Essay on HRM Motivation for Thushan

INTRODUCTION

The word motivation is deprived from the Latin word “movere”, which simply means to move. It can be describe as an internal drive that activates behavior and in return comes out as actions. It is concerned with the process that described why and how a human behavior is acting in a certain way. There are many types of motivational theories but none of them are universally accepted. Motivation theory is also known as need theory, in which it mainly focuses on the internal factors that in a way energize direct human behavior. Basic needs are categorized as physiological needs, safety and security needs, needs of love, needs for self esteem and needs for self-actualization. Employee motivation is very important these days, because due to the down economy it is very important to have a motivated workforce. As motivated employees are more productive, energetic and they do their work on time with lots of enthusiasm which in return give profits to the company. If employees are not motivated they will become less productive, less creative, less of an asset to our company. So to overcome this problem it is important to have motivated employees.

The obvious answer to “why is employee motivation important?” is very simple: It gives organization a chance to further grow themselves if their employees are motivated there will be more productivity and if there will be more productivity then company will definitely have more profits. So the company can stay in business. Motivation not only helps organization but it also helps individuals in a number of ways. If employees are motivated they will be able to achieve their goals on time, it will help in building self esteem; it gives them the power to change; besides there can 100’s of advantages of motivating your employees.

Many theories in the past have suggested that motivating employees is like making an investment. Setton (cited in Ryan & Deci 2000) argues that when organizations invest in their employees, employees tend to reciprocate in positive ways. They are more productive then before, they are more encouraged to do their jobs more efficiently. However according to recent studies of Lee and Bruvold (cited in Ryan & Deci 2000) suggests that investing in employee development is vital in maintaining and developing the skills, knowledge and abilities of both individual employees and the organizations as a whole. This can be put in simple words that when organizations offer some benefits or other bonuses, employees become exceptionally motivated which encourages them to make more and more efforts, to benefit the organization. It won’t be wrong to say that employees do get motivated if they offered for incentives and other benefits.

Many theories suggest that there are many ways by which employees can be motivated without the involvement of cash. Simms (2007) asserts that non cash rewards can be such as flex time, employee of the month and tailored goal incentives. Simms (2007) argues that it is very important for employers to communicate these benefits to employees because many employees don’t understand their total compensation package that’s being offered by the companies. Where as Herzberg (1993) states that by communicating the total package, the employer reinforces their commitment to the employees and helps to motivate the employee.  This motivation leads to greater employee satisfaction and performance. If every thing is communicated well to the employees and they are well aware of what is happening in the organization then this also in a way motivates them. It in a way gives them some feeling that they are a part of the organization for which they are working and other colleagues do appreciate their presence.

Organizations have changed over time, the way they used to work and had relations with their employees have changed now. Alder, 2002 McDonald 1993 (cited in Haines.V, Saba.T, 2008), states that multinational organizations have over time developed a number of sophisticated international expatriation practices such as training in cross-cultural skills information sharing, mentoring from home or host country, orientation and socializations and performance appraisals.

According to the classical theories of employee motivation Maslow and Herzberg are two most well known people who have given their views on employee motivations. Maslow (1954), states that employees can be motivated by satisfying their different needs. He has organized those needs from the basic lower-order needs to upper-order needs. Where as Herzberg (1966), states that there are just two categories of motivations, which are normally referred as satisfiers and motivators. They both have given their views on how can employees be motivated, what role external or internal forces play in the motivation process. There are few aspects of these theories which we can relate to SDT (self determination theory). Because if we relate how on fulfilling personal needs can motivate employees and they in turn work hard and deliver more. More productivity in work can be achieved if their physiological needs can be satisfied. But at the same time there are also some important differences between these theories and SDT. Whereas SDT emphasize on the importance of psychological needs that must be satisfied so that employees can function properly, it also elaborates regulatory process that underline the direction of behavior. (Ryan & Deci 1985). Thus, whereas the other the-ories focus mainly on the energizers of motivated action, SDT addresses both of the fundamental motivation questions, namely how behavior is energized and how it is directed. In addiction SDT vary from the others in the way it has evolved and is formulated. SDT has evolved over three decades using an empirical approach in which each proposition has received empirical verification.

Employees must be committed to their organizations for a number of reasons. Dessler (1999), states that, to manage change, organizations must have employees committed to the demand of rapid change and as such committed employees are the source of competitive advantage. According to O’Malley (cited in Ramlal 2004), commitment is critical to organizational performance for a number of reasons, but it is not a panacea. In achieving important organizational ends, there are other ingredients that need to be added to the mix, and when all these ingredients are mixed properly in the right complements it will result in motivation. Motivation can be achieved by number of ways but the process is not always easy. As many theorists have suggested that employees can be motivated in a number of ways, to some it may be psychological needs to some it may be physical needs. But here we will discuss how different ingredients can be put together to motivate employees. Many people would agree that are the most valuable assets for them in an organization. Employees are the ones who have to decide to simple keep the pace versus choosing to be motivated, because workers who are committed are the ones who give 100% in everything they do (Ryan, 1985).

By creating a culture where employee input is valued and utilized, the changes faced by the organization are better understood and receive the support of the employees.  Whiteling, (2007) (cited in Huf.A) states that constant communication between employers and employees it creates a motivation between them both, which results in the success and achievements of organizations goals and missions. Whereas Silverman, 2006 (cited in Huf.A) utilizes a similar strategy where he suggests that employees should be kept busy in story telling. Employers can ask their employees to tell their stories either related to work issues or some other issues they might be having, or if there is something which is bothering them, by doing so an employee/employer relationship will eventually became good.

According to Whiteling, 2007 (cited in Huf.A), creating employee motivation in order to support and accomplish the organizations goals and change efforts has side effects. Where as Silverman 2006 (cited in Huf.A), utilizes a similar strategy so that he can create high-performance workforce. He suggests that keeping employees should be engaged by working with storytelling. Employees need to feel their stories are being heard, understood, and valued by those requesting the stories.  By forging these relationships, the employee feels valued by the employer, supervisor, and organization as a contributor.  This value translates into higher work performance and stake within the organization (Silverman, 2006; Whiteling, 2007).

CONCLUSION

There are many factors that plays a key role in keeping employees motivated in an organization. Employers have to play an important role if they want their organization to succeed. Giving fringe benefits or other rewards to employees doesn’t really mean that they will stay motivate and perform well. As we have discussed earlier that different individuals have different needs and wants. If theirs needs and wants can be satisfied they will be motivated and in a way will be encouraged to do their job well. A good relation between employees and employers is very important, if an employee have a feeling that he/she is considered as an important part of the organization and he gets to express his views or ideas that will encourage him in a way. A feedback from employers of senior level managers is very important because according to many research conducted it has been proved that for many employees appreciation is very important which in a way keep them motivated. Bonuses or other monetary benefits are not always important to many people, to some a good job, interesting job, might act as a motivator. The approaches to job design have been postulated in such a manner that they indirectly affect an employee’s level of motivation. Dickinson, A. M. (1999). The approaches to job design have worked in different perspectives for various organizational developments. These approaches are: job engineering (J.Eng.); job enrichment (JE); quality of work life (QWL); social information processing approach (SIPA) and job characteristics (Rastogi, 2008).

Over all environment in an organization is also important for employees to perform well and stay motivated. Many organizations are willing to organize team building events and other sporting events for their employees, this way all the employees get to know other employees, feel like a family which helps them in building up a commitment towards their organization, employee who is very much committed to the organization will perform better then any other employee. Not only because he is committed but he consider him self a part of that organization, a key member and this recognition has to be realized by the employee. A good friendly atmosphere where employees have freedom to express their feelings, an are also helping to others maintain a good environment over all which in turn keep employees motivated. There can be many issues with in organizations but it is the responsibility of the employer or senior manager to resolve those issues or conflicts. As we already know that HR or personnel management is an essential part of every manager’s responsibility, thus managers must consider employees as the most valued asset of an organization. To promote novel thoughts and ideas, a proper blend of HR strategy and job design is required. There should be appropriate manpower planning.

REFERENCES

1. Chung.K, Kelin.G, Jiang.J, 2009, ‘User commitment and collaboration: Motivational antecedents and project performance’  Vol 52, Issue 6, pp 672-679
2. Huf.A, ‘Motivation in Work Organizations: Employee performance and motivation in organizations’, Vol 12, pp 4 – 9
3. Ryan.R, Deci.E, ‘Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Journal of Classic Definitions and New Directions’ Vol 25, Issue 1, 2000, Pp 54-67
4. Gagne.M, Deci.E, 2005, ‘Self-determination theory and work Motivation’ Journal of Organizational Behavior 26, pp 331 – 362
5. Haines.V, Saba.T, 2008, ‘International Journal of Manpower: Intrinsic motivation for an international assignment’, Vol 29, Issue 5, pp 443-461
6. Gioun.R, Landy.F, 1972, ‘The Meaning  of Work  and  the Motivation  to Work’, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Performance Vol 7, Issue 2, pp  308-339
7. Ramlal.S, 2004, ‘Employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organizations’ Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, p. 52
8. Lindenberg.S, 2001, ‘Intrinsic motivation in a new light’ Vol 54, pp 317 – 342
9. Garg.P, Rastogi.R, 2005, ‘New model of Job Design’, Journal of Management Development, Vol 25, Issue 6, pp 572 – 587.
10. Honeywell-Johnson, J. A., & Dickinson, A. M. (1999). Small group incentives: a review of the literature. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 19, 89-120.
11. Vallerand.R.J, 1997, ‘Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Advances in experimental social psychology’, Vol. 29.
12. Dessler, G. (1999). How to earn your employees’ commitment. Academy of Management Executive, 13(2), 58-67.
13. Frey.B,2000, ‘Motivation, Knowledge Transfer, and Organizational Forms: Journal of Organization Science Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 538-550.