What is Motivation ?

Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means needs, desires, wants or drives within
the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals. In the work goal
context the psychological factors stimulating the people’s behaviour can be -

 desire for money

 success
 recognition
 job-satisfaction
 team work, etc

One of the most important functions of management is to create willingness amongst the employees to
perform in the best of their abilities. Therefore the role of a leader is to arouse interest in performance of
employees in their jobs. The process of motivation consists of three stages:-

1. A felt need or drive

2. A stimulus in which needs have to be aroused
3. When needs are satisfied, the satisfaction or accomplishment of goals.

Therefore, we can say that motivation is a psychological phenomenon which means needs and wants of
the individuals have to be tackled by framing an incentive plan.

Motivation Incentives - Incentives to

motivate employees
Incentive is an act or promise for greater action. It is also called as a stimulus to greater action.
Incentives are something which are given in addition to wagers. It means additional remuneration or
benefit to an employee in recognition of achievement or better work. Incentives provide a spur or zeal in
the employees for better performance. It is a natural thing that nobody acts without a purpose behind.
Therefore, a hope for a reward is a powerful incentive to motivate employees. Besides monetary
incentive, there are some other stimuli which can drive a person to better. This will include job
satisfaction, job security, job promotion, and pride for accomplishment. Therefore, incentives really can
sometimes work to accomplish the goals of a concern. The need of incentives can be many:-

1. To increase productivity,
2. To drive or arouse a stimulus work,
3. To enhance commitment in work performance,
4. To psychologically satisfy a person which leads to job satisfaction,
5. To shape the behavior or outlook of subordinate towards work,
6. To inculcate zeal and enthusiasm towards work,
7. To get the maximum of their capabilities so that they are exploited and utilized maximally.

Therefore, management has to offer the following two categories of incentives to motivate employees:

1. Monetary incentives- Those incentives which satisfy the subordinates by providing them
rewards in terms of rupees. Money has been recognized as a chief source of satisfying the needs
of people. Money is also helpful to satisfy the social needs by possessing various material items.
Therefore, money not only satisfies psychological needs but also the security and social needs.
 Therefore, in many factories, various wage plans and bonus schemes are introduced to motivate
and stimulate the people to work.
2. Non-monetary incentives- Besides the monetary incentives, there are certain non-financial
incentives which can satisfy the ego and self- actualization needs of employees. The incentives
which cannot be measured in terms of money are under the category of “Non- monetary
incentives”. Whenever a manager has to satisfy the psychological needs of the subordinates, he
makes use of non-financial incentives. Non- financial incentives can be of the following types:-
a. Security of service- Job security is an incentive which provides great motivation to
employees. If his job is secured, he will put maximum efforts to achieve the objectives of
the enterprise. This also helps since he is very far off from mental tension and he can
give his best to the enterprise.
b. Praise or recognition- The praise or recognition is another non- financial incentive
which satisfies the ego needs of the employees. Sometimes praise becomes more
effective than any other incentive. The employees will respond more to praise and try to
give the best of their abilities to a concern.
c. Suggestion scheme- The organization should look forward to taking suggestions and
inviting suggestion schemes from the subordinates. This inculcates a spirit of
participation in the employees. This can be done by publishing various articles written by
employees to improve the work environment which can be published in various
magazines of the company. This also is helpful to motivate the employees to feel
important and they can also be in search for innovative methods which can be applied for
better work methods. This ultimately helps in growing a concern and adapting new
methods of operations.
d. Job enrichment- Job enrichment is another non- monetary incentive in which the job of
a worker can be enriched. This can be done by increasing his responsibilities, giving him
an important designation, increasing the content and nature of the work. This way
efficient worker can get challenging jobs in which they can prove their worth. This also
helps in the greatest motivation of the efficient employees.
e. Promotion opportunities- Promotion is an effective tool to increase the spirit to work in
a concern. If the employees are provided opportunities for the advancement and growth,
they feel satisfied and contented and they become more committed to the organization.

The above non-financial tools can be framed effectively by giving due concentration to the role of
employees. A combination of financial and non- financial incentives help together in bringing
motivation and zeal to work in a concern.

Positive Incentives

Positive incentives are those incentives which provide a positive assurance for fulfilling the needs and
wants. Positive incentives generally have an optimistic attitude behind and they are generally given to
satisfy the psychological requirements of employees. For example-promotion, praise, recognition, perks
and allowances, etc. It is positive by nature.

Negative Incentives

Negative incentives are those whose purpose is to correct the mistakes or defaults of employees. The
purpose is to rectify mistakes in order to get effective results. Negative incentive is generally resorted to
when positive incentive does not works and a psychological set back has to be given to employees. It is
negative by nature. For example- demotion, transfer, fines, penalties.

Importance of Motivation
Motivation is a very important for an organization because of the following benefits it provides:
1. Puts human resources into action
Every concern requires physical, financial and human resources to accomplish the goals. It is
through motivation that the human resources can be utilized by making full use of it. This can be
done by building willingness in employees to work. This will help the enterprise in securing best
possible utilization of resources.

2. Improves level of efficiency of employees

The level of a subordinate or a employee does not only depend upon his qualifications and
abilities. For getting best of his work performance, the gap between ability and willingness has to
be filled which helps in improving the level of performance of subordinates. This will result into-

a. Increase in productivity,
b. Reducing cost of operations, and
c. Improving overall efficiency.
3. Leads to achievement of organizational goals
The goals of an enterprise can be achieved only when the following factors take place :-

a. There is best possible utilization of resources,

b. There is a co-operative work environment,
c. The employees are goal-directed and they act in a purposive manner,
d. Goals can be achieved if co-ordination and co-operation takes place simultaneously
which can be effectively done through motivation.
4. Builds friendly relationship
Motivation is an important factor which brings employees satisfaction. This can be done by
keeping into mind and framing an incentive plan for the benefit of the employees. This could
initiate the following things:

a. Monetary and non-monetary incentives,

b. Promotion opportunities for employees,
c. Disincentives for inefficient employees.

In order to build a cordial, friendly atmosphere in a concern, the above steps should be taken by a
manager. This would help in:

iv.Effective co-operation which brings stability,

v. Industrial dispute and unrest in employees will reduce,
vi. The employees will be adaptable to the changes and there will be no resistance to the
change,
vii. This will help in providing a smooth and sound concern in which individual interests will
coincide with the organizational interests,
viii. This will result in profit maximization through increased productivity.
5. Leads to stability of work force
Stability of workforce is very important from the point of view of reputation and goodwill of a
concern. The employees can remain loyal to the enterprise only when they have a feeling of
participation in the management. The skills and efficiency of employees will always be of
advantage to employees as well as employees. This will lead to a good public image in the
 market which will attract competent and qualified people into a concern. As it is said, “Old is gold”
which suffices with the role of motivation here, the older the people, more the experience and
their adjustment into a concern which can be of benefit to the enterprise.

From the above discussion, we can say that motivation is an internal feeling which can be understood
only by manager since he is in close contact with the employees. Needs, wants and desires are inter-
related and they are the driving force to act. These needs can be understood by the manager and he can
frame motivation plans accordingly. We can say that motivation therefore is a continuous process since
motivation process is based on needs which are unlimited. The process has to be continued throughout.

We can summarize by saying that motivation is important both to an individual and a

business. Motivation is important to an individual as:

1. Motivation will help him achieve his personal goals.

2. If an individual is motivated, he will have job satisfaction.
3. Motivation will help in self-development of individual.
4. An individual would always gain by working with a dynamic team.

Similarly, motivation is important to a business as:

1. The more motivated the employees are, the more empowered the team is.
2. The more is the team work and individual employee contribution, more profitable and successful
is the business.
3. During period of amendments, there will be more adaptability and creativity.
4. Motivation will lead to an optimistic and challenging attitude at work place.

Motivation and Morale - Relationship

and Differences
Morale can be defined as the total satisfaction derived by an individual from his job, his work-group, his
superior, the organization he works for and the environment. It generally relates to the feeling of
individual’s comfort, happiness and satisfaction.

According to Davis, “Morale is a mental condition of groups and individuals which determines their
attitude.”

In short, morale is a fusion of employees’ attitudes, behaviours, manifestation of views and opinions - all
taken together in their work scenarios, exhibiting the employees’ feelings towards work, working terms
and relation with their employers. Morale includes employees’ attitudes on and specific reaction to their
job.

There are two states of morale:

High morale - High morale implies determination at work- an essential in achievement of management
objectives. High morale results in:

 A keen teamwork on part of the employees.

 Organizational Commitment and a sense of belongingness in the employees mind.
 Immediate conflict identification and resolution.
 Healthy and safe work environment.
 Effective communication in the organization.
  Increase in productivity.
 Greater motivation.

Low morale - Low morale has following features:

 Greater grievances and conflicts in organization.

 High rate of employee absenteeism and turnover.
 Dissatisfaction with the superiors and employers.
 Poor working conditions.
 Employees frustration.
 Decrease in productivity.
 Lack of motivation.

Though motivation and morale are closely related concepts, they are different in following ways:

While motivation is an internal-psychological drive of an individual which urges him to behave in a

specific manner, morale is more of a group scenario.

Higher motivation often leads to higher morale of employees, but high morale does not essentially
result in greatly motivated employees as to have a positive attitude towards all factors of work
situation may not essentially force the employees to work more efficiently.

While motivation is an individual concept, morale is a group concept. Thus, motivation takes into
consideration the individual differences among the employees, and morale of the employees can be
increased by taking those factors into consideration which influence group scenario or total work
settings.

Motivation acquires primary concern in every organization, while morale is a secondary

phenomenon because high motivation essentially leads to higher productivity while high morale may
not necessarily lead to higher productivity.

Things tied to morale are usually things that are just part of the work environment, and things tied to
motivation are tied to the performance of the individual.

taff Motivation - Motivation Tips for

Employees
Employees are the building blocks of an organization. Organizational success depends on the collective
efforts of the employees. The employees will collectively contribute to organizational growth when they
are motivated.

Below mentioned are some tips for motivating the staff/employees in an organization:

 Evaluate yourself- In order to motivate, encourage and control your staff’s behaviour, it is
essential to understand, encourage and control your own behaviour as a manager. Work upon
utilizing your strengths and opportunities to neutralize and lower the negative impact of your
weaknesses and organizational threats. The manager should adopt the approach “You’re OK -
I’m OK”.
 Be familiar with your staff- The manager should be well acquainted with his staff. The more and
the better he knows his staff, the simpler it is to get them involved in the job as well as in
achieving the team and organizational goals. This will also invite staff’s commitment and loyalty.
A cordial superior-subordinate relationship is a key factor in job-satisfaction.
 Provide the employees certain benefits- Give your staff some financial and other benefits. Give
them bonuses, pay them for overtime, and give them health and family insurance benefits. Make
sure they get breaks from work. Let them enjoy vacations and holidays.
 Participate in new employees induction programme- Induction proceeds with recruitment
advertising. At this point of time, the potential entrants start creating their own impressions and
desires about the job and the organization. The manner in which the selection is conducted and
the consequent recruitment process will either build or damage the impression about the job and
organization. Thus, the manager must have a say in framing the advertisement and also in the
selection and recruitment process. After the decision about the candidate is made, the manager
must take personal interest in the selected joinee’s joining date, the family relocation issues, cost
of removal, etc. Being observed by the new recruit and your entire team / staff to be involved
completely, will ensure a persuasive entry in the organization.
 Provide feedback to the staff constantly- The staff members are keen to know how they are
performing. Try giving a regular and constructive feedback to your staff. This will be more
acceptable by the staff. Do not base the feedback on assumptions, but on facts and personal
observations. Do not indulge in favouritism or comparing the employee with some one else. Sit
with your staff on daily or weekly basis and make sure that feedback happens. This will help in
boosting employee’s morale and will thus motivate the staff.
 Acknowledge your staff on their achievements- A pat on the back, some words of praise, and
giving a note of credit to the employee / staff member at personal level with some form of broad
publicity can motivate the staff a lot. Make it a point to mention the staff’s outstanding
achievements in official newsletters or organization’s journal. Not only acknowledge the employee
with highest contribution, but also acknowledge the employee who meets and over exceeds the
targets.
 Ensure effective time management- Having control over time ensures that things are done in
right manner. Motivate your staff to have “closed” times, i.e., few hours when there are no
interruptions for the staff in performing their job role so that they can concentrate on the job, and
“open” times when the staff freely communicate and interact. Plan one to one sessions of
interaction with your staff where they can ask their queries and also can get your attention and,
thereby, they will not feel neglected. This all will work in long run to motivate the staff.
 Have stress management techniques in your organization- Create an environment in which
you and your staff can work within optimum pressure levels. Ensure an optimistic attitude towards
stress in the workplace. Have training sessions on stress management, and ensure a follow-up
with group meetings on the manner stress can be lowered at work. Give your staff autonomy in
work. Identify the stress symptoms in employees and try to deal with them.
 Use counselling technique- The employees’ / staff feelings towards the work, their peer, their
superiors and towards the future can be effectively dealt through the staff counseling. Counselling
provides an environment, incentive and support which enable the employee to achieve his
identity.
 Give the employees learning opportunities- Employees should consistently learn new skills on
the job. It has been well said by someone that with people hopping jobs more often than required
and organizations no longer giving job security to employees, the young blood employees
specifically realize that continuing learning is the best way to remain employable. Opportunities
should be given to the employees to develop their skills and competencies and to make best use
of their skills. Link the staff goals with the organizational goals.
 Set an example for your staff / subordinates- Be a role model for your staff. The staff would
learn from what you do and not from what you say / claim. The way you interact with your clients /
customers and how do you react later after the interaction is over have an impact upon the staff.
The staff more closely observes your non-verbal communication (gestures, body language).
Being unpunctual, wasting the organization’s capital, mismanaging organization’s physical
equipments, asking the staff to do your personal work, etc. all have a negative impact on the staff.
Try setting an example for your staff to follow.
 Smile often- Smiling can have a tremendous effect on boosting the morale of the staff. A smiling
superior creates an optimistic and motivating work environment. Smiling is an essential
component of the body language of confidence, acceptance and boldness. Smile consistently,
naturally and often, to demonstrate that you feel good and positive about the staff who works for
you. It encourages new ideas and feedback from the staff. The staff does not feel hesitant and
threatened to discuss their views this way.
 Listen effectively- Listening attentively is a form of recognizing and appreciating the person who
is talking. Reciprocal / Mutual listening develops cordial and healthy personal relationships on
which the employee / staff development rests. If the managers do not listen attentively to the
subordinates, the morale of the subordinates lowers down and they do not feel like sharing their
ideas or giving their views. Effective listening by the manager boosts up the employees’ morale
and thus motivates them.
 Ensure effective communication- In order to motivate your staff, indulge in effective
communication such as avoid using anger expressions, utilize questioning techniques to know
staff’s mindset and analysis rather than ordering the staff what to do, base your judgements on
facts and not on assumptions, use relaxed and steady tone of voice, listen effectively and be
positive and helpful in your responses. Share your views with the staff.
 Develop and encourage creativity- The staff should be encouraged to develop the creativity
skills so as to solve organizational problems. Give them time and resources for developing
creativity. Let them hold constant brainstorming sessions. Invite ideas and suggestions from the
staff. They may turn out to be very productive.
 Don’t be rigid. Be flexible- Introduce flexibility in work. Allow for flexible working hours if
possible. Let the employees work at home occasionally if need arises. Do not be rigid in
accepting ideas from your staff. Stimulate flexible attitudes in the employees who are accountable
to you by asking what changes they would like to bring about if given a chance.
 Adopt job enrichment- Job enrichment implies giving room for a better quality of working life. It
means facilitating people to achieve self-development, fame and success through a more
challenging and interesting job which provides more promotional and advancement opportunities.
Give employees more freedom in job, involve them in decision-making process, show them
loyalty and celebrate their achievements.
 Respect your team- Respect not only the employees’ rights to share and express their views,
and to be themselves, but their time too. This will ensure that the employees respect you and
your time. Make the staff feel that they are respected not just as employees / workers but as
individuals too.

 Workplace Motivation - Carrot or

Stick approach doesn’t work
anymore
 “I am in this job because I have no other option.” If this is what an employee of your company
feels, read on to know how this statement can be changed to something more positive - “I love
what I do.”
 First things first - whose responsibility is it to ensure that an employee loves his job? While an
employee would say - the employer, the human resource experts have a different point of view
which sounds fair. It’s both the employer and the employee who should work together to make
work fun for each other.
 It is interesting to know here, that employees do not rank ’salary’ as the top factor in determining
whether they like their jobs or not. What is important to them then - the opportunity to do what is
’important’. Almost all the employees would like to feel part of the big picture and would want to
contribute to the organizational goals in some way or the other. Doing the mundane, routine work
will never excite them - what excites them is - work that challenges them to use their talent. Right
Management Consultants conducted a survey sometime back and found that 83% of about 500
workers surveyed were motivated by “challenges at work”. Also, as per an executive editor of the
 Harvard Business Review, while salary and promotions could do a great job of demotivating
people if handled ineffectively, they aren’t so much effective in motivating people.
 So then what needs to be done for effective motivation at workplace?

Link Rewards directly to Performance- An organization should adopt a fair reward structure which
provides incentive to the most deserving employee. Have an incentive structure in place doesn’t
solve the problem... what makes it workable is the employees trust in the system and believe that
they will be rewarded if they perform well.

Compliment employees- Even though an employee’s name has not appeared in the list of people
getting incentives, go ahead and compliment that employee for a job well done - no matter how
small. There is nothing more satisfying to an employee than a pat on his back.

Be transparent- While there may be some strategic decisions which you might want to share with
the employees at a later stage, make sure employees do not give in to the rumours. Stay in touch
with the employees.

Work on your PDP- Every employee is responsible for his / her own career. He / she should work
towards his ’Personal Development Plan’ [PDP] as discussed and agreed by his manager. Find out
what are the training company offers and which is best suited to his development needs. How this
will motivate you - remember training always increase your marketability and enhance your career.

Participate and Network- Remember you work for a company where a one-on-one attention might
not be possible. Do not wait for an invitation to participate in a discussion. If you are a part of a
forum, then you have full right to express your opinion and be a part of the process. Expressing
yourself is a good way of motivating yourself.

Self Motivation at Work

Self-motivation is a power that drives us to keep moving ahead. It encourages continuous learning and
success, whatever be the scenario. Self-motivation is a primary means of realizing our goals and
progressing. It is basically related to our inventiveness in setting dynamic goals for ourselves, and our
faith that we possess the required skills and competencies for achieving those challenging goals. We
often feel the need for self-motivation.

Following are the ways/techniques for self-motivation:

Communicate and talk to get motivated: Communicating with someone can boost up your energy
and make you go on track. Talk with optimistic and motivated individuals. They can be your
colleagues, friends, wife, or any one with whom you can share your ideas.

Remain optimistic: When facing hurdles; we always make efforts to find how to overcome them.
Also, one should understand the good in bad.

Discover your interest area: If you lack interest in current task, you should not proceed and
continue with it. If an individual has no interest in the task, but if it is essential to perform, he should
correlate it with a bigger ultimate goal.
 Self-acknowledgement: One should know when his motivation level is saturated and he feels like
on top of the world. There will be a blueprint that once an individual acknowledge, he can proceed
with his job and can grow.

Monitor and record your success: Maintain a success bar for the assignments you are currently
working on. When you observe any progress, you will obviously want to foster it.

Uplift energy level: Energy is very essential for self-motivation. Do regular exercises. Have proper
sleep. Have tea/coffee during breaks to refresh you.

Assist, support and motivate others: Discuss and share your views and ideas with your friends
and peers and assist them in getting motivated. When we observe others performing good, it will
keep us motivated too. Invite feedback from others on your achievements.

Encourage learning: Always encourage learning. Read and grasp the logic and jist of the reading.
Learning makes an individual more confident in commencing new assignments.

Break your bigger goals into smaller goals: Set a short time deadline for each smaller goal so as
to achieve bigger goal on time.

Team Motivation - Tips for Motivating

Team
A group heading towards a common objective will perform best when it is motivated as a team. Team
motivation is determined by how well the team members’ needs and requirements are met by the team.

Some tips for effective team motivation are as follows:

The team’s objective should well align and synchronize with the team members needs and
requirements.

Give in written the team’s mission and ensure that all understand it (as mission is a foundation
based on which the team performs).

For maintaining motivation, the team should be given challenges (which must be difficult but
achievable) consistently.

Giving a team responsibility accompanied by authority can also be a good motivator for the team to
perform.

The team should be provided with growth opportunities. The team’s motivation level is high when the
team members feel that they are being promoted, their skills and competencies are being enhanced,
and they are learning new things consistently.
 Effective and true leaders can develop environment for the team to motivate itself. They provide spur
for self- actualization behaviours of team members.

Devote quality/productive time to your team. Have an optimistic and good relation with your team
members. This will make you more acquainted with them and you can get knowledge of how well
they are performing their job. Welcome their views and ideas as they may be fruitful and it will also
boost their morale.

Motivation is all about empowerment. The skills and competencies of the team members should be
fully utilized. Empowering the team members makes them accountable for their own actions.

Provide feedback to the team consistently. Become their mentor. Give the team recognition for good
and outstanding performance. Give the team a constructive and not negative feedback.

Discover and offset the factors which discourage team spirit such as too many conflicts, lethargy,
team members’ escape from responsibilities, lack of job satisfaction, etc.

The Role of Motivation in

Organizational Behavior
Motivation and Organizational Theory

Though we have discussed motivation extensively earlier, the role of the HR department and the role of the
organizational culture in motivating employees have not been discussed at length. As organizational theory
states, employees need to be motivated to actualize their potential and there are several ways of enabling
them and empowering them to do so. These include the role of reward systems in motivating employees
according to their needs for extrinsic or external motivation and by providing them opportunities that
appeal to their intrinsic or internal motivation needs. The other factors that motivate employees are the
kind of job that they are asked to perform, the added benefits like extended vacations and perquisites like
company provided accommodation and funding for kids schooling as well as provision of medical
insurance coverage for the employees and their families. In recent years, there has been lot of emphasis
on motivating employees by organizing offsite events and fun and recreation events where the employees
let their hair down and indulge in the much-needed stress relieving activities. Further, many employees
are motivated because of the presence of famous business leaders in the top management of the
company as is the case with Apple, Microsoft, Infosys, and the TATA Group.

Some Factors that can Motivate Employees

The organizational structure is another aspect that can motivate employees. For instance, it has been
found that flat organizations as opposed to hierarchical organizations motivate employees more. Next, the
organizational culture plays an important role in motivating employees. The examples of Google,
Facebook, and startup companies where the organizational culture is open and collegiate are relevant in
this regard. Third, the HR managers have an important role to play in motivating employees by interacting
with them, finding their grievances, and proposing solutions to behavioral problems. There are many
multinationals like Fidelity where the HR managers hold one on one sessions with the employees to
foster an open and inclusive culture where employees do not hold anything back and where they are
encouraged to be as forthright as possible. Fourth, organizations that promote diversity as an
organizational imperative are known to motivate women employees who feel less threatened and less
insecure than in organizations where bias and prejudice are rampant. Fifth, many organizations have the
habit of saying one thing and doing something else altogether which means that they are hypocritical in
their approach. Such organizations cannot motivate the employees particularly at the lower levels since
the fresh recruits and those with less experience often look to the senior managers and the leadership for
integrity and consistency.

Salary and Benefits are not the only Motivators

Having covered the various aspects of how the organizations can motivate the employees, it needs to be
mentioned that mere reliance on salary and benefits cannot motivate employees completely. With the
advent of the software and services sector, the attraction of being sent onsite has become an important
motivator for the employees who when given the chance to go onsite ramp up on their performance
noticeably. Apart from this, the fact that the brand image of the organization makes a lot of difference to
the motivation levels of the employees is another factor. For instance, many graduates have their own
preferences for dream companies or companies that they would like to work in after graduation. This
important motivator attracts the best talent to those companies that are often viewed as the benchmark
for industry peers. Of course, if the image does not meet up to reality or if the hype is without substance,
many employees lose motivation to work in such companies.

Concluding Thoughts

Finally, as discussed above, there is no set formula on what organizations can do or cannot do to
motivate the employees. The best approach would be to let employees find their own niche within the
organization and let them actualize their potential instead of forcing them to do work that is not to their
liking. Apart from this, many industry veterans are also of the view that employees have to find their
company that suits them and hence, clinging on to jobs that do not motivate them is counterproductive.

Motivational Challenges
Motivation seems to be a simple function of management in books, but in practice it is more
challenging. The reasons for motivation being challenging job are as follows:

 One of the main reasons of motivation being a challenging job is due to the changing workforce.
The employees become a part of their organization with various needs and expectations.
Different employees have different beliefs, attitudes, values, backgrounds and thinking. But all the
organizations are not aware of the diversity in their workforce and thus are not aware and clear
about different ways of motivating their diverse workforce.
 Employees motives cannot be seen, they can only be presumed. Suppose, there are two
employees in a team showing varying performance despite being of same age group, having
same educational qualifications and same work experience. The reason being what motivates
one employee may not seem motivating to other.
 Motivation of employees becomes challenging especially when the organizations have
considerably changed the job role of the employees, or have lessened the hierarchy levels of
hierarchy, or have chucked out a significant number of employees in the name of down-sizing or
right-sizing. Certain firms have chosen to hire and fire and paying for performance strategies
nearly giving up motivational efforts. These strategies are unsuccessful in making an individual
overreach himself.
 The vigorous nature of needs also pose challenge to a manager in motivating his subordinates.
This is because an employee at a certain point of time has diverse needs and expectations. Also,
these needs and expectations keep on changing and might also clash with each other. For
instance-the employees who spend extra time at work for meeting their needs for
accomplishment might discover that the extra time spent by them clash with their social neds and
with the need for affiliation.
Essentials / Features of a Good
Motivation System
Motivation is a state of mind. High motivation leads to high morale and greater production. A motivated
employee gives his best to the organization. He stays loyal and committed to the organization. A sound
motivation system in an organization should have the following features:

 Superior performance should be reasonably rewarded and should be duely acknowledged.

 If the performance is not consistently up to the mark, then the system must make provisions for
penalties.
 The employees must be dealt in a fair and just manner. The grievances and obstacles faced by
them must be dealt instantly and fairly.
 Carrot and stick approach should be implemented to motivate both efficient and inefficient
employees. The employees should treat negative consequences (such as fear of punishment) as
stick, an outside push and move away from it. They should take positive consequences (such as
reward) as carrot, an inner pull and move towards it.
 Performance appraisal system should be very effective.
 Ensure flexibility in working arrangements.
 A sound motivation system must be correlated to organizational goals. Thus, the
individual/employee goals must be harmonized with the organizational goals.
 The motivational system must be modified to the situation and to the organization.
 A sound motivation system requires modifying the nature of individual’s jobs. The jobs should be
redesigned or restructured according to the requirement of situation. Any of the alternatives to job
specialization - job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment, etc. could be used.
 The management approach should be participative. All the subordinates and employees should
be involved in decision- making process.
 The motivation system should involve monetary as well as non- monetary rewards. The monetary
rewards should be correlated to performance. Performance should be based on the employees’
action towards the goals, and not on the fame of employees.
 “Motivate yourself to motivate your employees” should be the managerial approach.
 The managers must understand and identify the motivators for each employee.
 Sound motivation system should encourage supportive supervision whereby the supervisors
share their views and experiences with their subordinates, listen to the subordinates views, and
assist the subordinates in performing the designated job.

Classical Theories of Motivation

The motivation concepts were mainly developed around 1950’s. Three main theories were made during
this period. These three classical theories are-

 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory

 Herzberg’s Two factor theory
 Theory X and Theory Y

These theories are building blocks of the contemporary theories developed later. The working mangers
and learned professionals till date use these classical theories to explain the concept of employee
motivation.
5. Controlling

By verifying whether everything is going according to plan, the organization

knows exactly whether the activities are carried out in conformity with the plan.
Control takes place in a four-step process:

1. Establish performance standards based on organizational objectives

2. Measure and report on actual performance
3. Compare results with performance and standards
4. Take corrective or preventive measures as needed

Each of these steps is about solving problems in a creative manner. Finding a

creative solution is often more difficult than discovering what the problem is,
than making choices or the decision-making process. It starts with creating an
environmental analysis of the organization and it ends with evaluating the
results of the implemented solution.

(d) Controlling:
Controlling involves measuring and monitoring performance, comparing
results with plans and taking corrective action when required. It indicates how
far the goals have been achieved and to what extent there is deviation from
the plans. The basis of control is measurement. Control deals with the
difference between planned and actual performance.

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