Does Employee Motivation Lead to Employee Satisfaction in the SME Retail Sector in Ireland - Dissertation Example

?Chapter I - Introduction 1 Background 1 Global recession Companies across the globe are dealing with challenges posed by the economic recession. The growth is slow in practically every nation amidst political uncertainties. The global economy grew 5% in 2010 and 3.8% in 2011 (Reddy and Davis, 2012). The spillover effects of the global economic recovery, declining exports and volatile capital flows call for adjusting economic policies (Nasution, 2012). Political uncertainties in advanced economies are responsible for downside risks that continue to loom large. The peripheral economies have not been able to restructure their economies and introduce reforms to enhance productivity and competitiveness of their economies. 1.1.2 The Irish Economy The Irish economy has been one of the most successful in the world but it has also been among the hardest hit during the economic recession (European Commission, 2012). Up to 2007 Ireland experienced strong economic growth and the living standards in Ireland caught up with the world standards. This occurred as more number of workers entered the labor market. Additionally, higher levels of education resulted in better productivity. EU being declared as a single market made Ireland an attractive destination for inward investments. Between 2002 and 2007 the economy experienced high growth rates but this was at the cost of the Irish households building up personal debts. The real estate sector surged forward to due to increase in bank lending. Due to this, the balance sheets of banks grew disproportionately large compared to the size of the economy. In addition to the deposit base, the introduction of the Euro encouraged short-term borrowing from overseas. Risky lending practices by the banks proved to be damaging for the economy and this was evident when the property bubble burst (European Commission, 2012). Because of these anomalies the Irish banks were vulnerable to the global recession in 2007. The collapse of Lehman Brothers, investment bankers of US, led to severe tension in the global financial markets which led to deposit outflows at the Irish banks. 1.1.3 SME Retail sector in Ireland The retail sector in Ireland comprises of over 20,000 food and non-food retailers, mostly SMEs, being both Irish and International in origin (IBEC, 2012). The retail sector employs over 240,000 employees. Retailing offers people career in their own locality. The retail SMEs have invested heavily in the sector in the last decade. As a result of recession, the retail market has shrunk by over one-fifth in the terms of value. The retailers were forced to reduce prices, which in turn impacts the overall profits. However, the operating costs have not been affected due to inflexible rents, hourly pay rates, local authority charges and property service charges. The shrinking of the retail market compelled the retailers to seek help from the government. To enhance consumer spending, focus on employees has been considered a valuable agenda. This is based on the recommendation of Irish Business & Employers Confederation in its election manifesto ‘Delivering the Jobs Agenda’ (IBEC, 2012). 1.2 Competitive advantage through people Human resources are now considered valuable assets as there has been a rise in the status of knowledge workers (Sheehan, 2005). Based on the resource-based view of the firm, human capital has become the source of competitive advantage as Koch and McGrath (1996) contend that a highly productive workforce possess attributes that make it a highly valuable strategic asset. This has led to the recognition of and commitment to human capital development; this has also caused the shift from traditional personnel management to refined HR practices. Competitive advantage can also be gained by recruiting people from diverse backgrounds regardless of ethnicity, age, gender and other individual characteristics (D’Netto and Sohal, 1999). 1.3 Motivation for Research Retailing is intensely competitive in Ireland as anyone can open a store. This has brought in many new entrants but the sector is driven by consumer preferences. Consumers seek quality, value for money, choice, healthy food products, low prices and customer service (IBEC, 2012). Since consumers have a wide choice to purchase from any retailer, retailers have to remain competitive in the market place. Consumer power thus is of significance and to satisfy the consumers and retain loyal consumers, the role of the internal consumers or the employees is critical. 1.4 Research Aims and Objectives Competition in the SME retail stores in Ireland in intense after recession. Stores are fighting for markets share. With the evolvement HRM it was gradually recognized that the workforce can be one of the key areas of competitive advantage (Stredwick, 2000). In the retail sector services are being delivered by employees and this can lead to customer satisfaction, retention and customer loyalty thereby leading to enhanced sales. Based on this rationale, the research aims and objectives are: To evaluate if employee motivation leads to employee satisfaction in the SME retail sector in Ireland To identify what type of motivation is more effective in leading to employee satisfaction To explore if employee satisfaction is antecedent to employee commitment To asses if there is a link between employee commitment to employee engagement To explore if employee engagement leads to a completive advantage through employees Research Question: To what extent is employee satisfaction an antecedent for customer satisfaction and loyalty among Small and medium Enterprises in Ireland? 1.5 Approach to the Study Several human resource practices have been recognized that can transform the human resources as strategic assets. These practices include employee satisfaction, employee motivation, employee commitment, employee involvement, employee engagement, all of which have to be fully integrated and coherent. If the HRM is not given a strategic approach and not aligned with corporate missions and objectives, synergies cannot be achieved. Based on this, the theoretical framework to achieve the study objectives is as follows: Source: Own Diagram 1.6 Structure of the Study In Chapter I the context of the study has been laid, the background set and the different methods through which employees can be influenced to become sources of competitive advantage has been explained. The Irish retail sector has also been discussed to some extent. This chapter also presents the research aims and objectives followed by the structure of the paper. In Chapter II literature Review has been presented where literature pertaining to the study has been reviewed. The Irish retail sector has been discussed in detail and compared to the global retail sector. Literature on how employees can be made sources of competitive advantage has been identified and evaluated. In Chapter III the methodology has been discussed. The research approach has been identified and justification for the chosen strategy provided. The reliability and validity factors have also been discussed. In Chapter IV the findings are presented and discussions held along with the findings. This helps avoid repetition. Efforts have been made to present the findings in a systematic manner. In Chapter V the conclusion is drawn based on the findings and recommendation made for further studies on the subject. This chapter also presents limitations to the study. 1.7 Scope and Limitations This study would evaluate the theories on employee satisfaction, employee motivation commitment and engagement, all of which enable the organization to achieve competitive advantage. The study would seek to establish the HR practices among the SME retailers only in Ireland and hence the outcome cannot be generalized. 1.8 Significance of the study The outcome of the study would contribute to the academia as well as the SMEs in the retail sector. This would help the SMEs in the retail sector to alter their HR practices and strategy to develop core competencies. Chapter II Literature Review 2.1 Chapter Overview The purpose of this chapter is to review and synthesize works of previous authors and scholars on the subject under study. This helps to understand what has been done and demarcate what needs to be done on the subject. Since the subject under study is to evaluate how employees can be a source of competitive advantage in SME retail stores in Ireland, the first stream of literature focuses on the Irish economy that has impacted the SME retail sector in Ireland. The second stream of literature discusses the current state of the SME retailers in Ireland. The third stream of literature then discusses the concept of competitive advantage while the fourth stream of literature focuses on competitive advantage through people. New employment relationships are discussed in this section as also the different strategies that organizations implement to achieve competitive advantage through people. 2.2 The Irish Economy The Irish economy has shown little signs of recovery despite the IMF and the EU providing substantial financial support. The nation has the highest budget deficit in the Eurozone as house prices continue to fall amidst declining incomes and rising levels of unemployment (Euromonitor International, 2012). Consumer confidence has been further hit due to job losses, higher levels of taxes and reductions in welfare payments. The Irish economy is not likely to recover over the short- and medium-term. The Irish economy has suffered one of the worst recessions resulting in phenomenal rise in levels of unemployment (Russell and McGinnity, 2010). Recession impacts not only those that have lost their jobs but also the survivors that remain in employment. During one of the worst recessions in 2009, the GNP in Ireland contracted by 2.8 percent in 2008 and by 10 percent in 2009 (Russell and McGinnity, 2010). This resulted in drastic reduction in public spending including cuts in public sector pay. Recession in Ireland led to recruitment freezes, job losses, rising unemployment and insecurity for those still in employment. These were the different forms in which work pressure was experienced as a consequence of economic recession in Ireland. Insecurity among the workers can undermine working conditions. At the same time, organizational changes, reduction in the number of staff, budget cuts all bring changes in the conditions of employment and the well-being of workers. 2.3 SME retail sector in Ireland The Irish retail sector is a significant contributor to the economy but the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) describes the retail sector as wretched as thousands of jobs continue to be at risk unless the Government intervenes to address issues such as rising costs of operation (Carey, 2012). Retailers find it hard to make ends meet amidst negative trading environment. Unrealistic rents, uncompetitive labour costs and with transport fuel increases continue to pose challenges for the sector. Lack of consumer confidence is clearly crippling the sector even though the retail industry is trying to adjust its cost base under the changed economic environment. Consumer confidence has fallen as is evident from consumer spending cut back in books, fuel and furniture (Irish Times, 2012). The retail sector has been struggling ever since consumers reduced personal expenditure. The sector also has rogue traders who are responsible for black economy which the small retailers are trying to fight back. Illicit trade results in fewer footfalls, loss of sales and reduced margins, which threaten the very existence of the retailers. Retailers have to strive to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The loss of consumer confidence has impacted the retail sector as there has been a growth of discounters in the retail sector. Retailers now offer cheaper products or heavily discounted products to increase sales. While there has been a decline in grocery retailing, this being a necessity sector, sales has not really been too low in terms of volume. Pursuing a strategy of deep discounting and promotions by retailers has only resulted in intense competition and downward pressure on the suppliers to keep costs low (Euromonitor International, 2012). The recession impacts not just the sales but the employees’ temperament as well. The employees tend to give in to fear of being laid off; they also tend not to work as hard as they feel their efforts would not be recognized in such times (Irvine, 2012). This poses an additional challenge to the employers as they need to address the concern of the employees in order to encourage greater productivity and sustain growth. The small retailers are in a better position than large retailers in providing superior personal service (Merrillees and Miller, 1997). However, they appear to be unaware that human resource capabilities and the support system can provide competitive advantage to small retailers. The SME retailers are unable to provide adequate training and development due to lower profit margins which impacts the employees as they see no career progression if they continue in the sector. However, employees have been recognized as valuable assets because they are in contact with the consumers; they are in a position to boost sales, retain customers and understand consumer preferences. Assistants account for more than half of those employed in the sector and part-time working is an important feature of employment of this group (EGFSN, 2010). While the employers are willing to recruit people without prior experience, these jobs do require skills such as sales, customer service, staff supervision, in addition to back office work and training. Certain skills are specific to the sector such as retail marketing, supply chain management, category management and data mining. The retail sector has experienced job loss of about 15,910 per annum from 2009 tom 2010 and the demand for new employees is only 6,968. The SME retailers are unable to provide the necessary training to employees due to pressure on margins, cutback in staff numbers, and high staff turnover. The sector has been experiencing declining sales and since the sector carries a poor image, the retailers find it difficult to attract talent. As consumer spending has been declining, it has resulted in reduction in the number of people employed in the sector. The Irish retail sector has no requirements for any specific skills for new recruits but they fail to recognize that human resources can give them the competitive advantage in the sector. Training is inadequate, career paths are not structured and training policies are not linked to career progression. Since the employees do not find growth in the sector, there is no motivation for them to continue in the sector. 2.4 Competitive Advantage – concept and definition Competition plays a key role in the economic theory as it is common knowledge that economic policies promote competition (Dietsch, 2010). Competition drives down prices to the ultimate benefit of the consumer. According to Aaker (1994) competitive advantage should be the strength of the organization, relative to the competitor. It should be sustainable, substantial and measurable, and must be important to the customer (cited in Merrilees and Miller, 1997). Competitive advantage is the ability of the firm to outperform its rivals – to earn a higher rate of profit than the industry norm (Besanko et al, 2000 cited in Ritala and Ellonen, 2010). The authors explain Porter’s view who considers the firm a bundle of strategic activities with the goal to adapt to industry environment by securing an attractive position for itself. Walley (1998) explains that to enter into competition is to seek competitive advantage while Porter (1985) further clarifies that competitive advantage lies at the heart of corporate success. Competitive advantage is built on a smaller scale as smaller companies are better positioned to satisfy customer needs and hence in a better position to achieve competitive advantage. Competitive advantage should be based on core competencies which would enable the organizations to stay ahead of others in the industry. Based on Porter’s (1985) generic theories, an organization can achieve competitive advantage either through cost leadership, focus or the strategy of differentiation. The retail sector can focus on employees to gain competitive advantage as this is a model that cannot be easily replicated by competitors. However, small firms have no understanding of the importance of differentiation (Merrillees and Miller, 1997). At the same time they are unaware of the distinctive competence that their firm possesses. Scholars and authors agree on a positive relationship between corporate performance and human resources policies (Michie and Sheehan, 2005). Different scholars also argue that HR policies that are consistent with the firm’s strategy are more effective. Solution to achieving the desired workforce is a total employment relationship that ensures that the needs and values of the workforce are taken care of while also supporting the company’s business strategy (Poster and Scannella, 2001). The authors contend that retention bonuses or mega-option packages or inflated titles are no longer effective in retaining scarce talent. Employment relationships have undergone tremendous changes. Competitive advantage can be achieved through people by implementing strategies suitable to new employment relationships. 2.5 Competitive advantage through people For any resource to qualify as a source of competitive advantage it must be rare, inimitable, it must add value to the firm and must be non-substitutable (Jassim, 1998). Several scholars as cited by Jassim have commented on human resources being source of competitive advantage. For instance, Coff (1994) considers human assets as a key source of competitive advantage as systematic information makes them inimitable (cited in Jassim 1998). According to Guest (1990) if employees are trusted with challenging assignments they will respond with high motivation, high commitment and high performance. Jassim also cites Gratton (1997) who identified factors that can result in human resources being sources of competitive advantage. These include commitment of top management, the core capabilities of the management team, the motivation of the employees, the ability to build and maintain alliances and the integration of business into global network. These suggest that sources of competitive advantage are no more restricted to or based on financial resources or technology. Employee attitude, their motivation, their ability to work in teams and their ability to generate commitment and trust can become sources of competitive advantage for the firm. Organization’s role in employee satisfaction/employee commitment through employee empowerment, employee engagement, training and development, rewards and recognition is critical to organizational success. Merrilees and Miller (1997) focused on the marketing success achieved through competitive advantage in retail personal service. The authors emphasize that human resource capabilities enabled it to achieve marketing success. In a study of 127 clothing retailers, the authors found that human resource and related capabilities was the key to perceived competitive advantage in personal service. Employee training was considered most essential apart from a code of conduct for staff-customer interaction. Small retailers can create a strategy of differentiation through personal service. The HR policies must be explicitly conveyed through effective communication channels. Most retailers are SMEs and they may need to upgrade their own people management skills and knowledge. However, strategic decision making and strategic thinking need not necessarily have an integrated HR strategy (Torrington and Hall, 1996). A study of 214 organizations by Torrington and Hall revealed that personnel management functions were conducted in an ad hoc manner, was reactive and without sufficient planning. On the other hand HRM uses planning and has a proactive approach. However, HRM functions have to be coordinated in a single program to make an impact on company performance. The right HRM practices can lead to reduced employee turnover while having a positive impact on employee productivity and performance (Chang and Chen, 2002). People have become the primary source of competitive advantage. This is because products can be duplicated and technology copied but the quality of organizational talent, its passion and commitment are difficult to replicate (Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps 2005). A competitive strategy and the right human resource practices can help firms to achieve competitive advantage through employees (Jassim, 1998). Competitive advantage through people can best be achieved by bringing about improvement in the management of people. Several researchers have investigated into competitive advantage through human resources. Based on the resource-based view of the form, a framework can be developed which will help identify the essential characteristics and capabilities essential in employees that can led to sustained competitive advantage. The field of strategic human resource management has grown because of the interest in using human resources as sources of competitive advantage. 2.6 Employee Motivation Motivation, an internal process that controls and regulates behaviour, is a psychological force that initiates, regulates, directs and sustains human behaviour over time (Hardre, 2003). Motivation has been defined as “the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action towards a desired goal” (glossary.com). If the organizational leaders are able to arouse and activate these inner forces, immediate impact on performance and productivity can be achieved. Employee motivation is one such HR practice that leads to better performance, towards achievement of individual as well as corporate goals. Organizations employ different motivational techniques as it is difficult to ascertain which method would enhance the motivation levels of employees. Motivation leads to engagement and engagement results in low staff turnover thereby leading to massive savings in costs. Motivation leads to employee satisfaction thereby resulting in delivery of satisfactory customer service. One of the most difficult challenges faced by the retail sector is to keep the staff motivated. The sector employs a large number of part-time workers that are poorly paid, which is one of the reasons for high staff turnover. Even the full-time permanent staff has remote chances of rising up the ladder because of hierarchical and geographically dispersed organizations. Retail staff often complains of being over-worked and underappreciated (Hardre, 2003). The retailers are incompetent of creating the environment which would make the employees feel valued. Organizations often engage in arousing extrinsic motivation through monetary rewards but very few actually are able to arouse intrinsic motivation and encourage them to work towards achieving individual as well as organizational goals. Recognizing individual motivating factors remains a challenge for most managers. When employee morale has fallen across the globe, employees need to be kept motivated to achieve beyond expectations, to achieve higher levels of productivity and to ensure better performance (Davenport, Harris & Shapiro, 2010). Intrinsic motivation is internalized and self-owned (Hardre, 2003). It is positive and leads to high levels of creativity and competence. Extrinsic motivation is low quality motivation and hence is not sustainable. Factors such as job content, role ambiguity and the amount of decision-making involved, serve as stimuli for intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation on the other hand, includes recognition and awards, promotions, pay increases. Workers experience intrinsic motivation when they find joy in the work itself (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Non-cash motivators produce intrinsic motivation and these include praise from immediate managers, leadership attention and an opportunity to lead projects. However, non-cash motivators require the involvement and commitment from the top management. Most employees work up to a certain level but there has to be some incentive to push them beyond this point. The incentive, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the unsatisfied need that pushes people to work. As they achieve the fulfillment of one need, the motivators are also altered. They first seek to fulfill the physiological needs and then seek the fulfillment of the self-actualization needs (Jones p.212). The factors that influence employees to give their best include several theories on motivation: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s 2-factor theory and Alderfer’s ERG theory. Borokowski (2005) emphasizes that all these theories are based on the assumption that the desire to satisfy a need motivates people to work. Job satisfaction leads to motivation and according to Herzberg five factors can lead to job satisfaction – the job itself, achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement. The motivators cause positive job attitudes as they satisfy workers’ need for self-actualization. Motivation can lead to enhanced organizational performance through employee satisfaction. However, motivation is an individual construct and the work environment in an SME differs from the work environment in larger firms. 2.7 Employee Commitment Globally the retailers experience recruitment problems and high staff turnover and this is more prominent among the front-line staff (Foster, Whysall and Harris, 2008). Thus staff loyalty is critical to keep costs under control and overcome skills shortages. Employee commitment can help reduce recruitment costs and enhance communication and interaction with the consumers. However, commitment arises only when the employees derive satisfaction with their job. Employee satisfaction therefore is an antecedent to employee commitment. Employee commitment and employee loyalty can make human capital source of competitive advantage. The retail sector usually has people without prior experience and mostly comprises of part-time workers. This poses a challenge as it is generally believed that part-time workers would lack loyalty and commitment to the organization. However, a study by Foster, Whysall and Harris, (2008) revealed that the part-time workers at retailers may not be highly ambitious or seek career progression, but they are nevertheless, loyal to the organization. This finding challenges the notion that staff with non-traditional working patterns is less loyal or less committed or disengaged. The female employees tend to be more loyal to the stores as it allows them to balance between work and home. If the retailers encourage staff loyalty they stand to benefit and derive operational and marketing advantages. However, the loyalty among the store staff has to be managed adequately as loyalty is multi-faceted and structural. To effectively and efficiently manage and respond to staff loyalty, devolvement of responsibilities to line managers is essential. The line managers interact most with the staff and they are best positioned to identify the needs of the staff. Such HR policies are likely to improve affective commitment and intrinsic motivation among the staff. 2.8 Employee Involvement Competitive pressure in international product markets has led to a shift in the political and economic landscape of employment relations (Gill and Krieger, 1999). Organizations are rediscovering the human factor and the greater need for employee involvement. Thus firms have started using employee involvement and participation in different forms. Employee involvement can provide sustained competitive advantage to firms of all sizes. Chiu (1999) contends that involving employees in decision making and strategy formulation can lead to enhanced performance. Managers can no longer afford to be authoritative and attitudinal change has become necessary. Managers have to lead by example, in involving employees. Thus commitment towards employee involvement is commitment towards total quality. While forming quality circles and group participation has been found to be effective, very few firms actually implement this strategy (Lawler, 1999). 2.8 Employee Engagement Employee engagement has been defined as the “extent to which people enjoy and believe in what they do and feel valued for doing it” (Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps 2005). This suggests that people should enjoy and derive satisfaction in what they do. They will derive satisfaction only when they believe that they are making meaningful contributions to their job, to their organization and to the society as a whole. However, they also want to be valued and recognized for their contribution. A combination of all three factors – satisfaction, belief and value would result in true employee engagement. Employee engagement has been recognized as a driver of financial and organizational success (Lockwood, 2007). However, the barriers to employee engagement can be damaging for the employees and other stakeholders and hence the organization must be in a position to identify which form of engagement works and which does not. HR plays a strategic role in employee engagement as the values and expectations of the current generation differ from the previous generations. HR has to create a culture of engagement. Employee engagement is critical to customer satisfaction and company reputation, and hence to gain competitive advantage companies are turning to HR to develop employee engagement program. This is because an engaged workforce will provide the extra effort that the organization needs to remain competitive (Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps 2005). Workers across the globe are recognizing that they have been abused by corporate leaders during recession. Hence, as the economy improves, it is highly likely that companies will suffer a wave of employee deflation (Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps 2005). As war for talents heats up and as the cost of employee turnover is high, employee engagement is critical to employee retention and to attract talent. Employee engagement has been found to be critical to customer satisfaction and organizational reputation. However, a study by Development Dimensions International (DDI) revealed that only 19 percent of the employees are engaged (Wellins, Bernthal and Phelps 2005). Another Talent Report by Tower Perrin found only 17% of the 35,000 employees to be engaged. Engagement is a characteristic that denotes that employees are passionate about their jobs and the companies they work for. There is another segment of employees that is ‘disengaged’ – who are regular in attendance, give their time yet criticize the organization without any feelings for the organization they work for. Competitive advantage can be achieved through employee engagement but this approach has perceived barriers. Low engagement or disengagement can have adverse economic impact. For instance, in Japan where only 9 percent of the workforce is engaged, the productivity loss is estimated to be about $232 billion every tear. Organizations across the globe appear to recognize the shift from traditional personnel management to strategic HR practices but in reality the benefits are yet to show the results in terms of enhanced productivity. However, the adverse impact of low engagement is visible in terms of downsizing, erosion of loyalty and commitment. 2.9 Total Rewards Total rewards comprises of salary, incentives (both short- and long-term), retirement benefits such as pension, deferred compensation, work/life benefits and health and welfare benefits (Poster and Scannella, 2001). Employees are concerned with guaranteed payments/benefits as well as variables such as incentives and deferred payments. They also evaluate how they are paid, whether in cash, in stocks, and the market value of the stocks. These evaluations are based on their personal needs and attitude towards risk. However, if employees are satisfied with their employment relationships, they would not leave purely based on dissatisfaction with total rewards. On the other hand, if they are dissatisfied with one or more employment relationships, no amount of monetary benefits can hold them back. The employment relationships that the authors refer to, include performance, opportunity and culture. If the worker does not enjoy his job role, he will not be interested to work even with higher incentives. Performance suffers if the employees are not interested in their job roles. Employees seek not just promotional opportunities but also acquisition of new skills, mentoring and formal training – anything that would add value to their career progression. They look for ways in which the employment relationship will develop their career. 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