Drawing upon your knowledge of process theories of work motivation, critically explore their contribution to improving performance and job satisfaction; examine the implication for job design and management with contemporary society.

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

Introduction

In contemporary society, increasingly managers become concerned about the importance of the work motivation in influencing employee work. Researchers found that work motivation theory could improve job satisfaction and the quality of job performance. Work motivation is a type of motivation. Pinder(1998, page23) consider that “Work motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate work-related behavior and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration.” In this essay, work motivation is a process used to encourage and inspire workers to perform their jobs thoroughly and well. There are various and competing theories that attempt to explain the motivation.

Generally, the theories of motivation are divided into contrasting theories that are content theories and process theories (Mullins, 2007). Opposite to the emphasis of content theory on motivators in individual work, the process theory is an emphasis on the actual process in determining the level of motivation (Mullins, 2007). Furthermore, Mullins (2007) suggest that the process theories include four topic theories that expectancy theory, equity theory, goal-setting theory and attribution theory. Besides, many researchers consider that the process theory of work motivation could improve the performance, job satisfaction and the strategy decision for manager (Meyer, Ashleigh, 2007). It is significant to clarify the relationship. Thus, in this essay, we will focus on the four topic process theories of work motivation to critically explore their contribution to improving performance and job satisfaction. In addition, we will examine the implication for job design and management with contemporary society.

Main body

The contribution of Expectancy theory to job performance and satisfaction

The expectancy theory could predict job performance and satisfaction. According to Mullins (2007:pg265), “ The underlying basis of expectancy theory is that people are influenced by the expected results of their action.” It means that expectancy theory could explain how individuals make decision regarding various behavioural alternatives. The three topic writers who are Vroom, Porter and Lawler could represent the expectancy theory (Mullins, 2007). In the 1960s, Victor H.Vroom proposed an expectancy theory that is based on expectancy theory model initially (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007). Porter and Lawler developed and revised Vroom ‘s expectancy theory (Mullins, 2007). The expectancy theory model includes three factors that are expectancy, instrumentality and valence, which “focus on three parts of the motivation equation: inputs, performance and outcome” (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007:pg 427). From the motivation equation, we could explore that there is a positive correlation between efforts and performance, favourable performance are result in desirable reward; the outcomes will satisfy the employee’s need, the desirable reward will encourage employee make worthwhile effort. It means that job performance could be predicted by expectancy theory to some extent. In other words, managers could improve the outcome to satisfy the employee ‘s job satisfaction to improve the job performance through expectancy.

However, Lamber (1991)found that expectations were less important than values and peculiarly context-free (Rosenfeld and Wilson, 1999). Thus, in the practical process, the expectancy theory should be used depending on the situation to improve performance and job satisfaction.

The contribution of equity theory to job performance and satisfaction

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The contribution of equity theory to job performance and satisfaction

The equity theory explains a potentially mental factor that might affect the job performance and satisfaction. According to Pritchard (1969), equity theory describe the relationship between employees perception of how fairly input and the output. Adams is the representative person of equity theory, who is famous on Adam’s equity theory model that the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs (Rosenfeld and Wilson, 1999). We could explore that employees strive to achieve equity between themselves and their colleagues. When the equity is achieved, employees will improve and maintain their job performance. In contrast, when the perception is inequity, employees might change their job performance looks like changing employment and changing the inputs and outputs. Managers could control the employee’s job performance and satisfaction through equity theory effectively. However, if equity theory is used not appropriately, the employee’s job performance and satisfaction will reduced significantly. Because the range of inequities behaviour is so wide that the employee’s physical and mental perception is hard to be controlled (Rosenfeld and Wilson, 1999).

The contribution of goal-setting theory to job performance and satisfaction

The goal-setting theory can improve the level of job performance and satisfaction in right direction. “Goal-setting theory –setting theory focuses on motivating workers to contribute their inputs to their jobs and organisations (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007,pg438),” which is similar to the expectancy and equity theory. However, it focuses on the employee’s inputs in the direction of job performance and achievement of organization goals (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007). The representative person of goal-setting theory is Edwin A. Locke whose research showed that there was a relationship between how difficult and specific a goal was and people’s performance of a task (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007). In his research, we could find that the goals are specific and difficult not easy and vague. When the goals are specific and difficult, the value of work is improved and motivates employee’s emotion and desires to contribute more inputs in job performance. Furthermore, specific and difficult goal could help people contribute their inputs in the right direction (Meyer and Ashleigh, 2007). In addition, when employee achieves the goal completely, it might improve the job satisfaction significantly as well.

However, under the certain conditions, Meyer and Ashleigh (2007) suggest that goal-setting theory may impair the performance. For example, if the task is very challenging which need more knowledge, the task might impair the employee’s learning. Or if the specific and difficult goal is unchangeable, the effect of goal-setting theory is weak. Specific and difficult goal should uncertain and creative.

The contribution of attribution theory to job performance and satisfaction

Employee believes that the attribution theory could influence the level of performance. The attribution theory is probably the most influential contemporary with implication for academic motivation. Heider and Kelly are the representative persons of this theory (Mullins, 2007). Attribution theories explain the causes of successes or failure from three sets of characteristics that are internal and external, stable or unstable and controllable or uncontrollable (Weiner, 2007). From the attribution theory, we could explore that employee prefer to perceive the cause of high level performance is internal factors which are ability or effort to the external factors which are luck and the nature of task. Employee with internal control orientation prefers to participate the management work than employee with external control orientation. However, when the employee perceives the cause of the high level performance to be internal factor, the lack of outcome might reduce his future effort and performance (Mullins, 2007).

The implication of process theory of work motivation for job design and management

According to Gallagher and Einhorn(1976), job design is work arrangement aimed at reducing or overcome job dissatisfaction and employee alienation arising from repetitive and mechanistic tasks. There is a not simple relationship between job design and the process theory of work motivation.

Firstly, process theory of work motivation is a prerequisite for successful job design and management. Gallagher and Einhorn(1976) confirm that the aim of changing the job design is to potentially affect employee motivation to produce better employee performance. The process theory includes expectancy theory, equity theory, goal-setting theory and attribution theory. This theory is a prerequisite for producing high quality job performance. Thus, the process theory of motivation become is a prerequisite for successful job design .

Secondly, the job design and management ‘s goals can be classified and achieved by following the process theory of work motivation, especially, goal-setting theory. According to Heslin, Carson and Vandewalle(2009), goal-setting theory could classify the goal of every step of guideline of design the job and management of job and help the work achieved effectively. Thus, process theory could help manager to organize a good and effective job design and management with clear objective.

Finally, process theory could help the goal of job design and management to be achieved under high quality performance and job satisfaction. According to Gallagher and Einhorn(1976), expectancy theory and equity theory could hep the job design and management to satisfy the physical and mental requirements of employees. Thus, the goal of job design and management could be achieved under high level of job performance and satisfaction by follow the process theory.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through drawing up the knowledge of four main theories in process theory, we can explore many contributions to improving performance and job satisfaction. The expectancy theory could predict job performance and satisfaction. The equity theory explains a potentially mental factor that might affect the job performance and satisfaction significantly. The goal-setting theory can improve the level of job performance and satisfaction in right direction. The attribution theory could influence the level of performance. Although there are a lot of contributions to improving performance and job satisfaction, the limitations should be concerned about. If the process theory is used not appropriately, it will impair the job performance and satisfaction. Related to the implication of process theory of work motivation for job design and management, we can find that process theory of work motivation is a prerequisite for successful job design and management. Furthermore, the job design and management ‘s goals can be classified and achieved by following the process theory of work motivation. Finally, process theory could help the goal of job design and management to be achieved under high quality performance and job satisfaction. With the development of society, some new theory will join the process theory of work motivation, which could improve the level of job performance and satisfaction in further, which could beneficial to job design and management as well.

Total words: 1495

Reference

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