Motivation in the work place

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Motivation in the work place

In any given workplace, it is of essence that persons working there are motivated so as to enhance productivity and overall performance. Bearing in mind that all people are different it too takes diverse means to keep them motivated and into their work. Depending on the nature of the organization and nature of work, different strategies can be adopted.

The use of external motivators is one strategy that can be applied to stir up employees’ morale. This is most applicable in cases where the workers lack self-motivation from within. This comes in the form of rewards and recognition for tasks well done. These makes the workers to feel important and hence perform their tasks better. An overuse of such may lead to decline in productivity among the workers (Benowitz, 2011).

Internal motivation comes in handy when the personnel have a touch of high self-motivation for what they do. In such a case, the workers need to know and see the importance of their effort in any task that they undertake. A say in the goals set also does go a long way to boost morale as it makes the worker feel appreciated by those in charge.

These are among many other ways of improving performance, which include incentives, implementing revised management programmes and evaluation of salaries depending on workers efforts and responsibilities. To deal with employees’ resistance to productivity, management can develop a rotational programme to shift employees from one department to another periodically to minimise boredom and disinterest in their work. Having an open-door policy can also open up employees to management hence address any issues that come up which can derail productivity if they are not handled promptly and carefully.

Under management philosophy, the creation of a favourable work climate and managements approach to motivation is core. This varies depending on the structure of the organization. In a case where specialization is applied, there’s more efficiency as tasks are defined. However, this is disadvantageous as it limits employees and hinders self-actualization. Another practice that can be taken up by management is behavioural approach, which deals with the way managers treat employees. Webstar (2011) notes treating employees as mature adult and giving additional responsibilities helps to boost morale. There’s also increased productivity when employees are treated positively as responsible adults.

Another motivational theory that can be put in place is the expectancy theory in which the motivation of an individual increases as long as there is a clear reflection of the effort exerted and the reward received. This is to mean that the reward should be worth the effort and the management might have to pay more in this case.

The expectancy theory is one that takes into consideration the rationality of the human brain as explained Reader (2011). According to Reader (2011) if one expects something for a task completed then one likely to take up a more challenging task as more is expected. This theory bears an element of subjectivity as the decision making process is hard to measure as it depends on one’s perception of what will come out of a certain action. The implication of this one is largely dissatisfaction when the workers expectations are not met, in this case, if reward given doesn’t appear worth the task.

The theory may practically bring in more expenses but has proved to be more popular in many companies (Webstar, 2010). The uniqueness of this theory is that it provides detailed steps that may improve a business and aid in its success. It encourages businesses to develop close associations between reward and behaviour, maintain consistency and involve employees in decision making processes. The overall impact is clearly positive for all parties, the management and employees.

In sum, the management in organisations usually aim at improve performance of their organisation. However, employees always reject these efforts knowingly or unknowingly. In this regard, using motivational approaches to motivate employees to improve their performance becomes mandatory. The management can apply various motivational theories such as expectancy theory, and behavioural approaches.

References

Webstar. A. (2012). How Various Motivational Strategies Affect Productivity in a Selected Workplace. Retrieved on 1 April 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/info_8019848_various-affect-productivity-selected-workplace.html

Benowitz, E. A. (2011). Cliffs Quick Review: Principles of Management. John Wiley & Sons

Reader. C. (2011). Expectancy Theory Compared to Other Motivational Theories. Retrieved on 1 April 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/info_8267709_expectancy-compared-other-motivation-theories.html