DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
You are a fresh
graduate and have been promoted as a manager of IT department at Micronet
International College. Your team department comprises majorly from middle age
and more experienced than you are. Recently, you noticed that your team member
is attitude is changing in terms of their work and effort. This has an effect
on the company productivity; therefore you want to improve the situation and
performance of your team members in the IT department. From your observation,
you have identified two distinct groups of attitudes and behaviors. The
following are brief profiles of the two groups:
Group A
This group is the “happy go lucky fellas”, where most
of them view work as a means to earn enough for a simple lifestyle and
satisfaction of basic needs. Most of these people in this group have poor
attendance records. They tend to exert the minimum effort and do not show any
initiative in doing their work.
Group B
This group of employees is the least problematic.
However, employee in this group has no hesitation in leaving the company. Their
personal records seem to indicate that they are prepared to job-hop to find the
ideal job. This group tends to look for challenges in work and dislike routine
tasks. As the manager of IT department you are responsible for the performance
of your team member.
Apply
any known conventional work-motivation theories in order to:
- Identify the motivation problems of Group A and indicate which theory you are using.
- Identify the motivation problems of Group B and indicate which theory you are using.
- Plan the solutions how you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group A
- Plan the solutions how you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group B
DISCUSSIONS:
What makes people do what they do? Why do some people succeed while
others fail? The answer just might be motivation. We know that from an
early age motivation prompts us to want to learn and exhibit different
types of behavior and stimulates us to accomplish new feats of success.
As we grow and mature through the different stages of our lives, we
hopefully learn what motivates us and what does not.
What is motivation?
Motivation
is generally defined as the force that compels us to action. It drives
us to work hard and pushes us to succeed. Motivation influences our
behavior and our ability to accomplish goals.
There are many different forms of motivation. Each one influences behavior in its own unique way. No single type of motivation works for everyone. People’s personalities vary and so accordingly does the type of motivation, that is most effective at inspiring their conduct.
There are many different forms of motivation. Each one influences behavior in its own unique way. No single type of motivation works for everyone. People’s personalities vary and so accordingly does the type of motivation, that is most effective at inspiring their conduct.
Basic types of Motivation
Incentive
A form of motivation that
involves rewards, both monetary and nonmonetary is often called incentive
motivation. Many people are driven by the knowledge that they will be rewarded
in some manner for achieving a certain target or goal. Bonuses and promotions
are good examples of the type of incentives that are used for motivation.
Fear
Fear motivation involves
consequences. This type of motivation is often one that is utilized when
incentive motivation fails. In a business style of motivation often referred to
as the, “carrot and stick,” incentive is the carrot and fear is the stick.
Punishment or negative
consequences are a form of fear motivation. This type of motivation is commonly
used to motivate students in the education system and also frequently in a
professional setting to motivate employees. If we break the rules or fail to
achieve the set goal, we are penalized in some way.
Achievement
Achievement motivation is
also commonly referred to as the drive for competency. We are driven to achieve
goals and tackle new challenges. We desire to improve skills and prove our
competency both to others and to ourselves. Generally, this feeling of
accomplishment and achievement is intrinsic in nature.
However, in certain
circumstances be motivation for achievement may involve external recognition.
We often have a desire or need to receive positive feedback from both our peers
and our superiors. This may include anything from an award to a simple pat on
the back for a job well done.
Growth
The need for self-improvement
is truly an internal motivation. A burning desire to increase our knowledge of
ourselves and of the outside world can be a very strong form of motivation. We
seek to learn and grow as individuals.
Motivation for growth can
also be seen in our yearning for change. Many of us are wired by our
personality or upbringing to constantly seek a change in either our external or
internal environment or knowledge. We view stagnation to be both negative and
undesirable.
Power
The motivation of power can
either take the form of a desire for autonomy or other desire to control others
around us. We want to have choices and control over our own lives. We strive
for the ability to direct the manner in which we live now and the way our lives
will unfold in the future.
We also often aspire to
control others around us. The desire for control is stronger in some people
than others. In some cases, the craving for power induces people to harmful,
immoral, or illegal behavior. In other situations, the longing for power is
merely a desire to affect the behavior of others. We simply want people to do
what we want, according to our timetable, and the way we want it done.
Social
Many people are motivated
by social factors. This may be a desire to belong and to be accepted by a
specific peer group or a desire to relate to the people in our sphere or in the
larger world. We have an innate need to feel a connection with others. We also
have the need for acceptance and affiliation.
A genuine and passionate
desire to contribute and to make a difference in the lives of others can be
another form of social motivation. If we have a longing to make a contribution
to the world around us, it is generally a sign that we are motivated by social
factors.
The real importance of
understanding the different types of motivation is in our ability to determine
which form of motivation is the most effective for inspiring the desired
behavior in either others or ourselves. None of these styles of motivation is
inherently good or bad, the positive or negative outcome is truly determined by
the way they are used.
Motivation theories
Some motivation theories use to motivate employees are:
- Douglas McGregor
- Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory
- Herzberg’s Two Factor Model
- B. F. Skinner’s Behaviorist-Reinforcement Model
DOUGLAS MCGREGOR
Motivate people by classifying people according to their views by using Theory X and Theory Y
Theory X
|
Theory Y
|
Man dislikes work and will avoid it if he can.
|
Work is necessary to man’s psychological growth.
|
Man must be forced - or bribed - to put out the right
effort.
|
Man wants to be interested in his work and, under the
right conditions he can enjoy it.
|
Man would rather be directed than accept responsibility,
which he avoids.
|
Man will direct himself towards an accepted target.
|
Man is motivated mainly by money.
|
Man will seek, and accept, responsibility under the right
conditions.
|
Man is motivated by anxiety about his security.
|
The discipline a man imposes on himself is more effective,
and can be more severe, than any imposed on him.
|
Most men have little creativity - except when it comes to
getting round management rules!
|
Under the right conditions man is motivated by the desire
to realise his own potential.
|
Creativity and ingenuity are widely distributed and
grossly
|
THEORY X WORKERS
- Manager tries to motivate through fear
- Employees must be rewarded, coerced, intimidated and punished
- Constant supervision
- Maintain tight control over employees Make decisions and provide directions for employees
THEORY Y WORKERS
- Decentralize control and reduce the number of levels of management
- Job Enlargement by broadening the scope of an employee's job adds variety and opportunities to satisfy ego needs.
- Consulting employees in the decision making process taps their creative capacity and provides them with some control over their work environment.
- Having the employee set objectives and participate in the process of evaluating how well they were met.
MASLOW’S NEED HIERARCHY THEORY
 |
| An interpretation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom |
- It follows that man can be self-motivated
- The task of the manager is to create conditions of work in which this will take place.
- In situations where this is difficult to achieve, as in dull and repetitive work, high pay remains of paramount importance because workers are forced to find satisfaction outside their work.
HERZBERG'S TWO FACTOR MODEL
 |
| Herzberg’s Two Factor Model |
- Herzberg suggests that the factors on the left-hand side of the chart can make people very dissatisfied, but do not positively motivate them to work harder. He calls them ‘hygiene factors’ and says that by giving more of them ‘you just remove unhappiness, you don't make people happy’. These factors match the bottom three levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
- Factors on the right-hand side of the chart have little to do with money and status and much to do with achievement and responsibility. They match the top two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy and are connected with job content. Herzberg calls them ‘motivators’. It is these that seem to play a vital role in increasing people’s commitment to their work and their company.
B. F. SKINNER’S BEHAVIORALIST-REINFORCEMENT MODEL
Understanding of reinforcement as a powerful managerial tool for controlling and shaping patterns of employee behavior:
- First, the timing or scheduling of reinforcements is at least as important as the absolute level of reinforcement. Example, intermittent reinforcement (rewarding the desired behaviour only part of the time) is more effective than constant reinforcement (rewarding the desired behaviour each time that it occurs).
- Second, a vital distinction between the notion of reinforcement on one hand, and that of punishment on the other:
Reinforcement:
Positive: present attractive stimulus following desired behaviour
Negative: remove unpleasant stimulus following desired behaviour
Punishment:
Removing pleasant event following undesired behaviour
Present unpleasant stimulus following undesired response
Behaviour can only be positively influenced and learned under conditions of reinforcement (positive or negative).
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DISCUSSION ANSWERS:QUESTION I :
The motivation problems identified for Group A are:
- View work as a means to earn enough for a simple lifestyle and satisfaction of basic needs
- Poor attendance records
- Minimum effort in their work
- Do not show any initiative in doing their work.
The best motivation theory use for this type of group will be the Douglas McGregor Theory X. Because it is similar with the Theory in classifying people according to their views, which is
Theory X
|
Man
dislikes work and will avoid it if he can.
|
Man
must be forced - or bribed - to put out the right effort.
|
Man
would rather be directed than accept responsibility, which he avoids.
|
Man is
motivated mainly by money.
|
Man is
motivated by anxiety about his security.
|
Most
men have little creativity - except when it comes to getting round management
rules!
|
QUESTION II :
The motivation problems identified for Group B are:- No hesitation in leaving the company
- Prepared to job-hop to find the ideal job
- Look for challenges in work
- Dislike routine tasks
The best motivation theory use for this type of group will be the Douglas McGregor Theory Y and it is similar with the theory stated below.
Theory Y
|
Work is
necessary to man’s psychological growth.
|
Man
wants to be interested in his work and, under the right conditions he can
enjoy it.
|
Man
will direct himself towards an accepted target.
|
Man
will seek, and accept, responsibility under the right conditions.
|
The
discipline a man imposes on himself is more effective, and can be more
severe, than any imposed on him.
|
Under
the right conditions man is motivated by the desire to realize his own
potential.
|
Creativity
and ingenuity are widely distributed and grossly
|
QUESTION III :
The solutions for the you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group A by referring to the Douglas McGregor Theory X are as follows:
- Manager tries to motivate through fear
- Employees must be rewarded, coerced, intimidated and punished
- Constant supervision
- Maintain tight control over employees make decisions and provide directions for employees.
QUESTION IV:
The solutions for the you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group B by referring to the Douglas McGregor Theory Y are as follows:
- Decentralize control and reduce the number of levels of management
- Job enlargement by broadening the scope of an employee's job adds variety and opportunities to satisfy ego needs.
- Consulting employees in the decision making process taps their creative capacity and provides them with some control over their work environment.
- Having the employee set objectives and participate in the process of evaluating how well they were met.
1) Approval, praise, and recognition
2) Trust, respect and high expectations
On the other hand, Persuasion and Power of Influence is more powerful than coercion.
Reference
Information System Environment chapter 9 - Motivation
Referred on: 20/07/2012
alan chapman
1995-2012
Available from: http://www.businessballs.com/motivation.htm
[Accessed on 20/07/2012]
Done by: Hjh Siti, Khairul, Nazmi, Sufi