1

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION STRATEGIES

Student name University affiliation Date

Employee motivation strategies Introduction When it comes to employee management and motivation, a lot of heat is generated and a great deal of attention is focused on strategies of how best to handle the situation. For most managers, the key issue is how to successfully handle employee motivation without compromising the company and to achieve the best outcome from the process. In other words, when it comes to employee motivation, a number of issues come into play most of which revolve around the business environment dynamics. Consequently, the number of challenges that emerge from the entire process revolve around the fact that the business environment I rapidly changing and most manages are face with a dilemma. On the one hand the entire organisation has to be supported and has to succeed against all odds, and on the other hand, employees play a key role into this desired success. Basically, process theories are concerned with how individuals process situations around them, and act in order to get what they want. In addition, these theories also explain means that management can employ to encourage employees to better perform. These therefore, help to predict and influence their attitude towards work in a positive direction. The first step in improving performance is to understand exactly why employees lack the self-drive in terms of responsibilities (Podmoroff, 2005). This way, a gateway will then be created to provide the necessary tools, advice, and environment required to effectively perform. Therefore, this paper attempts to discover important aspects that are involved in motivational strategies and the approaches behind employee motivation in the current business environment. Additionally, this paper seeks to highlight various organisational strategies that could be enhanced, and through application of various motivational theories address how better performance would be achieved (University et al., 2000). Finally, the challenges, and the

importance of such moves will be highlighted and recommendations given for various organisations seeking to enhance the performance of the human capital within their workforce (Crouse, 2005). Review of related literature According to earlier research by Lewis et al., (2006) employee motivation is viewed as a concept derived from the idea that people tend to see comfort and pleasure. In other words, the ultimate goal of an employee is to avoid pain and discomfort by securing the best possible position, This view further argues that the key factors to consider when motivating employees are shaped by pleasure and that is why motivation employees can be equated to keeping them happy. However, this theory was met with a lot of critique most of which came up with valid argument s as to why this is not true. Eventually, experts were of the conclusion that the concept of hedonism when it comes to employee motivating has a very limited scope and perspective of human behaviour. A different approach by Podmoroff, (2005) suggests that employees are motivated and driven by the thought of money. In essence, the economically motivated employee will work as hard as possible so as to accumulate wealth which is deemed the epitome of success. Consequently, according to Nohria et al., (2008) the best way to motivate employees is to pay them. However, the complexity of human behaviour and how they view the subject of money automatically disqualifies this concept. The many instances where volunteers and philanthropists work tirelessly; to achieve a goal cannot be explained by the concept of money or wealth as a goal. On a similar note, research by Cruz et al., (2009) added a different twist to the concept of employee motivation with the introduction of the human relations approach to employee motivation. According to him, most if not all employees are strongly motivated by social factors

money being among them. In other words, employees strongly respond to their social environment and money is simply a means to an end. Therefore, money play a role but not as emphasised by the scientific approach theory of motivation. Among the core motivators, job satisfaction is considered to be the most crucial aspect of motivation and is seen to tremendously improve an employees performance. Consequently, Maslows theory of needs hierarchy explains a lot when it comes to employee motivation strategies. A contemporary motivation thought is arguably represented by the fat that employees have specific needs that have to be met. Nohria et al., (2008) argue that the various deficiencies in employees and their social life Is among the chief motivators that drives them to perform. According to Abraham Maslow human beings have an inborn desire to satisfy a set of needs which grow with time. In contrast to Maslows theory, the erg theory stipulates that a person can be motivated by more than one need at the same time. According to Chiang and Jang, (2008) the key motivational aspects are progress and frustration in employees. Strategies in motivation Among the most common strategies that managers employ is empowering employees through giving them autonomy, trust, and encouragement to work. Often, this makes the task at hand the employees responsibility and is designed to liberate them. Similarly, managers often use reward to encourage a given good trend or trait they want emulated. A reward is more of an outcome of positive work to an individual, and for those whose work is geared towards meeting company objectives. One of the major contributors to employee demoralization is a condition known as burnout (Lewis et al., 2006). This way, an employee goes through the same routine day in day out, and this monotony brings rise to lack of enthusiasm and dismal performance. Smart managers employ the strategy of redesigning job description, and usher in a fresh energy for

better performance. This can be achieved through job enlargement, job rotation or job enrichment. For a very long time, management and most scholars have constantly pondered on why some employees tend to work and perform better than other even when similar resources are availed to them. Through the study of motivation in organisations and the goal that drives employees, managers are able to comprehend the variance in performance and how the situation can be harnessed for the benefit of the organisation (Chiang and Jang, 2008). Furthermore, bagging the knowledge of what aspects in within and without the organisation motivates people to work will be of great help to the managers in coming up with constructive steps to build and improve on employee performance (Nohria et al., 2008). Essentially, employees are the most important aspect of the internal organisation due to the fact that the make things happen so to speak. It is for this reason that managers put a lot of effort into motivating employees (Paarlberg et al., 2008). When the internal organisation and the human resource work as a team towards achieving organisational goals, the net effect is automatically brought out to the eternal components of the organisation. Ultimately, his means that the organisation will be in a position to meet its obligations to the market and successfully compete for the market share. Finally, creating a flexible work time for employees is among the best strategies yet employed by managers (Cruz et al., 2009). This can be achieved through offering a compressed work week, and avoiding the traditional work hours which tend to tie individuals down. Job sharing or effective use of shifts is another way of applying the flexible work time. Essentially employees still put up the minimum required number of work hours, but are allowed to manage their time and other activities.

Challenges At the end of the day, motivation seems to be a core function in management and business success. Consequently, motivation seems to be a very good concept and simple function in books. However, in practice it is more challenging and a complex affair especial when the current business structures are put in perspective. The changing workforce and the dynamic business environment is among the main reasons why employee motivation is a challenging and tricky affair for managers. The various needs and expectations of employees become part of the organisations needs. The differences in employee attitudes, backgrounds, beliefs, and expectations are clearly represented in their needs and have to be reflected in the organisation. However, the fact those organisations are often not aware of all these needs. As such, satisfying all the requirements equally will continuously be a challenge to the organisation. Additionally, the inner motives of individual employees can seldom be seen or properly be identified (Cadwallader et al., 2010). Therefore, management and the human resource department simply resort to presume the most obvious requirements. Another key challenge is low self confidence in employees which limits their level of scope and ability to perform. Confidence enhances an employees motivation and drives them towards achieving their goals effectively. The lack of self-confidence, therefore, is reason enough to limit the performance and enthusiasm of an employee. This in a great way hampers the efforts by management to motivate and stimulate performance on employees. Similarly, low expectations for success and performance in the job environment are a major hurdle to management where motivation is concerned (Stone et al., 2009). This goes both ways as it applies to management and the employers view towards the employee. Therefore, an employer with low expectations towards an employee is less likely to motivate them to work.

Conclusion These strategies are the most basic and can be applied to any organisation at a simplified level. However, the final combination that works for independent organisations depends on the structures and organisational goals. Consequently, employee needs vary from organisation to organisation and depending on location and age group as well. In other words it is the prerogative of the managers to understand and relate the employees to the strategies that best work for their given setup. Essentially, a major difference exists between individual employee state and reality that is with the organisation and it is the bridging of this gap that result to a successful motivational strategy. In effect, the core objective of motivation in employees and the organisation it to reduce this gap as much as possible and to meet the employees at the specific point of need. Similarly, the process of motivating is advantageous to the organisation in the sense that it helps the firm and its managers to conform to required industry standards and be at par with the changing environment, the changing requirements of the employees, and the ever growing business and customer requirements. In essence, the motivational strategies employed by an organisation must be tailored to the specific team of employees, the exact environment of operation, and to the business goals and requirements. Clearly, the key role of management is to ensure that work is done through effective management of available resources. Among the main resources available in an organization is the human resource which can be considered as the greatest asset any manager has. In order to achieve their objectives through human resource, the manager should be in a position to effectively motivate the employees and to inculcate the organisations goals and culture into them. Essentially, motivation dwells on human nature which can introduce a number of complexities into a number modern business working environment.

All in all, employee motivation however complex today plays a fundamental role in sustaining and developing organisations. A number of factors come to play when considering which strategies to employees in the organisation and that is the principle headache that managers undergo. Additionally, apart from the main benefit of encouraging and developing employee motivation mechanisms, which is to attain positive results, the additional benefits that come along with employee motivation make it all important. From the benefit of a positive outlook on the organisation to the moral value of treating employees and colleagues humanely motivation is fundamental to establishing performance and sustainable development in the organisation. As to the claim that the most important responsibility of a modern manager is to ensure the motivation and functionality of the human capital is upheld, reality is that human capital is essential to continuity of the organisation and as such the claim is true. Additionally, it is claimed that given the complexity of the modern working environment, employee motivation is becoming increasingly difficult. These complexities are contributed to highly by the business environment, changing needs and requirements on the employee and the market dynamics. However, when all is said and done the organisation has to remain afloat and make profits while at it. Based on these, it is required of the managers and leading teams in the organisation to ensure the continuity of the organisation and sustainability through employee motivation and support. Recommendations People and human capital more often than not will do what they want to do unless motivated to do otherwise. In other words, an external stimulus has to be exerted to employees by top level management so as to perform within the required standards. Business dynamics aside, motivation is a concept that can be learnt by both the management and the employees so as

to achieve the desired results. It is therefore true that the most important aspect of a manager is to understand the needs of the employees and how best to meet hem. Through this, employees are motivated to perform in their respective duties. Consequently, the complexities in the business environment are a major hurdle to watch out for. These complexities such as business needs and the changing employees needs are challenges that not only have to be understood but also be incorporated into the organisations goals. In a nutshell, the basic strategies employed in employee motivation are inculcating a positive reinforcement to employees work thereby forcing the employer to have a high expectation out of each employee. Similarly, the employee will have a high and a predictable expectation out of the employer and as such the organisation will be in a position to deliver. Similarly, an effective discipline and culture can be inculcated into the organisations way of business such that from the word go, employees are aware of what to expect from the organisation and what they are to expect from the organisation. In addition to this, both the employees and that management have to learn a fair treatment of each other. Thereby each does their respective responsibilities with due diligence and uttermost concern for each other. On a separate yet related note, work related goals have to be clearly set by both the employee and the organisation. This will help n understanding that is expected on the employee even as they seek to meek their own goals. Additionally, job restructuring helps in killing the monotony and as such should be effectively employed within the work environment by the management. Finally, a base rewards scheme can be employed my management to ensure that the efforts pout in by individuals do not go unnoticed. Being recognised for ones efforts goes a long way into motivation an employee and encouraging them to give their best despite the odds

10

Bibliography CADWALLADER, S., JARVIS, C. B., BITNER, M. J. & OSTROM, A. L. 2010. Frontline employee motivation to participate in service innovation implementation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38, 219-239. CHIANG, C.-F. & JANG, S. 2008. An expectancy theory model for hotel employee motivation. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27, 313-322. CROUSE, N. 2005. Motivation Is an Inside Job: How to Really Get Your Employees to Deliver the Results You Need, iUniverse. CRUZ, N. M., PREZ, V. M. & CANTERO, C. T. 2009. The influence of employee motivation on knowledge transfer. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13, 478-490. LEWIS, P. S., GOODMAN, S. H., FANDT, P. M. & MICHLITSCH, J. F. 2006. Management: Challenges for Tomorrow's Leaders: Challenges for Tomorrow's Leaders, Thomson/South-Western. NOHRIA, N., GROYSBERG, B. & LEE, L. 2008. Employee motivation: A powerful new model. Harvard Business Review, 86, 78. PAARLBERG, L. E., PERRY, J. L. & HONDEGHEM, A. 2008. From theory to practice: Strategies for applying public service motivation. Motivation in public management: The call of public service, 268-293. PODMOROFF, D. 2005. 365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day--with Little Or No Money, Atlantic Publishing Group. STONE, D. N., DECI, E. L. & RYAN, R. M. 2009. Beyond talk: Creating autonomous motivation through self-determination theory. Journal of General Management, 34, 75.

11

UNIVERSITY, F. D. P. P. S. S. A. T., PROFESSOR, M. S. A. S. S. C. W. R. U. D. B. D. & UNIVERSITY, E. N. P. S. W. V. C. 2000. Managing Human Resources in the Human Services : Supervisory Challenges: Supervisory Challenges, Oxford University Press, USA.