Motivation in the Workplace

Motivation in the Workplace
PSY320
Nathan Kositsky

Introduction
According to “Merriam Webster.com” (n.d.) website, motivation is factors within humans or other animals that arouse and direct goal-oriented behavior. The goal for maintaining a motivated workforce should be paramount for any organization. Employees that are intrinsically motivated and likely to be more productive, less likely to be absent from work, and less likely to be a distraction. Employees are different and motivating each of them is different. This paper will concentrate on various theories of motivational strategies, how productivity is affected and efforts to improve performance within the fire department. It will address employee’s resistance to management’s efforts of motivation. Finally, it will discuss the impact other theories of motivation have on management and firefighters.
Motivational Impact
Why do people behave the way they do, is the fundamental question to understanding motivation. Motivation is an important factor in organizations, it encourage productivity, facilitates alignment of employee goals with organizational goals. Understanding motivation provides management with insight about behaviors such as absenteeism, turnover, and poor job performance (Jex & Britt, p. 233, 2008). Acquiring knowledge about employee motivation provides management with information better to organize job assignments, which will make them less labor intensive, provide more creativity, and improve productivity. Employees are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to perform their assigned duties. An employee, who shows great deal of satisfaction with their work, seeks out other responsibilities or shows initiative, is intrinsically motivated. According to Reeve (2008) intrinsic motivation is a natural tendency of a person to engage their interest and to exercise his or her capacity and in doing so, seek out, and master optimal challenges (p. 111). In the workplace, management use pay, threats of termination, surveillance, and competition to motivate employees, which is referred to as extrinsic motivation.
Types of Motivational Theories
Self efficacy is an individual’s belief he or she will be successful in any undertaking. He or she has the competence to organize and coordinate their skills to deal with any difficulty they encounter. They draw upon their knowledge and experience in complex situations. Self efficacy and ability are not the same. Ability is the act of carrying out a task, self efficacy is a state of mind the person has while doing the task. Self efficacy is just as important in determining one’s competence while doing a task as is their ability the handle the task because circumstances are often stressful, ambiguous, and unpredictable as situations always change (Reeve & Bandura, p.233, 2009). Confidence in self-efficacy improves the ability to be effective in performing a task. A person with low self-efficacy will find it difficult to be successful when face with difficult situations and will give up.
Self actualization, which is at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the process of doing away with tentativeness, defensive appraisals, and a dependence on others while moving toward courage to create, make realist appraisals, and achieve autonomous self regulation (Reeve, p.421, 2000).
Self-actualizers have similar traits such as judging and analyzing situations correctly, acceptance of their flaws and tolerant of other’s flaws, resourceful, profound interpersonal relationships, ok with solitude, and a sense of humor (Coon & Mitterer, 2010, 2007).
Motivational strategies affect on productivity
In many ways the fire department is similar to any other company or organization. There is a CEO or fire chief, it has department heads, and managers or supervisors, who seek ways to keep his or her employees motivated. A major difference between the fire department and other organizations is firefighters live in the fire stations during their shifts. They eat, sleep, train, exercise, and work in the fire station. To keep the troops motivated towards training, exercise, and performing administrative task requires several sources of motivation. Motivation is found internally and externally of an organization. Motivational sources within the fire department are found in job assignments, pay, promotional opportunities, station assignments, emergency incidents, and committee participation. Fire department personnel are intrinsically motivated because of the job they do. Their intrinsic motivation centers on self actualization and self efficacy theories of motivation. They are extrinsically motivated by pay raises, benefits, promotional opportunities, annual evaluation, their annual physicals, and fear of discipline.
Productivity within the fire department is measured in terms of personnel’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) response area familiarization, how well they get along with their coworkers, apparatus operations and safety, participation in daily training and physical training.

Extrinsic motivation pertains to pay, promotion, uniforms, and other safety issues. Firefighters do not handle change of routine very well. In 2000 the fire department implemented a rule that everyone has to be seated and belted before any apparatus can move. Resistance to this rule was overwhelming, employees were saying “this will slow our response times”, “I will not be able to get my air pack on”, or “I cannot operate the radio.” The fire department enforced the rule and the firefighters learned to adapt.
Fire department’s efforts to improve performance
In an effort to improve performance in the fire department, management use several motivational strategies to achieve production on a shift level as well as the department. To keep firefighters motivated on a shift level, supervisors or shift officers must provide a safe work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. Everyone is treated fairly and equitably. Firefighters participate in daily training activities such as street familiarization, EMT updates, apparatus operations, and many other topics. Mandated training and self study provides firefighters with intrinsic motivation, supports autonomy, and creativity.
At the department level the fire department’s attempt to improve performance that includes annual evaluations, committee participation, promotional opportunities, raises, retreats, support of employee organizations. Personnel are given and annual evaluation. The evaluation is subjective as well as objective. More progressive officers will have their personnel conduct a self evaluation on themselves prior to having their formal evaluation. Personnel are provided goals by their supervisors during their annual evaluations. In certain instances personnel may not receive a pay raise in the event their annual evaluation does not meet certain identifiable goals.
Efforts to improve resistance to increasing productivity.
Any resistance to increased productivity is usually found in the fire stations. Firefighters are creatures of habit and do not like change. Any new policies or rules will cause them to start complaining. A strategy used by management to introduce a new policy or change is to use a grace period, or a length of time to get use to a change.
Management’s philosophy about motivation and its practices
Department heads strive to keep their employees motivated. As stated earlier, motivation is achieved at a shift level as well as an organizational level. The fire department works with employee groups such as the union, African American organization as well as women groups. Posting of the department’s core values, mission statement, and vision in each work location, it provides firefighters and civilian personnel with a template of information that allows them to provide the service possible to the citizens they serve.
Two motivational theories which are not currently in practice
Sensation seekers and cognitive dissonance are two motivational theories that are not supported by the fire department. According to Marvin Zuckerman (1990), sensation seeking is a human trait which is characterized by the need for various, fresh, and complex thrills and willing to take physical and social risk for the sake of the experience. Employees that are sensation seekers could get in trouble because of their need for excitement. On the fire ground this may lead to serious consequences.

According to the “Britannica.com” (2012) website cognitive dissonance theory suggest that people attempt to maintain consistency among their beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. They tend to say one thing, but they believe or try to make someone believe something different. For an example an individual may want some water, however when the water is taken by someone else, he may say I did not want that water anyway.
How do these motivational theories impact both management and the employees?
These extrinsic motivational theories are not consistence with fire department management. They can lead to lack of productivity, decrease morale; they may cause safety concerns as well. This type of behavior may lead to increase discipline of employees who in turn is a cause of low morale and motivation.
Conclusion
Motivation is an important factor in any organization. Management look for ways to keep their employees motivated. No two employees are alike and motivating each of them is different. Self efficacy and self actualization are two motivational theories used in the fire department. Fire department management supports employee’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivation by job assignments, riding assignments, station duties, pay, and discipline. Employees who are sensation seekers and exhibit cognitive dissonance tendencies find themselves having personality issues within the fire department. They may get in trouble on emergency calls as well.

Reference
Britannica.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/394212/motivation/12710/Cognitive- dissonance
Coon, D., & Mitterer, J. O. (2010,2007). Introduction to psychology gateways to mind and behavior (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Jex, S. M., & Britt, T. W. (2008). Organizational psychology a scientist-practitioner approach (2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phonenix eBook Collection database.
Merriam-webster.com.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/motivation. Zuckerman, M. (1990, March). The Psychophysiology of Sensation Seeking. Journey of personality, 58 (1), (), 313-345. Ebscohost