Guest Blogger: Importance of motivating employees in development of organization

Motivation is a key component in not only the development of an organization but also in maintaining the organization. Not everyone is motivated in the same way and to try to do so could be counter effective. While there are different kind of recognition awards and activities for motivating employees, they all come to naught if there is no consistency in their job. One of the key conditions to motivating an employee is to provide them with a stable environment to perform their jobs. In short, they need to know what to expect when they come to work every day.
“This feeling of consistency results from three important factors.
1. Alignment of the employee with the goals and vision of the company.
2. Faith of the employee in the competence of management and their commitment to realize the goals and vision.
3. Trust in their direct supervisor that he or she will support his or her people and help them to succeed.”
Shedd, David (Dec. 30, 2010). 14 Management Do’s and Don’ts to Motivate Employees. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217801

Motivation must come from the top down. The current economic crisis has taken the wind out of a lot of us. Do more, work harder, stay focused, maximize your contribution; but do so with frozen wages. Yes! I’m grateful to be employed and enjoy my job immensely but morale among peers is low. Self motivation and personal work ethics will have to sustain the load until our futures are clearer. Our leaders need to be more visible and accessible. When times are difficult, leaders need to step up and demonstrate confidence in targeting a common goal. Improved communications is vital. When our leaders are demonstrating contagious negativity and frustration, the staff is infected with the same. Incentives for performance and skills training cost money in this strapped business economy. Strong leadership is free. “Many leaders have forgotten that in times of uncertainty, people long to be led–and they step up and respond resiliently to strong leadership” (DeHart, 2010).
Reference:
DeHart,D.(2010, January 13).
http://www.mortgagemag.com/news/2010/0101/1000014989070.htm

While most organizations don’t feel the need to motivate their employees because of the lack of jobs, they feel their employees will remain loyal no matter how they are being treated, however it takes good communication and an excelled amount of self-esteem to feel like you’re up for the job. This not only helps the employees feel better themselves, but also benefits the company as a whole. According to the Accel-Team it is crucial for an organization to set motivational skills throughout a company in order to aid its employees and future for future growth, “Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the organization.” With proper protocol anything and everything is possible in order to maintain a positive and stable environment. Employers must take this into account when figuring out how to provide for their companies.
Reference:
Accel Team. (2010) Employee Motivation: Theory and Practice. Retrieved from: http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/

As someone who recently experienced a plant closing, I cannot express enough the importance of a motivational management team. Their upbeat attitudes and constant positive feedback gave me and others the confidence needed to not only come in each day and perform our jobs as if nothing had changed, but to also go out and find new employment. This psychological mindset started at the top and bled down through the ranks.
“Motivation of a group has a serious impact on individual behavior. Typically, a group’s behavior or an individual’s behavior is not self-motivation, but rather the effects of some type of group behavior.” He goes on to say that, “crowd (group) behavior is influenced by the emotion being expressed and the generally acceptable behavior for that event” (Breaux, 2011).
Our management portrayed that a positive attitude was the acceptable behavior for our circumstance. If they had dwelled on the negative aspects of our plant closing, we all would have suffered by following the feeling that our day to day tasks were meaningless. We would have felt unmotivated and stressed.
Reference:
Breaux, Jarred. 2011. Organizational Behavior & Motivation: Psychological and Sociological Insights. Helium. http://www.helium.com/items/989835-organizational-behavior-and-motivation-psycological-and-sociological-insights . February 15, 2011.

Motivation in the workplace is very important. Without proper motivation the best of each employee will not be brought out. I say proper motivation because people respond to different motivators and good managers realize that quickly. Sabah Karimi states that there are many benefits of proper motivation. They are as follows. Motivational strategies can help improve employee performance, reduce the chances of low employee morale, encourage teamwork and instill a positive attitude during challenging times. Employees with a high level of motivation typically work harder and can overcome common workplace challenges with ease; this helps the organization reach its objectives and improve operations overall. Reducing the risk of low motivation among employees typically requires a strategic plan and a combination of different activities and tactics that help improve employee morale. Companies that invest time and resources toward improving their employees’ well-being and workplace experience can look forward to a high return on their investment as employees become more productive, maintain a positive attitude, commit to their roles and duties and maintain a strong work ethic. The bottom line is to be smart enough to find the effective motivators.
Reference:
By Sabah Karimi retrieved from Ehow.com on 2/15/11.
http://www.ehow.com/about_4579837_motivation-important_.html

Good managers, we are told, know how to motivate their people. The result of this ideology, of course, is that most managers spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to do just this. And inevitably, conference planners schedule conferences with so-called great motivational coaches and managers from business and sports. All these speakers emphasize the manager’s role in motivating people. The reality is the single most motivating factor based on a multiyear study tracking the day-to-day activities from the January-February 2010 edition of Harvard Business Review, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a wide variety of settings is PROGRESS. Having the best motivating coach in the world won’t help a team after few losing seasons. Motivation works great in the beginning but with no progress people won’t believe in your goals and won’t believe in you. On days when workers have the sense they’re making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles, their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak.
Reference:
Shane Hastie (Feb 05, 2010). What Really Motivates Workers
http://www.infoq.com/news/2010/02/what-really-motivates

Motivation is a must for any successful organization. In the current economic climate managers are looking for ways to keep employees motivated with little incentive. Employees are losing faith as employers continue to expect more work for less pay. The average worker is making less money today than they did two short years ago. Increased prices and falling dollar prices have many employees struggling to find the silver lining while some employers are still bringing in millions of dollars in revenues.
In addition, as aging baby boomers leave for retirement heaven managers are also fighting a growing battle of motivating the Generation Y employees. Managers say they “are demanding, impatient, and far from loyal” (Press Release, 2011). Rather than get frustrated managers should find a way to work with Gen Y employees. The below article references the following steps:
1) Don’t necessarily believe what you hear
2) Text them
3) Get to know Generation Y
Works Cited
Press Release. (2011, 2 9). Employee Motivation Alert: New Report Presents Compelling Evidence for Motivating Gen Y Employees. Retrieved 2 15, 2011, from prlog: http://www.prlog.org/11287000-employee-motivation-alert-new-report-presents-compelling-evidence-for-motivating-gen-employees.html

If motivation clearly increases an employee’s productivity and efficiency, is it then fair to conclude that a motivated employee is also a satisfied employee? According to Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the answer could be no. Herzberg suggests that there are two factors that cause job satisfaction: “motivators” and “hygiene factors”. While motivators, such as achievement, recognition, and advancement are proven to lead to satisfaction, the lack of the same factors does not necessarily lead to dissatisfaction. Herzberg refers to factors leading to dissatisfaction, such as salary, relationship with peers, and company policy as “hygiene” factors because they are considered maintenance factors to avoid dissatisfaction but are not solely responsible for satisfaction. Motivating your staff is key to improving your company; however, managers must also address such “hygiene factors” in order to ultimately maximize employee satisfaction and avoid dissatisfaction.
References:
Herzberg, Frederick. ¬The Motivation to Work. (1959).
http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/herzberg/

Motivation is an important aspect for anything in life. According to the book, motivation is a psychological force that determines the directions of person’s behavior in an organization, a person’s level of effort, and a person’s level of persistence. Motivation affects every part of our daily efforts and without it, everyone suffers.
When teams are highly motivated:
– Teams tend to be more productive at work to reach a common goal rather than intrinsic ones
– Employees are more willing to stay over and put in the additional effort to reach goals
– Builds employee confidence with the company
– Overall job satisfaction
A motivated team creates unity; unity comes from strong leadership. A motivated leader inspires others to become motivated. Example: I work in a place that gives a bonus every year for performance. We also get a bonus based on how well the company does; if we surpass the company’s yearly goal, we get a bonus based on the exceeded amount. Motivation like this creates personal goals along with team goals to exceed so the group is rewarded; not just the individual.
Motivation in the work place [Web log message]. (2007, November 09). Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/motivation-in-the-work-place-286272.html

Motivating employees in the development of the organization is not only important but it is essential to the survival of a business. Businesses can no longer be operated with management demanding orders and expect the employee to produce efficient results. An employer must understand the employee and work toward finding out what motivates each person on their team. In understanding the motivation of an individual, an employer must remember that “….human beings have a complex set of needs and desires-part material, part social, part emotional, and part intellectual -that must be met if they are to be motivated…” (Penn, 2008). All individuals are complex and many times because of the environmental influences in our lives we have differing motivators. Penn also provides seven basic elements of motivation: a strong corporate culture, Job security, good pay, incentives, continuing education programs, opportunities for growth, and recognition (Penn, 2008). By examining each of these elements and understanding behaviors of individuals with motivation, an employer can succeed in effectively providing motivation through employees that leads to efficient results for the company.
Penn Behavior Health. (2008). Motivating employees to perform. Retrieved from http://www.pennbehavioralhealth.org/documents/motivating_employees.pdf

I agree with many of my peers, motivation begins at the top of the company. At work or school, we observe individuals strive for something more. “Something more” could mean monetary rewards, self-fulfillment or both. So, which drives employees? Many times, that depends on the individual. Some would hypothesize that motivation depends on an individual’s intrinsic values. Money may motivate in the short term, but can lead to dishonesty and/or poor quality of work. Self-fulfillment is a great tool to utilize, but may stray from company’s business objectives.
Nearly everyone can agree that a motivated workforce is productive, content and loyal. However, finding effective motivational strategies can be difficult. Dewhurst, Guthridge, Martin and Mohr have concluded that money is not the best motivation tool. Instead, they believe that nonfinancial rewards are more effective for long-term employees (2010). Because each person is different, not everyone reacts to the same stimuli. Rewards such as casual dress days, paid time off, or parking privileges are being highly utilized. Managers have to be more creative motivating especially when the answer is not monetary.
References
Dewhurst, M., Guthridge, M., & Mohr, E. (2010). Motivating people: Getting beyond money. McKinsey Quarterly, (1), 12-15. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Thank you for being our guest. I, too, believe that human capital is top priority in any organization. However, I am uncertain if extrinsically (Motivating Employees) motivating employees is the entire solution to staff longevity in organizational development. Constantly motivating employees to extract their peak performance seems to be time consuming and it would be difficult to stabilize. Although I support your research on the advantages to motivating your staff, especially that it will increase innovativeness and creativity, which is vital in a global atmosphere, I am feeling “shaky” about giving this idea that we extrinsically have to motivate staff, full credence. According to John Roulet’s article, he says “Stop motivating employees. Instead work to keep them motivated.” Might his view that intrinsic (Motivating Employees) motivation be the other part of the model, to keep things in balance? Mr. Roulet says, “When work environments consistently fail to provide the direction, resources and respect employees require, their innate desire to achieve is suppressed or redirected. They experience frustration and a kind of learned helplessness. They become motivated to retain their jobs rather than to perform them in a way that delivers optimal value to the organization.”
Works cited: http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/18/motivation-demotivation-employees-leadership-managing-stop.html
Copyright © 2011 Motivating Employees | Retrieved from:
http://www.motivatingemployees.org/category/importance-motivating-employees

I agree with Kim Milburn in a sense. The leaders must lead and set the example. There must be a cultural shift from the top down in which the leaders must truly lead and rebuild broken relationships in the future. With the economy in the tank, many new employees will not have the loyalty that they have displayed in the past. There could be a take care of me thought process. The most readily available motivational tool in a firm is the system of incentives. The goal of such systems is to align the interests of managers with those of the firm (Jensen & Meckling, 1976; Martynov 2009) and elicit desired behaviors. They must also rebuild trust with new and existing employees to create a level of motivation that will fill both the company and employees needs. It is important to understand whether cultural characteristics, like strategic orientation and organizational culture, or procedural characteristics, like evaluation and compensation practices, have stronger effects on motivation to act. A good manager will be able to use Maslow’s Theories to access their employee’s needs properly in order to motivate them.(Rusetski, 2011)
Jensen, M. C, & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3, 305-360.
Rusetski, A. (2011). Getting proactive: Cultural and procedural drivers of managerial motivation to act. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 9(1), 111. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/848788681?accountid=41894

Most Americans are feeling a bit recession weary and the work place is suffering as a result of lack of motivation felt by many American workers. A recent survey conducted by Modern Survey recently polled approximately 1,000 U.S. working adults and the statistics show that American workers are less optimistic about their prospects with the current employer. The survey indicated that 79% of those surveyed took pride in their companies in 2007 this number dropped to 73% in 2009. Don MacPherson President of Modern survey was recently interviewed in T+D and discussed the results of the survey. Mr. MacPherson said “as recovery has proven slow, we’re seeing hope being replaced by exhaustion.” Mr. MacPherson feels that companies should “find as many ways as possible to express sincere appreciation for employees and recognition for their contributions. (McKeown, 2010).
McKeown, E. (2010). The battle of falling engagement, T+D, 64(7),20. Retrieved from EBSCO host.com

Be it courtesy of inheritance or early acquisition (nature v. nuture), it is widely postulated that everyone is predisposed to a certain set of talents and/or aptitudes (motivated abilities). Consequently, it is absolutely essential that organizations seek to properly identify and assess each individual’s attributes. This will allow them to position their employees in a manner as to ensure they are successful, well motivated, and productive. Christine Robinson states this fact very well in her article The Keys to Turbo-Charging Intrinsic Motivation. Consider the following excert: “When motivated abilities are harness, they lead to passion, energy, creativity, and productivity. When denied, they lead to stress, unhappiness, and frustration – negative drivers, which can prevent an organization from achieving its goals” (2010).
Truly, such considerations are at the heart of the behavioral management theory – which is “the study of how managers should personally behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to achieving organizational goals” (George & Jones, 2009).
References
George, J. & Jones, G. (2009). Contemporary Management. (pp.55). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Robinson, C. (2010). The keys to Turbo-Charging Intrinsic Motivation. Journal for Quality & Participation, 33(3), 4-8. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

Motivation can play a defining aspect in companies in today’s economy. In an online article entitled “How can I motivate my employees?” Elinor Robin presents thirteen tips to motivating employees. Although, all of the tips addressed different ways in motivating employees I specifically agree with the following, “Build solid relationships. Find common ground, share life experiences, prove your trustworthiness, and be patient as strong relationships blossom over time.” Only being out of college for a few years now it didn’t take long to realize the importance for managers to motivate their employees. For new college graduates it’s sometimes hard to get out of the relaxed stress free environment that is often presented in the college atmosphere. Therefore it is imperative that managers strive to build strong relationship with their employees. These relationships are important part of a polished organization. Employees that have close relationships with management often have a stronger feeling of value and as Elinor stated, “The greatest motivator is a feeling of being valued.”(Robin, 2010)
References
Robin, E. (2010, February 18). How can I motivate my employees?. Entrepreneur, Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/ask/answer18860.html

According to Romero, positive reinforcement, the act of rewarding behavior that you want repeated-is a management concept that should be employed in the workplace, both domestic and international. Several factors that have to be taken into consideration when dealing with global trends in motivating employees are the following: 1) previous employees experience and pre-existing cultural beliefs, 2) cultural background and moral values, 3) good attendance, safety, and what brings about such activities, and 4) job stability. In today’s global business climate, new creative and innovative ideas and trends are apt to develop. (Romero, 2000) Amar states that pnly those knowledge firms that develop a work environment that motivates their employees to engage in a behavior consistent with this goal will succeed. These organizations will be able to recognize and solve contemporary problems and bring solutions to the marketplace sooner than their competitors who fail to develop such an environment. (Amar, 2004)
Reference
Amar, A. D. (2004). Motivating knowledge workers to innovate: A model integrating motivation dynamics and antecedents. European Journal of Innovation Management, 7(2), 89. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211805211?accountid=41894
Romero, J., & Kleiner, B. H. (2000). Global trends in motivating employees: MRN. Management Research Review, 23(7), 14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223538102?accountid=41894