11. Motivation Flashcards
What is motivation?
- They are the external and internal factors that stimulate people to take actions to meet a specific aim.
- It is the desire of workers to do a job quickly and efficiently.
Benefits of well-motivated workers
- Help a business achieve its goals
- Help remain as cost-effective as possible (lower accidents and wastage)
- Helps maintain low labour turnover and absenteeism rates
- Impact the productivity and competitiveness of the business
- Well-motivated staff will be ready to accept responsibility and will make suggestions to improve customer service and satisfaction.
Taylor’s motivation theory
- His approach included 7 steps:
- Select group of workers
- Observe them perform tasks
- Record time taken
- Identify the quickest method
- Train all employees in that method
- Supervise them
- Pay them accordingly
- He believed that people are only motivated by money
- He believed piece rate method of payment should be used where worker’s output is directly linked to their wage rates
- He believed that autocratic leadership style should be used
- Workers should be closely supervised and no discussion or feedback should be taken
- One-way communication
- Theory X manager ideology is adopted
Evaluation of Taylor’s approach
1. Economic man
Although some managers still believe that money is the only way to motivate workers, the more common view now is that workers have a wide range of needs that can be met from work.
2. Select the right people for
each job
Before Taylor there had been few attempts to select employees carefully. The importance of this today is reflected in the emphasis on effective employee selection in nearly all businesses.
3. Observe and record the performance of workers
This was widely adopted and became known as a time and motion study. Initially this was viewed with suspicion by workers as a way of making them work harder. In modern industry it is still used but with the cooperation and involvement of employees.
4. Establish the best method of doing a job
This method study is still accepted as important, as efficiency depends on using the best ways of working. However, Taylor’s use of managers to give instructions to workers with no discussion is demotivating. Worker participation in devising the best working methods is now encouraged.
5. Piecework payment systems
This is still used but much less widely than in Taylor’s time. In service industries, in particular, it has become very difficult to measure the output of individual workers
Mayo and human relation theories
- Changes in working conditions and pay levels have little or no effect on productivity.
- Consultation with workers improves motivation.
- Working in teams and developing a team spirit can improve productivity.
- Giving workers some control over their own working lives, such as deciding when to take breaks, improves motivation.
- Groups can establish their own targets, and these can be greatly influenced by the informal leaders of the group.
- Working conditions alone don’t determine productivity.
Evaluation of Mayo’s theory
- Since Mayo’s findings were published, there has been a trend towards giving workers more of a role
in business decision-making. This is called worker participation. - Human Resources departments have been established to try to put the Hawthorne effect into practice.
- Team or group working is applied in many types of modern business organisation. It offers the greatest opportunities for workers and businesses to benefit from the Hawthorne effect.
- The idea of involving workers, taking an interest in their welfare and finding out their individual
goals, has opened up new fields of research for industrial psychologists.
Maslow and human needs
5. Self-actualisation
fulfilment of potential challenging work that stretches the individual will give a sense of achievement; opportunities to develop and apply new skills will increase potential
4. Esteem needs
recognition for work done well – status, advancement and responsibility – will gain the respect of others
3. Social/belonging needs
working in teams or groups and ensuring good communication to make workers feel involved
2. Safety needs
a contract of employment with some job security; a structured organisation that gives clear lines of authority to reduce uncertainty; ensuring health and safety conditions are met
1. Physical needs
income from employment high enough to meet essential needs
Critisims:
* Not everyone has the same needs, as is assumed by the hierarchy.
* In practice it can be very difficult to identify the degree to which each need has been met and which level a worker is on.
* Money is necessary to satisfy physical needs, yet it might also play a role in satisfying the other levels of needs. High incomes can increase status and esteem.
* Self-actualisation is never permanently achieved. Jobs must continually offer challenges and opportunities for fulfilment, otherwise regression will occur.
Herzberg and the two-factory theory
Higher pay and better working conditions will help to remove dissatisfaction about work. However, on their own, they will not lead to effective motivation. Herzberg argued that it is possible to encourage someone to do a job by paying them – he called this movement. However, movement does not mean that someone wants to do the job well – that would require motivation
The motivators need to be in place for workers to be prepared to work willingly and to always give of their best. Herzberg suggested that they could be provided by adopting the principles of job enrichment. There are three main features of job enrichment:
1. Complete units of work: This might involve teams of workers rather than individuals on their own. These complete units of work could be whole sub assemblies of manufactured goods, such as a complete engine in a car factory.
2. Feedback on performance: Regular two-way communication between workers and managers should give recognition for work well done and could provide incentives for workers to achieve even more.
3. A range of tasks: To challenge and stretch a worker, a range of tasks should be given. Some of these may be beyond the worker’s current experience. This fits in well with the selfactualisation level in Maslow’s hierarchy
Evaluation of Herzberg’s work for today’s businesses
- Teamworking is now much more widespread, with whole units of work being delegated to these groups.
- Workers tend to be made much more responsible for the quality of their own work rather than being closely supervised by quality-control inspectors.
- Most firms are continually looking for ways to improve effective communication, and group meetings allowing two-way communication are often favoured.
McClelland and motivational needs theory
McClelland stated that these three motivational needs are found to varying degrees in all workers and managers. The mix of needs characterises a worker’s or manager’s behaviour, in terms of both what motivates them and how they believe other people should be motivated.
1. Achievement motivation
A person with a strong motivational need for achievement will seek to reach realistic and challenging goals and job advancement. There is a constant need for feedback regarding progress and achievement. This helps provide a sense of accomplishment. Research suggests that this result-driven attitude is almost always a common characteristic of successful business people and entrepreneurs.
2. Authority/power motivation
A person with this dominant need is motivated by having authority. The desire to control others is a powerful motivating force. This includes the need to be influential, to be effective and to make an impact. Such a person has a strong leadership instinct and when they have authority over others, they value the personal status and prestige gained.
3. Affiliation motivation
A person whose strongest motivator is the need for affiliation has a need for friendly relationships and is motivated by interaction with other people. These people tend to be good team members as they need to be liked, popular and held in high regard.
Vroom and expectancy theory
(Process theory)
Vroom (1932–) suggested that individuals choose to behave in ways which they believe will lead to results that they value. His expectancy theory states that individuals have different sets of goals. They can be motivated if they believe that:
* There is a positive link between effort and performance.
* Favourable performance will result in a desirable reward.
* The reward will satisfy an important need.
* The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the work effort worthwhile.
His expectancy theory is based on the following three beliefs:
1. Valence – the depth of the desire of an employee for an extrinsic reward, such as money, or an intrinsic reward, such as satisfaction.
2. Expectancy – the degree to which people believe that putting effort into work will lead to a given level of performance.
3. Instrumentality – the confidence of employees that they will actually get what they desire, even if it has been promised by the manager.
Vroom argued that if even one of these conditions or beliefs is missing, workers will not have the motivation to do the job well. Therefore, according to Vroom, managers should try to ensure that employees believe that increased work effort will improve performance and that this performance will lead to valued rewards.
Time-based wage rate
Often used in situations where:
* The output of non-managerial jobs is not easy to measure.
* Focus on quality is more important than quantity.
* common way of paying manual, clerical and non management workers.
Advantages
* It offers some security over pay levels (e.g. during slack periods of demand).
* Different rates can be offered to different types of workers.
Disadvantages
* There is no incentive to increase output as pay level is not directly linked to output.
* Labour cost per unit will depend on output, which may vary.
Piece rate
Used in:
* The output of each worker is easy to identify and measure.
* There is a need to keep unit costs as low as possible.
Advantages:
* It motivates workers to increase output.
* It is easy to calculate the labour cost per unit.
Disadvantages:
* Quality might fall.
* In many jobs, individual worker output cannot be calculated.
* There is no security over the level of pay (e.g. in the event of production delays).
* Workers may become stressed and unwell by trying to earn more.
Salary
Used in:
* Status and security of income are important motivators in managerial or non-manual jobs.
* Overtime pay for extra hours is not expected.
* common form of payment for professional, supervisory and management staff
Disadvantages:
* It is not directly linked to output so complacency may be a problem.
* It may lead to low achievement/motivation if the effort and achievement of the employee are not regularly checked with appraisal.
Advantages
* It offers the security of a pay level to employees.
* There are different salary levels for different grades of workers.
* It is suitable for jobs where output is not measurable.
* It is often fixed for one year, so labour costs are easier to forecast.
Commission
Used in:
* They are usually paid to salespeople
Advantages:
* It creates the incentive to increase sales.
* It may be in addition to a basic salary so it could offer some security of pay too.
Disadvantages:
* It discourages teamwork amongst sales employees.
* It may lead to pressurised selling which damages customer relationships.
