Organizational Analysis Motivation - Essay Example

The jobs at FMC Green River are task oriented and are, to a large extent, defined by the union. Unlike FMC Aberdeen, the employees at Green River do not have well defined goals. Further, production at Green River is not directly linked to their pay or other organizational rewards. There is little chance of advancement and the union structure discourages any opportunity for promotion. The jobs at FMC Green River are very well defined by the union contract and workers are faced with fulfilling the needs, but have no control over the means of production.

FMC Aberdeen is in a constant state of flux as employees are trained in a variety of tasks and are free to move from one job to another. The workers at FMC Green River have very little vertical job loading and their job description limits their horizontal loading. The FMC Aberdeen plant allows its workers to work outside their team and also function as team leaders. This type of organization offers many opportunities for career growth. The FMC Green River plant is structured by definition of tasks and employees have almost no chance of going beyond their current job or position.

While the union may offer occasional retraining, it does not enhance the esteem of the employee. Performance reviews at Green River are not adequate to provide any performance or satisfaction impact on the employees. FMC Green River will encounter problems by trying to institute a rewards system based on performance. The workforce may see this as creating inequity and correcting this could have a negative effect on production. The workforce is currently the highest paid unit at FMC and they may respond better to other needs.

According to the ERG theory of needs, relatedness and growth may be more likely to motivate the workforce. The jobs at FMC Green River have been structured according to scientific management. They are routine and specialized. This has been done to optimize production and meet the requirements of the union contract. There is little opportunity under Green River's current system for job enlargement or job enrichment.Performance appraisals currently offer little more than a determination to see if the contract is being fulfilled.

The culture is not conducive to self-appraisal or peer appraisal. Aside from the union contract, there is a psychological contract with the organization that provides some level of motivation for the employees.RecommendationsFMC Green River would benefit from offering a plant wide profit sharing program. This would offer the employees a motivation based on rewards without the perceived inequity of individual pay increases. They should also focus on the employee needs in the areas of relatedness and growth.

FMC Green River should foster a more social atmosphere and provide a method of recognition for individual achievement. FMC Green River could broaden the job descriptions to give the employees greater participation in the overall process. Job enlargement could offer an avenue for growth within the existing organizational framework. This would be an intrinsic motivational factor that could lead to a lower turnover rate as experienced at Aberdeen. A job diagnostic survey would be a critical first step in this direction.

Green River should begin to develop a performance appraisal system. This should be used as a motivational and self-improvement tool rather than a pay based system. With proper training, peer reviews and self-evaluation would