Developing_an_Organization

Running head: DEVELOPING AN ORGANIZATION Developing an Organization Group and Organizational Dynamics Instructor Carla Willard September 16, 2010 Week 5 Final Message Introduction Human relationships play a major part in the development of an organization. In order to improve these relationships takes having an understanding of how people think and feel. Maslow’s need hierarchy show the five needs that people must satisfy. Motivation is very important in this process also. Motivation gives direction toward obtaining a goal in the end. Having motivation, attitude and understanding hierarchy of needs will help move any group or organization in the right direction. Motivation Motivation is very important in the development of an organization. Motivation by definition is the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards obtaining a goal (Bethel, 2004). We were all hired to make certain contributions or inputs to our companies to achieve certain outcomes. Input is what you contribute to your company such as knowledge, skill and work ethic. Output is what you get from your company. It could be your pay, job security or benefits. Motivation is used a lot in the trucking industry to motivate drivers. A good example of motivation before being promoted to my current position with Swift Transportation, I began my career as a driver with the company. Motivating drivers by using equity plays a major part in hiring and the development of new drivers. Drivers are required to run miles every week to get paid. The more miles a driver run safely, the more money that a driver earns. Student drivers just beginning with the company have very little motivation. Many student drivers just starting in the transportation industry deal a lot with underpayment which destroys their motivation. This causes over a 100% driver turnover with the lack of management to look at new ways of promoted equity in the company. It’s important for drivers just beginning to have a better outcome-input which will reduce turnover and keep better quality drivers. The position I have now I can see the changes that has took place with the company to promote equity to motivate drivers and employees. Management has found ways to restore equity with student drivers by creating a department that helps with retention. Pay has changed with the students by paying them per day. Each day of their training they have to send their pay in via qualcomm communication from the truck. This has restored equity by reducing over and underpayment to the new drivers. This also motivates the driver by requiring the student driver to work more efficiently. Management has also implemented a six-sigma process to eliminate spending in the company. This will create bonuses and increase driver pay as well. Overall I feel from the time I began my career 10 years ago, the company has been very persistent in establishing motivation to promote equality for the employees. Importance of Attitude With motivation being very important, a positive attitude is much needed in the development of an organization as well. Attitudes are very important within organizations. They are everywhere. Managers, supervisors and employees alike all have attitudes. They can be positive or negative based upon job satisfaction, family obligations or goals just to name a few. Attitudes by definition are clusters of feelings, beliefs, and behavioral predispositions (Lussier, 2010). In other words, an attitude is the way a person feels, believes, speaks or behaves at any time. This section will discuss the importance of attitude and how it affects an organization. Attitude is very important in our daily lives. It is constantly in affect whether or not we get a promotion. Attitude can affect co-worker relationships, business relationships and family. A person attitude could quite possibly be one of the biggest determining factors for their future success in a career. So therefore, your attitude sets the stage for the outcomes in your life whether good or bad. Within organizations, work related attitudes are formed. These attitudes are brought upon by attitudes and perceptions in the workplace. Satisfied employees who may feel pleasant, content, and gratified they tend to have low absenteeism and low turnover. It is always much more pleasant to be around managers, supervisors and co-workers who have positive outlooks on life. Positive people will generally attract more help from co-workers, more satisfaction from customers, and more sales than the average person. Negative people will attract negative situations and are often less productive and less connected to fellow co-workers and customers. There are many factors within an organization that could cause a person to have a poor attitude about their jobs such as inadequate compensation, conflicts with their supervisor, inconsistent or conflicting communications from senior management, unfulfilling work, hostile communications between employees, etc. Work related attitudes can be changed. Attitudes are noticeable expressions of who we are. Our attitudes and perceptions transform our thoughts and behaviors. Attitudes can become contagious. Leaders within an organization have the ability to affect the tone of the organization by having a positive attitude. Some ways to change negative consequences of dissatisfaction are creating fun atmosphere and paying people fairly. It is also important to match people with jobs that fit their interests and avoid boring repetitive jobs. After working on my job for 10 years I have a different attitude about my employment from when I first started. In the beginning there was only a concern for steady pay. As I grew with the company now my attitude towards my position is having more concern about how I can improve my performance. In the trucking industry there are really only two positions, drivers and driver support. It’s important to have a positive attitude when supporting drivers. When dealing with drivers on a daily basis it can become a bit repetitious. Drivers as well as customers want to know if an organization care. By having a positive attitude towards them will not only improve employee performance but morale also. Needs Hierarchy . It is very important for people’s primary needs to be met. The first level in the needs hierarchy is the physiological need. This need consists of food, shelter and the basic fundamentals of life. The needs theory states that this level must be satisfied before the next level can be achieved. Employees who are not capable of taking care of basic needs in life are most likely hard to motivate. The employer must constantly make sure that salary and working conditions are achieved in order for workers to progress to the next level (Lussier, 2010). Safety is the next level in the needs hierarchy. The majority of people want job security. Employers who do not provide good benefits or safe working conditions have a hard time motivating employees to perform their best. This need must be satisfied because employees want to feel secure with their jobs and be able to provide benefits for their family. Social needs must be met also. This level in the hierarchy begins to establish trust among employees or people. The majority of people want to be able to interact and participate on an organizational level. Once an employee reaches this level this is a good place to be. As organizations began to meet physiological, safety and social needs, employees began to experience positive accomplishments. Individuals began to feel better about themselves and the jobs that they performed on a daily basis. Employees began to give more back to the organization because they felt a sense of recognition. Individuals that achieve the esteem level tend to be the top performing employees. Self actualization is the highest level in the needs hierarchy. This need is reached once fulfillment of all other levels is reached. Employees that want to grow, advance, and become a great asset for the organization. Although researchers do not support the Maslow’s hierarchy theory, it does establish a solid foundation of structure when looking at how to motivate employees (Lussier, 2010). In order to have a good understanding of how to motivate an employee or a person general, Maslow’s theory of motivation must be examined. The needs hierarchy is a motivational theory that can be used to show how important people needs must be satisfied. The needs hierarchy is one the most known motivational theories because it simplifies the theory in three major areas. There must be an order of importance that satisfaction must be achieved and they all exist on five levels. Although researchers do not support the Maslow’s hierarchy theory, it does establish a solid foundation of structure when looking at how to motivate employees References Lussier, R. (2010). Human relations in organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin