Bachelor Thesis on Effective Leadership to Motivate Employees in an Organization (Thesis Sample)

BACHELOR THESIS ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES IN AN ORGANIZATION
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Contents
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Abstract  PAGEREF _Toc445225382 \h
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Effective Leadership to Motivate Employees in an Organization  PAGEREF _Toc445225383 \h
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc445225384 \h
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Relevance  PAGEREF _Toc445225385 \h
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Problem Statement  PAGEREF _Toc445225386 \h
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Limitations of the Study  PAGEREF _Toc445225387 \h
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Definition of Terms  PAGEREF _Toc445225388 \h
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Methods and Structure  PAGEREF _Toc445225389 \h
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Methodology  PAGEREF _Toc445225390 \h
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Purpose of the Research  PAGEREF _Toc445225391 \h
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Research Approach  PAGEREF _Toc445225392 \h
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Data Collection  PAGEREF _Toc445225393 \h
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Analysis of the Results  PAGEREF _Toc445225394 \h
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Validity of the Inferences  PAGEREF _Toc445225395 \h
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Theories of Motivation  PAGEREF _Toc445225396 \h
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Self- Determination Theory (SDT)  PAGEREF _Toc445225397 \h
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Intrinsic Motivation  PAGEREF _Toc445225398 \h
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Extrinsic Motivation  PAGEREF _Toc445225399 \h
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Herzberg Two-Factor Theory  PAGEREF _Toc445225400 \h
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Leadership Theories  PAGEREF _Toc445225401 \h
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Situational Theories  PAGEREF _Toc445225402 \h
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Behavioral Theories  PAGEREF _Toc445225403 \h
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Analysis of Questionnaire  PAGEREF _Toc445225404 \h
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Link between Leadership and Motivation  PAGEREF _Toc445225405 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc445225406 \h
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Abstract
The society continues to experience a lot of changes both in the operations of the business and management. This has led to transformation in the interaction of the employees and the leaders. The concept of motivation has arisen as the contribution of the workers to the progress of the business continues to change. Theoretical approaches have been formulated focusing on the use of employee motivation as a determinant of the level and quality of production. As such, the idea of motivation seems to be intertwined with that of leadership in a business setting. It can be seen that motivation is what drives the workers to achieve the targets set as an intrinsic factor. This is a general feeling that one gets when they decide to set off to work every morning. It has been revealed to have an impact on job satisfaction and the productivity levels. Leadership, on the other hand, entails the proper management of resources including the workers to ensure that the objectives of the business are met. Indeed, leadership has an influence in the level of motivation of the employees. A positive link between leadership and motivation has been shown to lead to increased productivity and better achievement of the set targets. In this thesis, the relationship between leadership and motivation will be explored to understand the key concepts that link the two. Also, the contribution of various theoretical models of leadership and motivation will be investigated to explain how the relationship can be enhanced. For the purpose of the thesis, Deci’s model of self-determination and the two-factor models of motivation will be used to understand the impact of motivation to the employees. Also, in order to relate motivation and leadership behavioral and situational concepts of leadership will be used.
Effective Leadership to Motivate Employees in an Organization
Introduction
The need for good leadership continues to increase calling for better ways of handling the employees as they are at the centre of production. The financial crisis that has been experienced in the business world due to reduced productivity and increased unemployment requires better strategies for it to be alleviated. The situational crisis has led to invention of different strategies to deal with the conflicts. It is to this regard that the concepts of motivation and leadership become relevant to the business world today. Most companies and organizations are looking for better ways of dealing with the workers to improve their motivation and commitment to work. This is not an easy thing and requires expertise on the part of the leaders for it to be effective. The issue with employee’s contribution in the business world has been neglected for a long time.
Most of the original theorists only focused on the levels of production disregarding the employees that did it. To illustrate this, most of the workers experience harsh conditions at work expressing the poor attitudes that the leaders harbored towards them. It is during this period that employees had to work for longer hours, in poor conditions and still get the lowest wages. It was a time when the measure of one’s work gained the recognition and nothing beyond that. This was the era of conservative theories that were focused on the output rather than the input to describe progress and leadership in the business.
Currently, though, the issue has changed with most of the organization involving the employees in most of the leadership position. The role of the employee is now recognized and appreciated. The businesses have realized the importance of motivating the employees not only as a way of appreciating them but also to assure the retention of employees. The rate of employee retention has been a growing issue for many organizations as the level of job satisfaction has been decreasing with each day. According to recent studies, some of the companies could not even retain employees for a period of two years. This has adverse effects on the company as the time between recruitment and hiring takes lot of time. This period leads to decrease in the level of productivity as the new recruits have to be inducted in the job. These costs can be avoided if the company adapts better ways of motivating the employees and ensuring job satisfaction for the employees. The first study that was undertaken to establish the relationship of employee motivation and leadership in 1986 revealed a lot of important insights.
The study showed that about eighty-six percent of the companies had a lot of challenges in attracting new employees while fifty-eight percent expressed concerns in retaining current employees. The relevance of this study can be traced to the existing conditions in the market as more business is indicating challenges in getting new employees and retaining the existing ones. Other studies have revealed that when a company loses ten employees, it runs the risk of losing about one million dollars in profits.
Relevance
The discussion reveals the major aspects that can be coined together to bring about change in the business environment; leadership and motivation. The motivation of employees will lead to achievement of the personal goals of the employees which will translate to meeting h set organizational goals. Job satisfaction is one of the ways in which employees’ motivation can be assessed. The employees are believed to be more satisfied with jobs that take into consideration their hard input through motivation programs and policies. In a research by the Society for Human Resources Management, it was established that about 83% of the employees had the likelihood of retaining their current position due to the increased motivation and job satisfaction they experienced. The study concluded that the contribution of the leaders was paramount to the continued job satisfaction of the employees only though increased motivation. These are nonfinancial methods of improving the business productivity as the only thing required is cooperation between the management and the employees. The research presented will show the various theoretical models that have been proposed for employee motivation looking at the details to establish the bets methods that the leaders can use to incorporate them in the daily business operation. Additionally, some of the leadership methods that have been proposed to assist in the incorporation of motivation of the employees.
Problem Statement
Motivation should not be used as tool to manipulate or control employees as this does not work in the long run. Almost a decade ago, studies revealed that different factors had varying abilities of improving employee motivation. The factors keep changing with time as the influence of the environment has an impact on the motivation of the employees. Although the concept of motivation has been studied for centuries, it remains at the heart of most discussions as researchers aim to establish a lasting solution for the businesses. Every organization has some key qualities that determine the productivity of employees. Indeed, this forms the basis of recruiting as one has to mark the required talent and identify it in the candidates presented. After the hiring process, the employee becomes part of the organization, contributing in one way or the other to the profitability of the profitability of the company. The level of satisfaction of the employees will determine the time the employ...