Motivating

• Productivity has always been a serious concern of the management of firms. If it improves, it means greater chances for the company to grow and be more stable. One reason why the Philippine economy cannot move steadily forward is our record of low productivity for so many years.
• What is Motivation?

  Motivation refers to the act of “giving employees reasons or incentives ...to work to achieve organizational objectives.” Motivation, on the other hand, refers to the “process of activating behavior, sustaining it, and directing it towards a particular goal.”
• Factors Contributing to Motivation

  There are certain factors influencing a person’s desire to do his job well. They are the following:

  (1) Willingness to do a job

  (2) Self-confidence in carrying out a task

  (3) Needs satisfaction
• Willingness to do a job. People who like what they are doing are highly motivated to produce the expected output.
• Self-confidence in carrying out a task. When the employees feel that they have the required skill and training to perform a task, the more motivated they are.
• Needs satisfaction. People will do their jobs well if they feel that by doing so, their needs will be satisfied.
• Theories of Motivation

  There are various theories motivation, but only the four are most influential ones will be discussed. They consist of the following.

  (1) Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory

  (2) Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

  (3) Expectancy Theory

  (4) Goal Setting Theory
• Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory

  Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, theorized that human beings have five basic needs which are as follows: physiological, security, social, esteem, self-actualization.
• Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

  The two-factor theory is one developed by Frederick Herzberg indicating that a satisfied employee is motivated from within to work harder and that a dissatisfied employee is not self-motivated.
• Expectancy Theory

  Expectancy Theory is a motivational model based on the assumption that an individual will work depending to his perception of probability of his expectation to happen.
• Goal Setting Theory

  Goal setting refers to the process of “improving performance with objectives, deadlines or quality standard.”
• TECHNIQUES OF MOTIVATION

  Individual or group of individuals may be motivated to perform through the use of various techniques. These techniques may be classified as follows:

  (1) Motivation through job design

  (2) Motivation through rewards

  (3) Motivation through employees participation

  (4) Other motivation techniques for the diverse work force
• Motivation Through Job Design

  A person will be highly motivated to perform if he is assigned a job he likes. The first requisite, however, is to design jobs that will meet the requirements of the organization and the persons who will occupy them.
• Motivating Through Rewards

  Rewards consist of material and psychological benefits to employees for performing tasks in the workplace. Properly administered reward systems can improve job performance and satisfaction.
• Motivation Through Employee Participation

  When employees participate in deciding various aspects of their job, personal involvement, oftentimes, is carried up to the point where the task is completed.
• Other Motivation Techniques

  The advent of theories on individual differences and the biological clock of human beings put pressure on the engineer manager to adapt other motivation techniques whenever applicable. These refer to the following:

  (a) Flexible Work Schedules

  (b) Family Support Services

  (c) Sabbaticals
• Flexible Work Schedules. There is an arrangement called flexi time, which allows employees to determine their own arrival and departure times within specified limits. For example, engineering firm may allow one group of employees to take the 8:00AM to 5:00Pm schedule, another groups takes the 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM schedule, and another takes the 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM schedule.
• Family Support Services. Employees are oftentimes burdened by family obligations like caring for children. Progressive companies provide day care facilities for children of employees. A multinational company in far flung Davao province has opened an elementary and high school within the plantation site.
• Sabbaticals. A sabbatical leave is one given to an employee after a certain number of years of service. The employee is allowed to go on leave for two months to one year with pay to give him time for family, recreations, and travel. It is expected that when the employee returns for work, his motivation is improved.