The Role of Employee Motivation in Modern Management (Essay Sample)

Running Head: EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: ROLE IN MODERN MANAGEMENT
The Role of Employee Motivation in Modern Management
Name
Institution Introduction
The role of employee motivation in the success of the modern business can easily be gauged through the performance of the business in comparison to other businesses. The level of motivation in an organization is often reflected in the level of hard work, commitment and efficiency of the individual employee and the entire workforce in performing specific tasks. This paper will highlight how employee motivation directly or indirectly affects modern management in organizations.
Frey and Osterloh (2002) define motivation as any work or action that a manager undertakes, and which result in his or her subordinate being inspired, motivated and encouraged. An employee can be motivated through either extrinsic or intrinsic ways (Hafiza, Shah, Jamsheed, & Zaman, 2011).Extrinsic motivation is where the employee is motivated through external factors such as promotion on the job, rewards and gifts, and salary increment. Intrinsic motivation however is linked to an employee's own need to succeed in the tasks that they undertake (Hafiza et al., 2011). Dobre (2013) of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies points out how the various theories on motivation, including Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, Douglas McGregor's Theory X/Theory Y, and Fredrick Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene all link employee motivation to efficiency and improved performance. The aforementioned theories point out how the work environment, and how employee and management attitudes towards each other yields positive or negative results thus influencing the extent to which organizational goals and objectives are achieved.
In modern management, employee motivation is vital in the attainment of an organization’s goals and objectives. Chopra (2002) observes that motivated employees are more likely to carry out tasks with minimum supervision. As a result, a warm, productive relationship is established between employees given that motivated employees form an empowered team; and between employees and the management, resulting in the attainment of the organizational goals and objectives. Motivated employees, whether through extrinsic or intrinsic means, tend to perfect their work and remain focused as they raise the level of their performance so as to not only please the management but also to surpass the individual goals that employees set for themselves (Hafiza et al., 2011).While working to achieve personal goals, the motivated employee and the dynamic team as a whole, will similarly be working to achieve the goals of the firm.
Motivated employees prioritize self-development and often improve their skills thus benefits accruing to an individual motivated employee benefit the entire organization. Furthermore, a motivated workforce is less likely to engage in industrial action, violence or other forms of indiscipline. An individual employee would ultimately gain by working with a motivated, dynamic team thus resulting in the formation of a stable workforce. Andrew and Kent (2007) associate a stable workforce with job satisfaction. Considering the modern stiff competition among firms across the globe, it is impossible to overlook the essence of job satisfaction and stability of the workforce, two factors that are crucial to the organization in terms of reputation and goodwill. An employee will remain loyal to the firm or organization if they feel valued and if they feel that they have a participatory role in the management (Andrew & Kent, 2007). Given a motivated employee's performance and efficiency, the enterprise is more likely to have a good public image.
Conclusion
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