Employee Motivation and its Most Influential Factors

I. Summary of the Article

Introduction
This study was executed in order to measure the employees current satisfaction of
motivational
factors and incentives in the company, as well as to use that information to
determine which
factors and incentives could be changed, implemented, or eliminated in order to
motivate them to
do their best work in the future.
The study was conducted by issuing a questionnaire to all employees working at the
company
headquarters in Reno. The employees that participated were both full-time and parttime, from
all different departments, and have been working at the company for varied periods
of time. The
questionnaire was split into four different parts, and the data derived from the
questionnaire was
analyzed and presented in this report in four criteria: communication in the
workplace, income of
employees, long-term incentives, and non-financial incentives.
Findings
Demographic Profile
The respondents of the questionnaire were 53.33% male and 46.67% female. The
company has a
very young workforce, with 75% of the sample respondents being 33 years of age or
younger.
According to the questionnaire data, 65% of the respondents make less than
$30,000 per year.
Nearly 70% of the employees work 40 hours or less per week, and more that 75% of
the
respondents are single.
Communication in the Workplace
According to the study, 48.33% of the employees believe that improvements can be
made to the
communication within the company. In regard to employee-manager interactions,
30% of the
respondents believe their manager or boss does not communicate with them
enough, although the
study showed a generally positive opinion of the companys managers and their
management

styles. The correlation between good communication and high motivation are
strong, according
to the Pearson Correlation that was run for the two factors.
Income in the Workplace
The 65% of respondents that make less than $30,000 per year rated Management
Support and
Company Emphasis on Incentives and Creativity lower on the 1 (strongly
disagree) to 6
(strongly agree) point scale than did the respondents making $30,000 per year or
over, by rating
various statements in Part III of the questionnaire comprising the overall
Management and
2
Company categories. The low-income segment also rated three out of four
motivational
factors (gaining proficiency at their job, financial incentives, and achieving
recognition, credit,
and acclaim) as more motivating than the high-income segment did.
Long-Term Incentives
When ranking which incentives were most motivating to them, employees in the
sample selected
a long-term incentive as their number 2 choice out of a possible 8, which was the
opportunity
for promotion at the company. There was a moderate correlation between the
existence of longterm
incentives, such as promotion, and the level of motivation an employee had toward
their
current job. It was found that short-term incentives may possibly be detrimental to
motivation
when 55% of employees noted that when they are presented with a short term
project, that they
are very likely to use past methods to complete it instead of innovative new ones.
Non-Financial Incentives
Employees in the sample chose Pay (salary/wage) as their most motivating
incentive, with
Benefits, Flexibility, and Recognition placing 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively.
Flexibility and
Recognition are non-financial incentives that ranked higher than Performance
Bonuses and
Tuition Reimbursement, which are financial incentives. However, it was found that
Company
Parties and Socials were ranked last (8th) as a motivating incentive. Based on the
information
received from Part III of the questionnaire (the rating section), pure financial
incentives actually
ranked 3rd-most motivating, behind gaining proficiency and job mastering (1st), as
well as seeing
the impact their work has on the company and others (2nd).

Conclusions
Employees at the company want better communication with their immediate
managers and the
company as a whole. They want to know how they are doing, what to improve on,
and what they
are good at. With 55% of the respondents only somewhat motivated at their
current positions
and many believing the quality of communication at the company is insufficient, it is
very
rational to believe that an increase in communication quality will lead to an increase
in overall
employee motivation.
The research and findings illustrate that competitive wages are a strong
motivational factor,
especially for the lower-income demographic of the company. They are less pleased
with
management and the company, which helps lead to their comparatively low
motivation levels.
They desire a higher income but are often forced to settle for non-financial
incentives when their
wishes are not granted. That makes them value these incentives more highly than
the higherincome
demographic values them, but that is because they do not have a high income to
motivate them and help them forget about other forms of motivation.
Mastering a job is a strong motivational factor, as are salary and other financial
incentives
(bonuses, etc.), but many employees like to seek advancement in the company.
These forms of
long-term incentives actually provide more productivity from the workers, because
they are
actually working toward something instead of just trying to maintain it.
The study showed that short-term financial incentives are not necessarily conducive
to
innovation. Short-term incentives motivate employees to do the work the way they
have always
done it, and not to try to find a different or more efficient method of completing the
job. Nonfinancial
incentives such as achieving recognition and credit, seeing the impact an
employees
work has, mastering a certain position, and flexibility of scheduling can greatly
influence
motivation. The extent of their effectiveness in this company is limited, though,
which means
the company and the managers need to make a greater effort to incorporate
incentives that are
important to and valued by the average employee, such as these.

Recommendations
With the data from the questionnaire collected and analyzed, and with the
recommendations
drawn from the findings of the study, the company will be better able to understand
what it can
do to motivate its employees more effectively and increase morale in the
workplace.
Recommendations to the company based on this study include: raising the wages of
the lowerincome
employees at the company, promoting more from within the company, encouraging
better and more frequent communication between managers and employees,
making sure
employees are receiving significant credit and recognition for their great work, and
offering more
opportunities for employees to increase their skill-sets and to master their
respective positions. If
there is a greater level of understanding and cohesion between employees and
managers, and if
the right types of incentives are added to effectively motivate employees,
productivity and
revenues will increase, and the company as a whole will greatly benefit.

II. Reaction

What are the strength and weaknesses of the study?

The strength of the study is that an individuals particular needs are obtained over
time as a result of life experiences. Most of these needs fall into three general
categories of needs which can be class as need for achievement, affiliation or
power. The strengths of the study acquired needs theory is that it provides a clear
picture for the organization and the managers to know which type of job are
suitable for the employees and which types of people that can make the
organizations more successful. According to the article, the authors stated that
managers who have strong power of needs are more successful than those with
lower power needs. Two types of power managers: those who seek personal power
and those who seek institutional power. However, manager who seek for
institutional power are more successful as they can create favorable condition at
work. Wagner and Swanson attributes the success of higher power needs people to
their ability to create a greater sense of responsibility and team spirit in their
organizations. This will give a clear picture for the organization on which of the
employees that are suitable to be promoted and become a manager. Therefore,
management should provide people with high need for power the opportunity to
manage other. In addition, this will also give the manager a guideline on how to
become a good manager because as stated manager who seek institutional power
are more successful.

The weaknesses of the study is that it serves little purpose in the public sector. As
stated in the article, public sector employees are being motivated by job security
and stability, teamwork and worthwhile service to society, while eschewing
monetary rewards, prestige and the desire for challenge and autonomy. From here,
we can see that public sector employees are only high in affiliation and low in
achievement and power. When this happen, superiors will find it hard to delegate
task and to create a competitive environment between the employees in public
sector, because they do not like challenging task and that most of them are very
high in affiliation which are suitable in providing customer service.

Do you agree / disagree/ the result? Explain.

Agree, because motivational factors can
more effectively promote innovation and increase employee motivation in the
company, as well
as to provide recommendations to management on what to implement, eliminate,
or change.
In what ways can the results be applied in life?
By motivating your self and showing them that you care about them and in your job.
And by working harder to promote and to have a slightly high salary.