6-1

Motivation: From Concepts to

Applications

Chapter 6

Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 9/e

Stephen P. Robbins/Timothy A. Judge

6-2

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the ways in which employees can be motivated by changing the work environment

2. Explain why managers might want to use employee involvement programs

3. Discuss how the different types of variable-pay programs can increase employee motivation

4. Describe the link between skill-based pay plans and motivation theories

5. Explain how employee recognition programs affect motivation

6-3

The Job Characteristics Model

• Proposes that any job can be described in terms of five core job dimensions: Skill variety Task identity Task significance Autonomy Feedback

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The Job Characteristics Model

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Motivating Potential Score (MPS)

MPS =Skill variety + Task Identity + Task significance

3

x Autonomy

x Feedback

6-6

How can jobs be Redesigned?

• Job Rotation or Cross-training – the periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another

• Job Enlargement – increasing the number and variety of tasks

• Job Enrichment – increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution and evaluation of the work

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Guidelines for Enriching a Job

6-8

Alternate Work Arrangements

• Flextime – allows some discretion over when worker starts and leaves

• Job Sharing – two or more individuals split a traditional job

• Telecommuting – work remotely at least two days per week

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Employee Involvement

• A participative process that uses the input of employees to increase their commitment to the organization’s success

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Employee Involvement Programs

• Participative Management – subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors

• Representative Participation – workers are represented by a small group of employees who participate in decisions affecting personnel

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Rewarding Employees

• Major strategic rewards decisions: What to pay employees How to pay individual employees What benefits to offer How to construct employee

recognition programs

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What to pay

• Need to establish a pay structure

• Balance between: Internal equity – the worth of the job to the

organization External equity – the external competitiveness

of an organization’s pay relative to pay elsewhere in its industry

• A strategic decision with trade-offs

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How to pay: Variable-Pay Programs

• Bases a portion of the pay on some individual and/or organizational measure of performance

• Piece-Rate Pay – workers are paid a fixed sum for each unit of production completed

• Merit-Based Pay – pay is based on individual performance appraisal ratings

• Bonuses – rewards employees for recent performance

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Variable Pay Programs (cont.)

• Profit-Sharing Plans – organization-wide programs that distribute compensation based on an established formula designed around profitability

• Gain Sharing – compensation based on sharing of gains from improved productivity

• Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) – plans in which employees acquire stock, often at below-market prices

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How to pay: Skill-Based Pay Plans

• Pay is based on skills acquired instead of job title or rank

• Doesn’t address the level of performance, only ability to perform skill

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Flexible Benefits

• Allows each employee to put together a benefit package tailored to their own needs and situation

• Modular plans – predesigned packages to meet the needs of a specific group

• Core-plus plans – core of essential benefits and menu of options to choose from

• Flexible spending plans – full choice from menu of options

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Employee Recognition Programs

• Are in addition to extrinsic compensation systems

• Are intrinsic rewards Can be as simple as a spontaneous comment Can be formalized in a program

• Recognition is the most powerful workplace motivator

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Implications for Managers

• Recognize individual differences

• Use goals and feedback

• Allow employees to participate in decisions that affect them

• Link rewards to performance

• Check the system for equity

6-19

Summary

1. Discussed the ways in which employees can be motivated by changing the work environment

2. Explained why managers might want to use employee involvement programs

3. Discussed how the different types of variable-pay programs can increase employee motivation

4. Described the link between skill-based pay plans and motivation theories

5. Explained how employee recognition programs affect motivation