Motivation in the Workplace

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Motivation in the Workplace: Recommendations for Case Study Analysis
Addressing Motivation
In order to transform the group at Acme into a working, successful, productive group, they must be motivated. Motivation begins, first, with having a sense of what is expected of one. Transformational leaders must be able to communicate a vision to workers, inspire them to want to be part of that vision and to pursue, provide them with the needed emotional and social support so that they will engage, and give them the logical reasons for why embracing the change is necessary (Xirasagar, 2008). For the workers at Acme, it is clear the goals, objectives and purpose for the group have not been defined. Until these are defined, the workers will not be motivated. Motivating them, therefore, hinges upon their knowing what they are expected to achieve.
Second, motivation can come in terms of extrinsic or intrinsic inputs—i.e., by way of rewards, bonuses, pay raises, or by way of a having a personal sense of achievement, satisfaction, or knowing that one did a job well (Gerhart & Fang, 2015). To motivate the team, leaders must provide either extrinsic or intrinsic motivation: goals must be defined, explained and set; the reason for striving to achieve these goals must be clear; and the incentive to achieve them must be apparent. Workers who are incentivized are workers who are motivated.
Addressing Productivity
When Tesla sought to increase productivity to meet consumer demand, the company focused all its energy on meeting very specific and achievable goals. By narrowing the focus of the workplace to that which is most needed at the moment, productivity goals can be met. However, putting the right people in the right places also needs to be part of the solution. As Mahmood (2015) points out, if the wrong people are hired for the job, productivity is going to suffer. At Acme, the new manager has disrupted the workplace culture by cutting back on one of the main drivers of teamwork—the social environment; the manager has restricted workers’ opportunity to socialize in an effort to get them more focused on achieving greater productivity. This effort was ill-founded, and the manager should have consulted workers and obtained their input before making a change like this: he would have seen that what the workers value is their ability to interact and come together as a team. That has now been compromised and productivity has not improved. The manager needs, instead, to use social and emotional intelligence to energize the team, allow them to work together and interact, and give them clear productivity goals to achieve as a team, stressing the importance of it—just as Tesla did to obtain its output numbers.
Addressing Morale
To boost morale, the best thing to do is admit mistakes and move on. The manager hurt morale by cutting into the workplace culture and excising the worker interaction. This has to be restored so that workers can once more enjoy being at their jobs. However, it also has to be made clear that they are there for a reason—to work—and the goals that they are expected to achieve have to be made clear. By showing respect and appreciation to the workers, morale can be increased. That is how leaders like Richard Branson have been able to create great workplace cultures over the years (De Vries, 1998).
Addressing Resistance
Resistance to change is commonplace in any organization, but there are ways to address and reduce the risk of resistance becoming a problem. Kotter’s (2012) 8-Step model for change can be used to address resistance. Kotter (2012) recommends engaging workers and obtaining feedback from them in order to bring them into the decision-making, problem-solving process. This way they feel more invested in the change and welcome the opportunity to overcome obstacles to success. Resistance builds primarily because workers do not feel like they have been consulted and do not feel like they have been given any consideration when it comes time for an organization to make new changes. With Kotter’s model, the leader can seek input from the workers and give them the opportunity to feel that they are respected and appreciated enough to be asked for their thoughts on the matter. Additionally, Kotter (2012) recommends breaking down resistance by educating workers and explaining to them the purpose of the goal that the group is working to achieve. Workers tend to respond positively to logic and when they are educated on the purpose of a goal, they tend to drop their resistance, which is typically rooted in ignorance if not in a sense of isolation.
How These Tactics Impact Current Organizational Strategies and Techniques
These tactics will impact current organizational strategies and techniques in a transformative and positive manner. First, they will re-order the manager’s approach to his workers by emphasizing the need to exercise social and emotional intelligence. Workers do not need an autocratic style of leadership: in this case, they need a transformational style of leadership, as this will give them the vision, justification, and motivation to reach productivity goals. The best example for the kind of workplace culture Acme needs to cultivate can be found in Branson’s Virgin Group, where Branson has placed the right people in the right places and given them the trust and support they require to know they can do their jobs and reach the goals that have been clearly explained and given to them.
References
De Vries, M. F. K. (1998). Charisma in action: The transformational abilities of Virgin's Richard Branson and ABB's Percy Barnevik. Organizational Dynamics, 26(3), 7-21.
Gerhart, B., & Fang, M. (2015). Pay, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, performance, and creativity in the workplace: Revisiting long-held beliefs. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 489-521
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Accelerate! Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 44–58.
Mahmood, M. (2015). Strategy, structure, and HRM policy orientation: Employee recruitment and selection practices in multinational subsidiaries. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(3), 331-350.
Xirasagar, S. (2008). Transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership among physician executives. Journal of Health organization and management, 22(6), 599-613.