Lecture 10

Supporting the Workforce:

Motivation and Human
Resources. Part 1.
I NST R UC T O R : K UL YY E V A B A H A R
Lecture Objectives
1. Defining the motivation, and identifying the classical
motivation theories;
2. The job characteristics model, and how it helps predict
motivation and performance;
3. Five managerial strategies that are vital to maintaining a
motivated workforce;
4. Identify four contemporary staffing challenges, and the
challenges and advantages of a diverse workforce;
5. The steps used to develop and evaluate employees;
6. The most significant categories of employee benefits and
services.
What motivates employees to Peak
Performance?
Motivation is the combination of forces that drive individuals to take certain
actions and avoid others in pursuit of individual objectives.
In a workplace setting, motivation can be assessed by measuring four
indicators: engagement, satisfaction, commitment, and rootedness.
First, engagement reflects the degree of energy, enthusiasm, and effort each
employee brings to his or her work. If you’re “just not into it,” chances are you
won’t perform at your best.
Second, satisfaction indicates how happy employees are with the experience
of work and the way they are treated.
Third, commitment suggests the degree to which employees support the
company and its mission.
Fourth, rootedness (or its opposite, the intention to quit) predicts the
likelihood that employees will stay or leave their jobs. A person who is
engaged, satisfied, and committed and who has no intention of quitting can be
safely said to be motivated.
 Classical theories of motivation
This section offers a brief overview of some of the important early theories that helped shape ideas about
motivation.
Taylor’s scientific management
One of the earliest motivational researchers, Frederick W. Taylor, a machinist and engineer from Philadelphia,
studied employee efficiency and motivation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is credited with
developing scientific management, an approach that sought to improve employee efficiency through the
scientific study of work. In addition to analyzing work and business processes in order to develop better
methods, Taylor popularized financial incentives for good performance.
The Hawthorne studies and the “Hawthorne effect”
Between 1924 and 1932, a series of pioneering studies in employee motivation and productivity were
conducted at the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago. The Hawthorne studies are
intriguing both for what they uncovered and as an example of how management ideas can get oversimplified
and misunderstood over the course of time. The research began as an experiment in scientific management:
testing the effect of various levels of electric lighting on worker productivity. The researchers varied the lighting
level for one group of workers (the experimental group) and kept it the same for a second group (the control
group). Both groups were engaged in the tedious and exacting task of wrapping wire to make telephone coils, so
lighting presumably played a key role in eye strain and other factors influencing productivity.
Hawthorne effect is a supposed effect of organizational research, in which employees change their behavior
because they are being studied and given special treatment.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
In 1943, psychologist Abraham
Maslow hypothesized that
behavior is determined by a
variety of needs, which he
organized into categories
arranged in a hierarchy.
It’s a model in which human
needs are arranged in a hierarchy,
with the most basic needs at the
bottom and the more advanced
needs toward the top.
 Other theories
Theory X and theory Y
Theory X
A managerial assumption that employees are irresponsible, are unambitious, and dislike work
and that managers must use force, control, or threats to motivate them.
Theory Y
A managerial assumption that employees enjoy meaningful work, are naturally committed to
certain goals, are capable of creativity, and seek out responsibility under the right conditions.
Herzberg’s two-factor theory
A model that divides motivational forces into satisfiers (“motivators”) and dissatisfiers
(“hygiene factors”).
Mcclelland’s three needs
David McClelland’s model of motivation that highlights the needs for power, affiliation, and
achievement.
 The job characteristics model
Using the job characteristics model proposed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldman has
proven to be a reliable way to predict the effects of five core job dimensions on employee
motivation and other positive outcomes:
• Skill variety—the range of skills and talents needed to accomplish the responsibilities
associated with the job. The broader the range of skills required, the more meaningful the work is
likely to be to the employee.
• Task identity—the degree to which the employee has responsibility for completing an entire
task. Greater task identity contributes to the sense of meaning in work.
• Task significance—the employee’s perception of the impact the job has on the lives of other
people.
• Autonomy—the degree of independence the employee has in carrying out the job.
• Feedback—timely information that tells employees how well they’re doing in their jobs.
 Approaches to modifying core
job dimensions
The job characteristics model identifies the generic aspects of a job that can be adjusted to improve
motivation, but it’s up to individual companies and departments to identify and make the specific changes
that are relevant to each job in the organization. Three popular approaches are job enrichment, job
enlargement, and cross-training:
• Job enrichment. The strategy is to make jobs more challenging and interesting by expanding the range of
skills required—typically by expanding upward, giving employees some of the responsibilities previously
held by their managers. For example, an employee who had been preparing presentations for his or her boss
to give to customers could be asked to give the presentations as well. But some employees respond well, but
for others, the increased responsibility is more a source of stress than of inspiration.
• Job enlargement. Whereas job enrichment expands vertically, job enlargement is more of a horizontal
expansion, adding tasks that aren’t necessarily any more challenging. If it simply gives workers more to do,
job enlargement won’t do much to motivate and will more likely demotivate. However, if jobs are enlarged in
ways that increase worker knowledge, expansion can improve job satisfaction.
• Cross-training. Job enrichment and job enlargement expand the scope of an individual job, whereas cross-
training, or job rotation, involves training workers to perform multiple jobs and rotating them through these
various jobs to combat boredom or burnout. And in a tight economy, cross-training helps companies address
task needs without adding new staff.
 Motivational strategies
Regardless of the specific motivational theories that a company chooses to implement in its
management policies and reward systems, managers can improve their ability to motivate
employees by providing timely and frequent feedback, personalizing motivational efforts,
adapting to circumstances and special needs, tackling workplace problems before they
have a chance to destroy morale, and being inspirational leaders. Some strategies are:
Providing timely and frequent feedback
Making it personal
Gamifying for healthy competition
Adapting to circumstances and special needs
Addressing workplace negativity
Being an inspiring leader
Motivating yourself