Motivation in Business Management
The word motivation is derived from the word motive referring to the desires, needs, drives, and wants within a given individual. Motivation refers to the process of encouraging or stimulating people towards the achievement of a specific goal/objective. The ability to motivate others is one of the characteristics of a successful leader. A leader must have the skills to encourage and challenge his/her followers towards achieving the intended purpose. Lack of motivation compromises the ability of an individual or a group to realize their objective. The paper will discuss the concept of motivation in business management by address the types of motivation, the role of motivation in improving employee performance, and how to motivate employees. The final part of the paper will be a conclusion on the topic.
Motivation can be classified into three types, which include; Extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, and addiction. Intrinsic motivation refers to a form of motivation that relies on an individual’s internal values and reward. This form of motivation occurs when an individual feels well about positive achievement. This form of motivation calls upon an individual’s relief, joy, emotions, and a sense of achievement. In businesses, intrinsic motivation occurs when an employee achieves the intended goals or completes a specific task assigned to him/her by the manager. Completing a given task on time makes the employee have a good feeling about themselves. Intrinsic motivation helps the employees to believe in their abilities to deliver. However, this form of motivation may sometimes backfire on the employees when they fail to achieve the intended objectives. The failure may make the employees doubt their ability to achieve their objectives.
Extrinsic motivation is a common type of motivation. It involves the use of rewards, for example, the use of money and other benefits to encourage the employees. This form of reward thus relies on the external reward to encourage the employees to achieve set objectives. However, the employer or the manager should be very cautious when using rewards to motivate their employees. This is because the use of rewards to motivate the employees may result in an adverse reaction. The employees may feel like they are being forced to render their services in exchange for a reward. The manager should make it clear whiles they rewarding a particular employee and ensure that it is done in the presence of other employees. Most people prefer doing things on their own based on their ethics instead of being motivated by the use of awards.
Addiction is the final form of motivation. It depends on both the intrinsic rewards, having a good feeling, and extrinsic reward, i.e., recognition and praise, to encourage people to achieve specific objectives. However, both the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards do not last or a long time. The two rewards fade after a while but reinforce a feeling of motivation that encourages the employee to work hard to achieve more awards. This means that the employee becomes addicted to the rewards is always working towards more rewards. Addiction motivation is recognized as the most destructive form of motivation. This is because the addiction to getting the rewards may lead to out-of-balance issues, and therefore addiction motivation should be avoided at all costs.
Research has shown that employee motivation is critical in achieving organizational/business goals. As mentioned above, the lack of motivation jeopardizes the employee’s efforts towards realizing the company goals. According to research, motivated employees are associated with increased productivity, which enables the business to achieve higher levels of output. Working with a team that is not motivated results in time wastage as the employees have no direction and have no desire in achieving the goals. The following are some of the benefits of employee motivation.
For one, motivation helps to improve employee commitment to whatever they are doing. Research has shown that when the employees are motivated, they invest their best effort towards achieving set objectives. These employees do not require to be supervised by the manager for them to do the right things. The motivation thus ensures that employees remain focused, and no time is wasted. The fact that motivated employees have self-discipline enables the manager to focus on other activities.
Secondly, employee motivation helps to improve employee satisfaction. The level of employee satisfaction determines the growth of the company. Positive satisfaction is associated with company growth. This is because the employees feel like part of the company, thus enabling them to become more willing to achieve the company growth. Improved employee satisfaction is also associated with increased employee efficiency. Employees become efficient when working in enabling working conditions. Research shows that worker’s efficiency does not rely on the employee’s qualifications or abilities. Managers have come to acknowledge that improved results can only be achieved by maintaining a balance between the employee’s ability to perform and the employee’s willingness to carry the given task. Maintaining the balance between the two can help the organization to improve its productivity and efficiency.
Employee motivation and be achieved through the use of the following strategies. The creation of a positive environment. The employees working environment plays a significant role in determining employees’ level of motivation. To improve the working environment, the employer should consult the employees on what needs to be changed to improve their performance.
Another strategy of improving employee performance includes valuing individual contributions. An effective manager ensures that the employees are appreciated for their positive contribution to the success of the organization. Appreciating the employees for the company’s success boost their confidence and makes the employees feel that they are being valued and appreciated at their workplaces. The final strategy of motivating the employees involves improving communication. Improved communication at the workplace is considered as the most straightforward strategy to improve employee motivation. The manager should ensure that he/she communicates with the employees as many times as possible. The leader should create time and interact with employees, for instance, during the coffee break. Such action will enable the employees to feel like part of the company and will work hard to see the company prosper.
In conclusion, motivation refers to the ability of the leader to encourage the employees towards achieving company’s goals and objectives. Motivating can be classified into three types, which include extrinsic, intrinsic, and addiction motivation. An effective leader should be able to manage different types of motivation. employee motivation improves employee performance by improving employee satisfaction, commitment, development, and efficiency. Finally, employee motivation can be improved by creating an enabling working environment, acknowledging the employees contribution, and effective communication.