Business Management Assignment: Factors Impacting Employee Motivation
Question
Task: Prepare a business management assignment discussing the various factors which motivate employees to work and the positive and negative factors employees experience as a result of their job roles.
Answer
Introduction
The present business management assignment focuses on the management of an organization that tries to utilize the varied sources of production in the best way. This can be possible only when the employee coordinates with the task. There should be systematic efforts made by the management to motivate the employees so that they can contribute their best. On the other hand, the efforts of the management cannot be considered to be fruitful if the employees are not encouraged to perform their tasks through careful means. The experience of all the employees varies from one organization to another (Pilukien?, 2017). In some cases, the employees highlighted that their hard work gets recognized, however, it is not the same in all cases. This study will highlight an in-depth analysis of the varied aspects of motivation along with the employee’s experience.
What does Motivation Mean?
Motivation can be considered to be a psychological phenomenon that highlights the needs and wants of the individual to be tackled through a proper incentive plan. It is the process that guides, initiates, and maintains goal-oriented behavior. Further, with the help of motivation, the emotional, biological, social, and cognitive needs assist in the activation of the behavior. It has been found that the essence of motivation is persistent, energized as well as goal-directed (Gopalan et al. 2017). A motivated individual can move and thereby take the correct action. On the other hand, motivation is also influenced through the satisfaction of those needs that are considered to be necessary for the sustenance of well-being as well as the growth of the individuals (Furnham and MacRae, 2017).
Maslow’s Hierarchy theory can be considered to be a crucial motivational theory that comprises of the five-tier model of human needs that are highlighted in the hierarchal level especially in the form of a pyramid. The needs that are at the lowest position in the hierarchy are to be fulfilled at the initial level and the ones at the upper level must be fulfilled thereon. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is also generally referenced to as the business class in regards to human resources and organizational behavior (Abulof, 2017). There are five main levels of hierarchy according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and thus the level starts from the most basic needs to the advanced ones. According to Maslow, an individual must completely satisfy one level of need and then pursue the other levels accordingly.
Intrinsic motivational behaviors are performed due to the sense of individual satisfaction provided by them. Intrinsic motivation is defined as the ones for which the reward for satisfaction includes the performance of the activities (Di Domenico and Ryan, 2017). It thus represents the engagement of activities for one’s own sake. An example can be cited of an individual in a college enjoying learning new things as well as expanding knowledge due to his/her intrinsic motivation towards it.
On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is generally performed to receive something in return from others or to avoid the negative outcomes. It is the process of engagement in an activity to arrive at an outcome that can be separated from the activity itself (Sheehan et al. 2018). An example can be cited of the rewards such as job promotion that acts as a good extrinsic motivator.
The various factors which motivate employees to work
Salary: There exists a strong connection between motivation and salary. When an individual is satisfied with the salary which he/she gets thereby leading a comfortable lifestyle, then this is likely to act as a strong motivation for the individuals to continue living in such a lifestyle (Massoudi and Hamdi, 2017). However, it has been found that many individuals have highlighted that a high salary can be considered to be a validation of the status as well as the qualifications that bring the hard work and the effort together. Further, it can be said that an individual feels motivated because an increased salary improves the affordability of the individual.
Promotion: Promotion motivates the employees through an increased level of compensation. This does not only include the higher wages or the salary received by the employees when they get a promotion, but also the other benefits such as the health insurance, the expenses, the paid off time as well as the related aspects. On the other hand, the promotion also improves the job experience of the employees such as the stability and the security in their jobs within the organization (Massoudi and Hamdi, 2017). The employees also get motivated by their sense of ambition, the desire for autonomy, authority, independence, and managerial competence.
Work Environment: A good working environment improves the productivity of the employees thereby reducing the cost linked with worker’s compensation, absenteeism, and medical claims. The quality of the workplace environment also affects the level of motivation as well as its subsequent performance. With the help of performance feedback as well as timely goal setting, the employees are motivated to a great extent to fulfill their expectations (Massoudi and Hamdi, 2017). On the other hand, the workplace incentives, as well as the support of the manager, also boost up the motivation of the employees in that particular work environment.
The positive factors employees experience as a result of their job roles
The positive factors that employees experience as a result of their job role include Personal Commitment, the quality of leadership, the connection with other individuals as well as the work environment. In the case of personal commitment, the experience at work starts with each individual. It is important to find out the motivational aspect related to the job and how it affects the work experience of the individual (Rastogi and Chaudhary, 2018). On the other hand, there should be the development of strong interpersonal connection in the workplace that makes an individual feel a greater part of the organization. The strong peer relationship also increases the learning opportunities and the development of a network that allows performing better leading to improved life experiences. Further, it has been found that the quality of leadership provides support and direction to the individuals at work (Rastogi and Chaudhary, 2018). The leaders truly engage the employees by developing a strong connection between them. Further, it has been found that most organizations try to engage the employees by being sure that they develop positive experiences. This is possible through the creation of a safe and secured environment and thus it provides the individual the best ability to carry out their work.
The negative factors employees experience as a result of their job roles The negative factors experienced by the employees due to their job role include work overload, job stress, job ambiguity as well as job satisfaction. Due to the excessive work overload of the employees, it becomes difficult for them to complete the task within a specified time frame. This higher level of workload creates dissatisfaction among the employees (Kim and Beehr, 2017). On the other hand, due to the role ambiguity, it has been found that it becomes difficult for the employees to tackle their work. Most of the employees fail to get proper clarity related to their task because there is no such clear description of the job role or the job commands from the higher authority in the organization (Kim and Beehr, 2017). This ambiguity creates stress among the employees and thus it disturbs the physiological and psychological balance of the employees at work. The employees also find it difficult to fulfill their demands as well as expectations because of the increased level of stress. Further, it has been found that some employees also fail to perform their best due to a poor level of job satisfaction and a negative feeling related to work. The higher authority must take into consideration this negative mindset of the employees thereby motivating them to perform their best in the organization.
Strategies to cope with negative factors employees experience as a result of their job roles
It is the responsibility of the higher authority to manage the excess work overload, job stress as well as job ambiguity with the help of some strategies such as the improved promotion system as well as the provision of fair opportunities to the employees. Further, the higher management must also provide an improved level of the job description to assist the employees in the management of their tasks. The working hours of the employees must be precise so that they can work with comfort as well as with certainty in the organization (Kim and Beehr, 2017). On the other hand, the organization must also provide training to the employees so that they understand the purpose and the intention of working in the organization. To make the employees feel like responsible team members, there should be the provision of improved opportunities to the employees so that they can work as a team in the organization (Kim and Beehr, 2017). However, it is necessary to take careful attempts that the opportunity provided to the team members must be carried out with discipline and higher work performance. There should also be the development of a culture of learning in the organization so that it becomes easier for the employees to tackle the new challenges and develop leadership and functional skills. The employees must also work with the career consultants to clarify their goals and thus develop a new strategy so that they can align to it accordingly.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be said that motivation is crucial for the growth and development of the employees and the organization. The needs of the employees are to be fulfilled according to the hierarchy as well as the sense of satisfaction provided by them to the employees. Therefore, it can be said that there should be improved strategies taken by the employees to influence the growth of the organization positively.
References
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Di Domenico, S.I. and Ryan, R.M., 2017. The emerging neuroscience of intrinsic motivation: A new frontier in self-determination research. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 11, p.145.
Furnham, A. and MacRae, I., 2017. Motivation and performance: A guide to motivating a diverse workforce. Kogan Page Publishers. Gopalan, V., Bakar, J.A.A., Zulkifli, A.N., Alwi, A. and Mat, R.C., 2017, October.A review of the motivation theories in learning.In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 1891, No. 1, p. 020043).AIP Publishing LLC.
Kim, M. and Beehr, T.A., 2017. Self-efficacy and psychological ownership mediate the effects of empowering leadership on both good and bad employee behaviors. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 24(4), pp.466-478.
Massoudi, A.H. and Hamdi, S.S.A., 2017. The Consequence of work environment on Employees Productivity. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 19(01), pp.35-42.
Pilukien?, L., 2017. Importance of motivation and work pay of young employees in the value creation chain of a business company: assessment of changes in and formation of expectations. Business, Management and Education, 15(2), pp.211-226.
Rastogi, M. and Chaudhary, R., 2018. Job crafting and work-family enrichment: the role of positive intrinsic work engagement. Personnel Review.47(3), pp.651-674.
Sheehan, R.B., Herring, M.P. and Campbell, M.J., 2018. Associations between motivation and mental health in sport: a test of the hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Frontiers in psychology, 9, p.707.
