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Block 4 Unit 4 The Process of Motivation for Higher Morale and Productivity

1. Discuss the process of motivation for higher morale and productivity.

• Organisations use various programs to increase productivity while maintaining positive employee attitudes. This includes providing different time frames to work, aiming to increase employee involvement, and fostering a sense of ownership.
• The process involves addressing employee needs beyond basic compensation and safe working conditions.
• It also aims at improving productivity by offering various work schedules and arrangements to enhance employee satisfaction and motivation, and in turn, increase productivity.
• Organisations try to increase employee morale by giving employees flexibility, ownership, and a sense of value within the organisation.

2. Explain alternative work schedules.

• Alternative work schedules include arrangements like compressed workweeks, discretionary work schedules, flexible working hours, and variable-hour arrangements.
• These schedules are designed to accommodate employee needs and improve morale by offering flexibility and control over their work time.

3. What do you understand by compressed workweeks?

• Compressed workweeks involve working fewer days per week but maintaining the same total hours or working fewer hours per week while keeping the same number of workdays.
• Examples include a 4/40 workweek where employees work four 10-hour days or a 5/35 workweek with five shorter workdays.

4. Describe discretionary work schedules.

• Discretionary work schedules give employees more control over their work hours.
• These include compressed workweeks, flexible working hours, and variable hour arrangements.

5. How does flexible working hours help?

• Flexible working hours allow employees to vary their start and finish times as long as they work the required number of hours. This flexibility allows employees to better balance work and personal life, which can lead to increased job satisfaction and productivity.
• Employees may have a set of core hours to work and can vary their start and finish times outside of these hours, for example from 7 am to 9 am and finishing between 3pm to 7 pm.

6. Explain variable-hour arrangements.

Variable-hour arrangements involve shifting blocks of work hours on a regular basis. For example, this can be shift work where different groups of employees work different hours and rotate on a weekly or monthly basis, or stay permanently on one shift.

7. Describe shift work schedules and its functioning.

• Shift work involves different groups of employees working at different times of the day, often in a rotating schedule. This is common in organisations that need to operate 24/7 such as hospitals.
• A common example is a three-shift arrangement where one group works 7 am to 3 pm, another from 3 pm to 11 pm, and a third from 11 pm to 7 am.
• Organisations also use permanent shift workers who stay on one shift indefinitely, to provide more consistency and to help workers plan their schedules.

8. Discuss compressed workweeks.

• Compressed workweeks involve scheduling work to have fewer workdays with the same total hours.
• This could mean four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days.
• Compressed workweeks can lead to both positive and negative effects including fatigue, stress, and satisfaction depending on an individuals' leisure time orientation.

9. Explain the discretionary time systems.

• Discretionary time systems give employees flexibility over their work schedule, this may mean a variable, flexible or compressed work schedule.
• The employee's perception of discretion impacts motivation and behaviour.

10. Shift work is followed by hospital type organisations. Explain.

• Hospitals and similar organisations use shift work due to the need to provide 24/7 services.
• Shift work allows constant coverage of operations and may involve three-shift systems where employees rotate through morning, afternoon, and night shifts.

11. Discuss the concept of employee ownership.

• Employee ownership involves giving employees an equity stake in the organisation, such as through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).
• This is intended to increase employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment, while also decreasing absenteeism and turnover.
• When employees feel they have a stake in the organisation they are more committed to its success.

12. Discuss employee's responses to ownership.

• Employees who own a stake in the organisation often feel more valued, significant, and worthwhile.
• Ownership can lead to increased self-esteem and goal-directed effort.
• The feeling of ownership can also promote employee performance.

13. Analyse the employee responses to TQM and QCC.

• Employees often experience increased job satisfaction and social motivation when they participate in quality control circles.

• They can also experience stress from continuous production improvement expectations, as well as a lack of commitment from management and the workforce.
• Total Quality Management (TQM) can result in increased quality, more rapid introduction of new products and processes, reduced production costs, and higher profits.

14. Discuss the high involvement processes in organisation and management.

• High involvement management strategies include employee participation, shared information and involvement in decision making to increase employee commitment and motivation.
• High-involvement organisations aim for employees who are intrinsically motivated with a feeling of competence and self efficacy.

15. What are the possible effects of high involvement?

• High involvement strategies may result in enhanced employee performance and productivity by providing them with a sense of ownership and value.
• It can also lead to increased employee participation in the organisation.

16. Explain the term Alternative work schedule and discuss about compressed workweeks and flexible working hours.

• Alternative work schedules are designed to provide employees with more control over their work hours to accommodate diverse needs and improve morale.
• Compressed workweeks allow employees to work the same number of hours in fewer days, potentially leading to longer workdays and more time off.
• Flexible working hours allow employees to vary their start and finish times, promoting work-life balance while maintaining core working hours.

17. Explain how ESOPs impact employee motivation, attitudes and behaviour?

• ESOPs, or Employee Stock Ownership Plans, aim to increase employee motivation and commitment by giving them a stake in the company's success.
• These plans can increase feelings of psychological ownership, leading to higher job satisfaction, reduced absenteeism, and increased goal-directed effort.
• Employees feel more valued and significant, which can boost their self-esteem and overall performance.

18. What are Quality Control Circles? What purpose do they serve?

• Quality Control Circles (QCCs) are small groups of employees who meet to discuss and resolve issues related to product quality and work processes.
• They promote employee involvement and provide a sense of ownership, and are thought to enhance social motivation and team collaboration by allowing individuals to apply their skills and knowledge.

19. What do you mean by the term High Involvement Organisation?

• A high involvement organisation seeks to include employees in the operation of the organisation, with employees having an opportunity to influence decisions.
• This creates a culture of competence and autonomy within the organisation, and promotes feelings of self efficacy.

20. How efficient is the employee ownership system? Elucidate

The efficiency of employee ownership systems is a complex issue with both potential benefits and drawbacks. According to the sources, employee ownership is intended to:

• Stimulate zeal and careful working: The idea is that employees who have a stake in the company will be more motivated to work harder and more efficiently.
• Reduce turnover, absenteeism, and grievances: Employee ownership is intended to foster a greater sense of commitment and loyalty, leading to decreased employee issues.
• Decrease worker alienation: By providing a sense of ownership, employee ownership aims to reduce feelings of alienation and increase a sense of belonging.

However, some research suggests that while employee ownership can lead to improved morale and productivity, it is not always a guaranteed success. The effectiveness often depends on the specific implementation of the ownership plan. For example:

• ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans), while common, do not always fully hand over ownership as they often primarily provide an equity stake without significant decision-making rights. When ownership is designed exclusively around equity without information and influence, it may not yield the desired results.
• When employees are given an equity stake and important organisational information is shared, and when they are involved in organisational decision making, it sends a powerful message that they are valued.
• Furthermore, some employees may experience stress, worrying about the soundness of their daily business decisions, which can negatively affect their work.
• Studies have shown that employee ownership can lead to a collective consciousness, common interests, psychological partnership, identification with the organisation, and organisational commitment. They may also demonstrate increased job satisfaction.
• In conclusion, the efficiency of employee ownership relies on both the legal and psychological experience of ownership. This suggests that giving employees a sense of both ownership and responsibility is important for success.

21. State the theory of ownership.

The theory of ownership, as presented in the sources, suggests that:

• Ownership operates on two levels: a legal state and a psychological state.
  • Legal ownership is defined as the "bundle of rights," which includes the right to possess a share of the owned object's physical or financial value, obtain enforcement about the status of ownership, and influence the object.
• Psychological ownership is when an individual feels that a piece of the organisation is theirs.
• Motivation, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment increase when employees have a sense of ownership. Absenteeism and turnover may decrease.
• The emergence of psychological ownership is strongly influenced by providing employees with an equity stake, keeping them informed about the activities of the organisation, and allowing them to actively influence important organisational matters.
• When employees feel as though they are significant, worthy, and valuable to the organisation, this contributes to their self-esteem, which supports goal-directed efforts and sustains their motivation for higher performance.

22. Describe total quality management

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach focused on:

• Continuous improvement of the processes used to manufacture a product or deliver a service.
• TQM is based on the concept that quality should be a primary focus, rather than quantity.
• TQM's four pillars are:
  • Customer focus: Making customer satisfaction a priority in the quality process.
  • Measurement and evaluation: The use of data-driven metrics to assess and enhance quality.
  • Employee involvement: Involving all employees in the search for continuous improvement.
  • Continuous improvement: Constantly seeking and implementing improvements in the quality of the processes or goods of an organisation.
• TQM has become an integral part of the management process in industries worldwide.
• It has been shown that TQM can lead to increased quality, faster introduction of new products and processes, reduced production costs, and higher profits. However, it can also lead to higher stress levels.
• TQM emphasizes the human process, because employees are key in the search for continuous improvement.

23. Explain the involvement strategies.

Involvement strategies are designed to utilise human resources fully. They seek to improve an organisation by including employees in the decision-making and management processes. These strategies include:

• Job Enrichment: Designing jobs to be more challenging, varied, and meaningful.
  • Job design affects an employee's motivation, attitudes and behaviours.
• Work Teams: Forming teams that take on greater responsibility for their work processes.
• Management by Objectives (MBO): Involving employees in setting and achieving organisational goals.
• Quality Circles (QC): Small groups of employees who meet to identify and solve quality-related problems.
• Employee Ownership: Giving employees a stake in the organisation's success through stock plans or other means.
• Gain Sharing: Allowing employees to benefit financially from improvements in organisational performance.
• Quality of Work Life (QWL) Programs: Cooperative labour-management programs aimed at improving working conditions and employee involvement. These programs attempt to improve the conditions for both the organisation and the worker.
• These strategies can lead to a high involvement organisation.
• These strategies aim to integrate individual and organisational objectives.