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Professional Development

Employee engagement

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Employee engagement

Theme: motivation

1 Introduction

Regardless of the size or industry of an organization, employers should strive to develop a positive and robust relationship with their employees. However, workers have different competing needs driven by various motivators. For instance, some workers are motivated by rewards, while others are motivated by security or achievements. Therefore, it is significant for the organization managers to understand the distinct motivators of its employees if they want to maximize the performance of the organization. In this section of the report, the reader is given background information concerning the research topic. Also, the research question and the investigative questions will be provided. The significant concepts will also be defined to enable the readers to familiarize themselves with the research topic.

Background

Employee motivation refers to the level of commitment, energy, and creativity that the employees of an organization bring to their workplace. The management should find ways to motivate employees whether the economy is shrinking or growing. Competing theories emphasize that employee engagement and incentives are the primary employee motivators. However, employee motivation can be problematic for small and medium sizes enterprises. The owners of these businesses always spend a lot of time building their companies and therefore find it hard to delegate relevant responsibilities to others. But, owners should be aware of such effects of low employee motivation on their businesses. Such problems include disinterest, discouragement, and complacency. The issues may result in crises affecting the performance of the organizations. However, organizations can also offer a productive atmosphere for employee motivation. The results of employee motivation are observed directly, and the feedback is visible and swift. Furthermore, motivated and smoothly working employees free their managers from the daily chores for thinking about the long-term development of the company.

Moreover, emotional and tangible rewards can imply the retention of desirable workers. Individuals thrive well in creative work environments and seek to make a difference. Ideally, the results of their work give them a feeling of accomplishment. Below is an outline of what employee attributes managers in contemporary organizations rely on employee motivation.

2 Method

The objective of this study was to examine the employee attributes that managers in contemporary organizations rely on to motivate their employees. The research methods used for this research were secondary sources like academic articles, published books, and journals. The methods were preferred for the study since the research topic was too large to be studied directly. Also, the secondary sources contained an excellent collection of data that was useful for the research. Therefore, the information could not be ignored as it saved efforts and time for collecting data that would have been obtained directly. The sources provided useful quality data, which was easy to access. The data would have otherwise been secured more conspicuously. The existence of a significant amount of information in these sources facilitated the analysis of different types. Furthermore, unforeseen discoveries were made; for instance, the link between employee engagement and motivation was made by analyzing various organizational records.

 

3 Literature review

In literature, there are adequately documented that several thinkers ranging from adam smith to Abraham Maslow have researched the behavior of individuals from different viewpoints. The different views range from behavioral, psychological, to economic, and they help in the comprehension of what motivates individuals to do things. In the process, the researchers came up with different theories of motivation. The theories can be classified into process theories and content theories. The latter involves the factors that motivate individuals, and they identify individuals’ needs and their strengths. Also, they recognize the goals that they chase to satisfy those needs. The theories include Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and McClellan’s achievement motivation theory.

On the other hand, process theories emphasize on the actual process of motivation. They deal with the relationship between the dynamic variables that make up motivation and how behavior is developed, controlled, and maintained. The theories include equity theory, expectancy based models, attribution model, and goal theory. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory of motivation is one of the most popular methods in classical literature. The theory discusses the five levels of workers’ needs, which include safety, psychological, esteem, security, and self-actualization. Based on this theory, individuals have several requirements that motivate them to work. The needs are arranged in a hierarchical order in such a manner that lower levels needs that are psychological and safety have to be satisfied before the higher-level social needs would motivate workers to work harder and improve productivity.

On the other hand, the two-factor theory of motivation that was developed by Fredrick Herzberg emphasizes that factors like fair treatment, positive recognition, and the drive for advancement and achievement are essential motivators. The elements are necessary for the job itself, and they enable individuals to be satisfied and motivated to work harder. Extrinsic factors like job security, salary, and benefits, are determined at the organizational level and can cause dissatisfaction and absence of motivation if they are not available in adequate degrees. According to Uzonna( 2013 ), understanding the needs of employees enable contemporary organizations to motivate the young, ambitious, technology, and knowledge-based employees. Considering that this workers are already being paid highly, it is evident that cash rewards alone are not enough to provide adequate incentives to motivate workers to perform better. Therefore, to encourage workers, organizations should look beyond monetary rewards.

Moreover, the expectancy theory developed by victor vroom is based on the belief that the efforts of employees contributes to high performance which in turn leads to rewards. However, the rewards can either be positive or negative. Employees are more likely to be highly motivated by positive rewards. On the contrary, they are likely to get less motivated by negative rewards. Equity theory is another theory that was developed by Stacey Adams, and it proposes that individuals are motivated based on what they consider fair compared to others(Redmond and housel, 2015). It identifies that motivation can be influenced through a persons opinion about fair treatment in social exchanges. Individuals’ beliefs on what is fair can have an effect on their motivation, behaviors, and attitudes, which in turn affects performance. In organizations, the theory involves compensation relationships and the trial by workers to minimize any unfairness that may arise. Based on the theory, overpayment causes guilt, while underpayment results in distress and anger. Lastly, the reinforcement theory by B.F Skinner identifies that the behavior of workers that result in positive outcomes is repeated, and those that lead to adverse outcomes are not repeated. Hence, a reinforcer is considered as an incentive to behave in a particular manner. Reinforcers can either be intangible or tangible. Intangible reinforcers include praise or approval, while tangible reinforcers include money or food.

Analysis of issues and problems

Most of the theories discussed above have been tested empirically. The earliest empirical research on the hierarchy of needs theory attempted to check whether tha list of requirements acquired from the American culture by Maslow applied to other cultures. The findings identified that managers possessed these needs and that they were significant. However, even though the requirements might be accepted universally, the importance attached to the satisfaction of various needs differ from culture to culture. A study conducted by Sajuyigbe et al. (2013) acquired data from one hundred employees of different manufacturing companies in Nigeria. It concluded that performance bonuses, pay, praise, and recognition was related to organizational performance, supporting the motivation-hygiene theory. Other than monetary rewards, empirical studies, and motivation theories also confirm that non-cash awards play a role in motivating employees, especially in high paying and technology-based jobs. Furthermore, research was conducted in the united kingdom and demonstrated that financial incentives play a role in driving workers to better their production.

In a 2009 McKinsey survey, conducted by employees, managers, and 1047 executives from different sectors of the economy were done, and the respondents identified three non-financial motivators(Vrancic, 2015). The three motivators include leadership attention, praise from managers, and the opportunity to lead projects. The non-financial motivators were found to be more effective than the highest rated financial motivators, which include stock options, increased pay, and cash bonuses. Moreover, it was identified that the top three non-financial motivators play a significant role in making workers feel valued by their companies, striving to develop opportunities for the growth of their carriers and taking their well being severe. Based on the above studies, the themes continually persist in many studies on how to motivate and engage workers(Vrancic 2015). Lastly, training and development of staff is another significant motivator within organizations. In research conducted at the University of Benin, Nigeria, data was collected from one hundred non-academic staff to test the effect of training and development on workers’ motivation(Aibievi 2014). The results of the study indicated that there was a positive relationship between motivation and training. Trained employees were found to be more committed to their work compared to those who were not trained at all. Also, training was found to have a positive impact on the productivity of the organization. Based on the above discussion, the following issues arise. First, worker s need to be motivated to increase their productivity. Also, there are the most non-financial and financial strategies that can be used to motivate employees. Secondly, there is no general rule that applies to every circumstance, but there are several differences between higher, middle, and lower-level employees in terms of their needs. For some, supervision and monetary rewards are required strategies before they can perform better. On the other hand, others can perform better in an environment of equity, encouragement, fairness, and love. Some can only work better when compelled or punished.

Identification of solutions

Against the above background, the following are the solutions that will help motivate employees to work harder and raise productivity in organizations.

  • Managers are encouraged to apply Maslow’s theory by using the lifestyles and expectations of their employees.
  • Inculcating the culture of praise, appreciation, and recognition for the least improvement is also encouraged to motivated employees and increase productivity.
  • Also, the managers are encouraged to exercise fairness and equity in administering non-financial and financial strategies since equity is at the center of employee motivation, increased productivity, and job satisfaction.
  • Skinner’s reinforcement theory of motivation is also useful for the management of organizations in quality control, supervision, job design, and employee training and development.
  • Managers should also take a personal interest in the social life of their employees by supporting them in other areas of their lives outside their work.
  • Throwing challenges at the employees can also be useful in motivating them.
  • Employers should always put a cheerful appearance and should never be bossy.
  • Empowering the employees by allowing them to utilize their initiative as long as it does not conflict with the goals of the company.
  • Giving employees the responsibility that boosts their ego, a change that improves their morale, and an office that can make them feel important can be of great importance in motivating them.
  • Managers should ensure that their employees do not develop jealousies and infighting behaviors.

4 Discussion of preferred solutions

Skinner’s reinforcement theory of motivation is a preferred solution since, in the area of supervision of employees, the process of informing employees about their performance is a form of reinforcement. The supervisor has to give feedback, approval, and illustrate the personal interest in different ways to reinforce the required behaviors. Engaging in special educational programs, developmental activities, and conferences enable workers to achieve professional development and growth and acquire decision making, and innovative technical skills. It enhances the ability of these employees to deconstruct challenges and tasks, and it makes them feel less intimidated by their work. They are prepared for challenges for training other workers with the state of art methods for industry collaboration, attachment, and career advancement.

Also, giving responsibilities that boosts ego will make the workers feel happy about their job and what the management tells them to do. It is a way of motivating them and thus increasing the productivity in organizations.

The application of Maslow’s theory is significant since there exist differences between the higher level and lower level needs of employees. According to Maslow, the psychological needs like clothing, food, and shelter dominate most in an individual while starting their careers. At that point, the person can be motivated by being paid on time since it is clear that the only form of motivation at that stage is salary.

On the other hand, an average worker is motivated when they see salary alerts, particularly when looking forward to some arrears. Therefore the management can consider adding extra monetary rewards if that is guaranteed to motivated them to improve their productivity. Another employee who has relatively satisfied their first need but is not sure about the security of their job can be motivated to improve productivity and put more effort on account of the fear of losing their job. Furthermore, an employee who has satisfied both the first and the second needs now requires acceptance. The employee can be motivated to perform better by offering them the staff club as a secure platform to make friends and enable membership of professional and social associations subsidized by the manager.

5 Conclusion

The above study was conducted to illustrate the attributes managers in contemporary organizations rely on employee motivation. In accomplishing the objective, the review, and analysis added to the research in practice and theory in two ways. First, the study suggested the ten solutions that managers should rely on to accomplish employee motivation based on the theories and empirical evidence. It starts with Maslow’s hierarchy of motivation and how it applies at various levels of a person’s career path by examining their expectations and lifestyles and adapting the practical techniques to satisfy and motivate them. Also, the paper analyses the significance of other theories like the equity theory, and the strategies that managers can use to minimize the perceived or real inequities in administering non-financial and financial rewards.

Key learnings

From the above study, it can be learned that if organizations need to keep productivity high, the managers should be able to understand the fundamental theories and strategies of motivation in managing their human resources. By doing so, the managers can hope to comprehend their workers, and their different economic, social, psychological issues and how to efficiently bring about the preferred levels of performance. Also, it can be learned that promotion, equity and fairness, robust pay, conducive working atmosphere, recognition, and other elements of the human resource management system are significant in enhancing employee motivation.

 

 

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