Motivation of Human Resources

INTRODUCTION

The skill of management lies in motivating people to complete tasks. Work completion is a challenging endeavour. It has to do with how people act. Any organization’s success is based on the actions and motivation of its personnel.

The objectives of the organisation are accomplished through directing human behaviour in the desired direction. It is important to determine the causes of this behaviour before leading or guiding the staff. Based on such factors, management 
strategically inspire the workforce.

DEFINITION

A motive is “any feeling or desire that so shapes one’s will that the person is driven into action,” according to Stanley Vance.

According to Robert Dubin, motivation is “the complex of factors supporting and maintaining an individual at work in an organisation.”

According to Beach, motivation is the readiness to use energy in order to attain a goal or get a reward.

According to Hodge and Johnson, “Motivation is the capacity of a person to meet immediate organisational needs.”

According to Shartle, “Motivation is a stated need or tension to travel in a certain direction or to accomplish a particular objective.”

According to Owen, “Motivation is an orderly explanation of why a person chooses to focus his efforts in one direction as opposed to another.”

Motivation is described as “the degree of preparedness of an organism to pursue some destinated objective, and requires the identification of the type and location of the factors producing the degree of readiness” in the Encyclopedia of Management.

“Motivation is the process of trying to persuade people to accomplish your will via the chance of getting benefit,” said Eduir B. Flippo.

According to Michael J. Jucious, motivation is the process of energising a person or oneself to take a particular course of action or press the appropriate button.

Mc Farland, Delton E “Motivation is primarily a psychological term. It has to do with the internal motivations that drive an employee or subordinate to operate in a certain manner or not.”

“Motivation is a generic word applicable to the full class of urges, wants, needs, wishes and similar impulses that encourage a person or a group of individuals to work,” write Koontz and O’Donnell.

According to J.E. Rosenz Weig and F.K. Kast, “Motivation is a process of inspiration that propels the team members to achieve the intended objectives.”

K. Blood and S. Zedeck, “A inclination to perform in a certain goal-directed manner is called motivation.

“Motivation” is the process of energising individuals to do desired action, according to Scott.

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Nature of Motivation

The nature of motivation may be understood from the following elements since it is concerned with the direction of managerial functions:

1. Ongoing process: When a social animal, men have many desires that cannot all be met at once; instead, as one need is gratified, another one arises. Motivation is an unending process, just as satisfying desires is.
2. A psychological concept: Motivation is concerned with the fact that an effective worker cannot perform the job satisfactorily unless he is properly motivated, and that effective performance necessitates proper motivation, which can only be achieved through a careful examination of the psychology of the workforce.
3. The whole person is motivated: Because motivation is linked to psychology, and because man’s fundamental needs are interconnected and inextricably linked, each need must be met for a person to be completely and not partially motivated.
4. Motivation may be financial or non-financial: There are two types of motivation: financial and non-financial. Financial motivation includes raising pay, allowances, bonuses, perks, and the like. Non-financial motivation includes praising employees, giving them more responsibilities, and encouraging them to participate in decision-making.
5. A frustrated man cannot be motivated until his fundamental requirements are met. A dissatisfied man cannot be motivated unless his basic needs are met. If a man’s basic needs are not met, he may be frustrated and, to some degree, mentally unwell.
6. Objectives are motivators: Man works to attain his own goals, and once those goals are met, he loses interest in working. Therefore, management should discover each person’s goals so that it may urge them to work by giving them instructions.
7. Unifying force: The urge to actualize one’s own image is referred to as the unifying force. Since motivation is greatly influenced by an individual’s self-image, the unifying force is a powerful motivational factor.
8. Motivation can be positive or negative: Positive motivation refers to the use of incentives, which may be monetary or non-monetary. Pay revision, job confirmation, and the like are examples of positive motivations. Negative motivation refers to the emphasis of penalties. Demotion and termination from the service are two examples of negative motivation.
9. Job satisfaction and motivation are not the same things: Job happiness is the result of good work performance, but motivation is goal-oriented behaviour.

Importance of Motivation

Two key components are required for any job performance: the ability to work and the willingness to work. Since unwillingness to work is useless, there is a need for motivation to instil a sense of willingness in the minds of workers to perform a task. As a result, performance may be expressed in the following formula:

Performance = aptitude x drive (willingness)

E.F.L. Brech described motivation’s significance as “The motivation issue is crucial to management decisions, and in its executive form, it is one of the general manager’s main responsibilities. We may confidently assert that an organization’s tone reflects the driving forces at the top.”

Following is a basic explanation of the significance of motivation:

1. Maximum use of elements of production: When workers work truly under the influence of motivation, it is possible to utilise labour and capital to the fullest extent possible.
2. Willingness to work: While a man may be technically, psychologically, and physically capable of carrying out the task at hand, he may not be eager to do so. Motivation encourages employees to accomplish their jobs more effectively.
3. Less absenteeism: Financial incentive programmes encourage employees to put in more hours by allocating financial rewards based on the amount of hours worked, which lowers absenteeism.
4. Reduced labour turnover: The firm may plan its operations on a long-term basis with the aid of motivation, which has both financial and non-financial incentive schemes, which helps to maintain the present labourers.
5. Availability of the appropriate people: Financial and non-financial incentives not only retain current workers but also draw in new hires by attracting the right individuals from outside the organisation to work there.
6. Development of positive labour relations: Positive labour relations are ensured by motivation’s ability to address issues like absenteeism, turnover, indiscipline, and complaints.
7. An increase in production and efficiency: Employees’ pay rise in line with gains in output and efficiency, and management also benefits from motivational programmes as the organization’s productivity and profitability rise as a result of the concerted efforts of the motivated employees.
8. Sense of belonging: An effective incentive plan fosters a stronger bond between the business and its employees, who start to feel as if the company is theirs and start to see it as having similar interests to their own.
9. Basis of collaboration: Because cooperation cannot be attained without incentive, cooperation is a precondition for increasing productivity and efficiency.
10. Aids in achieving organisational objectives: By motivating workers, who feel fully invested in carrying out organisational tasks, organisational goals are promptly realised. Employees are more likely to work tirelessly to attain these goals.
11. Improvement of skill and knowledge: Employees have pledged to execute or complete their jobs efficiently; as a result, they may enhance the knowledge and skills necessary for the position.

Types of Motivation

Some of the many motivational styles include the following:

1. Negative motivation: This type of motivation is based on the threat of punishment if a worker does not complete their work, such as a pay cut, layoff, promotion, or demotion. While this type of motivation is most effective in the short term, it does not provide the organisation with long-term benefits and can lead to disloyalty to both the group and the organisation.
2. Positive motivation: According to Flipps, positive motivation is the process of attempting to persuade others to follow your instructions through the promise of gain or reward. Positive motivation techniques include giving praise, taking part in decision-making, taking pride in oneself, and delegating power and responsibility.
3. Extrinsic motivation: Motivation is only present once a task is finished. Examples of extrinsic incentive include pay increases, retirement benefits, rest breaks, vacations, health wages, health insurance, and similar things.
4. Motivation from inside: When doing tasks, one is motivated from within. When the task is really done, these reasons provide gratification. Some examples of intrinsic motivation include praise, recognition, power, devolution of duty and authority, competitiveness, and involvement in the decision-making process.
5. Financial motivation: Money is either directly or indirectly related to financial motivation. Wages and salaries are the most significant financial drivers. Other financial incentives include bonuses, profit-sharing, vacation compensation, free medical care, retirement perks, and insurance.
6. Non-financial motivation: Non-financial motivation is the kind of drive that is not based on receiving cash compensation. Some examples of non-financial incentive include praise, work rotation, devolution of authority and responsibility, involvement, acknowledgment, and power. Non-financial incentives, in Robert Dulin’s words, are “psychic benefits or rewards of higher standing, which might be acquired in the work organisation.”

Theories of Motivation

The X theory and Y theory are two hypotheses that Prof. Douglas McGregor proposed in his well-known book, “The Human side of Enterprise.” Below is a succinct description of the “X” hypothesis.

The X-theory is seen as a tool for managing and controlling the workforce. The managers are in charge of making decisions across all disciplines. Employees are free to voice their ideas and feelings. However, management make the choices, and employees must adhere to them.

3. Y-theory: Y-theory just goes against X-theory. Consequently, X-theory is regarded as a conventional theory and Y-theory as a contemporary theory. The Y-theory emphasises the role of employees in achieving organisational goals.

Assumptions of Y-Theory

1. The typical person has a propensity to labour. A work is just as natural as a pastime.
2. The worker may extend his cooperation for task completion after he has a clear understanding of the job’s aim.
3. The employee might give his or her all in order to achieve business goals quickly.
4. The employee is self-directed, self-motivated, disciplined, and controlled.
5. The employee is willing to take on more responsibility if the management has established the proper motivating plan.
6. The current employee is qualified to do the job and is capable of making wise judgments.
7. A worker anticipates being acknowledged for a job well done.
8. A worker may perform well even in exchange for non-monetary benefits like greater responsibility or decision-making power.
9. No enterprise makes use of human potential to its fullest capacity. from Sobe

A worker has integrity and is willing to put in a lot of effort, according to the Y-theory. He exhibits originality and inventiveness and is eager to engage in the decision-making process. One may argue that Y-theory is positive and upbeat whereas X-theory is gloomy and dismal.

THEORY X	THEORY Y
1. Workers dislike to work by themselves.	1. Workers feel that work is as natural as play.
2. Workers are not ready to accept responsibility.	2. Workers are ready to accept responsibility if proper motivation is available to them.
3. Workers prefer to be directed by others.	3. Workers are directed by them-selves.
4. Workers are unambitious	4. Workers are ambitious.
5. Workers by nature resist changes and want security.	5. Workers are ready to cope with changes.
6. Workers lack creativity and fail to solve organisational problems.	6. Workers have a high degree of creativity and succeed in solving organisational problems.
7. It focuses the lower level needs of workers i.e., physiological and safety.	7. It focuses not only the lower level needs but also higher level needs i.e., social, esteem and self-actualisation of workers.
8. Strict control is necessary to achieve organisational objectives.	8. Workers exercise self-control and self-direction to achieve organisational objectives.
9. Authority is not delegated.	9. Authority is delegated.
10. Autocratic leadership is followed.	10. Democratic leadership is followed

Theory Z

William G. Ouchi, a professor, created hypothesis Z. This argument is based on a comparison of American and Japanese management styles. Theory Z explains how Japanese management techniques may be adapted to the environments of other nations, particularly the United States.

This theory emphasises the managerial aspect of organisational behaviour. Theory Z may be used as a motivational model. This idea supports the management school of thought. Consensus is used to make both important and small decisions in a genuinely democratic and dynamic administration.

Additionally, there is a strong sense of family between the boss and the workers. In other words, there is a strong emphasis on intimate, trustworthy relationships between employees, supervisors, and other groups.

The external control of human behaviour is emphasised in Theory Z. Employee friction is reduced and team spirit is ensured through mutual trust. Depending on the individuals they work with and the sort of work being done, management professionals in practise develop their own management styles.

Features of Theory Z

1. Trust: When there is trust and openness among management executives, employees, workers, and labour unions, conflict is minimised to the greatest extent possible. Employees also provide their fullest cooperation to help the organisation accomplish its goals. William G. Ouchi asserts that a good organisation requires trust, honesty, and transparency.
2. Lifetime Employment: In order to foster a close relationship between staff members and the organisation, it is important to provide lifelong employment to every employee. To prevent layoffs during challenging economic times, shareholders or business owners can forego their dividends or earnings.
3. Employee Involvement: Employee involvement refers to the taking part of workers in the decision-making process. It’s not required for workers to participate in every decision. Any decision that might have an impact on workers in any manner, however, should be made collaboratively. Employees should be informed of the management’s viewpoint if it intends to make a choice independently so that they do not feel disregarded. Such participation fosters a feeling of accountability.
4. Organization with Integrity: An integrated organisation values job rotation. The interconnectedness of tasks is better understood because of job rotation. Team spirit is fostered by this kind of knowledge.
5. Promotion of a worker is only permitted up to a certain level. The advertising that results in the adoption of the newest technology being saturating is the cause. The promoted employees are not able to handle change. Instead, the management emphasises horizontal mobility of employees so that workers do not feel stagnant in the same position for an extended period of time.
6. Coordination: A leader’s job is to organise the work of the team and foster a sense of class inside the company. Each and every employee should be interviewed by the boss, who should then analyse the issues.
7. No Formal Structure: According to theory Z, the organisation has no formal structure. A complete teamwork should be present at all times, including cooperation, ideas, tactics, plans, and information. For instance, a cricket team performs effectively and handles issues without any official reporting arrangements.
8. Motivation: Employees will be motivated if they are given the opportunity to collaborate with their superiors or on particular initiatives. The explanation is that their participation offers the possibility of increased revenue in the future.
9. Informal Control System: Organizations should implement an informal control system. Therefore, for this aim, cooperation and mutual trust are prioritised above superior-subordinate relationships.
10. Working Conditions: For employees to be more satisfied, a stable work environment is essential.

Criticism of Theory Z

Theory Z is not thought of as a motivational strategy. As a result, it has drawn criticism for a number of reasons. Following is a list of the complaints:

1. The Japanese management methods are the foundation of Theory Z. Japanese culture has influenced managerial strategies in that nation. Where Japanese culture is predominant, Theory Z may be implemented. The cultures of different nations are distinct from one another. Therefore, theory Z cannot be used in all situations.
2. There is not enough data to support Theory Z. As a result, this theory’s application in real life is quite restricted.
3. In terms of criteria for when it should be used in an organisation, Theory Z falls short.
4. The lack of a formal framework is one of theory Z’s characteristics. If the organisation attempts to adopt theory Z, there are certain operational issues caused by the lack of formal structure.
5. According to hypothesis Z, employment for life is not conceivable. The explanation is that employers are not willing to keep a worker who is otherwise unproductive since replacements are readily available.
6. According to Theory Z, there should be a sense of class in the organisation. This is quite difficult to do. The cause is because different workers have different eating, dressing, and other routines.
7. Owners or shareholders in India won’t accept less profit or a smaller share of the pie to prevent layoffs.
8. A company would encounter several issues brought on by trade unions if upward advancement of employees is banned.
9. It is difficult for workers to move horizontally. It is impossible to transfer a skill required for one job to another.
10. If an organisation adheres to the limitation in upward promotion, it will not be able to benefit from specialisation.

To put it simply, hypothesis Z does not provide the management any solutions to the issue. Perfect solutions are required in the current, rapidly evolving computing environment.

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Maslow Hierachy of Needs

In essence, there are two categories of requirements: intrinsic needs and learned needs. Nature itself have innate wants. Anger, hunger, sexual desire, etc. are a few examples. Natural wants are another name for innate desires. Experience is the foundation for acquired needs. For instance, if a student in the area drives a “Bajaj M80,” other students in the area may like to do the same. The term for this is acquired need.

Primary needs and secondary requirements are two more categories for categorising needs. In order to live and to preserve life, one must have their basic requirements met. for instance, food, drink, air, etc. Recognition, love, affection, and other wants related to the mind and spirit are examples of secondary needs.

Dr. Abraham H. Maslow assigned a specific ranking to the different human requirements. This ruling is generally recognised. Dr. A.H. Maslow was a pioneer in correctly classifying human needs in this manner. Maslow asserts that human desires are limitless and eternal. When one want is met, a new desire appears in its place.

The employees are not motivated by their gratified demands. The only things that make a guy work hard are unmet desires. According to Maslow, needs or desires are met in a certain sequence.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

1. Basic physiological requirements include the need for food, water, shelter, clothes, and sexual satisfaction. These requirements are built into nature. These are essential for both humans and other animals. Other wants won’t arise if these requirements are not met. Man can only exist on food. These requirements are a stronger driving force than others.
2. Safety and security requirements: Safety and security requirements only appear after the most fundamental physiological requirements are met. Physical danger or the loss of established, fundamental physiological demands are both safety concerns. Concerns about security include sickness, lack of support, and job loss. As a result, the employees strive to get benefits like pensions, insurance, and job stability.
3. Man is a social animal that craves a sense of belonging. In society or in a family, he wants to love and be loved. Some examples of social needs include the sharing of emotions and complaints, love, sociability, acknowledgment, discussion, and a sense of belonging.
4. Esteem and status requirements: Also referred to as ego or egoistic requirements. Some examples of esteem and status needs include self-assurance, independence, success, competence, knowledge, status, recognition, and appreciation. Rarely are most of them rewarding.
5. Self-actualization requirements: Self-actualization requirements are also known as selfrealization requirements. The desire to become all that one is capable of being is referred to as self-actualization. For instance, a doctor may believe that he can save a patient’s life. A teacher believes he can provide pupils with the greatest instruction possible. In other words, the person performs at the highest possible degree of excellence.

The first three requirements—basic physiological needs, safety and security needs, and belonging and social needs—are considered lower level needs out of the five needs described above. He considers the latter two requirements to be higher level needs, namely self-actualization and status demands.

Through monetary and non-monetary compensation, lower level requirements are met. The phrase “non-monetary reward” refers to things like favourable working circumstances, affection, and recognition. The demands at a higher level are met through granting input into decision-making, distributing power and responsibility, granting more flexibility, providing possibilities for growth, and other similar actions.

Critical Appraisal of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The hierarchy of needs aids management in understanding employee behaviour and inspiring it. Maslow acknowledged that the hierarchy of needs is not fixed and that it might vary from individual to person, nonetheless. Consequently, Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs has the following flaws:

1. The Maslow hierarchy of requirements does not always, everywhere, and under all conditions apply.
2. Some individuals don’t need social needs since they may have experienced love loss as children.
3. Various individuals have wants at different levels. The rationale is because there has been much expertise with the demands at the lower levels. People with lower level requirements may not be as ambitious or anticipate having higher level wants.
4. An individual’s views, expectations, and experience determine his behaviour. These do not lead to the Maslow-categorized needs.
5. No one can be motivated by only one need. For there to be adequate motivation, there are a number of requirements that must be met.
6. Not all employees are motivated by the same needs. A worker might be motivated by a need. It may not inspire another employee.

HERZBERG’S THEORY

Frederick Herzberg had researched motivation in the late 1950s. A work-motivation hypothesis has been created as a result of the investigation. This idea has wide-ranging effects on management and the efficient use of human resources. Herzberg Motivation Idea of Needs is the name given to this theory. It is also known as the Hygiene Theory, Maintenance Theory, or Two-Factor Theory of Motivation.

Herzberg attempted to comprehend the motivation issue from his investigations and to pinpoint human behaviour, nature, and desires that are essential to both organisations and people. He spoke with 200 engineers and accountants from 11 different sectors in the Pittsburgh region for this research. He asked them to recall times when they felt happy or awful about their professions and to explain the circumstances around those sentiments.

According to the research, there are significant differences between the characteristics that contribute to work satisfaction and job discontent. These two emotions weren’t at odds with one another. If a component contributes to work satisfaction, its absence would not indicate job unhappiness but rather what would be referred to as job contentment.

Similar to this, an element is in charge of work discontent. A lack of such a component might be referred to as a lack of work discontent rather than job contentment. So, this idea is supported by two different sorts of elements. They are elements influencing both job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.

Herzberg asserts that motivational variables are in charge of work happiness. The reasons for job dissatisfaction are related to hygiene or maintenance issues.

Motivational Factors

While the lack of some elements may not result in unhappiness, their presence might motivate employees. We refer to them as motivational elements. Herzberg listed many motivating elements, including I success, (ii) acclaim, (iii) promotion, (iv) the task itself, (v) the potential for progress, and (vi) responsibility.

Maintenanace Factors

The existence of a certain set of characteristics motivates the workforce, while their absence results in significant unhappiness. In other words, having these criteria helps to avoid complaints. These elements were referred to by Herzberg as maintenance of hygiene elements.

Herzberg classified the following characteristics as maintenance factors in his research. They are (i) company administration and policy, (ii) technical oversight, (iii) interpersonal relationships with subordinates, (iv) remuneration, (v) job security, (vi) personal life, (vii) working conditions, (viii) status, (ix) interpersonal relationships with superiors, and (x) interpersonal relationships with peers.

Internal incentives that are present while the job is being done are known as intrinsic factors. Therefore, the employees are both directly and internally motivated.

Extrinsic factors are rewards from outside sources that are only available after a job is completed. Extrinsic elements include things like insurance, holiday pay, leave, and retirement benefits. The employees in this situation are motivated, albeit indirectly.

Organizational managers began to focus more on internal characteristics as a consequence of Herzberg’s study since they often led to successful outcomes. He reached a decision as a result of his research. The employees could be inspired:

1. if the work is difficult;
2. if there is a chance for development;
3. if there is a chance of success;
4. whether the employees are sufficiently empowered and accountable;
5. if the employees are given credit; and
6. whether the employees can progress in their field.

Motivational Techniques

The following list of motivating strategies is briefly explained:

1. Financial incentives: Financial incentives include compensation revisions or raises, ancillary benefits, bonuses, etc. Incentives that are monetary have more motivational power than those that are not.
2. Job-based strategies include job rotation, job expansion, work enrichment, job simplicity, and job analysis and assessment. Job enrichment raises understanding of the significance of doing a certain job. Job switching helps to some degree to break up the monotony of the job. The number of operations increases with job expansion.
3. MBO technique: Employees and management collaborate to determine the scope of responsibility and the desired outcomes. They evaluated their contribution to the growth of the organisation using MBO as their operational manual.
4. Leadership techniques: Some of the leadership styles are autocratic, democratic, and persuasive. They have their own effects on both the short- and long-term motivation of employees.
5. Sensitivity education: Manager groups get this kind of education. Following sensitivity training, they inspire their subordinates. With the use of sensitivity training, managers may better understand who they are, get perspective on their workplaces, think critically, and build social skills while interacting with subordinates.

Requirements of a sound Motivational System

A strong incentive system helps the organisation most. Therefore, while designing a motivating system, adequate attention should be taken. Some conditions for an effective motivating system include the ones listed below:

1. A motivating system should strike a balance between organisational employees’ goals and philosophies.
2. Members of the organisation should have a good understanding of the organization’s motivational system.
3. The employees’ whole range of activities should be covered by the incentive system.
4. The efforts and rewards should be in line with the motivating system.
5. A flexible motivating mechanism is necessary. It implies that sometimes, adjustments are made to the motivating system in accordance with needs.

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