Intrinsic motivation in the hospitality industry
Intrinsic motivation in the hospitality industry
Given the nature of jobs where individuals serving in various capacities work in industries whose functionality is 24/7, the environment in such workplaces matter a lot. The element of job characteristics comes in handy in such a work environment and so attention ought to be paid to such characteristics for there to be positive work outcomes in such like industries. This paper seeks to follow a case study that was done in the hospitality industry of China's upscale hotels.
The case study provided, having being done in the US would yield variable scores depending on the job position that an individual holds, that is regarding the stress levels. Here, managers would score high on stress while other shift employees would score rather lower. When assessing the element of job satisfaction, the US workers would yield greater results. This is because the work environment in the US is rather accommodating for employees given the benefits that are provided to employees to enhance their job satisfaction levels as well as the outcome associated with the psychological states derived from the five job characteristics. The US citizens are known to be outspoken and so in the case of any query in the work environment; the issue would be tabled out and dealt with almost instantly. The response is based on the previous hotel industry that I have had the opportunity to work for where team members were very outspoken in the case of any given hurdle, and the HR functionality was always in a position to reason out with the employees.
How the HR professionals can use the skill variety, task identity, and task significance to positively impact work-related outcomes
The HR functionality as is apparent deals with the management of the human task force in the workplaces. Matters concerning motivation, morale, and active employee participation in the work functions is critical and can be immensely impacted by the HR department in the industry. The HR managers have the mandate of properly examining the job characteristics as above mentioned. The HR unit can then determine the influence of the said job characteristics on the overall behavior as well as the attitude of the employees in question. The HR professionals can then assess how they can use the jobs to motivate the employees, intrinsically (Zhao et al., 2016).
The HR managers can, therefore, come up with strategies that will be aimed at dealing with the negativities experienced in the workplace owing to factors related to job characteristics. The proposed strategies should have the aim of reducing the stress levels in the workplace. The strategies should accord the employees with the opportunity to more avenues for freedom. The strategies should be customized in such a manner that ultimate responsibility is given to the employees. The strategies should function in such a way that employees will be able to understand the importance of their place in their roles. The strategies should have empowerment opportunities where the employees are guided into being engaged in their roles, and the empowerment should also address the need for having individualized service provision in the employees' various capacities. The HR functionality can also make use of social support services where employees are provided with mentorship facilities, for instance, to improve on their job satisfaction levels. Actions should also be taken by the HR managers when it is noted that the levels of motivation are plummeting (Zhao et al., 2016). What this calls out for is the need for having an alert HR function in the business units.
The impact of meaningful work on intrinsic motivation in a hospitality context
The three fundamental job characteristics namely task variety, task identity, and task significance, collectively influence one's psychological state. It is critical to note that the three characteristics affect the meaningful work mental state. In the hospitality sector for instance, if the employees are provided with tasks that require them to use multiple skills, and if they can acknowledge the significance of the task and their jobs as well as with the identification of the task at hand, the employees will find meaning in their work. The employees will, as a result, be more likely to see to it that the said work is done to its full completion. The employees will be more likely to stay in the hospitality industry and do their tasks to utmost perfection. The outcome that is associated with meaningful work as a result, of course, while working in unison with the other two psychological states, is an increment in intrinsic motivation to continuing to work on their tasks (Zhao et al., 2016). Other outcomes include a reduction in the stress levels, an increment in the levels of independence when dealing with other colleagues and most importantly, the increment in the levels of happiness that one enjoys in life.
References
Zhao, X. R., Ghiselli, R., Law, R., & Ma, J. (2016). Motivating frontline employees: Role of job characteristics in work and life satisfaction. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 27, 27-38.
