Assessment of Effectiveness of Understanding Human Behavior in Workplace - Research Proposal Example

Assessment of Effectiveness of Understanding Human Behavior in Workplace When Developing Employees Reward Systems Althoughthere has been various researches that has studied benefits of rewards systems, very few studies have elucidated on the effectiveness or understanding of human behaviour by organisations. This research will study how such knowledge can be utilised in order to improve organisations performance by developing effective rewards systems. The findings of this study can be utilised by various stakeholders in applying necessary knowledge to improve employees’ wellness. The study will utilise descriptive, cross-sectional survey design in carrying out the research. Questionnaires and interview guides will be used to collect data from participants who will include various human resource managers and employees from different organisations. Assessment of Effectiveness of Understanding Human Behavior in Workplace When Developing Employees Reward Systems It is apparent that for any organisation to develop and maintain competitive advantage, all efforts should be geared towards satisfying customers while improving profit margin. However, for this to be realised, organisations need to have a proficient and result oriented workforce. In light with this, managers should be in a position to understand concepts of human behaviour that would help them to manage employees effectively. This is indispensable because according to Mujtaba, & Shandana, (2010), employees are considered to be primary asset of any organisation. In this regard, in order for an organisation to attract and retain productive employees, several issues must be considered. Firstly, any potential employee would wish to work in a reputable organisation where employees are valued. Secondly, any employee would like to continue working in an organisation that values its employees. For this reason, human resource managers have a duty to ensure that all points of focus that relates to employees value are articulated effectively (Heng & Theen, 2012). One of these notable issues is the employees’ rewards system. Problem statement It is believed that the human resource managers ought to have a better understanding of how the concept of human behaviour can be applied in motivating employees. In most cases where this concept is not effectively applied, organisations end up lacking incentives that motivates employees. When this happens, employees lack morale in executing their duties effectively (Pratheepkanth, 2011). This has dire consequences in relation to poor customer service, which leads lower sales thus lower returns. Studies have documented that the knowledge of human behavior by human resource managers is paramount in their practices. Organisations that fail to apply human behavior knowledge (industrial psychology) fail to recognise ways in which various motivation incentives works. For example, failure to offer various employees wellness programs may create a notion that the organisation does not value its employees. This goes a long way in affecting both the organisation and employees personal lives. For example, good remuneration is considered to be one of the most effective ways of motivating employees. If employees are not adequately remunerated, they may not be in a position to take care of all their basic needs thus leading to lower standards of living. Aim of the study This study aims at assessing the effectiveness of application of industrial psychology by human resource managers when developing employees’ rewards systems. The rationale for this study will underline key deliberations that can be utilised by various stakeholders in applying the necessary knowledge that can be used to improve employees’ wellness. Justification of the study With increased competition by various firms, there has been a tremendous shift of the way the issue of employees’ wellness is articulated. Many firms that used to perform well in their initial stages have experienced a drastic change in relation to maintaining their competitive advantage. This among other things, according to Rock, (2008) has been contributed by lack of proper understanding of how employees can be retained and motivated. In light with this, it is crucial to investigate how the knowledge of maintaining productive employees plays a part towards this effect. Therefore, this study is justified in that its findings and recommendations can be utilised to bridge the gap that other studies have not been able to bridge. For example, there have been many researches that have explored the importance of rewards systems in an organisation, but very few of them have been able to deliberate or elucidate the rationale for the knowledge of human behavior in assisting to develop effective rewards systems. Objectives of the study Main objective To assess the effectiveness of understanding human behavior in the workplace when developing employees reward systems Specific objectives To determine how the knowledge of human behavior can be applied when developing rewards systems To examine the effects of lack of human behaviour knowledge when developing rewards systems Conceptual framework (variables) In order to have effective rewards systems, the knowledge of human behaviour cannot be ignored. Nevertheless, many organisations have developed rewards systems, but their degree of effectiveness can only be measured by evaluating those that applied the knowledge of human behaviour and those that did not during the development process. Therefore, in order to have effective rewards systems, various aspects must be incorporated. For example, a review of organisation’s mission and vision statements need to be considered (Heng & Theen, 2012). This is paramount because if an organisation has to uphold the importance of implementing its mission and vision statements, then all issues pertaining factors that contribute to success must be prioritised. Among these factors is the issue of employees’ motivation, which can be achieved by developing effective rewards systems. In addition, it is necessary to apply the knowledge of human behavior and see the need to include employees when making decisions about the kinds of rewards systems to put in place. There is also a need to consider the issue of corporate social responsibility when developing rewards systems. This is because CSR is all about the corporate image of the organisation. In this regard, an organisation will focus beyond employees to include the focus of effects of effective rewards systems to the employees’ families and the wider society. Figure 1- Conceptual Framework Independent Variables Dependent Variable Literature review Studies have documented that psychological knowledge helps in understanding human behaviour, emotions, and personality of individuals (Smith, 2001). Human resource managers have been considered as key drivers of effective workforce. Among other things, industrial psychology can be used by the managers to understand dynamics and behaviors of employees when and when not administered with rewards systems. As pointed out earlier, rewards systems may encompass several issues. For example, managers should have knowledge of how to motivate employees through training and development. In this category, motivation is well understood in terms of the managers understanding that employees like working in an organisation that can offer an opportunity for skills and knowledge development. Therefore, if such an incentive is formulated, the manager understands that employees would tend to join and continue working in such an organisation and more so, to try and become resourceful to the organisation (Smith, 2001). It is also due to the knowledge of human behavior that managers can understand that employees tend to continue working in an organisation that offers welfare and safety of its employees. In this regard, the manger would consider introducing wellness programs such as health and fitness programs in their organisations. In addition, studies have also shown that organisations that offer a competitive wage and salary administration performs better than those that do not (Mujtaba & Shandana, 2010). Therefore, managers should take into account the benefits accrued from remunerating their employees competitively. There is also a need for managers to apply the knowledge of human behaviour when dealing with several other issues pertaining industrial relations. For example, a manager with a clear understanding of the importance of employees’ inclusion in various decisions relating to them would consider using collective bargaining before such decisions are made. Miah and Golam (2012), in their case study on performance management systems in UK retail industry argued that in order to develop an individuals contribution to the overall success of an organisation, corporate strategies are required in this respect. Therefore, it is apparent that strategies should include all aspects of motivation. Methodology This section articulates on the description of the methods that will be utilised in conducting the research. Most authors have used secondary methods in their researches to study the effectiveness of rewards systems. However, this research will use primary methods to obtain information that will aid the study of how psychological knowledge has been used by various managers to understand employees’ behaviour when developing rewards systems in their organisations. Participants The study will primarily focus on obtaining information from employees from various organisations in order to investigate the kinds of rewards systems used by their organisations to motivate them. Some of the information intended to be obtain from them includes the level of satisfaction from the rewards systems offered, whether or not they were included in the decision making process when the rewards systems were being formulated, and the degree of concerns portrayed by their managers/employers in relation to their motivation. In addition, the study will investigate several managers/employers from various organisations in order to study their application of industrial psychology in their organisations. Besides, this will also help to study if the managers that apply this knowledge have found any positive impacts in relation to employees’ performance and the overall performance of the organisation. Research design The study will utilise descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. This will involve collecting data at one point in time from a sample selected, which will be used to represent a larger population. In this case, this will be used to represent human resource managers and employees from various organisations. This design is appropriate in the current study because it will not deal with a single case, but rather several cases sampled from the target population (Darlington & Scott, 2002). For example, the researcher will need to investigate from managers if human behaviour knowledge, CSR consideration, and mission and vision statements prioritisation plays any part in developing effective rewards systems. Equally, employees will give accounts of their perception concerning the level of attentiveness they get from their employers in relation to their wellness and motivation (rewards systems). This will bring out the picture of how effective rewards systems can be when industrial psychology is incorporated when designing them. Data collection instruments The current study needs primary data in order to elucidate the issue of effectiveness of understanding human behaviour when developing rewards systems. The study will utilise questionnaires and interview guides to obtain data from participants. In regard to ascertaining the validity of the instruments to be used, the researcher will seek assistance from the supervisor in order to assess the relevance of the content of the instruments. In addition, the reliability of the instruments will be estimated through testing and re-testing. In light with this, piloting of the research instruments will necessary. Procedure Stratified random sampling will be used to identify sub groups of the population of managers, and employees to represent the rest of the managers and employees. Since the researcher intends to obtain information from managers through the questionnaire, each of the participants will participate alone. On the other hand, employees will be interviewed in groups. Since managers would be briefed on the benefits they can accrue from the research such as ways through which they can use the recommendations of the research to better their rewards systems, they will be requested to participate freely. On the other hand, employees will be compensated for the time they will take to participate in the study. Data analysis plan After the process of collecting data, editing, coding of similar themes, classifying and tabulating will be utilised for efficient analysis. These processes will aim at detecting errors and omissions and reduce data into homogeneous groups that will help in getting meaningful relationships. Ethical consideration The researcher will be careful to avoid causing any physical or psychological harm by either asking irrelevant or embarrassing questions to the participants. Confidentiality, avoidance of deception, and anonymity will be observed. In addition, permission to interview participants will first be sought before carrying out the study. Limitations It is apparent that handling every detail of how industrial psychology can be utilised by various organisations in order to maintain their competitive advantage at large would require more time. Therefore, this implies that time constrain will be one of the most challenging limitation to handle. In addition, due to extensive travelling, equipments to use during the study, and other necessities, financial constrains turns out to be another limitation. However, if I were given three years and $1,000,000 to utilise in the study, I would see to it that every detail of industrial research would be thoroughly studied in order to have a comprehensive study. References: Heng, T. and Theen, O. (2012). The reward strategy and performance measurement (evidence from Malaysian insurance companies). International journal of business, humanities and technology, 2, 1: 211-223. Miah, K. and Golam, C. (2012). Performance management system in UK retail industry: A case study. Far East journal of psychology and business, 7, 3: 13-24. Mujtaba, S. & Shandana, S. (2010). An equitable total reward approach to pay for performance management. Journal of management policy and practice, 1, 4: 111-121. Pratheepkanth, P. (2011). Reward system and its impact on employee motivation in commercial bank of Sri Lanka Plc, in Jaffna District. Global journal of management and business research, 11, 4: 85-92. Rock, D. (2008). Scarf: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. Neuro leadership journal. 1-10. Smith, E. (2001). The role of tacit and explicit knowledge in the workplace. Journal of knowledge and management, 5, 4: 311-321. Darlington, Y. & Scott, D. (2002). Qualitative Research in Practice: Stories from the Field, Buckingham: Open University Press. Read More