Do Motivating Employees Discussion:
Do Motivating Employees Discussion:
A major influence on job performance is motivation. There are several theories explaining the concept of motivation (expectancy theory, ERG theory, reinforcement theory, etc.). Select one of the following three scenarios to use as a framework for your discussion. In your post, apply a specific motivational theory to one of the three scenarios. Complete an analysis of the motivational theory using the scenario as a framework for your discussion.
Scenario A
You are a manager at a manufacturing plant forced to reduce 25% of its workforce due to budget constraints caused in part by the increased prices of a raw material. The vast majority of the tasks once performed by employees are now outsourced to India. Consequently, your remaining workforce has suffered a significant lack of motivation. It is your task to move the remaining team forward under the current circumstances ensuring weekly quotas are reached and none of the production numbers suffer.
Scenario B
You are a call center representative working at a mortgage company struggling to keep up with the increased regulations and compliance guidelines imposed to better control this industry. Recently, a junior level manager was promoted to a Vice President (VP) position, much to the surprise of all the employees. The employee perception was that the promotion was unfair and that the chosen candidate lacks the experience and the “people skills” required to excel in the new role. The first few emails from the newly promoted VP set the stage for a less flexible, “numbers driven” environment, potentially negatively impacting employees’ work-life balance. You desperately need this job as a single parent raising three kids.
Scenario C
You have been employed at the same company for 20 years. You have come to terms with the fact that you have no promotional opportunities here and you are at a “dead end job.” You contemplated changing jobs a few times in the last few years, but some of the reasons you stay include a manageable work load, flexible work hours, friendly co-workers, and a supportive upper management team. Yet, you are not motivated to go above and beyond the expectations identified for your position and job description.
Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Use this week’s lecture and the course text as a foundation for your initial post. Incorporate the following article into your discussion: The Top 9 Things That Ultimately Motivate Employees to Achieve (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Respond to at least two other posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions:
- What did you learn from the posting?
- What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
- What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
- What differences or similarities do you see between your initial discussion thread and your classmates’ postings?
- How do your classmates’ chosen theories apply to other situations?
Your reply posts should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.
REPLY TO CHRISTYS DISCUSSION:
Motivating staff can be very tricky but if done properly can not only be effective but could also raise morale and make for a more positive work environment. I chose Scenario B because this is the one I can most closely relate to because I currently work in a call center where I am dealing with a comparable situation. The ERG Theory comes to mind in this Scenario ERG stands for Existence Needs, Relatedness and Growth according to Blanchard & Thacker, (2013). I feel like the need to make sure my immediate needs are taken care of are huge and may prevent me from overacting to the dissatisfaction in the new VP because he is still new and has time to change this management style based on upcoming reviews.
In addition to the existence needs, the fact that most people have the desire to be valued and accepted make me believe that the harsh management style could decrease over time because of the need to feel valued. If a manager is too harsh and does not listen to the needs and wants of their staff, they may not be valued and accepted. Last the overall feeling of self-worth and the accomplishment of turning the numbers around would be huge for the new VP, so even though he is pushing the numbers currently, he may be able to find a way to push the numbers in more positive manner so that his/her self-worth is better and so that they may feel as though there was some sort of accomplishment.
Reference:
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
REPLY TO MARCIAS DISCUSSION:
As a business manager, it is important to have an understanding of what motivates people in the work place and whether or not they are satisfied in their role (Llopis, 2012). It also helps with the implementation of successful training programs to ensure higher levels of employee performance. This performance depends on a person’s motivation, knowledge, skills, attitude, and environment. Motivation is generally made up of what a person is trying to satisfy, what activities they engage in to reach that satisfaction, how long they engage in those activities, and how hard they work to achieve those satisfaction goals (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). It is also thought that there are nine factors that motivate employees to achieve. A few of these include trustworthy management, feeling relevant, career advancement, a stable future, and happiness (Llopis, 2012).
Motivation theories fall into two categories. Needs theories attempt to describe the types of needs that people have and how important they are to that person. Process theories attempt to explain why people do what they do and how that relates to their level of satisfaction (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). I chose to focus on Scenario C for my discussion because this is the one that I relate to the most in my current role as office manager for an insurance agency. I’m focusing on the process theory of reinforcement which encompasses both positive and negative experiences and how they affect an employee’s behavior as a result. Positive reinforcement yields positive actions which tend to be repeated, negative reinforcement yields unpleasant experiences which tend to be avoided (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). In the case of the employee with no opportunity for advancement, the employer would be wise to provide a high level of positive reinforcement in order to incentivize the employee to stay and excel. Positive reinforcement can be provided in the form of bonuses, rewards, commissions, benefits, and praise and needs to take place immediately after the employee completes a positive behavior. Feeling valuable is something that every employee should want to experience and positive reinforcement can help with that goal.
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Llopis, G. (2012, June 4). The top 9 things that ultimately motivate employees to achieve. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/06/04/top-9-things-that-ultimately-motivate-employees-to-achieve/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.