Harvard Sample Leading And Managing People

Leading and Managing People 1

Leading and Managing People

Name

Course:

Professor’s Name:

University:

City (State):

Date:

Leading and Managing People 2

Leading and Managing People

Employee Motivation Report

Introduction

This short report focuses on factors that help in facilitating employee motivation in an

organization. It points out various strategies that senior managers should implement to improve

the efficiency of human labor as well as ensuring consistency in the productivity of the

organization's workforce. This report is based on the literature review of the research that has

been conducted on employee motivation.

Summary

Employee motivation plays a vital role in the development of any organization (Boddy,

2011). It is one of the most important tools that managers use to ensure the smooth-running of an

organization. Employee motivation provides room for the management of any workforce

weaknesses that may be observed with the organization. It also improves the interaction between

the senior and junior employees within an organization. Managers should have adequate skills on

employee motivation to enable them to establish effective ways of motivating employees. Proper

management practices should ensure that the welfare of employees is safeguarded. The

employers should keep in mind that effective human labor is the key to success in any

organization (Mullins L, 2010). Therefore, the employers should be keen on the performance of

the workforce and should establish appropriate strategies for improving the efficiency of their

workforce.

Background

Research has depicted that engagement of workers is a powerful asset in the growth and

development of a business enterprise. As such, the UK government conducted a research

Leading and Managing People 3

recently which revealed that worker engagement is not practiced in many UK workplaces. As

such, statistics showed that one out of five in UK establishments is disengaged (Henderson,

2011). Notably, this demoralizes the workforce and can instigate malingering, absenteeism and

failure to accomplish tasks or achieve set goals. In the context of the current case study, being

conversant with means of motivating individuals either individually or collectively is necessary

to execute leadership and management responsibilities accordingly. As such, leaders and

managers in organizations ought to know the factors behind employee motivation. Employee

motivation and productivity can be maximized by establishing a working environment which

capitalizes on the factors which affect performance

Motivation-Detailed and Critical Discussion-Motivation refers to a set for forces which

compel individuals to select some specific behaviors from a list of several alternatives open to

them (Huczynsk and Buchanan, 2013). Therefore, it can be considered a form of classical

conditioning in the sense that a worker's performance is usually influenced by ability,

motivation, and the work environment. Notably, some inconsistencies can be resolved by

altering the environment or providing training. Employee motivation involves all activities that

are directed improve the employees' morale such as rewarding and providing them with the

effective working environment. As such, employee motivation theories emphasize either

employee involvement (empowerment) or incentives. Worth noting is that employee motivation

is quite difficult in small firms as compared to large organizations. Individuals holding positions

of leadership and management in business affiliations, regardless of scale, ought to be conversant

with the downfalls associated with low employee motivation. Disinterest, complacency, and

widespread discouragement are the most common causes of low employee motivation. Workers

should be able to see the results of their efforts directly. As such feedback needs to be quick and

Leading and Managing People 4

visible. A smoothly working coordinated and motivated labor force gives leaders and managers

ample time to think and plans for long-term developments. Worth noting is that empowerment

provides autonomy and allows a worker to retain ownership of ideas and accomplishments,

whether working as an individual or in a group.

Quality circles and the rising instances of teams in the contemporary world's working

environment offer workers the chance to reinforce the significance of visible contributions

accomplished by members and getting feedback about the efficacy of that work. To make

employees appreciate their contributions to the company's development, leaders and managers

should communicate the organization's purpose to the employees. The communication about the

company's purpose should be done both verbally and in writing in a clear and concise manner.

The organizations' management should set high targets for their employees so that the employees

can aim at producing the best. However, the management should support these employees when

they fail to attain the set targets. Notably, it is recommended that workers be allowed flexibility

and autonomy in the manner in which their assignments are executed. Worth noting is that

creativity is developed and enhanced only if genuine mistakes are corrected and not punished.

Any leader of an organization should be optimistic in any situation and should avoid imposing

unnecessary pressure on the employees. This can help in boosting the employees' morale to put

all their effort at work.

Employee Motivation Theories-Employee motivation theories attempt to establish a

conceptual framework to comprehend what motivates individuals to push their performance at

work. There are two main theories of motivation which employers use: intrinsic and extrinsic

motivation (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2012). Extrinsic factors refer to the external conditions

which compel a worker to strive towards the fulfillment of a particular task. This theory

Leading and Managing People 5

postulates that there are punishments and rewards for every employee activity. For instance, the

reward for an employee who works for an hour in an hourly wage while termination is the

punishment for failing to do the job. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is the drive which

originates from within an employee. Notably, an individual gets motivated to work if the task at

hand motivates him or her. This helps greatly, in finding the work fulfilling, satisfying, or

enjoyable. Research has depicted that intrinsic motivation is more effective compared to

extrinsic because the worker is the cause of the drive. Therefore, the work itself provides

motivation

Merits and Demerits of Motivation in Organizations and its Efficiency-The extent to

which employees get motivated depends greatly on the leadership style. Notably, an individual's

leadership style is the main factor in knowing the level of motivation of people and how they feel

about the organization. The main merit associated with motivating employees is that employees

tend to get the opportunity to feel directly and experience their contributions to the organization's

growth and development (Mullins L, 2010). Intrinsic motivation, for instance, lessens the work

burden as workers enjoy tasks just like hobbies. As such, there is the pleasure and sheer joy

associated with doing a particular task. Intrinsic motivation works best when the manager

accurately determines the preferences and likes of individual employees. Many leaders and

managers in organizations have discovered that flexibility in reward systems and job design has

led to workers prolonged longevity with the organization, better morale, and improved

productivity.

The main concepts affiliated with motivation which gets integrated with the workers'

professional skills to help maintain a productive and healthy working environment is ensuring

that justice is availed to empower the employees.

Leading and Managing People 6

There are workers across many business firms who have original and creative ideas but are

reluctant to forward them to the management for fear of being ignored or ridiculed. Bureaucracy

has made organizational approval and conforming to the company policies so ingrained that both

the management and employees suffer in some working environments (Watson and Reissner,

2010). When the authority to innovate is pushed down from management level to employee

level, workers who are very conversant with a particular product, job, or service get the best

opportunity to express themselves. The power to innovate and create motivates the workers and

motivates the business firm in having flexible labor. Subsequently, these advancements also pave

a new way for receptiveness to change which can grant the organization the ability to respond

swiftly to market fluctuations and sustain a great advantage over competitors in the market

Leaders and managers should organize learning and career advancement programs to facilitate in

enhancing perceptual enhancement of employee skills. There are some challenges associated

with establishing motivation among employees. Many leaders in across various organizations

have experienced facing a duality arising out of the conflict of interest when trying to motivate

workers. For instance, a situation may arise which calls for the leader to fire a certain employee

but if he or she doesn't then others will get the impression that they can get away with not doing

their assigned duties accordingly

Motivation in Action in Current Organizations and Professional Perspective-Thomas J.

Watson, who is the founder of IBM, established three core values of the company to facilitate in

creating a favorable and healthy organizational climate for everyone to execute their duties (Rees

and French, 2013). As such, Thomas emphasized on excellent customer service, excellent

product and services, and respect for the individual. Looking back in time, IBM is now one of

the leading software developer countries in the world. Notably, the principle of respect for

Leading and Managing People 7

individuals was implemented at all levels of the organization, both locally and internationally.

Treating anyone with indecency, especially those in positions of authority, was enough reason

for being fired, regardless of the length of service with the organization. As a result of this

organizational climate, not only did individuals strive to get employment but they were some of

the most jovial, creative, and productive. There are no specific answers or responses which can

be deemed right or wrong when it comes to matters affiliated with leadership and management

yet there are specific guidelines for managers and leaders. The main effort is leaders and

managers understanding and appreciating their strengths and weaknesses to effectively manage

and motivate their employees while putting worker likes and preferences into consideration.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to increase the awareness on the importance of motivating

employees in an organization. Employee motivation is a vital tool in effective management.

Therefore, managers should emphasize on the implementing the information in this report

enhance the organization's success.

Conclusions and Recommendations

At this juncture, it is only rational to affirm that individuals holding positions of

leadership and management in organizations ought to critically analyze and evaluate the

characteristics of effective leadership and techniques used to develop leaders in business firms in

order to get in touch with their current leadership style while putting into consideration and

contemplation their strengths and weaknesses. As such, leaders and managers should integrate

motivation with other crucial aspects of leading and managing people such as social

responsibility, team-working, ethics, and organizational changes to attain the set goals and

objectives easily. Motivation refers to a set for forces which compel individuals to select some

Leading and Managing People 8

specific behaviors from a list of several alternatives open to them. The motivation of employees

is a major aspect of leadership and management and has yielded positive results in many

business enterprises. It is imperative to note that the leadership style relies heavily on the

organizational goals and objectives, the internal environment of the business firm and the

external environment. Notably, it is imperative that leaders and managers draw a clear line of

distinction between leadership and management to effectively execute leadership and

management responsibilities within a variety of contexts

Leading and Managing People 9

References

Boddy, D. (2011). Management. Harlow England: FT/Prentice Hall.

Henderson, I. (2011). HRM for MBA Students. London: CIPD.

Huczynsk, A. and Buchanan, D. (2013). Organizational Behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow England:

Pearson Education.

Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2012). Human Resource Management at Work: People

Management and Development. London: CIPD.

Mullins L, J. (2010). Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Harlow, England:

FT/Prentice Hall.

Rees, G. and French, R. (2013). Leading Managing and Developing People. London: CIPD.

Watson, G. and Reissner, S. (2010). Developing skills for business leadership. London: CIPD.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."

Harvard sample Leading and Managing People

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

Ian McGregor

Shannon Williams