Employee motivation Flashcards
Why are motivated employees pivotal to a businesses success?
Simply, motivated employees are more productive than non motivated employees, and more willing to work hard than non motivated employees, they are also more likely to be reliable and aligned with business objectives.
- They are more loyal; less turnover and absenteeism.
- Will provide better customer service and improve customer satisfaction when employees are engaged and motivated.
Why is it important for a business to motivate their employees other than productivity?
Will provide the business with a good reputation for creating a good working environment; will attract the best employees giving the business a CA.
There are several theories on how to motivate employees; what are they?
Taylors Scientific management, Mayo’s team working , Herzberg’s two factor motivation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs..
What was taylors theory on maximising motivation?
In 1920s America, Taylor believed that all employees cared about regarding jobs was money and workers only cared for money. He believed workers were also inherently lazy and would put minimum effort in if they were left to their own devices.
- Taylor wanted to find the right worker for each job and maximise their efficiency and production on that job and make sure every worker did it that way.
- Taylor thought all workers should do small, repetitive tasks that were easy to do and manage how good their output was would allow for the most efficiency.
- He believed workers should all be payed by their contribution and believed workers only cared about money, thus should use it as an incentive to increase relative productivity, by paying the hardest workers the most.
- Additionally, the increased productivity meant less labour was needed, so all workers would work harder to prevent redundancies.
Issues with Taylor’s theory?
Only managed productivity, not quality which could lack.
- Does not work in the modern business world, considered exploitation.
- Demotivating to do monotonous work.
However his piece rate still exists.
What was Maslow’s theory on maximising motivation? Include cons.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology that describes how human needs are structured in a hierarchical order. The hierarchy is typically depicted as a pyramid with five levels, starting with the most basic physiological needs at the bottom and moving up to higher-order needs such as self-actualization at the top.
The five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are:
Physiological needs - such as food, water, and shelter
Safety needs - such as security, stability, and protection from harm
Love and belonging needs - such as social connection, love, and intimacy
Esteem needs - such as self-esteem, recognition, and respect from others
Self-actualization needs - such as personal growth, creativity, and fulfilment
The benefits of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory are that it provides a framework for understanding human motivation and behaviour. By understanding which needs are most important to people at different stages of their lives, organizations can design strategies to meet those needs and improve employee motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction.
However, there are also several criticisms and limitations of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. One criticism is that it is too simplistic and does not take into account individual differences in motivation and needs. For example, some people may prioritize self-actualization needs over safety needs, or may have different cultural or social needs that are not addressed in the hierarchy.
What was Herzberg’s two factor theory?
Herzberg beleived that there were two groups of factors that motivated workers:
Hygiene factors; Things like good company policy, supervision, sufficient working conditions, pay, and relations with other employees. These were factors that Herzberg stated people expected in a job and would be dissatisfied without, thus they did not actually motivate them to work harder.
Motivating factors; These are things like interesting work, personal growth and achievement, recognitions for achievement and scope for more responsibility and development. These factors actually motivate workers to work harder than before.
Herzberg’s theory recognises that motivating staff comes from fulfilling their individual needs and is often used by businesses today however it does not consider that this was based on a small sample size and different people have different hygiene and motivating factors, e.g. people might expect good pay but be motivated to make more.
What did Mayo believe was the best way to motivate employees?
Mayo’s theory concluded that workers are not just motivated by economic factors such as pay, but also by social and psychological factors such as recognition, group cohesion, and a sense of purpose. He believed that workers were more productive when they felt that their work was meaningful and that they were part of a group that valued their contributions.
Mayo’s findings led to the development of the human relations movement in management, which emphasized the importance of treating employees as individuals with social and psychological needs, rather than just as cogs in a machine. The Hawthorne studies and Mayo’s theory are still influential in the field of organizational behavior and management today.
His work concluded that managers needed to make more of an effort to communicate and put workers in teams where working with other people socially made workers happier and more productive, big influence -but does not necessarily work for all workers.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Job enlargement?
Job enlargement gives employees a greater range of work to do at the same level to make it less monotonous.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Job rotation?
Where workers are occasionally moved from one task to another, used where tasks can be repetitive, and means workers become multi - skilled and have more variety in their jobs.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Job enrichment?
Gives workers more challenging work and the training required to do it. It gives employees more responsibility for organising their work and solving problems.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Empowerment?
Gives people control over their work and and greater roles in decision making - includes quality circles, which involve lots of people from different departments meeting to suggest how to improve.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Consultation?
Simply managers communicating with employees. Shows they are valued. Can also help managers who do not have primary experience e.g. shop floors.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Delegation?
Gives employees more autonomy over decision making. It is beneficial as it requires the manager and employee feel more trust, and the employee will feel more valuable to the business, depending on the task.
Given the proven importance of motivation, most businesses look to make jobs as motivating as possible through financial and non financial incentives, what are the non financial incentives? Team working?
Puts workers into small teams and lets them organise their own work - can lead to job enrichment and empowerment as workers can do more tasks and have greater roles.
