Motivation & Employee

Productivity
Rudy Nydegger, Ph.D.
School of Management
Graduate College of Union University
Motivating Employees Today

Not necessarily in your organization, but

what are some of the issues involved with
motivating workers today?
What Do We Mean By
“Motivation?”

Examples?

Basically, we usually mean that we want

people to work harder without our having
to beat on them to get it done—and like it!
Basic Motivation Concepts

 It is not a trait
 It is the result of the
interaction of the individual
with the situation
 Motivation involves:
– Arousal
– Direction
– Persistence
Some Theories of Motivation
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

 One of the most widely used theories

 Basic hierarchy (see slide)
 Although no need is every totally satisfied, a
thoroughly fulfilled need no longer motivates
 As each type of need is fulfilled you move to the
next level, and you can’t skip levels
 Lower level needs are deficiency needs
 Higher level needs are growth needs
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

Self-Actualization

Esteem

Social

Security & Safety

Physiological
Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

Background
Goal setting is motivating if the goals are:
– Specific
– Challenging but attainable
People do better working toward goals
when they receive feedback
Expanded theory (slide)
Expanded Goal Setting Theory

Goal Organizational Intrinsic

Acceptance Support Rewards

Goal Difficulty

Goal-Directed Performance Satisfaction

Effort

Goal Specificity

Goal Individual Extrinsic

Commitment Traits & Rewards
Abilities
Goal Setting (cont.)
 Goal setting as an end in and of itself is irrelevant
to performance
 Other factors to consider:
– Self-efficacy
– Task characteristics
• Doesn’t work as well with all tasks
• Works best when tasks are simple, well-learned, and
independent
– National culture—well adapted to North American
cultures
Equity Theory

 The basic concept is

fairness
 When people perceive
inequity they tend to
be motivated to
reduce it
 Equity Theory (cont.)
Equity Exists When:

OutcomesA= OutcomesB
InputsA InputsB
When:
Outcomes = [Rewards – Costs]
Inputs = What the person brings to the situation
When these conditions are not met then a condition of
inequity exists
The Formation of Equity
Perceptions

Comparison Feelings of
Evaluation of Evaluation of Equity or
Self Other of Self with
Other Inequity
Responses to Equity & Inequity

Motivation to Maintain
Current Situation

Equity

Motivation to Reduce
Inequity
Comparison of
Self with Other
1. Change Inputs
2. Change Outcomes
Inequity 3. Alter Perceptions of
Self
4. Alter Perceptions of
Other
5. Change
Comparisons
6. Leave Situation
Equity Theory (cont.)

The most important things to remember

about this theory:
– Fairness is a concept that is very important in
some cultures (esp. North American)
– It is the perception rather that the actuality of
fairness that affects people
Expectancy Theory
 One of the most widely accepted theories, and
empirically supported
 Victor Vroom started working with this in the
60’s, and it has been refined over the years
 Key Concepts:
– Force: motivation
– Expectancy: effortperformance expectancy
– Instrumentality: performanceoutcome expectancy
– Valence: quality of outcomes
 Expectancy Theory (cont.)

Expectancy Instrumentality

Force Effort Performance Outcome

What These Theories Tell Us

 Maslow—people are motivated by different

things, and many of them are not just basic needs
 Goal Setting—goals can be motivational if done
correctly
 Equity Theory—fairness, or the perception of it,
is important
 Expectancy Theory—a way to tie goals to
performance, effort, and motivation
Applying the Theories of
Motivation
Management by Objectives

Based on top-down collaborative goal

setting throughout the organization
Needs to be measured with frequent
feedback
Should be tied to a performance appraisal
system
Must be consistently applied throughout
the organization
MBO (cont.)

 Four ingredients of MBO

programs
– Goal specificity
– Participative decision
making
– Explicit time period
– Performance feedback
MBO (cont.)
 Results of MBO programs
– Usually last about 4-5 years
– Generally accepted by workers
– Used in many settings
– Must have top management support and involvement
– May favor simple, easily measured goals
– Requires a lot of paper work and time
– Needs to be tied to the reward system
Employee Recognition
Programs
 Recognition is a powerful
motivator
 The best programs use multiple
sources and recognize both
individual and group performance
 Can take any form from a “thank
you” to formal awards
 Suggestion programs are very
good
 Is very cost effective
Special Issues in Motivation

 What are some of the

issues that make it
difficult to motivate case
managers and other
professionals and staff in
COBRA agencies?
Motivating the Diversified
Workforce
 If you want to motivate
employees, then you must
respond positively to diversity
 The key is flexibility
 The more options and
flexibility the more likely it
will be successful
 Family-friendly policies are
important
How to Turn Motivation into
Productivity
 How do we define
“productivity?”
 How can we tie
motivation to
productivity?
Some Tips for Managers

 Start with yourselves

– What is important to me?
– What do I want out of my job?
– What is standing in the way of my getting what
I want?
– What things are under my control?
– What am I willing to do to attain my goals?
– Is what I am willing to do:
• consistent with my values and ethical standards?
• is it good for the organization?
• is it fair to others?
• and is it in the best interests of the clients?
 Be clear as to the motivational needs of your
supervisees and employees
 Listen and ask questions—pay attention
Some More Tips

 Be clear as to what performance criteria are

 Set down clear and collaboratively set goals
 Clarify expectations
 Find out the needs of the employee to attain their goals
 Provide the support necessary for them to succeed
 Provide regular feedback, support, and opportunities of
questions and training as needed
 Have regularly scheduled formal performance
evaluations, and tie them to the reward structure and have
them be performance based
Some Final Points

What do we mean by “motivation?”

What do we mean by “productivity?”
Basically, we want to know how to make
people:
– Work harder
– Perform at higher levels
– Enjoy what they are doing
Questions to Ask Yourself?

What would make me want to work

harder?
What might make my supervisees want to
work harder?
Why would I/they actually want to work
harder?
What can I do to facilitate the things that
will make a difference?
Goal Setting Exercise

 Set three goals for yourself

– Personal
– Professional
– For your specific job
 Present them to the group
 Give each person some feedback on their goals:
– Specific
– Challenging/attainable
– Measurable
Thank You!

Questions and comments