A significant development in motivation was distinction between motivational and maintenance factors in job situation. A research was conducted by Frederick Herzberg and his associates based on the interview of 200 engineers and accountants who worked for eleven different firms in Pittsburgh area. These men were asked to recall specific incidents in their experience, which made them, feel either particularly good or particularly bad about jobs. The findings of the research were that good feelings in the group under test were keyed to the specific tasks that the men performed rather than to background factors such as money, security or working conditions and when they felt bad, it was because of some disturbance on these background factors which had caused them to believe that they were being treated unfairly. This led to draw a distinction between what are called as ‘motivators’ and ‘hygiene factors’. To this group of engineers and Continue reading
Management Theories
Employee Empowerment – Meaning and Its Effectiveness
In such a competitive environment, the organizations have to continuously provide quality products, better services and need to bring innovation to stay in the business and generate profits. To conduct such activities, efficient and empowered employees are essential. In the past, the authority was not delegated to the employees and it centered on the managers who were responsible for making all the decisions in the interest of the organizations. This had limited the creativity to show up since the employees were not able to express or share their ideas. Empowerment in the recent years has been considered as the most important factor that contributes to the success of the organization. The creative energy and potentials of employees benefits the shareholders, suppliers and customers as well. Empowerment means delegation of decision making authority when there is a need to take action which is important for both the managers and employees. Following Continue reading
Classical Theories of Organization
Classical theories of organization are based on traditional thinking. These theories were first propounded in the beginning of 19th century and incorporated original and initial ideas of management. The classical theories of organization were devoted mainly to the superior’s authority, objectives, rules and economic activities. The classical organization theories are broadly divided into Bureaucracy, Scientific management and Process management. 1. Bureaucracy The bureaucratic model developed because some people wanted to dominate others in business and other activities. They organized men and materials for achieving objectives for their personal benefits. This theory was given a formal shape by a German Sociologist, Max Weber, who believed that bureaucracy was an ideal weapon to harness human and physical resources. It is a formative model of organization characterized by a large and complex atmosphere with impersonal detachment from human resources. Rules, regulations, rigid hierarchy and specialized functions Continue reading
Theories of Motivation: McClelland’s Three Need Model
Each person tends to develop certain motivational drives as a result of his cognitive pattern and the environment in which he lives. David McClelland gave a model of motivation, which is based on three types of needs, namely, achievement, power and affiliation. They are stated below: Need for achievement (n-Ach): a drive to excel, advance and grow; Need for power (n-Pow): a drive to influence others and situations; and Need for affiliation (n-Aff): a drive for friendly and close interpersonal relationships. Achievement motivation: some people have a compelling drive to succeed and they strive for personal achievement rather than the rewards of success that accompany it. They have a desire to do something better or more efficiently than it has been done before. This drive is the achievement need. From researches into the area of achievement need, McClelland found that high achievers differentiate themselves from others by their desire to Continue reading
Managing Planned Organizational Change Process
A planned change is a change planned by the organization; it does not happen by itself. It is affected by the organization with the purpose of achieving something that might otherwise by unattainable or attainable with great difficulty. Through planned change, an organization can achieve its goals rapidly. The basic reasons for planned change are: To improve the means for satisfying economic needs of members To increase profitability To promote human work for human beings To contribute to individual satisfaction and social well being The planned organizational change process may comprise, basically the three following steps: Planning for change Assessing change forces Implementing the change 1. Planning for Change The first step in the process of change is to identify the need for change and the area of changes as to whether it is a strategic change, process oriented change or employee oriented change. This need for change can be Continue reading
Organizational Goals – Meaning and Definition
Organizational goals can be defined as broad statements of what the organization wants to achieve in the long run, or on a permanent basis. Goals are broad objectives. Goals are fairly timeless statements. Goals and objectives are properly defined. If they are vague or ill-defined, it may not be possible to measure the performance of the organization. The clarity of goals and objectives is quite often more evident to the initial employers and promoters of institutions. With expansion of activities and joining of new member, goals and objectives as perceived by participants tend to get diffused. Different key managers may have different perceptions about goals and objectives. It is because of this that organizations insist on proper induction of new entrants to the philosophy of the organization. External pressures, sometimes political in nature, may force an enterprise to alter its goals and objectives, particularly in the case of public institutions, Continue reading