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Running head: WORKPLACE MOTIVATION PAPER 1
Workplace Motivation Paper
Moses Holmes
University of Phoenix
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Workplace Motivation Paper
Clearly, one of the most pressing problems facing today’s rapidly changing
workforce is how to motivate employees to work efficiently and productively. Employers
encounter motivation challenges by acclimating to a host of new concepts needed to
meet the employees’ expectations. Intuitively, employees lack motivation in spite of the
rewards, incentives, or recognition. Studies by theorists, consultants, and researchers
agree that employees motivation occur by different and often multiple incentives,
(Garlick, 2007). Yet, employers continue to manage their incentive programs
ineffectively by maintaining a one program or policy to motivate all employees. The task
of determining what rewards motivate one employee or a group of employees over
another is complex and arduous. “Sound motivational theory should ... assume that
motivation is constant, never ending, fluctuating, and complex, and that it is an almost
universal characteristic of practically every organismic state of affairs,” (Maslow, 1954,
p. 69, Reeve, 2009, p. 36). The report will examine the theories of motivation used
within the organization’s employee recognition program. The employee reward program
disclosed the organization’s efforts to improve the employees’ performance, resistance
to increasing productivity, the management’s philosophy and practices of motivation.
Additionally, two theories, not practiced by the organization, determine the merits of the
theories when applied to the management and employees of the organization.
Motivation Theories at Work
Monetary rewards are no longer capable of serving as the employee’s primary
motivating drive. The highly diverse workforce at Global Rehabilitation Services can
attest to this experience. Global Rehabilitation Services provides residential, facility, and
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home assisted living treatment services for developmentally, mentally, and physically
challenged adolescents and adults. Employees were asked by management to conduct
billing inquiries into late or unreembursed Medicaid fees for their services to the clients.
The request was not a welcomed task for the employees besieged with current work
demands. The current priority facing the employees was how to address the state’s new
mandate to revise all intermediate care facility (ICF) polices. The ICF policies required
the organization to align all current documentation procedures and active treatment
practices to the state’s amended format within six months. Management, understanding
the company’s need to comply with the state’s mandate, chose to use monetary
incentives to lure and urge the employees to complete the billing inquiries late into the
work day and to include weekends. The climate within the organization was not
particularly ideal. The lack of employee promotions and raises resulted from the facility’s
inability to improve profit margins exacerbated means to motivate and improve morale
of the employees over the last four years. Vacations were limited for no more than five
business days. Matters concerning paid overtime by employees were so negatively and
critically scrutinized by management that the employees chose to forego claiming
overtime hours worked for compensation – in direct violation of labor guidelines for non-
exempt employees. Employees were seeking two, or in some cases, three jobs to
supplement their personal income. Management was wholly aware that the monetary
reward would motivate the employees to augment their much needed income. The
employees were vulnerable to any offerings of monetary compensation from
management - ripe for the picking so to speak. The majority of employees agreed to
take on the additional billing task. However, within a month into the process of
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recovering the billing funds, employees discovered undisclosed conditions associated
with the monetary award. The conditions proved to be very discouraging for the
employees. A percentage of the employees’ reward were distributed among
administrative clerks, department heads, finance department employees, and
contracted accountants handling the business transactions. Consequently, employee
interest in the task waned considerably. Although a few employees remained diligent
with the tasks until management, failing to motivate a significant number of employees,
directed the department heads to continue the task without benefit of the rewards. Other
employee motivational projects lacked the monetary incentive to attract employees.
Two Theories Applied
I would view that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory and Herzberg’s Motivator-
Hygiene theory reflects the employees’ initial interest in motivation to perform the task.
Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, designed a set of hierarchy of needs based on two
observations: “1) Human needs are either of an attraction/desire nature or of an
avoidance nature, and 2) Because humans are “wanting” beings, when one desire is
satisfied, another desire will take its place,” (Daft, 1997, McCoy, 1992, Quick, 1985).
Maslow noted the physiological needs: food, clothing, shelter are atop the hierarchy,
therefore, these basic human needs have the highest level of satisfaction. Maslow
concludes that until these priority needs are met, the other needs, safety, social,
esteem, and actualization will provide little motivation. According to Maslow, the low-
order needs must satisfy the employee’s basic needs before the intrinsic high-order
needs.
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Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, proposed that employees move to action
based on the desire to avoid pain. Herzberg’s theory includes two concepts: 1)
motivation is the positive satisfaction that psychological growth provides, and 2) hygiene
is an employee’s desire to avoid deprivation and the resulting physical and emotional
pain. Herzberg supports Maslow’s theory noting that the hygiene or maintenance factors
must satisfy the employee’s basic needs before responding to intrinsic motivators. The
later stages in each theory are not applicable because the majority of employees
became discouraged to complete the task because of the unfair condition required to
receive the reward.
Two Applicable Theories
Two theories that espouse motivational needs for Global Rehabilitation Services
are Fred Luthans’ Contingency theory and Victor Vroom’s Expectancy theory. According
to the article by an informative business website, the Accel Team (2010), Luthans’
Contingency theory realizes that, “certain business practices work better than others for
certain people under certain job conditions,” (p. 2). Management revision is necessary
to modify the job to the needs of each employee or group. The article also noted, “rigid,
clearly defined jobs, authoritative leadership and tight controls lead, in some cases, to
high productivity and satisfaction among workers. In some other cases, just the
opposite works. It is necessary, therefore, to adapt the leadership style to the particular
group of workers and the specific job at hand,” (Accel Team, 2010, p. 2).
Expectancy theory, developed by Victor Vroom, describes expectancy theory as
a concept derived in responding to two concerns noted in motivating workers - the
workers motivated must desire the offering, the offering is obtainable by the workers
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whereby they can earn the reward. It is important to note that irrespective of the
opportunity the worker has in obtaining the reward, it is what the workers believe is most
important in becoming motivated. Vroom’s theory notes that increased work effort will
result in increased performance. Three conditions that promote the expectancy theory
are as follows: 1) acquiring the proper resources, 2) possessing the proper skill set to
perform the job, and 3) provided the necessary support to complete the job, (Droar,
2006). Vroom notes that motivation requires effort and performance. Instrumentality is
the belief that the workers’ good performance will provide the workers a valued
outcome. The connection of effort and performance to motivation defines the concept of
instrumentality. “Instrumentality is affected by the relationship between the performance
and outcomes, trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what
outcome, and transparency of the process that decides who gets what outcome,”
(Droar, 2006, p. 2). Conversely, Vroom’s expectancy theory suggests that if the workers
do not envision that their increased efforts won’t increase performance, or the workers
increased performance will not increase the rewards, or the rewards lose value, the
workers will not become motivated. These two process theories are appropriate in
promoting positive motivation and improving the culture in an otherwise unenthusiastic
and ineffective service organization. Both theories empower employees and
management to action. The article by the Accel Team (2010) notes that, “1) positive
reinforcement leads to high expectations, 2) effective discipline and punishment, 3) treat
people fairly, 4) satisfy employee needs, 5) setting work related goals, 6) restructuring
jobs, and 7) base rewards on job performance” (p. 2). The theories relate to these
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principles by encouraging and sustaining intrinsic motivation for employees in health
care administration.
Conclusion
No person would question that motivation is the key to employee performance
improvement. Though, the complexity of what motivates employees varies. One
inspiring factor constant with employees: people yearn to be applauded and recognized
for their efforts and contributions to the organization. Employees want to feel as though
they play an important integral role that contributes to the success of their organization.
The earlier described theories attempted to instill motivation in principle. Unfortunately,
motivation is not solely the employees issue; management has the formidable task of
initiating the process of motivation by actualizing the theory within the organization.
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References
Accel Team. (2010). Employee Motivation. Motivation in the workplace. (p. 2). Retrieved April
8, 2010 from http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/theory_02.html
Accel Team. (2010). Employee Motivation. Motivation in the workplace. (p. 2). Retrieved April
8, 2010 from http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/
Daft, Richard L. (1997). Management , 4th ed. Orlando, Fl.: Harcourt Brace. Retrieved April 6,
2010 from: http://www.enotes.com.
Droar, D. (2006). Expectancy theory of motivation. (pp. 1, 2). Retrieved April 4, 2010 from
http://www.arrod.co.uk/archive/concept_vroom.php
Maslow, A.H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper. In Reeve, J. (2009).
Understanding motivation and emotion (5th ed.). (p. 36). New York: John Wiley and
Sons.
McCoy, Thomas J. (1992). Compensation and Motivation: Maximizing Employee.
Performance with Behavior-Based Incentive Plans. New York: AMACOM, a division of
American Management Association. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from:
http://www.enotes.com.
Quick, Thomas L. (1985). The Manager's Motivation Desk Book . New York: Wiley. Retrieved
April 6, 2010 from: http://www.enotes.com.