Organizational Behaviour and Motivation - Essay Example

Organizational Behaviour Introduction The article under analysis offers basic advice concerning how managerscan inspire their staff; this is information that any organisation can find helpful in their daily endeavours. Overall, the author states that motivation at the workplace occurs when the concerned management entities work towards building positive emotional and psychological environments in their firms. Authenticity is the key and so is the need to engage with employees through mutual respect; these assertions find support in motivation theory literature or principles of organisational behaviour as will be illustrated in subsequent sections of the paper. Five points from the article Crawford (2006) explains that learning to let go is paramount to inspiring staff successfully as it illustrates that management trusts is employees. People respond positively to their superiors when they feel that they have been empowered; this means having sufficient autonomy to carry out their responsibilities. Delegation is a careful balancing act because it does not mean leaving everything to one’s employees; managers need to know when to step in order to give their followers support when carrying out their respective functions. Furthermore, entrusting them with these responsibilities and then removing it suddenly actually demotivates workers, as they require sufficient reasons for removal of the same. The author also believes that managers need to assist their employees in knowing where they fit in within the organisation as this causes them to realise that they are valuable. Having a sense of community in the firm comes about when the concerned employees already have a certain emotional commitment to the objectives of the company. This sense of loyalty pushes them into becoming more confident in themselves as they fell that they are positively contributing to something great in the firm. Employees also strive for recognition of their strengths, especially in terms of their talents as well as their capabilities; many of them feel can do so much to improve outcomes within the company if given a chance. Instating rigid protocols and policies concerning talent and job placements constraint workers who then feel frustrated by their company’s inability to exploit their potential. Some employees are highly capable and with the right management support can soar to great heights; this eventually translates into effective outcomes for the organisation. Workers also strive for work-life balance, so managers ought to go out of their way to promote this sort of atmosphere for their employees. They need to realise that employees also have other commitment outside the work environment. Most of them tend to be highly engaged when given the opportunity to meet their family or personal needs whenever necessary. Flexibility on management’s part is something employees will appreciate, and are likely to reciprocate in kind if a situation calls for it in the future. Honest communication is also something that several organisations need to work on in order to keep staff inspired. This implies being transparent and open with one’s employees in order to foster trust within them as well as to build a connection with them. People are likely to become more creative when they feel included in decision-making processes within the company; this shows them that the company actually values their ideas and opinions. Literature review on motivation theory All motivation theories acknowledge that people who are motivated tend to be highly committed towards achieving something that they feel is valuable to them (Deci and Vansteenkiste, 2004). Individuals differ in terms of what they can respond to in terms of motivation; some will keep working simply out of fear of losing their jobs. Others may focus on the amount of money they receive or the perks that come with a certain job; conversely others look for self fulfilment within their work entities. In order to understand what motivates people, some scholars have come up with theories to demystify this aspect as even the right incentive applied in the wrong manner can fail to inspire or motivate staff. The scientific management theory states that most people do not like working and will usually do so for money; thus, managers ought to ensure that they do things in the right way. Taylor holds that effective outcomes can be achieved by an organisation if it establishes the right way of carrying out tasks and ensures that its workers follow it. Dividing work into small repetitive tasks is the best way of enhancing productivity according to this school; therefore, workers will be motivated to do more work if they are likely to get rewards for it (Moorhead and Griffin, 1995). A number of researches that followed after the Taylor’s theory found that this approach does not work well within the workplace environment as several dynamics affect their outcomes (Weightman, 2008). Persons in this school of thought came up with the human relation view that started with scholars like Mayo who did the Hawthorne studies; it is founded on the process of nurturing social relations at work. In this perspective, it is stated that employees seek the feeling of importance and recognition at their workplace; however, they also long for sensible control. Discussions among staff and management are imperative and so is the need to raise objections against the institution. This human relations view also encourages managers to allow employees to self regulate on tasks that are relatively routine or simple in nature (Jex and Britt, 2008). Theory X and theory Y is also another theory of motivation that applies to the author; Douglas McGregor who wanted to understand human traits proposed it. Theory X assumes that most humans dislike work and have to be punished, watched, coerced and directed in order to achieve organisation outcomes (Deci and Vansteenkiste, 2004). Conversely, theory Y states that people can find satisfaction in work, so most of them actually do not dislike it; this means that other methods other than punishment can be utilised in order to bring out the best in them. For this reason, managers need to acknowledge that workers have the capacity to self direct if they feel like they are part of those objectives that they want to achieve. In this theory, it is also stated that mental and physical effort is part of the normal cycle of rest and play, so external controls are not necessary. The need for self-satisfaction causes many workers to seek places that they can find achievement especially if rewards are tied in with their own methods of achievement. People look for responsibility if given the right opportunity and will only avoid it as a result of experience; it is flawed to think that responsibility avoidance is part of human nature. Theory Y also states that people are relatively creative and imagination; therefore, they can apply those qualities within their respective institutions; this is not a quality that is prevalent among only a small part of the human population. In this school, it is stated that people only use a small part of their potential especially within the current organisational environment where most inventions have already been made. For this reason, companies must balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, with the former referring to tangible rewards like salaries and work conditions while the latter refer to the psychological components like achievement (Levy, 2006). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model is one of the most prominent theories in the discipline of motivation as it strives to delineate some of the forms of human behaviour that affect motivation. It assumes that people have several needs; most of which can be classified in some form of pyramid where low-level needs are initially met then these are followed by higher-level needs. Maslow states that whenever a need is met, it ceases being a need; he also believes that all needs elicit similar responses in individuals (Baumeister and Vohs, 2004). However, it is possible to oscillate between one level and the other and sometimes these levels can be indistinct depending on the individuals under consideration. In the pyramid, the lowest level consists of those basic or physiological needs like a salary and working condition; after this level is safety and security, which comes in the form of job security as well as other job perks. Once the second tier has been met, people then look for social needs through friendships and compatibility at work, and this is followed by the fourth level called ego. Ego entails aspects that focus on recognition at work such as promotion based on merit as well as getting a higher status at work (Steel, 2012). Finally, the respective theory states that an individual’s highest level of need is self-fulfilment where they strive for self-fulfilment in which they will get to realise their own potential. Sometimes this may involve getting a challenging job, harnessing creative opportunities as well as a series of other components. Herzberg’s theory is also another mechanism that is often associated with the latter mentioned one as it also classifies needs based on certain principles. Here, it is stated that hygiene factors are one category of needs that should be met by organisations, and they consist of money, security, supervisions, organisational policies, interpersonal relations as well as the administration. Conversely, another set of factors must also be kept in mind when thinking about inspiring workers and these are called the motivation or growth factors; some of them include offering workers challenging work, recognising their efforts and giving them opportunities to grow (Ryan and Deci, 2000). The expectancy theory is also a popular one in the discipline under analysis, and was proposed by Argyris who attempted to borrow from theory X but also added other humanistic values. In this school of thought, it is stated that people choose to behave in precise ways as a conscious decision; these decisions are guided by their respective values on desirable outcomes. Motivation will thus arise when there is a distinct association between the effort needed to perform a task, the person’s performance and the expectation that a reward will come from the effort (Wagner and Hollenbeck, 2010). Managers who want to motivate their employees must therefore strive to understand a person’s preference for an outcome and then define what has to be done in order to achieve the outcome. They should link desired outcomes with the performance that the management seeks as this minimises conflict between positive expectations and what employees do. Adam’s equity theory can also assist one in demystifying the motivation phenomenon as it tackles a certain aspect that may not always relate to rewards. In this school of thought, it is stated that people respond negatively to inequities, so they will do what they can in order to eliminate discomforts associated with those inequities (Pritchard and Ashwood, 2008). For instance, they may leave the job, alter their inputs, distort their comparison standards either psychologically or in reality, and alter rewards. Managers must consider what their employees think is valuable or not as their own interpretations could be dramatically different from what employees think (Katz, 2013). How the motivation theories relate to points in the article. Theory X and Y apply to the two points on work-life balance and striving for recognition. Crawford (2006) explains that employees need to enjoy both professional work and life outside the office; this finds backing in theory x and y because it states that workers have a cycle of work and rest. Moreover, the point about seeking recognition echoes sentiments in theory Y as it states that employees or human beings want to find psychological rewards from work such as through recognition or even getting challenging work. The Maslow hierarchy of needs supports some of the points stated by the author in the article as it talks about the third level of needs, which is socialisation. Crawford (2006) affirmed that employees yearn to fit in, so manages must help them achieve this in order to have a sense of community. One can postulate that the sense of community emanates from the social hierarchy of needs where friendships and compatibility at work makes workers motivated (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2013). Furthermore, when the author stated that employees also long for recognition of their work, this is an indication of the ego aspect of Maslow’s pyramid (Steel and König, 2006). Recognising an employee boosts their esteem and competence within the organisation, according to this theory. It is also worth noting that the author does not mention anything about paying workers or other financial incentives. This may be as a result of already meeting those needs; Maslow states that as soon as a need is met, then it stops being regarded as such. One may assert that Crawford (2006) wrote his article for service-based firms that mostly hire professionals who are highly educated; for this reason, it is assumed that they already pay their employees well. Therefore, to motivate them, one must focus on other aspects that do not necessarily deal with money; these are the higher level needs on Maslow’s hierarchy (Alexander, Ryan and Deci 2000). Herzberg’s motivation theory is also another closely associated school that supports the assertions in the article on inspiring staff. What Crawford (2006) calls assisting clients to fit in, recognising them for the work they do as well offering them opportunities in order to become more effective is what falls under motivation factors. Hygiene factors may be found in what he says about the need to give work life balance to employees; work life balance comes in the form of perks in the job like paid leave. One may find support for Crawford’s assertions concerning the need to let go when trying to motivate staff; he stated that employees want to feel trusted and in turn, they will respond by being loyal to the company as well. In the expectancy theory, one may state that job autonomy is an expected outcome for workers and this can be synchronised with the company need for highly productive and loyal workers. Delegating managerial duties is thus a way of merging employee expectations with management objectives; giving them support to carry out their tasks is a way of defining expectations or processes needed to achieve expected outcomes (Rogelberg, 2006). This is a critical part of the expectancy theory, as the effort needed to get certain outcomes is paramount in bringing out the best in one’s employees. The need for open communication is a point in the article by Crawford, which also finds support in literature through the equity theory. Workers valued transparency because the same is expected of them from their supervisors, so it makes sense for them to reciprocate. Crawford (2006) stated that if people’s ideas are valued, they will respond by being more creative; this is an indication of a state of equity that comes about when management starts positively. Reflection on the usefulness of applying organisation behaviour to organisational situations Organisational behaviour and motivation theories are relevant in the workplace because they help define the relationship between managers and their respective employees. It shows managers what they can do in order to build a positive work environment, loyal, creative and highly productive employees. The theories are useful in highlighting some of the things that employees’ value and they also challenge traditional notions of workers’ psychology. Overall, they assist in making a company highly sensitive to its employees’ needs thus making them highly successful in meeting their own objectives. References Alexander, P., Ryan, R., and Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 1. Baumeister, R. and Vohs, K. (2004). Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications. New York: Guilford Press. Buchanan, D. and Huczynski, A. (2013). Organizational Behaviour. (8thEdition) Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Crawford, D. (2006). How to….inspire your staff. People Management. Pp. 46-47. Deci, E. L., and Vansteenkiste, M. (2004). Self-determination theory and basic need satisfaction: Understanding human development in positive psychology. Ricerche di Psichologia, 27, 17–34. Jex, S. and Britt, T. (2008). Organizational Psychology: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach. 2nd Edition. NY: McMillan. Katz, R. (2013). Motivating Technical Professionals Today. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 41, (1), 28-38 Levy, P. E. (2006). Industrial/organizational psychology: Understanding the workplace. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Moorhead, G., and Griffin, R. W. (1995). Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations (5th edition). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Pritchard, P. and Ashwood, E. (2008). Managing Motivation. New York: Taylor and Francis Group. Rogelberg, S. G. (2006). Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Ryan, R. and Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25 (1), 54–67. Steel, P. (20102) Motivation: Theory and Applied. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions. Steel, P. and König, C. (2006). Integrating theories of motivation. Academy of Management Review 31, 889–913. Wagner, J. A., and Hollenbeck, J. R. (2010). Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. New York: Routledge. Weightman, J. (2008). The Employee Motivation Audit. Cambridge: Cambridge Strategy Publications. Read More