6. Motivation and Employee Performa

6. Motivation and Employee Performance
The most important dependent variable in industrial and organizational psychology is job performance. One of the major
concerns of manufacturing companies has focused on improving worker productivity, which is one of the job
performance measures (Borman, 2004). According to Keller (2006), when you expect the best from your employees
they will give you their best. On the other hand, when you expect little from employees they will give you low
performance in return. Many people feel that they are not recognised or appreciated by their employers for their hard
work and in turn they feel demotivated. Lack of communication and feedback from employers cause employees to feel
overlooked and inhibits them from performing to the best of their ability. Employee motivation is one of the strategies
managers employ to enhance effective job performance among workers in organisations.
For effective work performance to thrive in the organisation, motivation has to be managers’ top priority. In this regard,
leadership effectiveness relates to work performance. Leadership is a central feature of organisational performance. This
is an essential part of managerial activities which focuses on efforts towards the goals and objectives of the organisation.
There must be an appropriate form of behaviour to enhance performance. Leadership might be viewed in terms of the
role of the leaders and their ability to achieve effective performance from others. Akinboye (2005) defines leadership as
leaders inducing followers to act towards certain goals that represent the values and the motivations, the wants and needs,
the aspirations and expectations of both leaders and followers. Leadership is virtually important at all levels within the
company. Leadership is the moral and intellectual ability to visualise and work for what is best for the company and its
employees.
Good management and effective leadership help to develop team work and the integration of individual and group goals.
Leaders have to sustain performance, sustaining and improving performance for the future is essential for the survival of
the organisation. While keeping eyes on performance indicators, leaders encourage creativity and innovation, risk taking
and skills for future development. Performance of all employees has to be maintained and morale rebuilt. The vital role
of the leader in shaping performance and coaching becomes fundamental to the success of an organisation in all
ramifications.
The quality of human resource management has a critical influence on the performance of the organisation. Concern for
strategic integration, commitment, flexibility and quality has called attention to employees’ motivation and retention.
Financial motivation has become the most concern in today’s organisation and tying it to Maslow’s basic or
physiological needs, non-financial aspect, only comes in when financial motivation has failed. According to Greenberg
and Baron (2008), the definition of motivation could be divided into three main parts. The first part focuses on arousal
that deals with the drive, or energy behind individual’s action. People tend to be guided by their interest in making a
good impression on others, doing interesting work and being successful in what they do. The second part refers to the
choice people make and the direction their behaviour takes. The last part deals with maintaining behaviour, clearly
defining how long people have to persist at attempting to meet their goals.
However, critics of the use of motivation technique in management have argued that what happens in organisations is
that managers have to persuade (that is manipulate) their staff into believing that the organisation’s needs and objectives
are really identical to their own. They do this, by narrowing down and focusing on the psychologist’s conceptions of
motivation to fit the particular organisational situation (Thompson & McHugh, 2002).
The most successful and performing organisations bring out the best in their employees. Such organisations focus on the
human resources within. Technology, economic considerations, and the product are secondary to the human qualities
which allow people to work as team. For employees to function at maximum level, they must feel that they are essential
to an organisation that challenges their human spirit, inspires their personal development, allows them to accomplish
goals and tasks, and symbolises and represents only the highest standards of ethical conduct. Such considerations define
a quality work environment. Successful organisations embody the following characteristics:
 Trust in relationships: Without trust, any human relationship will inevitably degenerate into conflict.
 Involvement: Decision making starts at the lowest level, where the facts are. What people help create, they support.
 Communication: People want to know as much as possible about their working environment. Lack of information
hurts their