Motivation and Organizational Behavior Theories

Chapter 10

Frederick TaylorWanted to study how to improve

productivity

Started a movement called “scientific management”Created “time-motion” studies to measure

just how fast humans could work, if their motions were precise

UPS still uses this principle!

Elton Mayo• Conducted a study at a Western Electric

plant to see how workers’ productivity changed under different lighting situations– Came up with completely unexpected

results!– Primary results• Hawthorne effect – People behave differently when

they think they are being studied

– Secondary results• People perform better when they feel that their

input is valued and when they feel a part of a social group

Review Questions1. What is scientific management?

2. What were Mayo’s findings in the Western Electric studies?

3. How did the findings of Mayo influence scientific management?

Abraham MaslowHierarchy of Needs

Lower level needs must be met before a person cares much about higher level needs

Self-Actualization

Safety

Physiological

Social

Esteem

Frederick Herzberg• What creates the most enthusiasm among

workers and makes them work to their full potential?– #1: Sense of achievement– #2: Earned recognition– #3: Interest in work– #4: Opportunities for growth– #5: Opportunities for advancement– #8: Pay– #11: Status

Frederick Herzberg• Some things motivate workers to be

productive and make them satisfied– These are Motivators.– Work, achievement, recognition,

responsibility, growth

• Other things only dissatisfy if they are not sufficiently present.– These are Hygiene Factors. – Pay, status, policy, administration, co-worker

relations, working conditions

What can be done with Herzberg’s factorsJob enrichment

Person is given more parts of one large job to do, so that they see the fruits of their laborVisible effect on outcomeVariety of skillsAutonomyFeedback

Job enlargement and rotationMake the daily grind more interesting

Review Questions1. Which of the following, according to

Herzberg’s findings, would motivate college graduate workers to perform their best for the longest period of time?

Pay or task significance? Autonomy, or a nice job title?

2. Let’s re-draw Maslow’s hierarchy – you tell me what goes where.

Douglas McGregorTheory X Managers

People dislike work.I have to coerce them into working hard for

me.I think that the best way to get a worker to

do what I want is through pay and fear.

Theory Y ManagersPeople like to work and see the output!People are responsible, creative, and clever.I need to vary my rewards according to what

type of person I’m working with.

William OuchiTheory A and J (American and Japanese)

American managers tended (in the 80s) to emphasize short-term employment, individual gain, specialization, and rapid promotion

Japanese managers tended to focus on lifetime employment, group gain, and the holistic improvement of the employee

Created Theory Z Longer-term stay at one job, collective decision

making with individual responsibility, and slow evaluation and promotion process

Review Questions1. We’ve gone through a lot of alphabet

here. Theory X and Theory Y relate to:A. Types of genesB. Types of managersC. Types of employees

2. We’re hiring folks to manage teams of high schoolers who are working our farm for the summer. Do we need a Theory X or Theory Y person, most likely, to manage well? Why?

Review Questions3. What aspects of traditional Japanese

management style are good to use internationally to compete?

4. What aspects of traditional American management style of good to use internationally to compete?

Setting GoalsIndividuals and teams work better when

they have something to strive forDrucker and Management by Objectives

(MBO)Managers cannot motivate people; they can just set

the stage for motivation.Top managers set large goals, broken down into

individual objectives for clarity.

Employee Relations TheoriesExpectancy theory:

Employees gauge whether they can accomplish something and whether the reward is worth the effort.

Reinforcement theory:Individuals respond to positive and negative

reinforcement.

Equity theory:Employees gauge how much effort others are putting

into the same position, and how much they are being rewarded.

Some Important Take-Home Points1. Employees must be treated individually

1. One size does not fit all!

2. Future service interactions will require that employees be able to work autonomously with customers.

3. Managing Gen Xers and Echo Boomers may require more focus on output than effort (that’s a change from the past)