Techniques and Theories of Employee Motivation

Employee Motivation

Employee motivation defined as the psychological forces which are responsible for
the behavior of an employee in an organization. Various factors which may be internal
or external stimulates the desires and enthusiasm in people and makes them
committed and interested in attaining a particular goal.

The manager’s main role is to balance the various activities of the organization.
Among these, the most important activity is “getting work done through others”.
Every human being has skills, desires, and a hidden energy. As a leader, managers
have to awaken the hidden talents of the employees through a powerful tool that is
‘Motivation’. Motivating the employees towards the objectives of the organization is
an art.

Techniques of Motivation

Job Design

Job design is also known as the ‘Task’ design or ‘Work’ design. It is one of the core
functions of the HR management. Job design is defined as an arrangement or
rearrangement of contents in a job to simplify duties and responsibilities. It decides
the contents of the job and fixes the duties and responsibilities, methods of performing
a job, the relationship among the managers, superiors, subordinates and peers. While
designing a job both the organizational and individual requirements should be
balanced. Jobs should be designed to get rid of boredom and dissatisfaction to attain
the high productivity and quality of work. Various techniques of job design are,
Job Enlargement

Job enlargement is a job design technique in which, a variety of related tasks is

associated to reduce the boredom and monotony. Here, a job is enlarged by horizontal
restructuring method that is by adding various related tasks in order to facilitate
workforce flexibility.

Job Enrichment

Job Enrichment is also called as Job Enhancement and it is a vertical restructuring

technique. According to this technique employees are given an additional authority,
freedom to take decisions to accomplish the job, autonomy, and control.

Job Rotation

This technique is used to make the employees expertise in performing various tasks.
In job rotation employees are shifted between two or more jobs at regular time
intervals in order to expose them to different experiences and to wider their skills.

Job Simplification

It is a job design technique in which a job is broken into simple tasks to facilitate
higher productivity and to reduce the mental or physical effort of the employees. Job
simplification creates interest towards performing simple tasks.
 TECHNIQUES OF MOTIVATION

Rewards
Employers use the rewards to motivate the employees and encourage them to reach
the individual and organizational objectives. Rewards are of two types,
Intrinsic Rewards
These are internal and psychological rewards which motivate the employees to reach
the objectives. For example, an employee feels good about accomplishment of the
task.
Extrinsic Reward
These rewards are given by others which include incentives, compliments, monitory
benefits, bonuses and trophies, etc. Extrinsic rewards affect an employee’s intrinsic
motivation and help to reach the desired goals which in turn force to gain the extrinsic
rewards.

Employee participation:
In employee participation, employees are empowered and are involved in decision-
making. Once the employees are well informed, educated and trained regarding
problem-solving then the managers may transfer decision-making authority to the
employees. It is a good motivational tool, which motivates the employees to be
responsible for reaching the desired goals.

Quality of work life programs

Work life program represents maintaining a balance between family care, personal
time and work. The wellness programs involve providing exercise facility, counseling
regarding health, weight loss and smoking. If the managers allow flexible working
hours and work from home whenever necessary then it acts as a powerful motivational
tool.
 Theories of motivation

Maslow’s need hierarchy:

In 1943, Abraham Maslow proposed a theory in psychology ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs’. He described a pattern of human motivations usually moves through a
hierarchy. In this theory, Maslow arranged all the human needs in a hierarchy and it is
represented by a pyramid, in which most fundamental needs are placed at the bottom.
The hierarchy of needs includes physiological needs, safety needs, belonging needs,
esteem needs and self-actualization needs. In this first four needs are D-needs and
self-actualization need is a B-need.

Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the most important physical requirements, which should be
met first for the human survival. All the physiological needs such as air, water, food,
clothing and shelter should be fulfilled. Without providing these needs human body
cannot function and ultimately fails. On the basis of this employers should pay at least
a minimum wage to meet these basic needs.
Safety needs
Once the physiological needs are satisfied and then need for safety arises. Safety
needs are second level needs of the pyramid which includes job security, safety,
personal security, health, and well-being etc.

Belonging needs
Belonging needs are third level needs and arise after fulfilling the physiological and
safety needs. Human beings always search for social acceptance and sense of
belonging such as friendship, intimacy, and family etc. in organizational context these
belonging needs include employee participation, good relations among management,
superiors, subordinates and peers.

Esteem needs
Self-esteem is the fourth level need of the hierarchy; it represents the desire to be
valued and accepted by the others. Maslow explained two versions of self-esteem
needs i.e. lower version and higher version.
Lower version
Lower version is the need for respect from others and it includes the need for fame,
status, attention, and recognition.
Higher version
Higher version represents self-respect and these needs include self-confidence,
strength, independence etc.

Self-actualization needs
Self-actualization need is the top level need of the hierarchy it refers to an individual’s
desire for self-fulfillment. So the employers should give freedom and assign a right
job to fulfill the self-actualization need.
 IMPROVEMENTS FOR PERFORMANCE EMPLOYEES

#1 – Communicate clear goals and expectations to your employees

The majority of employees want to be a part of a compelling future, want to know what is most
important at work and what excellence looks like. For targets to be meaningful and effective in
motivating employees, they must be tied to larger organizational ambitions.

#2 – Share information and numbers

Let them in on what is going on within the company as well as how their jobs contribute to the big
picture. When you keep you employees informed they tend to feel a greater sense of worth. Keep
communication hopeful and truthful – do not be afraid to share bad news, instead be more strategic
about how you deliver it. Improve performance through transparency – By sharing numbers with
employees, you can increase employees’ sense of ownership.

#3 – Encourage open communication

You can get insight into what things are important to the employee by using surveys, suggestion
boxes and team meetings. Be open-minded and encourage them to express their ideas and
perspectives without criticism. This means putting into practice everything you have learned about
effective listening. Address their concerns in the best way you can.

#4 – Not communicating or communicating late can damage engagement

Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and friends can have a negative
impact on employee engagement. Ensure employees hear these messages from the business as soon
as possible.

#5 – Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation, values and ethics

Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation, values and ethics – Employees want to
feel good about their leaders, where they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their
company.

#6 – Culture
Encourage employees to find a personal fit with the company culture.

#7 – Let staff tell their own stories

Encourage them to tell their own stories about what they are doing to support company strategies or
embody organizational values.
#8 – Trust
Employees need to trust each other as well as their leadership. Employees are constantly watching
leadership to see how their decisions affect the strategic direction of the organization and if their
behaviors reflect what they say.

#9 – Build engagement
Show that you’re genuinely concerned about employees’ opinions and use social mediaas a
communications tool to build engagement.

#10 – Encourage innovation

Engaged employees are innovative. They’re always looking for a better way.

#11 – Create a strong team environment

Strong employee engagement is dependent on how well employees get along, interact with each
other and participate in a team environment.

#12 – Sense of belonging

Non-work activities that foster relationships increase employee engagement.

#13 – Provide constant feedback on the positives

When people know what they’re doing well, they’ll keep doing it – or, even better, do more of it.
Providing someone with a little recognition on what they’re doing well can go a long way toward
boosting morale. This is not to say “ignore the weaknesses” – just don’t make the weaknesses the
only focus area of feedback. This doesn’t mean you should not create accountability, it actually
means the opposite – but, if all you do is criticize, people will learn how to hide their mistakes or
shift blame.

#14 – Give immediate feedback

Feedback is two way communication. It is the opportunity to share opinions and find solutions. Too
many managers think should be the province of the annual personnel revue. It’s not. It should be a
daily occurrence.

#15 – Show how feedback is being used

Demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
#16 – Support employees in their work and growth
How many of you have responded to a subordinate’s idea as brilliant or even good. Success begets
success. You can support employee growth by providing education and learning opportunities, cross
training, coaching, and any other interactions that support employees’ personal development.

#17 – Collaborate and share on problem-solving

When employees get the idea that their manager or leader is the one who has to solve all the
problems, it takes away from their sense of empowerment, and ultimately is likely to decrease
engagement over time. Encourage team members to take responsibility, and work through problems
or issues on their own, or collaboratively. It’s not the manager’s job to fix everyone else’s problems.

#18 – Delegation
Delegation is good for you because it expands your managerial span of control. It’s good for your
employees because it is a growth opportunity for them. It demonstrates your trust in them to do the
job correctly and increases their ownership of the task.

#19 – Incentives
Incentives that are matched to accountability and results. Managers who want their employees to be
engaged recognize that incentives must be allocated based on objective criteria and that different
employees are motivated by different things.

#20 – Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements

Employees need to feel validated and that they are a valued part of the organization. Leadership
needs to show how much they care for their employees and show recognition for efforts: “ If you
want something to grow, pour champagne on it“.