Francesca
(835289)
Poloni
HRM individual assignment
[EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION – A
NEW POWERFUL MODEL]
1.Introduction and summary of the article
2. Key points of the article
3. HRM approach to employee motivation
4. Conclusions
5. References
1.
In this work i will try to explain employee’s motivation using an article that describes
a new powerful model, but also by referring to a few historical theories. Moreover I
will consider the role of HRM in motivating employees.
Nowadays one of the main problems faced by managers is how to motivate
employees in the best way.
When talking about employees’ motivation, we commonly refer to the three theories:
1- Need theory (Herzberg - Two-factors theory): employee satisfaction is based on
two sets of factors: motivators, which lead to increased job satisfaction, and
hygiene factors, the absence of which create job dissatisfaction;
2- Job characteristic for motivation:
significance,autonomy and feedback;
skill
variety,task
identity,task
3- Goal setting theory
However a recent Harvard Business Review entitled “Employee Motivation: A
Powerful New Model”(July-August 2008), written by Nitin Nohria, Boris Groysberg
and Linda Eling-Lee sets out a new model, built on research in biology and
psychology.
The model is based on analysis of data taken from a large number of different type
of employees across many organisations.
2.
The key point of the article starts with the explanation that people’s choices are
guided by four basic human drives.
These are the drives to :




Acquire: rewards and experiences
Bond: building a sense of belonging
Comprehend: work must be meaningful
Defend: protect what is important and fairness
But how to fulfill the drives that motivate employee?
The new model suggests that to fulfill
organizational levers.
DRIVE
 Acquire
 Bond
 Comprehend
 Defend
the four drives might be used some
PRIMARY LEVEL
ACTIONS
performance
to
rewards,
distinguishing
between good and
poor performers, and
providing the best
people with room for
advancement.
creating a culture that
culture
promotes teamwork,
values, collaboration
and
practices
openness and sharing
of best practices.
designing jobs that
job design
are
meaningful,
interesting
and
challenging.
helping
people
performance
understand
the
management and
resource allocation reasons for decisions,
rather than thinking
they are arbitrary and
capricious, creating
transparent policies
that foster trust and
recognize excellence.
reward system
Why is useful to applicate this “ new powerful model” ?
Satisfying those drives is the key to improve employee performance for a company
and its managers. This concept is underlined by the following words:
“A company can best improve overall motivational scores by satisfying all four
drives in concert. The whole is more than the sum of its parts”.
This is a big strade to make a better motivation.
Looking at the practical level, to reject this new powerful model means achieving
poor results. An example is given by:
Home Depot, which for years has been at the helm of Bob Nardelli who has created a
hostile environment. Eliminating the drive to defend made employees less motivated
and recognized. he squelched the spirit of camaraderie among employees (drive to
bond) and their dedication to technical expertise (a manifestation of the need
to comprehend and do meaningful work). The result was that after he left the
company the value of the action was not improved and the workplace worsened.
The secret to “catapulte” your company into a leading position in terms of
employee motivation is to improve its effectiveness in fulfilling all four basic
emotional drives, not just one.
 Lowe for example, a direct competitor of Home depot, gained ground by
taking a holistic approach to satisfying employees’ emotional needs through its
reward system, culture,management systems, and design of jobs.
The -LOWE management approach- is far more effective than the HOME DEPOT
,because it takes into account that person need to form connections with others, grow,
learn from that job and be in a positive enviroment in order to increase motivation.
Another aspect that is analyze and describe in the article is the role of the direct
manager. This figure try to increase motivation among employees in different ways:
 creating a positive workplace
 feeling them recognized and appreciated
 allowing them to express themselves
 motivating them to be great themselves
3.
In the article “Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model” are largely described
two main figures: employee and direct manager. In my opinion a figure that is not
considered in the article about employee motivation,but it is relevant to analyze the
argument is human resource management.
Which is the main roles of human resource management to motivate people?
 be active;
 show clearly its tools,objectives and framework coming from the top to
employees and managers;
 be strategic responsible for the people management;
 select suitable people in the organization;
 provide employee motivation not about salaries, but about the approach
toward them;
 demonstrate the ability to solve employee’s needs and problems when they
appear;
Considering the previous assumptions we could say that both direct managers and
human resources have a fundamental role in motivating employees.
HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
DIRECT
MANAGER
EMPLOYEE'S
MOTIVATION
4.
This report gave us the possibility to get a deeper insight about the main
characteristics and purposes of motivating employee.
Nowadays the economy is down because of the crisis started in 2008. Therefore it is
really important to have a motivated workforce.
Motivated employees means more productivity, and more productivity means more
profit. Infact motivated people are more productive, more innovative, reactive to
change and become an important asset for the ongoing process of the company.
Many times we think that the best way to motivate employees is to use financial
rewards. But it is a mistake. In fact the article emphasizes not just finalncial rewards
for motivation, but it shows that it is crucial for motivated people the presence of a
direct manager and human resource able to lead their work proactively.
In conclusion, we can say that the numerous theories of motivation as well as the new
model presented by the article shall be considered just as the guidelines for
motivating employees. In fact I believe that to encourage employees towards the best
possible performance, it is necessary to have a great deal of communication,
delegation of authority ,and participation in the decision making process of the
organization.
5.
http://www.businessburrito.com/why-is-employee-motivation-important.html
http://www.biztrain.com/motivation/stories/20ways.htm
http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Management/What-Really-MotivatesEmployeesu.html
http://humanresources.about.com/od/motivationsuccess/Managers_Role_in_Successf
ul_Employee_Motivation.htm
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16094913/HRMMotivation