Motivation, Job Satisfaction and Work Performance
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Evaluating the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction and work performance
Employee satisfaction is an intrinsic force created and sustained through individualistic factors which vary from time to time. Environmental factors do not cause motivation but have an impact on the magnitude of motivation that an employee achieves. Environmental factors, along with innate factors determine employees’ behavior and performance at work. A highly competitive work environment motivates employees. According to Roos and Van (2008), research shows that the level to which employees are motivated by having their abilities stretched has a direct experience on the job satisfaction experienced.
A performance issue resulting from a motivational problem
Lack of motivation causes various performance issues, including unimpressive performance results. Often, a company fails to perform as required or expected, even if it has the necessary resources. Unimpressive performance is seems due to issues such as insufficient output, unacceptable quality, failure to follow the company’s operating procedures, high amounts of rejects, insufficient input by the employees, incompetence, lack of attention, misconduct and negligence. As the company attempts to solve the issue, tapping more resources into departments does not improve the situation since the cause is an innate factor.
The Maslow hierarchy of needs theory
According to the Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, there is a pyramidal hierarchy of needs which people have to satisfy. The Maslow hierarchy coves psychological needs, needs for belonging to the social circle and needs for pursuing talents, all the way to self actualization. The Maslow hierarchy recognizes that unmet needs inhibit people from moving up the next step.
King-Hill (2015) argues that the Maslow pyramid is comprised of two categories namely deficiency needs and growth needs. Growth needs include belonging, self esteem and self actualization. Deficiency needs include physiological and safety needs. If deficiency needs are not fulfilled, a person feels the deficit and stifles on their development (King-Hill, 2015).
In work situations, unimpressive performance results may result the fact that employees’ needs have not been fulfilled. Employees may not have fulfilled their deficiency needs; the company may be offering poor wages and unsafe working conditions. Employees may not have fulfilled their growth needs; the company may not be offering good working environment through which employees can optimally utilize their potential. If the company does not meet employees’ deficiency needs, it can hardly meet their growth needs. Failure to meet employees’ deficiency and growth needs increases employees’ frustration, hence poor performance, low job satisfaction and a high level of withdrawal from the company.
Unimpressive performance results from issues such as lack of recognition and rewards on key performances, failure to deal with current performance problems, unfair treatment, inconsistent goals and unnecessary arbitrary barriers and policies. If employees are not recognized and rewarded for excellent performances they get the feeling that no one cares, hence do not see the need of their hard work and effort. Managers often find it unpleasant and hard to handle performance problems. Failing to address these issues and engaging the poorly performing …
