Analysing Motivators

Assigning and allocating work to people is one thing. How well they carry it out is another. Several factors can promote or prevent successful work performance. They include:

• attitudes
• organisation culture
• other environmental conditions
• resource-related factors.

Attitudes

You decide how far you can go and how high you can fly.

You can think of an attitude as the position a person adopts about an object, an event, a situation, or a person. Alternatively, you might describe an attitude as a feeling. Attitudes are composed of three components:

• how you feel about something
• what you believe about something
• how you are predisposed to act about something.

Attitudes are thought to be fairly stable and they can be positive or negative. Prejudice is a particularly strong negative attitude that can lead to unacceptable behaviour such as discrimination.

Clearly, attitudes can affect the way people behave. However, people do not always behave in ways that are consistent with their attitudes. They may make a conscious decision to behave in ways that conceal attitudes. For example, some road safety experts believe that accidents on the roads are largely the result of poor attitudes rather than inadequate knowledge and skills.

Links between personality and attitude

Attitudes, values, beliefs, and opinions are all interrelated. They are often reflected in behaviour - in the way people act. Many people believe that personality factors influence attitude formation.

Introversion and extroversion may be linked with some attitudes. Introverted and extroverted people may have different attitudes towards the office Christmas party, for example. Similarly, authoritarian personalities have been found to display attitudes of hostility towards subordinates.

Given the link between personality and attitude, and the deep-seated nature of the values that underlie attitudes, you can see why attitudes can be difficult to change.

Work-related attitudes

Some people believe that the term 'work-related attitudes' refers to lasting feelings, beliefs, and behavioural tendencies towards aspects of the work situation. These may include the job itself, job conditions, and the people involved.

Others think the term relates to opinions, which are more flexible than attitudes.

You may also hear the term 'staff satisfaction' - particularly in relation to groups.

Job satisfaction

Some people believe job satisfaction is a particular work-related attitude. It refers to the attitudes people hold towards their jobs.

Often, organisations attempt to measure job satisfaction through surveys, interviews, or analysis of critical incidents. These efforts reflect the idea that work-related attitudes can affect variables such as job performance, productivity, absence from work, and turnover rates. For example, some experts think that there is a direct linkage between staff satisfaction and customer satisfaction, and you can't have the latter without the former.

Job satisfaction measures focus on selected aspects or dimensions of satisfaction. Typically, these include:

• the work itself
• pay
• promotional opportunities
• supervision
• people (colleagues).

The job satisfaction debate

The debate about the exact nature of job satisfaction has practical implications. For instance, if job satisfaction is a relatively stable attitude, what's the point of measuring it? You're not going to be able to change it, so why bother? Evidence suggests that job satisfaction is indeed fairly stable. Some people are always dissatisfied, and others are always satisfied. Changes in their job circumstances don't seem to make any difference. Perhaps job satisfaction is essentially a recruitment issue? What do you think?

There is an opposing view. Organisations that periodically measure job satisfaction often find that satisfaction levels have changed. Things have improved or got worse. When satisfaction improves, managers may assume that the improvement is the direct result of a particular management initiative. These same organisations may not be so quick to claim the credit when there is a deterioration!

Job satisfaction theories

Job satisfaction has been widely studied in the belief that happier staff are more productive. Two of these job satisfaction theories are:

• two-factor theory
• value theory.

Two-factor theory

Frederick Herzberg's two-factor theory or motivator-hygiene theory suggests that satisfaction and dissatisfaction stem from different sources. Some things cause dissatisfaction and different things cause satisfaction. If a person is not dissatisfied, it does not follow that they are satisfied. It simply means there is an absence of dissatisfaction.

Dissatisfaction is associated with the conditions surrounding the job. These can include working conditions, pay, and security. These factors are called hygiene or maintenance factors.

In contrast, satisfaction is associated with the work itself. Factors in this area are called motivators. They include the nature of the job, achievement, opportunities for personal growth, responsibility, and recognition.

One problem with Herzberg's theory is that it takes no account of cultural differences. In North America, for example, evidence suggests that relationships with colleagues are a hygiene factor. In New Zealand, on the other hand, this is believed to be a motivator. Given the diversity of our society, however, this is unlikely to be true for everybody.

Nevertheless, the theory has some practical value for managers. For instance, circumstances in the workplace may suggest that managers need to focus their attention on motivational factors. Similarly, managers may need to take steps to minimise conditions that cause dissatisfaction.

Value theory

Value theory is another important theory of job satisfaction. It suggests that job satisfaction exists to the extent that the job outcomes an individual receives match those that they desire. The more a person receives outcomes they value, the more satisfied they are. The less they receive outcomes they value, the less satisfied they are. The key is the discrepancy between what people want and what they get. The greater the discrepancy, the less they are satisfied.

The things people want from a job can vary from person to person. Some people want high pay. Others want learning opportunities. Still others want achievement. Some people are happy to do work that others would find boring.

One advantage of this theory is that it calls attention to the aspects of a job that need to change if job satisfaction is to be achieved. This suggests that an effective way to satisfy staff is to find out what they want and, to the extent it is possible, give it to them. Several factors will influence the extent, nature, and acceptability of remedial action. One of these is organisational culture.