Employee_Motivation

Employee Motivational Paper Organizational Psychology/ PSY 428 August 15, 2009 Employees can be motivated in many ways, however, much of their motivation is derived from the values they learned growing up, which are the motivators that constitutes how a person performs various task throughout their lives. On the organizational setting there are different motivators that help the organization motivate workers and managers. Today’s organizations are finding ways to motivate employee’s with as little management interaction as possible. Many have developed the flat organizational model in order to achieve the highest production from their employees without direct supervision. This model promotes employee contribution through a decentralized system of assessment, and by elevating the level of responsibility of the lower level employee. The initiative is to make employees feel more important to the organization and be on assignments removing middle management from the model. The inspiration is that well educated staff will be more prolific, therefore, team oriented organizations will produce more work because the will be working towards a common goal. Employees are usually happy and comfortable in their work when the organization has empowered them through incentives. The flat organizational model can provide the necessary empowerment providing the conversion is carried out cogently and communicated appropriately to every level. With the flat organizational model decisions are made more expeditiously, ideas are managed better and creativity of the employees is brought out (Gates, 2009). Change can be challenging for employees however, the flat organizational model change is more likely to be welcomed by the employees. Support and participation are important attributes that are essential when change in organizational culture take place. In order for these changes to be successful without ramification top management needs to be supportive and involved upon preparing employees for the change. One incentive is to allow employees of all levels to have stock in the organization which will prepare the employees for making individual and group decisions. Employees who have stock in an organization develop the mentality of wanting what is best for the entire organization (Powers, 2009). Empowerment becomes a vessel to make the changes work within the flat organizational model. It is typical for leaders of organizations to get the recognition and compensation however, with the flat organizational model all levels of employees will be recognized based on their input into the organization. Based on Herzberg’s theory there are motivators that gratify employees such as; work itself, recognition, advancement, achievement and responsibility. These motivators accomplish contentment with the employees by giving them meaning and personal growth. Although salary was once believed to be a motivator for satisfaction, however, today employees are looking for more and deem their salary as a matter of right (Garcez, 2006). Many organizations have initiated teams to accomplish task within the organization. Teams can be divided into many phases, such as management teams or lower level employee teams. Employees often consider working as part of a team can be a rewarding experience because often a great deal of satisfaction is derived by joint accomplishment, along with the social relationships that may be developed (Jex, 2008). An organization that use teams to accomplish the task are inclined to use the flat organizational model which spends less time on the inside process, and allows the team to attend to the supervisory roles. Because there are less levels in this type of structure the quick decisions can accommodate the consumers demand in a timely fashion (Jex, 2008). To prepare employees for the changes the organization must first decide if they will be team oriented or work performed individually. For individuals, finding the insight on what ideas they have to make the organization better and to determine the employee’s capability of performing the task they will be assigned, and their thoughts put into action. For the team model the organization must determine if the team based structure is a good fit for their organization. This may take some redesigning of the work load to fit within a team structure (Jex, 2008). The employees should then be prepared for the changes by implementing changes that encourage creative thinking. The organizational bureaucracy must also change from the close monitoring of the work and the lower level employees. Slowly remove middle management and allow the lower level employees to be inspired and challenged. These changes will help the employees get rid of the employee mentality and develop a entrepreneur mentality. Communication is also key from upper management to create an environment where employees feel as though their being listened to, and they are being treated as if they owned the business themselves (Kotelnikov, 2001). Organizations must create innovative methods to keep their employees content at every level. The organization should conduct surveys to find out what holds the interest of the employees and what is the motivating dynamic that makes the employees achieve the highest goals possible for themselves and the organization. The flat organization model can achieve this because it inspires and challenges the imagination of the employees, provides incentives and growth opportunities, implements the employees ideas and provides resources for the employees, all which help create the mindset of the employees to operate as proprietors (Kotelnikov, 2001). In any case, no matter what process the organization uses when organizing staff from all levels to handle modifications in organizational culture, the key to success is the empowerment of the employee’s in the organization. Resources Garcez, C.(2006). Job Satisfaction: The Challenges Transformed Organizations Face. Retrieved August 13, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://aplawrence.com/Misc/job_satisfaction.html Gates, B. (2001). Innovation Management Polices for Large Corporations. Retrived August 13, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/organization_flat.html Jex, S.M. (2008). Organizational Psychology: A Scientist Practioner Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley and Son Kotelnikov, V. (2001). Empowering People and Making Faster Decisions. Retrieved August 14, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/organization_flat.html Powers, M. ( 2009). Employee Empowerment. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from the Wide Web: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1559562/employee_empowerment_paper.html'cat=3