MGMT516 Week 3 Overview

In all types of organizations and industries, managers are continually challenged to motivate their employees. The good news is that unlike intelligence and temperament, motivation can be influenced. Harnessing the proper tools and techniques, managers can shape motivation within an organization to optimize employee outputs. Chapter 6 of your textbook will introduce concepts and practices for workforce motivation through the uses of job design, alternative work arrangements, and employee involvement.

Often, managers find the challenge of motivating employees is compounded by a lack of monetary resources. Yet to be successful, managers need to be able to motivate a wide array of employees in various economic cycles. There are two types of motivation: intrinsic, when you enjoy doing an activity or a job for the pleasure that it brings; and extrinsic, when you do a job or an activity because it will bring rewards such as money or recognition.

Intrinsically motivated work behavior is behavior performed for its own sake, in which the source of motivation is derived from performing the behavior itself. Employees that have intrinsic work values desire challenging assignments, the opportunity to make important contributions to their work and organization, and the opportunity to reach their full potential at work. Intrinsic motivation leads to intrinsic reward—the personal satisfaction an individual feels when they accomplish goals, such as performing well, learning a new skill, or accomplishing a difficult task.

Intrinsically motivated work behavior is behavior performed for its own sake, in which the source of motivation is derived from performing the behavior itself. Employees that have intrinsic work values desire challenging assignments, the opportunity to make important contributions to their work and organization, and the opportunity to reach their full potential at work. Intrinsic motivation leads to intrinsic reward—the personal satisfaction an individual feels when they accomplish goals, such as performing well, learning a new skill, or accomplishing a difficult task.

An employee can be extrinsically motivated, intrinsically motivated, or both. When employees are primarily motivated by extrinsic factors, and doing the work itself is not a source of motivation, it is critically important for an organization and its managers to establish a clear connection between the behaviors the organization wants employees to perform and the outcomes or rewards employees want.

Work design is an important method managers can use to enhance employee performance. When work design is addressed at the individual level, it is most commonly referred to as job design and can be defined as the process by which organizations define and structure jobs. Properly designed jobs can have a positive impact on the motivation, performance, and job satisfaction of those who perform them. On the other hand, poorly designed jobs can impair motivation, performance, and job satisfaction (Figure 6.1).

One disadvantage of job design is that rather than selecting an individual to best fit the job, the position is customized and revised to cater to the needs of the employee. In many cases, such job redesign involves job simplification. This process can improve employee performance, but it can often cause employee dissatisfaction or rebellion.

As you will learn in chapter 7, an employee’s general attitude, and thereby their level of job satisfaction, is greatly influenced by their compensation and the organization’s reward system. Furthermore, because employees interpret organizational reward systems as a reflection of management’s attitudes and intentions toward employees, this in turn contributes to the entire organizational climate. Hence, the organization’s compensation and reward system is by far the single most important motivational tool that leaders and managers can use to motivate their workforce.

Chapter 7 begins by examining the psychological contract that exists between the employer and employee. Introduced by Chris Argis (1960s), the concept of psychological contract refers to the relationship between the employer and employee regarding mutual expectations of inputs and outcomes. Psychological contracts include the mutual beliefs, perceptions, and informal obligations between the employer and employee. Thus, the term psychological contract represents an unwritten set of expectations of the employment relationship; it is different from the formal, codified employment contract. Together, the psychological contract and the employment contract define the employer-employee relationship.

Over time, the psychological contract determines what the employer-employee will or will not do and how it will be done. For example, based on the employee’s perception of the psychological contract (how they are being treated by the employer), he or she will determine the effort they put into their job. When employer-employee expectations match each other, performance is likely to be good and job satisfaction will be high. However, when employer-employee expectations do not match each other, employee performance will suffer and job dissatisfaction will occur.

Additionally, a violation of the psychological contract can occur if either the employer or employee perceives that the other has failed to fulfil its obligations or promises. For example, the employee’s motivation and commitment will remain consistent if job promotions follow the agreed process and timeline. However, an employee’s motivation and commitment will diminish if job promotions are difficult to obtain or processes are obscure.

If this occurs, the employee is likely to perceive that the organization has failed to fulfill its obligation and consider it a violation of the psychological contract. In addition to the cognitive aspect of the violation—a mental calculation of what the employee received as compared to what was promised—the employee may also suffer feelings of betrayal, anger, resentment, and a sense of injustice. The cognitive violation and the emotional experience will lead to job dissatisfaction and a lowered organizational commitment.

Credits:

Created with images by jarmoluk - "business innovation money" • TBIT - "dollar bank note money" • Unsplash - "hiking mountain climbing mountain" • Pexels - "blue motivation neon lights" • Bull Gator - "nobody-need-wait" • Andrew Turner - "karla design" • Pavlofox - "macro focus cogwheel" • ElisaRiva - "head brain thoughts" • Meditations - "agree agreement asian" • edar - "business signature contract" • stux - "conditions period contractual terms and conditions"

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