HR Management help on: Maslow’s theory and other motivational theories

1. Executive SummaryThe report highlights the various Human Resource Management (HRM) theories which would act as a motivator for the employees working within the organization. According to Vroom, motivation has been defined as a governing process which is being made by individuals in order to select amongst the various alternatives available. It refers to the various dependent as well as independent variables which would explain the relationship as well as have a proper understanding of the task. The report highlights the Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, Two Factor Theory, Theory of X and Y & McClelland Theory of Human Resource Management (HRM). These theories help to define as well as discuss how it acts a motivator for the employees working within the enterprise.

1. IntroductionThe term motivation has been derived from a Latin word i.e. movement. According to one of the researcher, the term motivation has been defined as a forcing element or a direction which would entice the people working in the organization to work towards the accomplishment of its goals (Cropanzano & Rupp, 2006). According to Vroom, motivation has been defined as a governing process which is being made by individuals in order to select amongst the various alternatives available. It refers to the various dependent as well as independent variables which would explain the relationship as well as have a proper understanding of the task. The definitions discussed above, have three major denominations i.e. motivation refers to the various enforcing factors which would sustain the behavior, energize as well as channel over a period of time (Luthans, 2007).

1. Body

3.1   MotivationFully understanding the word motivation & motivating the employees in order to give their best, understanding the compensatory changes would help in the future growth of the company (Cropanzano & Rupp, 2006). Therefore, the fact that the organizations these days are quite structured & take into consideration the element i.e. motivation in a much in depth manner. The critiques also focus upon the effects of motivation upon the organization as well as focusing upon the various influencing factors which would affect the entire organization as a whole (Cropanzano & Rupp, 2006). This has been proved both practically as well as theoretically. Motivation of the mangers refers to one of the integral parts of the organization. This would help them in order to enhance as well as increase their productivity (Cropanzano & Rupp, 2006). Motivation at work place plays a key role in order to keep the employees working in the organization happy as well as content. Much research has been conducted in the areas of leadership, team management, performance management, ethics, decision making & its importance. This topic refers to one of the most researched topic (Luthans, 2007). This would help in order to enhance the productivity as well as the efficiency of the organization as a whole. Goal setting theory would also help the managers in order to accomplish the targets (Allport, 2004). This would also help to specify the goal, commitment of the goal, difficulty of the goal as well as increase the performance of the organization (Cropanzano & Rupp, 2006).

Motivation refers to a psychological feature which would entice the individual to perform so as to fulfill the pre determined goals & objectives. It shall be taken into consideration that, motivation consists of different approaches such as cognitive, physiological, social & cognitive. Motivation has been referred to as a concept which is related but somewhat distinct from emotion.

3.2   Importance of MotivationThe importance of motivation within the organization has been described in this section of the report. Some of the benefits achieved at the workplace have been explained as follows. They are:

Þ    Improve the levels of efficiency amongst the employees: The first & foremost benefit attached along motivation is to improve the overall efficiency levels amongst the employees. In order to get the best output from the employees, the gap between what is required & what is the employee willing to perform shall be minimized. Minimizing the gap will help in order to achieve the following aspects such as:

• Improve the overall levels of efficiency
• Increase in the levels of productivity
• Reduce the cost of operations

Þ    Achievement of the pre determined goals within the enterprise: Motivation helps the employees working within the enterprise to achieve the organizational goals in the bets of manner. Some of the goals which can be achieved have been mentioned as follows:

• Utilization of the resources in the best of the manner
• To have co-operative working environment within the organization
• The employees would be motivated as well as goal directed which would help to solve the purpose of the same
• The organizational goals would be achieved if proper coordination as well as cooperation is done with the help of motivation

Þ    Human resource in action: It has been seen that, in order to accomplish pre-determined goals of the organization sufficient amount of physical, human as well as financial resources would be required. Therefore, motivation will play one of the major roles in motivating the human resource to use the different types of resources in an effective & efficient manner. This would help the organization to utilize the various resources in the best of the manner.

Þ    Build healthy relationship within the employees: Motivation helps to build healthy relationship between the employees. This would act as one of the most important factors which help to satisfy the employees in the best possible manner. Friendly behavior within the enterprise can be done with the help of following things such as:

• Due promotion of the employees
• Incentives in monetary as well as non monetary termsIn order to create cordial relationships amongst the employees working within the enterprise the following steps shall be followed. They are as follows:

• Practice co-operation within the organization which would lead to high levels of stability
• Reduce the amount of conflicts within the enterprise
• Reduction in the levels of conflict within the enterprise will increase the profits earned thereby leading to the enhancement of productivity
• The working environment within the enterprise should be employer friendly. This will help the employees to adapt the changes in the best possible manner

Þ    Stable workforce within the enterprise: Stable workforce refers to one of the most important aspects which shall be kept in mind. Stability within the workforce acts as one of the tool which would help to maintain reputation & goodwill. It shall be seen that, employees remain loyal to the enterprise if and only if he is given the liberty to participate within the management level decisions. It shall be seen that, skills & efficiency of the employees will act as the major benefit in the organization. The saying i.e. “old is gold”, shall be kept in mind by the organization with regards to the older employees. It shall be taken into consideration that higher is the levels of experience less is the amount of adjustments required by them. The role of motivation shall be seen with this respect i.e. high levels of motivation within the enterprise will lead to a rise in the levels of employee retention rate.

It is clearly stated from the above discussion i.e. motivation is referred to as an internal feeling which is understood by the manager since he is in direct contact with the employees. The manager shall keep in mind the fact that, needs wants as well as desires are related to one another. They act as a driving force which would help to motivate the employees in the best possible manner. The needs of the employees shall be understood by the managers which would frame the motivational plans accordingly. Hence, motivation would be referred to as a continuous process as human needs are unlimited.

3.3   Theories to Motivate

There are various theories in Human Resource Management which would help in fair understanding of the role of various HRM functions within an organization & draws a link between HRM as a strategic partner (Nadler, 1984).  These theories of HRM would act as a motivator for the employees working within the enterprise. The theories described in this report are Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Theory of X and Y & McClelland’s acquired needs theory.

3.3.1 Abraham Maslow Need Hierarchy Theory:Abraham Maslow defines the theory of need hierarchy by dividing the human needs into five different heads such as physiological, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs & self actualization needs.

Maslow talks about this theory with regards to the level of motivation in an individual. In the starting stage, the individual is only concerned about the basic necessities of life & does not think beyond it. As and when his first needs are accomplished, he gets a motivational force in order to move ahead & try to capture some other needs too. Maslow also states that, the needs of human are multiple in natures & are always in a hierarchical order. He also states that an unsatisfied need can influence individual behavior and act as a motivator whereas an accomplished need does not act as a motivator (Nadler, 1984).

According to Abraham Maslow’s, the theory is based on two basic principles, such as:

    * Progression principle: The five needs he identified exist in a hierarchy, which means that a need at any level only comes into play after a lower-level need has been satisfied.

*   Deficit principle: A satisfied need no longer motivates behavior because people act to satisfy deprived needs.

Table 1 show the five basic levels & gives a proposal for fulfilling its each need. The two basic principles i.e. the strict deficit as well as the progression principles of this theory, helps & provides an idea which would help the managers to comprehend & satisfy ones needs (Nadler, 1984).

3.3.2 Herzberg’s two-factor theory:

The next HRM theory which would motivate the individuals is the Frederick Herzberg two factor theories which put forward a different structure for understanding the impulse implications amongst the working environment (Hyde, 2004).

The theory of Herzberg’s two factor theory states the following two factors which would helps an individual in order to get motivated at the work place. They are as under:

• Hygiene factors would include job security, salary, working conditions, technical quality of supervision & organizational policies.

Although, the factors mentioned above do not inspire the employees, but can definitely cause disappointment/ unhappiness when missing. It must be noted that presence of such factors which not increase the satisfaction level amongst the employees (Hyde, 2004).

• Satisfiers or motivators would include the following i.e. achievement, growth opportunities, responsibility, & feelings of recognition, are some of the basic motivators which would lead to satisfaction & create sense of motivation (Hyde, 2004).

3.3.3 Theory of X and Y:

Douglas McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y are the theories which leads to human motivation, have been used in various organization situated in UK, USA, etc. The theory can be described with two different attitudes headed towards personnel’s motivation.
Theory X:

Theory X refers to the first component of this theory. This theory states that there are certain employees in the organization who are lazy, always try to avoid work, and dislikes the work.

It must be noted that if the organization wants its goals as well as objectives to e met then, they should avoid relying on the employees having some traits of theory X. The Telstra’s HR managers should take into consideration such type of traits whenever they want to allocate some work to its employees (Feed Burner, 2010).

The HR manager should see that the employees with theory X traits would always try to escape from its responsibilities.

Theory Y:

The theory Y refers to the second component of McGregor’s theory of X and Y. this theory assumes that the employees of the organization are highly ambitious & motivated to work whole heartedly (Feed Burner, 2010). This means that, if Telstra wants to get its work done then they should rely on such type of employees. Workers/ employees at Telstra are highly motivated & want to work towards the accomplishment of the goal, objective being laid down by the top officials (Feed Burner, 2010).

Such type of workers would help the organization situated in UK to have a great future ahead as these employees would be able to solve the problems & take up all the responsibilities.

It is one of the most crucial aspects of HRM. Theory Y refers to a type of trait which should be made available in each & every organization which would help them to be at the top & have a competitive edge over others (Feed Burner, 2010).

This type of theory i.e. Theory Y is the best management style to be practiced across any organization.

3.3.4 McClelland’s acquired needs theory:The other academic theory of HRM refers to the David McClelland’s theory of acquired needs which identifies that each individual has different pattern of needs (Durai, 2010).

McClelland believes that people have the urge for fulfilling such needs. There are three basic needs recognized by McClelland. They are as under:

• Need for power is the desire to cause others to behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise.
• Need for achievement is the drive to excel.
• Need for affiliation is the desire for friendly, close interpersonal relationships and conflict avoidance.

At the organization situated in UK the hard working individuals try to distinguish themselves from the other employees (Durai, 2010). Such type of employees is highly motivated to serve their customers at its best and hence, organizations situated in UK would be able to maintain such a high client base. These individuals working in this enterprise are highly motivated by the job, the working environment, having a sense of special responsibility, an intermediate degree of risk, and feedback (Durai, 2010).

The following features/ behaviors of the workers in the organization have lead to high brand building of the same:

• Want rapid feedback on their performances so that they can tell easily whether they are improving or not
• Set moderately challenging goals and perform best when they perceive their probability of success as 50-50
• Seek personal responsibility for finding solutions to problems

Interestingly, all the academic theories of HRM would definitely support the analysis of the role of various HRM functions practiced in any organization situated in United Kingdom (UK).

3.4 Benefits of team work

The benefits of working in a team will help the enterprise as a whole. There are high levels of benefits attached when working within team. Some of the benefits of team work are as follows:

Þ    Increase in the levels of efficiency: Working in teams leads to high levels of efficiency within the enterprise. It shall be taken into consideration that, employees within the organization shall communicate about tasks allotted, assignments & practice new ways to increase the levels of efficiency.

Þ    High levels of Morale: It shall be taken into consideration that, employees work together which boosts the levels of morale. High levels of morale amongst the employees will provide better employee retention rate within the enterprise.

Þ    Creativity & Innovation: When all the employees work together as a team, innovation is being practiced in order to fulfill the pre determined goals decided by the top level management. When working in team, brain storming sessions shall be practice which would help to sort out the problems encountered. While working in a team, more creative solutions are generated this would lead to better results.

Þ    Speed: For example, if one employee is provided with a project which requires rigorous research, finances & many steps are required to implement the same. The individual will take months or years to complete the project. Therefore, project shall be split into pieces and distributed amongst the employees with similar expertise. Distributing the project will lead to the achievement of the organizational goal at a faster rate.

Þ    Build unity: One of the benefits of team work is to maintain unity amongst the people working within the organization. This will portray a positive working environment for the employees. By practicing unity at workplace, the employees will feel that “all are one & work as teams to accomplish the pre determine goals decided by the top level management”.

1. Conclusion

Hence, it could be concluded that motivation refers to a psychological feature which would entice the individual to perform so as to fulfill the pre determined goals & objectives. It shall be taken into consideration that, motivation consists of different approaches such as cognitive, physiological, social & cognitive. Motivation has been referred to as a concept which is related but somewhat distinct from emotion.There are various theories in Human Resource Management (HRM) shall be adopted at any of the organization situated in UK. The various theories in HRM would help in fair understanding of the role of various HRM functions within an organization & draws a link between HRM as a strategic partner (Nadler, 1984). These theories of HRM would act as a motivator for the employees working within the enterprise. The theories described in this report are Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, Theory of X and Y & McClelland’s acquired needs theory.

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