Can Good Hrm Practices Really Lead to High Levels of Motivation in the Workforce?

Can good HRM practices really lead to high levels of motivation in the workforce?

Along with the structural changes due to the globalisation, HRM is placed at a core position of the business strategy of organisation (Gilmore and Williams, 2009). From the traditional personnel management which was welfare-orientated to nowadays more strategical management containing more diversified functions (Hailey et al, 2005), HRM keeps on changing to respond to the needs of organisations (Kane, 1996). Generally, most of the HRM practices are essentially for the use of foreseeing, perceiving and lay good impact on the motivation in the workforce (Latham, 2007). In this essay, the theories and modules in relation to HRM practices and motivation will be briefly discussed following a description of HRM practices. Secondly, the implement of HRM practices on motivating employee will be explored by combing with an applied case of Kellogg's.

There are numerous of evidence prove that HRM has positive relationship with performance which may lead to specific outcomes for both organisation and individuals (Dirks and Ferrin, 2001, Hailey et al, 2005, Alfes et al., 2012). Generally, as Shahnawaz and Juyal (2006) concluded, there are various of HRM practices including hiring practices, training and development, performance appraisal, pay practices. While considering the popular topic of "best practice" in recent years, organisations tend to seek an approach that can ideally enact the fittest sets of HRM practices and policies. On the other hand, it also requires the organisation to recognise the relation between HRM practices and the entire organisational performance as well as how the personnel practices result in organisational practices (Delery and Doty, 1996). To achieve best HRM practice, "'high-performance work systems', or 'high-commitment' or 'high-involvement' HRM" may be one of the prerequisites (Gilmore and Williams, 2009). Mutually, such as organisational commitment, it is significantly contributed by HRM practices (Shahnawaz and Juyal, 2006). Additionally, the organisational commitment, which the modern HRM philosophy is mainly dominated by it (Kwon et al., 2010), to a great probability influence motivation (Meyer et al., 2004). In terms of affective commitment and job satisfaction, perceived organisational support and satisfaction with intrinsic rewards played an essential part in it (O' Driscoll and Randall, 1995, cited by Crossman, 2002).

Regarding to motivation, partially caused by HRM Practices, the psychological contract could lead to attitudinal consequences and behavioural consequences through the process of building trust, feeling fairness, and the delivery of the deal (Guest, D. and Conway, N., 1997). Despite most of the organisations realise the significance of HRM practices, in most of occasions, it still has a gap between the theories and the realities. That may be one of the reason why HRM practices can not always succeed. According to Hailey et al. (2005), one of the main HRM activities should be strategic management. By conducting suitable practices, HRM can not only help to overwhelm the difficulties and challenges to the organisation but also to motivate the employees and to descend the employee turnover rate.

The question that whether the level of the motivation in the workforce is high or not is well known to be one of the vital problem of leading to high performance outcomes (Judge and Ilies, 2002). Thus, there are classic motivation theories such as the Maslow's theory which is regarded as a "classic among classics" (Matteson and Ivancevich, 1989, cited by Wilson),the Herzberg's theory which mostly famous for his two-factor theory, the Theory X and Theory Y from McGregor giving out two sets of assumptions that people hold positive or negative attitude towards work, the equity theory and expectancy theory, they are still be widely used in all walks of society.

Considering the question