Motivating employees need both creativity and understanding of the areas where their performances can exceed the firm’s expectations. Also, it may be taken to mean addressing the areas for improvement just before they escalate to a major nuisance issue. Whatever the definition one may choose, both convey one simple message that the workers in an organization are valuable and that it is a sole role of the management to help them attain output excellence. In other words, it represents a set of forces that may force people to choose specific behavioral styles from the many available ones. Motivation in an organization offers incentives to the workers and help improve the general productivity.
Approaches
The performance of the employees is influenced by the environment, motivation, and the ability to work properly. Other deficiencies can be instilled through offering training or changing the environmental exigencies ( Burton, 2012) . As an intangible nature, motivation becomes crucial as it determines the expected performance of a firm. Historically, it can be traced from scientific management, via human relations movements, and through human resource administration.
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Considering the scientific management perspective, the money that employees earn is taken to be more important than the work nature they often do. On the other hand, the human relations movement postulates that the senses of belongingness of the workers are more important to the workers than the money they are given. Also, it makes workers feel more useful. The last viewpoint stresses the willingness of the workers to work and make viable contributions to the firm. Therefore, it is the work of the firm to ensure that a viable environment is provided that utilize all viable human resources.
Need-Based Approaches
The focus is put on what motivates the workers to choose a specific type of behaviors. It defines motivated behavior as a person’s effort to meet the required needs. The manager’s function is to establish what people may need and then ensure that the work surrounding is made conducive to satisfy those identified needs ( De Cooman et al , 2013) . There are two need-based approach hierarchies such as dual-structure and need hierarchies.
Need Hierarchy
The need hierarchies that are most commonly used include Maslow and ERG theory. According to Maslow, people are motivated to satisfy five levels of needs: Physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. The arrangement is such that the five aforementioned levels are arranged in ascending order in terms of importance, beginning with physiological needs ( Steers & Sánchez ‐ Runde, 2017) . As per the theory, on satisfying a need at a given level, they cease to become motivators and the person would advance up the hierarchy ladder to satisfy the needs at the succeeding level. It offers a logical framework upon which needs can be categorized. However, it does not provide a complete image.
On the other hand, ERG in full refers to existence, relatedness, and growth. The first portion, existence needs, are satisfied with basic needs such as water and food and other benefits related to work condition. The relatedness is satisfied by the relationships with supervisors, co-workers, and even friends. Lastly, the growth covers the urge to advance and develop. There are two main differences as compared to the Maslow theory. ERG theory proposes that more than motivational levels can cause simultaneous motivation effect. Secondly, ERG has an element of the frustration-regression element in which if a need is not satisfied at some high level, the person becomes frustrated, and he would regress to a lower level, and then he or she would start to pursue a much lower level needs once more.
The Dual-Structure Approach
It is also referred to as the two-factor theory. It was postulated by Frederick Herzberg. According to Herzberg’s studies, he suggested that there are specific factors associated with satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Motivational factors that are only related to tasks alone may result in a kind of feelings that range from satisfaction to dissatisfaction. Hygienic factors linked to the environment of work results in feelings ranging from dissatisfaction to zero satisfaction.
Acquired Needs
Other need-based types of motivation may focus on acquired needs, which is the urge for achievement, power, and affiliations. The approach delves on the needs themselves rather than ordering of the needs. The need for achievement, in specific, deals with the individuals urge to do tasks effectively than he or she would do it in the past. On the hand, the need for power directs a person’s quest to be influential in a given group and be able to have control over one’s environment.
The Process-Based Approach
The type of approach delves into the role of rewards since they result in a change of behavior or it may remain the same. That type of behavior that may result in the reward of consequences has high chances of being repeated ( Manzoor, 2012) . Expectancy theory, as well as reinforcement theory, offers a similar perspective since both contemplate the process used by a person in choosing a given situation. However, expectancy theory puts more focus on the behavior choices while reinforcement theory delves on further these choices’ consequences.
Application to My Future Business
Motivating employees is a certain recipe for soaring beyond the horizons. Regardless of the theory in use, motivation is a fundamental factor in gaining the best output in a firm. I will encourage my employees while taking of their needs at all levels. As a form of management, I will organize workshops to interact with my workers to understand their views while improving the working condition. Also, I will work to provide incentives of all kinds depending on the situation. Most importantly, keeping the employees’ work situation is definitely a top priority, and it is something I will consider first.
Ways of Motivating Workers
To motivate workers, one must understand the shortfalls that workers may need to exceed the firm’s expectations. While addressing such issues, workers will definitely output an excellent job at all time. First, observing the employees performance during the period of assessment is crucial. Some managers may wait until the end of the appraisal season to fully review the workers accomplish tasks. It is crucial to compare the job they do with the description required of them. Sometimes, a worker may be performing tasks, which are not prescribed for them. Therefore, taking a consistent observation at the manner in which each and every worker does his or her job makes it easier to find out issues they encounter during the process; consequently, it can help in finding a lasting solution. In application, I will not wait until the end of the appraisal period. I will be monitoring my workers closely to find out if the progress is positive.
Regular feedbacks may help workers improve as they perform tasks. The managers should provide feedback to their workers along as they perform their tasks. Positive strokes can be used to give commendation to workers for doing tasks well and then offer candid and constructive feedback for performance problems. Note that if a performance is addressed soon enough, an immediate improvement can be achieved. Waiting for such problems to grow to a point where the deficiencies will need disciplinary action is not a good method. Therefore, I will offer a robust solution guidance during the working process to offer workers’ with the required incentive to accomplish tasks. Employees who will not be performing to my expectation will be guided appropriately so that their work output could improve.
Using performance records to consistently appreciate the employees is a certain way of promoting morale. Herzberg postulates that non-monetary kind of recognition is an effective method for motivating the workers. Also, those performing well can be promoted to leadership roles, which would act to improve talents and skills improvement. Note that motivating the workers would act to reduce the firm’s cost of finding a replacement due to turnover. In my knowledge, frequent firing and employment may have a hindrance to the way the company runs; therefore, I would resort to improving the skills and experiences of those who are available in the company so that the output can be improved.
Another way to motivate the employees is by asking them to volunteer to do other things. Through it, workers can demonstrate their capabilities and become better ( Razee et al , 2012) . For example, if there is an orientation process for the employees, it is crucial to ask employees if they could volunteer for the position of the presenter at the orientation sessions. Engaging employees in wider projects in a company motivates them to think that they can work on more challenging tasks. Therefore, I will not underrate my workers. Instead, I will encourage a change of roles in more complex duties to encourage participation; thus, boosted morale.
Review of Fundamental Features of Motivation
Features of motivation are those identifiable traits that every manager or supervisor would look to improve in workers. Therefore, it is crucial to review those motivating factors that every manager would consider to improve the performance of workers.
The overall performance of the employees can be determined by their achievements and that of the company. It refers to the need to succeed in whatever one is doing or going for excellence. Note that, workers will satisfy their needs in various ways and means. Therefore, they are driven to succeed for various reasons both external and internal ones.
Advancement motivation is the second feature. Workers need to grow in the firm while taking into account that they will be recognized and that they will get enough incentives when they do the right thing. Rewards are put forward to give those employees with stellar performances such as advancement in the roles of leadership. This goes hand in hand with personal growth as one of the key features of motivation. A person can get the morale to improve the way he or she takes on activities on a daily basis.
Other features include recognition, tasks, and even responsibility. Giving employees different tasks, especially ones that seem to raise their status will motivate them and even make them work harder to output better to the firm ( Herzberg, 2010). The work itself is a recipe for people to improve the output. Most people will recognize that they are being appreciated and that they can even perform other duties that they do not expect in the company. Also, giving responsibilities to workers is very crucial. Whether it is a structure or non-structured organization, providing mixed incentives to the workers will definitely improve the work output of every employee.
Conclusion
Embracing motivation is crucial for the success of every firm as it helps to improve productivity as well as offering incentives to the workers. Based on any type of motivation, whether financial or non-monetary, it improves the output of the company in one way or the other. Different approaches can be used to define the models of motivation. Need-based kind of approach entails need hierarchy, the dual-structure approach, and acquired needs. There are a variety of ways of motivating workers, which can be used appropriately depending on the situation and they include tasks, advancement, personal growth, recognition, and much more.
References
Burton, K. (2012). A study of motivation: How to get your employees moving. Management , 3 (2), 232-234.
De Cooman, R., Stynen, D., Van den Broeck, A., Sels, L., & De Witte, H. (2013). How job characteristics relate to needing satisfaction and autonomous motivation: Implications for work effort. Journal of Applied Social Psychology , 43 (6), 1342-1352.
Herzberg, F. (2010). One more time. How Do You Motivate Employees?
Manzoor, Q. A. (2012). Impact of employees motivation on organizational effectiveness. Business management and strategy , 3 (1), 1-12.
Razee, H., Whittaker, M., Jayasuriya, R., Yap, L., & Brentnall, L. (2012). Listening to the rural health workers in Papua New Guinea–the social factors that influence their motivation to work. Social science & medicine , 75 (5), 828-835.
Steers, R. M., & Sánchez ‐ Runde, C. J. (2017). Culture, motivation, and work behavior. The Blackwell Handbook of Cross ‐ Cultural Management , 190-216.
