Introduction
Motivation is the process where the internal needs of an individual are met through actions and behaviors. The enhancement of employees’ motivation proves to be one of the challenging tasks of any management. It is through motivation that a company can easily meet its objectives by improving the performance of its employees. Therefore the motivation of employees is an essential part of an organization. In these modern times, people are willing to put forward an effort that will raise their productivity if their needs, goals, expectations, and desires are looked into by the management.
Reward
The reward is one of the motivation techniques that can be applied; it may be as an extrinsic reward or intrinsic reward. Extrinsic is from an external source to the individual. This may comprise; pay promotions, fringe benefits, and perquisites. Intrinsic arises from within the person examples are feelings of competence, accomplishment, responsibility, and personal growth.
Most organizations use pay due to its usefulness characteristics, making it the strongest resource for improving performance. First, the recipient must value the reward, and in most cases, people take pay increases with a lot of regard. Pay is also flexible making it easy to manipulate, and its value remains constant. The link between the worker’s performance and the reward is very critical. The visible nature of pay makes it appealing to the employees. Salary increments and bonuses are the most common forms of monetary rewards. Bonus schemes are more likely to motivate the employees due to the individuality associated with them (Vecchio 2006).
Expectations
Communicating performance expectations both verbally and nonverbally influences the work done by the employees. The power of expectations generally depends on the beliefs of the one having the expectations and how an individual wants to live up to those expectations. Employees will more likely live up to the expectations in order to gain the approval of their superiors. In organizations, the effects of the influence as a result of expectations encourage optimal performance from the members. Managers can enhance motivation through creating an enthusiastic work mission which will, in turn, be spread to the subordinates. The expectation is meant to bring out the best in others by supporting them and treating them optimistically.
Empowerment
Motivation is also increased by increasing a person’s level of self-control at the workplace. An increase in employee participation and self-determination are motivational ways designed to enhance employee performance. A deliberate merger in organizational and individual goals acts as a major feature of employee empowerment. There are three ways of empowering; job redesign, quality circles, and self-directed work teams. Job redesign focuses on improved personal productivity. The other two are more group-focused.
Goal setting
The management can also motivate the employees by ensuring the participation of employees in goal-setting activities. The goals set must be conceivable, believable, controllable, measurable, and desirable (McCoy, 1992).
It is also important for both the management and the employees to understand each other’s goals. The management should be responsible for assisting employees in setting goals. Having an understanding of the goals, the managers and employees can work hand in hand to achieve the best results. Goal specificity, goal difficulty, and goal acceptance are some important characteristics for improving the performance of employees. Employees should be assigned goals that correspond with their personal aspirations (Zhongguo, 2002).
Conclusion
It is important to enhance the motivation of the employees in an organization in order to attain the objectives of the firm. It is only when the right and useful motivation strategies are put in place that the workers are able to work well.
References
McCoy, T. J., (1992) Compensation and Motivation. New York: American Management Association.
Vecchio, R.P., (2006) Organizational behavior: Core concepts. 6th ed. Thomson-South-Western:
Zhongguo, S. (2002) Organizational Behavior. Fudan University Press: Ling Beijing University Press.