The Challenge of motivating employees

The Ch all in allenge of motivating employeesChallenge of motivating employees governing body has been deemed to be the strength of any vi open tune. The more organized and efficient the different comp ints in the business atomic number 18, the better it functions. The breaking down of labors associated with each component in a particular organizational trunk has now led to the concept of job design or executing charters. need is patently a process which encourages and guides behavior. Robbins and Judge define motivation as, the process that accounts for an single(a)s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards attaining a closing. indigence therefore, is a goal directed behavior with factors which energize, direct and sustain employee behavior. Laurie J. Mullins (2007) states that, the relationship amid the organization and its employees is influenced by what impels them to give-up the ghost, the rewards involved and the fulfillment they derive from it. Empl oyees today argon motivated by motley things of which some atomic number 18 considered as a needed entity or as a desired. Worldwide, organizations have focused on theories that motivate employees to be the best they can be and close to of these theories of motivation have proved to be authorized to date. Since motivational theories were formulated in the 1950s, they have been divided into two categoriesContent theoriesProcess theoriesContent theories argon said to be, what motivates people further explained as what arouses, energizes, or simply starts behavior, i.e. private physiological and psychological inescapably and this focus is on internal needs. Motivation results from an individuals attempts to satisfy these needs.1. Maslows Hierarchy of needs states thatAdult motives atomic number 18 compoundNeeds form a power structure lower needs to be satisfied earlier higher(prenominal) order needsPeople always seek harvest-time because they compulsion to move up the hie rarchy of needsResearch evidence in the Maslows Hierarchy of need theories has been said to beFlexible hierarchy of needsSatisfaction of one need level whitethorn not decrease its importance and extend importance of the next need levelIt has also been found that needs vary according toThe coat of the organizationA persons career stageGeographical locationAcross culturesBy employing Maslows Hierarchy of needs, some(prenominal) make loverial implications existPhysiological needs food and wagesSafety needs a work environment that is safe as nearly as job securitySocial needs hazard to interact, groupworkEsteem needs recognition, challenging tasks, status symbols and participationSelf-actualization encourages creativity and innovation2. Herzbergs two factor supposition encompasses dual factor motivation-hygiene as it portrays two different factors.Hygiene factors related to the context of the jobmotivational factors related to the content of the jobResearch in the 1950 Her zbergs two factor supposition asked people to draw off situations in which they found their job exceptionally good or bad.Research conclusionJob bliss intrinsic factors. Builds high level of motivation and stimulates superior mathematical process. Dissatisfaction extrinsic factors. Environmental as healthful as external factors to the job build a zero level of motivation if maintained. Herzbergs two factor surmise research evidence also states that the possibleness fails toAccount for individual differencesLink motivation and needs to both(prenominal) satisfaction and slayingConsider cultural and professional differences3. Alderfers ERG theory was developed by Clayton Alderfer and his theory collapses Maslows pentad categories into three categories existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs. ERG theory states that more than one need category may be activated at the same time. Existence needs the desire for physiological and material eudaimoniaRelatedness needs desire to satisfy interpersonal relationshipsGrowth needs desire for continued personal growth and developmentThe ERG theory research evidence is encouraging because it offers a more flexible approach to collar human needs.The comparison of content theories is really interesting to analyze as it gives a more exact breakdown of theories jell to bumpher. Figure 1 below is a depiction of all three theories put together. Herzberg Maslow Alderfer Higher order Intrinsic Needs Motivation Lower order Extrinsic Needs MotivationProcess theories are focused on the cognitive process that influences behavior, i.e. Why an individual behaves in a particular manner and specifically deals with how to motivate. This process illustrates how people choose behaviors to satisfy their needs.Victor Vrooms expectancy theory states that a persons motivation is a multiplicative function of expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Expectancy is the probability advanceed by an individual that work ef fort testament be followed by a given level of task suement.-Instrumentality is the probability assigned by an individual that a given level of procured task performance will lead to various work outcomes.-Valence is defined as the value attached by an individual to various work outcomes.Vrooms expectancy theory has various implications as regards motivation.-Motivation is sharply pull downd when expectancy, instrumentality or valence approach zero.-Motivation is high when expectancy and instrumentality are high and valence is strongly electropositive.The expectancy theory has been seen to have managerial implications where as managers should be seen to act to maximize expectancies, instrumentalities and valence that yield various organizational physical objects. Research evidence on the expectancy theory has received substantial empirical support though the multiplier effect is subject to some question. It may also be useful to distinguish between extrinsic and intrinsic rew ards. The expectancy theory does not specify which rewards will motivate particular groups of employees thereby allowing for cross-cultural differences.Lastly, the Porter Lawler model tries to establish a relationship between the efforts, performance and satisfaction of an individual. The most chief(prenominal) variables in this model include effort, performance, rewards and satisfaction.In todays digital age, a large number of employees are substantially educated to some gratifying standard and for that most demand a reasonable net income as well as worthwhile working conditions. As motivation has conformed to some socially acceptable standards of behavior, it has been assumed to be an individual perspective. Every individual is unique because we have different desires, potential, set, goals and attitudes. The most important aspect that most employees are concerned with is their needs and wants.Todays managers have a challenge or the fortune to influence the motivation of the ir employees through the design of their performance charters. Well outlined performance charters aid accomplish two important goals getting the necessary work done in a timely and capable manner, motivating and challenging employees. Both the organization as well as the employee is a beneficiary of a successfully done performance charter. Performance charter is the specification of the contents, methods and the counter relationship of jobs to fulfill organizational ingestments. Mostly, employees are motivated when they are lead to accomplishments of which they can proud whilst recognizing what they have done. Warren Blank (2001) states that, a motivational environment enables people to feel like winners.Todays performing managers have the responsibility of designing employee performance charters. If a manager ignores this responsibility, employees will definitely design their own. It wouldnt be a surprise to see that performance charters designed by employees are more likely to be adjusted to their experiences and preferences than to the goals of the organization. It has been said once before that you cannot motivate anyone but you can provide the environment in which they can grow to their full potential. perplexity by objectives (MBO), is a style or system of management that attempts to relate organizational goals to individual performance and development through the involvement of all levels of management, encompasses time period with feedback as well as goal progression. According to Laurrie J. Mullins, the phrase Management by Objectives (MBO) was first introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954 as a strategy for managing people whilst focusing on squadwork ground on their ability to complete individual as well as aggroup goals. MBOs have been seen to be effective as it helps in the conjunction of an employees efforts around an organizations collective objectives. The MBO process begins with an organization defining its objectives. This is where the proc ess of strategic planning, goal setting, visioning which generates from its process a set of objectives that the organization should always strive to achieve. The main principal underlining Management by Objectives is mainly to require empowered employees who will have pellucidness of the roles and responsibility expected from them, and once the objectives set are understood, it helps in the achievement of personal as well as organizational goals. Some advantages of MBO include specifically clarity of goals. With clarity of goals, came the birth of SMART goals concept which IntelSpecific various key factors should be present in the set objectives for them to be effective. This is where the word specific is outlined because this simply describes specifically the desired results.Measurable This simply states that the objectives should be substantiate as to whether the objectives were met.Achievable when objectives are set, it should be seen that they are achievable. Realistic R ealistic objectives in its own right is explained as goals or objectives that can be achieved coupled with the tools at an employees disposal to achieve the said objectives.Time based time based simply means a set objective has a time frame attached to it which acts as a guideline. SMART objectives ensure the delivery of great results because they clearly and specifically address performance goals rather than broad emotions or behaviors. This concept also requires that objectives are created in collaboration with supervisors so as to be aware of their subordinates goals and supportive of their completion as well as ongoing tracking and feedback in the process to reach desired objectives.As noted in Robbins and judge, MBO popularity should not be construed to mean that it always works. This is normally as a result of privation of commitment by management as well as the inability in allocation of rewards based on accomplished objectives. Management by Objectives therefore, can be a s a process of ascertain exactly what an employee is to do on the job, the tasks, duties, responsibilities, closing-making and the level of authority. The challenge being faced by managers now is that of employing the impertinently strategies with all its opportunities in ways which not only mate an organizations needs but also the expectations as well as aspirations of the employees. Dennys Restaurant review Leadership QualitiesIf you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the person you want on the outside. People will want to follow you, and when that perishs you will be able to tackle anything in this world. John MaxwellWe at Dennys are constantly striving to identify quality minority and women businesses to support the needs of our company. Because we see diversity as an asset, we will attract and develop talent from the full range of the worlds rich cultural base. Dennys Vision mission. notwithstanding having a clearly stated vis ion and mission, its management failed to publicly communicate the causes of the discrimination incidences they were amassed with as well as the actions Dennys management was taking to counter check the reoccurrence of those incidents.A leader is said to be an individual with suitable knowledge and desirable skills to lead groups to achieve their goals willingly. It is noted in Lasting Leadership that, the timbre of the people is a big part of what management experts mean when they talk about corporate culture. The beliefsand values that guide employee behavior can improve performance by motivating workers toward a common goal and instilling in them a sense of purpose. There are several indicators, which can help us to outline the strength of our leadership. The most important leadership quality that one needs to exhibit in todays world is honesty. A leader should always be honest to his task, his products or services, his people and most significantly to his customers. This qualit y of leadership should not only exist but also should be seen to exist in by all stakeholders in the organization. John C. Maxwell in an extract of his book by George rise states that, while leaders need to connect publicly with large groups of people, the same thing needs to happen on a one-to-one basis between individuals. Maxwell tells how his staff used to groan when he would say Peopledont care how much you know until they know how much you care because he quoted the express so often, but it is true. You develop credibility with people when you connect with them and show that you genuinely want to help them. Everybody wants to be somebody If you treat every person you meet as if he or she were the most important person in the world, youll communicate that he or she is somebody to you. Of course, the respect needs to be genuine at all times otherwise people will rapidly sense that they are being manipulated otherwise.Dennys Restaurant management should have been able to reali ze that customer complaints are company failures and these require immediate attention. Ultimately, spending money in hopes of making money is an organizations goal but every vaulting horse paid out to offset various customers who were dissatisfied is a signal that an organization must stir in some decisive way.The Vidsoft TriangleEvery little thing we do has positive, negative or neutral impact on teams motivation. Vidsoft case is one among the few companies that come across case of team based management problems that are faced by employees.Analysis of VidsoftVidsoft technologies was an internet company designing opening software and in June 1999, its quarterly revenues grew from $50M to over $250M year ending 2000 while employee base rose from d to 2,000. Babatunde graduated from Darden graduate of business administration in may 1998. He moved to California to get a job with Vidsoft technologies as senior technical support engineer. Alex Hsu was employed as technical support e ngineer and reported directly to babatunde. Even though Hsu was not good at team work, he was hired to bring varied culture as well as experience to vidsoft due to his prior recordBabatunde make a public decision of promoting one of his engineers to be manager. Hsu reported some fretfulness about his new supervisor Jennah Li as she was deemed to be an inexperienced manager and babatunde was unsure of what decision to make as he was the overall among the two despite having fears about taking sides. Keith Nash as chief executive officer of vidsoft developed a culture that encourages its employees to speak their minds as excellence of employees was followed with promotions. Vidsoft as an organization encouraged teamwork and thusly were awarded bonuses for collectively working together. Keith Nash believed in the culture of promoting from within as a motivational tool for employees until aft(prenominal) vidsoft went public because this brought a mass influx of talent as well as wag es became high. Vidsoft stop up falling back on its employees in verges of hiring due to costs so as to train them to keep up with the pace. Babatunde initially employed a micro-management style of management where he unbroken a close eye on all his employees in hopes that his team succeeds but this had to change as employee numbers rose. He then changed his style of management by using set objectives for each team to achieve desired goals.As babatundes responsibilities grew, he saw it necessary to change his reporting structure to reduce the number of people reporting to him so to manage more effectively. This led to him promoting one of his engineers Jennah Li to manage one of the product lines. Jennah Li in regards to Hsu was hired for her skills in managing customer relations despite English not being her strength she was awarded for being the best team player. In vidsofts operational history, White was one of the first employers to run the technical support department and s et stringent goals to be met by his partner employees. He took an active role in ensuring that any team under his command did well to meet his standards. James White made a decision to hire babatunde because of his MBA training and trusted him to an extent of self-aggrandizing him all powers to make various decisions affecting the organization with his guidance.THE SOLUTIONBabatunde at this point should be able to realize that work conflicts and unresolved differences can be the cause of negative performance of teams or by and large employees. Furthermore, existing physical and psychological differences can escalate if conflict remains unaddressed by vidsoft managers as well as team members. From the onset, babatunde was aware that Hsu was not a team player and this should have been a starting point of making things clear to him that for him to succeed, he had to work in collaboration with other team members. It was observed that being a team player for Hsu as observed is a road he hasnt travelled and requires some skill and effort from babatunde. Hsu should be made to realize that teamwork is about assuming positive intent and seeing things from all sides in detail. Everyone has unique gifts and abilities. Recognizing these and appreciating them can be very useful curiously in the case of two people with different skills because they can complement each other very powerfully when they work together. Its about acknowledging and accepting differences, and exploring alternative solutions that meet everyones needs and concerns as it is important to everyone, and all sides Hsu and Ali need to be committed to the solution. Both parties should agree that the goal is to fix the problem not to assign blame, hurt, humiliate, or threaten the one another. Babatundes job now is to focus on the issue, present and future, and on solutions available. They should be made aware that the situation must change and identify consequences if it does not.Keith Nash as CEO of V idsoft should make things clear from the onset of employment that individuals are different at times as regards to each others needs. Sometimes employment issues are evaded or ignored completely but generally, this is not a useful long term solution as the workplace is never small enough to avoid someone completely. Some guidelines should be put in place to for conflict resolution. Every employee upon being taken under vidsoft should be made aware that Conflict and grievances are present within the workplaceImproved communication within the workplace will avoid conflictsEstablish performance expectations and consequences if expectations are not met.Lastly Vidsoft should have a scripted resolution and agreement regarding behavior within the workplace which should be adhered by both the employer as well as the employee. Babatunde should provide the leadership that enables his teams to productively work together and as much as possible, work with employees individually and encourage t hem to address the conflict directly with each other.