Question One: Organizational Motivation Plan
In order to achieve the organizational objectives, it is imperative to strike the right balance between the management and the employees. In that breadth, in this ensuing section the paper proposes a motivation plan whose main intention is to achieve a quadruple objective entailing high job satisfaction, low turnover, high productivity and high quality work. In that context, this paper proposes a performance based remuneration system where the remuneration an employee is paid shall be based on the performance. In that strain, the performance evaluation shall be conducted on a monthly basis with weekly reports being submitted for purposes of analyzing the monthly performance.
In order for the performance appraisal to be fair to both the management and the employees, the objectives shall be set at the beginning of the month and the manner of management shall be management by agreement and management by objectives. This is to say, the management and the employee(s) shall sit down and agree on the objectives to be met by the employee(s) for the particular month. The management shall then afford the employee all the necessary materials including time and more personnel where necessary. At the end of the month, the management shall conduct its assessment of the performance of the respective employee. The approach taken shall involve the use of a checklist where the management would want to know how the employee performed in each and every area agreed upon. The performance evaluation shall be as inclusive as possible affording the employee a chance to offer explanations as to the performance, provide reasons for any failures and oversights, explain delays and challenges in the implementation of the objectives.
The management shall then offer their feedback, analyze the assessment conducted and recommend the pay for the employee based on the performance evaluation. This approach, in the paper’s considered opinion shall suffice for purposes of motivating the employee. In addition, it shall minimize the management’s need to perform continuous monitoring and supervision. It equally empowers the employee providing an avenue for the exercise of independence of mind and personal growth. Lastly, it provides a channel of communication between the management and the employee as far as matters of organizational performance are concerned. It is on that premise that this paper proposes it and considers that a religious implementation of the same shall achieve the quadruple objective of high job satisfaction, low turnover, high productivity and high quality of work.
Question Two: Employee Motivation Methods
Employees have become a central ingredient in the overall success of the organization. This is essentially because the employees pass out as the human components of the organization and are thus equipped with the human capacities. Since the clientele is often human, the employees provide a much appreciated connection between the organization and the clientele. Consequently, it has become necessary that employees be motivated in all ways possible. In the ensuing discussion, this paper proposes two methods of motivating employees. The methods are discussed in the order of importance starting with the more important one.
Method One: Performance based motivation
This motivation system assumes that workers are motivated by one singular factor, that is, monetary returns. In addition, the method appreciates that organizations want to earn as much as possible as they are profit seeking. Therefore, the organization must motivate their employees to maximize on their potentials and earn as much as possible for the organization. In turn, the organization would be willing to part with more cash for more returns. The approach would hence peg the remuneration based on performance.
Depending on the organization, the performance shall be measured in either qualitative or quantitative terms. For the organizations whose nature of work places more premium on the quality of the work, the measurement of performance shall examine the extent of quality of the output of the employee. On the other hand, for organizations that place premium on the quantity of output, performance shall be measured based on the quantity. Applying this practice to the situation in the company’s production of “WooWoo”, both approaches shall be applied for different classes of employees. For the unskilled and semi-skilled employees, the approach taken shall entail consideration of the quantity of output. This could consider say the number of widgets produced per hour. On the other hand, for the skilled personnel, their evaluation shall be based on the quality of production. A quality assessment committee shall be set up for purposes of performing the quality checks.
It is imperative to note that the remuneration shall be determined by the output from the qualitative and quantitative checks. This method motivates the employees into service as they are ascertained beforehand that their hard work shall be rewarded. The only limitation is that it pays too much premium on monetary rewards which may not be the motivator for all the classes of employees.
Method Two: Group Work Motivation Method
The working environment is evolving rapidly so that the traditional applications may not apply. For instance, the method proposed above may not suffice for the modern employee who does not necessarily work for monetary gains. In order to motivate the latter class of employees, it is essential to incorporate modern practices that make work interesting and exciting and thus keep the employee motivated. One such method is the group work method discussed as follows.
In group motivation, the work is organized in groups and the performance appraisal based on the groups. The best group earns rewards such as well paid trips, fringe benefits like housing and accommodation facilities, car benefits, being ranked in the employee board of honor, among other non-monetary rewards. These rewards make the groups compete internally with the objective of gaining the status of the best group at the end of the month. The method appeals to the emotions of the human beings as no one would want to be ranked last at the end of every month. In addition, in dispensing the work, the employees cover for each other in the group. Each employee would likely have strengths and weaknesses. The interaction in the group develops them, equips them with group dynamics’ working and in the long term incorporates the organizational culture in the employees. This method also lacks the pressure that often comes with monetary rewards. The employee is motivated from a different paradigm.
However, the method has only one disadvantage that could prove fatal. Some persons often tend to have the requisite qualities for group work yet others may be lacking. This makes it obvious which group will win once the grouping of workers has been done. This could be a flipside in that it could deter the other groups from trying their best as they give up beforehand hence a false start. The cure in this weakness involves continuous change of both the considerations in evaluating the groups and the employees in the different groups. This creates some sense of freshness in the competition.
Question Three: Motivating the Minimum Wage Service Worker
The minimum wage service worker can be motivated in three main ways. Foremost, relying on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, the service worker can be given a performance-based remuneration. This has been discussed substantively above. In the alternative, the service worker may be offered fringe benefits. These include factors such as job security, loan offers and housing. These benefits encourage him to continue working hard as the same would enable him retain the benefits. This relies on Herzberg’s motivation theory of job enrichment which posits that employees would be motivated by the monetary and non-monetary rewards that enrich the job. Lastly, the service worker could be offered an opportunity to work more hours, overtime and across board. The worker would likely perform all these duties so as to increase his pay and ultimately meet his internal needs such as food, shelter and clothing. This approach is informed by the drive theory which posits that people are motivated to behave in one way or another so as to satisfy their internal needs.
Question Four: Relevance of the Individual Worker
As mentioned before, the employee has become a critical component in today’s organizational environment. The individual worker has undergone tremendous changes in turn making him a resourceful tool. It is essential to appreciate the effects of information technology and globalization. These have made the individual worker more informed and trained for the work. In fact, such has contributed to the individual worker’s ability to comprehend and devise solutions for organizational problems. In that context, decision making as ceased to be a managerial preserve. The modern worker equally participates in decision making by suggesting solutions and giving ideas during brainstorming sessions. In addition, the worker is an internal customer and what he says outside affects the public perception of the organizational commodities. The worker is in that context a marketer for the organizational product. With that in context, it is imperative to appreciate the relevance of the individual worker in today’s organizational context.
References
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