Organisational behaviour is widely-defined across different cultural and geographical regions. In this regard, the meaning of this term would tend to be different across various organisations, depending on cultural factors and geographical factors, among other influential aspects. Generally, this is the type of study normally carried out on organisations with the aim of examining the type of impact that structure, groups and individuals would tend to have on the behaviour of the units within organisations, for the need of utilising such knowledge or information in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisational objectives.
In other words, this is the prediction, understanding, and management of approaches showing how the behaviour of humans would tend to affect the overall performance of organisations. OB strives to identify and encourage ways through which individuals and groups within an organisation can act in an effective manner towards the organisational objectives (Robbins et al. 2011).
This report clearly supports the viewpoint that the praise of employees, as it is enforced by organizational leaders certainly does motivate. As a matter of fact, praise plays a crucial task in encouraging productivity and job satisfaction among employees, thus improving the overall performance and productivity of an organisation. Other key dependent variables that are likely to be impacted by this form of motivation would include deviant workplace behaviour, employee turnover, absenteeism, and organisational citizenship behaviour.
One of the major functions of a manager in any firm is to develop the skills of their workforce, so as to enable them to become more effective and successful in the long term productivity goal of their businesses (Robbins et al. 2011). An effective way of accomplishing this mission is through praise of employees, for every positive which thing they accomplish. Praise of individuals and groups in any particular department could be a big source of motivation in the workplace. The habit of praising workers in their work is a form of incentive any firm can afford, and it has always proved to be a powerful tool of motivation on employees when used wisely.
As will be observed, businesses can be more productive if they achieved their goals by changing the available inputs into outputs at the minimal cost possible. Productivity is a major concern of organisational behaviour, and in that regard, praise motivation, which plays a crucial role in productivity, can be viewed as one of those factors that tend to influence the efficiency and effectiveness of workers within an organisation. It is also apparent that this form of motivation in the workplace encourages good working environment and conditions for employees, thus facilitating the attitude of job satisfaction among them.
In most cases, this would further play an important role in the attraction and retention of employees in organisations, thus leading to effective and efficient participation of the workforce in the overall productivity and performance. Based on the findings of previous studies, satisfied and well-treated employees are likely to be more active in organisational roles, compared to dissatisfied workers. The reason for this positive response is that satisfied employees normally enjoy fair treatment and concern in their places of work and this motivates them in becoming more willing to get involved in activities that are vital in modern business environments.
The motivation of workers entails all approaches that managers and supervisors can apply with the aim of expressing sincere admiration to the accountability of their employees towards organisational productivity. In this regard, it is always a good idea for the leaders to recognise and try to acknowledge the efforts that their employees have put towards the effective productivity of their firms. Learning to acknowledge the performance of workers through praise, even in the least manner possible, is an appropriate way of boosting their morale in business, without having to incur any costs (Smithers and Walker 2000).
There is ample evidence showing that workers or employees are more likely to be satisfied in their work when they are aware that their efforts and abilities in the working grounds are being appreciated for. This way, the employees are able to embrace focused business directives that are likely to generate positive organisational citizen behaviours. There are many long-term benefits that organisational leaders are likely to enjoy, simply by learning to acknowledge the effort of their subordinates, and not just the outcome resulting from their work. There is arguably no doubt that praise is an effective energizer which never fails in building confidence in employees, thus encouraging them to become even more active and accountable in their productivity roles.
Failure to recognise and appreciate employees can always result in negative outcomes in the workplace, such as absenteeism and reduced worker turnover. Previous research has indicated that a lack of employee appreciation by managers and supervisors has been among the major causes of the many management crises and tribulations affecting organisations today. It is apparent that many modern business owners have completely failed to realise the power of employee incentive through honest praise, and this has been the cause of the many incessant worker-management clashes affecting modern organisations.
This voluntary behaviour of violating important organisational values and norms may eventually result in deviant workplace behaviour which may impose serious effects on the overall organisational performance and productivity (Lin 2007). There is a presumption that employeesâ performance in any level of the organisation could be motivated by money or any other form of favour which is may be directed to them.
The truth of the matter here, however, is that, even though these incentives are likely to play a key role towards motivation, many employees would just need to have a positive attitude towards their managers and organisations, and this can only be achieved through simple praise and appreciation. Employee motivation through praise does not only facilitate good productivity, but it also encourages good working relations among the participants in the workplace, thus improving the working conditions and working environments for both the employees and their leaders (Rodgers and Hunter 1991).
There are many ways through which managers and supervisors can show appreciation to their employees. These approaches would incorporate both verbal and nonverbal signals. For instance, managers can just drop quick positive remarks or comments that are intended to boost the morale of their subordinates in work. Examples of such comments are terms like âNice job,â âKeep it up,â âYou have done excellent work,â or âCongratulations.â It should always be observed that employees are likely to respond in an enthusiastic manner whenever they are spoken to in a friendly tone by their managers and supervisors.
These terms of appreciation would not only boost the morale of employees, but they also make them realise that their efforts and capabilities in the organisation are being recognised. In exchange for this recognition, employees are likely to portray organisational citizenship behaviour towards work, and this is likely to play a crucial role in promoting effective functioning and productivity in the work place. Other effective ways through which managers and other organisational leaders could express their praise on employees is by the use of non verbal gestures and signals such as thumbs-up, approving nods, or even a slight pat on the back (Wiley 1997).
Other common ways of expressing praise or gratitude to employees would include small gifts, written notes of appreciation, sending of letters or email cards, or even giving workers occasional day offs in exchange for exceptional performance (Bartol and Srivastava 2002). Each of these approaches is likely to catch employees at their best, thus motivating them to work even harder, in order to earn the praise of the manager. However, the effectiveness of praise on workers largely depends on a number of factors, such as the manner through which the gratitude is expressed, and the emphasis applied when it is being expressed.
For example, while it is always good for managers to praise their workers every time they earn their admiration, it is also important for them to specify the reason behind the praise. By doing so, managers would have maximised their praise on employees, thus heightening the kind of effect this is likely to impact on the employees. Organisational leaders can be assured of attracting and retaining loyal employees in firms, through these effective approaches.
The viewpoint discussed in this paper is consistent with various models of motivation, as they are manifested in the text book, through the disciplines that would tend to have significant contribution to the field of organisational behavior. Some of the behavioral disciplines through which organisational behavior can be applied and enforced would include sociology, psychology, and social psychology. In this context, sociology aims at studying humans in relevance with their social cultures and environment. Social psychology, on the other hand, focuses on the impact that humans would tend to have on one another, based on the fundamentals of sociology and psychology. Finally, psychology achieves its objectives by measuring, explaining and sometimes changing the behaviours of people in various organisations or units.
The perspective on the topic discussed in this paper has fitted well in the two common models of motivation i.e. the behavioral model and the expectancy model. In behavioral model, the behavior would depend on the consequences. The approaches in this model may include both positive and negative reinforcements, among other crucial aspects. The expectancy model indicates that, any form of motivation such as the one applied in this paper, would be a by-product of how much people need something and the possibility that a particular course of action or choice of approach would enable them achieve their objective or goal (Ramlall 2004).
In this case, employee motivation through praise is likely to boost workersâ morale in work, since this would compel them to strive in their roles, so as to achieve admirable results that would enable them win the acknowledgement of their managers and supervisors. Through various ways of motivation such as the ones expressed in this paper, organisational leaders can effectively administer and guide the ways through which workers can satisfy both their personal and organisational needs, thus contributing to efficient productivity.
Based on the observations of this discussion, praise really does motivate employees in organisations. In this regard, managers and supervisors should always view it as one of the most effective and convenient approaches that can be used to trigger the morale of employees. Through this proven method, organisations are able to realise the maximum ability of employees towards effective and efficient organisational productivity. As it has been observed, effective motivation through praise can positively affect the six dependent variables of organisational behavior described in this report. Employees are likely to end up feeling more respected and valued by their managers, when they are involved in constant praise. This positive feeling can eventually transform into a greater sense of commitment, thus contributing to effective and efficient employee productivity.
Reference List
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