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Essay / The Importance of Motivation in Human Resource Management
Table of ContentsIntroductionLiterature ReviewConclusionTheories of management can be considered as the backbone of the study of management itself. Students and practitioners must first understand these theories. Sociology and psychology could also be used in management. This means that managers could try to understand the behaviors of their employees. This would help in increasing the productivity of the company since the manager will know how a certain problem can be solved and will understand the employees in every possible way (Donnelly, Gibson and Ivancevich, 1987). In addition to this, in an organization, bonuses and incentives can be used with the aim of ensuring that the employees of the company work harder. In this regard, there is a relationship between employee motivation and performance. Business leaders should also focus more on examining the behavior of managers rather than just focusing on the mechanical side of their business. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionThe human relations perspective can be seen as a way of running a business where employees are viewed as social beings who require complex needs and they have complex wants and this is opposed to production units (Gomez & David, 2002). This perspective places more emphasis on the social networks that exist within an organization and involves the use of gratification as a means of motivation in the workplace. This perspective does not use deprivation as a means of motivation in the workplace. This perspective was developed in the mid-20th century. The human relations perspective was an extension of the behavioral perspective. Before the behavioral point of view was introduced into management, management was viewed via a classical point of view. This view focuses primarily on how it is possible to create higher efficiencies through technical processes without looking further into the social aspects of work (Holt, 1990). Additionally, it was concluded that when employees are given special attention, productivity increases. Therefore, this view can be termed as a more psychological approach to management. In attempting to understand management, an individual must examine different theories. These theories are believed to have given rise to management itself. They include: classical, neoclassical, and human relations theories of behavior. Other theories include contingency, general administrative and bureaucratic systems. Chaotic theory can also be another management theory (Katharine, Barton, & David, 1998). These theories form the foundation of the understanding of management and its study, from the work done by Adam Smith in 1766 to the work of Fredrick Winslow Taylor done from 1856 to 1915. Adam Smith supported the concept of specialization and this was written in his book “Wealth of Nations”. On the other hand, Fredrick was accredited for having carried out the first scientific study on the subject of management. This earned him the nickname “the father of scientific management”. There has been a great evolution in management practice since the days when there were theorists who based their arguments on classical arguments. This is due to the existence of many factors. These factors include: the rise of technology and tools which are becoming essential tools for managers in the exercise of their functions(Mescon, Albert & Kheduri, 1977). The other factor is that an evolution has taken place and there have been changes in the practices implemented in production. Nevertheless, contemporary approaches have emerged due to these factors. Despite all these changes, managers still face other challenges. They struggle to improve productivity in the company. They also lack guidance on how to use their resources to maximize greater profitability (Mescon, Courtland & John, 2002). They also have the challenge of achieving the objectives set by the company. This explains why, as society evolved, management theorists continued to find ways that could keep pace with the changing times. jobs and institutions, there could be an increase in p[productivity. The first approaches placed more emphasis on the technicality of the works, to the detriment of the personal aspects of the work. Additionally, this aspect was present in the works of some classical theorists, including: Frank, Lillian Gilbreth Fredric Taylor, among others. This was not surprising since the theories were developed later and challenged some of the fundamental principles that existed in the beginning. There was also the evolution of two branches during this period. These branches were known as human behavior and relations theorists (Maicibi, 2003). To some extent, according to most scholars, these two branches belonged to a similar orientation based on the fact that the focus was more on the individual and not the work they were doing. The relationship-based approach became widespread in the 1940s and early 1950s. This meant that managers were more attentive to the roles that individuals played in determining the successes and failures of the organization. (Katharine, Barton and David, 1998). Managers then had the ability to make decisions that would allow these people to work for the profitability of the company. Human relations is often considered a general term to describe how managers interact with their subordinates. When there is stimulation from management and employees have better working conditions, there are good human relations in the organization. This is because individuals have been given the green light to work flexibly in the company since they do not have to worry about the work environment which is already conducive (Donnelly, Gibson & Ivancevich, 1987 ). Human relations in the institution are negative when there is a decline in morale and efficiency. In order to create good relationships, managers must have the ability to know why employees behave in a certain way. They also know the psychological and social factors that affect them and their suitability to work in the organization. Due to the presence of human relations approach, the quietest aspect of management was the relationship between supervisors and employees. In fact, it concentrates and supports the act of training people in behavioral sciences. Examples of behavioral sciences include social and clinical psychology (Holt, 1990). They are trained in behavioral sciences with the goal of building more collaborative and cooperative relationships between workers and supervisors. There are also two aspects of the human relations approach. They include: leadership style and motivation. Elton Mayo was one of the people who greatly contributed to the approach to human relations. His work was carried out from 1880 to 1949. He and his associates at Harvard Universityworked together and used scientific methods in their study. They did this to allow people working in the work environment to better understand what they wanted to say (Donnelly, Gibson, & Ivancevich, 1987). This led more researchers to use the social sciences. Examples of social sciences they use include psychology, sociology, and anthropology. They also used more sophisticated research methods and were therefore seen as behavioral specialists rather than participating human relations members of the school. Mayo, with his associates, developed the introduction of the "social man." The desire to build good, lasting relationships was the motivating factor. In 1986, Hampton wrote a summary of Mayo's work. The summary included the fact that the Hawthorne experiment was carried out by Mayo in collaboration with his associates. The experiment ran from 1927 to 1932. Mayo was called into "Western Electric" when there were strange results from other researchers doing the research. The results were strange since the researchers divided the employees into test groups. These groups were exposed to changes in lightning even though there was a control group where lightning was constant throughout the research. When the relief conditions of the test groups were improved, productivity increased (Katharine, Barton & David, 1998). This went hand in hand with the expectations the researchers had before even conducting this research. Moreover, the most surprising thing according to the researchers is that when the flash was reduced, the jump was similar. On top of that, what was more surprising was the fact that the control group's production continued to increase as the group's lighting conditions were changed. Mayo ushered in a new era of human relationships in an effort to solve the riddle. In another new experiment, two groups of women were placed in separate rooms. This was done by Mayo and his colleagues. Each group included six women. The conditions in one room were varied and in the other the conditions did not vary. A number of variables were tested and their wages increased (Holt, 1990). In addition, there was also the introduction of coffee breaks of varying length and the shortening of the worksheet and the working day. The researcher, who in this case was the supervisor, allowed each of the groups to choose the rest periods and make suggestions on changes that would be most beneficial to them. In this case, the performance increased in both tests. and in control rooms. Furthermore, the researchers believed that it was impossible for production to increase due to the presence of financial incentives. This was because the control group had the same payment schedule (Donnelly, Gibson, & Ivancevich, 1987). This led Mayo to the conclusion that the emotional chain reaction was complex and that, since it was present, productivity increased. Likewise, since the control and test groups were given special attention, a group pride developed which played a motivational role in order to improve their work performance. Another factor that led to increased motivation was the supervision that was given to them and this supervision was sympathetic. The results of this experiment constituted Mayo's important discovery. His new discovery was that there could be an increase in productivity when workers received special attention from company management and that this occurred regardless of changes..