Motivation at work

The Satisfaction or Needs

Identify the Need/Motivation

Incentive

Revise

Satisfaction Result / Outcome

• If an individual’s needs are not satisfied, worker will not be MOTIVATED to work

• Motivation: the force which drives a person to take a specific action

• Negative Motivation: employees are forced to maintain their effort just because they are watched closely; fear of wage cuts or redundancy

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs1. Maslow’s Theory

The classes of needs were:a. Physiological needs: obtaining food, drink, air

b. Safety needs: protection from physical threats

c. Love and belonging: working with colleagues that support your at work

d. Esteem needs: being given recognition for doing a job well

e. Self-actualization: being promoted and given more responsibility

Self-actualization

needs

Esteem needs

Social needs

Safety needs

Physiological needs

–Challenging work, autonomy

–Authority, status, bonuses, promotion, opportunities

–Social gatherings, informal groups

–Job security, freedom from arbitrary treatment, healthy and safe working environment

–Reasonable remuneration, holidays, work breaks, fringe benefits

Needs at different levels

Needs Examples MeansPhysiological Food, water, shelter, rest Reasonable

remuneration, holidays, work breaks, fringe benefits

Safety Freedom from danger and threats Job security, freedom form arbitrary treatment, healthy and safe working environment

Social Belonging, love Social gatherings, informal groups

Esteem Recognition, respect Authority, status, bonuses, promotion opportunities

Self-actualization Selffulfillment, realizing one’s potential

Challenging work, autonomy

• Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic needsThese needs must be satisfied before a person can move to the

next level (i.e. people will take action to satisfy the first-level needs until the needs are satisfied)

• Once each level is satisfied needs at this level become less important (no longer be the motivator)

• Each level of needs is dependent on the levels below

• Basic needs are much easier to satisfy then then higher level needs

• Individual differences are greatest at self-actualization level

2. Implications of Maslow’s Theory

• Managers find out which level each individual is at and decide on suitable rewards, I.e. try to provide the means of satisfying the needs

• For employees at different rankings / positions different means of motivation

• Social needs should not be overlooked by managers

• Questions: what would be the result if physiological needs can’t be satisfied? (e.g. salary level is too low)

3. Associated Problems

• Some levels do not appear to exist for certain individuals

• Some rewards appear to fit into more than one class

• How to decide when a level has actually been “satisfied”

• Different employees have different needs impossible to satisfy all of them

Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory (Dual Factor Theory)

1. Herzberg’s two-factor Theory

1966 Herzberg attempted to find out what motivated people to work, I.e. to find the various factors related to job satisfaction and job dissatisfactiondivided the causes of job satisfaction into 2 categories / factors

I. Motivators (Motivational factors)

• Factors which give workers Job Satisfaction (e.g. recognition for their effort)

• Increasing these motivators higher job satisfaction higher productivity

II. Hygiene Factors (Maintenance factors)

• These are factors that can lead to workers being dissatisfied (e.g. pay or conditions)

• i.e. if these factors are absent / inadequate, workers easily feel dissatisfaction

• Improving hygiene factors should remove dissatisfaction

• However, an improvement in hygiene factors alone is not likely to motivate an individual

Examples of maintenance factors and motivational factors

• Maintenance factors– Generous remuneration

packages– Comprehensive fringe

benefits– Comfortable working

environment– Harmonic social

environment– Job security– Technical support

• Motivational factors– Promotion

opportunities

– Recognition of performance

– Equitable rewards for performance

– Sense of achievement of the job

– Autonomy with the job

Essence of Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory

Motivationalfactors

No dissatisfaction

Maintenance factors +

Satisfaction

Good morale and highproductivity

2. Implications

• Both maintenance and motivational factors exist dissatisfaction of workers will be relieved and they will be satisfied as well good morale and high productivity

• Similar to Herzberg’s and Maslow’s ideas Both point to needs that have to be satisfied for the e

mployee to be motivated

• Linked with job enrichment (have their jobs “expanded”)

3. Associated Problems

• Job enrichment may also be expensive for many firms

• Whether people are satisfied or dissatisfied are too subjective

• Improving pay or conditions may be taken for granted

Theory X & Theory Y

• 1960 McGregor

• Gives different reasons why people work

1. Theory X• A motivational theory which assumes that

most people are lazy and dislike work. Management should threaten them with disciplinary action

• Assumesi. People are lazy

ii. The only way to get people to work is by using strict control

• Managers who hold Theory X are autocratic leaders

2. Theory Y• A motivational theory which assumes that people can

exercise self-control and are willing to accept responsibility. Management should let them participate in making decisions

• Assumesi. Most people are motivated by those things at the t

op of Maslow’s hierarchyii. Be responsible, committed and enjoy having contr

ol over work

• Managers who hold Theory Y are participative leaders

• Theory x– Workers are motivated by

money

– Workers are lazy and dislike work

– Workers are selfish, ignore the needs of organizations, avoid responsibility and lack ambition

– Workers needs to be controlled and directed by management

• Theory Y– Workers have many

different needs which motivate them

– Workers can enjoy work

– If motivated, workers can organize themselves and take responsibility

– Management should create a situation where workers can show creativity and apply their job knowledge

3. Implications

• Affect the types of control and motivation used by management

• Most firms behave according to Theory Y

• Manager suggest that they themselves (managers) are like Theory Y workers are closer to Theory X

Expectancy Theory• A motivational theory that explains the

relationship between people’s behavior and their expectations of outcomes

• It explains the workers’ attitudes towards their jobs

Workers’ confidence in Their performance

Suitable AND adequaterewards

Effective motivation+

• Implications

i. Assign tasks according to subordinates’ abilities

ii. Make the performance standards attainable

iii. Give encouragement to subordinates

iv. Design rewards suitable for the subordinates

v. Link the rewards to the subordinates’ performance

Equity Theory

• A motivation theory that explains the relationship of people’s behavior and their perceptions of fairness (equities) in treatment and rewards

• Inequities concerning money, work assignments, performance appraisals, disciplinary actions and promotion

• Effects of Inequities on employees

i. Workers will no longer have nay confidence and trust in the manager / company

ii. Upset workers and lead to poor morale among them

iii. Hurt productivity with the reduced performance

iv. Pessimistic behavior and inappropriate behavior

Financial Vs Non-Financial Incentives

Components of a compensation programme

Compensation

Non-financial

e.g.:•Job enrichment•Job enlargement•Job rotation•Flextime•Participative management•Job security•Competent supervision•Safe and comfortableworking environment•Recognition•Training and development•Effective communication•Promotion opportunity

Financial

Indirect benefits e.g.:•Medical plans•Subsidies•Canteens•Housing loans•Paid leave

Direct benefits e.g.:•Salaries•Wages•Bonuses•Commissions

1. Financial incentives

• The pay that employees receive in the form of money and fringe benefits

• (1) Direct benefits: salaries, wages, bonuses and commissions

• (2) Indirect benefits: e.g. medical plans, subsidies, canteens, housing loans, paid leave

2. Non-Financial incentives• Rewards given to employees which are not in

the form of money but in other forms that can relieve their dissatisfaction or make them feel satisfied

I. Job redesign1) Job enrichment• Definition: the redesign of a job by

increasing the authority, responsibility and autonomy of the job

• Attempts to give employees greater responsibility by “vertically” extending their role in the organization, e.g. planning a task, work supervision, quality control

• Example: other than accepting loan applications, the job of a bank loan officer is enriched by giving him the authority to evaluate the applications

• Advantagesi. Develop their “unused”

skills

ii. Encourage them to be more productive

iii. Make workers feel they have been rewarded for their contribution to the company

iv. Be provided with varied tasks lead to future promotion

• Disadvantagesi. For those who feel

unable to carry out the “extra work”

ii. Unlikely that all workers will react the same to job enrichment

JOB ENRICHMENT

2) Job enlargement– Definition: the redesign of a job by adding

more tasks at a similar level to the job

Giving an employee more work to do of a similar nature

Expand the job “horizontally” More efficient if workers are organized in

groups each worker can be trained to do all jobs in the group job rotation

Advantages:

• Prevents boredom with one repetitive task

• Encourages employees’ satisfaction as they are completing the entire process

Disadvantages:

• Horizontal loading allowing employees to complete the entire process will reduce efficiency

JOB ENLARGEMENT

3) Job rotation

- Definition: shifting workers routinely from job to job so that they can be motivated by being exposed to new challenges

- Involves an employee changing hobs or tasks from time to time

- E.g. moving to a different part of the production line or more from one department to another

• Advantages– Reduce boredom

– Enable a variety of skills and experience to be gained

– More widely trained workforce

• Disadvantages– Workers need to learn

new jobs and this take time to “settle in”

– If simply switched from one boring job to another motivation is not guaranteed

– Some workers who do not like uncertainty may become dissatisfied

JOB ROTATION

II. Flexible work schedules

• A flexible work schedule plan that permit employees to arrange their own arrival and department time

• Herzberg: motivator as it gives employees flexibility and autonomy in doing their job

• Associated problems: (1) control of employee; (2) co-ordination among different employees with different scheduld

III. Participative management

IV. Job security

V. Competent supervision

VI. Safe and comfortable working environment

VII.Recognition opportunity

VIII.Training and development

IX. Effective communication

X. Promotion opportunity