Question

Short Essay Question A.

Describe and discuss what employees require to be at their most productive according to articles looking into the best workplaces. Make sure to clearly connect your answer to 2-3 motivational theories that are at the core of your arguments.

Short Essay Question B.

Describe and discuss the difference between the key constructs Key Result Area (KRA), Key Performance Indicator (KPI), and Performance Goal, and their importance in Performance Management.

Answer 1

question A

Businesses with unmotivated employees often face low productivity and high turnover rates. Executives from large companies across 12 industry sectors worldwide said three components of human capital impact productivity more than anything else: time, talent, and energy. the factors that affect the productivity of employees are :

Peer relationships/enjoyment of work: “People who enjoy their work and have good relationships with peers at work will obviously be better motivated to return to normal functioning; whereas those who are resentful at work, uncomfortable with peers, feeling put-upon or taken advantage of, etc. (even if not intentionally or consciously), will perceive an injury as a ‘ticket out’ and tend to ‘make the most of it.’ this is when the need to belong is not satisfied, according to needs hierarchy theory.

Flexibility is key: Traditional work habits are being questioned by a new workforce, and this demands of employers to be open to new ways of thinking, but also to new ways of working. With the capability to be connected from anywhere, more and more employees are wanting to work from home, and apparently for good reason.

Real-time feedback: One way to track accomplishments, progress, and development is through gamified environments and platforms. In these environments, measurement, management, and monitoring become transparent, objective and immediate. Gamification is not just about games, playfulness or even fun, per se. Instead, it’s about taking game-like mechanics and incorporating them into the workplace, in order to increase engagement, productivity, and other positive work-related behaviours.

Multiple theories help explain how workers are motivated and provide suggestions for how to increase motivation in the workplace. Efficiency at doing a certain task, at the workplace or otherwise, is strongly influenced by how motivated individuals are. Exploring new ways to motivate employees is often at the top of a company’s agenda. Traditionally identified motivators in Western economies primarily include salary and prestige, often complemented by meaning, creation, challenge, ownership, identity, etc. Herzberg’s Hygiene model: Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory (sometimes known as Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory.), directly attempted to answer the question, “How do You Motivate Employees?” The conclusions he drew were extraordinarily influential, and still form the bedrock of good motivational practice nearly half a century later.

His findings revealed that certain characteristics of a job are consistently related to job satisfaction, while different factors are associated with job dissatisfaction. The goal of this theory is to do two things. Eliminate the factors of dissatisfaction (the term Herzberg uses as hygiene factors) – which include things like: Fixing poor and obstructive company policies, Providing effective, supportive and non-intrusive supervision, Creating and supporting a culture of respect and dignity for all team members, Ensuring that wages are competitive, and so on. the second is to create conditions for job satisfaction – Herzberg referred to this as job enrichment, and aims to provide more satisfaction in each individual’s jobs. Typical areas to improve are Providing opportunities for achievement, Recognising workers’ contributions, Giving as much responsibility to each team member as possible, Providing opportunities to advance in the company through internal promotions.

maslow's hierarchy of needs also has practical implications on how to motivate employees and increase production. The point is that Maslow hierarchy of needs creates a link between how we as individuals feel to how we relate to our internal needs.

Maslow Hierarchy of needs is not really a technique or a process. It is more of an understanding. It allows you to gain a deeper insight into people and how they are motivated; what motivates them and indeed how you as a leader can help keep them happy. Managers often on an instinctive and incorrect basis, establish money as the only reward for employees and emulate to use it as a sole motivator. The limiting factor is that, particularly during a recession, money is not always readily available to service rewards in a transactional way.  the effective manager will seek other ways to create motivation, like empowerment, a team belonging, building relationships and developing the person’s true potential.

question B

KRA

A key result area (KRA) is a strategic factor either internal to the organization or external, where strong positive results must be realized for the organization to achieve its strategic goal(s) and therefore, move toward realizing the organization’s longer-term vision of success. Key result areas are sometimes referred to “critical success factors” or “key drivers of success.”Once 6-9 KRAs are defined, a leadership team can move on to spelling out (and eventually selecting) a set of feasible strategy alternatives for positively impacting each Key Result Area. These strategies can then be incorporated into the organization’s long term strategic plan with appropriate responsibilities and time frames assigned. This set of longer term strategies must then be translated into a balanced set of operational objectives, which are foundational to building and implementing the near term operating plan.

KPI

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on the other hand are high-level measures or metrics, for one particular objective, which (when measured and reported) give the leadership team an “indication” as to whether the organization is making progress towards achieving that particular objective. Careful attention should be given in defining each of these core strategic planning and management elements.

PERFORMANCE GOAL

Performance goals are short-term objectives set for specific duties or tasks in your current job position. These goals are usually related to the overall company goals or specific department goals where you work. They help you know what is expected of you in your position. To be effective, it is important that they are clearly defined and easy to measure.