Job Design and Motivation

Friday, September 23, 2011

If motivation is to be found within the job and if motivation is linked to some hierarchy of needs, how can we design those concepts into a “job” and still serve the needs of all four constituencies: the organization, stakeholders, customers, and finally employees themselves?

The first that we must do is to understand the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of someone who is going to perform the role within the organization. When all is said and done, the duties of the position must be accomplished if we are to meet the needs of all of our constituencies. Next we must understand what motivates the incumbent employee.

Herzberg identified 5 “true motivators”, achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, and advancement, notice salary is missing. When asked about the role of money and motivation, Herzberg stated, “Viewed within the context of the sequences of events, salary as a factor belongs more in the group that defines the job situation and is primarily a dissatisfier."

Maslow found that as individuals achieved each successive level within his hierarchy of needs, that level ceased to be a motivator. Maslow divided the hierarchy into 5 levels ranging from the most basic needs (e.g., food) to the highest (e.g., Wisdom): 1. Physiological, 2. Safety, 3. Social, 4. Esteem, and 5. Self-Actualization. For Maslow, Financial reserves (i.e., money) would be found at the “Safety” level, along with “Living in a safe area”, “Medical insurance”, “Job security”

First, when and where must the work be done? Must it be done in a factory office? There may be little flexibility if the work is done in a factory; however, many of today’s offices offer opportunities for work to be done remotely and within a certain degree of starting and stopping time. This flexibility is often seen in the form of “core” work hours in which all employees must be in the office and variable starting and stopping times built around that core. Flexibility is often available in the days of the week the work is performed. Variable schedules such as 3-12’s, 4-10’s and other arrangement may allow for the work to be complete while allowing the employee a high degree of flexible scheduling.

Next, how is the work to be done? Is each step of the job process mapped out to some finite detail with no room for individual interjected their own method or process? In manufacturing, there is often little room for variation from the approved process methods. In fact, deviation from those methods could result in sub optimum product or even safety issues. True, but allowing workers to re-design work processes may lead to improved product and higher production, not to mention employee engagement. Many organizations maintain “process improvement” committees which include floor workers who help re-design long standing and ineffective manufacturing methods.

Lastly, how are employees recognized and rewarded? It has been a routine practice in the military to allow pilots to have their name and the name of their co-pilot printed on the aircraft. The military found that by printing the names of the crew chief on an aircraft improved the maintenance levels on those same aircraft. Some organizations allow the names of their truck drivers to be printed on their trucks. Drivers also compete in “truck rodeos” to demonstrate their skill at finessing 80,000 pounds of truck around a parking lot and loading dock. Utility companies often sponsor “lineman rodeos” for similar purposes. Try to think of it in terms or safety training, skill building, esteem building, recognition, and employee engagement.