The perception some years ago is that the job of employees is just to do as their manager directed and therefore, they have no strong impact on the efficiency, productivity and overall performance of the organisation. However the view on using the workforce as a tool in enhancing the performance of an organisation is a bit new.
The impact of the workforce in organizational performance has moved away from the questionable intension of being just an economic man to a more complex man and this makes it difficult to use money alone to motivate workers to perform at their highest level. This optimization of the workforce, encouraging them to go that extra mile thereby making an organisation to perform at a higher level is what motivation is.
Motivation is a word which its nature is very difficult to define though it’s very much easy to feel and understand. It leaves in human minds. A motivating factor to Mr. A. may be a demotivating factor to Mr. B. Today’s research has shifted from economic man who was basically interested only on those needs that can be motivated using the monetary factors that go along with the job to job satisfaction as an important agent in optimizing the workforce of an organisation. Job satisfaction adopts a different application, meaning and understanding from the economic man. This type of employee doesn’t just need a job that will give him money but he want to be satisfied with his job. The work environment today is characterized by the work culture and the sense of belonging which the workers have towards their organisation.
In some big corporations like Google, employees are motivated in different ways and methods. These organizations are high performing organizations, and it can be said that their high performance is as a result of the high performance of the employees who are being motivated to put in their very best into their work. Also there are organizations where there are no real motivating factors open to the employees except from just the pay which as we know does not motivate every person, and these organizations tend to perform poorly. In this research I will try to link motivation of the employees with the performance of the organisation.
Research objectives
The aim of this research is to analyze the effect of motivation in a critical evaluation of the role it plays in the performance of n organisation. I will achieve this by making a case study of two big organizations; Next Retail and Pennis.
The objectives of my research are:
*To analyze the link between motivation and performance in organizations
*To analyze the theories and models propounded for motivating organisation’s employees
* To develop an appropriate strategy for motivating employers in an organisation
Method
The methodology of my research will be based on the objectives of the research. Firstly, I will conduct a thorough and comprehensive review of the available literatures on the effect of motivation in the performance of an organisation. And specifically I will lay emphasis on human resources, performance and motivation.
Secondly, I will carry out some primary research on three organizations whose a formal approval has been sort for and gotten. The basis of the primary research will be to determine the extent to which employees feel motivated to work beyond their expectation and how this translates to the performance of the organisation in general. The chosen organizations include a high performing organization, an intermediate performing organisation and a low performing organization. This is to make it possible for motivation factors as applied in the individual organizations to be linked to their performance as an organisation.
A questioner will be drafted and giving to the employees of these organizations with questions relating among other things to what keeps them motivated, what their level of performance is when they are motivated and how the organisation in general is performing.
Also I will be making use of secondary data collection through the use of research resources such as journal articles, textbooks and publications, newspapers, electronic media, electronic libraries, and the internet.
Timescale
March – April 2011: I will review the relevant literatures within this period
April – May 2011: I will use this period to get the review drafted and the research method literature will also be reviewed and the strategy agreed on.
May – June 2011: I will visit all the relevant secondary data sources and all the relevant data will be gathered, processed and analyzed.
June – July 2011: I will use this period to reach out to the employers of the three organizations from which I will collect primary data to explain to them what the questioner is all about and assuring them that their personal details will not be compromised in any form.
July – August 2011: the questioner will be drafted and arranged in order.
August – September 2011: the questioner will be distributed to the employees of the organizations involved.
September – October 2011: I will use this time to go around and collect back the questioners from the employees, after which I will process and analyze the data.
October – November 2011: I will use this period to complete the preliminary project paper.
November – December 2011: the final research paper will be completed.
Resources
The research will be partially funded by one of the three organizations. They will provide me with all the necessary software that I will need. Also they promised to provide me with some money to enable me to buy all other materials like paper and ink which I will use in drafting and printing of the questioners.
On my own I have a laptop with 24 hours access to the internet. This will enable me to research and collect all the secondary data online. It will also enable me to make the necessary communications as at when required. And I will pay for all the transport costs from my savings.
References
Huselid, M.A. and Becker, B.E. (1996), "Methodological issues in cross-sectional and panel estimates of the human resource-firm performance link", Industrial Relations, Vol. 35, pp. 400-22
Laming, D. (2004) Understanding Human Motivation, Bodmin: Blackwell
Steers, R.M., Porter, L.W.and Bigley, G.A. (1996) Motivation and Leadership at work, 6th edition, London: McGRAW-HILL
