Hierarchy of Human Needs and Goal Setting Theory

Hierarchy of Human Needs and Goal Setting Theory Introduction As the increasing concern of how to achieve performance excellence through employees, most of the organizations now pay more attentions on the means of motivating employees, such as incentives, rewards. Kreitner (2004) quoted Mitchells definition of motivation which refers to those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed. Different motivation theories guide the ways of encouraging people to make effort and exploit their ability for the organizations goal and meeting their own needs; also, they suggest the factors resulting in job satisfaction and their influence on employee performance (Armstrong, 2006). This essay attempts to explore the motivator and the process of motivation by a critical review of motivation theories; moreover, it examines the theories through a questionnaire research in terms of what people are motivated and how they are motivated. Thereby, it leads to a further discussion of the appl ication of motivation theory in practice. Literature Review As Armstrong (2006) states motivating people refers to encourage them to work toward the expected direction, motivation in organizations aims at creating a context and undertaking a motivation process in which individuals work and provide the performance according to the managerial expectations. The process of motivation is described as a needs-oriented model that goes through four stages: need, goal setting, action and achievement (Armstrong, 2006). It is suggested that people are aware of the unsatisfied needs consciously or unconsciously; and then the desire of satisfying the needs enables the establishment of goal (Latham, 2007). To achieve the goal by taking actions is believed will meet the needs. If the goal is obtained successfully, the same actions are likely to be repeated for satisfying the needs (Latham, 2007). In this way, the process of the motivation is completed. The theory of motivation is divided into two main categories C content theory and process theory. Content theory interprets the insights of peoples needs and explores the factors that motivate people (Foster, 2005). It emphasizes the intrinsic elements that energize, direct and endure behaviour; also, it explains how these elements are valued as internal motivators by individuals (Porter, Bigley Steers, 2003). There are four primary content theories of motivation at work, including Maslows hierarchy of need, Alderfers ERG (existence-relatedness-growth) theory, Herzbergs motivator-hygiene model and McClellands learned needs theory (Porter, Bigley Steers, 2003). Content theory C Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs Among these theories, Maslows hierarchy of human needs is the most famous one connecting peoples needs to motivation. According to this theory, individuals needs are categorized as deficiency needs and growth needs. Deficiency needs are the basic needs that must be satisfied; it contains three levels C physiological, safety and security, belongingness. The physiological needs are at the bottom of Maslows hierarchy theory. That is to say, all other needs are out of peoples consideration until the physiological needs are satisfied (Latham, 2007). The implication of physiological needs at work may include lunch break, rest break, sufficient wage to support daily essentials (NetMBA, 2007). Safety and security needs arise for protecting oneself from threats and harm either physically or emotionally on condition that physiological needs are satisfied. In the context of work, safety and security needs can be reflected through a safe working environment, retirement benefit, job security, etc (NetMBA, 2007). Since the two lower needs are satisfied, people are continuously seeking higher needs; thus the desire of interaction and communication with other people emerges. Belongingness needs covers this extent of peoples needs that receiving and giving love, and belonging to a group. Growth needs refer to the advancement and achievement of individuals potential; it includes self-esteem and self-actualization (Foster, 2005). Growth needs are indeterminate but higher than deficiency needs. Maslows theory assumes that higher needs will be the focus of the individuals attention and become dominant when the lower needs are satisfied (Armstrong, 2006). Self-esteem needs classified as internal and external. The desires for achievement, confidence, freedom and independence come from oneself. The external esteem is about the desire of attention, importance, recognition and reputation (Armstrong, 2006). Self-actualization implies the needs to maximum ones potential and advance skills, and the needs to achieve higher goals that one considers one is capable for it (Armstrong, 2006). Self-esteem and self-actualization lie on the top two layers of the pyramid of Maslows theory. Although they may be difficult to accomplish, they are the greatest drive for individual behaviour. However, Maslows theory is also questioned by other scholars for two points. Firstly, as Armstrong (2006) points out, the priority of different needs is varied with individual. Maslows hierarchy of needs theory indicates that people follow this hierarchy of needs steadily. Nevertheless, different people may have different need to be satisfied as their priority. There are two researches conducted among a group of managers from different organizations for examining Maslows theory. Lawler and Suttles research found managers predominant needs at the higher level are varied with individual (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006). In another research, Hall and Nougaim found little evidence to support the theory of hierarchy as managers increasing attention on growth needs is mostly determined by the changes in upward careers instead of the satisfaction of lower-order needs (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006). Process theory C Goal Setting Theory As it has been mentioned, content theories are about what people are motivated. Simply, process theories suggest the means that people are motivated. They concentrate on the process of peoples decision-making and the actions they take in order to attain the expected goals (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2007). Process theory of work motivation has three major theories: equity theory, expectancy theory and goal-setting theory. Goal-setting theory states individual motivation and performance can be enhanced through setting a specific goal on condition that the goal is challenging but committed, and along with a feedback on performance (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). From the management perspective, goal is used as an effective means to manage motivation and to control organization performing in relation to the expected result (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). It also helps organizations to interpret and forecast employees work behaviour as the theory assumes behaviour is the outcome of sensible goals and purpose(Koontz and Weihrich, 2006). Goal-settig theory contains four major propositions: challenging goals, specific goals, participation and knowledge of results (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2007). The four major propositions are regarded as the fundamental elements of goal-setting theory that mostly contribute to higher level performance (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Challenging goals are more likely to cause desirable performance. Once people commit the goal and believe it is achievable, they become goal-oriented; and they take actions for goal achievement (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Difficult goals require more effective outcome of behaviour than easy ones. Further, specific goals administer to higher level performance than general ones; for reasons of providing precise plan that people work upon. Participation in goal-setting theory is an important part as it is a proper way to get agreement on setting higher goals (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). In this way, people are willing to make effort to accomplish the goals. Knowledge of results or feedback is playing the role of informing people of the results and maintaining motivation for higher goals (Armstrong, 2006). Theoretically, goal-setting is an effective method for organizations to managing work motivation and achieving high goals. However, it is doubted of its effectiveness out of laboratory setting (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Austin and Bobko point out goal-setting is likely to focus on quantity of work rather than quality of it as quantity is more measurable and clearer than quality when setting goals (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Moreover, there may be conflicts among different goals in the real work context. To decide which goal is prior means to ignore or reserve the other goals. Thereby, the application of goal-setting is weakened (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Besides, goal-setting theory is limited to individual work and performance. In practice, group goals and performance, especially a companys goals and performance account for more importance (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Crown and Rose found setting group goals can enhance the performance of the group; and the group goals are consisted of individual goals agreed by individuals (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Therefore, goal-setting theory is suggested to be applied to group or organizations as whole rather than stick on individual levels. Research Data Analysis The research aims to find out what people are motivated in the workplace and in which way they are motivated on the basis of Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and goal-setting theory. The data is collected through questionnaire from ten respondents. The first part of questionnaire is developed for exploring the motivators according to Maslows theory. The core proposition of Maslows theory is that peoples needs have five stages from low to high forming the hierarchy. Five specific items indicate the five levels of needs: reasonable wage, job security, employee relationships, achievement and recognition, opportunity of upward career (see appendix 1, Question 2). The research data presents that respondents give priority on different items. Reasonable wage implies the physiological needs which are the basic needs that must be satisfied. There are sixty percent of respondents ranking it as their priority; twenty percent rank job security (which represents safe and security needs) as their primary needs. Interestingly, twenty percent of respondents rank the theoretically top needs opportunity of upward career (which represents self-actualization needs) as their prime needs. For a further investigation on this question, a cross-tabulation is used in order to find out the relationship between the priority of needs and the role in a group. The data shows who play the role of doer and shaper in a group consider physiological needs are primary; who take the leader positions in a group attach more importance on higher needs, e.g. self-esteem and self-actualization needs. Moreover, the responses on Question 4 (see appendix 1) show there are certain percentage of respondents are willing to work under unfavourable conditions when they believe there is something valuable to them. From this point, it can hardly support Maslows theory that people have higher needs when their lower needs are satisfied. Reviewing Armstrongs doubt on Maslows hierarchy of needs, he points out that the priority of different needs is varied with individual. Therefore, peoples needs do not follow Maslows hierarchy strictly. Also, the data reveals that physiological needs, safe and securit y needs, and self-actualization needs are the top motivators among the respondents. The second part of questionnaire attempts to understand how people are motivated to deliver high-level performance. The questions are designed base on the theory of goal-setting. Seventy percent of responses show goals are able to improve the performance (see Appendix 1, Question 5). The other responses upon the points that specific goals, participation and knowledge of results lead to enhancement of performance positively support the theory of goal-setting (see Appendix 1, Question 7, 89). That is to say, most of respondent believe challenging goals and specific goals helps them to deliver an enhanced performance, and participation in goal-setting endows them the willingness to work toward the goals; finally feedback is regarded as a vital means to know how well they have been, also a form of motivator. Question 6 (see appendix 1) exposes the potential issue of application of goal-setting theory. It cannot be denied the possibility that people would accept higher goals if their lowe r needs are at risk of satisfaction. When such situation occurs, people acceptance of higher goal is reluctant. This may fails to produce an expected performance as the goal probably is exorbitant or the person is less motivated. Austin and Bobko argue that goal-setting theory concentrate on quantity rather than quality (Armstrong, 2006). The responses collected from ten respondents also point to this limitation. This issue can be perceived in different contexts. For instance, quantity can be understood as the number of product produced by individual workers or groups. In this situation, the goals set for individual or group have limited effectiveness on product quality. Yet, when quantity stands for the amount of money, for example sales amount, goal-setting theory is still effective on work motivation relating to the organization performance. An Evaluation of Motivation Theory in Practice In the literature review part, the proposition of Maslows hierarchy of needs represented the content theory of motivation has been explained. Also the limitation of this theory is discussed. Through the research, the weaknesses of Maslows theory are further exposed; especially the concept of hierarchy of needs is strict. Nonetheless, Maslows theory of needs helps organizations to have the idea of the basic nature of human motives (Porter, Bigley and Steers, 2003). Knowing the needs theory, Managers are able to manage work motivation by creating a work environment that aims to satisfy employees needs (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2005). Goal-setting theory is introduced to organization management as known as Management by Objectives (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2005. It is broadly applied in the organizations for its strengths of guiding and directing individuals to work toward the goal; and of providing indicators for performance evaluation (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2005). Goal setting is a process of advancing, negotiating and set objectives that challenge the individuals as well as the organizations. Therefore, as Crown and Rose state, setting group goals is more important than individual goals (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). The group goals are consisted of several individual goals that are agreed by individuals (Arnold and Silvester, 2005). Therefore, the process of achieving group goals actually is the process of attaining group members individual goals. Thus, individual performance and group performance can be advanced through goal achievement. Conclusion Motivation is described as a process that needs-oriented pass through four stages: need, goal setting, action and achievement. Content theory helps to identify the elements that are able to motivate people. Maslows hierarchy of needs theory recognized five levels of peoples needs. By knowing the needs, organizations are able to motivate employee to deliver high level performance through satisfying their needs. Process theory is regarding to the methods of motivation. Goal-setting is an effective way in modern organization management. It identifies the relationship between goal and performance. It advocates that challenging and specific goal, participation and feedback can result in high level performance. Although goal-setting theory is argued that it focuses on individual goal and performance, it also can be employed in groups or organization. Further, setting group goals can improve the whole performance rather than individual. Therefore, it is sophisticate and effective way for wo rk motivation in modern organizations. REFERENCE Armstrong, M., (2006), A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th ed, Kogan Page Limited Arnold, J. and Silvester, J., (2005), Work Psychology: Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace, 4th ed, Pearson Clegg, S., Kornberger, M., and Pitsis, T., (2005), Managing and Organizations: An Introduction to theory and Practice, SAGE Foster, N., (2005), Maximum Performance: A Practical Guide to Leading and Managing People at Work, Edward Elgar Publishing Griffin, R. W. and Moorhead, G., (2009), Organizational Behaviour: Managing People and Organizations, 9th ed, Cengage Learning Huczynski, A. and Buchanan, D. A., (2007), Organization Behaviour: An Introduction Text, 6th ed. Pearson Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A., (2004), Organizational Behavior, 6th ed, McGraw-Hill Koontz, H. and Weihrich, H., (2006), Essentials of Management, 7th ed, Tata McGraw-Hill Latham, G. P., (2007), Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research and Practice, SAGE Publication, Inc. Porter, L. W., Bigley, G. A. and Steers, R. M., (2003) Motivation and Work Behaviour, 7th ed, McGraw-Hill NetMBA, (2007), Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, NetMBA.com, Last accessed on 1st November at URL: http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/

Arbitration

Arbitration is the process of resolving an argument outside the formal court system.   An arbitrator listens to both parties and determines an agreement that is fairest to both parties.   As a part of the hiring process, many employers are mandating voluntary arbitration agreements between the employee and the company as part of the application process for hiring. These types of arbitration agreements have caused concern from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employee protection.   One famous case arose between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Waffle House.   The rulings from the case by both the Circuit Courts and the Supreme Courts have changed the structure and proceedings for the mandatory arbitration agreements between employees and employers. When an employee of Waffle House was fired after having a seizure during work hours, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed legal action against Waffle House. Because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was not part of the mandatory arbitration agreement between Waffle House and the employee the case was taken to the courts â€Å"In EEOC v. Waffle House, Inc., the Supreme Court held that an agreement between an employer and an employee to arbitrate employment disputes does not bar the EEOC from pursuing an independent lawsuit on the employee’s behalf and seeking employee—specific judicial relief.† (Labor and Employee Relations, 2002)   The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint that Waffle House was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and sought punitive damages and back pay for the employee. At first glance, one might come to the conclusion that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has essentially replaced the arbitration process between employers and employees.   If the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can file complaints because a representative of the commission had not signed an agreement with the company, it is natural to assume that companies would find such agreements to be futile and worthless.   Now employees can file an arbitration claim and an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim against employers. The main purpose of the mandatory arbitration agreements was to keep employee suits out of the court system to save both the employee and the company legal fees.   Under the Supreme Court rulings it would appear that employers are no longer protected and the use of arbitration agreements with employees would potentially increase the possibility of having a suit filed against the company. However, employers know that the number of cases that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission actually takes to the courts is extremely low in comparison to the number of cases the commission receives annually.   The chances of a case going to litigation is significantly low as long as the employer has examined the wording of the mandatory arbitration agreements and has maintained safe and fair working practices. Even though the Supreme Court left open the statue of limitations on cases filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the type of damages that could be sought, mandatory arbitration is still viewed as a cost effective method to settle employee disputes with companies.   â€Å"If the employee failed to mitigate his or her damages, any recovery by the EEOC would be limited accordingly.† (Labor and Employee Relations, 2002) Employers who practice sound business procedures are still protected by the mandatory arbitration agreements because an employee is limited on the types of compensation that can be claimed either by the employee or by the commission on the employee’s behalf.   In addition, many employees that sign the mandatory arbitration agreements are completely unaware of the existence of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or that they can file outside of the company’s chosen arbitrator for law suits against the company.   Even though technically employees have two methods to file against an employer, the reality is that most employees are ignorant of the resources at their disposal. The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to represent employees outside of mandatory arbitration has not deterred companies from continuing the practice of these requiring these agreements.   Arbitration remains the most cost effective method to settle employee disputes by avoiding high legal fees for both the company and the employee.   The Supreme Court’s decision resulted in companies practicing more equitable work procedures. In addition, the decision forced companies to examine existing agreements and modify them to be more equitable to the employer.   With the changes in the arbitration agreements, the low percentage of cases taken to court by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the lack of knowledge by employees of the commission’s existence the use of mandatory arbitration agreements to settle employee disputes is still cost effective and on the rise for companies.

Whispered Sample Essays Writing Secrets

Whispered Sample Essays Writing Secrets While every section of an essay is crucial, it is necessary to remember that it's in the introduction where readers get to determine whether they ought to be reading the remainder of your composition or not. There's no topic too tricky for our experts. All you need to do is to give us the details alongside your other instructions and we'll draft the content to fit your criteria. All you should keep in mind is that you are going to be in a position to succeed on the test when you have studied and practiced the concepts and have the ability to finish the whole test within the designated time limit. Donald Murray points out that an expert writer will include two things in her or his bit of literature in order to make an intriguing read. If you discover that the writer did not provide just what you expected, request a revision, and we'll make the corrections. Moreover, our English-speaking writers make sure every order has original content and an appropriate structure. Don't use any fancy fonts as it can produce the essay seem informal. Keep in mind, an admission essay sample may be a good way to find out more about the writing procedure and understand the task better. An elongated essay is a kind of academic writing assignment, which success rides on the structure. Evidently, the entire essay writing procedure is very time intensive and tedious. Considering all the knowledge areas and tips that you're already conscious of in writing a scholarship letter, you are able to easily put together all of the information that you should make sure you and your scholarship letter will stick out. Just about all university courses ask that you compose an essay sooner or later in time. There are various letter documents and essay examples that are employed in the business of education. English class teaches you what is thought to be plagiarism and how to correctly utilize secondary sources to strengthen your writing and the way to make sure you give the correct credit to the author. It's totally all right not to begin with large hooks. Possessing good essay examples provides the reader an in-depth and on-the-court idea about what a well structured and coherent essay appears like. You'll observe a similar structure in several of the essays. It's highly suggested that you outline an essay at first before finally writing its real content. You're permitted to take notes as you read and listen. You need to always make certain you finish all 3 tasks when practicing the essay prompts. The very first line of the essay tell you concerning the topics. If you must understand how to compose essays, you're not alone. You could also see academic essay. You might also see descriptive essay. A scholarship essay is a significant document that's used in the processes of scholarship application. When you inform us about all of the paper information, we'll begin trying to find an appropriate writer for your paper. Anything you have to finish your paper quickly and qualitative. Take a look at the samples yourself and learn what your paper will look like. When it has to do with ordering an academic paper, it's clear you desire to be certain you'll get what you pay for. Most have to visit the city to have a great education. In summary, this essay has looked at the significance of needs assessment and the way that it plays an important part in the prevention and administration of high-quality care. The objective of the program is to set a superb standard for those officers concerning treating mentally ill individuals. Apart from the simple fact that writing personal experiences are rather easy to write, it's also a method of building connections and relations with your readers. To avail professional writing services, you want to locate a reputable and dependable writing service provider that can provide you the very best writing services at competitive prices. Use the aid of true academic experts and receive the service you have earned! Our service, for example, has an excellent group of writers comprising well-versed and knowledgeable writers who have specialized in a variety of fields of writing to help students in comprehending numerous aspects of writing. It is used by students all over the world.

Does the beauty and majesty of the natural world need to be tied to a higher or more spiritual force to be truly understood Why or why not Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Does the Beauty and Majesty of the Natural World Need to Be Tied to a Higher or More Spiritual Force to Be Truly Understood? An Assignment Submitted by Name of Student Name of Establishment Class XXXX, Section XXXX, Winter 2013 Abstract The question of nature’s spirituality reaches far beyond theoretical ethical debates. Decision making in various industries and individual lives is profoundly influenced by the role of nature in human worldview. As religious doctrines are diverse and assign different roles to the elements of environment, it is argued here that the value of nature should be separated from divine forces. Even in the cases when nature itself is considered divine, more conscious attitude to one’s own religious beliefs is psychologically beneficial. Some objections to this view are examined and followed by counterarguments related to current environmental ethics and politics. Does the Beauty and Majesty of the Natural World Need to Be Tied to a Higher or More Spiritual Force to Be Truly Understood? People need to have values in life. The need for spirituality is proven by psychological studies (Schroeder, 1992) and numerous moments of our daily experience. We will write a custom essay sample on Does the beauty and majesty of the natural world need to be tied to a higher or more spiritual force to be truly understood Why or why not or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now We want to transcend the limits of our own personalities by experiencing Other, be it in God, nature, or other entities (Schroeder, 1992, p. 25). Protection of environment is another acute need of humanity. There are numerous ways of satisfying these two necessities. The difference between them lies in the question where is the Other. Or, to put it playfully, who is the Significant Other? Once a person has decided, it becomes clear what God and nature mean to him or her. For pantheists and deep ecologists, nature is valuable by definition (Naess, 1973). For most of the believers of world religions, nature is beautiful and majestic as long as its phenomena are sanctioned by some deity. Even pagans worship the deities of streams, trees, and rocks, not nature itself. But regardless from the forces considered divine in any one of these cases, the value of nature should not be mediated and limited by any other values. Firstly, the mediation of the value of nature with God or other deities results in unethical treatment of some elements of natural environment. In religion, a certain order is usually imposed upon the world. It often establishes some hierarchy: many animals are believed to be ‘unclean’ or ‘sacred’ in various religions, and the believers treat those animals accordingly. Usually, this inequality does not result in animal massacres or maltreatment, but it has subtler implications for the entire ecosystems.