Training with Impact

Training with Impact

Motivational Theories

The hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow is one of the theories that explain motivation. The hierarchy states the need to fulfill the lower needs of the pyramid before proceeding to the upper section. This order is created naturally because the basic needs of human beings, more so employees, always take precedence. The main needs in the pyramid include physiological (basic) needs, safety, and security, social esteem, and self-actualization. Employees have different needs at different stages of their lives (Klingel, 2021).

Herzberg’s maintenance-motivation theory emphasizes that maintenance aspects are critical for motivation. Maintenance is a basic need. Failure to fulfil these needs hinders high productivity due to low morale. Herzberg insists that taking these needs for granted results in negativity and encourages their fulfilment. Additional motivation factors include responsibility, achievement, and recognition (Klingel, 2021).

The expectancy theory posits that an individual’s belief in their ability to achieve a certain goal acts as motivation. The theory’s assumption is that all individuals employ ethical means to achieve their goals. It does not provide any strategies or ethical guides that can be applied. Finally, Douglas McGregor’s Theory X/Theory Y states that employers categorize employees as either committed or hardworking. Lazy employees who must be pushed to work fall in the X category, while self-motivated employees are placed in the Y category. Theory X emphasizes the need for close supervision, rewards, penalties, and punishment. Theory Y highlights the importance of job satisfaction and urges employees to carry out tasks unsupervised (Klingel, 2021).

Barriers to Learning

Organizational learning is either enabled or inhibited by the environment. Insufficient resources act as the first barrier, where managers believe they lack the necessary time or money to support or implement the training process. The managers also fail to come up with creative and inexpensive ways that can be used to incorporate learning into daily activities. The work-learning dichotomy acts as a barrier due to the assumption that learning is only necessary when employees are new or seeking promotion. Such an assumption inhibits the motivation to learn and improve skills in the work process. An organizational culture that does not support learning also inhibits it. Some of the characteristics of such a culture include a lack of open communication, feedback, as well as reflection. Employees in such an organization cannot take risks due to fear of failure. The resistance to change that may result from learning hinders the entire process. The management’s failure to drive change strategically and engage and enlighten employees about the entire process makes it difficult (BOND, 2006). These barriers hinder the process of learning and cause an organization to lag despite having training programs.

Enhancing Employee Motivation

To enhance the motivation of employees, it is important to engage them in goal setting. This process allows the employees to participate and leads to the setting of objectives that have a purpose. The process also allows the alignment of personal goals to the company’s objectives. Identifying strategies that can be used to achieve the goals is also critical for achievement. Secondly, it is important to constantly assess progress and provide feedback. During this process, recognition and rewards for small and big wins make employees feel motivated and appreciated. Prior to setting a reward system, it is necessary to find out from employees what is likely to motivate them (Skilbeck, 2019). As Maslow’s hierarchy of needs posits, different employees are at varying stages. Thus, their needs vary. Employing similar motivation techniques will not achieve the desired effect because some of the employees will not be motivated.

Finally, training is an effective strategy that influences motivation positively. Once goals are set and strategies are identified, employees need the skills and knowledge to carry out each action plan. Proper training addresses the needs of the workforce. Thus, creating a program that compensates for the skills gaps enhances the confidence of employees as they carry out their roles and leads to job satisfaction. It also prepares them for opportunities within and beyond the company. Hence, organizations should prepare employees sufficiently for their roles by creating a learning culture (Ozkeser, 2019). Such a culture not only enhances learning retention but also motivates employees to put the new lessons to task and eliminates the fear of failure.

Self-efficacy and Learning

Self-efficacy is congruent with the expectancy motivation theory. Employees with a high sense of self-efficacy are likely to be motivated to achieve their goals. On the other hand, those with a low sense of self-efficacy struggle with negative perceptions and beliefs, which inhibit their achievement of goals. The two types of employees exhibit different learning behaviours. Self-motivated people tend to seek out learning opportunities. The latter are reluctant to learn because their beliefs hinder the process (Yusuf, 2011). When an employer has employees with low self-efficacy, most may turn to Herzberg’s Theory X/Theory Y to motivate the staff members.

References

BOND. (2006). Working With Barriers To Organisational Learning.

Klingel, K. (2021). Motivational Theories and Strategies as They Relate to Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348909523_Motivational_Theories_and_Strategies_as_They_Relate_to_Leadership

Ozkeser, B. (2019). Impact of training on employee motivation in human resources management. Procedia Computer Science, 158, 802-810.

Skilbeck, R. (2019). Six Strategies To Maintain Employee Motivation. Forbes.

Yusuf, M. (2011). The impact of self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self-regulated learning strategies on students’ academic achievement. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2623-2626.

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Training with Impact

Imagine that your training plans are not yielding the expected results in learning according to the data that you’ve analyzed. There has been a discussion with the leadership team about issues with employees not being motivated to learn, and employee surveys have confirmed that employees are not sufficiently motivated. Your team has been asked by the HR Director to investigate what may be causing the lack of motivation. Your investigation should consider barriers to learning, motivational theories, and alternatives for enhancing employee motivation.

Create a report of no more than 700 words that summarizes various motivational theories.

Write a report that includes the following components:

A comparison of motivational theories
Alternatives that should be considered to enhance learner motivation
The impact of self-efficacy on learning
Recommendations for improving motivation for learning
Data that you will collect to determine whether or not your recommendations are having a positive effect on employee motivation
Strategies for enhancing the retention of learning
Post-implementation surveys and analysis to determine the effectiveness of training on motivation