Workplace Motivational Processes

Workplace Motivational Processes 1

Motivational Processes

In a Modern-Day Workplace

Management 331

Organizational Behavior

Jimmie Morgan

Team Paper - June 19, 2002

Assignment

Prepare a 1750-2450 word paper analyzing the organization of one of your team members and the motivation processes as identified in one of the following theories:

a) Maslow

b) Aldefer

c) Herzberg

d) Acquired needs

Show how your selected organization applies the motivation theories to workplace productivity. Is it achieving the desired results?

Workplace Motivational Processes 2

Motivational Processes

In a Modern-Day Workplace

Frederick Herzberg developed what is known as the motivator-hygiene theory or, more commonly, the two-factor theory, “which portrays different factors as primary causes of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.” (Schemerhorn et al, p 113) According to the theory, factors that relate more to the environment than to the work itself are known as hygiene factors. These include things such as organizational policies, quality of supervision, working conditions, base wage or salary, relationships with peers, status and security. Herzberg stipulates that hygiene factors are things that affect job dissatisfaction, but will not impact job satisfaction, which he views as a separate dimension. His theory states that, in order to improve job satisfaction, companies need to focus on motivator factors, which include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, growth, and the work itself. Many successful modern-day businesses take a very balanced approach to the motivation of their employees, recognizing that although job satisfaction may be affected more by the motivator factors of the theory, keeping employees from being can be avoided by addressing the hygiene issues.

Citigroup, the world’s largest financial services institution, takes the balanced approach to complete job satisfaction. The corporation’s belief is that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are two sides of the same coin. The company believes that someone may be given the advancement and responsibility they crave. They also hold the position that if the changes do not include a merited increase in base salary, the employee will feel underpaid, and their increased satisfaction as a consequence of the motivator factors will still not cause them to remain with the company. As such, motivator factors can help keep someone productive and happy with their situation, but hygiene factors are seen as

Workplace Motivational Processes 3

contributing to the employee’s overall desire to remain as well.

At Citigroup, they begin by addressing the hygiene factors, in the belief that those are the reasons people will come to work for them in the first place. They understand that the hygiene factors will attract the right people for the company and the position, which increases the likelihood of retention. By having the choice among different candidates, the company can try to ensure that relationships amongst peers or subordinates can be more harmonious. The right mix of people, each with similar values towards teamwork, is what can drive a company to the next level. The team, once built, is likely to have more positive interaction as they share experiences through social relations such as group parties. They also collaborate more to take care of one another. A great example of this occurred recently, as different members of a sales group pitched in to pay for over a thousand dollars worth of needed repairs to a co-worker’s vehicle. The person in question was a single mom with a nine-year old daughter. She had a competitive income but had been unable to put aside the money she needed for the emergency. When other team members discovered the situation, they each pitched in as much as they could, with some giving only a few dollars and others giving a few hundred. In doing so, the job satisfaction level of the group as a whole was higher, as the benefactors felt a sense of accomplishment and the woman felt much