HR Motivation and Leadership Flashcards
Benefits of motivating employees
- Less absenteeism
- Increased productivity
- Increase quality of output and customer service
- Lower staff turnover
Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation
- Hygiene and motivational factors
- Hygiene factors are things that do not motivate staff, but if they are not in place, it could lead to dissatisfaction.
- Hygiene factors include fair pay and conditions, job security, good supervision.
- Motivation factors are factors that will create job satisfaction and motivate employees
- Motivation factors include challenging/stimulating work, acknowledgement of achievements, responsibility, promotion opportunities
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
States that humans have 5 types of needs, that come in a certain order and lower ones have to be met before moving up the hierarchy.
The needs are, in increasing order:
- Psychological (fair pay and conditions)
- Safety (job security, pension schemes)
- Social (areas to socialise, team building)
- Esteem (job titles, status symbols)
- Self actualisation (Promotional opportunities, responsibility)
What are the different leadership styles?
- Autocratic
- Democratic
- Laissez faire
Describe autocratic leadership
- Decisions are made by managers without consulting employees
- Employees are told exactly what to do with no freedom
- Decisions are made from the top down
Advantages of autocratic leadership
- Makes decision making quick
- Employees know exactly what to do and can be more productive
- Decisions are made by the most experienced people in the organisation
Disadvantages of autocratic leadership
- Employees can feel controlled and demotivated, which can result in poor quality work and high staff turnover
- Limits creativity of employees who may have good ideas
- Managers can become stressed from amount of decisions
What situation is autocratic leadership suitable for?
- In a time crunch where decisions have to be made quickly and efficiently
- Where the employees are type X, demotivated, lazy and have no initiative
Describe democratic leadership
- Managers and employees make decisions together
- Employees are encouraged to voice their opinions
Advantage of democratic leadership
- Employees are motivated as they feel valued and empowered
- Employees can voice their ideas, which can benefit the organisation
- Employees are more accepting of change as they were part of the decision making process
- Better prepares employees for leadership roles in the future
Disadvantages of democratic leadership
- Can make decision making very slow
- Less productive
When is democratic leadership suitable?
Suitable for creative businesses with type Y employees who show high levels of motivation and initiative.
Describe laissez faire leadership
- Managers allow employees to do their job with as little interference as possible
- Employees solve problems and make decisions themselves
- Managers only interfere when absolutely necessary
Advantages of laissez faire leadership
- Encourages creativity and problem solving
- Staff feel very motivated and empowered
Disadvantages of laissez faire leadership
- Inexperienced staff can feel demotivated as they feel pressured with too much responsibility
- Can lead to lower productivity as staff don’t know what to do
- It is unclear who the managers and leaders are, don’t know who to go to with problems
