The Context of Loss of Autonomy by an Employee of an Organization - Research Paper Example

 Autonomy is an idea that is being used in political, moral and bioethical philosophy. Autonomy is also the right to self government. Therefore in this context it is referred to as the capacity of an individual in order to make an un-coerced and informed decision. In the context of political and moral philosophy, autonomy is frequently considered as the foundation for the determination of moral responsibility of an individual’s action. Autonomy can be defined as the degree of freedom or independence allowed to the employees in the context of the job (Cambridge Dictionaries Online, n.d.). It is also a general fact that a job with higher level of autonomy is offered to an employee; they will exhibit greater sense of responsibility and also better job satisfaction. Among the theories of autonomy the best and the most commonly used theory was developed by Kant. Autonomy has different meaning to different fields. For example in the field of medicine respect for autonomy of patients is considered to be an important objective. However it can compete with the ethical principles. In the context of politics it is referred to as the self governing of the individuals. Now in the context of public sector organizations they are mostly inclined towards employing the individual whose needs and values are consistent with mission of the public service organization. A public sector organization often holds missions which have broader scope and also are more thoughtful in comparison to a public sector. The hierarchy of the public sector workforce is therefore expected to exhibit the nature of work by attracting the individuals who wishes to grab greater opportunities in order to fulfil higher needs. Earlier studies also reveal that employees of public sector organizations hugely values monetary rewards. It has also found that they do not value an opportunity by which they can help the society. Mostly in public sector organizations lack of autonomy hugely affects an employee’s morale. Due to less independency they sometime could not present their skills and expertise on a particular area of interest. This also affects the growth of an employee. Employees also get highly demoralised and it hugely impacts in the overall performance of the employee. In order to curb such happening organizations are also taking various motivational programs such as financial incentives. Such incentives program in turn helps the employees to get highly enthusiastic for their allotted tasks. Culture of bureaucracy and development of autonomy by workers and middle managers Bureaucracy is a system for managing and controlling an organization which are operated by a number of administrators. A considerable amount of energy and time is being currently spent on various attempts to lessen or control bureaucracy (Garston, 1993, p.1). They are mainly employed to maintain the rules and regulations of the organization (Cambridge Dictionaries Online, n.d.). Rules and regulations pertaining to bureaucracy are not at all helpful during any crisis situation. It is also considered as extremely inequitable. Thus blind obedience to the rules and regulations are necessary for the purpose of achieving the goals. One of the biggest drawbacks of bureaucracy’s feature is that it tends to create plenty of rules. Governmental bureaucracies are particularly known for such actions. Scholars also argue that such approach only lessens the capacity of an organization to achieve the organizational goals. In this context eminent scholars such as Max Weber also argues that bureaucratization is increasing the rule based and rationalised control. Hence in order to counteract it, the society needs to have politicians and entrepreneurs. Some of the problems related to bureaucracy are as follows:- 1. Red tape- Bureaucratic organizations set complex rules and regulations in order to get anything accomplished. 2. Conflict- It also gives rise to the conflicts among the organizational members. Since the objective of one group of an organization differs from other, therefore chances of conflict remains intact. 3. Duplication: - If in an organization two departments are working towards the same objective, then duplication of work takes place. 4. Slowness- In a bureaucratic style of leadership one cannot expect a sudden change. The primary reason for its slowness is that, there are number of people involved in the decision making process. However there are some cases where dramatic change has taken place but in rare occasions. Apart from the aforementioned drawbacks of bureaucracy it hugely impacts in the autonomy of the workers and middle level managers. The organization which practices bureaucratic approach takes away the independence from them. The independence of the workers in the respect of their job is taken away. This also affects the self-esteem of an employee and hence de motivates them. The workers and managers also do not get the scope of showcasing their expertise and skill. They are to follow a strict set of guidelines and also need to abide by the laws of the organization. Hence it can be concluded that culture of bureaucracy hugely de motivates the employees of the organization and that effects their overall performance. Loss of autonomy and motivation Unless somebody has isolated, he/she has to abide by the rules and regulations of the society. Every individual belonging to a society are confronted with a set of rules and regulations through which everyone organizes their life together. However there is major role of interdependence or what is known as inter-relationship in the societal life of an individual. Individual autonomy is therefore defined as the capability of people to monitor their choices, liberally recognize them and project them remaining within the standard of the society. However with the course of time the capability of an individual diminishes, and thus there is an automatic loss of autonomy. In this respect there is a need of interdependence. Now in the context of loss of autonomy by an employee of an organization is also observed in the same way. Whenever an employee loses autonomy, it hugely impacts in the overall confidence. Motivation of the employees also gets hugely affected due to loss of autonomy. Whenever independence is taken away, automatically there is a setback. One motivational theory that can be applied to improve motivation in this type of organisation Employee satisfaction and their retention is one of the biggest challenges of an organization Motivation can be defined as the method that establishes the strengthening values of an outcome (Kalat, 2010, p.375). In other words motivation is the process of arousing a particular behaviour which is intended for an objective (Mukherjee, 2009, p.148). For example if somebody is motivated to achieve the monthly target and incentive, the individual will try his/her level best to accomplish it. In the context of the project i.e. the most appropriate theory that can be applied to improve motivation in this type of organization is expectancy theory. The expectancy theory of motivation was proposed by Victor vroom (Lacpa, n.d.). The theory mainly highlights the requirements of linking the rewards directly to the performance of the individual. This is to ensure the fact that the rewards provided are in context with those anticipated and deserved by the employees. This theory also states that individuals are motivated to behave in such a way that produces their intended results. In other words it states that an individual will be motivated about the end result. However the outcome of the result is not the only determinant about how to behave. It is about the process of choosing a psychological process of behaving. It summarizes the procedure that is undertaken by an individual on order to make the choice. This theory explains why an individual chooses certain behaviour over the other and also portrays how they succeed to achieve the end value. The three elements of expectancy theory are Expectancy (E), Instrumentality (I) and Valence (V) (Uuooidata, n.d.). The elements are vital for selecting one constituent over the other. 1. Expectancy: Effort → Performance (E→P) - Expectancy can be referred to as the belief for attaining a desired performance (P) goal, on exhibiting an effort. The performance goals are usually based on the past experience, self efficiency and effectiveness. While the effort factors are objective difficult, control and self esteem. 2. Instrumentality: Performance → Outcome (P→O) – Instrumentality is the belief that an individual will obtain their desired objective if they the performance level are met. There are many forms of rewards such as promotion, increase in pay, a sense of accomplishment or any other form of recognition. Instrumentality is less when the reward is given for every performance. The factors that are related with instrumentality are self control, trust, policies and procedures. If employees trust their superiors, they are likely to behave according to their superiors wishes. However when there is a lack of trust in the leadership, employee often tries to control the appraisal system. 3. Valence- V(R):- The value that has been put forward by the individuals in the context of their reward bases such as needs, values, goals, sources and motivation. The factors which are related with the individual's valance are needs, values, goals, and sources of motivation, preferences and an individual's preferences. The valence is the value that an individual places on a particular reward. -1->0->+1 -1= It means avoiding the outcome 0= indifferent to the outcome +1= welcomes the outcome Individuals decide the behavioural option according to the highest motivational force. Expectancy and attitudes demonstrates an employee’s perception which will lead to the desired outcome. Therefore in the context of the project i.e. for a bureaucratic organization the aforementioned theory suits the best. This theory can also be used for motivating the employees of such organization. The implication of this issue for Human Resources Management The issues are used by the Human resource mangers mostly for retaining the employees who perform according to the level of expectations. Therefore the major implementing issues from the theories of motivation are as follows:- Needs for employees: - Every employee has a certain set of needs and objectives. The needs vary according to the cultural values and family background. In addition to the aforementioned factors needs also depends upon the political, economic as well as social status (Ramlall, 2004, p.58). Work Environment: - Every individual of an organization likes to work at an environment which is productive as well as offers friendliness. Employees also expect that their work station will also provide them with inclusiveness. Responsibility: - Employees needs to provide tasks which are more responsible, where they can depict their competencies. Supervision: - The managers and supervisors of an organization are always in the look out of coaching and teaching other individuals. Apart from that, these employees will also try to portray their views in the decision making process. Equity and fairness: - Employees of every organization wants to get rewarded in an equal manner, irrespective of the facts such as gender, sex, and geographic location and different other categories. Employee’s development: - Individuals likes to perform in an environment which offers challenges, new opportunities of learning and also which is contributed towards the success of the organization. Effort: - Employees may exhibit higher level of efforts for a particular job and get praised for it. However this will be a short term appreciation till the task itself does not offers challenges or give satisfaction to the employees. Feedback: - Employees always likes to have a timely feedback from their superiors, so that they can evaluate their self performance. Therefore feedback programs must be an ongoing process and should not rely on any specific time period. Reference Cambridge Dictionaries Online, No date. Autonomy. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 22 June 2012]. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, No date. Bureaucracy. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 22 June 2012]. Garston, N., 1993. Bureaucracy: Three Paradigms. New York: Springer. Kalat, J. W., 2010. Introduction to Psychology. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Lacpa, No Date. Expectancy Theory. [Pdf] Available at: [Accessed 22 June 2012]. Mukherjee, 2009. Principles of Management and Organizational Behavoiur. 2nd edn. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Ramlall, S., 2004. A review of Employee Motivation Theories and their implications for Employee Retention within Organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 5(1/2), p. 58. Uuooidata, No date. Motivation. [Pdf] Available at: < http://www.uuooidata.org/course/bna/bna10004/Ch6_Lecture.pdf> [Accessed 22 June 2012]. Bibliography Armstrong, M., 2011. How to Be an Even Better Manager: A Complete A-Z of Proven Techniques and Essential Skills. 8th Ed. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Miner, J. B. B., 2012. Role Motivation Theories. London: Routledge. Read More