Motivation

Motivation

Motivation

Introduction

Motivation is an important factor that is likely to rise the productively of the employees in the organization. Employee motivation helps to raise the productivity of an organization and at the same time assist the organization to work as a system. The most important aspect of motivation is to align the aims, purpose, and the values between staff, teams and the whole organization in general to the culture of the organization. There are organizational and personal motivation techniques which are important for an organization to achieve improved productivity. Personal motivation techniques are important as they help to have motivated employees who are well integrated in the organization culture. (Geen, 2004)

3 Fortune 500 companies

(i) IBM corporation

IBM Corporation is one of the most successful companies in the world. It has recorded impressive growth since the company was formed. The company has cut an edge in the production and sale of computer hardware and other electronic. One of the most important pillars for growth of the company has been its workforce. The company has well motivated employees who have ensured that the company remains a market leader.

IB has employed different techniques in the motivation of its staff. Among the most notable techniques include:

– The company sets goals for every employee in the organization which ensures that they are moving towards achievement of a common goal. This helps the employees to move to achieve a certain target.

– The company also ensures a high level of team work spirit. Employee works as a team to accomplish a given project

Motivation

(ii) Dell Company

Dell has been another market leader in the world of computers. Since the company was established it has ensured growth in the industry through innovation and marketing strategies. Among the most important internal factors that have ensured the growth of the company has been motivation of the workforce.

Dell uses the following techniques to motivate its workforce:

– It has ensured continuous training and development of the workforce in order to improve the work procedures. This has created a focused workforce which is aimed at achieving the best for the company.

– The company has also used rewards and incentives technique like pay performance plans, merit pay and others which ensures intense work for each to achieve high pay.

(iii) Wall-mart

Wall-mart is the leading store having established store outlets in all part of the world. With large chains of outlets, wall-mart has a large workforce which has been well managed and controlled. In the design of its operation, the company values its employees more since they are the source of growth for the company. The company uses the following techniques to motivate its workforce:

– The company carries continuous training and development of the workforce from time to time. It has an inherent structure which ensures that those who are well trained and performs well in the system are promoted

– The company also offers a number of financial incentives for the workers.

Motivation

a) In what ways are these companies using the theories and models addressed in the lecture and Week #4 assigned chapters?

These companies have been applying important theories and model of individual motivation to ensure that they have a performing workforce. According the Maslow hierarchy of need mode, money is one of the most important factors in the motivation of the most important motivator.

However according to the Hertzberg’s two factor model of motivation, it tend to have short term effect on the motivation of the workforce, it has been identified as one of the most important factor in the overall motivation of the workforce. At the higher levels of his hierarchy where praise, respect, recognition and empowerment are place, these companies have been using this model by ensuring that they recognize the performance of their workers. Wall-mart has been empowering its workforce through training to ensure that those who show progress in their performance are well awarded through promotion. Therefore following the McGregor theory of motivation, they are effectively using recognition in achievement as an important ways to motivate their workers. (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2003)

One of the most important factor that has been explore by many motivation theories on workers are that motivation is mainly based the amount they are paid. Even if all the rest of the factors are improved and the pay remains controversial, Fredrick Winslow Taylor scientific management assert that they will not be motivated enough. Money is therefore the most important factor that has been used by these companies to motivate them. (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2003)

IBM has in particular upheld the spirit of team work which is important in motivation according to McGregor XY Theory. IBM has been emphasizing the development of effective communication between its workforces by ensuring healthy team competition. This has also been upheld in Dell. Both of them have ensured effective inclusion of their bosses in the organization which according to Johari Window theory will ensure that workers enjoy their work. This helps to foster effective communication between workers and their superiors which is important in the overall development and growth of the workforce. (FED, 2004)

Motivation

b) To what extent is employee motivation related to these three organizational cultures?

One of the most important ways that an organization can ensure the continued growth of its workforce and to have effective programs that lead to motivated worker is through the entrenchment of the various methods of motivating workforce into the culture of the organization. Organization culture is important in ensuring that there is continuous performance of some practices in the organization. It also ensures that there is standard of performance which gives the most important accepted standard of performance in any organization. (Fleet, 2001)

Employee motivation is one of the most important cultures that can be adopted by the organization. By entrenching employee motivation in the culture of the organization, we ensure that there is continued standard of performance. In these organization employees motivation is one of the most important factors in their culture. They all value their employees as the most important assets and therefore they ensure that there is continued growth if the workforce.

These organizations have entrenched employee motivation in their overall human resource growth strategy. This means that it is implemented as one of the overall objectives which are likely to help the organization achieve its goals. They are part and parcel of their operations and their culture in general.

c) What motivational methods are these companies using that were not explicitly covered in text chapters 8 and 9?

There are a number of motivation methods that were not well covered in chapter 8 and 9. The most important of these models are ethos which helps us to understand each other in the process of communication. The Johari Window Theory was not explicitly covered but it has been important used in a number of these organizations to ensure their growth and development of the workforce. The Johari Window is however mostly used in interpersonal communication and understanding but it is also an important factor in understanding the

Motivation

process of motivation.

These two chapters did not also well cover the Alfred Taylor model which is used in scientific management. This model asserts that money is the most important tool that is used in the motivation of the workforce. It asserts that even if all the motivation factors are fulfilled and this one is not fulfilled, employers will still remain unmotivated since money is at the centre of employee motivation.

Hertzberg’s two factor model of motivation is not also well covered in this chapter. Hertzberg assert the money which is usually provided as a financial incentive in motivation is an important factor in the overall motivation of the workforce. However as he assert that money produces a short term motivation in the employees and they will continue to demand for additional salaries or money incentives even when they have been given their first incentives. Money doest not produce a lasting motivating solution to the employees.

d) What conclusions and summary can you draw from your analyses of these three companies that add value to your understanding of motivation in the workplace?

From the understanding of the three organizations, employees’ motivation is an important factor in order to enhance overall productivity of the workforce. For an organization to have a motivated workforce, there has to have a number of strategies which will ensure that there is overall growth of the workforce. The three organizations have put in place programs which are aimed at ensuring that they have well motivated workforce. All of them have used the targets of the employee as one of the most important factor which is also well tied to the earning. This complies with models which we have reviewed above which shows that money is perhaps the most important factor in the motivation of the workforce.

Sometimes it will even necessitate an organization to use its financial resources in order to

Motivation

ensure its overall growth. However motivated workforce is one factor in ensuring competency in an organization. A competent workforce is an important source of a competitive edge for an organization which other competing organizations may find hard to achieve. From my understanding of motivation, an organization should not count on the financial expenses that is expending on its workforce but it should rather be looking at the overall gains that is making from the employees. After all employees are the most important asset that an organization has and they should be well treated in order to ensure that there is overall growth. (Deci and Ryan, 2005)

We can therefore say that these organizations have taken the aspect of motivation of their employees as the most important practices in their operation. This is perhaps one of the factors that have guided them to enter into the prestigious list of Fortune 100 which represent the most successful companies by their revenues.

References

Deci, L. & Ryan, R. (2005): Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum

FED (2004): Foundation for Enterprise Development. Retrieved from http://www.fed.org/index.

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Fleet, K (2001): The Dynamics of Motivation. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Geen, R. (2004): Human motivation Wadsworth Publishing.

Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. (2003).Organizational Behaviour. McGraw-Hill

Motivation