Motivation

Management and Personal Development

 

 

Motivation

According to  (2002), motivation is the process of satisfying internal needs through actions and behaviors. It is concerned with a composite of mental and physical drives, combined with the environment that makes people behave the way they do (). According to  (2004), motivation is about something within you impelling you to move forwards, to achieve a goal, to make progress in a task. The ‘something’ is the driving force may be a need, or desire, or an emotion but it leads you to act in a certain way. Signs of motivation in a person are an energy and determination to achieve (). Typical qualities of a motivated person include:

• A willingness to work


• Dedication to the project or common cause


• Alignment of the person with the organizational goals


• Commitment


• An appetite to achieve


• An energy


• Drive and determination


• Persistence


• Strength of purpose


• Orientation to work ( 2004)

 

 

To be able to get the best from people, to achieve results through individuals and teams and to maintain consistent high performance, is all about inspiring oneself and others into action – this all depends on the skills of motivation and leadership.

 

Motivation Theories

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Organizations that strive to meet the needs of their employees attract the best people and motivate them to do excellent work. Some insight into how this may come about is provided by psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. Maslow’s basic idea was simple: People will not be healthy and well adjusted unless they have their needs met. Specifically,  (1954) proposed that all people seek to satisfy five basic kinds of needs: psychological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Maslow suggested that these needs constitute a hierarchy of needs, with the most basic or compelling—physiological and safety needs—at the bottom. Maslow argued that these lowest-level needs must be met before a person will strive to satisfy needs higher up in the hierarchy, such as self-esteem needs. Once a need is satisfied, he proposed, it ceases to operate as a source of motivation. The lowest level of unmet needs in the hierarchy is the prime motivator of behavior; if and when this level is satisfied, needs at the next highest level in the hierarchy motivate behavior.

 

 

Some key conclusions that can be drawn from Maslow’s hierarchy are:

• There are several aspects of the workplace other than money (to provide for physiological needs)

• Since people can be at any of the levels of the hierarchy, what substantially motivates one person may provide only minimal motivation to another—thus managers must be aware of the needs of each individual


• What motivates a person may change over time, thus the assessment of a person’s needs must be continuous.

Individual growth is the key vehicle for organizational success. Managers must attempt to identify individual employee needs and foster satisfaction. If they do so, employees will progress toward self-actualization, permitting the organization to be all that it can be ( 2002).

 

McClelland’s achievement Theory

 (1961) theorized that individuals have three basic motivational needs: affiliation, power, and achievement. The affiliation motive can be explained as a strong desire for individual and group approval, and it reflects the desire for social acceptance and friendship. The power motive can be satisfied by being in control. It is expressed as a strong desire to change events and to exercise influence over others. The achievement motive is based on the need to achieve and win. It is characterized by seeking a challenge, establishing goals, working hard, and succeeding.

For managers, all three motives—affiliation, power, and achievement—are important when it comes to motivating employees. What is more, McClelland found that learning, education, and training can stimulate a greater need to achieve. Managers can use their understanding of the three needs to match employees to tasks that help them fulfill these needs, resulting in high performance. For example, it is wasteful to place a person with a high need for achievement in a job with routine demands. This person would not feel challenged, would probably become bored, lose interest, and perhaps leave the job. People with a high need for affiliation are likely to perform better in jobs with a lot of interpersonal contact, as well as personal support and approval tied to their performance (2002).

 

Herberg’s Hygiene Theory of Motivation

Herberg’s theory focuses on two factors: (1) outcome that can lead to high levels of motivation and job satisfaction and (2) outcomes that can prevent people from being dissatisfied. According to Herzberg’s theory, people have two sets of needs or requirements: motivator needs and hygiene needs. Motivator needs are related to the nature of the work itself and how challenging it is. Outcomes such as interesting work, autonomy, responsibility, being able to grow and develop on the job, and a sense of accomplishment and achievement help to satisfy motivator needs. In order to have a highly motivated and satisfied workforce, Herzberg suggested, managers should take steps to ensure that employees’ motivator needs are being met. Hygiene needs are related to the physical and psychological context in which the work is performed. Hygiene needs are satisfied by outcomes such as pleasant and comfortable working conditions, pay, job security, good relationships with coworkers, and effective supervision. According to Herzberg, when hygiene needs are not met, workers will be dissatisfied, and when hygiene needs are met, workers will be satisfied. Satisfying hygiene needs, however, will not result in high levels of motivation or even high levels of job satisfaction. For motivation and job satisfaction to be high, motivator needs must be met.

• Some of the various motivators (work itself) identified by Herzberg include Recognition


• Advancement


• Work content


• Possibility of growth


• Achievement


• Responsibility

Various hygiene factors (environment) include

• Status


• Working conditions


• Company policy and administration


• Money


• Supervision


• Interpersonal relations


• Security

 

Managers should apply the conclusions of Herzberg’s research because they are relevant to understanding motivation. According to his findings, an organization may provide adequate salary, safe working conditions, and job security—yet still have low motivation. Physical conditions are not as important as psychological conditions when it comes to motivating people. In conclusion, Herzberg’s theory stresses the importance of helping individuals satisfy all their needs, not just lower-level needs (2002).

 

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory examines motivation through the perception of what a person believes will happen. According to the expectancy theory, human motivation is affected by anticipated rewards and costs. An employee will be motivated to work toward a particular goal if it is perceived that a personal need will be satisfied. The employee’s desire for a goal (valence) multiplied by what the organization expects (expectancy) will equal satisfaction and motivation.

Expectancy Theory helps managers to identify key leverage points for influencing motivation. The following implications are crucial:

• Provide a work environment that facilitates good performance, and set realistically attainable goals. 


• Provide training, support, and encouragement so that people are confident they can perform at the levels expected of them. 


• Understand what people want to get out of work. Think about what their jobs provide them and what is not but could be provided. 


• Make sure that good performance is followed by personal recognition and praise, favorable performance reviews, pay increases, and other positive results. 


• Make sure that working hard and doing things well will have as few negative results as possible. 


• Ensure that poor performance has fewer positive and more negative outcomes than good performance (Sims 2002). 

 

Motivating Employees: Theories in Practice

Pay for Performance

Pay for performance refers to any compensation method that ties pay to the quantity or quality of work the person produces. For a Pay for Performance plan to be successful, according to Sims (2002), the manager must:

• Ensure that effort and rewards are directly related

      The incentive plan should reward employees in direct proportion to their   increased productivity. Employees must also believe that they can actually          do the tasks required. Thus, the standard has to be attainable and the    manager and organization have to provide the necessary tools, equipment,          and training to meet it. 

 

• Make the plan understandable and easily calculable by the employees.

      It should be easy for employees to calculate the rewards they will receive for various levels of effort. 

• Set effective standards that will benefit the organization.

      The standards should be viewed as fair by employees. They should be      high but reasonable; that is, there should be about a 50–50 chance of success. The goal should also be specific, such as, “decrease the work        order by 10 percent.” This is much more effective than telling someone to       “do your best.” 

• Guarantee your program.

      The rewards offered for a particular level of work should be viewed as a     contract between the organization and the employees. Once the plan is             operational, great caution should be used before decreasing the size of the incentive in any way. 

• Guarantee a base rate.

      It is often advisable to give employees a safety net by providing them with             a base pay. They will know that no matter what happens, they can at least earn a guaranteed minimum amount.

Merit Pay

Most employees, when they do a good job, expect to be rewarded with at least a merit raised at the end of the year. A merit raise is a salary increase – usually permanent – that is based on the employee’s individual performance. It is different from a bonus in that it represents a continuing increment, whereas the bonus represents a one-time payment. To the extent that it is actually tied to performance, the prospect for a merit raise may focus the employee’s attention on the link between performance and rewards, which is in line with the expectancy approach to motivation (2002).

Spot Awards

A spot award is a financial award given to an employee literally on the spot as soon as the laudable performance is observed. Spot awards have a sound basis in motivation. For example, to the extent that the rewards are both contingent on good performance and awarded immediately, they are certainly consistent with the expectancy approach, and provide the recognition most people desire (2002).

Recognition

Most people like to feel appreciated. Being recognized for a job well done – and not necessarily just financially – makes a lot sense in terms of motivation theory. Immediate recognition can be a powerful reinforcer, for instance, and can provide some immediate outcomes to counterbalance the employees’ inputs and efforts. Recognition also underscores the performance-reward-expectancy link, and it helps appeal to and satisfy the need people have to achieve and be recognized for their achievement. (1991) gave eleven types of employee behavior that must be recognized by organizations and individual managers. These are:

• Solid solutions instead of quick fixes 


• Risk taking instead of risk avoiding 


• Applied creativity instead of mindless conformity 


• Decisive action instead of paralysis by analysis 


• Smart work instead of busywork 


• Simplification instead of needless complication 


• Quietly effective behavior instead of squeaky wheels 


• Quality work instead of fast work 


• Loyalty instead of turnover 


• Working together instead of working against 


• Lack of absenteeism and tardiness (2002).

Job Redesign

Managers have long been concerned about the monotonous and boring qualities of highly specialized, short-cycle, assembly-line jobs. In an effort to respond to these concerns, many employers set up programs aimed at redesigning their workers’ job. Job design refers to the number and nature of activities in a job; the basic issue in job design is whether jobs should be more specialized or, at the other extreme, more “enriched” and no routine. Job enrichment means building motivators like opportunities for achievement into the job by making it more interesting and challenging. This is often accomplished by giving employees more autonomy and allowing them to do much of the planning and inspection normally done by their managers ( 2002).

Empowering Employees

Empowering employees is a popular approach to work organizations. It means giving employees the authority, tools, and information they need to do their jobs with greater autonomy, as well as the self-confidence required to perform the new jobs effectively. Empowering is inherently a motivational approach. It boosts employees’ feeling of self-efficacy and enables them to more fully their potential, satisfying high-level needs for achievement, recognition, and self-actualization. Empowerment results in changes in employees’ effectiveness. The result is that people take more initiative and persevere in achieving their goals and their leader’s vision even in the face of obstacles. In order to effectively empower the employees, the manager must:

• Make sure people understand their responsibilities


• Give them authority equal to the responsibilities assigned to them


• Set standards of excellence that will require employees to strive to do all work “right the first time” 


• Provide them with training that will enable them to meet the standards


• Give them information that they need to do their jobs well


• Trust them


• Give them permission to fail


• Treat them with dignity and respect 


• Provide them with feedback on their performance 


• Recognize them for their achievements  (2002)

Goal Setting

Managers and employees need to understand each other’s goals. In addition, managers are responsible fro helping employees in setting goals or objectives. With a clear understanding of explicit goals or objectives, managers and employees can work together to achieve specific outcomes ( 2002).

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning provides extensive continuing training, from basic remedial skills to advanced decision-making techniques throughout employees’ careers. Lifelong learning programs can achieve three things. First, the training, development, and education provide employees with the decision-making and other knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences they need to competently carry out the demanding, team-based jobs in today’s organizations. Second, the opportunity for lifelong learning is inherently motivational. It enables employees to develop and to see an enhanced possibility of fulfilling their potential; it boosts employees’ sense of self-efficacy; and it provides an enhanced opportunity for the employee to self-actualize and gain the sense of achievement that psychologists like  correctly argue is so important. Third, although lifelong learning may not cancel out the potential negative effects of downsizing, it might at least counterbalance them to some degree by giving the employee useful and marketable new skills (2002).

 

Employee Motivation in Practice: General Electric

GE has been profiled for what it calls “workout” program that had its goals the tearing down of the hierarchical nature of the company along with the facilitation of communication and exchange of information. The result has been an atmosphere of entrepreneurship where ideas come from anywhere and anyone in the company with managers responsible for everything from development of the idea to the resulting returns. GE rewards its employees for producing results, particularly in its Six Sigma program. GE employees earn bonuses based on savings that come through employees’ changes that reduce defects. Six Sigma Black Belts, the troubleshooters who implement changes to minimize debts, are given bonuses based on savings when they can show that the problems are fixed permanently. GE managers have 40 percent of their bonuses tied to Six Sigma goals.

GE also encourages employees to look outside the company for “best practices” and then bring those ideas into GE for continual improvement. GE instills a value to have the self-confidence to look outward for change and resolution. One executive described the culture of the company as one in which any employee could reflect on an idea, process, or change. No offense is permitted, and the discussion proceeds to explore why the employee offered such sharp critique.

Despite the culture of “What’s your point?” that dominates GE, managers and executives have tremendous regard for the work of all employees and acknowledge the work and contributions of many who have brought GE to its nearly unequaled status (2002)..

Motivation through Developmental Leadership

Developmental leaders exercise servantship to help employees become all that they can be. Well-served employees realize that they have the power to achieve great things – to grow and develop, to become masters of their careers, and to achieve professional success.

Developmental leaders possess the heart of a servant willing to put the needs, expectations, interests, and success of their employees above their own. Developmental leaders advocate, support, and promote their employees; accept their overall and career development responsibilities by working tirelessly to help employees grow and develop; assist as they struggle to become the best they can be; share organizational success with subordinates; make certain that other decision makers in the organization are aware of employee contributions to achieving their successes. Above all, developmental leaders operate without regard for their own well-being or career advancement because they believe their employees are the organization’s most valuable asset.

Jack Welch, president and CEO of General Electric, is often touted as an exemplary developmental leader, one who values employees and makes their growth and development a prime directive. Welch, for example, regularly devotes his time to facilitate employee training, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the importance of employees to the organization and its success.

Developmental leaders delegate tasks and responsibilities to others because they are secure with themselves and realize that such opportunities for growth and development stimulate employees. These leaders also understand that they will receive credit for a job well done since part of their job was being delegated (2000)..

Motivation through Diversity and Inclusiveness

GE works to ensure that all employees, no matter where they are located in the world and no matter where they come from, have an opportunity to contribute and succeed. One of the key mechanisms for facilitating dialogue and progress in GE’s diversity efforts is its Affinity Networks. These affinity networks play a critical role in attracting, developing, engaging and retaining employees at all levels across the company, These networks work in close partnership with the top management, business leaders and the human resources team to continually uncover ways to improve in this area and opportunities for growth ().

Motivation through Learning and Training

In companies such as General Electric, the leaders focus on organizational learning. General electric believes that managing, controlling, directing, and facilitating learning is a key role of management (2000). According to Marquardt (1996), learning organizations have the following dimensions and characteristics:

• Learning is accomplished by organizational systems as a whole, almost as if the organization were a single brain


• Organizational memebers recognize the critical importance of ongoing organization-wide learning for the organization’s current and future success


• Learning is a continuous, strategically used process, integrated with and running parallel to work


• There is a focus on creativity and generative learning


• System thinking is fundamental ()

GE has a long history of recruiting top college undergraduate and graduate students for its premier entry-level global Leadership Development programs. Many of GE’s top leaders can trace their career beginnings to these programs. It is through these programs that a common culture is nurtured and core processes and levels of expertise are developed that flood the company. Challenging assignments, mentoring, and regular exposure to senior management help to identify and develop future high potential leaders. GE’s dynamic culture promotes lifelong learning. GE employees are both expected and encouraged to fulfill training that helps them navigate a more competitive market place, learn domain expertise, develop skills and comply with the company’s integrity and citizenship initiatives ().

Motivation through Employee Empowerment

General Electric emphasizes the importance of empowering employees in order to motivate them. According to (2000), at General Electric, every member of the organization has participated in ‘Work Out’ sessions. These sessions are facilitated by a process expert and are intended to teach skills of consensus, negotiation, and decision making among individuals representing different levels and functions ().

GE prides itself on creating a culture where employees are empowered to achieve their greatest potential. GE’s performance meritocracy is demanding but the rewards can be just as great. GE manages its relationships with employees through several forums. All are geared toward understanding what is important to employees and providing access to tools, resources and information tom help employees reach their potential.

Former General Electric CEO,  believed that the best way to motivate and revolutionize the company was to delegate authority to the employees and to let them control their own destiny. The company allows the employees to take personal responsibility and control what they can in the workplace (1998). Welch despised the traditional role of management, which is an organizational structure built on control. Rather, Welch believes that managers should be leaders. Instead of controlling workers, leaders should liberate and empower them. Jack Welch used shared values and employee empowerment as the guiding principles of the GE organization (1998).

Motivation through Pay, Rewards and Recognitions

General Electric believes that empowering employees works hand in hand with effective pay and reward system. Motivating employees and understanding the psychology behind employee motivation are essential to any successful organization. General Electric makes employee motivation and job satisfaction a top priority (2002).

GE strives to create a balance between the value that employees contribute to the company and the rewards offered in return. GE fulfills this goal by fostering a work environment where good ideas and a string work ethic are encouraged throughout the company (). In addition, the company also showcases a select number of “growth heroes”. Growth heroes are employees who demonstrate the behaviors associated with innovation. These growth heroes are recognized by featuring them on the company’s intranets and on public documents like the GE annual report.

Motivation through Information Sharing

GE’s annual Session C process is at the core of its people development process and focuses on the needs of both the individual and the company. It begins with the employees assessing their own accomplishments, strengths/development needs and career aspirations, followed by an assessment by their managers. The employee and manager enter their assessments in a computerized tool, which facilitates a one-over-one review ().

Inside GE is General Electric’s global intranet and serves as a regular source for executives and employee news, individual business tools, growth strategies, values and integrity policies. Inside GE also provides tools to help employees access information more easily to help them get their jobs done. Employee can share resources and information, and access on-line learning, career development and training tolls, HR information, IT resources and support networks ().

Motivation through Work/Life Flexibility

GE is famous for its demanding high-performance culture. At the same time, however, the company also recognizes the value of work/life flexibility in order for employees to be truly productive, and to feel professionally and personally fulfilled. GE is responsive to meeting specific employee needs to enable them to deliver their contributions to the company while managing their personal life responsibilities ().

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

The motivation theories studied in this report focuses on self-actualization of employees and its impact on the employee motivation. The employees’ needs that were identified in the theories in this report must be thoroughly met in order to achieve a motivated workforce.

It is important that the manager and the organization understand motivation. Effective managers must understand the general patterns of individual motivation. Motivation according to  (2002) is the process of satisfying internal needs through action and behaviors. It involves a composite of mental and physical aspects, combined with the environment and other factors that aid in explaining why people behave the way they do. The motivation process model suggests that a need leads to action or behavior that, in turn, results in the satisfaction of the need ( ). In general, the motivation theories in this report focus on:

1. Promotion of a healthy workforce

2. Provision of financial security

3. Provision of opportunities to socialize

4. Recognition of the accomplishments made by employees

5. Different factors that affect employee motivation

 

General Electric uses motivational theories together with specific organizational methods and policies that will attract retain and motivate its employees. The focus of the motivation formula present all throughout the organization is empowerment of employees. The employees at General Electric are motivated because the company allows them to take responsibility of their jobs. They are given authority over their jobs and they are encouraged to voice out their opinions and suggestions that will enhance those organizational processes. The managers do not just manage but they lead their followers toward the achievement of the company’s goals and employee development. The culture that the company promotes allows all the people inside the organization to share information and knowledge. The company also embraces diversity and equality among its employees.

 

The company facilitates communication and exchange of information that allows the employees to learn and be aware of the issues and developments inside the company. The company also uses a reward and pay system that rewards employees who produces results. The employees are also given opportunities for development and advances. Employee and leadership training are keys to a more productive and motivated workforce. The employees are given tasks and responsibilities that constantly challenge them and promote learning. Each employee is given opportunity to contribute to the company’s success. The employees have a sense of belongingness – a feeling that generates motivation and loyalty. The employees are being trained to deal with difficult yet rewarding experiences. The culture that the company created is one where employees are empowered to achieve their greatest potential. The company delegates authority to the employees and allows them to control their own destiny. Organizational leaders liberate and empower the employees. The company also strives to create a balance between the value that employees contribute to the company and the rewards offered in return. The company is open to meeting specific employee needs to enable them to deliver their contributions to the company and at the same time managing their personal life responsibilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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