Motivating Employees in Fast Food Industry - Dissertation Example

? Research Proposal Motivating Employees in Fast Food Industry [Supervisor’s Research Proposal Motivating Employees in Fast Food Industry Background to the Context Like all the business entities, managing and motivating employees in a fast food business or organization is of high importance. Those fast food organizations, which are properly managed are normally expected to take into consideration the human resource capital first rather than concentrating on the financial aspects of the business (Morato 2008). In accordance with these views, it is required from the fast food organizations to help maintain an ambience at the workplace which not only results in an improved cooperation and commitment among the employees aimed at achieving the organizational goals and objectives but also helps in improving their motivation level. The fact that motivated employees are better performers is a widely recognized belief and this is often associated with higher levels of production and retention in relation to employees working in an organization. In addition to this, employees with high levels of motivation in an organizational frame of reference are more inclined towards improving and increasing the productivity levels together with the efficiency, as compared to those who are either not motivated to do so or less motivated than the former (Schultz, et al. 2003). Research Problem To explore what are the barriers in motivating employees working in fast food industry in UK and to recommend strategies which may improve the level of motivation among employees. This research problem is important since there is a lack of research work carried out in the context of exploring motivation among employees working in fast food industry in the UK and also the research problem undertakes the issue of identifying strategies which may prove helpful in improving the existing level of motivation among employees and result in a better overall organizational performance. Since there are a large number of restaurants serving fast food in the UK, the addressing of this research problem is therefore considered relevant and pertinent as it will focus on the issues related to an industry which forms a formidable part in the consumer market in the UK. Research Aim As per the problem statement, the proposed aim for the study is the identification of factors, which hamper motivation among employees and those factors, which are regarded by them as motivating factors. In addition to this, the researcher aims at identifying specific strategies on the basis of findings related to above-mentioned areas. Research Questions On the basis of the research objectives identified above, the proposed research work will answer the following research questions: 1. What are the factors perceived by employees in fast food industry, which are considered as barriers in improving their motivation? 2. Are the employees motivated by improvement in workplace environment? 3. Are there any other factors which employees regard as helpful in motivating them? 4. What are the strategies for motivating employees working in fast food industry in the UK? Research Ethics In order to carry out the proposed research work, the researcher intends to fully adhere to the ethical considerations considered necessary for the conduct of a study involving usage of information or data, which may be regarded as private, confidential or involving rights of third parties. For this reason, the researcher will consider obtaining written consent from the organisations, which will be selected to be studied. As per the aim of the proposed study and the methodology adopted, which is discussed in the later parts of this proposal, the researcher will approach the employees of the selected organisations and obtain their views about the level of motivation with which they are working in their respective organisations. To this effect, it is ethically required that the researcher obtains consent from the concerned individuals in the organisations selected about carrying such survey based inquiries. Apart from this, the usage of information related to the organisations selected will also be covered in the written consent obtained by the researcher. In addition to this, the researcher will ensure that the literature selected to be reviewed in the proposed research work is properly referenced and no issues related to copyright or plagiarism are raised in relation to the usage of materials from secondary sources of information. Literature Review Motivating employees is a continuous process, which involves the “intensity”, “direction” and “persistence” towards the followership of a specific goal, which may be individual or collective (Robbins, Odendaal and Roodt 2007). Motivated employees are beneficial for organisations as they allow organisations to enjoy competitive advantage over others due to improved and efficient productivity and customer satisfaction (Stone 2005). On the other hand, when motivation level of employees is at a level below than required, organisations may find the achievement of their goals and objectives at stake. Apart from the psychological connotations of employee motivation, it is also regarded as an internal stimulus within an individual, which is based on his or her recognized and unrecognized wants that shape the overall attitude towards the attainment of a certain target (Robbins 1993). Authors in the past have associated various theoretical meanings to motivation, amongst which “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” and “Herzberg’s Two Factors theory” hold a significant place. In his work, Maslow (1943) classified the needs of an individual into five major hierarchical levels: “physiological needs”, “safety needs”, “social needs”, “esteem needs” and “self-actualization needs”. With reference to these hierarchical levels, Maslow (1943) stated that individuals tend to move from physiological needs to self-actualization needs, however, this movement is largely dependent on the satisfaction of the needs at which the individual is positioned and the motivation to move towards next level of needs (Robbins, et al. 2007). In the hierarchy, the five levels of needs are categorised as high level and low level needs and in order to develop motivation in an individual, a clear understanding as to where an individual is placed in the hierarchy and the inclination to satisfy higher needs are required. Therefore, as per Maslow’s argument, when lower levels of needs are left unsatisfied, the motivation to move upwards in the hierarchy is lower (Prasad 2003). On the other hand, another major theoretical ground of studying motivation is presented by Herzberg (1966) - the Two Factor theory. Herzberg carried out investigations as to what are the things individuals strive for while being employed in an organisation (Swanepoel, et al. 2003). There are a number of factors, which are determinant of the level of satisfaction an individual has from his or her job; Herzberg (1966) identified these factors and on the basis of those identified factors, presented a Two Factor theory of motivation. The two factors are generally categorised as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of motivation. Intrinsic factors are represented by the progress in job, recognition, personal achievements at work and other factors, whereas extrinsic factors include the social status, security (i.e. job security in relation to employment), organisational policy, supervision, monetary incentives and relationship with others. The extrinsic factors are regarded as “hygiene factors” in the theory and it is argued by Herzberg (1966) that hygiene factors may not in effect motivate employees but they are regarded as pertinent to exist in order to maintain a motivation level of the employees and in the absence of hygiene factors, the motivation level of employees is expected to fall down. According to Herzberg (1966), individuals are motivated to work when internal motivating factors are given importance in contrast to the external factors and on these basis, internal factors are described as “Motivators” (Swanepoel, et al. 2003). As noted by Smither and Walker (2000) employees working in the fast food industry are motivated by the work environment at the place where they work. Along with this, there are various other factors which are considered necessary such as working conditions, working hours, monetary incentives, appreciation, promotion and management style (Nel, et al. 2004, Reischman 2003, Schlosser 1998, Robbins 2003, Sheridan, Slocum and Buda 1997, Inglish 2010). Research Plan The proposed study will follow a mixed approach comprising of quantitative and qualitative research. This will allow the researcher to address the research questions by obtaining descriptive findings and findings obtained through empirical testing of the responses from a survey based questionnaire. The descriptive findings will be based on an open ended semi-structured interview with the supervisors or managers of the selected restaurants’ outlets. The interviews will be aimed at obtaining the views of managers or supervisors in relation to employee motivation at their respective workplaces. Apart from the interviews, the researcher will conduct a survey based on a questionnaire presented in Appendix – 01. The questionnaire will be aimed at obtaining responses from the employees of the selected fast food restaurants. On the basis of the research aim and identified literature review for this study, the statements in the questionnaire have been presented. The statements in the questionnaire will be required to be responded on the basis of a five-point Likert scale. The statements presented in the questionnaire will take into consideration the factors, which are considered as motivating factors. The researcher will apply random sampling to select 10 fast food restaurants operating in London and for each of the restaurant selected, 5 employees will be identified who have at least spent 2 years working at the same place and to those selected employees questionnaires will be distributed. In order to make sure that the approach and methodology planned to be followed is practical and doable; the researcher has carried out a pilot study involving 2 random restaurant managers / supervisors and 4 employees to evaluate their responses in light of the research objectives. The findings of the pilot study (See Appendix – 02) have revealed that the statements presented in the questionnaire and structure designed for the interviews are viable to be considered for the purposes of this proposed research work. However, there are some areas which need to be considered, as for instance, there are no statements found in the questionnaire and interviews in relation to the non-monetary incentives. On the basis of the responses of the semi-structured interviews, the researcher will present a discussion as to what factors are regarded as motivating factors for employees by the managers and what they feel is the existing level of motivation among the employees. On the other hand, the responses from the questionnaire will be analysed by identifying patterns in the responses by making use of statistical software, SPSS 17. The findings will be then discussed in light of the research questions and will also help in devising strategies for improving level of motivation among the employees working in the selected restaurants. Personal Learning Statement This proposed study has offered me to develop an insight in relation to employee motivation in real world and finding out what are the factors which motivate employee most. In my courses I have studied the theoretical concepts of motivation in organisational context and I wanted to apply my learning in a real world scenario. The fact that why I chose fast food restaurants as my preferred industry to study is that I personally feel that employees working in a fast food restaurant are very hardworking and have to face different people every day. I always felt a curiosity to know about the factors, which keep them motivated to do their jobs, which according to me are tough. This opportunity of conducting a study has therefore allowed me to explore the motivation of employees working in different restaurants. As per the proposed research plan, I will carry out semi-structured interviews and questionnaire based surveys to find out what are the perceptions of the employee in relation to motivating factors and this will also allow me to correlate my findings with what I have learned. In addition to this, the conduct of semi-structured interviews will allow me to become an interviewer for the first time. Besides, a small pilot study has been conducted by me to ensure that my proposed plans i.e. interviews and questionnaires are effective and viable for fulfilling the aim. The results of the pilot study has allowed to consider areas which were previously overlooked by me, which includes the addition of statements in the questionnaire relating to non-monetary incentives for employees and asking the managers/supervisors about how they see non-monetary incentives as motivating factors. Up till now, it has been a great learning experience for me and I expect to learn further, once I start working on this study. References Herzberg, F., 1966. Work and the Nature of Man. Cleveland: World Publishing. Inglish, P., 2010. Top 10 Reasons Employees Quit. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 March 2012]. Maslow, A.H., 1943. A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), pp.370-96. Morato, R., 2008. Organizational Change. Technorati Tags: Essay Samples. Thinking made Easy: Research paper on effect of Job Satisfaction and Motivation on Organisational Commitment. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 March 2012]. Nel, P.S. et al., 2004. Human Resources Management. Oxford University Press. Prasad, L.M., 2003. Organisational Behavior. New Delhi: Sultan Chand and Sons. Reischman, S., 2003. Uncommon thought Journal: Fast Food and Society. New York. Robbins, S.P., 1993. Organisational Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Robbins, S.P., 2003. Organisational Behavior. USA: Pearson Education Internationa. Robbins, S.P., Odendaal, A. and Roodt, G., 2007. Organizational Behavior: Global and Southern African Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education. Schlosser, E., 1998. Fast-Food Nation: The True Cost of American’s Diet. National Magazine Award Winner. Rolling Stone Magazine. Schultz, H. et al., 2003. Organisational Behaviour: A contemporary South African Perspective. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Sheridan, J.E., Slocum, J.W.J. and Buda, R., 1997. Factors influencing the probability of employee promotions: A comparative Analysis of Human Capital, Organisation Screening and Gender/Race Discrimination Theories. Hempstead. J. Bus. Psychol., 11(3). Smithers, G.L. and Walker, D.H.T., 2000. The effect of the workplace on motivation and demotivation of construction professionals. Construction Management and Economics, 18(7), pp.833-47. Stone, R.J., 2005. Human Resource Management. Milton: John Wiley and Sons. Swanepoel, B., Erasmus, B., Van wyk, M. and Schenk, H., 2003. South African Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Landsdowne: Juta. Appendix - 01 Survey Questionnaire S. No. Areas Addressed Statements 1 Hierarchy of Needs Physiological Needs Your dedication towards the work depends on the remuneration you receive 2 Safety Needs Job security brings motivation in your work 3 Safety Needs You regard financial well being of your organization as a primary factor in ensuring you job security 4 Social Needs When you are helped in your social and personal issues by your employer, you are more motivated 5 Social Needs Working in a group improves your output 6 Self Esteem Needs You prefer monetary incentives over self esteem 7 Self Esteem Needs Appreciation at work makes you work efficiently 8 Self Esteem Needs Your role in decision making makes you more motivated to do your work 9 Self Esteem Needs You work in a more efficient manner when your manager motivates you by performance appraisal 10 Self-Actualization Needs You are looking for a career in restaurant business 11 Two Factor Theory Hygiene Factors You feel that the work you are doing is interesting 12 Hygiene Factors You find working conditions to be good in your organization 13 Hygiene Factors Understanding your job requirements motivates you more to do it 14 Motivators Non-monetary incentives are considered essential by you 15 Motivators Job enrichment makes you work more efficiently 16 Motivators Both monetary and non-monetary incentives are essential to you 17 Motivators Job Empowerment makes you more motivated 18 Motivators Incentives or reprimand can cause you to work differently 19 Motivators Equal treatment of employees including you, motivates you 20 Motivators Your motivation level is influenced by the management style of your manager(s) 21 Motivators In order to discharge your duties you are required to continuously monitored by the manager(s) Appendix – 02 Interview Responses Question 1 Interviewer Do you have motivated employees working in your organization? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 Yes Question 2 Interviewer Does your organization focus on improving employee motivation? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 Yes Question 3 Interviewer Are there any strategies in place to do so? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 No Question 4 Interviewer Do you think the organization as a whole is benefited, when employees are motivated? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 Yes Question 5 Interviewer As per your observations, are there any barriers at your workplace in motivating employees? Interviewee 1 No Interviewee 2 Yes Question 6 Interviewer Do you have a proper hierarchical structure at your workplace? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 No Question 7 Interviewer Do you often communicate with your subordinates? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 No Question 8 Interviewer Do monetary factors improve employee motivation? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 Yes Question 9 Interviewer Do you think that working conditions improve employee motivation and hence their productivity? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 No Question 10 Interviewer Do you have a proper employees' performance appraisal system in place? Interviewee 1 Yes Interviewee 2 No Questionnaire Responses Statements Respondent 1 Respondent 2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4 Your dedication towards the work depends on the remuneration you receive Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Job security brings motivation in your work Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree You regard financial well being of your organization as a primary factor in ensuring you job security Strongly Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree When you are helped in your social and personal issues by your employer, you are more motivated Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Working in a group improves your output Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree You prefer monetary incentives over self esteem Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Somewhat Disagree Appreciation at work makes you work efficiently Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Your role in decision making makes you more motivated to do your work Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree You work in a more efficient manner when your manager motivates you by performance appraisal Neither Agree nor Disagree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree You are looking for a career in restaurant business Strongly Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree You feel that the work you are doing is interesting Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree You find working conditions to be good in your organization Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Understanding your job requirements motivates you more to do it Neither Agree nor Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Job enrichment makes you work more efficiently Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Job Empowerment makes you more motivated Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Incentives or reprimand can cause you to work differently Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree Equal treatment of employees including you, motivates you Strongly Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Agree Your motivation level is influenced by the management style of your manager(s) Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree In order to discharge your duties you are required to continuously monitored by the manager(s) Neither Agree nor Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Read More