MOTIVATING

Motivating

An act of “giving employee reason or incentives to work to achieve organizational

objectives.

Motivation

Process of activating behavior, sustaining it, and directing it into a particular goal

Factors Contributing to Motivation

1. Willingness to do a job. People who like what they are doing are highly
motivated to produce the expected output.
2. Self-confidence in carrying out a task. When employee feel that they have the
required skill and training to perform a task, the more motivated they become.
3. Need satisfaction. People will do their jobs well if they feel that by doing so
their needs will be satisfied.

Theories of Motivation

1. Moslow’s needs hierarchy theory

2. Herzberg’s two factor theory
3. Expectancy theory
4. Goal setting theory

Maslow,s Needs Theory

Abrahan Maslow, a psychologist, theorized that human being have

five basic needs which are as follows: physiological, security, social,
esteem and self-actualization. This need are hierarchal, which means
one need will have to be satisfied first before the other need.
Physiological needs

Those are concerned with biological needs like food, drink, rest, and sex . this need to
be priority than others.

Security needs

After satisfying the physiological needs, people will seek to satisfy their safety needs,
this includes freedom from harm coming from the elements or the other people, and
financial security which may be affected by loss of job.

Social needs

After satisfying the security needs, people will seek for love and affection and the need
to be accepted by the peers.

Esteem needs

The fourth needs refers to the need of; positive self-image and self-respect and the need
to be respected by others.

Self-actualization

The topmost need in the hierarchy needs and involves realizing our full potential as
human being and becoming all that we are able to be.

Relevance of Maslow’s theory in Engineering Management

One basic premise cannot be discarded “a fulfilled need no longer motivates an

individual.” If this is the situation when the subordinates is in, the engineering manager
must identify the unfulfilled needs and work a scheme so that the subordinates will be
motivated to work in order to satisfy the unfulfilled needs

Herzberg’s two factor theory

The two-factor theory was developed by Fredrick Herzberg

indicating that a satisfied employee is motivated from within to
work harder and that a dissatisfied employee is not self-motivated.

He identifies two classes of factor associated with employee

satisfaction and dissatisfaction. He found out that satisfied
employee mentions the following factors (called satisfiers)
responsible to job satisfaction: achievement, recognition, work-self, responsibility,
advancement, and growth. While dissatisfied employee mentioned the following
factors (called dissatisfiers) as responsible for job dissatisfaction: company policy and
administration, supervision, relationship to supervisor, work conditions, salary,
relationship with subordinates, status, and security.

Relationship of the theory to Engineering Management

If an engineering manager will apply Herzberg’s theory, he must do something to

eliminate the dissatisfiers and install satisfiers. But even if the dissatisfiers are
eliminated as shown in figure, employee is still not motivated to work hard.
Expectancy Theory

is a motivation model based on the assumption that an individual will work

depending on his perception of the probability of his expectations to happen.

Expectancy

is a belief about the likelihood or probability that a particular behavioral act will lead
to a paricular outcome.

Instrumentality

belief that you will receive a reward if you meet performance expectations

Valence

is the value an individual places on the expected outcomes or rewards.

Goal Setting Theory

refers to the process of “improving performance with objectives, deadlines or

quality standard.” When individuals or groups are assigned specific goals, a clear
direction is provided and which later motivates them to achieve these goals.

The goal setting model drawn by Edwin A. Locke and his associates consists of the
following components:

1. goal content

2. goal commitment

3. work behavior

4. feedback aspects
Goal content

To be sufficient in content, goals must be challenging, attainable, specific, and

measurable, time limited and relevant.

Goal Commitment

When individuals or groups are committed to the goals they are supposed to
achieve, there is a chance that they will be able to achieve them.

Work Behavior

Goals influence behavior in terms of direction, effort, persistence and planning.

When an individual is provided with direction, performance is facilitated. The
identification of goals provide a reason for an individual to persist in his efforts until
the goal is attained.

Feedback Aspects

Feedback provide the individuals with a way of knowing how far they have gone
in achieving objectives. Feedback also facilitate the introduction of corrective measures
whenever they are found to be necessary.

TECHNIQUES OF MOTIVATION

Individual or groups of individuals may be motivated to perform through the use of

various techniques. These techniques may be classified as follows:

1. motivation through job design

2. motivation through rewards

3. motivation through employee participation

4. other motivation techniques for the diverse work force

Motivation Through Job Design

Job Design may be defined as “specifying the tasks that constitute a job for an
indivual or a group.”

In motivating through the use of job design, two approaches may be used: fitting people
to jobs or fitting jobs to people.

Fitting People to Jobs

Routine and repetitive tasks make workers suffer from chronic dissatisfaction. To avoid
this, the following remedies may be adapted:

1. Realisitc job previes - where management provides honest explanations of what a

job actually entails.

2. Job rotation - where people are moved periodically from one specialized job to
another.

3. Limited exposure - where a worker's exposure to highly fragmented and tedious job
is limited.

Fitting Jobs to People

Instead of changing the person management may consider changing the job. This
may be achieved with the use of the following:

1. Job enlargement- where two or more specialized tasks in a work sequence is

combined into a single job.
2 Job enrichment- where efforts are made to make jobs more interesting, challenging
and rewarding.

Motivating Through Rewards

• Rewards consist of material and psychological benefits to employees for
performing tasks in the workplace. Properly administered rewards systems can
improve job performance and satisfaction.

• Rewards may be classified into two categories:

• Extrinsic Rewards

• Those which refer to payoffs granted to the individual by another

party.

• Intrinsic Rewards

• Those which are internally experienced payoffs which are self-

granted.

Management of Extrinsic Rewards

• To motivate job performance effectively, extrinsic rewards must be
properly managed in line with the following:

• It must satisfy individual needs

• The employees must believe effort will lead to reward

• Rewards must be equitable

• Rewards must be linked to performance

Array of Monetary and Other Incentives For Employees
Type of Benefit Feature

1. Monthly Pay Depends on qualifications of employee

2. 13th Month Pay Given at mid-year

3. 14th Month Pay Given at yearend

4. Housing Allowance Given to permanent employees

5. Sick Leave Benefits 15 days a year with pay

6. Vacation Leave Benefits 15 days a year with pay

7. Pension Plan Given to permanent employees

8. Paid Vacation Trip Given to employees with outstanding

performance
9. Health Insurance Given to permanent employees

10. Accident Insurance Given to permanent employees

No single type of reward is generally applicable to all employees. This is so

because individual persons have needs different from other persons. As much as
possible the particular needs of an individual must be matched with the corresponding
reward if motivation is the objective.
Employees must believe that efforts will lead to reward. Otherwise, they will not strive
to turn in more efforts in their particular job assignments.
Rewards that are not equitable will not produce the desired motivation.

Motivation through Employee Participation

• When employees participate in deciding various aspects of their jobs, the
personal involvement, oftentimes is carried up to the point where the task is
completed.

– Quality control Circles

– Self-managed teams
Quality Circle Process

Quality circle members

brainstorm, gather
data, and establish
cause and effect.

Results are measured and Quality circle

feedback, recognition and members prepare
rewards given to quality solutions and
control circle members. recommendations.

Management
considers quality
circle
recommendations
and make decisions.

The self-managed teams work on their own, turning out a complete product or
service and receiving minimal supervision from managers who act more as facilitators
than supervisors.
Requisites to Successful Employee Participation Program
• To succeed, an employee participation program will require the following:

1. A profit-sharing or gainsharing plan

2. A long-term employment relationship with good job security.

3. A concerted effort to build and maintain group cohesiveness.

4. Protection of the individual employee’s rights.

Other Motivation Techniques

• Flexible work schedules

• Family support services

• sabbaticals