'A happy worker is a productive worker' Discuss with reference to motivational theories.
'A Happy Worker Is A Productive Worker'
Discuss with reference to motivational theories.
In this essay I will be considering whether or not a happy worker is a productive worker. Also, I will be discussing whether being happy is the only factor that can motivate an individual at work. Workers can be motivated in various ways, this will be explained in this essay. It is noticed that a happy worker provides a better service to its customers, rather than an unhappy worker. Being able to give good customer service is important, especially in the Tourism industry. In this industry employees have to come face to face on a regular or daily basis, and it is significant that they show and provide an excellent service. This can involve good body language, oral communication, listening to the customer and having eye contact to show an interest in what the customer is saying. A good service culture includes appreciation for a good service by the internal and external customer.
There are a number of theories that can relate as to whether or not a happy worker is productive. Managers in an organisation may have to find ways to motivate an individual, this can be through extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Hence, the employee being happy from these rewards will be more productive. It is argued that some individuals have needs which need to be fulfilled, also work conditions can depend whether upon a worker is productive. Individuals may also have goals that they want to achieve in their job, and being motivated will help achieve this.
Firstly, Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs relates to individual needs. The hierarchy involves five stages starting at physiological needs such as, food and water leading to self-actualisation. According to Maslow an individual fulfils one stage before moving to the next. If a stage is not fulfilled then they are motivated to fulfil this, this relates to an individual at work. Managers motivate their workers by making them aware of unfulfilled stages and may provide incentives to motivate them, which could lead to them being more productive. He believes there is no relationship between job satisfaction and improved work performance. However, Maslow's theory was criticised by Alderfer. He redefined Maslow's hierarchy into three groups, which were existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG). This theory believes that if one need is not fulfilled then an individual is still able to move to the next need. While Maslow's theory is useful, it does not help managers come up with ways to motivate employees. It is assumed that satisfying the needs will result in increased motivation and productivity but this is not always the case.
Secondly, Mayo carried out the 'Hawthorne study' in a western electrical company in Chicago from 1927-1932. It was based on scientific management, and he wanted to see whether personal satisfactions were met and if it maximised productivity. The workers hours, lighting and heating were altered and then their productivity was measured. It was noticed that there was little or no effect on their productivity, because the workers had good cohesion and communication in groups, which motivated them to work together. However, the idea of workplace consensus may not always exist and this could be biased towards management. Workers ...
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Secondly, Mayo carried out the 'Hawthorne study' in a western electrical company in Chicago from 1927-1932. It was based on scientific management, and he wanted to see whether personal satisfactions were met and if it maximised productivity. The workers hours, lighting and heating were altered and then their productivity was measured. It was noticed that there was little or no effect on their productivity, because the workers had good cohesion and communication in groups, which motivated them to work together. However, the idea of workplace consensus may not always exist and this could be biased towards management. Workers could be manipulated into being productive by managers, therefore reducing chances of trade union power.
Another theory is by McGregor, this is the Theory X and Y. He believed that there are different reasons as to why people work. The first set of assumptions is theory X, which involves people at work trying to avoid responsibility, lack ambition, are motivated by money, dislike work and need to be controlled by management. Whereas, theory Y involves individuals being motivated by things at the top of Maslow's hierarchy. They are responsible, committed and enjoy having control over work. "He proposes that if the management performs its task in an appropriate manner, the work force will react accordingly and will prove themselves to be capable of a much higher level of effectiveness." (Armstrong, P and Dawson, C. 1996, page. 101). This means that if managers create opportunities, create growth and development, workers will be more motivated into working productively.
Moreover, Herzberg in 1966 was attempted to find out what motivated people at work. He carried out interviews with US accountants and engineers, and developed a two-factor theory. He asked them to describe incidents in their jobs, which gave them strong feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, then asked the causes for these. The two factors included motivators, which are factors that motivate such as, sense of achievement, chance of promotion and recognition of effort. The second factor is hygiene factors, which are factors that need to be met to prevent dissatisfaction. These include pay, conditions, company policy and inability to develop. Motivators can make workers more productive, however there are also other factors that can help motivate. The criticism for this theory is that improving pay and conditions may be taken for granted, also job improvement may be expensive for some organisations.
"One viewpoint, usually associated with the human relations movement, is that a happy worker is a productive worker, that is, satisfaction leads to performance." (Blumberg, M and Pringles, C. 1982, page. 560) This quote from a journal shows that satisfaction in a job can lead to higher productivity. To gain this satisfaction, it can be through various ways not only by the management team. It may be an intrinsic satisfaction such as, being recognised for hard work and effort that can help motivate an individual.
Another theory is by McClelland, he believed that what motivates people is that they learn in early childhood that certain types of behaviour lead to gratification. They develop needs based on this behaviour, these are achievement, affiliation, and power. Achievement involves people who have high achievements and are successful. Individuals can take risks, set their own goals and achieve on their own. However, they will not work well in a group. Affiliation is that some successful people achieve goals by working with others, rather than using their own efforts. Power is the people with high power and achievement, and still had problems in influencing or controlling others. Unlike Maslow he did not see these motivations in a hierarchy, but rather varying between people and jobs. "People learn faster and better when they are highly motivated to achieve their goals, achievers welcome advice and suggestions on how they can improve their performance." (Cushway. B and Lodge, D. 1993, page. 127). This quote suggests that individuals that are more motivated, will work more productively in order to achieve their goals.
The Oxford dictionary defines 'happy' as willing to do to something and showing pleasure and contentment. 'Productive' is defined as achieving or producing a significant amount or result. Therefore, an individual who enjoys his or her work and is motivated will achieve more and have a far greater result than someone who is unhappy and uninspired.
"Though it is naïve to think that happy workers are invariably productive workers, much research collected from a variety of occupations suggests that a workers satisfaction does influence his job behaviour." (Gilbert, A et al. 1976, page. 323)
This was found from a journal and suggests that if workers are consistently happy in their job, this will have an influence on their job and therefore be more productive.
Lastly, another theory related to motivation at work is by Vroom. This was the expectancy theory and is based on the assumption that people are influenced by their behaviour. For example, an individual who considers being more productive will increase their chances of promotion, will work harder and be motivated by the chance of being promoted. There are three variables in his theory, these include valence, instrumentality and expectancy. Valence is a person's favourite for a particular outcome for example, high productivity. This outcome will help the individual achieve other outcomes such as promotion or an increase in salary. The second way to achieve these outcomes is known as instrumentality. Expectancy is referred to the strength of the individual's belief that certain things will lead to a particular result. Porter and Lawler developed his theory and they indicated that an increased effort does not necessarily lead to higher productivity. There are other variables to also consider such as, the amount of effort put in by people, person's satisfaction with the job, and particular skills which affect how well they will do the job. To summarise, the expectancy theory assumes that individuals choose the best possible way that will have a strong chance of achieving their outcome.
Nonetheless, motivational theories still have their flaws. An organisation cannot generalise about what motivates individuals. Employees are likely to have different priorities and different times and in different circumstances. Also, employees that are interested in increased wages are not likely to show much interest in job satisfaction and may be less productive. However, there are other factors that motivate an individual to be more productive other than being happy. These include, financial rewards such as an increase in wages and job promotion. Also, acknowledgement and recognition for effort, praise and benefits. These are extrinsic rewards as they are valued outcomes given to someone by another person. Intrinsic rewards are based on human needs such as, Maslow's theory. A person's motivation and job satisfaction will be determined by the strength of their needs and expectations and to what extent to which they are fulfilled.
"It is argued that well motivated employees will be productive." (Hall, D et al. 2004)
This quote suggests that individuals at work who are highly motivated will be more productive in their job. This can be from the worker being happy, or other factors that are intrinsic or extrinsic. In conclusion, motivation theories have made a significant contribution to understanding behaviour at work. There is economic motivation, which is being motivated financially. There is also content theories of motivation, which is what motivates behaviour in the organisation. Lastly, there are process theories, which is how the organisation/manager motivate an individual at work. There are a whole range of theories and beliefs on what motivates people in organisations. There is no consensus about motivation, and therefore it is difficult to indicate whether a happy worker is a productive worker. Workers are motivated by various things, however some theorists believe that being happy at work will help be more productive.
Bibliography
Books
Armstrong, P and Dawson, C. (1996) People in Organisations. Huntingdon: ELM Publications.
Cushway, B and Lodge, D. (1993) Organisational Behaviour and Design. London: Kogan Page Limited.
Hall, D et al. (2004) Business Studies 3rd edition. Causeway Press Ltd.
Journals
Blumberg, M and Pringles, C. (1982) Some Implications for a Theory of Work Performance. The Academy of Management Review, 7 (4): pp. 560-569.
Gilbert, A et al. (1976) Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction in the Salesforce. Journal of Marketing Research, 13 (4): pp. 323-332.
