Employee Motivation and Productivity - Essay Example

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY Introduction The primary task of a manager within the workplace is to ensure that the required tasks are performed through the employees in a timely and efficient manner. in order to be able to do this, it is not adequate to delegate the tasks and responsibilities to every employee, give them a time frame to complete the task and expect that the employees would then do their duties without any issues. In fact, the task of a manager in this context is complicated as apart from defining the responsibilities of every employee and delegate the task, the manager is also responsible for ensuring that he is able to receive the maximum participation and involvement from every employee, for which they need to be motivated to the highest possible extent. However, such a requirement is much easier said than done. In fact, the theory of motivation in practice is one of the most difficult subjects that traverse a number of corporate and management disciplines (Philip Grant, 1984). Despite the enormous research that has been conducted in the field of employee motivation, both in terms of theory as well as the application, the issue of motivation is not understood well enough in clear terms by most individuals irrespective of their managerial responsibilities within the organization. The difficulty in this aspect arises from the basic tenet of the human nature, which in itself is a complex entity to grasp, perceive and understand. Human nature is quite varying in real terms and can range from being considered as very simple to highly complex. However, getting to know about the human nature is one of the primary prerequisites to motivate the employee in an effective manner at the workplace and is therefore considered to be an effective technique in the area of management and leadership (Bruce Kaufman, 2000). The current paper is aimed at outlining and discussing some of the basic principles that play a significant role in motivating the employee and improving their productivity thereby enhancing the degree of their involvement and participation. In order to elucidate the finer aspects of this subject, the paper will aim to discuss a few theories that have been the result of previous studies by noted researchers such as Douglas McGregor, Frederick Herzberg and Abraham Maslow. In doing so, the paper will help establish the necessary foundation for discussing the factor of increased employee involvement in the workplace and its direct correlation with the motivation and encouragement received by the employee (Anne Bruce, 2002). The benefit of such a discussion stems from the fact that treating employees as human beings and respecting them with dignity elevated the benefit and the moral value within the organization and transcends across all levels of participation and productivity. The Schematics of Employee motivation In the modern workplace, the level of motivation in the employee is the primary key to the corresponding improvement in involvement and performance. it is well known from a famous quote that it is very easy to take a horse near water, but it is equally impossible to force it to drink. The horse would drink only when it felt thirsty and the same applies in the case of people. people, especially at their place of work, will only be able to perform when they get what they want to do or when they feel motivated to something that appeals to them or interests them. This holds true irrespective of whether the employee is working on a computer in a desk job or whether one is sweating it out on the shop floor in the manufacturing enterprise. In all cases, the need for an stimulus to motivate them is always necessary, which can come both from within or may require it to come from an external source. In this context, one may wonder if this motivation is something that one is born with or whether it comes by way of effort from others. The answer to this question is in the affirmative from both perspectives. In cases where there is a deficiency or a decline in self-motivation, the person requires stimulus from people around him, especially from mentors and leaders. In fact, motivation is considered to be a skill, which needs to be learnt over time as any other trait for a person and is therefore essential for a business to ensure survivability and sustainability (Shaun Belding, 2004). From popular theory, the performance of the employee is considered as a function of the motivation and the individual capabilities of the employee. It can therefore be expressed mathematically as: Therefore, performance=f(motivation)(capabilities) The capabilities are qualities that depend on a number of factors ranging from the educational qualification, experience and the professional skills of that the employee comes to possess over a period of time. Additionally, the capability also includes the degree to which the employee is willing to involve himself in the responsibilities delegated to him as part of the organizational requirement. As the ability comprises so many qualitative requirements, it takes a long time for the employee to attain the required credibility to discharge their duties with due diligence and efficiency. In fact, the sheet enormity of recognizing the willingness and capabilities of the employee can put an inexperienced or uninitiated manager at risk as they are often left clueless about where to begin from. To address these issues and to guide the manager effectively in their pursuit of encouraging their employees to participate actively, motivation theory recognizes seven different ways to encourage the employee (Ramon Aldag, 2005). Expecting high returns from the employee thereby recognizing them as highly capable individuals. Maintaining discipline in the workplace. Treating employees in a fair and transparent manner. Identifying the needs of the employees and addressing their issues efficiently. Setting realistic goals and communicating the related expectations to the employee. Ensuring flexibility in the workflow thereby providing for the possibility to restructure role and responsibilities among employees whenever deemed necessary. Rewarding employees based on their performance. The above measures are quite basic and are often used in desired combinations to create the best workplace depending on the situation. However, there always exists a gap between the real state of the employees and the situation that is desired of them and the work of the manager in this context is to minimize this gap, which is where the role of participation and encouragement to enhance the motivation comes into play. This is done by inducing the sense of responsibility towards the goals that need to be achieved. In fact, experts have found that factors such as the pay and working conditions do not play a big role in encouraging the employee and were superseded by factors such as the advancement and the pride associated in working for the company were the bigger drivers towards motivating the employee to increasingly participate in delivering their duties. As such, it is fairly recognized that money alone does not play an influential role in motivating the employee (Karl Albrecht, 1978). Although management is one of the oldest subjects under study, the practices involved in it have been much older than the accompanying theories, which have come much later and have merely working towards providing a proper definition and framework to the related practices. Further, the difficulty in determining the exact way to motivate an employee through a well defined procedure has always been a difficult task as management has always been different from the dynamics of the pure sciences. For instance, a theory professed by anyone famous such as Albert Einstein, would then later be proved through years of intense research, experimentation and analysis. such a luxury has never been available for research in management. The earliest work into studying the factors influencing employee motivation were first undertaken by Herbert Simon, whose contribution demonstrated the complexity and difficulty associated with working with a group of people towards a set of specific objectives. Simon highlighted that the role of a manager to arrive at a correct decision was to work towards collecting all the information necessary for evaluating the various factors and devote a large part of the effort subsequently towards understanding the same (Richard Steers, 1991). However, this is never the case as the amount of information available to the manager is often limited and the constraints of time and resources demand speedy decisions from them. As such, the decision is not the optimal and instead one that is the most fulfilling towards all parameters. Theory X The noted researcher Sigmund Freud clarified the stance that people were distant from being considered in an optimistic manner. The Theory X, propagated by him, begins by assuming that people by nature are lazy and do not like to do any work and be at their best to avoid it. People further are assumed to be devoid of ambition and do not feel the need of any initiative towards involving themselves into any particular task. However, they aspire for security in their lives and the only way to get them work is by making them feel vulnerable for this security by way of rewards, intimidation, coercion and punishment. Though the theory looks radical initially, this ‘Stick and Carrot’ approach is the one of the principal foundations of management and requires managers to maintain a constant overview over their staff thereby leading to a notion of distrust between the two classes (Philip Grant, 1990). This oppressive stance is not worthy and capable of achieving any creative work from the employee as it leads to the creation of a frustrating atmosphere, thereby degrading their willingness to contribute their efforts to the business. However, the entirely contrasting view of the Theory X has helped show that workplaces in the real world do not operate in such a manner. Theory Y The Theory Y is entirely opposite to the views promulgated by the Theory X and was based on the studies of Douglas McGregor. This theory is of the opinion that people are interested in learning and that work is one of the natural ways to allow them to develop and progress. In this way, the employee does not look at monetary compensation as the only way to be rewarded and are aspiring to be able to undertake challenging tasks by themselves. The role of the manager in this context is to ensure that this quest for self development among the employees leads to the generation of maximum efficiency. Thus, imagination and sincerity on the part of the employee are highly encouraged according to the Theory Y. However, such a theory is only too good to sound true and calls for the management to be slack and soft. This is not supposed to be the way managements need to operate although the benefit of rewards is quite appealing to an employee who works hard towards being recognized thereby encouraging them to participate and involve more towards their work. A good manager in such an environment would help create a congenial atmosphere where issues can be discussed effectively in a free and fair fashion and there is no visible power system in place (Alison Sutton, 1987). Theory Z Abraham Maslow, the noted psychologist, has provided a refreshing transformation from the Theory X by rejecting the dark and negative approach towards work in the case of the earlier theory and helps transform the environment towards a cheerful atmosphere. Through his humanistic school denoting the third force, Maslow holds all the good qualities that are visible in people, many of which gradually fade as a person ages. Maslow has used this central theme around the definition and significance of the work of the individual and has epitomized the notion of Voltaire in that work helps banish the three big evils namely vice, boredom and poverty. In other words, this theory suggests that the personality and achievements of a person are the culmination of one’s works and they are the only ones that help glorify the person beyond their lifetime (Dennis Murphy, 1981). The above standpoint is one of the major aspects that need to be understood both by the manager as well as the employee. While the task of the manager is to help the employee understand the relevance and significance of their contribution to the effort, the employee needs to realize a specific set of goals that they aspire for and understand that their contribution has to have a proper meaning and identity in the long run. References 1. Philip Grant (1984), Employee motivation: principles and practices. New York: Vantage Press. 2. Bruce Kaufman (2000), Nonunion Employee Representation: History, Contemporary Practice, and Policy. London: M. E. Sharpe. 3. Anne Bruce (2002), How to motivate every employee: 24 proven tactics to spark productivity in the workplace. New York: McGraw Hill. 4. Ramon Aldag (2005), Task Design and Employee Motivation. Boston: Foresman Scott. 5. Karl Albrecht (1978), Successful management by objectives: an action manual. University of Wisconsin. 6. Richard Steers (1991), Motivation and work behavior. New York: McGraw Hill. 7. Shaun Belding (2004), Winning with the Employee from Hell: A Guide to Performance and Motivation. London: ECW Press. 8. Philip Grant (1990), The effort-net return model of employee motivation: principles, propositions, and prescriptions. University of california. 9. Alison Sutton (1987), The Profits Jigsaw: Analysing Company Performance, Improving Management Decisions, Boosting Employee. London: Chartwell-Bratt. 10. Dennis Murphy (1981), Increasing Employee Motivation. London: Professional Training Associates. Read More