Motivation & Implications of Management

WORK MOTIVATION

People join for work in organizations in order to satisfy their personal

needs. They are attracted to organizations that have a means of satisfying
these needs. Organizations use incentives to induce people to contribute
and put their efforts towards achieving organizational goals.

What is motivation?

Motivation can be defined as the willingness to exert high levels of effort to

achieve organizational goals conditioned by the ability to satisfy some
individual needs. In the definition, there are 3 key elements that is;

 Effort

 Organizational goals

 Needs

Effort-is the measure of intensity i.e. when one is motivated he works hard.
Effort should be towards achievement of organizational goals. Motivation
can be thought as need satisfying process.

A need refers to an internal state that makes certain outcomes appear

attractive.

Motivation can come from two sources i.e. intrinsic & extrinsic sources.

1) Intrinsic source

Its behavior that is performed for its own sake, the source of motivation is
actually to perform the work and motivation comes from doing the work
itself.

2) Extrinsic source
It is behavior that is performed to acquire material or social rewards or to
avoid punishment.

The source of motivation is the consequence of behavior (work) not

behavior (work) itself.

Theories of Motivation

1) The Hierarchy of Needs theory (Maslow needs theory)

This theory was invented by Abraham Maslow. He says within every

human being there ia a hierarchy of need. (once one need is satisfied,
another one arises)

These needs are:

i) Physiological need.

These are needs for food, clothing & shelter.

In employment these needs can be satisfied through adequate wages or

salaries.

ii) Safety & security needs

These involve security and protection from physical and emotional harm.

A manager should ensure that employees are working in a safe

environment, job security, insurance on medical cover etc.

iii) Social needs.

This is sense of belonging, acceptance and friendship.

The manager should ensure employees feel accepted in their work place.

He can also organize picnics & parties to ensure that employees socialize
with each other.

iv) Social esteem needs

This involves recognition, self-respect, status and recognition from others.

The manager should ensure that employees are promoted at the place of
work, rewarded for work done or given responsibility.

v) Self –actualization

This involves achieving one’s potential, self-fulfillment, the drive to

become what one is capable of becoming. The manager should give extra
duties, more motivating work and challenging work to such employees.

2) Theory X & Theory Y

This theory was invented by Douglas McGregor.

There are two sets of assumptions that underlie management attitude and
beliefs regarding worker behavior.

Theory X

It’s a concept of employee’s motivation which assumes that employees

have a natural dislike towards work and functions only in a highly
controlled work environment.

It is based on the following assumptions;

i) Employees dislike work & will tend to avoid it.

ii) They must be coerced, controlled or threatened with punishment to

achieve desired goals.

Iii) Employees avoid responsibilities.

iv) Most employees place security above all other factors associated with
work.

Theory Y

Assumes employees will accept responsibility and work towards

organization goals.

The employee will work towards achieving personal rewards.

It assumes that;

i) Employees view work as being natural (not forced)

ii) Human beings will exercise self-control.

iii) Ability to make good decisions is both based on managers &

employees.

NB: McGregor assumed that Theory Y assumptions were more valid than
theory X therefore he proposed such ideas as participation decision
making, responsible and challenging jobs and good relations as approaches
to maximize an employee’s job motivation.

3) ERG Theory

This theory was developed by Clyton .P.

This theory is an extension of Maslow hierarchy of needs theory while on

the other hand drawing some important difference.

i) E stands for Existence needs.

Which are necessary for basic human existence.

This actually responds to the physiological & security needs in Maslow’s

theory.
 ii) R stands for relatedness needs

Which are necessary for basic human existence.

This is the same as the sense of belonging and the esteemed needs of
belonging.

Iii) G stands for growth needs.

Which are similar to self-esteem and self-actualization in Maslow hierarchy

of needs.

Every individual has a need for self-respect while striving to achieve the
highest goals from their potential.

The ERG theory in contrast to the hierarchy of needs theory is that; a

frustrated individual trying to satisfy a higher level need may go back to
the proceeding level unlike in the hierarchy of needs where it is assumed
individual will remain in the next level until the needs of that level are
satisfied.

4) Hertzberg Motivator & Hygienic Theory

According to this theory, people have two sets of needs or hygiene needs.

Motivator needs

These relate to the nature of work and how challenging it is.

Outcomes such as interest in work, responsibility, being able to grow and

develop on the job and a sense of accomplishment and achievement help to
satisfy motivator needs.

Herzberg said “in order to have highly motivated and satisfied workforce,
managers should take steps to ensure employees motivation needs are
being met.”

Hygiene needs
They relate to physical, secure& psychological context in which work is
performed.

Hygiene needs are satisfied by outcomes such as pleasant and comfortable

conditions, pay, job security, good relations with co-workers & effective
supervision.

According to the Herzberg, when hygiene needs are met workers will be
satisfied.

For motivation & job satisfaction to be high, hygiene needs & motivator
needs must be met.

5) Equity Theory

Employees make comparisons of their job inputs & outcomes in relation to

others.

Inequality (i) influence the degree of effort that employees exert.

They perceive what they get from a job situation in relation to what they
put in place and then compare their input-output ratio & input –output
ratio of others in the same category.

If they perceive their ratio to be equal with that of their counterparts then a
state of equality exists.

If the ratio is unequal, the quality exists, the workers view themselves as
under rewarded or over rewarded.

6) Goal Setting Theory

This theory focuses on motivating workers to contribute their inputs to

their jobs and organization.

The theory suggests that, the goals that organizational members strive to
attain are prime determinants of their motivation and performance.
The goal setting theory suggests that in order to result in high motivation &
high performance goals must be specific & difficult.

-Specific goals are often quantitative e.g. CEO’s boss to reduce deaths by
40%.

-Difficult goals are hard but not impossible to attain.

-Easy goals are goals that are practically that everyone can attain, thus hard
goals are a bit difficult to attain.

-Different goals set by managers and workers together lead to high level of
motivation & performance.

-When managers set goals for these employees, it is important that their
employees to accept the goals or agree to work towards them & also that
they are committed to them.

Assignment

Explain McClelland’s theory of needs and Expectancy theory and compare

and contrast the two theories.

Money as a motivating factor

Money is to act as a motivator, its necessary to assume a relationship

between performance & reward.

Those who seek money will be motivated to higher performance if they can
clearly think of higher performance to the reward of money.

Other methods of motivating employees.

There are many approaches to motivating employees depending on the

nature of the organization & type of employer.

The following methods can be used

1) Making employees feel valued by

a) Regularly monitoring of their work.

b) Creating atmosphere of approval.

c) Ensuring subordinates understand the function of the organization.

2) Providing scope of development by

a) Setting targets for all subordinates.

b) Providing on & off job training.

3) Recognizing achievements

a) Praising and communicating individual success.

b) Reporting regularly on team’s progress.

c) Explaining organization results and achievements.

4) Providing challenge by;

a) Providing scope for individuals to take greater responsibility.

b) Encourage ideas and allow subordinates the responsibilities of

implementing them.

5) A manager can motivate by;

a) Ensuring that goals perceived are attainable.

b) Individualize rewards

c) Link rewards to performance.

d) Recognize money as a potential motivator.

Review questions

1. Discuss Maslow hierarchy of needs, Herzberg Theory, ERG Theory,

Theory X & Theory Y & goal setting Theory.
2. How can understanding of need for achievements help managers in the
industry?

3. Discuss various methods used by managers to motivate employees.

TOPIC 4

NATURE AND MEANING OF JOB SATISFACTION

The concept of morale

Meaning of morale

Morale represents the attitudes of individuals and groups in an

organization towards their work environment.

Morale is an indicator of the attitude of employees towards their jobs,

supervisors, co-workers and their organization environment.

It is a collection of employee’s attitudes.

According to William Spriegel, Morale is the co-operate attitude or mental

health of a no. of people who are related to each other in some basis.

Characteristics of morale

1) Morale is basically a physiological concept.

2) Morale is intangible therefore it is very difficult to measure the degree of

morale.

3) Morale is dynamic in nature. It can’t be developed overnight.

Managers have to make continuous efforts to build and maintain high

morale.

4) Morale is a good phenomenon consisting of a pattern of attitudes.

It is a sum total of employees attitude, feelings, sentiment.

5) Morale is contagious in the sense that people learn from each other.
Consequences of low morale

Low morale indicates the presence of mental and rest. This mental tension
or unrest tampers with production and productivity and also leads to ill
health of working people.

Other consequences of low morale include;

 High rate of labor turnover.

 High rate of absenteeism.

 Excess complaints and grievances.

 Resistance to change.

 Lack of discipline.

 Low quantity and quality of output.

Steps to build high morale

Every manager should attempt to build high morale of his subordinates

Both individual & collective efforts are required to develop & maintain
high morale.

The following measures are taken to improve the morale of employees in

an organization.

1) A fair system of wages & salaries payments should be involved.

2) Sense of job security should be ensured.

3) Promotion policy should be sound.

4) Competent supervisors should be appointed.

5) Channel of communication should be effective.

6) Employees should be made to feel proud of being employed in the
organization.

7) Employees welfare schemes like housing medical benefits, credit

facilities and safety measures should be provided as they help in creating
positive attitude among employees.

8) Workers should be trained so that they may perform their jobs without
frustration and get job satisfaction.

Factors determining morale

The degree of morale in any organization is determined by several factors.

The factors include;

1) Confidence in leadership

If the leadership in an organization is able to win the confidence of

employees, morale will be high & as a result high production.

2) Job satisfaction

The morale of the employee would be high if he is satisfied with his job.

3) Confidence with co workers

If an employee finds that his coworkers are cooperating with him, his
morale would be high.

4) Fair remuneration payment

Fair & reasonable remuneration is essential to secure willingness of the

workers to do the job.

5) Job security

If the employees feel secure in the place of work they will be willing and
will cooperate to do the job allocated to them.

6) Opportunity to rise (promotion)

The employees should be made to realize if they work properly they will
be promoted and adequately rewarded.

This feeling of recognition will definitely boost their morale.

7) Working conditions

The conditions of work at which employees are required to work also affect
their work. Provide safety measures, hygiene facilities &clean work place.

8) Sound and efficient organization

This involves the chance of communicating effectively and also addressing

personal problems of employees.

Job satisfaction

Job satisfaction refers to an individual attitude towards his or her job.A

person with a high level of job satisfaction hold positive attitude towards
the job while a person who is dissatisfied with his/her job has a negative
attitude towards the job.

Determinants of job satisfaction

Job satisfaction consists of a number of separate determinants.

The level of job satisfaction is affected by a wide range of variables, relating

to individual, cultural, organizational & environmental factors.

1) Individual factors.

These refer to individual personality, education and qualifications,

intelligence and abilities and orientation to work.

2) Social factors

This includes rating the coworker’s relationship with coworkers, the norms
and groups and opportunities for operation.

3) Cultural factors
Underlying attitudes, beliefs and values.

4) Organizational factors

This include formal structure, human resource policies and procedure,

employees relations, nature of work ,technology and work organization,
style of leadership and working conditions.

5) Environmental factors.

These include economic factors, social factors, political factors,

technological factors.

Sources of frustration and alienation at the workplace

It is one of the causes of stress.

It arises when one’s motivation to achieve a desirable goal is blocked.

Eg.An employee wants to finish a report of the end of the day but finds
that something or other employees keep interrupting him at work.

Types of reactions towards frustration

The following are types of reactions;

1)withdrawal-behaviours such as asking for transfer or quiting a job are

noted.

2)Fixation-Employees blame others & supervisors for their problems.

3)Aggression-Acting in a threatening manner.

4)Physical disorder-It is physical illments such as stomach upset or fevers.

5)Apathy-Becoming irresponsible and disinterested in the job and towards

the co workers.

Sources or causes of frustration

The following are the main causes or sources of frustration;

1) Environment-The work place environment both can frustrate the
employees e.g. Broken machines, rainy day or sunny day etc.

2) Co-workers-They may place barriers in the way of goal attainment by

delaying work, withholding work inputs poor presentation of work etc.

3) Employee himself-The employee may set high goals than his abilities
which results to him being frustrated.

4) Management-They may block the promotion of an employee due to

change in organization’s promotion policies.

What is alienation?

This is a description of an employee who isn’t happy.

An individual may experience alienation if he doesn’t have sufficient

control over his job or cannot satisfy his needs for self-esteem, recognition
or fulfillment.

Alienation refers to the detachment of the person from their work role.

Alienation can be looked at in 4 dimensions; (determinants)

1) Powerlessness-denotes the worker’s lack of control over management

policy, immediate work process or conditions of employment.

2) Meaninglessness-denotes the inability to see the purpose of work done

or to identify with the total production process or the finished products.

3) Isolation-Not belonging to an integrated workgroup or the social

workgroup and not being guided by group norms.

Review questions

1. Define the term morale.

2. Explain the characteristics of morale.

3. What measures do company take to improve employee morale?

4. Explain factors determining morale in an organization.

5. Define the term job satisfaction & explain the determinants of job
satisfaction.

6. Explain the sources of frustration in an individual.

7. Define the term alienation & explain the dimensions of alienation