CHAPTER ONE

1.1    INTRODUCTION  

Employee motivation has always been a central problem for managers. Organizational Unmotivated employees are likely to spend little or no effort in their jobs, avoid the workplace as much as possible, exit the organization if given the opportunity and produce low quality work. On the other hand, employees who feel motivated to work are likely to be persistent, creative and productive, turning out high quality work that they willingly undertake. There has been a lot of research done on motivation by many scholars, but the behavior of groups of people to try to find out why it is that every employee of a company does not perform at their best has been comparatively Ashibogwu (2008) Many things can be said to be answer to this question. The reality is that every employee has different ways use being motivated. Employers need to got to know their employees very well and use different tactics to motivate each of them based on their personal wants/needs.

The dictionary Webster’s defines motivation something inside people that drives them to act. This motivation varies in different people. We can also say that motivation is the willingness to work at a certain level of effort. Motivation charges, in current theories, out of needs, values, goals, intentions and expectation. Because motivation comes from within managers needs to cultivate and direct the motivation that their employees already have. Judge (2002).

Motivation comes from within us such as thoughts, beliefs, ambitions, and goals. The people who are most interested in motivation studies are managers of people because they may provide insight into why people perform at work as they do, and as a result provide managers with techniques to improve worker productivity.

1.2    Statement of the Problem

The researchers’ goal is to reveal what it is that motivates all employees to perform at their best and achieve optimal business results at all times. The inherent problem identified is that many employers have attempted different incentives programs to motivate their employees, yet they have not worked for everyone in the company. This is a major problem faced by employers these days, due to the fact that each employees company is founded on the strength of its employee’s productivity. Judge (2002).

One of the traditional components of management along with planning, organizing and controlling is motivating. Many managers to different things for example; contests, ranking of people, plants, shifts, teams, and departments, performance appraisals, performance production, sales quotas and commission pay. All these systems are implemented in the belief that they drive productivity. Some researchers think it does the opposite. Instead of trying to use motivators (something outside of the work itself such as promised rewards or incentives) to get higher levels of productivity from people, management will be better served by studying the organization as a system. Employers demand results. Without results the organization will not survive. Managing motivation is a requirement for productivity. Richard (1998).

1.3    Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study shall be stated as follows:.

·                    To examine and analyze the specific roles of motivation in improving organization productivity.

·                    To study the benefits gained by organizations through motivated employees.

·                    To understand the challenges faced by companies in implementing motivation and the response of employees to motivation policy.

1.4    Relevant Research Questions

Following is a list of questions that shall be asked.

1.            Is there any significant relationship between motivation and organization productivity.

2.            Does workers level of job motivation influence their job satisfaction.

3.            What are the challenges faced by companies in implementing motivation and responses of employees to motivational policy.

1.5    Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope of this study shall be impact on motivation on employee productivity in an organization, and the focus shall be on both the junior and senior staff categories in order to sample their various opinions, so as to make a comparism in the area of inquiry. Indeed, there is know doubt a study of this nature will not have its own inadequacies, some of the limitation to the study shall be time constraints, inadequate resources, lack of accessibility to information and fear of the unknown by the employees among others.

1.6    Significance of the Research Problem and the Justification for Investigation

The significance of this study is that it will be needed to improve employees productivity at the workplace, to retain employees and to help organization establish a good coverage, if an organization employees do not acquire this motivation then the organization could lose large amounts of money customers or even go out to business on the other hand if such organizations employees are well trained and motivated by their employers, it could have great income potential, keep loyal customers and gain a lot of market share.

This research would help many managers and leaders in our society to identify the things that they need to do in order to successfully motivate their employees to perform at their best. Also help managers to understand new strategies that could be implemented in order to motivate employees to achieve optimal business result. It is evident that there is a need for this study because of the many organization that are constantly spending money on various ways to increase employees motivation.

However, the justification of this research is that it will go a long way to assisting management of most organization to finding not only immediate but permanent remedy to the incidence of low productivity and also industrial dispute between management and their employees who would have been satisfied from the motivational techniques employed by the organization to address their needs and desires and thus improving level of productivity and increasing organizational goals and objectives.

1.7DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.      TRAINING: This is the systematic development of the attitude and skill behaviour pattern required by an individual; in order to perform adequately in given task.

2.      PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL:       This is the formal assessment of how employees are performing their jobs in relation to established standards.

3.      COMPENSATION AND REWARD: Compensation as an English word refers to the payment of the loss of something or damage done to somebody for doing something good. Compensation and Reward are two terms that have gained prominence in motivating and retaining employees in an organization.

4.      MOTIVATION:    This is the concept used to describe the forces acting on or within an individual to initiate and direct behaviour. It is also a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behaviour that is aimed of a goal or incentive.

5.      MANAGEMENT: According to Mary Parker Follet 1863-1933) is the act of getting things done through people. This refers to officers who are charged with the responsibilities of supervising and controlling works of others.

6.      HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: This is the term used to denote policies, philosophy, practice related to the management of people within an organization.

7.      STAFFING: This is the procurement of personnel for the organization; this includes recruitment, selection and placement.

8.     EMPLOYEE’S WELFARE:     The force of employee’s welfare is to provide strategies and procedures for improving the working condition and standard of living of workers in an organization.

9.      LABOUR TURNOVER: This is the rate at which workers leave an organization due to serious rule infraction or unsatisfactory performances.

10.    EFFECTIVENESS:       This refers to the judicious use of both human and material resources to production in an organization.

11.    THE PERSONNEL MANAGER:      This is the person employed to deal with relationship between employees and the employers, and to handle personnel matters in an organization.

12.    EMPLOYEE:        Is a person engaged in work for a wage or salary without having direct link with the owners of factors of production.

13.    MORALE:  This is the state of mind of a person (or group of persons). It is also the collective attitude of workers towards each other, their work and management.

14.    ADVANCEMENT:         This is the act of progressing in position or place due to promotion in an organization.

15.    JOB ANALYSIS: This is a method of collecting and recording facts pertinent to job related information in order to determine the organizations relationship, skills, responsibilities, work environment of and between jobs and human applications necessary, for the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives.

16.    PRODUCTIVITY:         Is the ratio used to measure how well an organization (or individual, industry, country) converts inputs resources (labour, materials, machines, etc) into goods and services. It is usually expressed in ration of inputs to outputs.

---

---