The motivation of employees is directly linked to the commitment of employees, business profits and personnel productivity. In any successful organization, every employee has an objective to remain productive, commit to personal and organizational goals and ensure that the company is obtaining great returns. A high turnover and lack of profitability are signs of an ailing organization whose employees lack these attributes. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are important in growing the intangible part of the organization which eventually reaps psychological rewards through having a work force that is fully committed to meeting the goals of the organization.
In as much as Sanderson Soaps Company is doing immensely well, the company is ailing from symptoms of lack of motivation. First, the environment is not conducive for the functioning of employees due to the verbal disagreements between the family members. Secondly, there is a high turnover and a worrying level of absenteeism in employees. In addition to this, one of the employees is always feeling like he is being discriminated against because he is from a non-white origin. The other problem is that employees are not allowed to explore their talents and this is why Uncle Dave does not voice his opinion on the functioning of the trucks. Some employees in the distribution department also feel like they could do better in a different department. While all this is taking place, it is impossible for the senior employees to recognize the work of their subordinates. All these problems are easily solved through motivation.
Hertzberg’s two-factor theory denotes that successful motivation of employees to complete a job requires an organization to focus on the motivator and hygiene factors. Motivator factors are those that cause employees to work harder such as rewards, promotions, opportunities for advancement of careers and public recognition. Hygiene factors are those factors that contribute to dissatisfaction such as poor salaries, inexistent relationships between employees and their employers and oppressive company policies among others. According to Stoner et al., organizations need to find ways of growing and developing the motivator factors and killing the hygiene factors.
Sanderson Soaps Company could benefit from applying Hertzberg’s theory in their company as a way of getting rid of absenteeism and developing a culture that allows employee growth and thus increase in productivity. One of the aspects that is missing in this organization is an opportunity for growth as only family members are running the company. Employees with outstanding talents such as Uncle Dave are not recognized and this kills their motivation. In addition to this, the disagreements evident in almost all departments make the environment unsuitable for growth. As suggested by Stoner et al., an effective way of handling this issue is to focus on the motivational factors which in this case are recognition of talent and providence of opportunities for growth or all employees. All employees should be treated the same way as intangible assets are indispensable and only identified through the exploitation of opportunities.
Another theory that would help Sanderson Soaps Company is maslow theory of human motivation or Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs. This theory is underpinned by the fact that people have a lot of needs but they always strive to satisfy the lowest needs prior to finding a way of satiating their other needs. The lowest needs are the physiological needs which include food, water and having a home. This is followed by safety, then belonging, then esteem and the highest need is self-actualization. These needs are arranged in a hierarchy such that one moves higher. For instance, is impossible to become self-actualized without having a good self esteem.
For Sanderson Soaps Company, this theory denotes that the management has to ensure that every employee is in a position to meet their lower needs in order to contribute to the productivity of the company. According to Newstrom, one way of meeting the lower needs is to provide each employee with a list of their tasks so that when they complete them they can strive to meet other tasks. For instance, people like Margaret who are easily influenced seem unsure of their responsibilities. A clear delineation of the roles of each employee makes it easy for them to know what is expected of them and to accomplish the same. Even as they perform their tasks employees should also obtain the much needed support from their employers. Roles and responsibilities are extrinsic motivators.
The Hawthorne Effect is another theory that explains the role of certain physical conditions on productivity. Apparently, employees react differently and become more productive when attention is directed towards them. It seems that the management at Sanderson Company focuses on themselves more than their employees, a reason why they are always arguing. They do not have time to provide positive feedback to their employees and even amongst themselves. This kills the motivation of employees and thus affects productivity. A reverse action can easily mitigate these effects such as recognizing employees and even giving them a chance at management other than using and recycling family members.
Motivation of employees is one of the most significant steps in improving productivity. Handling the productivity problem at Sanderson Soaps Company requires the application of Hawthorne Effect Maslow’s Theory and Hertzberg Two-Factor Theory. These theories will help the company focus on aspects that motivate employees such as recognition, opportunities for growth and a conducive environment.