Pat River Case

Framework: Different motives operate in different people at different times at different situations and lead to different impact, usually giving an impetus to react in a different manner. The case “what do they want?” mainly revolves around motivation which refers to the way in which drives ,desires ,aspiration or needs influence the choice of alternative in the behavior of human beings (by Dalton E.Mac Farland). Different theories of motivation are content theories, process theories, contemporary theory .Content theories help us to identify the motivator i.e. needs and drives and how they are prioritized .On the other hand process theory help us to understand how people behave as they do and this theory focuses on how behavior originates and operates. Contemporary theory of work motivation as given by J.Stacy Adams (equity theory) focuses on individual feelings or perception of how they are being treated as compared to others and these feelings serves as a powerful stimulation to increase or decrease their efforts.

Q: Explain the “motivation problem” in this organization in terms of the content models of Maslow, Alderfer, and Herzberg. What are the “other things” that the human resource manager is referring to in speaking of things besides money, conditions, and fringe benefits that are needed to motivate employees?

Ans1) Taking Maslow’s model into consideration, in this case workers lower order needs are met but their higher order needs are not identified .They are given all the perks and fringe benefits which satisfy their lower order needs and thus don’t become any source of motivation . The company lacks in identifying the needs like acceptance by the employer, prestige and recognition. By identifying these needs the manager can be able to engross a desire in the employees which would definitely motivate them. According to Alderfer’s model the growth needs of the employees are not identified .If these needs are identified and manipulated correctly the employees could be made to work for the betterment of the company.

According to Herzberg’s model the company is not providing motivators to the employees, as a result of that the employees are feeling no satisfaction in the work and their performance level has receded.

Human resource manager is referring to higher order needs (according to Maslow’s model), growth needs (according to Alderfer’s model) and motivators (according to Herzberg model).All these include prestige, recognition for achievement, respect, acceptance, incentive plans etc. in the organization.

Q: Explain the motivation of the employees in this company in terms of one or more of the process models. On the basis of the responses during the confidential interviews, what would you guess are some of the expectancies, valences, and inequities of the employees in this company?

Ans2) Taking vroom expectancy theory into consideration, an individual puts effort that results in performance, if the performance yields no rewards that individual will get demotivated. Similarly according to equity theory employees monitor continuously the degree of equity or in equity that exists comparing their input and output with each other .When these employees see that their more input results in no different output they get motiveless. Now, if an individual works very hard and shows good performance, and still gets the same rewards as income and recognition his morale will definitely recede which will definitely effect in his output.