In the case study, there are two officers under the command of Sergeant Lou Maynard who were originally known to be good performers. However, with time the two officers start to lack in their work ethics. Their reports appear substandard lacking content and marginal in quality. This is a clear indicator that there is a decrease in their level of motivation towards work.
According to Maslow, there are different motivators for a person. The sources of motivation incorporate the needs of a person. Needs will always stimulate the energy required to attain the desired goal. The two officers because of their close retirement eligibility just wanted to see their goal of finally leaving the police force after many years of working as law enforcement officers. As depicted in their work the two officers were essentially burnt out on police work.
Maslow categorized human needs into five (Parker, 2001). There is the psychological need. This is a need whereby every employee wants to have the basic human needs that include food, clothing, and shelter. Every employee needs to have a house where they can call home and take rests. The other need is the security need. Every employee needs to have job security that will assure them some income in the future as well as proper planning. The other need is a social need. As the old saying goes that “no man is an island.” Every person wants to be accepted at home and in the work pace. That means that the workplace needs to be very friendly and for all employees and that will motivate them in their work. Self-esteem is the other source of motivation. In this need, all employees want to be confident in their tasks. Confidence is gained from the execution of duties and feeling comfortable in the workplace. The other source of motivation is self-actualization. Every employee needs to make the best of himself or herself. That is a source of motivation for all employees.
In the security team, all the employees would like to have a secure future in the security force. The officers would also want to climb the various ranks in the workplace. In that case, promotions should be regular in the workplace because it will create some satisfaction for the employees and at the same time creating some intrinsic motivation.
According to Theory X by McGregor, employees are not motivated to work, and they only work because they need to have a means to survival. Theory X states that most managers in workplaces tend to be more pessimistic to the views of people and they tend to assume that people dislike work and are not motivated to work. The theory states that most managers believe that most employees would like to be rewarded for their work and at the same time promoted to better positions. In case they do something against the company policies, the managers assume that the employees should be punished for their failures. Personally, as a manager, I believe that employees gain more satisfaction from their intrinsic motivation as opposed to extrinsic motivation. In that case, praise and promotions would be effective in increasing the motivation of employees. Employees are motivated by extract values for a while and then forget about the issue.
Education is a factor in the attitude of employees to work. However, some factors are not affected by work. Some of the factors include the fact that intrinsic motivation is more realistic compared to extrinsic motivation. The hierarchy of needs is also inevitable. Regardless of the educational level of any of the employees in the organization, all the employees need to be appreciated in a way that they will achieve their set needs. In that case, the management of a company should always formulate policies that will ensure that the employees are motivated. A motivated workforce is usually more productive, and that is an advantage to the business.
- Parker, O. (2001). “Pay and Employee Commitment.” Ivey Business Journal. January 2001.
