Workplace Motivation

Motivation in the workplace is the single most influential factor in achievement of higher productivity and profitability by an organization. Over the years, psychologists have concurred with social analysts and workplace managers that employees indeed act as the main springboard to effectively promote objectivity of their organizations management plans (Weiner, 1985). It is from this notion that motivation in most of the organizations has been assimilated not just at the top management levels only, but at the lower sections to derive genuine intrinsic returns. Owing to this consideration, this paper seeks to explore workplace motivation strategies, their related theories and affects in organizations' workplace settings. Deriving this interlink, the paper outlines various recommendations that could be employed to effect the necessary changes and therefore assimilate holistic productivity and progress. 2. Affects of motivational strategies on work productivity a) Introduction In my organization where I work [XYZ] workplace motivation has been the defining factor for its current success. As an airline company, the management underscores the need to strongly motivate the employees as they are entirely independent in their operations by nature of their jobs. Though the concept of giving the highest possible quality to the consumers through motivating the staff was initially not effectively understood, entry of the current Chief Executive officer made the notion easy to grasp and apply with ease. b) Organizational efforts to promote performance Due to the high level competition in the airline industry, measures that have the capacity to promote returns are always welcome. As a result, workers motivation has been assimilated as a major facet for enhancing greater returns. Therefore, the management has facilitated the formation and operation of teams and groups at the lower levels of employees. Use of teamwork and team leadership has therefore brought the staff and employees at the decision making level as they are entrusted with all the major activities that take place during flights. Indeed, this model been hailed and emulated by other airlines in that the staff is entrusted to address all the emergent issues to generate the highest possible satisfaction to the consumers. Besides, unlike other airline companies that keep on hiring and firing their staff, XYZ observes a high retention system with internal promotions serving as a major motivational consideration. After the terrorist attack at world trade center in US, XYZ maintained its entire staff as others strongly downsized to cater for the crisis period as more people drifted away from air flights. Top leadership and management officials are identified and promoted from the teams’ operations efficiency. Such emergent leadership has been a strong motivating facet to the level lower employees as they seek to follow the same trend to get at the top. Bridging the gap between the top management and the lower level employees has perhaps been the best motivating notion that the company employs to boost the morale of the workers in their duties. Since the onset of the current economic crisis the management has sought to break the previous hierarchical mode of management and bring together all the staff to work together at all times. By bringing them closer to the management, it became much easier to understand their overall needs and sentiments therefore pro-actively solving them. Indeed, discussions and problem analysis between the management and staff in search for solutions and alternatives has become part of the XYZ culture. This brings out the sense of ownership and identity which drives the employees to work in their organizations with great efforts as they would have done for their personal jobs. It is from the above efforts that XYZ maintained its profitability after the terrorist attack in the year at the world trade center and the current economic downturn as the employees seek to gather more efforts from the continuous motivation they generate. c) Employees resistance to increasing productivity It is worth noting that though the management has over the years been strongly committed to enhance greater motivation, strong resistance has also been increasing with time. Some of the employees view the current initiatives as a facet to divide them in that some cannot be able to get the different team leaders positions or being promoted. Though the management has been considering this to be part of the anti development group that generally views any form of development from a negative point of view, the company leadership has often been cautioned to ensure that it does not spread to the rest of the staff. This has prompted the management to establish a general criterion to be used for promotions and awards therefore preventing any sense of sabotage among them. To add to that, bulk of the major changes have seen introduction of modernistic highly computerized and automated systems to not only reduce the time of service to the consumers, but promote the general quality and utility equivalence of the payment. However, this has been interpreted to indicate possible threats to their jobs even with the management confirmation of total retention for all the staff. This has further been linked with the overall resistant nature of the human beings in their work places emanating from their complexity analysis of the present events but overshadowed by the future uncertainty. ) Management philosophy of motivation and practices Application of motivation systems by the company has been deeply based on the understanding of interplay between the different needs of the employees and their efforts to see higher productivity. As a result, the management overview has been in a twin fold model where the general returns to the staff acts as the main driving force to their general efforts. Though this has been cited to be the major factor in the company behind its success, a general shift was recorded when the employees suggested their allowances reduction to anchor the general company's cost reduction strategy. As Hatch underscores in his model of cultural dynamic, the ability of the staff to effectively support the management decisions depends on how the leadership will harmonize their views and needs of the workers to reduce the overall resistance to infer the necessary motivation for work and innovation (2000). In this respect XYZ brought sought to bring the management closer to the staff by invoking the necessary autonomy in their work, reducing the hierarchical management system, and incorporating the employees in the decision making process. 3. Implications of applying other motivational theories a) Vroom's expectancy theory Though XYZ application of motivational theories has been highly integrative of the different theories due to its nature, some have not been effectively applied. To begin with, Vroom's expectancy theory indicates that motivation to the staff and employees is based not only on the material well being, but to attain the necessary anticipated outcome as the general achievement and assimilate the belief that the exerted effort has been helpful in promoting the status of the company. Application of this theory would be of great essence to the company management by being self driven from the onset, carefully self evaluated, and highly cautious to raise productivity and profitability of the company. However, its application would perhaps be highly controversial due to lack of the necessary guidance as exemplified by the present management of XYZ. However, it would be a great relevance in reducing the overall expenses and therefore put greater emphasis on productivity and profitability of the company. To the employees, this theory would infer mixed reactions on their perceptions in that the general assimilated attitude towards the company could be essential in enhancing their efforts towards higher production. However, it also has the capacity to be misinterpreted to indicate oppression by the management towards the employees and therefore become a major stabling block for productivity and progress in the company. It is therefore essential that its application be effected instantaneously to give the correct message to the employees. b) Aldefer's ERC theory. Then Aldefer's ERC theory indicates that for all the expected returns to be assimilated, the staff would be required to attain different set standards to get the necessary benefits attached to them (Bollesm, 1975). Though this would infer further need of grater returns to the company, the management may indeed get the direct opposite. Motivation as indicated in the earlier sections in this paper should be self driving without a sense of coercion. Possible standards should always be established in consultation with the staff to affect the general acceptability of the system by all. For the employees in the company, this would be viewed as part of the general initiative to render them unworkable. Indeed, it has the capacity to spark unrest from the general sense of inferiority to attain the different set standards. It is imperative that such level marks are set at the possible levels that the staff would be able to attain and more importantly in teams. 4. Conclusion It is from the above discussion that this paper concludes by supporting thesis statement that motivation in the workplace is the single most influential factor in achievement of higher productivity and profitability by an organization. It is important that staff is carefully handled by the management to generate the necessary perception from them for higher productivity. Motivation should be integrated to the general culture of the company in a manner that all the major operations project to profitability. To add to that, the management should give the employees the necessary room to contribute creatively and promote innovation for higher returns.