Motivation Theories
The long-term success of the many organizations rests squarely on the motivation and behavior of the individuals who are part of them. Whenever a manager is asked "What seems to be the problem?" the manager usually responds with "There seems to be a motivational problem among the employees. I have tried several things, but nothing seems to work." Such is the case with Star Power, an organization that manufactures solar cells for use as battery chargers, to power lights, to power electrical test vehicles, portable power for laptops, cell phones, cameras, etc. We will look at the three main groups of employees; salespeople, production workers, and administrative staff and discuss which motivation theories would be most effective to motivate these employees.
There are 129 production workers at Solar Power. The organization has been running three eight hour shifts Monday ? Friday for the last three years. About 3/4 of the employees have been with the company for the last 12 years of its existence. Things have been looking good for the organization. With the world looking for a more "green friendly" environment, demand for their solar cells has been on the increase. People are starting to see the advantage of solar power. You can charge batteries with solar power and not use electricity. There are fewer batteries to worry about disposing of resulting in less space in the landfills. You never have a dead battery as long as you have the sun. The production workers have just been told that due to the increased demand for their solar cells, they will have to start working seven days per week. Management does not have a timetable for how long the sevens day per week will continue. Worker motivation may decline.
Motivation refers to the individual ...