Internal Alignment: Strategy and Job Analysis

Introduction

The reality in the global world is that employees impact significant aspects of business performance in many ways. Organizations strive to establish a strong and constructive relationship with their employees. However, the competing needs of employees vary and organizations have to put this into consideration when motivating their employees. Compensation is the primary motivating factor for employees because it offers them a reason to put more effort and keep driving towards achieving the next milestone. Thus, it is very significant that companies understand what motivates their employees if they want to improve the performance and productivity of their employees as well as maximize the performance of the organization. Most influential thinkers, such as Aristotle, Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud, and Adam Smith, found it very difficult to understand it and numerous theories have been developed that attempt to explain human behaviors that motivate people. 

Numerous theories have been developed which attempt to explain the various elements that motivate employees to align them with the goals of the organization. The theories examine the process of motivation and the behavior of humans that make them take the directions they take. This paper examines the importance of compensation and benefits. The paper also outlines the four drives that directionalize motivation in employees with their distinct organizational levers. The paper also outlines the numerous theories on motivation developed by various theorists. 

Examining the Importance of Compensation and Benefits and the Extents to Which these Factors Motivate Employees

Employees can be very committed to the tasks assigned and work hard to meet their organizational goals. However, if the organizations do not recognize and appreciate their hard work, the employees may become demoralized, and their performance may diminish significantly. Thus, organizations have to recognize and appreciate the efforts of their employees. This is because it motivates them and makes them continue to contribute to the performance and productivity of the organization. Motivation is one of the critical factors used to retain and attract qualified employees and management. In the workplace environment, employees can be motivated through compensation and benefits (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). Compensation involves the reward given to employees to appreciate the job done whereas benefits refer to indirect rewards given to employees as a result of him/her being part of the organization. 

Employees feel valued when given compensations and benefits, and the overall company morale increases because the employees will feel motivated to come work and perform their duties. Employers become increasingly motivated when given compensations and benefits for the job they do. The also become loyal to the company. Loyalty means that the organization will retain its employees. When employees feel motivated, their performance and productivity increases, this, in turn, increases the productivity of the organization. 

Compensation and benefits are significant in any business. This is because a well-designed compensation and benefits plan makes the organization retain, attract, and motivate qualified employees and managers in the firm. Additionally, a well-designed compensation and benefits plan brings about job satisfaction. The employees would be happy in carrying out their responsibilities and love to work for the organization as long as they get rewards for the services they offer. However, the needs of employees vary; there are some who are motivated by money while others by achievement. Thus, companies have to implement compensation and benefits plans that hit worker’s needs to motivate them. 

Drives that Directionalize Employee Motivation and the Organizational Levers of Motivation

Four drives commonly directionalize motivation in employees; drive to acquire, drive to bond, drive to comprehend, and drive to defend (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). A distinct organization lever meets each of these drives. The drive to acquire is met reward system, drive to bond is met by culture, drive to comprehend is met by job design, and drive to defend is met by performance-management and resource-allocation processes (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). All these drives with their distinct organizational levers are discussed below. 

Drives to acquire and Reward System

The drive to acquire relates to the acquisition of physical goods to intangible experiences. It results from a human’s intrinsic desire for a better life. In order to fulfill the drive to acquire, organizations have to differentiate between employees who perform good, those who are average, and those who perform poorly by tying rewards to performance as well as giving the employees who perform better opportunities for advancement. 

Drives to bond and Culture

The drive to bond makes employees develop a sense of belonging to the firm. The employees feel motivated. In other words, it makes employees form connections with other individuals and groups. To fulfill the drive to bond, organizations have to establish a culture that promotes friendship, openness, collaboration, and teamwork. There should be mutual interrelationship as well as encouragement between employees and management. 

Drive to comprehend and Job Design

The drive to comprehend related to the employees’ desire to make a significant contribution to the business or company. It is the desire to satisfy our curiosity as well as understand the world around us. Challenging jobs that let employees learn and mature motivate employees while non-challenging or repetitive tasks demoralizes employees. To fulfill drive to comprehend, firms have to create and specify challenging, interesting, and meaningful jobs for their employees. Employees also have to be challenged to think outside the box on what they can do to make a difference in the company. 

Drive to defend and Performance-Management and Resource-Allocation Processes

The drive to defend characterizes emotions. The drives create an avenue with clear aims for an individual to express their ideas and opinions. Employees who achieve this drive feel confident whereas those who do not have a negative feeling such as fear and resentment. This drive is fulfilled by increasing transparency, equity, and fairness in the workplace environment. This necessitates the utilization of performance management and resource allocation processes. 

Each of the four drives discussed above is independent of one another, and each one of them has to be fulfilled in order to boost employee motivation. The four drives cannot be substituted one for another or ordered hierarchically. Thus, companies have to strive to address all of the four drives to motivate their employees adequately. 

Workplace Indicators Affected by Motivation: Engagement, Satisfaction, Commitment, and Intention to Quit.

There are four workplace indicators which have been identified that are affected by the motivation level of employees. They are (I) Engagement, (II) Satisfaction, (III) Commitment, and (IV) Intention to Quit (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). “Engagement” reflects the effort the employees put at the workplace. “Satisfaction” reflects the degree to which the workers feel contented with the way the company is concerned with their professional development as well as their well-being. “Commitment” characterize the degree to which the employee is engaged or involved in their work. “Intention to Quit” reflects the willingness of the employees to stop working. All of these four workplace indicators are discussed below. 

Employee Engagement

Engagement is comprised of the employee’s attitude and behavior and is the elusive force that makes workers motivated at work to a higher level of performance. It reflects the employee’s involvement and enthusiasm toward his job. Employees who are engaged at work have vastly more positive work experience, and this translates into the performance of the business. They are productive and customer-focused, more profitable and lower intention to quit. Engaged employees also have healthier lifestyles and higher well-being than actively disengaged colleagues. 

There are three types of employees; engaged, not engaged, and actively disengaged. Engaged employees start the day with a sense of purpose and finish it with a sense of achievement. They add value to an organization, and engaged employees are more probable to stay with the firm for long thus likely to reduce the intention to quit. Essentially, not-engaged employees are mentally and emotionally absent at work, putting no passion or energy at their job. According to Harter, Schmidt, and Killham, an employee who actively disengaged are not only unhappy with their job but also act out their unhappiness (2013). Engagement is a win/win for both workers and their organizations. Employees can be engaged at work by creating job satisfaction, motivation, and creating a positive working environment. 

Satisfaction

Satisfaction refers to the positive feeling an employee has towards his/her job. A satisfied employee feels pleased doing the job. In other words, he feels motivated to perform his roles and responsibilities. The employee inherently feels that his talent is utilized fully and he is positively impacting the organization. Organizations have to create job satisfaction by providing a positive working environment, rewarding and recognizing the work of its employees, and developing the skills of their employees. 

Commitment

Commitment is complex and multi-faceted. Work commitment refers to the relative importance between work and one’s self. It is seen as an employee’s adherence to work ethic, commitment to his work, and commitment to the organization he/she is working for. The performance of a company is closely related to the commitment and motivation of its employees. The extent to which an employee is involved in the job, the commitment and belief of the employee in the company’s goals, and his/her desire to work impacts significantly an organization. Engaged and committed employees give their organizations a crucial competitive advantage. 

There are numerous ways to keep employees engaged, but communication is the best. It is very vital to listen to, value, and encourage employees at the workplace. Employers have to respect the opinions of employees and follow-up on the commitment they have promised employees. When employees are motivated, they become more engaged in the workplace. This is very significant for the progress of the firm as well as that of the employee. Thus, organizations have to place a great deal of importance on the level to which their employees are engaged in the workplace. 

Intention to Quit

Employees are prone to quitting. Companies spend considerable effort, time, and money to retain their employees since losing an important or esteemed employee proves to be costly in terms of lost money, lost knowledge, and worried co-worker. Employees tend to seek employment in a more secure work environment if they are not satisfied with their current work. There are numerous reasons why employees quit. Some of them include dissatisfaction due to meager salaries, lack of recognition, lousy manager relationship, lack of freedom of expression, lack of career growth opportunities, and eagerness to work in companies with a global presence. Organizations have to create job satisfaction, supervisor support, and motivate their employees to retain their employees. 

When organizations motivate their employees, there will be a high level of engagement, high level of commitment, high level of satisfaction and low level of intention to quit. Motivation level is one of the most significant factors that affect the productivity of a firm. Thus, for a business to thrive well, it has to motivate its employees highly. There is also a correlation between organizational commitment and job satisfaction, and labor turnover. Employees who tend to enjoy higher job satisfaction, share similar goals and are well supported are less inclined to quit their jobs. On the other hand, a high turnover ratio is related to low or no motivation arising from lack of satisfaction and commitment from the organizations. 

Theories of Motivation

There are numerous theories on motivation which have been developed which attempt to explain the concept of motivation as well as the elements that motivate employees. These theories are divided into two approaches; content approach and process approach. 

The Content Theories of Motivation

The content theories of motivation try to answer the question “what motivates people.” Examples of theories which fall under this category include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Motivation Theory, and Alderfer’s ERG theory. 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Maslow’s theory of hierarchical needs in one content theories widely used to explain the concept of motivation. Maslow’s hierarchical of needs theory is composed of a hierarchy of five needs (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). These five categories include physiological needs, safety and security needs, social needs (love), esteem needs and self-actualization need. As a source of motivation, Maslow states that one level of needs have to be met first before individual advances to the next higher level. This results in employees or individuals to successively advance from one level to another to satisfy the need of each level. 

Alderfer’s ERG Theory

Through empirical research, Alderfer adapted Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. In his theory, Alderfer categorizes Maslow’s hierarchy into three core needs; Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (Ball, 2012). Existence need category is composed of Maslow’s physiological and physical safety need, relatedness need category is composed of Maslow’s safety and security, love, and interpersonal esteem needs, whereas growth needs category is composed of Maslow’s self-actualization and self-esteem needs. Existence needs involve needs that relate to a person’s basic needs on existence. Relatedness needs refer to needs that incorporate a person’s interaction as well as the interpersonal relationship. Growth needs are needs that relate to individual wants to develop personally. ERG theory is regarded as more valid when compared to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This is because the theory relates to an everyday observation of people. 

McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory

This theory, developed by McClelland, focuses on personality and learner needs. These three acquired or learned needs identified by McClelland are the need for achievement power, and affiliation (Ball, 2012). The need for achievement refers to the need to be successful or excel. McClelland found that employee performance and need for achievement are directly related. Employees with a high need for achievement perform better and are more productive compared to the ones whose need for achievement is moderate or low. This is because the individual who set their need for achievement high set goals for themselves and do not let people get in the way of their progress. The need for power refers to the need to be more influential or control others whereas the need for affiliation refers to the need that makes individuals to be liked by other or to have close interpersonal relationships. 

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Motivation Theory

According to Herzberg, workers are concerned in two aspects of their work; firstly, the quality of the work they do, and secondly, the benefits the job offers. In his opinion, Herzberg states that the quality of work leads to job satisfaction. Herzberg believes that people have two sets of need, one related to the desire for psychological growth whereas the other is related to the avoidance of pain. Conditions at the workplace affect these needs. Herzberg’s hygiene factors relate to dissatisfaction caused by pain or discomfort whereas motivation factor relates to conditions that satisfy the need for psychological growth (Ball, 2012). 

According to Herzberg, when motivation factors are built into the workplace environment, job satisfaction is produced. The organization has to motivate and satisfy the intrinsic needs of employees in order to retain and recruit competent and qualifies employees of managerial staff. This is because employee motivation contributes to the work environment by aligning employees to the goals of the company. 

Generally, all the content theories maintain that companies have to satisfy the needs of their employees in order to motivate them. The theorists outline the vital needs and ways companies can motivate their employees. Through this, the firm can improve not only the performance and productivity of the employees by also the performance of the organization. 

The Process Theories of Motivation

The process theories of motivation try to answer the question “how are people motivated.” This means that process theories are concerned with the way behavior is energized, directed, as well as how the behaviors can be sustained or stopped. Some of the process theories that will be examined in this paper include Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, Adam’s Equity Theory, and Cognitive Dissonance Theory. 

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

This theory is constructed on three keys factors; valence of an outcome, expectancy, and instrumentality (Ball, 2012). Valence refers to the value that an individual places on a particular reward. The belief that an effort leads to performance is expectancy whereas instrumentality refers to the belief that performance is related to rewards. Assuming that an individual wants a reward, his or her motivation increases along with their belief that effort leads to performance and in turn leads to rewards. This theory provides a framework that can be used to assess, interpret, as well as evaluate the behavior of an employee at work. 

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Cognitive dissonance is a term used to describe a state where there is a divergence between the behavioral and cognitive aspects of an attitude. The theory presumes, if an individual performs poorly multiple times, he or she will continue to perform so even if the individual can do better, to be consistent with his or her cognitions of incompetency developed in the tasks that preceded. This means that dissonant set of cognitions create a negative motivational state that the individual finds repulsive and is motivated to reduce. 

Adam’s Equity Theory

Adam’s equity theory has its foundation in cognitive dissonance theory. The theory asserts that people compare the ratios of their input-income with that of input-outcome of relevant others (Ball, 2012). A state of equity exists the ratios are equal. This means that the employees perceive the situation fair, hence, no changes have to be made. However, if the ratios are not equal, it means that inequality exists and employees will see this as unfair. Therefore, changes have to be made to shift it to equality and motivate the employees. According to Stacy Adams, founder of equity theory, inputs refers to what the employee or individual invests, such as time, money education, and effort. Outcomes refer to what the individual might receive at the end of the task, such as money, praise, and recognition. If the ratios are equal, it leads to motivation and vice versa. 

Conclusion

To sum up, competing needs of employees vary and organizations have to put this into account when they want to motivate their employees. The organization should understand what motivates their employees. This is because employee motivation contributes significantly to the performance and productivity of a firm. There are numerous theories which have been developed to explain the various elements that motivate employees. However, there is no existing theory on motivation that encompasses a balanced strive of the four drives discussed in this paper. Thus, companies or organizations have to present a strong HRM culture that positively identifies what motivates employees. 

Additionally, the organizations should adopt a hybrid of motivational models that take into account the balanced development of the four drives. This will result in a model that will provide a sustaining motivation drive that will last. A well-designed compensation and benefits plan makes the organization retain, attract, and motivate qualified employees and managers in the firm, and brings about job satisfaction. Employees have different kinds of needs. There are some who are motivated by money while others by achievement. Thus, companies ought to implement compensation and benefits plans that hit worker’s needs to motivate them. 

References

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Ball, B. (2012). A Summary of Motivational Theories . [Online]. Available at: https://www.yourcoach.be/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/A-summary-of-motivation-theories1.pdf . Accessed 4 th Feb 2019. 

Harter, J., Schmidt, F., Agrawal, S., & Plowman, S. (2013). The Relationship between Engagement at Work and Organizational Outcomes. [Online]. Available at: https://employeeengagement.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2012-Q12-Meta-Analysis-Research-Paper.pdf . Accessed 4 th Feb 2019. 

Mathis, R., & Jackson, J. (2008). Human Resource Management . 12 th Edition. [Online]. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/33797590.pdf . Accessed 3 rd Feb 2019. 

Nohria, N., Boris, G., & Lee, L. (2008). Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model. [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2008/07/employee-motivation-a-powerful-new-model . Accessed 4 th Feb 2019.