Motivation Program for Employees

 Motivation Program for Employees

An efficient motivation program meant to instill employees’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is primarily formulated in consideration of every aspect of individual aspirations. Motivational theories, particularly McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y, as well as Ouchi's Theory Z, stand critical in crafting such an efficient program. According to Kuswati (2020) study, Theory X emphasizes external motivators, such as monetary rewards, while Theory Y focuses on internal motivators, such as recognition and privileges. On the other hand, Theory Z focuses on group achievements alongside individual recognition (Bakoula & Galanakis, 2022). To formulate an epic motivation program, a supervisor should considerably balance the merits and demerits of each theory and interchange each of them when necessary. In this case, the supervisor of a call center team with 10 phone operators seeking to achieve epic team motivation should craft a motivation program that utilizes principles and guidelines of Theory X, Theory Y, Theory Z, and other essential aspects within the workplace.

Use of Theory X in Crafting Motivation Program

Crafting a motivation program for employees centred on Theory X is primarily grounded in incentivizing performance through external motivators. As per Bakoula and Galanakis (2022), Theory X by McGregor indicates that external motivators, mainly measured through money, should be given to the top employees to create a competitive environment. McGregor's Theory X further suggests that individuals are fundamentally motivated by external factors such as financial incentives, making performance-based bonuses an effective tool for driving results. In this case, offering a performance-based bonus for the top three employees who consistently meet or exceed the target of 500 calls per shift is a promising approach towards realizing an improvement in the team’s performance. The increment should focus on an average of each top three team member gaining a bonus of $50, totaling $150. In doing this, the rest of the team members will develop a drive to attain the top position so as to acquire the bonus. Irrespective of this, it is essential to balance Theory X with other motivational theories to ensure an inclusive approach that acknowledges internal motivators and promotes group unity.

Use of Theory Y in Crafting a Motivation Program

Formulating a motivation program based on the Theory Y principles focuses on recognizing the relevance of internal motivators in driving long-term employee engagement and performance. Mainly, Theory Y, as proposed by McGregor, seeks to promote intrinsic motivation and reinforce individual achievements through non-monetary rewards (Bushi, 2021). Kuswati (2020) recommends that the employer or the team supervisor embrace strategies that acknowledge the top-performing team members through offering a certificate of recognition, a title of change, and other unique privileges within the organization. In this case, the phone operators' supervisor should adopt strategic motivational approaches like offering off-duty to team members who attain 500 calls per shift. Apart from that, the supervisor should elevate the most performing team member to assistant team leader, especially the one who maintains more than 500 calls per shift. As the assistant team leader, this most performing team member should act as a consultant to the rest of the team members. In doing this, the rest of the members will have a chance to learn from the most performing team members, while the most performing individual will gain recognition with the group.

Use of Theory Z in Crafting a Motivation Program

Theory Z is an imperative motivation theory that cultivates the culture of group unity and promotes the drive toward collective achievement. Ouchi argues that recognizing the relevance of group accomplishments helps create a sense of appreciation among the team members (Islam & Kalumuthu, 2020).  To recognize the group's efforts, the employer or the supervisor should formulate an open framework for rewarding the group that achieves the highest score per the set guidelines. Based on Bushi (2021), the across-the-board bonus for meeting the target shifts is a tangible acknowledgment of the team's joint effort. Such dimension in rewarding reinforces the idea that success results from collective contributions rather than individual performance alone. In this case, the phone operators' supervisor should create sub-groups of five members each and implement a team-based reward system to achieve collective goals. If one sub-group reaches the target of 500 calls per shift for a certain number of shifts in a month, the supervisor should offer an across-the-board bonus of $10 per employee for each shift meeting the target. With such an approach to rewarding, the team members are likely to gain group unity and celebrate collective achievement.

Things to Consider When Crafting a Motivation Program

A well-crafted motivation program is built on meaningful awards that are considered valuable by the team members. When employees feel a particular gift is worthwhile, the chances of striving to achieve it are likely to be high. Bushi (2021) suggests that considering the principle that gift cards or cash work better than specific prizes that appeal to only part of the group, it is essential to choose rewards with universal appeal among team members. Before deciding what to award to the best-performing members of the team, it is best to make an informed assessment of what they perceive as valuable items. As a supervisor, offering cash bonuses to the members of the team who achieve more than 500 calls per shift is one of the most appealing means of ensuring the motivation program attains its intended outcome. Irrespective of this, the supervisor needs to critically evaluate other ways to motivate members of the team who appear less motivated by monetary incentives.  

Crafting a well-thought-out motivation program is guided by careful consideration of cultural differences, fairness, and public or private recognition. To accommodate the diverse needs of the team members, Kuswati (2020) recommends that the supervisor ensure that the intended rewards address the unique needs of every individual in the group. For instance, the supervisor should not offer a culturally unacceptable reward to a team member. Motivating individuals with gifts that do not cohere with their cultural beliefs is likely to discourage them instead of encouraging them. On the other hand, there are individuals who prefer public recognition, while others find amusement when receiving awards in private. Therefore, the supervisor should learn each team member's preferences before deciding which channel to use in awarding. Public awarding of individuals who dislike publicity poses a risk of such persons lowering their efforts to avoid a similar occurrence. Besides that, being fair in awarding gives every team member a sense of satisfaction and appreciation whenever they receive an award. Failure to maintain fairness significantly compromises the competition and breaks the team’s trust in the supervisor.

Conclusion

In summary, formulating a motivation program necessitates a well-thought integration of the ideas of Theory X, Theory Y, and Theory Z while considering core aspects like fairness, the value of awards, and the personal preferences of every team member. When crafting a motivation program for a business client whose goal is 500 calls per shift, the supervisor should seek to evoke intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from every employee. Notably, the success of employees’ motivation is determined by how well the supervisor maneuvers the demerits of every approach to motivation.

 

References

Bakoula, S., & Galanakis, M. (2022). The Evolution of McGregor’s X and Y Theory in the Contemporary Organizational Settings: A Systematic Literature Review. Psychology, 12(12), 946–950.

Bushi, F. (2021). An overview of motivation theories: The impact of employee motivation on achieving organizational goals. Calitatea, 22(183), 8–12.

Islam, L. C. M. E., & Kalumuthu, K. R. (2020). Assumptions of theory Z: A tool for managing people at work. The Asian Journal of Professional & Business Studies, 1(1).

Kuswati, Y. (2020). The effect of motivation on employee performance. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 3(2), 995–1002.