Application Of Motivation Theories For The Organizational Effectiveness

   The Importance of Employee Motivation

What is the point of having a lovely dazzling car if it does not have the power of a great engine in it to run smoothly? Wondering what has a car and its engine got to do with employee motivation? Well, your organization is the manly polished car and your employees are its engines. Just like a smooth and powerful engine is crucial for the continuous functioning of the car, motivated and finely tuned workforce is fundamental to operate the company smoothly and effectively. Plus, the fact that employee motivation is directly linked with business profits, makes it all the more important to keep your employees pepped up and encouraged. As such, the more motivated the employees are, the more successful and distinct will be your business.

Herzberg's Motivation Theory

Motivational factors - The motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to work. These factors motivate the employees for a superior performance. These factors are called satisfiers. These are factors involved in performing the job. Employees find these factors intrinsically rewarding.

Hygiene factors - Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of motivation at workplace. These do not lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these factors are absent / if these factors are non-existent at workplace, then they lead to dissatisfaction. The hygiene factors symbolized the physiological needs which the individuals wanted and expected to be fulfilled.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow is well renowned for proposing the Hierarchy of Needs Theory in 1943. This theory is a classical depiction of human motivation. This theory is based on the assumption that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual. The urgency of these needs varies. These five needs are as follows,

Physiological needs- These are the basic needs of air, water, food, clothing and shelter. In other words, physiological needs are the needs for basic amenities of life. Safety needs- Safety needs include physical, environmental and emotional safety and protection. For instance- Job security, financial security, protection from animals, family security, health security, etc. Social needs- Social needs include the need for love, affection, care, belongingness, and friendship. Esteem needs- Esteem needs are of two types: internal esteem needs (self- respect, confidence, competence, achievement and freedom) and external esteem needs (recognition, power, status, attention and admiration). Self-actualization need- This include the urge to become what you are capable of becoming / what you have the potential to become. It includes the need for growth and self-contentment. It also includes desire for gaining more knowledge, social- service, creativity and being aesthetic. The self- actualization needs are never fully satiable. As an individual grows psychologically, opportunities keep cropping up to continue growing.  According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by unsatisfied needs. As each of these needs is significantly satisfied, it drives and forces the next need to emerge. Maslow grouped the five needs into two categories - Higher-order needs and Lower-order needs. The physiological and the safety needs constituted the lower-order needs. These lower-order needs are mainly satisfied externally. The social, esteem, and self-actualization needs constituted the higher-order needs. These higher-order needs are generally satisfied internally, i.e., within an individual. Thus, we can conclude that during boom period, the employees lower-order needs are significantly met. Application Of Motivation Theories For The Organizational Effectiveness Supervisors and managers can walk a tough road if they run a work environment where employee satisfaction isn’t emphasized as a part of the overall business strategy. Motivating your employees is a continuing challenge at work, as they may feel unsupported or not fairly rewarded for their work contribution to feel motivated. When it comes to employee motivation, there’s no reason to be a perfectionist and try to create an ideal work environment. However, you can extend your reach to create an environment that fosters motivation among employees. There are various ways and incentives you can try to improve your employees’ motivation. If you’ve tried everything you could think of, read through some of these motivational techniques that might work with your employees. 1. Give them a purpose By giving your employees a purpose, you’ll be able to motivate them, because they will understand the company’s vision better and try to execute it more strongly. By understanding the purpose of the business and their purpose within it, they’ll understand better how they fit into the whole picture. Employees have to understand the bigger picture, so they can see how their work fits into it and how it will eventually contribute to the company’s end goal (short- or long-term). Those who are talented and inspired will exceed your expectations. 2. Recognize their performance This type of recognition stands high on any employee’s need for motivation. Some managers and supervisors equate recognition and reward with monetary gifts. Although employees appreciate it, they appreciate a written or verbal “thank you”, extraordinary job opportunities, and praise, as well. So, the next time an employee finishes a task successfully, write a thank you note that praises them for their special contribution in order to reinforce the behaviors you want to see. Praise them verbally as well by visiting them in their workplace, and give them a small token that expresses your gratitude: an office plant, a coffee mug with an interesting inscription, useful visa debit gift card, an interesting bubble wrap calendar, or ear warmers with built-in headphones, and you’ll see how it will make their day. 3. Reward System Incentives are a great way to promote motivation. Employers can use many types of incentives or reward programs to increase productivity and motivation among staff. Incentives can come in many forms, whether it be bonuses, paid time off, travel perks, or vouchers. It offers employees something to strive for and gives them a bit of healthy competition. 4. Be transparent By being transparent and open with your employees about what’s happening in the company, there will be no surprises and everybody will have a chance to give their feedback and ask questions. It’s another way to make them feel committed to the company’s direction and included in big decisions. Transparency instills trust, which is a major factor in all workplace relationships, and it can help to sustain increased company loyalty and motivation. Having an “open door policy” will make your employees feel more heard, more appreciated, and more valued, will improve your team performance and open new lines of communication. 5. Career Advancement Employees are much more likely to achieve if it means that a career advancement lies ahead of them. As a manager, you can sustain this motivation by ensuring there are avenues and opportunities for your employees to advance in their positions. You can also provide them with opportunities for further qualifications or on the job workshops. It lets them know they are valued and makes them more committed to their positions. In fact, LMA’s L.E.A.D Survey 2013 showed that 79% of employees said that opportunities for training and development is ‘Quite’ or ‘Very Important’ to their decision to stay in their current organisations. Visit LMA’s Principles of Learning to establish the best direction for implementing learning in your organisation. 6. Set smaller weekly goals Instead of focusing on making a billion dollars this year, set smaller goals, like getting 50 new customers this week. That will get you to earn that billion, but if you have big ambitions and remind your employees only about those big, long-term goals, they might get demotivated, or even disorientated when it comes to their line of work. On the other hand, by reaching smaller goals, you can reward them with a party or a day off, making them see that the goals you set for the company are realistic, reachable and that everyone benefits from hard work. 7. Prioritize the work-life balance It is important to create a company culture that prioritizes and supports work-life balance. By promoting only hard work and having your employees work 12 hours per day will not help your business, because it will leave them drained. Encourage them to take vacation time, give them a chance to work remotely (if not full-time, then at least one day of the week), and offer alternative or flexible work hours. This will eventually lead to a productivity increase, as those who have a better workplace balance are ready to work harder. It will also reduce your staff turnover (employees who burn out may quit their jobs or even get fired because they can’t manage to work properly), and increase employee engagement. In your organization, you are the leader. As you set an example for the rest of the group, people are going to follow. What are you going to be setting? Everything from the set of company’s values, a work ethic, a tone – all in all, the right example that will have a crucial effect on your employees’ mentality. If you stumble in front of big challenges or problems, that will make them question you as a leader. On the other hand, staying optimistic at all times will make the work environment more motivating, and your employees will mirror you. 8. Happiness At the end of the day, if employees are happy in their jobs they are more motivated to do the best job they can. As a manager, you need to be aware of whether your employees are satisfied or not. Don’t assume that simply having a conversation with them regarding their happiness will be enough, they may smile and say yes if they think it is what you want to hear or if they are worried their job is on the line. The process to happiness and job satisfaction can be influenced by ensuring the previous factors are evident in your company and letting happiness be an organic process. Reference List

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3.  Juneja, P. (n.d.). Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory. [online] Managementstudyguide.com. Available at: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/maslows-hierarchy-needs-theory.htm [Accessed 3 Jun. 2018].

4.  Entrepreneur the Arts. (2017). What HR Managers Can Use to Motivate Employees. [online] Available at: https://entrepreneurthearts.com/what-hr-managers-can-use-to-motivate-employees/ [Accessed 3 Jun. 2018].

5.  LMA. (n.d.). 5 motivation strategies to increase productivity | LMA. [online] Available at: https://leadershipmanagement.com.au/motivate-and-dominate-5-motivation-strategies-to-increase-productivity/ [Accessed 3 Jun. 2018].