Employee Motivation and Impact on Organizational Commitment

Introduction

In the attempt of the past researchers to recognize the different factors that might affect the organizational commitment of the employees, the area of motivation found as one of the significant factors. Along with the training and development, job satisfaction, talent management, and other related factors, the motivation among the employees is one of the considered a strong influence in terms of the organizational commitment among the workforce. Beside from the recruitment and hiring that is part of the traditional function of the human resource; the same department also monitors the performances of the employees and the different possible strategies that may increase the job satisfaction or organizational commitment of the employees. From the broad context of the various theories in motivation, the business leaders and/or the human resource manager crafts different approach to improve or enhance the performance of each of their team. On that idea, the importance of the motivation within the organization can be described as the asset of the company that cannot deteriorate and can be passed on the other subordinates. For the business leaders, corporate culture can be a good motivational factor for the employees especially when the company is operating more than 50 years and leave a legacy in the industry. From the idea of rewards and punishment to the collaboration of the team members, there is no doubt that the motivation clearly applied in the process of the empowering the people and was created to achieve their greatest potential.

Theoretical Framework

In the beginning of applying the motivation in the organizational commitment, there are concepts and principles that tend to explain the overall performance of the employees. Based on the job specification of the employees and their responsibilities within the organization, the employees have their own position to manage their career paths. On the other hand, the organization seeks the right individual or people to fit in the promotion and the retention of the valued employees in the organization. Fortunately, both employees and the organizational leaders are looking on the same thing – security. The employees viewed the sense of security as part of their needs; and answering the needs of the employees is the very first thing that the organizations’ takes care of.

However, there are many theories that the business leaders and the human resource managers utilize in their employees. The motivation is a model process that can be in multiple forms but all provides single aim. Generally, the model or theories in motivation is the basis for the development and growth of the employees and their role within the organization. The motivational process can somehow deliver the organizational commitment of each employee if the organization only recognizes the importance of the employees in making the business successful in the industry.

Review on the Literature

Motivation and its application has been the center of issue in the human resource department. The motivation and its different philosophical views create a link between the employee’s knowledge and skills and the nature of their work (Wright, 2001). The main focus of the motivation is clearly about the people and though different perspectives, the motivation may come from the internal aspect of the employee or being affected by the environment. Those two motivations are also called intrinsic and the latter is extrinsic type of motivations (Ryan and Deci, 2000a). The initiative of the employees to work can be based on the needs of security such as in the works of Maslow in his hierarchy of needs (Ryan and Deci, 2000b), or the theory between the person that is willing to work under pressure and to the one who is not (Winston, 1997). In the perspective of the human resource manager, the commitment of the employee to perform well is favorable in the entire organization. For some other researchers, the motivation is the kind of force that drives a person to do his best contribution in the organization – and commitment comes next (Meyer, Becker, and Vandenberghe, 2004). The productivity may appear in every employee and that is very beneficial in the organization. The decision for the retention and the promotion is very possible. In the continuous deliberation of the organization towards the certain changes, the challenges that happen to affect the entire organization can be minimize (Kreisman, 2002). The employees that will create a great factor or contribution such as improvement in their field of work will definitely feel the job satisfaction and indeed, might reflect in their compensation (Egan, Yang, and Bartlett, 2004).

References:

Egan, T., Yang, B., and Bartlett, K., 2004. The Effects of Organizational Learning Culture and Job Satisfaction on Motivation to Transfer Learning and Turnover Intention, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 13 [Online] Available at: http://download.clib.psu.ac.th/datawebclib/e_resource/trial_database/WileyInterScienceCD/pdf/HRQ/HRQ_2.pdf [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Kreisman, B., 2002. Insights into Employee Retention, Commitment and Motivation [Online] Available at: http://www.insightsvancouver.com/PDFs/Employee%20Commitment-Retention%20White%20Paper%5B1%5D.pdf [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Meyer, J., Becker, T., Vandenberghe, C., 2004. Employees Commitment and Motivation: A Conceptual Analysis and Integrative Model, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 89, No. 6 [Online] Available at: http://www.mona.uwi.edu/spsw/downloads/coursemat/PS66G/2005-2006/sem2/meyer_becker_vandenberghe_2004_motivation_and_employee_commi.pdf [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Ryan, R., & Deci, E., 2000a. Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being, American Psychologist Association, Inc. Vol. 55, No.1. [Online] Available at: http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf. [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Ryan, R., & Deci, E., 2000b. The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 11, No. 4. [Online] Available at: http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/documents/2000_DeciRyan_PIWhatWhy.pdf [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Winston, B., 1997. Theory X versus Theory Y, Be a Manager – for God’s Sake, Regent University. [Online] Available at: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/cur/cmba640/cmba640m09/motivation.pdf [Accessed 24 Feb 2010].

Wright, B., 2001. Public-Sector Work Motivation: A Review of the Current Literature and a Revised Conceptual Model, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 11, No. 4.