Motivation and its centrality to successful business practice

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Motivation

Motivation is a key factor when managing any business. Motivation is important for a high productivity level.

Productivity measures the relationship between the inputs into the business and the resulting output:

There are several ways of measuring productivity:

* Output per worker

* Output per hour / day / week

* Output per machine (if the business includes machinery).

Unit costs divide the total costs by the number of units produced

Unit costs = Total Costs / Units of output

Stock levels A business will usually set itself a level of finished goods that it should receive. This is designed to satisfy the demand expected by the marketing department plans and based on what the production department thinks they can produce. If the output levels falls below this then the productive efficiency has fallen not meeting the requirements set by the company.

Maslow created his hierarchy of needs

Many people are motivated in many different ways some want more money, some workers just want to meet new friends.

This is why Maslow created his hierarchy of needs:

Self-Fulfilment;

Succeeding to your full potential

Self-Esteem;

Having recognition from achievement - e.g. discovering new ideas and receiving a bonus.

Social Needs;

Friendship, a sense of belonging to a team

Safety Needs;

Protection against danger, job security, protection from poverty and fair treatment.

Physiological Needs;

Food, rest, recreation and shelter.

A hierarchy means that those things at the top are more important than those at the bottom. At whatever age people start work, they will be motivated by physiological or basic needs. They will want to earn enough money for food and recreation and perhaps for shelter if they have left home. The employee will want safety in their job, a pleasant environment (safety needs). As they move through their working lives these aspects may become less motivating. They will want to feel a part of the organisation they work for and to develop friendships (social needs). They will want to gain promotion and be given additional responsibilities and more pay (self-esteem needs). Employees can only feel self-fulfilment if they achieve something and are praised for their achievement.

My company who I interviewed was a large organisation there are many factors which must be taken into account when working with a large organisation. When a company works in a production line they allow the mass production of consumer goods. Every job on a production line is simple and repetitive, and requires little training for the worker. Only basic needs would be met - pay, a job, a safe working environment. An employee though has the threat of losing their job which can easily be replaced.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages of working in a large organization.

Here are some of them:

Advantages:

. More opportunities for promotion and career development.

2. More opportunities to take responsibility and make decisions when higher up the organisation.

3. Higher wages and bonuses for some workers if the company is successful.

4. More people to meet and make friends with

5. Company pension schemes and better health and safety schemes.

Disadvantages:

. Many workers will have low skilled and poorly paid jobs.

2. Less job security if the company is unsuccessful.

3. Close supervision over what workers are doing.

4. Production line jobs are boring and repetitive.

5. Poor communication and relations between workforce and management.

Many people have wondered what people like and dislike about their job, Frederick Herzberg carried out some research during the 1960s to find out people's opinions about their jobs. He took a sample of people at different levels in different jobs and asked them two questions:

) What is it about your job that you dislike?

The following were identified:

* salary and job security

* working conditions

* supervision by the boss

* company rules and policy

* relationships with subordinates

Herzberg gave these the name hygiene factors. If these factors are satisfied, they do not make employees any happier, they just remove unhappiness.

2) What is it about your job that you like?

Again the following were identified:

* the job itself

* being given responsibility
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* achieving success and being recognised by management

* gaining promotion

* personal development

He gave these the name motivators. It is these factors which really motivate the workforce. I have noticed that they are similar to the top two levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Self-esteem

Succeeding to your full potential

Self-fulfillment

Having recognition for achievement - e.g. discovering new ideas and receiving a bonus.

Frederick Winslow Taylor had an idea that workers are motivated mainly by pay

Taylor realised these factors:

* Workers ...

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