Boosting Employees Organizational Productivity

Question: Describe about the Boosting Employees for Organizational Productivity. Answer: Introduction Boosting employees morale is crucial in enhancing the productivity of an organization. Morale is defined by as the attitude of employees towards their colleagues, employer, and their job. Employees with high morale are satisfied with their work, take initiative, are creative, and committed to realizing strategic organizational objectives. Likewise, high morale results in improved returns, high productivity, and employee loyalty. In contrast, low morale results in high turnover, high skiving, strikes, and unresolved complaints which result in firms poor performance. From the analysis of the case study, I learned that de-motivated employees are very unproductive and might jeopardize the financial well-being of a company. I also found out teamwork, and effective communication between employees and their managers is essential in improving performance and boosting employee morale (Xiaojun Venkatesh, 2013: 695). For this reason, organization managers must invest in teamwork, open communic ation, and the use of incentives to boost employee productivity Importance of Teamwork in the Organization From the analysis of the case study, I realized that lack of teamwork in Treetop Forest Products Ltd was the primary reason behind its woes. Despite the fact that other departments knew that the packaging department was experiencing various challenges, they were not willing to help in resolving their problems. For this reason, Strnadov et al.(2014: 14) posits that teamwork is essential in enhancing the success of an organization. The author defines teamwork as a group of individuals working in collaboration to achieve a common goal. However, to develop a productive team, organizations such as Treetop Forest Product Company must adhere to Tuckmans phases of team development including forming, storming, norming, and performing. Forming is the first phase of team development and team members do not know each other. As such, they are busy getting accustomed to the team and finding out their responsibility as team members (Raes et al., 2015:7). In the storming stage, team members know eac h other and might start challenging others point of view. As a result, confrontation and conflict emerge as different viewpoints resurface. Leaders failure to resolve these conflicts might lead to the loss of focus as in the case of employees in the packaging department. Norming is the stage where employees are collaborating with each other to establish ground rules, develop processes, outlining how tasks should be done and assigning responsibilities (Raes et al., 2015:10). Teamwork was absent in the packaging unit because they lagged behind schedule and prolonged their lunch and coffee breaks. The last stage in the development of a team is performing phase where team members primarily focus on team relationship and accomplishing their tasks. Improved productivity is achieved via collaboration. It is also noted that teams that are productive help in building a business and creating companies that are effective. Therefore, organizations need to analyze their teams productions levels and interpersonal interactions with the aim of making necessary changes to enhance productivity. Therefore, Treetop Forest Products Ltd needs to develop open communication channels where employees can air their grievances and make suggestions on improvements that company should adopt to increase their morale (Xiaojun Venkatesh, 2013: 695). From the case study, I also learned that organization leaders could utilize the four-drive model to understand the needs of their employees and subsequently satisfy them. The following is a detailed analysis of the four-drive theory. The Four-Drive Theory The Four-Drive Theory is characterized by four drives including the drive to bond and belong; to acquire and achieve, define and defend; and to be challenged and comprehend (The LanternGroup, 2009: 2). These drives are essential in motivating employees. A majority of companies have channeled their attention on the drive to acquire and achieve which takes into consideration incentives and base pay to motivate employees. For this reason, the four-drive theory provides employees with strategies to increase employee motivation and engagement. The theory indicates that team building activities in the organization are linked to the drive to Bond Belong. The drive encourages organizations to invest in team building activities because they help staffs in establishing strong bonds with colleagues in various departments (The LanternGroup, 2009: 3). According to the drive challenged and comprehend, workers perform better if they are not confronted or bored. However, leaders should not focus on simplifying or automating all the work processes. On the contrary, leaders should create projects that can help them grow and learn. In the context of Treetop Forest Products Ltd, leaders could challenge employees in the packaging department by restructuring their incentives, their projects, and jobs The Use Incentives to Enhance Employee Morale From the analysis of the case study, it is evident that lack of incentives is the reason behind low performance among employees in the packaging department. For instance, they are paid on an hourly basis whereas employees from other units are entitled to a monthly salary in addition to other benefits such as sick leave and vacation. For this reason, I understood the importance of using both financial and non-financial resources in motivating employees. An incentive is defined as a promise or an act done to appreciate individuals for the great job done. It also means additional benefits or pay for better work or a major achievement. The primary objective of incentives is to arouse or drive a stimulus work, to enhance productivity, to improve employees commitment to their work, and to shape the outlook or behavior of junior staffs towards work. The management can offer employees two types of incentives including financial and non-financial incentives. Financial Incentives Financial incentives include all monetary rewards that aim to motivate employees. Employees who are underpaid often feel that their work is not valued by the organization. Even though money is not the primary motivator, it is not ethical to reward employees unfairly or poorly as in the case of the packaging department unit staffs (Chen, Ren Knoke, 2014:284). Some of the financial incentives that organizations such as Treetop can utilize to boost the performance of its employees includes: Allowances and Pay The above financial incentive includes grade pay, basic pay, traveling allowance and dearness allowances. Great benefits and pay helps businesses to attract and retain capable individuals. Poor pay is associated with turnover, absenteeism, grievances, and bad attitudes. Therefore, bad attitudes and reduced productivity among packaging department staffs can be addressed by reviewing their pay. Incentives Pay The use of incentive pay plans increases employees output. The use of this type of incentive is to encourage employees that they can meet certain targets. Other types of financial incentives include gain sharing, profit sharing, retirement benefits, and stock options. Non-Financial Incentives Non-financial incentives do not involve monetary rewards, but they are crucial in bringing about emotional and physical satisfaction to employees. Examples of non-financial incentives include job security, recognition, challenging work, empowerment, job rotation, and advancement opportunities. From the case study, it is evident that in the packaging department, there are permanent and temporary workers. The main reason why some of these employees are not committed to achieving organizational goals is because of lack of job security. Conclusion In conclusion, motivation plays an essential role in enhancing the productivity of both the organization and its employees. Employees who are not motivated are dissatisfied, are less committed to achieving organization goals, and are less productive. However, organizations can increase productivity by encouraging collaboration and using both financial and non-financial incentives. Good working environment, great pay and allowances, appreciation, and interesting work are factors that are crucial in motivating employees. Employees who are motivated are committed to realizing the strategic objectives of an organization. Failure to provide employees with incentives results in low morale, reduced productivity, and increased rates of absenteeism. Ideally, the case study provided me with significant insights on what organizations need to avoid safeguarding their reputation and motivating their workers List of References Chen, X., Ren, T., Knoke, D. (2014) 'Do Nonprofits Treat Their Employees Differently? Incentive Pay and Health Benefits', Nonprofit Management Leadership, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 285-306. Strnadov, I., Cumming, T.M, Knox, M, Parmenter, T. (2014) 'Building an Inclusive Research Team: The Importance of Team Building and Skills Training', Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 13-22. The LanternGroup.(2009). Four Drive Model: New Theory on Employee Motivation. . [Online], Available: https://thelanterngroup.net/2009/06/16/four-drive-model-new-theory-on-employee-motivation/ Xiaojun, Z, Venkatesh, V. (2013) 'Explaining Employee Job Performance: The Role Of Online And Offline Workplace Communication Networks', MIS Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 695-A3. Raes, E, Kyndt, E, Decuyper, S, Van den Bossche, P, Dochy, F. (2015) 'An Exploratory Study of Group Development and Team Learning', Human Resource Development Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 5-30.