Motivation Emotional Intelligence Affective Events Theory

Affective Events Theory The Situation. As manager of a large bank branch, I have two objectives. These are to increase job satisfaction and improve job performance. To understand how to do this, the framework used will be the affective events theory. Affective events theory emphasizes the role of work events on both job satisfaction and job performance (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996). A manager can influence job performance through positive events that reinforce the desired behaviors.

There may also be some lingering negative effects from negative things that have happened in the past. Work events cause employees to form views about the job, and about the company for which they work. To improve performance, the company should focus on creating positive experiences that reinforce the behaviors the company is seeking to increase. Proving a positive work environment and removing negative affective events are two critical components. Slide 4: Emotional intelligence refers to one's ability to recognize, understand and address the emotional states of others.

This is a critical skill for personnel managers, as valuable as other forms of intelligence (Mayer et al., 2001). By being tuned into the work environment, the manager can respond to the emotional state of the workplace appropriately. Slide 5: For example, if the workforce is feeling tense or anxious, it might be time to lighten the mood, by announcing some sort of reward. If the workforce is performing well, then it is even more important to promote positivity, as a form of reward.

The manager can also predict the emotional reactions to key events, such as layoffs, and have a strategy for managing the emotional response. Slide 6: The key is that a positive mood or environment is an important part of success, especially at a place like a bank branch where a high level of customer service is expected by the customers.

The leader is in a unique position with respect to setting the emotional tone in the organization, which is why it is so critical for the leader to be positive (Wong & Law, 2002). Slide 6: Job characteristics and demand are related to performance. The descriptions should be related to the work that needs to be done, but it is also important to ensure that the right people are in the right jobs. By breaking down each job by critical skills, the manager can better align skills with tasks.

Slide 7: Job demands are also tied to this. The job demands should be aligned with strategy, but the right people should be working towards the right objective. Moreover, it is important that everybody understands the objectives that have been set, and that they are provided with the right tools to get the job done. Slide 8: With a clear set of job characteristics and demands, managmenet is in a better position to set specific goals for performance. These goals can be used as targets for employees, or for the branch.

This also provides management with the opportunity to create motivation within the workforce.