6. Equity Theory:
As per the equity theory of J. Stacey Adams, people are motivated by their beliefs about the reward structure as being fair or unfair, relative to the inputs. People have a tendency to use subjective judgment to balance the outcomes and inputs in the relationship for comparisons between different individuals. Accordingly:
If people perceive that they are rewarded higher, they may be motivated to work harder.
7. Reinforcement Theory:
Skinner states that work environment should be made suitable to the individuals and that punishment actually leads to frustration and de-motivation. Hence, the only way to motivate is to keep on making positive changes in the external environment of the organization.
8. Goal Setting Theory of Edwin Locke:
The goal setting theory states that when the goals to be achieved are set at a higher standard than in that case employees are motivated to perform better and put in maximum effort. It revolves around the concept of "Self-efficacy" i.e. individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a hard task.
MOTIVALTIONAL THEORY AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. But that's easier said than done! Motivation practice and theory are difficult subjects, touching on several disciplines [23].
Human nature can be very simple, yet very complex too. An understanding and appreciation of this is a prerequisite to effective employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership.
The schematic below indicates the potential contribution the practical application of the principles this paper has on reducing work content in the organization.
Motivation is the key to performance improvement
There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do.
Are they born with the self-motivation or drive? Yes and no. If no, they can be motivated, for motivation is a skill which can and must be learnt. This is essential for any business to survive and succeed.
Performance is considered to be a function of ability and motivation, thus:
* Job performance =f (ability) (motivation)
Ability in turn depends on education, experience and training and its improvement is a slow and long process. On the other hand motivation can be improved quickly. As a guideline, there are broadly seven strategies for motivation.
* Positive reinforcement / high expectations
* Effective discipline and punishment
* Treating people fairly
* Satisfying employees needs
* Setting work related goals
* Restructuring jobs
* Base rewards on job performance
These are the basic strategies, though the mix in the final 'recipe' will vary from workplace situation to situation. Essentially, there is a gap between an individual's actual state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap.
Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator [23].
TASK 4
4.1 NATURE OF GROUP AND GROUP BEHAVIOUR
GROUP
A small collection of people who interact with each other, usually face to face, over time in order to reach goals
The size of the group can vary from three people to seven to 20. Normally the smallest number is considered which is capable of performing the task
TYPES OF GROUPS & BEHAVIOUR
Groups come in many forms, shapes, and sizes. Most managers belong to several different groups at the same time, some at work, some at community, some formally organized, and some informal and social in nature. The most basic way of identifying types of groups is to distinguish between [24]:
Formal groups
Informal groups
Formal Groups
The organization's managers to accomplish goals and serve the needs of the organization deliberately create formal groups. The major purpose of formal groups is to perform specific tasks and achieve specific objectives defined by the organization.
The most common type of formal work group consists of individuals cooperating under the direction of a leader. Examples of formal groups are departments, divisions, taskforce, project groups, quality circles, committees, and boards of directors.
Informal Groups
Informal groups in organizations are not formed or planned by the organization's managers. Rather, they are self-created and evolve out of the formal organization for a variety of reasons, such as proximity, common interests, or needs of individuals. It would be difficult for organization to prohibit informal working relationships from developing.
Informal groups develop naturally among an organization's personnel without any direction from management. One key factor in the emergence of informal groups is a common interest shared by its members. For example, a group of employees who band together to seek union representation may be called an interest group
4.2 FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK
Whether in the workplace, or in sports, or amongst members of a community, effective teamwork can produce extraordinary results. However, that is easier said than done, for, effective teamwork does not happen automatically.
There are a number of factors that are required to cohere together, working seamlessly, for an effective team to develop and work. So, what makes an effective team?
Well, given below are some of the factors that are vital for building a good team that works successfully [25]:
Good Leadership
Effective Communication
Defining Clear-cut Roles
Creating Procedures for Conflict Resolution
Setting a Good Example
Good Leadership: One of the most important aspects of effective teamwork is effective leadership. This means that the team leader should have the skills to create and maintain a working culture that is positive. This helps to motivate and even inspire the team members to get involved in creating an environment where there is a positive approach to work, along with high levels of commitment.
Effective Communication: It goes without saying that communication is a vital factor of interpersonal interaction, and the very term 'teamwork' represents interpersonal interaction. Hence, one of the key aspects of effective teamwork is open communication, wherein it enables the members of the team to articulate their feelings, express their plans, share their ideas, and understand each other's viewpoints.
Defining Clear-cut Roles: It is necessary for teams to know clearly what their purpose is, what role each member of the team has to play, what each person is responsible for, what is not within their scope, and the resources they have to achieve their goals. The team leader can enable this by defining the purpose in a clear-cut manner up front.
Creating Procedures for Conflict Resolution: No matter how good a team may be, conflicts will inevitable occur some time or the other. The best way to counter this is to have structured methods of resolving them. Team members should have a way of expressing their opinions without fear of causing offense to anyone.
Setting a Good Example: And finally, effective teamwork can only come about when the team leader sets a good example, which can be emulated by the team members. In order to keep the team committed, positive, and motivated, the team leader himself/herself has to have all these qualities and make it apparent that he/she does.
4.3 IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON TEAM FUNCTIONING
The use of new technologies can improve and in some cases hinder team functioning.
As technology changes teams must update and maintain their knowledge in order to function effectively [26].
Technologies which have improved team functions
mobile phones
blackberry
groupware
computers
E-mail allows asynchronous communication which means team members do not need to be in the same place at the same time in order to communicate effectively. E-mail also has it's negative aspects in terms of managing e-mail and the misuse of e-mail.
Mobile phones allow teams to communicate even when team members are out of the office, on the road or otherwise unavailable. Sometimes having always access to team members can hinder team functioning.
Phone technologies such as blackberry and 3G data cards allow team members to work and communicate remotely and this out in the field or with clients.
Groupware enables teams to plan meetings, collaborate, delegate all within a virtual environment which can often be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world.
Personal computers allow team members to carry out various tasks and communicate more effectively. Laptop computers allow you to do this anywhere. They are now lighter, more powerful and a longer battery life. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) now have much of the same functionality as their bigger cousins, but are smaller, more portable and have a longer battery life. Many PDAs now have wifi as standard and some are also phones (and some phones have many PDA features).
