I agree with the results because I am a high performer with low-stress level and a desirable well being. I have goal-directed energy, the will and ideas and like to plan to achieve the goals. Challenging yet realistic goals give me hope to strive to meet them. I react to issues with confidence and ability. I internalize the positive aspects and make them part and parcel of my life. I believe that adverse events are temporary and dependent on the situation. I think that I can accomplish something efficiently. Adversity does not change me, and I can recover and bounce back when faced with adversity. However, I do not seek trouble, but I have the potential to develop my ability to cope and thrive when confronted by obstacles.
The identified strengths can be used for career advancement using the following strategies. Taking a class will help in the acquisition of new skills. The course will enhance my strengths while addressing the weaknesses. Networking is also another approach that can strengthen my career. It has the potential to expose me to the industry leaders and therefore increasing my chances of securing employment. Similarly, it is possible to share information through the networks thus keeping me updated on the industry trends. I also intend to take additional risks in the future by extending the safety net and going beyond my current limits. I am even contemplating to practice presenting myself to others. I would like to expand my social circle to include people from diverse backgrounds thus enhancing my career development. To achieve my goals, I intend to be a career mentor as this will boost my knowledge of human resource management.
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Goal setting is a process of establishing what is to be accomplished and formulating a plan to achieve the desired results. It involves doing more than deciding what to do, working on completing the goal and creating a program that allows the achievement of the desired outcome. The last step is usually the hardest part. Goals have the potential to increase motivation and job performance as the ability to achieve an established target motivates one to set higher objectives which in the end improves job performance. Having a SMART goal motivates employees to devise ways of meeting theme even though they may be a little bit high and appear unattainable (Saiyadain, 2009; Scarlett, 2005).
Engagement as an employee in addition to job satisfaction can influence the motivation of an employee leading to improved job performance. Employee’s satisfaction in the workplace allows one to exploit their full potential for the benefits of the organizations. An employee will produce at the optimum level which improves the overall performance of an organization. As employees engage in their daily work and feel satisfied with the job, they are likely to have few complaints, be absent less frequently and are not expected to have high job turn over. Such a scenario ultimately affects their performance and overall progress of the organization (Saiyadain, 2009; Scarlett, 2005).
Motivational Theories
McGregor ’s theory X and theory Y
McGregor ’s theory X and theory Y are two contrasting theories on what managers believe motivates their employees and therefore affects the management styles. The two approaches were formulated in the 1960s and were initially explained in the book The Human Side of Enterprise. They refer to two management styles authoritative and participative respectively. According to the first theory, employees dislike their work and are lowly motivated. They avoid responsibilities and therefore have to be controlled, coerced and threatened so that they can deliver. The workers also must be continuously supervised at every step. Similarly, they do not have ambition or incentive to work, and therefore they must be rewarded to achieve the desired target. Organizations with such a approaches have many managers and supervisors who oversee and direct the employees. Control is centralized, and authority is not delegated. Managers, therefore, intervene to have things done (Saiyadain, 2009; Scarlett, 2005).
Theory Y believes in positive and optimistic managers who think of the opinions of the employees and thus use a participative decentralized management style. Such pproaches encourages a collaborative and trust-based connection between the manager and the employees. Accordingly, individuals have more responsibility and managers try to support the workers to develop their skills and also suggest areas for improvement. Such styles use regular appraisal but encourage open communication as opposed to controlling the staff. Employees in this case also have higher opportunities for growth and promotion. Employees in this management style are assumed to like their work, are involved in decision making, are self-motivated, take and accept the responsibility of their work while desiring little supervision. The worker makes their job as challenging and fulfilling and can solve problems imaginatively and creatively. Most managers would like to blend the two theories but chances are high that they will tend to favor one over the other (Saiyadain, 2009; Scarlett, 2005).
Maslow needs hierarchy
It is a motivational theory that identifies a five-tier model which is often shown in the form of a pyramid. According to Maslow, individuals are motivated to achieve lower needs and once such lower needs are realized than one moved to the next needs in the pyramid. The basic requirements are for survival and form the starting point for motivating behavior.
The initial four stages are often referred to as deficiency needs which emerge from deprivation and motivate individuals when they are unmet. As the time taken to achieve the needs increases, the motivation to fulfill them also increases. Initially, Maslow suggested that lower needs must be met first before an individual can move to higher requirements. However, he later stated that satisfaction is not an all exhaustive or none issues and therefore clarifying earlier believes that the need must be met 100% so that the next need can emerge. The top level of the pyramid is known as the being needs. Progress towards self-actualization is often disrupted when an individual fails to meet lower needs (Miner, 2005).
Acquired needs theory
According to McClelland, i individuals’ needs are gained from their experiences. He classified needs into achievement, power, and affiliation whereby he argued that each person holds an aspiration for the three and each person is motivated by either of the requirements more than the other two. The behavior and performance of an individual at work are influenced by any of the highly valued of the three needs. The need for achievement is most potent for an individual with a strong desire to grow. In this case, such individuals seek neither power nor approval but are only motivated by success. Achievers thus desire jobs that have relatively high chances of success. i.e., 50/50 and therefore would rather avoid situations that are high risk or low risk. Similarly, they prefer jobs that can be done with other like-minded people and would instead work alone or with another achiever. Those with a high need for power look for agreement and compliance. They seek power to control others or for achieving higher goals but seek no approval or recognition from others. Affiliation seekers are in search of harmonious relationships with the rest of the people. They try to conform and avoid standing out. They are interested in approval rather than recognition (Miner, 2005).
Herzberg's theory of motivation
Herzberg proposed the motivator-hygiene theory. According to him, there are job factors that contribute to satisfaction while others lead to dissatisfaction. Accordingly, the opposite of the two is no satisfaction and no dissatisfaction. Motivators according to Herzberg, can lead to satisfaction or no satisfaction while hygiene factors can either be no dissatisfaction or dissatisfaction. The hygiene factors in this case include pay and policies of the company, fringe benefits, interpersonal relation, physical working condition and job security. Motivational factors, on the other hand, include recognition, growth and promotional opportunities, sense of achievement, meaningfulness of the works and responsibility (Miner, 2005).
Equity theory
According to this approach, individuals are motivated by fairness, and if there are inequalities in the application of such programs, they are likely to adjust their output to reach the perceived equity. Individuals with a higher perception of fairness are more motivated than those with low understanding. If an employee sees an unfair environment, they are likely to be demotivated . If employees compare the work that they perform with other workers who are paid higher wages or salaries yet the jobs or tasks are the same, chances are high that such comparison will lead to resentment. According to this theory, the employees can be de-motivated based on their job or the employer. If they feel that there are disparities between the input and output, they are likely to respond to such a scenario differently. Potential differences can lead to reduced performance, disgruntled employees or even disruptive tendencies from the dissatisfied employees (Saiyadain, 2009; Scarlett, 2005).
References
Miner, J. (2005). Organizational behavior 1 . New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India Private.
Organizational Behavior 1: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership. (2006). Personnel Psychology , 59 (3), 757-759. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00052_6.x
Saiyadain, M. (2009). Human resources management . New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Pub.
Scarlett, R. (2005). Performance evaluation . Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinmann.
