Motivation and Job Satisfaction in Organizations

Motivation and Job Satisfaction

• Motivation is the process that moves an individual to act in order to achieve a goal. Companies use several strategies to motivate their employees including:
  • Organizational Behavior Modification (OB Mod): This is a systematic approach to behavior change that involves:
    • Identifying target behaviors.
    • Measuring the baseline of the behavior.
    • Understanding the antecedents (triggers) and consequences.
    • Implementing an intervention.
    • Evaluating and maintaining the behavior.
  • Reinforcement Theory: This theory argues that behaviors are influenced by their consequences, and employs four interventions:
    • Positive Reinforcement: Rewarding positive behavior with positive consequences.
    • Negative Reinforcement: Increasing desired behaviors by removing negative consequences.
    • Extinction: Reducing unwanted behavior by ignoring it.
    • Punishment: Decreasing undesired behavior through negative consequences.
  • Reinforcement Schedules: The timing of reinforcement also influences behavior, leading to different reinforcement schedules.
    • Continuous Schedules: Reward given after every positive behavior.
    • Fixed Ratio Schedules: Reward given after a number of times that the right behavior is demonstrated.
    • Fixed Interval Schedules: Reward given after a fixed period of time.
    • Variable Ratios: Reward given in a random pattern.
• Equity Theory: This theory claims that people are driven by a sense of fairness, and compare their input (effort) and output (rewards) with a referent (another person or group). Perceived inequity can lead to tension and drive individuals to reduce the disparity.
• Expectancy Theory: This theory holds that motivation is driven by an individual's belief that effort will translate into desired outcomes. It focuses on three key elements that influence motivation:
  • Expectancy: Belief that effort will lead to desired outcomes.
  • Instrumentality: Perception that performance will lead to desired outcomes.
  • Valence: The anticipated satisfaction of the value of the rewards.
• ERG Theory: This theory simplifies Maslow's hierarchy of needs into three categories:
  • Existence Needs: Similar to physiological and safety needs.
  • Relatedness Needs: Corresponding to social needs.
  • Growth Needs: Aligned with esteem and self-actualization needs.
• Job Characteristics Model: This model describes five core job dimensions that lead to three critical psychological states:
  • Core Job Dimensions:
    • Skill Variety: The range of skills used in a job.
    • Task Identity: Whether the employee completes a whole task.
    • Task Significance: How the job affects others.
    • Autonomy: The degree of control and decision making.
    • Feedback: How quickly and effectively the employee receives information about their performance.
  • Critical Psychological States:
    • Meaningfulness: The degree to which the job is perceived as important and valuable
    • Responsibility: The employee's feeling of personal accountability for outcomes.
    • Knowledge of Results: The degree to which the employee has info about their effectiveness.
• Job redesigning: This involves redefining jobs to boost satisfaction and motivation.
  • Job Enrichment: Provides employees with greater control, responsibility and experience.
  • Job Enlargement: Adds variety to the tasks.
  • Job Rotation: Shifts employees between different jobs to acquire new skills.
• Performance Management Systems: These involve a continuous improvement process to help employees set goals and achieve performance goals.
  • Performance Evaluation: A constructive process to give feedback on employee performance.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The way companies manage their operations to have a positive impact on society.
  • Triple Bottom Line (TBL): Measures a company's economic, social, and environmental performance.
• Key Performance Indicators: Financial and non-financial indicators used to gauge performance.
  • Balanced Scorecard: A focused set of key indicators to measure performance across various dimensions.
• Feedback: Communication about behavior and its outcomes.
• Goals: Outcome statements that define what an organization is striving to accomplish.
• SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
• Autonomy: The degree of freedom employees have to decide how to work.
• Distributive Justice: The perceived fairness of the outcomes received from the organization.
• Procedural Justice: The perceived fairness of the procedures by which outcomes are allocated and decisions are made.
• Interactional Justice: The perceived fairness of treatment in interpersonal interactions.
• Justice Sensitivity: The degree to which an individual expects equitable relationships and experiences distress when they feel over or under-rewarded.
• Benevolents: Individuals who give without expecting much in return.
• Entitleds: Individuals who expect to receive a lot without giving much in return.
• High Need for Affiliation: Individuals who want to be liked and accepted by others.
• Need for Power: Individuals who desire to influence others and control their environment.

Hygiene and Motivators

• Hygiene Factors: Elements of a job that cause dissatisfaction, such as:
  • Company policies.
  • Supervision.
  • Working Conditions.
  • Salary.
  • Safety.
  • Security.
• Motivators: Elements of a job that cause satisfaction and encourage better performance, such as:
  • Achievement.
  • Recognition.
  • Interesting Work.
  • Increased Responsibility.
  • Advancement.
  • Growth Opportunities.