Paper Example. Motivation for Performance

Employee motivation is among the key contributors to the success of an organization (Reizer et al., 2019). It encompasses the level of commitment, energy, and drive that the employees bring to their roles every day. Some of the benefits of employee motivation include higher levels of productivity, more innovation, lower absenteeism levels, reduced levels of employee turnover, as well as a greater reputation. Without motivation, an organization experiences lower productivity and output, and the general performance is hurt (Reizer et al., 2019). Besides, the organization might fail to hit its goals. As such, the leadership of an organization must develop strategies to enhance employee motivation. In this light, this paper seeks to analyze the Cordis Building Works Company scenario, determine the causes of low motivation among its staff, and also recommend solutions to the challenge.

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Analysis of the Situation

Looking at the case scenario, it can be concluded that the levels of motivation within the company have been mainly high, a factor that has enabled it to survive and thrive for the last 35 years. Low employee turnover is also another indicator of high levels of motivation. As mentioned in the introduction, low levels of motivation increase employee turnover, forcing companies to use more resources in the recruitment of new talents. From the case, it can be deduced that the competitive salary was one of the major drivers of motivation within the company. The importance of a competitive salary, and other extrinsic motivators, in enhancing motivation is captured in various theories. For instance, Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Theory has salary and benefits as some of the hygiene factors (Alshmemri et al., 2017).

Similarly, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has salary and benefits as some of the needs that must be satisfied before moving further up the pyramid (Fallatah & Syed, 2018). Therefore, the company’s management seems to have gotten it right on this front. However, regardless of the competitive salaries and benefits, motivation has been on the decline, as will be discussed in the sections below. Some of the factors affecting motivation at the company include over-reliance on extrinsic motivation, lack of autonomy, as well as a loss of meaning of work performed, particularly due to technological disruption.

Causes of Lack of Motivation among the Engineers

While the role of extrinsic motivation has been proven over the years, its effectiveness in the 21st century is increasingly being questioned. While the 20th-century tasks were mostly left-brained, most of such tasks have been automated, and hence activities in the workplace are mainly right-brained and call for higher creativity and imagination. Under these circumstances, experts argue that intrinsic motivation is more important than extrinsic motivation (Steele et al., 2017). Looking at it from this perspective, it can be concluded that the overreliance on extrinsic motivation factors such as salaries and other benefits, is one of the causes of lower motivation among engineers. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the belonging, esteem, and self-actualization levels represent intrinsic motivation.

According to the case, the President and CEO of the company carry out all negotiations on prices and building parameters. As such, the engineers do not have much autonomy over the work they do. This is also another cause of low motivation. According to self-determination theory, autonomy is one of the major drivers of motivation (Deci et al., 2017). Autonomy is also an integral element in the esteem and self-actualization levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Causes of Lack of Motivation among Supervisors and Technicians

While technology is meant to improve efficiency and productivity, it can also hamper employee motivation, which ultimately hurts the organization’s performance. For one’s drive in a particular task to increase, they must find meaning in the work they do. However, after most of the processes at the company were automated, the supervisors and technicians were pushed to the periphery, and the meaningfulness of their work was reduced. This factor might have affected their motivation. Lack of non-monetary incentives, such as learning and development opportunities, might also have played a role. The automation of processes might also have threatened their job security leading to low morale. According to Maslow’s theory, job security must be assured before the other levels of the pyramid are satisfied (Jonas, 2016).

Ways of Enhancing Motivation

Looking at the decline in motivation, the President and CEO of the company need to develop strategies to reverse the trend, considering that they are nearing retirement. Over and above the attractive salaries and benefits offered, the leadership should invest more in intrinsic motivation (Steele et al., 2017). The efforts of the employees should be recognized to make them feel more appreciated. They should also be involved in various decisions to help them get a sense of ownership of the goals and targets of the company, and hence work towards achieving them. To increase the meaning of work, training, and development opportunities should be availed to increase the employees’ mastery of their craft. Finally, the management should give the employees more autonomy, a factor that significantly enhances motivation, as discussed above.

Conclusion

As discussed in the paper, motivation is directly linked to the performance of an organization. The decline in motivation among employees at Cordis Building Works Company, therefore, is bound to hurt its performance. Some of the factors responsible for the decline include lack of autonomy, low intrinsic motivation, and loss of meaning of work. To address the issue, the management should invest more in intrinsic motivation. More non-monetary incentives should be offered, autonomy enhanced, and more learning and development opportunities availed.

References

Alshmemri, M., Shawan-Akl, L., & Maude, P. (2017). Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Life Science Journal, 14(5), 12-16. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d29c/feafa46a87b62839875cb485387dccf77eef.pdf

Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19-43. Retrieved from https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108

Fallatah, R. H., & Syed, J. (2018). A Critical Review of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Employee Motivation in Saudi Arabi, 19-59. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-67741-5_2

Jonas, J. (2016). Making practical use of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory to motivate employees: a case of Masvingo Polytechnic. Journal of Management & Administration, 2016(2), 105-117. Retrieved from https://journals.co.za/content/journal/10520/EJC-50954cc8a?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf

Reizer, A., Brender-Ilan, Y., & Sheaffer, Z. (2019). Employee motivation, emotions, and performance: a longitudinal diary study. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JMP-07-2018-0299/full/html

Steele, L. M., McIntosh, T., & Higgs, C. (2017). Intrinsic motivation and creativity: opening up a black box. Handbook of Research on Leadership and Creativity. Retrieved from https://www.elgaronline.com/downloadpdf/edcoll/9781784715458/9781784715458.00013.pdf