Employee Motivation and Productivity

The purpose of the essay is to focus on Daniel H. Pink’s perception on the effects of motivating employees in the workplace. The extrinsic and intrinsic forms of motivation are imperative in fostering job satisfaction and productivity in organizations. High salaries and wages are some of the main forms of extrinsic motivation. The intrinsic motivation should be enhanced due to its importance in fostering self-drive and job satisfaction even in the absence of external rewards. While external motivation is important, the performance of the employees may be short-lived owing to the fact that the main motivation is monetary rewards. The turnover rate may be higher since employees are interested in working in companies that pay them better. To foster intrinsic motivation, organizations ought to focus on promoting employee autonomy, purpose for the job, and mastery. Employees must feel that they are in control of what they do and relate with their work. This, coupled with good relationship with the management enhances employee motivation and productivity. 

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

According to Pink (2009), motivation is imperative in fostering job satisfaction and productivity. Without motivation, employees become less productive, which may lead to losses within an organization. Pink distinguishes two types of motivation. The first is the extrinsic motivation (refers to it as X-type). The extrinsic motivation refers to the type of motivation that is attributed to the external rewards. With a view to enhance productivity and prevent employee turnover, managers may increase the wages and salaries of the employees. This form of motivation makes employees remain focused on their work. The performance appraisal, especially the one focused on external rewards, such as promotion and wage increment will also increase productivity in organization. Currently, the extrinsic motivation is being used by organizations to minimize the employee turnover. Recruitment is a tedious and expensive undertaking explaining why companies are more willing to pay higher wages to keep employees. 

While the Type X source of motivation is imperative, there is a question regarding its reliability and sustainability. It can turn out to be an expensive undertaking for an organization. During the economic depression, companies may find it difficult to sustain growth and development when the cost of wages is high. Most of the companies begin the downsizing as a process of ensuring that the cost of production is as low as possible. Additionally, an attempt by the management to cut wages and stop any increments will lead to exodus of employees to other organizations. Therefore, in companies where monetary (external rewards) are the main sources of motivation, there could be a challenge of production in the long run. 

Enhancing Type I Motivation

According to Pink (2009), organizations ought to work hard towards enhancing the intrinsic motivation (Type I motivation). The Type I refer to the type of motivation that is derived from the activity itself. It is the motivation that is innate and not influenced by the external rewards. The intrinsic motivation leads to more productivity, high job satisfaction, and low employee turnover rates. However, it is important that employers ensure that the external rewards, especially the wages, are perceived to be fair by employees. In other words, it is vital for the remunerations to be proportionate to the services rendered by the employees. One of the main advantages of the intrinsic motivation is that it enhances self-drive, creativity, and innovation. Employees are willing to do more towards increasing efficiency and effectiveness in their place of work. In order to foster the Type I form of motivation, Pink proposes the following strategies: 

Foster employee autonomy

Employee autonomy is one of the forces that lead to creativity and innovation in the workplace. It refers to the ability of the employees to control when to work, how they do it, and with whom. While this form of autonomy may seem scary to most of the employers due to the perceived low accountability, it has proven to be effective in attracting and retaining employees. Employees have a sense of control and independence of what they do. They also feel being part of the organization and can directly relate with what they do. As a result, the employees are highly motivated. The creativity and innovation lead to high quality services, which in turn assists an organization to gain a competitive edge. The employee autonomy is a form of Type I motivation. Employees will remain productive regardless of the external factors. 

Mastery and purpose

If employees do not find the meaning in what they do, they become less motivated. In fact, even the increase in the external rewards may not significantly enhance their productivity. One of the purposes should be to create an environment in which employees develop their careers skills to become more competent. While the purpose of the job is to enhance productivity and make profits for the employers, employees also need to benefit in the process. As aforementioned, one of the strategies should be to ensure that employees identify with their work and made an integral part of the production. They must also be allowed to celebrate in their achievement, rather than being isolated from the products. 

Creating a favorable working condition for employees will also assist in ensuring that employees get the meaning of their production process. One of the ways is to enhance effective communication between the employees and employers. The upward, downward and horizontal communication process ensures that employees are given an opportunity to express their ideas and recommendations. If employees disagree with some issues in the workplace, they have an avenue to express themselves. Effective communication, coupled with strong bonds between the employees and employers play a vital role in fostering employee motivation and productivity. Another factor is enhancing a collective decision making process, where employees form an integral part. The employees will feel valued and an important part of the organization. Employees should be allowed in the decision making process, especially when an organization seeks to make several changes. Employees are directly affected by any changes within an organization. For instance, the automation of processes in the organization may increase redundancy. Therefore, it is vital to engage employees in the decision making process to ensure that they are prepared for such changes. Collective decision making also fosters synergy and innovation. Even without much forms of external motivation, employees remain motivated and productive. Additionally, employees get meaning of what they do when the goals and job description are clearly defined. Employees need to know what they are expected to do and within what timeframe. Employers need to clear any form of ambiguity that may cause confusion among employees. For the employees to remain product and motivated, they should in an area of their specialization. 

Mastery of the job activities is also vital in ensuring that employees remain productive in the workplace. Any feeling of inadequacy will act as a source of discouragement for the employees. Employees who are competent and experts in their work require minimal supervision. As a result, employee autonomy is enhanced. In the organizations, one of the main ways in which mastery of the tasks and processes could be enhanced is by creating an opportunity for employees to grow their skills. Offering regular training for employees is important in enhancing skills and competency levels. Change is a common process in the organization. Some forms of change will require employees to upgrade their skill and knowledge level. The organization should be able to create an opportunity that enhances such developments. All these strategies will empower employees, therefore, increasing motivation and productivity in the organization. 

In conclusion, there exists a relationship between employee motivation and productivity. Organizations ought to ensure that the rewards offered to employees commensurate with the work output. Employees become more productive with the increase in external rewards. However, while the intrinsic motivation is vital, it may not guarantee a company a sustainable growth and development. In the absence of external rewards, employees are more likely to be attracted to other organizations. This explains why it is important that employers foster the intrinsic motivation. Provided the employees perceive the external rewards to be fair, they will remain productive, regardless of whether such rewards are increased. Promoting employee autonomy, where they control when to work, how it is done, and who they work with is important in fostering motivation and productivity. Organizations mist also foster effective communication and make employees an integral part of production. Any attempt to isolate employees will lead to low productivity due to the loss of morale. Employees should also be trained to gain mastery in their work. This increases the level of competency, therefore, making employees gain their autonomy. 

Reference

Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, Riverhead Books.