Improving Motivation And Engagement

Question 1

Taylors scientific management

Answer 1

• Work study- Identify- Train- Reward.
• Managers should maintain close control and supervision over their employees.
• Autocratic style of management- Managers make all decisions themselves.
• Consistent with Theory X approach to workers- Believe workers are lazy and are only motivated by money.
• Motivate workers using piece rate pay (pay based on how much they produce).

Question 2

Mallows hierarchy of needs

Answer 2

• Self actualisation- intellectual needs, fulfilling potential, achieving targets.
• Esteem needs- self respect, level of status.
• Social needs- feeling wanted, sense of belonging, part of a team.
• Safety needs- safe working environment, job security.
• Physiological needs- food and water.

Question 3

Maslow- info

Answer 3

• There are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work.
• Only once a lower level of need has been fully met would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the hierarchy satisfied.
• A business should therefore offer different incentives to workers in order to help them fulfil each need in turn and progress up the hierarchy.

Question 4

Herzberg two factor theory

Answer 4

• Motivators- Factors that directly motivate people to work harder. Examples are giving responsibility, recognition and opportunities for promotion.
• Hygiene factors- Factors that can demotivate if not present but do not actually motivate employees to work harder. Examples are pay, working conditions and job security.
• Herzberg argued that managers should motivate using motivators whilst ensuring hygiene factors are met and use job enrichment and empowerment.

Question 5

Improving employee engagement

Answer 5

• Find out the current position.
• Recruit the right managers and train them all.
• Make managers accountable for employee engagement.
• Recognise the value of communication in employee engagement.
• Involve senior management.
• Implement actions to help employees value their organisation.
• Align employees’ values with those of the organisation.

Question 6

The use of financial methods of motivation

Answer 6

• Salaries and wages- Salaries are expressed in annual terms and are normally paid monthly. Wages are usually paid weekly and employees are normally required to be at work for a specified number of hours.
• Commission- The amount paid is related to the value of goos or services that an employee sells.
• Piece rate- A system where employees are paid according to the quantity of a product they produce.
• Performance related pay- Exists where some part of an employee’s pay is linked to the achievement of targets at work.

Question 7

The use of non financial methods of motivation

Answer 7

• Job design
• Appraisal- The process of considering and evaluating the performance of an individual employee.
• Teamworking- When an organisation breaks down its production processes into large units instead of relying upon the use of the division of labour.

Question 8

Benefits of motivated and engaged employees

Answer 8

• Good relations between managers and other employees.
• High levels of labour productivity.
• Expected to offer good quality products and high standards of customer service.

Question 9

Influences on the choice and assessments of financial and non financial methods of motivation

Answer 9

• The costs involved.
• The attitude of the management team.
• The training given to the management team.
• The skill levels of the workforce.
• The importance of public’s perception of the business.
• The effectiveness of communication within and outside the business.