The research proposal was aimed at examining the effect that employee motivation has on productivity of organizations. The study investigated the process and theories of motivation of employees at workplace. The findings of the study suggest that a good working condition as well as good remuneration is quite significant in employee motivation. Many scholars have ascertained that good salaries and wages as well as interesting work are crucial in raising employee motivation.
Ten ways have been derived as means of stimulating employee motivation. The ways include understanding the behaviors of the employees, ensuring that the employees’ needs are met, valuing the employees, careful listening to employees, building confidence among the employees and encouraging contact among employees and between employees and their seniors as well as the entire management fraternity. Others include implementing the employees’ strategic thinking, developing trust for the employees, delegation of decisions and appraising employees. Employees are livelihood of companies, institutions or organizations; hence, how they feel will affect the productivity of the organizations and companies significantly. This proposal has established that there is need for the management of organization to work in close relation with employees in a bid to motivate them since the organizations’ stability and performance are directly dependent on the effort of the employees. Motivating employees as well as boosting their morale should be a priority for success to be realized.
Introduction
Employees are very significant in institutions as well as in organizations as far as production of both goods and services are concerned. According to Dickson (1973), employees have been considered as another crucial input in the production process for a long time. According to Accel-Team (2010), Mayo’s main intention was to establish the effects monotony and fatigue had on productivity. Mayo was able to come across the standard of employee inspiration in the course of examining such variables, which has transformed organizational practice and theory completely.
Accel-Team (2010) in his investigation used six women whom he separated from the rest of the employees and assigned under a friendly supervisor. He made some modifications in the condition at workplace of the women and frequently discussing such changes in advance. He did not stop at that but instead went further to change working hours as well as the rest breaks and lunch hour period. Hawthorne studies initiated discovery and integrating human relations advancement in administration where employees drive and desires become the most important focus of managers.
Abraham Maslow explains the process of motivation and asserts that motivation is never a simple process, which can easily be administered externally. Creech (1995, p.1) states, “It is the result of needs within everyone that make people act the way they do. Under his need-hierarchy theory, people are first motivated by the desire to secure first-level needs of food and shelter for survival”. The next source of motivation is safety and security as well as absorption into social groups. It is believed that social groups are sources from which ego derives satisfaction that leads to self-actualization.
Creech examined Maslow’s hierarchy and how it is applied in the current society and it explains why motivational tools have changed over time. Creech (1995) argues that currently employees have been able to satisfy first as well as second-level needs since purchasing and income level have considerably increased above survival requirements. Therefore, Creech argues that remuneration alone is not a universal motivator. This is because employees are more educated and are capable of handling creative mental work.
In a bid to examine factors that motivate employees at workplace, Creech (1995) argues that the rewards that an employee receives from his or her employer play a very crucial role in influencing the performance as well as the attitude of employees. It has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that rewards accorded employees motivate them to work better to be able to achieve organization’s and personal goals, which in turn raises the performance of the business or institution. Motivation of employees has captured interest of several stakeholders ranging from human resource managers, business leaders to researchers.
A lot of information has been presented about theory of motivation and the way the theory influences performance. Motivation is a very important tool in realizing success in companies. The benefits of motivation are quite numerous, for instance, organizations and companies can derive many benefits from motivation apart from the changing effects of motivation.
Objectives
The major purpose of this study is to ascertain and to know effects of employee inspiration on production at workplace. In addition, the study also aims at identifying the importance as well as the application of motivation principle in companies and organization.
Study Questions
The following questions were formulated concerning employee motivation and its effects on productivity.
- Does employee motivation have effect on productivity of organizations and companies?
- What are the roles of managers in improving employee performance?
- What are the ways of stimulating employee motivation
- Why is employee motivation significant?
Discussion
Employees should act or move according to circumstances as portrayed by the motivation principle. In most cases, motivation of employees is derived from the pressure originating the prevailing environment at workplace as well as their needs. The commitment that people put in their respective tasks of jobs are due to the fact that they would like to prosper in their values, interest and fields of work. Many a times, acts of the staff may be a classic demonstration of background but employee inspiration can changed the culture of employees.
For instance, motivation can bring about confidence, enthusiasm, concentration, attention and control among the employees at workplace, which in turn will improve creativity, persistence as well as performance. It has been ascertained that if the employee motivation approach is implemented as it is and consistently then the employees are likely to attain their full potentials in their respective fields. The approach of motivation is mostly applied with the main aim of boosting performance of the employees at workplace. When employee inspiration and its main beliefs are used for long, there is a possibility that it will lead to good and productive results, which guarantees quality work performance.
It should be the responsibility of organization to meet the needs and requirements of employees to enable them reach their full potential. This is possible only when employees’ satisfaction can be ensured. The performance of employees depends on the level of effort applied and the value dedicated to the achievement of the same. When the needs of employees are met, they are bound to be in a happy mood, which is crucial for companies’ performance. Satisfaction among employees is be characterized by a happy mood, which a suitable prerequisite for a good productivity in a company.
The level of production will improve because every employee will become productive by exploiting his or her full potential necessitated by satisfaction due to motivation. It is therefore significant for organizations and companies uphold job involvement as well as job design that will increase job satisfaction in addition to good performance of employees. In addition, it is important that management fraternity of institutions, companies and organization create a sense of belonging among their employees so that employees feel part of the institutions for which they work. The feeling of belongingness has also been found out to be quite necessary and significant in the production improvement efforts.
Motivation theories
In order to understand principle of motivation, five main approaches have been used and they include Adams’ theory (equity), Maslow’s theory (need-hierarchy), Vroom’s theory 9 expectancy), Herzberg’s theory (two- factor theory), and Skinner’s theory (reinforcement) (Lindner, n.d., p.1). Lindner (n.d.) argues that there are five ranks of employees’ needs, which according to Maslow (1943) are satisfied in a vertical order from the lowest to the highest. According to Lindner (n.d.), the work of Herzberg classified motivation into hygiene and motivators factors. He further argues that motivator factors (intrinsic), entails acknowledgment and success, which boost job satisfaction while extrinsic (hygiene) factors, which include job security as well as remuneration, leads to job dissatisfaction.
The theory of Vroom according to Lindner (n.d.) is pegged on the argument that the efforts employees put on their work will translate to production and performance or production will attract rewards accordingly. The rewards offered depending on the performance are not only positive but can also be negative. The level of motivation of employees depends on the reward, in that when the reward is very positive then employees will be highly motivated but when the reward is negative, they will be less motivated or they might not be motivated at all. On the contrary, the level of motivation among the employees will decrease as rewards become more negative.
In accordance with the Adam’s theory, Lindner (n.d.) argues that the theory explore the fact that employees expect equity to prevail at place of work, whereby equity is manifested among themselves and between other employees elsewhere. Such equity should be manifested throughout the hierarchy by ensuring that their salaries and wages are proportionate throughout the ranks.
Besides, inputs as well as outputs should also be put into consideration when determining income and equity. Lindner (n.d.) emphasizes that the theory of Skinner affirms that fruitful actions of employees have a tendency to repeat after sometime as opposed to activities that lead to unproductively. It is therefore imperative that companies put proper mechanisms in place that will promote positive behaviors of its employees because they will bring positive results, which is healthy for the productivity of the company.
Role of motivation
Employee motivation is necessary and crucial for survival of companies and organizations. In the contemporary world where workplaces rapidly change it is believed that it is only motivation that can enable companies and organizations survive. It has been ascertained beyond any reasonable doubt that motivated employees are more productive than those who work in places where there is no motivation. In order for motivation to be effective, it is important that supervisors, leaders as well as managers understand what motivate their employees within the perspective of the roles they play. It has also been established by numerous researches that as the remuneration (salaries and wages) of employees increase, money stops to be more effective as a motivator (Slowed, 2010). In addition, it has been found out that interesting work becomes a motivator, as employees grow old.
Ways of stimulating motivation among employees
In the current world, fast-moving business environment requires good managers to be well organized as well as to understand the behavior and needs of their employees at workplaces. Ten ways have been derived to aid in the stimulation of employee motivation (Graham, 2009). The ways include , ensuring that the employees’ needs are met, understanding the behaviors of the employees, valuing the employees, careful listening to employees, building confidence among the employees and encouraging contact among employees and between employees and their seniors as well as the entire management fraternity, developing trust for the employees, delegation of decisions, employees’ strategic thinking and appraising employees.
Conclusion
Employee motivation is very critical in fast-moving business environment in the world today. It has been proven that employee motivation when properly implemented by taking into consideration the behavior and needs of employees at workplace, leads to improved productivity. This is because motivation ensures employees satisfaction, which in turn leads to employee full potential. It is therefore appropriate for organizations and companies to hire effective leaders and managers that will understand the complexity of workplaces in relation to employees in order to ensure employee motivation as well as productivity.
References
Accel-Team, (2010). Employee motivation: theory and practice. Web.
Creech, R. (1995). Employee motivation. Management quarterly journal, 36(2), p.33.
Dickson, W. (1973). Hawthorne experiments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Graham, P. (2009). 10 Ways to stimulate employee motivation. Web.
Lindner, J. (n.d.). Understanding employee motivation. Web.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review. 370-396.
Slowed, N. (2010). The effects of intrinsic motivation on employee productivity. Web.