Motivational Incentives and their affects upon employee commitment
Motivational Incentives and their affects upon employee commitment within 2 marine sector businesses.
1.0 Hypothesis N0: “Motivational incentives will not increase the commitment of employees to their company”
N1 :“Motivational incentives will increase the commitment of employees to their company”
2.0 Introduction At one time, employees were considered just another input into the production of goods and services. What perhaps changed this way of thinking about employees was research, referred to as the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo from 1924 to 1932 (Dickson, 1973). This study found employees are not motivated solely by money, and employee behaviour is linked to their attitudes (Dickson, 1973). The Hawthorne studies pioneered the human relations management of businesses and became a huge focus. Henry. A. Landsberger studied this concept through the experiments carried out by Elton Mayo, using light, he observed workers in higher or lower levels to see if it had an effect upon production levels. Over the years after the study various different theorists characterised their own studies and came up with very viable theories. Around the same sort of time as the Hawthorne Studies, Abraham Maslow pioneered the hierarchy of needs theory, which is taken from his paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’. It characterises the steps to self-actualisation using a triangular formation through physiological, safety, love/belonging and esteem. Maslow indentified these need to grow and develop until a person can achieve their individual potential. One Frederick Winslow Taylor probably put forward the first theory that workers are motivated mainly by pay. He came up with a theory of Scientific Management which argued many different points, such as; workers don’t naturally enjoy their work and need close supervision, managers should break down production into a series of small tasks, workers should be given training and tools so that can achieve a set task efficiently. Many more studies including Herzberg’s X and Y theory have being coined for use in employee motivation. These theories and previous studies are constantly referred to in many different journals of motivation.
3.0 Significance of the study The study is been carried out to analyse the commitment and work output of employees within marine sector businesses based upon various motivational incentives they are given or not given. Production levels, profit levels and service levels will be increased if an organisation motivates its employees and builds up a good relationship between their staffing and management team. Motivation can come in many different forms which will affect employees in different ways. Intrinsic motivation tends to be emotional and physical, this is when an employee is motivated by the interest or enjoyment in the task and will strive to do better because they want to know more. Extrinsic motivation is when the driving factors are external so motivation such as; money, holidays or other material possessions, this will enhance and employee’s home life and they value this more than there working environment.
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