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.