Introduction

The behaviour and performance of employees in a work environment is a direct representation of

management and managerial activities and choices in the organisation. A company’s human resource
has been recognized as a valuable intangible resource, which enhances a company’s competitive edge.
According to Armstrong (2016, p.6) human resources refer to the skills, the technical expertise, and the
abilities of employees, as well as their general well-being; their personalities, and their motivation.
When employees become disillusioned, lack morale and therefore turnover is high, this reflects a breach
of managerial duties and obligations as well as a breach of HRM policies. The goal of human resource
management is to maintain a relationship of mutual trust between employees and employers, thereby
providing the employee with a sense of motivation. (Armstrong, 2016, p.7).

Being assigned to oversee the 20-person quality control group. This group has a high turnover rate due
to psychological issues and social issues that have resulted in disillusionment and lack of motivation. The
trail of ideas that Mullins and Christy (2013, p.254) followed in explaining motivation of employees
through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs implied that satisfaction of a need robs it of its motivational
capacity.

In this study, I seek to understand the needs and pain points of the employees through observations,
interactions and behavioral patterns as a work group using sociometry (Mullins and Christy, 2016,
p.340). Specifically, the goal of the study is to identify the root causes of demotivation both individually
and as a group. This will enable us to effectively resolve them in order to provide the organization with a
highly motivated team of employees who will contribute to its success.

Diagnosis

Management is the coordination and administration of responsibilities that is based on common sense,
pride in the organisation and enthusiasm for its work (Pettinger 2007, p.6) and by extension the welfare
of the employees. Effective management involves individualising each employee in order to improve
their effectiveness and make the right use of their unique skills while ensuring their optimal well-being.

In my observation so far, I have observed some behavioral patterns among the group members such as

• Lack of communication between employees and management, as well as among colleagues.

• Waste of time and effort on issues not related to primary responsibilities.
• Decreased productivity.

Evaluation

1. As in a group, determining the level of acceptance or rejection within the group indicates the
possibility or likelihood of cohesiveness within the group. Using Moreno’s sociometry
measurement to determine choices, preferences, likes and dislikes, and interactions among
individual group members (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p. 340). Frequency and duration of
contact will also be observed. Members will also be asked to nominate colleagues according to
who they relate to easily or have an inclination to work with.
This evaluation will give insight into the employability and retention potential of members. In a group,
interaction is directly related to performance, as well as satisfaction. These two factors determine
productivity. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure members are still willing to work together. This also
provides insight into whether their social needs are being met and the degree of interaction and
bonding within the group.

2. Organize a one-to-one session to receive feedback from them about current or previous
managerial policies and how it affects them individually. The aim is to obtain a deeper
understanding of the cognitive processes of their needs and expectations which is an underlying
influence on their behaviour at work (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p.247).

Implementation through informal groups to meet social needs

In a study carried out by Pascusl-Ezama and his colleagues in 2013, they observed that money and
prestige pale in comparison when valued against intrinsic motivation. The study found that workers
motivated by intrinsic motivation tend to be more productive even without supervision, and they also
tend to cheat less on work input than those motivated by money or prestige. Early researchers like FW
Taylor have believed money to be a strong source of motivation as it symbolises goal achievement which
can be true but has a lot of limitations and could influence employees to pursue opportunities rather
than intrinsic motivations like work flexibility, personal growth and development and career progression
which always plays an important role in motivation even where financial rewards are limited (Mullins
and Christy, 2013, p.250).

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory postulates that human beings always want more and what they
want is dependent on what they already have (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p. 253), as unsatisfying needs
remain a motivator. This indicates that when basic physiological and safety needs are met human beings
seek connectedness and self-esteem in various forms. Disillusionment indicates a lack of trust between
employees and the management system. Re-establishing trust and connection with colleagues and
management can provide a sense of internal motivation.

In my understanding of working in groups, a coordinated and friendly working relationship and

supportive environment encourage harmonious teamwork which has been observed to improve staff
morale and productivity (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p.299). To meet the social and psychological needs
of employees, as a manager, I will promote informal relationships and bonding among team members
regardless of the organization’s formal groups. This would also create an opportunity or avenue where
knowledge and information could freely flow, which would ease the pressures of goal achievement.

Although there could be a possibility of group conflicts, these can be minimized by careful differentiation
of roles and tasks (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p. 355) and encouraging the free flow of communication
and feedback. Mullins and Christy (2013, p. 303) recommend division of work in order to attain targeted
organization goals through coordinated work activities; however, allowing for non-formal work groups
to be formed around formal work groups through personal relationships and harmonious environments
reinforces the rules and procedures of the formal structure through interpretation and development.
Informal groups boost the psychological well-being of individuals by absorbing the pressure that comes
with the working environment creating a more balanced working environment, thereby increasing the
drive to complete assignments. Interest and fun provided by informal groups that is absent in
monotonous jobs reduces the burnout rate in employees and also decreases the need for absenteeism.

Informal groups influence behaviour at work to a large extent as a literature example cited in Mullen
and Christy (2013, p.305) about a group of 14 workers in a bank wiring room that formed cliques and
naturally selected their leaders. These men agreed on 6,000 units per day as a reasonable work output.
This is despite the fact that they have the capacity to produce more and the financial incentives that
come with more output.

According to this illustration, informal groups could have a significant effect on team performance
positively or negatively; however, reinforcing organisational values through promoting an inclusive and
caring work environment, recognizing employees who live up to the organisation’s values, and providing
technologies and utilities that facilitate teamwork are essential.

Another mitigation approach will be to establish agreed roles and social norms for the operations of the
groups to address coordination and help with performance assessment (Mullins and Christy 2013, p.
305).

Giving opportunity for self development and career advancement

In Alderfer’s modification of Maslow’s hierarchy model, he opined that the needs of man are not
hierarchical but continuous (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p. 256). This supports the need for constant
achievement as a drive for motivation.

Google Inc. is one company that is renowned for its HRM policies that have been a source of employee
satisfaction and retention. Google’s management practices include

• A twice-yearly report managers receive from employees expressing how they feel towards the
leadership or management of the team. Feedback like role differentiation, emotional and
psychological support, outlining of clear tasks, free flow of information. They are also
encouraged to express their areas of concern and areas where change or improvement is
required. This shows the importance of open and honest feedback to organisational
performance and success.
• Google encourages its employees to set and pursue their career paths through regular
conversations between management and individuals.

Management assists employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The employees are given
“Away days” (Mullins and Christy, 2013, p. 356) to pursue a non-work goal in a way that does not affect
their primary responsibilities negatively. This helps management measure and track their employees’
well-being.

Leadership is always modeled by example and the level of effort required of team members will always
stem from the management team. As Mintzberg (2013 p.7) put it “being managed by someone who
doesn’t want to be managed could be dispiriting”.

When I was with Gordon Enterprises, I observed a general manager encourage an extra 30 minutes to
our break time on Fridays which he referred to as “brain reboot time”. We are taking this extra break to
complete a questionnaire that helps us reflect on our work and relationships over the past week. This
gave employees the opportunity to vent their frustrations knowing that they were heard. During
monthly in-house meetings, complaints and issues are brought up and discussed and solutions are
proffered.

Conclusion

Employee motivation remains a trial-and-error process. Being successful in motivating workers to put
the affairs and the progress of the group and by extension the organisation above their own needs
improves the performance of the organisation. However, reassuring employees of management’s
dedication to their career development and well-being is critical to boost morale and retain employees.

It Is always my goal to use Kolb’s experiment learning cycle to understand what approaches are
productive and unproductive and to continuously improve as there is no definitive fit to management
other than what Mintzberg (2013, p. 139) calls “managing naturally”.

References

Armstrong, M. (2016). Armstrong’s Handbook of Strategic Human Resources Management. London.

Kogan Page.

Mintzberg, H. (2013). Simply Managing What Managers Do – And Can Do Better. San Francisco. Berrett-
Koehler Publisher Inc.

Mullins, L.J and Christy, G. (2013). Management and Organizational Behavior. 10th ed. London. Pearson
Education Limited.

Pascusl-Ezama, D., Prelec, D and Dunfield, D. (2013), ‘Motivation, money, prestige and cheats’, Journal
of Economic Behavior and Organization, a3, 367-373.

Pettinger, R. (2007). Introduction to Management. 4th Ed. Basingstoke. Palgrave Macmillan.