond aspects of production meant to contribute to higher revenue generation. Henry Fayol introduced a way of managing employees that could result in increased efficiency and reduce a feeling of apathy among employees (Jelensic, 2011). He introduced principles that he proposed should be used managers that want to achieve and retain high motivation levels among their employees. This self starting attitude was also expected to increase intrinsic rewards in addition to monetary gains due to individuals. Employees were also encouraged to have unity among them in the ‘espirit de corps’ principle of management. Relations between employees are very important to encourage team work and cooperation. Employees can also assist each other in their different roles if they have a sense of unity among them. According to Alderfer’s ERG theory of motivation, employees have three needs that should be satisfied. The first need is existence need followed by relatedness need and lastly growth need. For the hierarchy of the need, it is clear that money is the most motivating factor since Existence needs like food, shelter and water have to be paid for with money. Individual employees will first seek money before other needs such as interpersonal relationships and productive contribution in the organisation. Another management guru; Elton mayo, also emphasized the need for intrinsic factors in the motivation of employees at the workplace. According to Mayo, a high level of communication and teamwork among employees was a means of encouraging employees to work effectively and increase their commitment to their work. Mayo’s conclusions on the motivation of employees were based on an actual case study that he conducted dubbed Hawthorne studies. Some large organizations in the United States have adopted some of Mayo’s management and motivation theories. In the running of Tesco organization in the United States, there is frequent communication from management to employees on matters that arise in the organization. The employees are also encouraged to give their feedback and get involved in sharing of ideas with their fellow team members (Armstrong, 2008). Most of the managers are appointed internally. Employees are therefore motivated to work hard so that they can get the opportunity to rise through the ranks in recognition of their hard work. Employees are also encouraged to have personal plans that are line with the goals, objectives and mission of the organization. Employees that have a career plan are likely to be more motivated than those who might not be sure about their career path. According to Equity theory of motivation, employees will assess their input to the organisation in relation to the output received in terms of compensation based on individual perception of the outcomes. If the outcomes or rewards are equitable, employees will exert additional efforts in their work. In case of inequity perception, employees will lack motivation thus lowering their inputs. According to reinforcement theory or operant conditioning theory, rewards such as money motivate and reinforce the behaviour of workers in the workplace. The increase in additional monetary rewards such as commissions and bonuses for management staff will reinforce their high performance behaviour thus money acting as a motivating factor. Maslow formulated some theories related to motivation. According to Maslow’s theory of motivation, human beings have needs that fall under different categories. Once the needs of one category are met, an individual starts working towards the fulfillment of other goals. The basic needs such as food and shelter are the major motivating factors for individuals to work. Once these needs are fulfilled, individuals start to work towards fulfilling their next level of needs which is security and social needs. Once these levels of needs are fulfilled, individuals begin to work on their next and highest level of needs which includes self esteem and self- fulfillment. For Maslow motivation therefore to work in an organization, it is important for the individual employees to be personally motivated on their own. Another management guru; Fredrick Herzberg also came up with a theory of motivation known as the Two factor theory of motivation. Two classes of factors; satisfiers and Hygiene factors were proposed by Herzberg (Gayne’ & Deci, 2005). It is important for the management of an organization to ensure that satisfiers and hygiene factors exist for high morale and performance from the employees. The management of an organization can establish annual pay rise schemes and bonuses as a form of recognition and reward system (Armstrong, 2008). The organization can also introduce health insurance programs which would increase employees’ loyalty. Conclusion It is important for an organization to establish an employee motivation system that has both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. According to F.W. Taylor, employees can be motivated through wages/ salaries that the get from the work that they do. However, this is not sufficient because there is a need for employees to feel that they can grow and learn as they work. Organizations that consider and utilize both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation factors have higher employee loyalty and lower turnover rates. References Armstrong, Michael. 2008. Strategic Human Resource management: A Guide to Action. 4th edition. London. Kogan Page. Beardwell, J. & Claydon, T. 2007.Human Resource Management: FT Prentice Hall. Gary Dessler 2008. Human Resource Management: New York. Pearson Prentice Hall. Gayne’, M. & Deci, E.L.2005. Self Determination Theory ad Work Motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 26: 331-62. Gong, Y., Law, K.S. & Xin, K.R. 2009. Human Resources management and Firm Performance: The differential role of Managerial affective and continuance Commitment’ Journal of applied Psychology. 94: 263-75. Jelencic, M. 2011. Motivation Theories: an Overview. Germany. GRIN Verlag. Kinnie, N. Hutchinson, S. Purcell, J., Rayton, B. & Scwartz, J. (2006). Satisfaction with HR Practicves & Commitment to the Organization Why One size does not fit all” Human Resource Management Journal. 15: 9- 29. Read More