Theme 1 Topic 7 - Motivation in Theory & Practice Flashcards
Define Motivation
A willingness to apply effort towards a particular goal
OR
The factors that inspire an employee to complete a task at work
What are four benefits to a business with a motivated workforce?
Low absenteeism, Low labour turnover, Improved labour productivity, Easier to recruit new employees
What are the five layers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
Physiological, Safety, Social, Esteem, Self-actualisation
What does Maslow’s theory state?
Only when a lower level has been met would employees want to have needs higher up the hierarchy to be satisfied at work
What did Mayo discover during his experiments?
The Hawthorne Effect
Define The Hawthorne Effect
Workers are affected by the degree of interest shown in them by their managers
What three conclusions did Mayo come to?
Employees gain satisfaction from freedom and control over their environment, Group norms develop and are influenced by informal rather than formal group leaders, Communication influenced morale and output
What did Taylor believe?
To get the best output from employees, a piece rate scheme should be put in place to reward those with the highest output, and close supervision of workers
What two factors did Herzberg believe affected how people felt about their work?
Motivators and Hygiene factors
Define Herzberg’s Motivators
Some factors directly motivate employees e.g. recognition for work, responsibility
Define Hygiene Factors
Other factors (e.g. pay and working conditions) don’t motivate employees directly but do demotivate them if they are missing
What are four examples of non-financial incentives?
Job enrichment, Job enlargement, Empowering employees, Team working
Define Job Enrichment
Involves giving employees greater responsibility and more challenging tasks
What are two advantages of job enrichment?
Allows employees to test and develop new skills, Makes work more engaging
What are three disadvantages of job enrichment?
May be stressful or intimidating, Increases training costs, Causes short term disruption as employees are retrained
Define Job Enlargement
Involves giving employees a more varied range of tasks but of a similar difficulty
What are two advantages of job enlargement?
Reduces boredom, Increases employees flexibility in case roles need covering
What are two disadvantages of job enlargement?
Increases training costs, Short term disruption as employees are trained
Define Empowering Employees
Giving employees control over their work, with the authority to make decisions and decide how tasks are completed
What are two advantages of empowering employees?
Motivates as employees feel more trusted, Creates an environment where workers wish to contribute and be involved
What are three disadvantages of empowering employees?
High level of independence can make it harder to check actions, Employees may feel it is only to save money, Takes a long time to build trust
Define Team Working
Designed to unite employees towards a common organisational goal
What are three advantages of teamworking?
Lowers absenteeism and labour turnover, Able to find better solutions to problems, Employees feel like they belong
What are three disadvantages of teamworking?
Arguments or disharmony in the group, Might not get work done if too busy socialising, Decision making will be slower
What are five examples of financial incentives?
Piece rate, Commission, Fringe benefits, Profit sharing schemes, Quality related bonus schemes
What is an advantage of a using piece rate?
May lead to an increase in output per worker
What is a disadvantage of using a piece rate?
Can lead to workers focusing on quantity rather than quality
What is an advantage of commission?
Likely to increase sales and therefore revenue
What are two disadvantages of commission?
Employees may be tempted to use unethical means to get sales, May focus on getting a sale rather than getting the highest selling price
What are two advantages of fringe benefits?
Often valued highly by employees, Usually cheaper to provide than wage increases
What is a disadvantage of fringe benefits?
May involve long-term commitment on behalf of the firm, reducing flexibility
What is an advantage of profit sharing schemes?
Individual employees see their efforts can make a difference
What is a disadvantage of profit sharing schemes?
Some members of the team will not work as hard as others but get the same reward
What is an advantage of quality related bonus schemes?
Employees are motivated to work the highest possible standard to gan an increase in pay
What are two disadvantages of quality related bonus schemes?
Often difficult to judge quality objectively, It is subjective so people may feel hard done to
