The driven force that is responsible for why an individual may
perform certain activities is known as motivation which is “generally defined
as the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and
persistence of effort toward attaining a goal” (Ran, 2009). Individual’s get up and go to work every day
for many reasons, however financial gain is the main reason for most people,
which is extrinsic motivation. Money is
a form of extrinsic motivation for many people to hold certain jobs; however when
it comes to the workplace, motivation is extremely important because many
organizations rely on high levels of productivity from their employees to
increase revenue. This paper will
examine how various motivational strategies affect productivity in the HVAC
sales industry by explaining organizational efforts to improve performance,
employees’ resistance to increasing productivity and the management’s
philosophy of motivation and its practices.
In addition to that this paper will analyze the implications of applying
any two motivational theories not currently in practice at this place of
business and identify how these theories would affect management and employees.
Workplace motivational
theories
While working in the HVAC sales industry I worked with many
different people with different personality types that would suggest a need for
different types of motivational strategies.
The company that I worked for had a relatively small staff that included
inside salespeople, outside salespeople, warehouse workers, and office
personnel. With different expectations being set for each department, it would
be beneficial for management to apply different motivational strategies to
increase not only productivity by the level of morale within the company.
Inside salespeople have the most important job at the company in
my opinion because they generate the revenue because they are responsible for
handling all transactions that involve the customers in person and over the
phone, which can be very stressful if other problems arise in other departments
such as the warehouse which is responsible for shipping and receiving
merchandise. There are no motivational
strategies currently in place for employees; however I believe that the goal
setting theory would be applicable for inside and outside sales personnel. In order for the company to be successful and
maintain their staff they have to bring in a certain amount of revenue and if
the goal setting theory of motivation was in place, which is a “theory of
motivation that states that specific and challenging goals are claimed to lead
to higher performance” ("Goal-setting theory," 2003), management
would give sales personnel “a clear sense of purpose and direction that provide
something for which to strive and ultimately attain” ("Goal-setting
theory," 2003).
The warehouse employees are responsible for shipping and receiving
merchandise as well as making sure items are put in the correct location within
the warehouse. If an error occurs within
the warehouse it will have an adverse effect on sales. I can see the goal setting theory being
applicable for warehouse personnel, however I think the achievement motivation
is more suitable because it is “the need for success or attainment of
excellence” (Sisk, 2009) in which making sure that customers receive the
correct orders in a timely fashion increases productivity.
Office personnel responsibilities include maintaining customers’
accounts to ensure that addresses, telephone numbers and contact information is
accurate and up to date as well as bills are being paid. In addition to maintaining customer accounts
they are also responsible for making sure that the merchandise that we receive
is paid for. The responsibilities of the
office personnel can be very stressful at times especially if it can cause a
problem within the sales department which is why I believe that the stress and
coping motivational theory is applicable. How office personnel handle certain
situations that involve customers is known as coping which “refers to the
thoughts and behaviors that people use to deal with stressful situations”
(Tennen, 2007).
Organizational efforts to
improve performance
The success of the company relies completely on employee
productivity, specifically in sales and if there are problems in the warehouse
or with office personnel with customers’ orders or accounts it will have an
adverse effect on sales, therefore it is very important for management to
implement plans and strategies to improve performance which can be done in
several steps. The first step is
effective communication in which management communicate their expectations and
stress the importance of personal accountability to their employees. Employees should never have to assume what is
expected of them it should be communicated to them so there are no
misunderstandings. Employee evaluations
is another way to improve performance because it allows management to communicate
with employees their strengths and weaknesses within their job
performance. In addition to employee
evaluations, employee recognition, such as employee of the month or similar
acknowledgments, promotions and bonuses is also a way to improve performance
because many people thrive off of being noticed for their hard work.
Employees’ resistance to
increase productivity
It is very important to develop organizational efforts to improve
performance because when employees performance improve it can result in
productivity increasing; however if there are changes that have to occur within
the organization many employees may show some resistance because they may not
fully understand the advantages of the changes being made, how the changes will
affect them and they may also be concerned about achieving the responsibilities
set forth due to the changes that are occurring. The goal-setting theory is the best way to
offset employee resistance to increase productivity because employers need to
effectively communicate with employees the goals of the company and what is
expected from everyone.
Management’s philosophy of
motivation and is practices
Management philosophy is the basis for a positive work environment
and effects manager’s methods to motivation.
The interaction between managers and employees affects their behavior
which ultimately affects productivity.
When managers promote positivity within the workplace, employees are
more than likely to be more productive.
While working in HVAC sales the environment was very hostile and the
manager was very negative; however the salaries were very commensurable
compared to other companies and it was not contingent on whether or not sales
were made, therefore employees were not motivated to increase productivity because
there were no incentives to do so.
Implications of applying
motivational theories
Motivational theories at the workplace provide explanations on
what motivates individuals to perform certain ways and when applied in specific
settings it helps employers understand the commitment level of their employees
to the goals of the company which in turn can guide them to developing and
implementing motivational strategies to increase productivity. If motivational theories are not in place at
the start of business there could be some implications once employees become
accustomed to operations being ran a certain way. Applying the goal-setting theory in an
organization in which goals were never clear could cause high levels of stress
on employees because they may feel like they may not be able to satisfy the
expectations of the goal. The
implications of applying the achievement motivation theory could be the result
of a hostile work environment due to the manager not promoting positivity
through communication with employees, therefore making the desire to attain
excellence difficult.
How Theories affect
management and employees
The goal-setting theory affects management and employees in
several different ways. When management
applies the goal-setting theory they are communicating the goals of the company
with employees which rely on high levels of productivity. If there is not a good working relationship
between management and the employees, effectively communicating the goals could
be a challenge for management and if the goals are not clear the employees may
not have a full understanding of the expectations.
Conclusion
Motivational theories applied at the workplace can have a direct
effect on the level of productivity within an organization. Working in HVAC sales allowed me the
opportunity to understand the importance of applying motivational theories at
the workplace because they provide assistance with developing organizational
efforts to improve performance; however it is a possibility that employees may
show some resistance to increase productivity when the communication is not
clear between management and employees.
Managers that have a positive viewpoint on motivation and practice
effective communication within the organization have a better chance at increasing
productivity and boosting the morale of the environment. There are a several
implications in applying the goal-setting theory and the achievement motivation
theory within an organization that have no motivational theories in position,
such as in HVAC sales, which can have an adverse effect on management and
employees if effective communication is not present.
