Motivation Flashcards
What is motivation?
the will to work
it comes from the enjoyment of the work itself/from the desire to achieve certain goals
desire or drive to complete the task
explain the benefit of reducing absenteeism and labour turnover from motivation
workforce will attend more regularly
output per worker/worker productivity improves
more efficient business
low labour turnover means fewer people leaving the business minimising recruitment costs and interruption to the business, resulting in higher productivity and lower costs
explain the benefit of improving productivity from
motivation
motivated workforce works harder and produces more output per person
business able to produce more per person
increasing productivity and therefore more efficient and profitable business
explain the benefit of improving quality from
motivation
workers more likely to take pride and ownership of their work
less likely to make mistakes resulting in higher-quality products meaning higher sales and more repeat business
explain the benefit of improving industrial relations from motivation
means that there is improved industrial relations with trade unions
explain the benefit of good reputation from motivation
contented workers give business good reputation as an employer
makes it easier to recruit best workers
what are financial motivators?
directly involved with monetary rewards
what are non-financial rewards?
indirectly brings monetary rewards but are targeted at providing psychological benefits for workers
what is the definition of piecework? what are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of piecework/piece rate?
employees are paid per item produced
adv:
result in increased productivity due to incentive of producing as many items as possible
helps keep wage costs under control as if output falls so will wage of employee
disadv:
output could increase but at expense of quality which could have implications for customer satisfaction
low quality products could increase in scrap meaning higher costs on raw materials
what is the definition of fringe benefits? what are 2 advantages and 1 disadvantage of fringe benefits?
payments other than wages/salaries
include things like medical insurance, company cars, company laptops, subsidised meals
adv:
can be cheaper for employers adding these additional benefits rather than increasing pay as they do not have to pay national insurance contributions
some employees prefer benefits such as company cars therefore can be important for businesses to attract best candidates
disadv:
widespread use for the majority can increase costs
what is the definition of performance-related pay? what are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of performance-related pay?
employees paid a bonus upon reaching specified targets
these targets usually agreed, reviewed and evaluated in appraisals
adv:
direct link between performance and reward which could be motivating
can increase productivity and quality
disadv:
rewarding individual employees can discourage team work
may be disputes regarding how performance is measured particularly in service-based industries
what is the definition of profit sharing? what are 3 advantages and 2 disadvantages of profit sharing?
a system whereby employees receive a proportion of the company’s profits
adv:
improve employee’s loyalty and break down ‘them and us’ barriers between management and employees
employees have a vested interest in success of the business
employees more likely to be flexible and accept changes to their working practices if they can see it increases profitability
disadv:
share given may be too small to act as a real incentive
employees may feel individual effort is not recognised especially if all employees receive the same share
what is the definition of share ownership? what are 2 advantages and 1 disadvantages of share ownership?
businesses offer the possibility of purchasing shares in the company and is usually reserved for the management and means employees are also shareholders
adv:
management has the incentive to make decisions that will increase profits
employees have a stake in the business and therefore may be less likely to leave
disadv:
could lead to resentment from employees as share ownership usually reserved for management
what is the definition of empowerment? what are 2 advantages and 3 disadvantages of empowerment?
allowing employees to take responsibility for decisions in a business
adv:
feel trusted
may make better decisions than managers as they are doing the job on a day-to-day basis
disadv:
given more responsibility without the reward of increased pay
costs could be incurred if employees require training to make decisions
managers may not always trust employees to delegate decision making
what is the definition of job enlargement? what is 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of job enlargement?
involves giving employees more work to do of a similar nature
adv:
avoids boredom associated with completing one task
disadv:
criticism as it is just giving employees more work to do which doesn’t solve the problem of boredom when completing repetitive tasks
what is the definition of job rotation? what are 2 advantages and 3 disadvantages of fringe benefits?
involves an employee changing tasks within/different departments
adv:
improves degree of flexibility which could reduce disruption if employees are ever absent
can prevent boredom and improve knowledge and skills making employee more eligible for promotion opportunities
disadv:
can take time for employee to learn new skills required for new tasks
some don’t like uncertainty of regularly changing job roles
not practical for all job roles especially if some require a higher degree of expertise
what is the definition of job enrichment? what are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of job enrichment?
an attempt to give employees greater responsibility by extending their role
adv:
more responsibility given to employee
challenges employees and develops their skills through increasing variety in daily tasks
disadv:
some may not welcome extra responsibilities
some may resent increased responsibilities if not accompanied by increasing pay
what is the definition of team working what is 1 advantage and 2 disadvantages of team working?
employees working together to achieve a shared goal
adv:
people can specialise and draw on their skills and knowledge of others in the team
people may be more prepared to take risks as responsibility is shared
disadv:
can be conflict and disagreements
individual effort not recognised
what 3 assumptions about human behaviour did Frederick Taylor make?
people are concerned with maximising their own economic gain
people respond as individuals and not as groups
people can be treated in a standardised fashion like machines
what was Taylor’s view on increasing motivation and what would happen to the business if this theory was implemented?
only money motivates
pay should be linked to the amount produced
employees produced the most should be paid the most
businesses see an increase in productivity as employees have incentive to produce more
linking reward to performance is fair
overlooks the fact that some works for other reason than money
what did Elton Mayo believe about motivation?
workers aren’t just concerned with money but could be better motivated by having social needs met whilst at work
what 3 things did Mayo conclude that workers were best motivated by?
better communication
management involvement
working in groups/teams
what was Abraham Maslow’s theory on motivation?
it offers a more individualistic approach to motivating employees
he classified the needs of employees under 5 headings
what were the 5 needs for better motivation proposed by Maslow? start from the bottom of the hierarchy
basic needs
security needs
social needs
ego/esteem needs
self-actualisation needs
describe each of the 5 needs proposed by Maslow
basic needs - food, shelter, warmth, clothing, rest eg living wage and good working conditions
security needs - confidence in the future, protection from danger eg safe working conditions, pension scheme, contract of employment
social needs - interaction, trust, acceptance and leisure time eg group working, leisure facilities, holidays, good communication
ego/esteem needs - positive communication from management, business, job enrichment eg feeling good about achievements
self-actualisation needs - promotion, control over job, empowerment, more responsibility eg reaching personal goals, self expression
how does the hierarchy of needs proposed by Maslow work?
employee starts at the bottom and initially seeks to satisfy basic needs
once satisfied, it fails to be a motivator and employee moves to the next level of the hierarchy
what are 2 problems of Maslow’s hierarchy?
more than one may be important to an individual at the same time
people may not move through the hierarchy in order
what must businesses be aware of when trying to apply Maslow’s motivation theory?
it would be an expensive business if all levels were achieved and satisfied
need to be aware of the trade-off between extra quality and output, and the cost of satisfying these needs
eg may be realistic to satisfy basic needs for the mass of the workers and focus on satisfying higher needs on workers who are core to the future success of the business
what is Herzberg’s two-factor theory and how did it arise?
he identified the job attitudes of 200 accountants and engineers who were asked to recall when they had felt positive and negative at work and why
hygiene factors and motivators
describe hygiene factors
factors which can lead to employees feeling dissatisfied. improving hygiene factors removes dissatisfaction but won’t motivate
what are 5 hygiene factors?
company policies and administration
supervision of employees
working conditions
salary
relationship with fellow workers
define motivator factors according to Herzberg and give 5 motivators
factors which give employees job satisfaction
personal achievement of goals
recognition for achievement
interest in work itself
responsibility for greater and more complex duties
personal growth
how do Herzberg’s factors work in the business?
managers must firstly make sure hygiene factors are satisfied then motivation can happen
both sets of factors must be in place to motivate
what is the expectancy theory?
theory suggests an individual’s motivation is affected by the reward they expect to receive for completing the task
what does Victor Vroom suggest about motivation based on the Expectancy theory?
the relationship between people’s behaviour at work and their goals wasn’t as simple as Taylor/herzberg/Maslow but an employee’s performance based on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities
what 3 beliefs are Victor Vroom’s theory based upon?
1 - expectancy
employees have different expectations and levels of confidence about what they are capable of doing
management must discover what resources, training or supervision employees need
it is how likely you are to achieve a task and believe you could achieve a particular outcome
2 - instrumentality
the perception of employees whether they’ll get what they desire even if promised by a manager
management must ensure that promises of rewards are fulfilled and that employees are aware of that
it is how likely you are to get the reward
3 - valence
the emotional orientations people hold for rewards
the depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic and intrinsic rewards
managers must discover what employees value
it is the value of the reward and if it was what the employee desired
what did Porter and Lawler conclude based on Vroom’s take on the expectancy theory?
not only is an individual’s motivation to complete a task affected by the reward they expect to receive for completing a task but the individual’s view regarding the attractiveness and fairness of the rewards will too affect motivation
the view is different for each worker so a range of rewards should be offered
what is an intrinsic reward?
positive feelings experienced by an individual from completing the task eg sense of achievement, job satisfaction, positive inner feelings
what is an extrinsic reward?
reward that is expected and given outside the person eg increased pay, commission, job promotion
what two other things did Porter and Lawler say that motivation is affected by?
the individual’s ability to perform the task
their perception of the task
what are the implications of the expectancy theory on a business?
can help managers understand how individuals are motivated to choose among various behavioural alternatives
managers should use systems that tie rewards very closely to performance to enhance the connection between performance and outcomes
managers need to ensure that the rewards provided are deserved and wanted by recipients
to improve the connection between effort and performance, managers should use training to improve employee capabilities and help employees believe that added effort will lead to better performance
