Motivational Management Theories

Question: What is the Motivational Management Theories. Answer: Introduction Management theories are executed in an organisation to help in increasing service quality, and organisational productivity. According to the workforce, purpose, and workplace managers decided which theory or theories should be implemented to attain productivity and quality. To attain productivity and quality it is necessary that the employees working for the company are motivated. For motivating employees also some theories are being researched and used by the various organisations (Angst Borowiecki, 2013). Theories like Expectancy theory according to which, motivation can lead an individual to act in a particular behaviour and get the desired result. Equity theory which says those individuals are motivated due to fairness and inequity de-motivate them. Goal setting theory emphasises on setting goal is necessary for the motivation of employees. Herzberg theory is all about factors that lead to satisfaction of employees. Marlows hierarchy theory states that goal is the main reason for motivation in a human behaviour (Angst Borowiecki, 2013). All these theories are regularly implemented by companies to get the desired outcome by motivating their employees. How an employee is motivated and what factors motivates the employees are being analysed by these theories. Every theory has its own implanting factors that help in motivating the employees to get the desired result for the company. Companies having unmotivated employees regularly face high turnover rates and low productivity. Multiple theories help in explaining how to motivate employees and also provide suggestions for increasing motivation in the workplace. To improve business by improving worker productivity and increasing rates of employee retention it is necessary to understand the best theory that fits the employees of the company (Hatzistavrou, 2006). This report discusses the five motivation theories of management expectancy theory, equity theory, Herzberg theory, goal setting theory, and Marlows hierarchy theory. Evidence is provided to prove that which organization has used these theories for motivating their employees. Examples stating how a particular theory was applied in an organisation and how it resulted in the success and attainment of goals are also mentioned. Every theory has some disadvantages which are very necessary to considered by an organisation before implying that theory for motivating their employees. The issues related to these theories are discussed to get the full picture of the theories and how they can be best used for any organisation or a company (Dudovskiy, 2012). Motivational Management Theories Expectancy Theory Expectancy theory of motivation or Expectancy theory states that an individual would act or behave in a particular way as they are being motivated to prefer a peculiar behaviour to get the result which is expected due to the selected behaviour. The factors of expectancy theory are valance, expectancy, and instrumentality (Baumann Bonner, 2016). Evidence- The Yahoo Company used expectancy theory (Ann Lingle, 2015). Example- The CEO of the company removed work from home facility, cafeterias started serving free food, employees were given Android, and I- phones for use, and started a weekly Friday meeting for Yahoo employees for solving their problems by the management. It was concluded that the theory of expectancy had the desired result for the company and all the worker when working in the office were more invested in their work and therefore, working to achieve the great goal of bringing a change to the company. Furthermore, the policy changes resulted in increased worker connectivity, worker morale, and worker production (Angst Borowiecki, 2013). The issues related to the expectancy theory are:- Multiplicative or Additive- According to the expectancy theory the motivation is equal to expectancy which means if any factors of the theory are zero than employees will remain unmotivated whereas in reality employees work hard regardless of reward. Lack of Values- the theory assumes that all employees will be motivated in the same way for the desired reward, but that is not the fact many employees may get motivated by other factors also. Timing Issues- the expectancy theory takes that an employee work on a certain project just for the reward, but it totally ignores the person who works just because he wanted to perform well on a long-term. Implementation Challenges- According to expectancy theory a manger has full access to employees valance and instrumentality factors. But, in reality, it is hard for managers to identify actually the reward which will motivate all the employees (Bhattacharya, 2010). Equity Theory Equity theory states that an individual is motivated by fairness, and if any inequities come up in the ratio of input and output then to reach the perceived equity, the input will be adjusted. It suggests that more the individuals equity perception, the more motivated he will be and if he finds an unfair environment, it will de-motivate him (Francis Redmond, 2015). Evidence- a study was conducted by applying equity theory in Cornell's School of Management (Francis Redmond, 2015). Example- according to a study taken by Lawyer and OGara Company, they hired forty Yale University Undergraduates for conducting interviews and to be paid on the private basis. Students who were paid less come up with more interviews to get a better pay but quality of the better-paid one was better. There was a feeling of inequality amongst the low paid ones as they feel they worked harder than the other. There was a different level of job satisfaction attained by both the groups. The study proved the applicability of equity theory in the work environment. Issues related to the equity theory are: - Equity theory makes an individual be more focused on what the other person is getting in reward. It is not necessary the reward decided by the company is fair and equitable for the employees point of view. All the employees dont work in the same way, but they expect the same return as the other one is getting Employees may distort the outcome to prove that they are equitable for the reward (Angst Borowiecki, 2013). Goal Setting Theory Every organisation has a basic goal without it no employee will be motivated enough to come and work for the company. The management helps in setting complex and effective goals to boost the employees performance and companys profit. This management theory is known as goal setting theory (Goerg, 2015). Evidence- the US Navy Seal follows goal setting theory (Larter, 2014). Example- working in Navy one need to have a goal and the navy set goal need to be determined by the candidates are athletic ability, determination to win, and feeling of patriotism. These are first stepping to be a part of the Navy is to attain the goal set by the US navy seal (Stratton, 2005). The issues with goal setting theory are:- De-motivation- vague and unnecessary goals can lead to de-motivation. And if they are too easy or not specific then also, employees will not be motivated to achieve them. Performance Evaluation- if the goals are not set properly then the measurement of the employees performance will also hamper (Gomez-Minambres, 2012). Herzberg Theory Herzberg proposes the motivator-hygiene or two-factor theory. The theory says that there are some job elements or factors that provide satisfaction to employees and some factors prevent the dissatisfaction of job. In crux, the contradiction of satisfaction is no satisfaction and dissatisfactions reverse is no dissatisfaction (Shpektorenko, 2013). Evidence- The Tesco Company used Herzberg Theory for motivating their employees (Friedman, 2014). Example- the Tesco Company used Herzberg theory by paying attention to the factors causing satisfaction and also, those who are causing dissatisfaction. They found that an employee gets motivated by on time and appropriate communication. This includes involvement of personnel in decision making. For pay rise forums were held so staff can give their input. Their input in designing of restaurant menus was also asked which make them feel useful for the company hence, prevents any kind of dissatisfaction and alienation. The issues related to the Herzberg Theory are:- It overlooks the situational variables The theory assumes a correlation of satisfaction and productivity, but, the actual research ignores productivity and stresses upon satisfaction only. Any kind of comprehensive measure for satisfaction was not used in the theory Blue-collar workers are ignored by the theory (Sachau, 2007). Maslows Need Hierarchy Model Maslows hierarchy theory states that human behaviour is goal directed and motivation causes this goal- directed, behaviour. With the help of motivation needs of an individual can be tackled and handled purposely and that can be cleared by an understanding of the hierarchy of needs by the management (Udechukwu, 2009). Evidence- Virgin Atlantic Airlines uses Maslows Hierarchy (Dudovskiy, 2012). Example- the Maslows Hierarchy theory is effectively used by Virgin Atlantic Airlines to motivate their employees at all level according to the nature of employees immediate needs. They specifically included financial incentives for junior level employees, and professional and personal growth is perceived when motivating managers of medium level (Lester, 2013). Issues related to the Maslows Hierarchy theory are: - Maslows hierarchy theory is just based on many lists but not on a proper scientific research of the factors (Zhang Xu, 2010). Maslow never put up any data of research which means most of the theory was based on just assumption of human behaviour The theory cannot be considered on a general basis as it was conducted on prominently limited people. According to Maslows theory for achieving the potential and self- actualization ones lower needs must be satisfied. But, is it not the case on the regular basis (Pereira, de Campos, Camarini, 2012). Conclusion Any organisation that needs to motivate its employee to perform better, produce desired results, achieve goals of the company, and behave to produce a positive outcome for the company can use any of the theory discussed above in the report. The study on various management motivational theories provides an introduction to the theory where it shows how and on what factors thus, the theory works to motivate employees. Examples and evidence are given to prove that to which kind of a company a particular theory will work in the best way (Richter, 2013). Every theory has some pro and some cons that are necessary for an organisation to consider before implementing it in their organisation. The example shows the pros of the theories and the issues related to the theories are explained in detail to provide detailed information about the theory. The strength of this study is that it concludes and analyse five different theories of motivation, and they are expectancy theory, equity theory, goal setting theory, Herzberg theory, and Maslows hierarchy theory of needs. It becomes easy to consider which kind of theory will work better for an organisation by going through the all the factors provided in the study. One can compare between all the five theories present in the study and choose the best out of all which suits the situation of the company (Zhang Xu, 2010). If personnel go through the study provided here, he will be able to get a crux of most famous and useful motivational management theories. Big companies like Yahoo, Google, Tesco, US Navy Seal, and Virgin Atlantic Airlines has used either of the theories for motivating their employees at a certain time and found the success in implementation of the theory as well as getting the desired outcome in the form of motivated employees of the company. What factors these big companies has used and how they have implemented these theories in their companies are discussed in the example which is going to help the personnel to know better that which theory can be used in what ways to motivate companys employee to get the desired outcome from them. This study does not cover the advantages of all the theories in detail which may give an incomplete idea about the actual outcome of the theory, if implemented. It is necessary to go through each and every factor of the theory and that includes the disadvantages as well as advantages that will be provided by the implementation of these motivational management theories (Hatzistavrou, 2006). The authentic evidence given in the report will provide the person going through the study information about the company who has already used these theories to motivate their employees and successfully attained their goal. By going through the evidence, the person can know which type of company can use which theory that will suit the best for getting the success they desired from the implementation of these theories. In the end, it concludes that this study gave a crux of all the motivational management theories which can be used successfully to motivate an employees for the better productivity, better working environment, job satisfaction for employee, and equity amongst all the employees (Hammersley, 2013). References Angst, L. Borowiecki, K. (2013). Delegation and motivation.Theory And Decision,76(3), 363-393. Ann Lingle, F. (2015).Work Attitudes and Job Motivation.Expectancy Theory Overview. Baumann, M. Bonner, B. (2016). An Expectancy Theory Approach to Group Coordination: Expertise, Task Features, and Member Behavior.J. Behav. Dec. Bhattacharya, A. (2010). Expectancy theory.Nature,464(7287), 456-456. Dudovskiy, J. (2012).Virgin Atlantic Airlines: employee motivation, leadership and organisational culture.Research Methodology. Friedman, K. (2014).Motivational theory in practice at Tesco.Connection.ebscohost.com. Goerg, S. (2015). Goal setting and worker motivation.IZA World Of Labor. Hammersley, R. (2013). Constraint theory: A cognitive, motivational theory of dependence.Addiction Research Theory,22(1), 1-14.