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Application of employee motivation theory to the

workplace

Job satisfaction - is there a trend?

This is the title of a study carried out by the US Department of Labor among 1500

workers, who were asked to rate the ob factors, from a list of !", which they considered

important starting from the most important factor#

Their findings $San%otta $1&''(( are contained in the table below#

Job Satisfaction Findings

White-collar workers Blue-collar workers

)# *nteresting work )# +ood pay

# -pportunities for de.elopment # /nough help and resources

# /nough information # ob securityD# /nough authority D# /nough information

/# /nough help and resources /# *nteresting work

2# 2riendly, helpful coworkers 2# 2riendly, helpful co3workers

+# See results of own efforts +#learly defined responsibilities

4# ompetent super.ision 4#See results of own work

*# learly defined responsibilities *# /nough )uthority

# +ood pay # ompetent super.ision

*t is interesting that out of the !" ob factors listed for the sur.ey, yet with the eception

of two items $white3collar workers6 choice $( and blue3collar workers6 choice $((groups selected the same top ten factors, although with different rankings# *t is significant

that good pay was considered as the most important factor by the blue3collar workers, butit ranked as the least important for white3collar workers#

ndividuali!e motivation policies

*t is well known that indi.idual beha.ior is intensely personal and uni7ue, yet companies

seek to use the same policies to moti.ate e.eryone# This is mainly for con.enience andease compared to catering for indi.idual oddities $Lindstone $1&'8((# 6Tailoring6 the

 policy to the needs of each indi.idual is difficult but is far more effecti.e and can pay

handsome di.idends# 2airness, decisi.eness, gi.ing praise and constructi.e criticism can be more effecti.e than money in the matter of moti.ation#

Leadership is considered synonymous $Tack $1&'&(( with moti.ation, and the best form

of leadership is designated as S)L, situation adaptable leadership# *n this style of

leadership, one is ne.er surprised or shocked, leadership must begin with the chiefeecuti.e and it is more a matter of adaptation than of imparting knowledge# Ultimately,

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it is the leadership 7uality which leads to the success of a company through team building 

and moti.ating its people#

"#he one-minute manager"

) contemporary bestseller $lanchard 9 ohnson $1&8"(( aimed at managers who seek tomake star performers of their subordinates# To start with, the manager sets a goal, e#g#

one page read in one minute, and it is seen to be achie.ed by 6one minute6 of praising orreprimand as the case may be# ut to be effecti.e, these must be gi.en $a( promptly, $b(

in specific terms, and the beha.ior, rather than the person, should be praised or

reprimanded#

The concept is basic and it makes sense, although the book seeks to 6dramati%e6 it# 6-neminute6 praising is seen to be the moti.ating force# /.eryone is considered a winner,

though some people are disguised as losers, and the manager is etolled not to be fooled

 by such appearances#

"$essons from America"s Best-run %ompanies"

)nother bestseller, *n Search of /cellence $:eters 9 ;aterman $1&8!((# Se.eral criteria,including analysis of annual reports and in3depth inter.iews, were used to pick 1< 6model

ecellent companies6 out of an initial sample of =! companies# )s epected, most of the

action in high3performing companies re.ol.ed around its people, their success beingascribed to>

•  producti.ity through people?

• etraordinary performance from ordinary employees?

• treating people decently#

:ersonnel function and in particular leadership were considered the most criticalcomponents# *f the leaders in an organi%ation can create and sustain an en.ironment in

which all employees are moti.ated, the o.erall performance is bound to be good# The

three essentials for creating such an en.ironment are>

• fairness?

•  ob security? and

• in.ol.ement#

-f all the resources a.ailable, the human resource is clearly the most significant, but also

the most difficult to manage# /cellence can only be achie.ed through ecellent

 performance of e.ery person, rather than by the high3pitched performance of a fewindi.iduals# )nd moti.ation is, undoubtedly, the cru#

%onclusion

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There is no simple answer to the 7uestion of how to moti.ate people# an money

moti.ate@ Aes, but money alone is not enough, though it does help# ;e ha.e discussed

some of the pertinent theories bearing on human moti.ation and this is balanced by someof the practical factors which can lead to ecellence# 4uman resource remains the focal

 point and leadership the critical component, and moti.ation has to be 6tailored6 to each

indi.idual# The net section deals with an important mode of moti.ation, namelyfinancial aspects of rewarding employees#

 Bet C /mployee rewards