Workplace Motivational Processes

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Motivational Processes

In a Modern-Day Workplace

Management 331

Organizational Behavior

Jimmie Morgan

Team Paper - June 19, 2002

Assignment

Prepare a 1750-2450 word paper analyzing the organization of one of your team members and the motivation processes as identified in one of the following theories:

a) Maslow

b) Aldefer

c) Herzberg

d) Acquired needs

Show how your selected organization applies the motivation theories to workplace productivity. Is it achieving the desired results?

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Motivational Processes

In a Modern-Day Workplace

Frederick Herzberg developed what is known as the motivator-hygiene theory or, more commonly, the two-factor theory, "which portrays different factors as primary causes of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction." (Schemerhorn et al, p 113) According to the theory, factors that relate more to the environment than to the work itself are known as hygiene factors. These include things such as organizational policies, quality of supervision, working conditions, base wage or salary, relationships with peers, status and security. Herzberg stipulates that hygiene factors are things that affect job dissatisfaction, but will not impact job satisfaction, which he views as a separate dimension. His theory states that, in order to improve job satisfaction, companies need to focus on motivator factors, which include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, growth, and the work itself. Many successful modern-day businesses take a very balanced approach to the motivation of their employees, recognizing that although job satisfaction may be affected more by the motivator factors of the theory, keeping employees from being can be avoided by addressing the hygiene issues.

Citigroup, the world's largest financial services institution, takes the balanced approach to complete job satisfaction. The corporation's belief is that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are two sides of the same coin. The company believes that someone may be given the advancement and responsibility they crave. They also hold the position that if the changes do not include a merited increase in base salary, the employee will feel underpaid, and their increased satisfaction as a consequence of the motivator factors will still not cause them to remain with the company. As such, motivator factors can help keep someone productive and happy with their situation, but hygiene factors are seen as

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contributing to the employee's overall desire to remain as well.

At Citigroup, they begin by addressing the hygiene factors, in the belief that those are the reasons people will come to work for them in the first place. They understand that the hygiene factors will attract the right people for the company and the position, which increases the likelihood of retention. By having the choice among different candidates, the company can try to ensure that relationships amongst peers or subordinates can be more harmonious. The right mix of people, each with similar values towards teamwork, is what can drive a company to the next level. The team, once built, is likely to have more positive interaction as they share experiences through social relations such as group parties. They also collaborate more to take care of one another. A great example of this occurred recently, as different members of a sales group pitched in to pay for over a thousand dollars worth of needed repairs to a co-worker's vehicle. The person in question was a single mom with a nine-year old daughter. She had a competitive income but had been unable to put aside the money she needed for the emergency. When other team members discovered the situation, they each pitched in as much as they could, with some giving only a few dollars and others giving a few hundred. In doing so, the job satisfaction level of the group as a whole was higher, as the benefactors felt a sense of accomplishment and the woman felt much better about accepting the position a year earlier.

Organizational policies dictate things such as the chain of command in a corporation. Citigroup has recognized that most individuals would prefer a shorter chain of command. This preference has led to changes on a wide scale within the institute. At one time, the lowest-ranking member of a group could expect to go through as many as ten different levels of command before reaching the top decision-maker. Now, almost regardless of

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the branch within the larger whole, no more than four levels of hierarchy exist to report upwards to. This has resulted in a more responsive system, as problems are recognized more quickly instead of simply being shuffled around until forgotten. Policies also dictate factors such as discrimination and other ethical issues. Regardless of the level of advancement promised in a position, if an individual were uncomfortable with what they perceived as blatant discrimination on the part of the corporation, their ethics may be a driving factor which causes them to leave the company. Citigroup has refined its institutional policies to ensure that no such problems arise.

Quality of supervision can also be attributed to organizational policies. With the shorter chain of command, Citigroup can ensure that only the top candidates for a position are chosen. As the world's largest financial institution, the company attracts the highest quality of management staff. Supervisors that don't measure up are terminated, as are those that try to manipulate the system. If need be, replacing any such individual would create less of a disruption in the flow of work, given the availability of qualified candidates.

Citigroup also ensures employee satisfaction by providing the right working conditions. A clean environment and state of the art computers