gg Flashcards
What is human resource management?
the effective management of the formal relationship between the employer and the employees
What is the Human Resources manager?
- coordinates all the activities involved in acquiring, developing, maintaining and terminating employees from a business
- take responsibility to ensure that the business is getting the best out of its employees
- motivated employees are more likely to work hard
Definition of motivation
- the willingness of a person to expand energy and effort in doing a job or task
- motivation is what drives a person to apply individual effort over a substantial period of time
- individual employees respond differently to various motivation techniques
What do high rates of motivation lead to?
results in increasing rates of productivity
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
- hierarchy of five human needs
- Maslow stated that the lower would be a motivator until it was satisfied
- once the level is satisfied employee will move to the next level
- suggests that businesses have to create work places that attempt to satisfy all the needs of employees
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: list the 5 need - bottom to top
- physiological: basic pay and conditions
- safety and security: job security and safe workplace
- love and belongingness: strong relationships
- self esteem: recognition and responsibility
- self actualisation: achieving full potential
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: lower order needs
- more extrinsic motivators
- includes psychological and safety
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: higher order needs
- more intrinsic motivators
- belongingness , esteem and self actualisation
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: how do managers use this theory?
- implement strategies to satisfy the level employees are on
- physiological: basic wage, good employment conditions
- safety and security: exceeding OH&S laws, job security
- love and belongingness: social gatherings, open work spaces
- self esteem: promotion, recognition and rewards
- self actualisation: challenging work
What is the goal setting theory (Locke and Latham)?
- Locke and Latham found that goals can lead to motivation
- identifies five principles that should be applied when setting goals
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): what are the 5 principles?
- specific
- challenging
- commitment
- feedback
- task complexity
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): principle - specific
specific so information is clear, allowing less room for error and individual interruption
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): principle - challenging
challenging as people exert more effort and try harder to obtain difficult goals
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): principle - commitment
must be commitment on part of the employee, a goal in which the employee has had some input is more likely serve as motivation
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): principle - feedback
feedback provides opportunities to recognise progress achieved, to make adjustments to goal if necessary and to ensure expectations are clear and realistic
Goal setting theory (Locke and Latham): principle - task complexity
goals should be challenging enough to motivate employees but not overwhelm them
What is the four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria)
found that there are four key drives fundamental to all human behaviour
Four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria): what are the four drives?
- drive to acquire
- drive to bond
- drive to learn
- drive to defend
Four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria): drive to acquire
- desire to own material goods
- encompasses the desire for status, power and influence
- based on ideas that people are ambitious which drives them to achieve
Four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria): drive to bond
includes the strong need to form relationships with other individuals and groups
Four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria): drive to learn
- desire to satisfy our curiosity
- to learn new skills
- explore the world around us
Four drive theory (Lawrence and Nohria): drive to defend
- desire to remove threats to our safety and security
- protect what we regard to as ‘ours’
- can relate to job security where employee looks to fight for their position
What are motivation strategies?
strategies the business uses to motivate employees towards business objectives
Motivation strategies: performance related pay
- financial reward where work the required standard or even above standard
- 4 features
Motivation strategies: performance related pay - 4 features
- individual employees performance is reviewed against or agreed objectives or performance standards
- employees are then sorted, acts to determine what the reward will be
- method of reward varies, usually cash or wage increase
- extrinsic motivator
Motivation strategies: performance related pay comes from?
- pay increase
- bonuses
- commissions
- share plans
Motivation strategies: performance related pay advantages
- provides direct financial reward
- can improve productivity levels
- tangible way of recognising achievement
- encourages goal not to be too hard
Motivation strategies: performance related pay disadvantages
- reduced equality in employees pay
- generates a ‘performance’ culture
- difficult to measure productivity levels in some jobs
- danger of sacrificing safety and quality in order to increase quantity
Motivation strategies: performance related pay short term motivator
possibility of more money motivating employees the short-term to work harder to achieve set standards
Motivation strategies: career advancement
where an employee is given the opportunity to take on greater responsibility within the business
Motivation strategies: career advancement benefits to the employee
- increased pay
- better self esteem
- status
- challenge and experience to employee
Motivation strategies: career advancement advantages
- helps business to retain talented employees
- employees are rewarded for their past performances
- business knows the values, skills and potential of the employees they are promoting
Motivation strategies: career advancement disadvantages
- may cause resentment from those over looked for promotion
- lack of outside perspective brought into the business
- may create rivalries
- difficult to promote all employees
Motivation strategies: career advancement short-term motivation
employees strive to take on the increased responsibility
Motivation strategies: career advancement long-term motivation
employees may see the position they want to be in and set out a career path
Motivation strategies: investment in training
- employee learns and improves their skills so they can perform their job at a higher level
- improved skills can motivate employees astray are able to perform their work to a higher standard
- learning new things helps motivate employees
Motivation strategies: investment in training advantages
- shows the employees the business values them
- can give a sense of job security to employees
- helps build a strong learning culture
Motivation strategies: investment in training disadvantages
- often expensive
- no guarantee the employees will stay with the business
- training may be wasted if there aren’t sufficient jobs with higher skill level required
Motivation strategies: investment in training long-term motivation for employees
an ongoing investment in training can lead to a learning environment
Motivation strategies: support
- individual assistance and services
- designed to help employees cope with problems that may negatively impact their lives or work performance
Motivation strategies: support advantages
- can improve mental wellbeing of employees
- builds a strong culture
- can be a long term motivator
Motivation strategies: support disadvantages
- needs a positive culture to work effectively
Motivation strategies: support short-term motivator
helping employees complete tasks or helps them through a difficult time
Motivation strategies: support long-term motivator
creates an environment where employee feels they belong
motivation strategies: sanction
- penalties imposed on an employee for poor performance or disobedience
- based on fear for the employees
- other employees may dear sanctions
motivation strategies: sanction advantages
- some employees respond to sanction
- positive renforcement for employees that always do the right thing
- may bring other employees inline with the policy through fear of sanction
motivation strategies: sanction disadvantages
- normally only a short term motivator
- can cause resentment from employees
- can cause disputes and union involvement
