Employees are a significant asset to the organization; therefore, it is crucial to motivate employees and resolve conflicts wisely within an organization to achieve remarkable performance. Different organizations apply motivation theories differently to stimulate the interest of employees.
It is essential to understand the theories of motivation first, before determining their application in different organizations. Abraham Maslow explains that employee motivation comes through a hierarchy of needs. The highest point of motivation for employees is the point where management meets the self-actualization needs of employees (Cofer, & Appley, 1967, p.231).
On the other hand, the lowest needs are the physiological needs. Theory X assumes that people do not want responsibility and try to avoid work. In contrast, theory Y assumes that people are anxious to take responsibility and strive to work. There is also the two-factor theory by Herzberg that explains motivation.
Some organizations motivate employees by giving challenging tasks that enable them to develop. Employees value challenges and freedom to perform difficult tasks than their salaries. Although money is a strong motivator, organizations that provide challenging work to employees motivate them better.
Other organizations motivate employees by providing self-actualization needs according to the hierarchy of needs theory. Employees get their ultimate motivation at their self-actualization point and, therefore, organizations that use this motivation method get commendable performance from employees.
Organizations also use motivators and hygiene factors to improve performance. Motivators include responsibility and challenging work, which lead to job satisfaction and eventually exemplary performance in work (Cofer, & Appley, 1967, p.313).
The hygiene factors consist of salaries and bonuses even though they do not necessarily cause motivation if present; however, their absence causes lack of satisfaction. Organizations apply this theory to motivate employees and improve performance.
Organizational Trends
High performance organizations and traditional organizations differ regarding operational effectiveness. Operational effectiveness refers to the number of practices that an organization uses to produce intended results. High performance organizations use practices such as benchmarking to determine their level of performance compared to other organizations of the same level (Robbins, & Judge, 2009, p.111).
These organizations also use total quality management and the balanced score card to determine their performance. These are best practices that high performance organizations use to stay at the top in their organization. In contrast, traditional organizations use old strategies to operate effectively. These organizations hardly achieve effectiveness in their operations because the strategies cannot work in the contemporary society.
To reduce workplace stress, high performance organizations use a variety of mechanisms. These organizations give employees opportunities to give opinions on matters affecting their job so that they can reduce stress. These organizations also use a participative style of leadership where employees discuss their problems and get help.
This provides an opportunity for employees to interact and share their problems reducing workplace stress. In contrast, traditional organizations hardly care about their employees. They do not discuss employee problems thereby leading to lack of motivation for these employees. In the end, the organization performs poorly in its operations.
High performance organizations are dynamic in their operations. They incorporate effective communication, conflict management, and motivation methods to deal with issues in the organization (Robbins, & Judge, 2009, p.145). These organizations eventually perform better and achieve their goals.
In contrast, traditional organizations are not diverse in their policies. They could have effective conflict management methods but fail in their way of communication. This way, they cannot achieve high performance in their operations. It is necessary for an organization to be dynamic to ensure employee motivation and high performance in the overall organization.
References
Cofer, C.N., & Appley, M. H. (1967). Motivation: Theory and Research. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2009). Organizational behavior. (13th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.