The past few weeks have focused on describing classic and contemporary theories of motivation. This week, you will put those theories and principles into action by exploring some popular interventions that are used to enhance motivation in organizational settings. In addition, this week will investigate the practical issues involved in measuring motivation.
Rewards and incentives are very important to the concept of motivation. Notably, they are the most widely used method of motivating employee behavior. The notion of utilizing contingent rewards to drive employee behavior stems from the reinforcement theory. Organizational rewards systems include a wide variety of rewards, and these rewards are generally classified as either tangible or intangible. Tangible rewards include salary, benefits, and bonuses or incentives; however, intangible rewards include praise, recognition, awards, or increased autonomy. Often a combination of tangible and intangible rewards is used to enhance motivation. In particular, Stajkovic and Luthans (2003) found that a combination of feedback, social reinforcement, and money had the strongest effect on performance-related behaviors. Relatedly, it is important to know what type of motivation is driving an employee in order to present them with the most appropriate type of reward. Recent findings suggest that intrinsic motivation is related to performance regardless of whether external incentives are provided (Cerosoli, Nicklin, & Ford, 2014). This demonstrates additional support for the idea that a combination of extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivators should be used to enhance motivation.
Another commonly used motivation intervention is known as job re-design. Rather than focusing solely on awards or cash bonuses to motivate employees, job re-design involves re-structuring elements of a job (e.g., tasks, duties, responsibilities). Job enrichment and job crafting are two popular methods of job re-design. The concept of job enrichment stems from the job characteristics theory. Specifically, job enrichment is a motivational approach that involves increasing the responsibility and interest level of jobs in order to increase the motivation and satisfaction of employees performing the job – basically, making a job more interesting. Specifically, job enrichment interventions are implemented to enhance the skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, or task feedback of the job itself. For example, creating opportunities for sales personnel to plan promotions, aid in special sales, and provide input to marketing in addition to their regular duties (i.e., providing them with skill variety). While job enrichment efforts are typically directed by organizational leaders, job crafting captures what employees can do to make meaningful changes in their work (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001). These worker-initiated changes create alignment between the employee’s work and their values and passions. For example, employees can take steps to alter their cognitive perceptions of their work, adjust their interactions with others at work, or transform the nature of work tasks they are involved in (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001).
In order to understand to understand the concept of motivation, researchers are perpetually designing motivation measurement instruments. Most recent measurement work has been focused on determining whether there are certain traits or competency requirements at the root of motivated behavior – that is, are some people simply more motivated than others (regardless of what the task is). For example, are those who are more competitive more likely to be highly motivated?
Be sure to review this week’s resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
References
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (2003). Behavioral management and task performance in organizations: conceptual background, meta‐analysis, and test of alternative models. Personnel Psychology, 56(1), 155-194.
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179-201.
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List of Topics and Sub-Modules for Week 3
- Books and Resources for this Week
- Bickmeier, R. (2017). Job crafting. In S. Rogelberg (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology, 2nd edition….
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Quiz
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Week 3 – Assignment: Prepare a White Paper on Motivation Techniques
Assignment
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Due March 24 at 11:59 PM
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Warm-Up Activity 3.1: Preparing a White Paper
A white paper is an authoritative, informative guide or report that aims to identify a problem, propose a solution, or assist in decision making. In short, the purpose of a white paper is to inform and persuade. The intended audience of a white paper could be the general public or possibly an organization or groups of organizations looking to address needs or find solutions to problems. The author’s main goal again is to be persuasive and to ensure she addresses the needs of her audience.
The content of a white paper should include the following basic elements. Start with a compelling introduction where you present the problem and summarize your solution succinctly in a paragraph or two. Next, present the problem or describe the opportunity in more detail and support your description with solid, factual evidence. Then, describe a baseline solution to the problem. Lastly, present your solution as the best possible solution. Complete your white paper with a conclusion that restates the problem and presents your approach to understanding or solving the issue.
When it comes to formatting a white paper, there is no right or wrong way nor is there any single method or approach. You may want to create an outline before you begin writing to assist in the clear flow of content for your white paper. A white paper may or may not feature a title page and abstract. You also may wish to include images, charts, graphs, and other figures to back up your claims and capture your audience’s attention. There is no set page limit for white papers either. It depends on how much space you need to convey your compelling message. Just keep your audience in mind when determining the length of your white paper. Remember, the overall goal is to be persuasive, informative, and call your audience to action.
Additional Resources
Purdue Online Writing Lab – White Paper: Purpose and Audience
Assignment Instructions
Imagine that you have been asked by a large company, with more than 500 employees in various levels of the company, to prepare a white paper on motivation techniques. Specifically, they have always relied on incentives and bonuses to motivate their employees and they are interested in exploring alternatives.
- Looking at recent research in the field, as well as the resources offered in this activity, describe various motivation interventions and take a position on the effectiveness of these motivation techniques.
- Locate examples of organizations recently (within the past 5 years) in the news due to their efforts to motivate employees. Support your discussion of motivation techniques by including at least two examples of organizations that were able to successfully motivate their employees.
Support your whitepaper with at least five research articles published in peer-reviewed journals in the past 7 years.
Length: 5-7 pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.