Literature Review: 2.1 Introduction: In this literature review, we will discuss the available body of knowledge for motivational theories and analyses the same in order to ascertain its relevancy in our current study. In this case we tried to give an overall picture of already made research in this regard and to find the gaps if any in order to suggest the way for future study in this area. We will review existing research on what managers can do to motivate their employees and the factors of motivation. Literature review of this research has provided an overview of the literature available on the related subjects has been presented. The theories not only provide the theoretical background but also the basis for study of new factors related to motivation. There has been a wide range of researches and studies done on the topic of motivational factors in organization. However, in the services sector the use of different motivational rewards is still not known. For this reason, the chapter of literature review first provides an overview of the popular motivational theories that are used by organizations. The theories have been seen in a service organization perspective. The main theories that were studied for this purpose were mainly by Maslow, McClelland, Winter, Vroom and Herzberg but the focus has been on the ones that deal with extrinsic and intrinsic motivation factors. An understanding of the relationship between the employee motivation and performance is also important. The literature available of the topic was then used to find that employees add significantly to the performance and success of the company. The practices that generally prevail in the market also have an impact on the employee’s perception of his or her or... ... middle of paper ... ...ction is what a person trying to do, Effort is how hard a person is trying, Persistence is how long a person continues trying Furthermore, “motivation could be seen as, not about the acquisition of satisfactions, material or otherwise, but about the search of identity, for a positive valuation of the others” (Jackson and Carter 2000). Here the others are the people who have a “symbolic importance” to them. They might be parents, managers, and bosses in their respective roles. Motivation can be a complex subject, it is a very personal thing influenced by many variables. These factors can make it difficult for management to understand the driving forces, and the individuals’ needs and expectations that make individuals motivated. Individuals have a variety of changing, and often conflicting needs and expectations that they attempt to satisfy in a number of ways.
There are people out there in the workforce that believe they are obligated to do their best at their job simply because that is what is expected from all of us as humans. On the other hand, there are those out there that want to only do as much as they can get away with doing. No matter which one of these employees you are or are working with companies and employer's need to understand the concept of motivation.
All employees analyze their environment and strive to be recognized and rewarded for their hard work and dedication they put into the company, in a word they are seeking justice. Justice can be defined as a person receiving what they feel they are entitled to and if they do not receive what they deserve the situation may board on injustice. Unfortunately in today’s society justice and appreciation are not given out to all those deserving (Pinder, 1998). A major problem to address is how to keep the motivation level high in a company when the employees do not feel appreciated.
Every person has a motivating factor that makes them go to work. Some people go to work for the paycheck or the benefits, others go to work for the social aspect or experience, these are incentives. Incentives are the most common motivating factor for people to complete tasks. This is also called, work motivation. Work motivation is defined as “A force that drives people to behave in a way that energizes, directs, and sustains their work behavior” (Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., & Shapiro, D. L., 2004). In contrast to the benefits of incentives, incentives are commonly counterproductive because they undermine the intrinsic motivation of an individual, this is the overjustification effect.
Every human being needs motivation now and then. Incentives and recognition programs can support you in helping your employees become happier and more productive at work. As a leader, one of the main things to think about is how to recognize an employee for a performance that has exceeded expectations, objectives and goals. Therefore, I would like to introduce you in this paper to some ideas that hopefully would promote this method as one of the main priorities in today's and tomorrow's workplace.
Motivation is not something that comes easily. More times than not motivation comes in spurts. When those times happen, it is imperative to make sure that one takes full advantage of the rare time. According to the online site, Business Dictionary, motivation is defined as both internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject or to make an effort to attain a goal.
“Motivation is the influence or drive that causes us to behave in a specific manner and has been described as consisting of energy, direction, and sustainability” (Kroth, 2007). At the workplace, employees who are motivated are more engaged in their work and committed about working for the organization. High levels of motivation and workforce engagement can be translated to better performance, productivity and job satisfaction and direct impact on an organization’s success and thrive. According to Jim Harter, a Gallup research scientist, “engagement or the lack of it, has substantial implications for how well businesses organizations achieve their goals” (DuBrin, 2013). In his online blog, Nick Stein from SalesForce.com outlined the results of a recent research which concluded that seventy-eight percent of employees cited recognition as the main motivating factor in their career. Sixty-nine percent of employees said they would work harder if they were better recognized. Fifty-two percent of employees were not satisfied with the amount of recognition they
Employee motivation seems to be a constant problem in the working world. It is true, not everyone is going to absolutely love their job and want to do it five out of seven days a week. Everyone has their bad days where all they want to do is just go home and get away from the office, which is okay. The problem with those people that dislike their job every single day, is that their dislike makes them completely unmotivated to work. This lack of motivation can then rub off on other employees in the office and it can be very hard to get people motivated unless they have the desire to be. I have noticed a few employees at my workplace that seem to be having trouble motivating themselves to do their job. This can be caused by many different things, such as: their perception of their
Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model? Harvard Business Review. Latham G.P. and Pinder C.C. (2005). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary'. Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century.
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” Studies have found that high employee motivation goes hand in hand with strong organizational performance and profits. Therefore, managers are given the responsibility of finding the right combination of motivational techniques and rewards to satisfy employees’ needs and encourage great work performance. This becomes a bit more challenging as employees’ needs change from one generation to another. Three of the biggest challenges a manager faces in motivating employees today are the economy and threats to job security, technological advances, and company cultures that primarily focus on the bottom line.
Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes one’s duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each, as well as how these theories can be used to further strengthen and sustain worker motivation....
Motivation is an important concept which is critical for understanding of and improvement in organizational behaviour and performance. It is therefore important for the managers to understand motivation. It is an important tool which they can use to get more out of their employees and increase organizational performance. Motivation can be defined as the factors, both internal as well as external which arouse in individuals the desire and commitment for a job (Mele, 2005, p. 15). Organizational performance on the other hand refers to the degree to which the organizational objectives have been achieved.
Robbins and Judge define motivation by means of three elements. The first element is defined as being the process that account for an individual’s intensity which is concerned with how hard a person tries. The second element is direction that benefits the organization and the third element is persistence which is a measure of how long a person can maintain effort. Motivation is also driven by certain situations that vary between individuals and within individuals, at different times. (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p.186) These elements should not only be expected from employees but from managers as well.
Each individual is different from one another and will have a different set of needs. The key element to effective motivation lies first in recognizing these differences and developing appropriate strategies to enhance motivation of each employee. When these different strategies of motivation are grouped together, they offer a valuable resource for producing an appropriate environment to reach higher performance. In order to motivate all employees to perform at their best, there is a need for managers to establish and encourage an atmosphere which will inspire them. Motivation continues to remain a challenge among managers today. Tools and ideas are accessible to leaders and managers to support them. Studying the theories of Herzberg, McClelland, Vroom, and Maslow can provide solutions to these problems and managers can be successful in motivating their employees.
Motivation is an aspect of managerial function of directing under execution. It is necessary as a means to induce people to work, as they are able and trained to do, willingly.
Motivation is the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximizing employee’s motivation is a necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organization’s targets and objectives. However, this is a considerable challenge to any organizations managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that, there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins,2002).