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Title: Motivation Full Project
Description: A Full Project for University Students in the Field of management
Description: A Full Project for University Students in the Field of management
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2007:017
MASTER'S THESIS
Employee Motivation in
Medium-sized Manufacturing Enterprises
Two case studies from northern Sweden
Malin Edlund
Hanna Nilsson
Luleå University of Technology
D Master thesis
Marketing
Department of Business Administration and Social Sciences
Division of Industrial marketing and e-commerce
2007:017 - ISSN: 1402-1552 - ISRN: LTU-DUPP--07/017--SE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This thesis was written during a ten week period in the autumn of 2006 at Luleå University of
Technology and is part of our programme International Economics and Marketing
...
We have gained a deeper
knowledge in the field of motivation and how managers do in order to motivate their
employees concerning gender and age
...
Our special thanks to Maria Göransson at Polarbröd and LarsGöran Wallström at Älvsbyhus, which agreed to participate in our thesis, without them it
would not have been any thesis
...
We hope that this thesis will be interesting and useful for other students, researchers and
people that want to learn more about the chosen area
...
The aim of work motivation is to have well motivated employees as well as having managers
with the possibility to motivate others
...
The purpose with the study is to
provide a better understanding of the employee motivation issues in small and medium-sized
Swedish enterprises
...
A qualitative, case study methodology was used to interview two
companies in northern Sweden; Polarbröd and Älvsbyhus
...
Today employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors rather
than extrinsic which dominated in the past, but none of the two can be overlooked by
managers when motivating their employees
...
SAMMANFATTNING
SAMMANFATTNING
Motivation är ett mycket väl studerat område både av akademier och komersiella företag
...
Fokuset i motivation beror på de faktorer ledare använder för att motivera
sina anställda och skillnaderna mellan kön och ålder
...
För att
kunna besvara syftet utformades tre forskningsfrågor, hur svenska ledare motiverar sina
anställda på arbetsplatsen och de andra två förklarar förhållandet mellan motivation, kön och
ålder
...
Våra data visar att motivation är väldigt individuellt och ledare har en svår uppgift framför sig
med att motivera sina anställda
...
Den största upptäckten med ålder och kön var att
ledare inte motiverar sina anställda olika på grund av dessa två faktorer
...
1
1
...
1
1
...
2
1
...
4
1
...
5
1
...
5
2
LITERATURE REVIEW
...
1
Employee motivation in SMEs
...
1
...
9
2
...
2
Motivational profiles
...
1
...
13
2
...
4
Role of manager in motivating employees
...
2
Gender and motivation
...
3
Age and motivation
...
4
Theoretical frame of reference
...
4
...
27
2
...
2
Conceptualization – Gender and motivation
...
4
...
29
3
METHODOLOGY
...
1
Purpose of research
...
2
Research approach
...
3
Research strategy
...
4
Data collection
...
5
Sample selection
...
6
Data analysis
...
7
Validity & Reliability
...
36
4
...
36
4
...
1
Employee motivation at Polarbröd
...
1
...
40
4
...
3
Motivation and Age at Polarbröd
...
2
Case 2: ÄLVSBYHUS
...
2
...
41
4
...
2
Motivation and Gender at Älvsbyhus
...
2
...
45
5
DATA ANALYSIS
...
1
Within-case analysis
...
1
...
46
5
...
2
Within-case analysis of Älvsbyhus
...
2
Cross-case analysis
...
52
5
...
1
Gender and motivation
...
2
...
54
TABLE OF CONTENTS
6
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
...
1
RQ1: How can the way Swedish managers motivate their employees in SMEs be
described?
...
2
RQ2: How can the relationship between motivation and gender in the workplace be
described?
...
3
RQ3: How can the relationship between motivation and age be described?
...
4
Implications and recommendations
...
4
...
59
6
...
2
Recommendations for future research
...
5
Figure 2-1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
...
14
Figure 2-3: Conceptual framework for the study
...
10
Table 2-2: Multi-dimensional framework for work motivation
...
12
Table 2-4: Hackman-Oldham job characteristics model
...
20
Table 2-6: Four generations at work
...
27
Table 5-1: Summary of the key findings on RQ 1 – Employee motivation in SMEs
...
53
Table 5-3: Summary of the key findings on RQ 3 – Age and motivation
...
The background lays the foundation for the problem
discussion where we will discuss the problems we discovered in our research area
...
Finally, we
will present an overview of the entire thesis
...
1 Background
Managers in an organization accomplish tasks through other people, they oversee the
activities of the organization and are responsible for reaching goals
...
Managers have formal authority over the organizational units which are
divided into interpersonal, informational and decision role categories
...
(Thomas, 2002)
Managers are struggling with changes at work and are actively engaged in a reinvention of
management and work (Hiam, 2003)
...
Organizations are facing a more complex
world with more competition, individuals are now better to manage themselves, take
responsibility and make decisions
...
(Barry, 1994)
Human resource management, HRM, is resource-centered and mainly for providing and
organizing management needs (Torrington & Hall, 1998; Price, 2004)
...
Employees’ interests can be
reached through effective overall management and HRM is identified with management
interests
...
In order to motivate employees managers has to recognize the patterns that
orient and direct behavior of his or her employees (Hanson & Miller Jr, 2002)
...
Employees have
moved away from long-term employment relationships and long-term rewards and the effort
is focused on short-term rewards
...
The workforce is becoming more diverse and includes
women, people of color, the physically disabled, senior citizens, sexualities, and managing the
diversity has become a global concern
...
(Robbins, 2005) Some organizations have tried to make changes, but most are still struggling
to understand the new work environment
...
(Amar, 2004)
Individuals have different motivational behavior at work which is accompanied by different
mindsets that have particular importance for the individual and this explains certain work
behavior
...
(Meyer, Becker & Vandenberghe,
2004, p
...
It is hard to discuss motivation without touching on
the concept of commitment, as motivation is a broader concept and commitment is one among
a set of energizing forces that contribute to individuals motivated behavior
...
(Meyer, et al
...
It is becoming more difficult for
organizations to find, manage and motivate the employees (Nelson, 1997)
...
The aim of managers is to motivate employees and
make them feel that they are working with the manager and not for the manager
...
2 Problem discussion
Organizational or individual achievement is not accomplished when motivation is used to
manipulate and control individuals
...
Today
other factors are of significance due to environmental changes at the workplace
...
Over 500 articles are
published annually in mainline business journals and 400 in mainstream academic journals
...
This demonstrates that the desired behavior organizations want employees to
perform is accomplished through manipulation and everybody knows it
...
A part of the success is
to recruit people who are motivated by inner drivers and want to be part of the organization
...
(Owen, 2005) Research demonstrates that
employees working for small companies are experiencing more satisfaction at work than
employees working for a larger one
...
Smaller companies often give
employees more responsibility from the start, are less politicized and less bureaucratic” (The
Marlin Company, 2006) Employees at larger companies feel that work can interfere with their
personal and family life, at small companies employees have more social support and receive
it on a regular basis and it is not the case at larger companies
...
People do not have the same trust in larger companies that they did
before, they do not trust the big companies to provide the culture, security and long-term
stability as they were able to in the past
...
Organizations might perceive motivation as a strategic issue since it impact
directly on organizational cost, productivity and business performance
...
Cash is not the only motivational factor and ignoring
potential motivators is naive since communication need to occur on a continuously basis in
order to know what motivates employees
...
(Di Cesare &
Sadri, 2003)
Managers discuss how to motivate their employees in order to increase productivity as well as
the moral at the workplace
...
Motivation have been defined as “the amount of
effort that an employee is willing to put into work to accomplish an organizationally valued
task” (Phatak, Bhagat & Kashlak, 2005, p
...
170)
...
2005) and most managers do not know what motivates their
employees because they do not realize that individuals in the organization has unique motives
for working (Hiam, 2003)
...
A lot of people
think rewards will motivate people better, but due to the cultural differences in the world it is
important to recognize that rewards might be valued differently
...
Due to
these previous studies the results differs and some reports even contradict one another with
respect to the effect that employee characteristics such as gender, age and educational level
have on intrinsic work motivation and job satisfaction
...
Literature conducted in the past have
often examined only one work related variable and not a number of variables
...
(Singh, Finn & Goulet, 2004)
Research that focuses on possible gender dissimilarities must be aware of using men as
“standard” and see women as deviation
...
(Rosenthal, 1995)
The question, how to motivate employees, have fascinated behaviorists for over a century,
motivation that attracts, retain and engage younger employees
...
(Amar, 2004) Age diversity has become an important factor for organizations when
recruiting
...
(Newton, 2006) The loyal generation of Baby Boomers are
now becoming replaced by generation I, generation Y, and the culture clash is obvious
...
These theories are more suitable for the
American companies since the theories were developed in the United States, but in other parts
of the world the theories are also applied
...
(Di Cesare & Sadri, 2003) Based on the above discussion it is obvious that there still
exist research to be done on motivation and since most theories are based in the United States
it would be interesting to investigate how people in Sweden are motivated, if the theories are
valid here or if other motivational variables apply
...
1
...
In order to serve the above purpose we will address the following three research questions:
RQ 1: How can the way Swedish managers motivate their employees in SMEs be described?
RQ 2: How can the relationship between motivation and gender in the workplace be
described?
RQ 3: How can the relationship between motivation and age be described?
4
INTRODUCTION
1
...
Therefore, investigating all aspects of it is
not possible due to time limit and the enormous research that already exist
...
Further more
we will limit the size of the organizations to be investigated to medium sized manufacturing
firms
...
5 Outline of the thesis
This thesis is structured around six different chapters (see Figure 1-1)
...
The problem discussion
narrows down the topic to include our field of research, managerial motivational perspective
on gender and age
...
Chapter two contains a literature review where previous work in the field which is most
relevant is concluded and ends with a theoretical frame of references
...
Following this is chapter
four which reveals our gathered data on our chosen companies
...
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
INTRODUCTION
LITERATURE
REVIEW
METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
EMPIRICAL DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
FINDINGS &
CONCLUSIONS
Figure 1-1: Thesis outline
5
LITERATURE REVIEW
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter will present an outline of previous research done in the area of managerial
perspective on motivation
...
Finally, a theoretical frame of references will be
presented in order to form a base for our interview guide
...
In line with these main headings we have some subheadings which will help
us to easier direct our research in collecting empirical data
...
1 Employee motivation in SMEs
In this section we shall review the most relevant studies concerning motivation of employees
in the workplace in order to find what factors that motivates employees
...
This section
has subheadings in order to make it easier to overlook the main areas
...
The employee's perception of the work environment directly relates to job
performance
...
Employees think better of their jobs and their employer when the environment is
positive
3
...
A positively perceived working environment contributes to employee retention, and a
negatively perceived environment contributes to employee departure for other jobs
McMackin (2006) states that large corporations have more money, name recognition and
benefits to attract the best employees in comparison with SMEs
...
Other pros with small business
employment are the decrease of meetings and the possibility for ownership stake
...
The chance to make a difference
2
...
The sense of teamwork and fellowship
4
...
The room to grow
6
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Gaebler Ventures (2006) research show ten different motivational factors that
are important for increasing motivation both for managers as well as employees; high wages,
job security, promotion potential, good working conditions, interesting work, personal loyalty
of supervision, tactful discipline, appreciation of work done, help with personal problems and
feeling of being in on things
...
Distribute the workload and hours fairly, everybody should have the same opportunity to
work overtime and have hours cut
...
Give immediate (and private) feedback, the faster feedback is given in a constructive manner
the better, do not wait until finishing the project to give feedback
...
Be honest about what is going on and expect your employees to do the same, it is better to
inform employees about changes in the organization rather than having rumor spread
...
Listen attentively, in small business it is even more important to listen to the employees
because they can not afford to have one unmotivated employee
...
The decision to leave can be affected by cultural conflict, work
condition, lack of convenience, feelings of unappreciation, lack of support and lack of
advancement
...
Motivation techniques at most companies falls into one of these two
categories
...
Motivating
by fear has few advantages, but some companies are successful by motivating with fear since
they offer the possibility of advancement and financial benefits
...
The
method also lacks teamwork, includes employee backbiting and has no long-term motivation
...
Scientists investigate how personal, task and environmental
characteristics influence behavior and job performance concerning motivation
...
In order
to create an environment that fosters employee motivation it is important to explore the
attitudes that employees have towards factors that motivate them
...
In
order to know what motivates employees’, organizations must have regular communication
and ask employees what sparks and sustains their desire to work
...
According to Douglas &
7
LITERATURE REVIEW
Morris (2006) people work to satisfy needs, either material or psychical
...
People often want a job that is
fun and drives them forward and this is affected by different motivational variables people
have, it can be work orientation, leisure orientation or perquisite orientation
...
These factors
intend to understand the following:
1
...
Which activities people are likely to focus their efforts on (direction)
3
...
Some of these models,
energizing factors, are mainly focused on illustrating the needs that may be performed by
work-related behavior and how to motivate workers by appealing to specific needs
...
Reinforcement theories that are based on psychological learning
principles show why certain behaviors will be maintained
...
According to Barbuto, Fritz & Marx (2002) the
Motivation Sources Inventory, MSI, present five factors of motivation:
Intrinsic process, is the driving process if people are motivated to perform certain kind of
work or to engage in certain types of behavior
...
Self-concept external, individuals with high self-concept external motivation tries to meet the
expectations of others and to elicit social feedback with their self-concept
...
Goal internationalization, individuals high in goal internationalization motivation adopt only
attitudes and behaviors that are congruent with their personal value systems
...
Interesting findings demonstrate that employees are motivated
by receiving feedback and recognition and most employees think that they acknowledge
appreciation for a work well done, but this is mostly poorly done
...
What managers can learn from the survey is that money and job
security are clear indicators of motivational factors
...
8
LITERATURE REVIEW
2
...
1 Internal and external motivation
Bryan, Joyce & Weiss (2006); Bymes (2006); Kiger (2006); Kehr (2004) state that motivation
can be either internal or external, it can be viewed as push or pull determinants
...
According to Quiley & Tymon Jr (2005) intrinsic motivation is the key
motivation component of employee empowerment and individuals are responsible for
achieving their own career success
...
Bryan, et al
...
According to Quiley & Tymon Jr (2005) extrinsic rewards are based on reward and
punishments controlled by the organization
...
(2006); Bymes (2006);
Kiger (2006) individuals with external motivators are motivated by salary or wage packets
...
Internal motivation is linked to
reduced employee absence, increased job satisfaction, high level of creativity and a reduced
need for direct supervision
...
Kehr (2004) explains that the implicit motives results in spontaneous, expressive and
pleasurable behavior and can be divided into three variables; power, achievement and
affiliation
...
Achievement is when personal
standards of excellence are to be met or exceeded and affiliation refers to social relationships
which are established and intensified
...
According to Bassett-Jones &
Lloyd (2005) motivators associated with intrinsic drivers outweigh movers linked to financial
and inducement and observing others benefiting from recognition and extrinsic rewards
...
Motivation can affect
three aspects of work: direction, intensity and duration
...
Amar (2004) suggests five
motivational behavior drivers due to internal or external stimuli:
The sociological driver, value system centered on the self and family, in the past work was
seen as a livehood, but now employees see it as a place of belonging
...
The generational driver, a new generation is entering more and more at the workplace, it
consist of 70 million people and are referred to as generation Y
...
To gain competitive advantage organizations have to
innovate and managers have to search for employees with useful knowledge who are
motivated to use it for the benefit of the organization
...
The cultural
differences have a special emphasis in order to understand how to enhance the motivation of
workers
...
Extrinsic factors like salary and working conditions are also important, but do
not give the commitment and excitement that the employee needs
...
Highly motivating work assignments are
strongly linked to the personal activities an individual see as fun
...
Table 2-1: Framework for work motivation
Dimension of task
Definitions
characteristics
Skill variety
The degree to which the job requires the use of different skills,
abilities and talents
Task identity
The degree to which the person feels that he or she is part of the
whole job or project activity from the beginning to end
Task significance
The degree to which the job is considered important by and has
impact on the lives of others
Autonomy
The degree to which the job provides freedom, independence and
discretion in how the work is carried out
Feedback
The degree to which the person is provided with clear and direct
information about the effectiveness of his or her performance
Source: Katz, 2005, p
...
One of the major problems with motivating employees with these five factors is that there are
always two ways of looking at each characteristic
...
24
...
1
...
Due to the potential economic problems of the country and the industry employees
should be aware of that the organization will acquire them to work harder
...
The organization has to have close relationships with managers and key employees to
establish a plan for attaining increased excellence in every department
...
Motivating the staff and have them working together will help
them focus on what is important, continue doing a great job
3
...
Focus on processes that help to enhance the involvement of
employees at the company and inspire feelings of responsibility for the company's
overall success
4
...
" Employees are the ones that
conduct work tasks on a routine basis and therefore they are the best to suggest
improvements and help the company survive hard times
5
...
Many
managers view themselves as being somewhat better than other employees and this
viewpoint can be disastrous during difficult financial periods
6
...
Search for ways to improve processes and performance so it might
become cheaper, faster and more efficiently
According to Bossé-Smith (2005) in order to find out what motivates people the DISC model
can be used
...
This means that they are
outgoing with the main focus on work tasks and the need to be in charge
...
Influential: This refers to 25-30 per cent of the population and they are outgoing, but more
focused on people
...
They are
motivated by project and training sessions that increase their approval and recognition
...
They need stability and avoid changes
...
Compliant: 20-25 per cent is known as reserved and prefers work tasks
...
They are motivated if they get the information they need and if
the reward matches the situation
...
This suggestion
relies on work performed by Locke and the goal setting theory he developed
...
The focus of Locke was on the goal,
11
LITERATURE REVIEW
but in order to reach the goal one must associate oneself with the group and task
...
According to Glen (2006) the most important factor to rely on is feedback since according to
Hiam (2003) it can help an employee improve his or her performance
...
Hiam (2003) explains that
another helping hand can be an incentive profile that both manager and employee should take
...
The 15 variables are;
affiliation, self-expression, achievement, security, career growth, excitement, status, purpose,
competition, recognition, consideration, autonomy, rewards, responsibility and personal needs
(see Table 2-3)
...
Pleasure in being
associated with a great organization
Self-expression Urge to express yourself through your work
...
Pursuit of excellence
Security
Need for stability or reduction of uncertainty and stress
Career growth
Urge to develop you career to the fullest
Excitement
Impulse to seek new experiences and enjoy life through your work
Status
Motivation to increase your standing through your accomplishment
Purpose
Need for meaning and direction
...
Desire to excel in relation to others
Need for positive feedback and support from the group
...
Desire for choice of
working conditions or other options
Motivation to earn significant rewards or wealth from one’s work
Motivation to play a responsible leadership role in the workplace or
society as a whole
Need to satisfy essential personal or family priorities
Competition
Recognition
Consideration
Autonomy
Rewards
Responsibility
Personal needs
Source: Hiam, 2003, p
...
Where an individual has placed the highest number on a scale of 1-5 of the motivational
factors gives the manager an idea of what the individual is seeking in life
...
1
...
This approach made the
employees do the bare minimum and only work while their managers were watching them
...
This approach provided good working conditions, fringe benefits,
employee services, and high wages with fair supervision
...
The “be good” approach was also known as the organic theory of
management
...
More intense competition
occur in the world due to globalization, demographic shifts, technological development and
an acceleration in the rate of innovation and new ideas which put more pressure on
organizations to deliver products, systems and processes with continuous improvement
...
Locke &
Latham (2004) explain that work motivation has been interesting to psychologists since the
1930s, but it was not until 1964 that Vroom formulated the first theory called the valenceinstrumentality-expectancy model
...
According to Osteraker (1999) the motivational factors that are considered to be the
cornerstone of motivational theories can be divided into a social, mental or physical
dimension
...
The motivational factors of
the mental dimension are work characteristics, employees are motivated by flexible tasks
where they can use their knowledge and see the results of their efforts
...
The
physical dimension consists of working conditions and pay
...
Wiley (1997) states that goal setting and management by objectives, MBO, programmes have
grown in the past two decades and motivation has been organized into three clusters;
personality-based views, cognitive choice/decision approaches and goal/self-regulation
perspectives
...
The cognitive decision
predicts an individual’s choices or decisions and finally the personality-based perspective
emphasize personal characteristics as they affect goal choice and striving
...
13
LITERATURE REVIEW
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
According to Robbins (2003) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory consists of five needs (see
Figure 2-1); physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization
...
Physiological and safety needs are considered lower-order needs, because they are satisfied
externally
...
Figure 2-1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Source: Adapted by Robbins, 2003, p
...
Di Cesare & Sadri (2003) state that the needs must be met from the lowest and then move
upward in the hierarchy towards the highest
...
According to Wiley (1997) the main strength with Maslow’s theory is the identification of
individual needs for motivating behaviour
...
Herzberg further stated that certain
characteristics are related to job satisfaction and others to job dissatisfaction
...
Job dissatisfaction is a result of extrinsic factors; supervision, pay, company
policies and working conditions
...
Employees
satisfied
and motivated
Figure 2-2: Two factor theory
Source: Adapted by Robbins, 2003, p
...
In Herzberg’s study the previous task-related motivators resulted in positive attitudes:
recognition, achievement, possibility of growth, advancement, responsibility and work itself
...
There are three formulated
questions by Herzberg to study attitudes towards work:
1
...
What causes the attitudes?
3
...
The extrinsic factors are called hygiene or maintenance factors and are linked to job
dissatisfaction
...
The factor was
labelled motivators to growth because they were associated with high level of job satisfaction
...
According to Herzberg (2003) the following nine factors motivates personnel; reducing time
spent at work, spiraling wages, fringe benefits, human relations training, sensitivity training,
communications, two-way communication, job participation and employee counseling
...
For employees to become motivated the energy has to come
from within
...
Herzberg suggest that recognition for achievement is translated into direct
feedback, responsibility to self-regulation, authority to communicate, exercise of control over
resources and accountability, whilst advancement and growth is translated into the central
dynamic of new learning leading to new expertise
...
Vroom’s expectancy theory
According to Robbins (2003) the theory is defined as: “the strength of a tendency to act in a
certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given
outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual” (Robbins, 2003, p
...
Effort-performance relationships, the probability perceived by the individual that
exerting a given amount of effort will lead to performance
2
...
Rewards-personal goals relationship, the degree to which organizational rewards
satisfy an individual’s personal goals or needs and the attractiveness of those potential
rewards for the individual
Di Cesare & Sadri (2003) further explain that the relationships are also categorized as
expectancy, instrumentality and valence
...
15
LITERATURE REVIEW
Alderfer’s ERG theory
According to Robbins (2003) the ERG theory is a renewed version of Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs, but Alderfer states three groups of core needs; existence, relatedness and growth
...
Relatedness is the desire for maintaining important
interpersonal relationships – Maslow’s social need and external esteem classification
...
In difference to Maslow’s theory Alderfer’s ERG theory states that:
1
...
If the gratification of a higher-level need is stifled, the desire to satisfy a lower-level
need increases
McClelland’s theory of needs
According to Robbins (2003); Barbuto, et al
...
This theory is focused on three needs:
1
...
Refers to an internal motivation that promotes completing tasks and
overcoming challenges
2
...
Refers to the desire to be accepted by or to establish identity with
an individual, group or organization
3
...
Refers
to the desire to obtain scarce resources or control over the activities within an
organization
Wiley (1997) adds that the strength of these three needs will vary due to the situation
...
In addition to feedback, goal
commitment, adequate self-efficacy, task characteristics and national culture have been found
to influence the goal-performance relationship
...
(2004) explain that motivation
comes from the goals an individual sets up based on human needs, personal values,
personality traits and self-efficacy perceptions which are shaped through socialization and
experience
...
The amount of effort an individual put in reflects the level of
satisfaction experienced which can lead to other actions
...
Wiley (1997) clarifies that all of the above theories are a part of the broad field of human
motivation study and they all have implications for individuals’ different workplace behavior
...
16
LITERATURE REVIEW
2
...
4 Role of manager in motivating employees
According to Bassett-Jones & Lloyd (2005) leadership literature state that motivation is
influenced by the nature of the relationship between leader and employees
...
(2006); Bymes (2006); Kiger (2006) explain that managers need to hire the right person that
is most suitable for a certain job, value its employees and support them in making
contributions to the organizations and always try to create a motivated work force
...
Bruce (2002) adds that people are motivated to do what is in
their best interest
...
“Motivation is about cultivating your human capital
...
(Bruce,
2002, p
...
Today this
survival is motivated out of the human spirit
...
If organizations have
well defined jobs for their employees it gives them the opportunity to enhance motivation,
satisfaction and performance of the employees (see Table 2-4)
...
Some important
factors of employee motivation are skills, task identity, task significance, autonomy,
feedback, job security and compensation
...
576
...
A safe working environment might also help motivate people
...
Leaders have an important part in the organization because they act as the force
that motivates the performance of the employees
...
Since the world has
become more global, so has the workforce, culture plays a big part in motivating employees
...
According to Barlow (2005) in
order for leaders to understand their employees and the goals they have in the organization the
following five questions can be asked:
1
...
Where am I now
3
...
How will I get to where I want to be
5
...
The questions should be seen as a help tool
for the employee as well as a structured learning process for both leader and employee
...
Offer employees financial incentives such as commissions, profit sharing and bonuses
for jobs well done
...
2
...
Having goals for
which they are responsible (and for which they will be recognized upon successful
completion) is a surefire motivator
...
3
...
At these meetings, emphasize positive accomplishments, not failures
...
Encourage closer management relations with employees, with an emphasis upon
"catching employees doing something right" rather than focusing on shortcomings
...
Continually present new motivational encouragement to employees, in the forms of
professional speakers, new company goals and new products or services
...
2 Gender and motivation
In this section we will review the literature concerning the effect gender might have on
motivation
...
Gender perspective
According to Chang (2003) the causes and consequences of occupational sex segregation
have been investigated by social scientists
...
Sex-role socialization and human
capital theories on the other hand focus on individual characteristics and argue that women
intentionally choose to enter female occupations
...
Women and men are sorted into
different occupations by employers due to stereotypes and prejudices
...
This explanation is mainly focused on obstacles that prevent women from
entering male-dominated occupations
...
Chang (2003) have identified four different gender measurements:
1
...
Experience of sex discrimination, a self-report measure on discrimination due to
gender
3
...
Gender role ideology, is measured by four items, which mainly states that a woman’s
role is to be a wife and take care of the family
Motivation
According to Wirth (2006) it is the women in the market place that have to stand behind all
the changes that they want to be made, and this highly has to motivate them, because
otherwise no changes will be made
...
Rosenthal (1995) adds that self-confidence is a general problem facing women
when working
...
According to Singh, Finn & Goulet (2004) women face bigger challenges than men when
entering a workplace, some of these barriers has to do with lack of power and opportunities,
lack of mentors and male-oriented and male-dominated organizations
...
They can be seen as
not having the same commitment or motivation as their male counterparts
...
Singh, et al
...
Therefore investigating gender and motivation still
intrigues researchers since the workforce is shifting from a male-dominated to be more
balanced
...
Organizational structure
According to Abrahamsson (2001) organizational structures that are flat, open, boundary-less
organizations without barriers between departments, functions and profession are assumed to
be better suited for women than the traditional hierarchy
...
Studies show that
women and men have great possibilities for gender equality in such organizations (see Table
2-5)
...
Work tasks are labelled as either female or male
...
The boundaries between men and women’s work tasks often correspond to the
differences between organizational functions, division, professions and occupations
...
Unfortunately it was difficult to get employees to
perform the other genders work tasks
...
301)
...
Women are used for
representing the existence of their gender during organizational problems
...
Table 2-5: Three types of organizational "starting-points"
Male-dominated workplaces Gender segregated
workplaces
Almost only men in
Visible gender segregation
production and almost all
with women and men at
jobs in production are
different division and in
“men’s work”
different rooms
On a company level however Also a comprehensive
there is visible gender
gender typing of jobs and
segregation and a
working areas with a clear
comprehensive gender
distinction and valuation
typing of jobs and working
between “women’s work”
areas
and “men’s work”
Gender (especially
Gender (femininity and
masculinity) is important in
masculinity) is important in
the organization
the organization
Gender-balanced workplaces
Insignificant gender typing
of jobs and insignificant
gender segregation
Gender is not a big question
in the organization
Source: Abrahamsson, 2001, p
...
Abrahamsson (2001) goes on to mention that when looking at society on a general level, the
general order is a seen pattern
...
Segregation refers to stereotypic segregation between men and women and
raises the myths of obvious differences between women’s and men’s behaviour
...
The general order also functions in two interacting ways; social construction of
gender and sorting by gender
...
The social construction of
gender is central for restoring power in work organizations and an important force in the
gender order
...
The clear segregation of the sexes within the companies, functional, physical and
hierarchical
2
...
Stereotypical ideas of gender-specific attributes and stereotypical myths and
conceptions of male and female
4
...
Taboo, silence on these questions and the labeling of phenomena as “personal
problems“ or “individual choices”
2
...
The workforce is under a constant change and an
old generation is leaving while a new is entering, therefore it is fascinating to investigate the
differences
...
Traditionalists also called Veterans, Silents,
Greatest Generation, which contain 75 million born before 1945
...
Generation X contains of 46 million individuals born between 1965 and 1980 and
stands for 30 % of the work force
...
These generations are also divided differently by
researches
...
Findings show that when employees want
to advance in their careers, a motivational factor, it does not matter how old one is, a lot of
time is spent at work as a way to advance
...
The generation valued patriotism and family, one parent was home with the
children and a top-down management style was used
...
21
LITERATURE REVIEW
Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers grew up in a “different” world were they believed that anything was possible
and they felt safe
...
They worked long hours, showed loyalty to the company and were ruthless if necessary to
reach their goals, they respected authority, but at the same time they wanted to be seen as
equals
...
According to Appelbaum, Serena & Shapiro (2004) there are six myths regarding older
workers, 50-65 years old:
1
...
3
...
Work capacity and ability to perform decline with age
Older workers lack learning and retraining abilities, as well as motivation to learn
65 is the right age to retire
Compulsory retirement is necessary; older workers will not retire voluntarily, they
should make room for younger workers
5
...
Older people have more absences due to illness and injury, and they are not worth
hiring because they have such a short work life left; there will also be increased
insurance costs
Appelbaum, et al
...
Older workers are likely to
retire if the work has low substantive complexity and high physical demands
...
There exist no relationship between age and work capacity and therefore
it is irrational with a specific retirement age
...
Retirement does
not equal comfort and therefore everyone does not enjoy being retired
...
Generation X
According to Eisner (2005) generation X is the child generation of the workaholic of Baby
Boomers
...
Eisner (2005) explains that this generation is rather individual, do not have trust in
corporations, lack loyalty and according to Eisner (2005); Hanson & Miller Jr (2006) they
want to balance work and personal life which motivates them
...
At work they value the
development of skills before making a job title, but according to Hanson & Miller Jr (2006)
they are also willing to sacrifice their personal fulfillment for the needs of the company
...
Appelbaum, et al
...
Reward their innovation
2
...
Support them for personal growth
4
...
Give them a “culture of fun” environment
According to Eisner (2005) the previous workforce has been characterized to be motivated by
long-term commitment, mutually loyalty, employer-employee relations that produced work
through command and control management
...
The challenge for managers is to recognize what motivational needs
that exist for each generation and try not to age stereotype the generations, an
intergenerational management is needed
...
Since it is a world of 24 hours a day media this generation has seen a lot more at
earlier ages than previous generations
...
In
comparison with previous generations, Gen Y, have more technological skills
...
Making money is less important than
performing a meaningful task that make a difference with co-workers with the same shared
values
...
It is a global generation which is believed to be the most challenging one
...
Martin (2005) on the other hand defines the Yers as individuals who believe that education is
the key to success, technology is transparent, diversity is given and social responsibility is a
business imperative
...
For managers to keep up with this generation and be able to motivate them
they have to learn the capabilities of Yers very quickly and push them to their limits
...
Yers refer to themselves as Non-Nuclear Family Generation, the Nothing-IsSacred Generation, the Wannabees, the Feel-Good Generation, CyberKids, the Do-or-Die
Generation and the Searching-for-an-Identity Generation
...
According to Martin
(2005) it can be done by:
1
...
Master coaching skills to keep these workers focused and motivated
3
...
Challenge the obsolete policies that hold young talent back from forging ahead in the
organization
According to Artunian (2005) generation Y is the most technologically skilled generation in
history, quickly learns new software and are opened to streamlining workplace systems
...
They prefer to take on new responsibilities in order to move onto
higher paying positions as soon as possible
...
Employees from generation Y feel loyalty to the company if managers get to know them as a
person and not only as an employee
...
Rydman (2006) adds that this generation is also referred to as generation I, Ipod, which have
grown up in a technical era and are not likely to stay for twenty-five years in the same
company
...
In comparison with Baby Boomers, generation I are constantly connected towards
the rest of the world and knows at least one extra language
...
Wages and benefits are important for this
generation, but it is not the reason they work within an organization, work is seen as a part of
life and not an obligation to make money
...
Martin (2005) explains that probably the greatest differences with Yers and their previous
generation is that Yers look for a good relationship with their managers and see them more as
coaches than a hierarchical manager
...
Performance is not an important
variable for Yers and it has changed to become experience for the new generation
...
The search for passion in Yers lives is a lifelong quest
and they might change job many times in order to find it
...
With all this on their
shoulders managers must develop individual development programs in order to motivate
Yers, managers must realize that Yers are hopefully more encouraged by individual
fulfillments rather than extrinsic motivators
...
SMEs have to
motivate their employees not only in this age group, but as well in others to motivate them to
stay loyal to the company
...
Table 2-6 on the next page summarize patterns, qualities, values, assets and styles that the
four work generations has and finally the table explains the best strategy manager can use for
motivating their employees
...
13
...
Although motivation differs the table clearly demonstrates what strategies
managers can use for the different generations and the challenge is generation Y
...
4 Theoretical frame of reference
A theoretical frame of reference is to help us explain the main variables to be studied
...
Through conceptualization we shall try to locate the variables that would assist us in
defining those points that are measurable
...
Figure 2-3 depicts how our three research questions form a main theme and lead to
managerial implications of work motivation
...
The dotted area shows what we have gathered information on by collecting data on past
research about motivation in the literature review
...
Research questions two and three concerned gender
and age which are two variables which influence work motivation
...
We have
chosen to look at only the different ways managers can motivate their employees, not how
they implement it
...
If the left out area would have been added to our
research we would have collected our data differently and interviewed both managers and
employees
...
4
...
Humans are motivated
differently and research done in the past has focused on different variables concerning work
motivation
...
2006; Bymes,
2006; Kiger, 2006; Kehr,
2004
Robbins, 2003; Barbuto, et
al
...
(2006); Bymes (2006); Kiger (2006) and Kehr (2004)
since it is the most recent theories to investigate how these two variables differ in our chosen
companies
...
The
internal variables are taken from research made by Robbins (2003); Barbuto, et al
...
The external variables derive from Katz (2005); Quiley & Tymon Jr (2005) and the same
effort will not be put on these variables since they are not considered to have the same impact
on motivation
...
The incentive profile contained 15 different variables, but after reviewing literature of
motivation it demonstrated that people search mostly for security, reward and
27
LITERATURE REVIEW
acknowledgement at work and therefore we will rely on work by Hiam (2003) since the book
explains what managers should do in order to increase motivation among employees
...
Garg & Rastogi (2006) mention that feedback is essential for managers to give, but also to
receive in order to have more motivated employees
...
The authors work is
recent and we have chosen to investigate how managers motivate and recruit employees
...
2
...
2 Conceptualization – Gender and motivation
The second research question, how can the relationship between motivation and gender in the
workplace be described
...
•
•
•
Our aim at investigating gender and motivation is to find out if motivation differs due
to gender and we will use work by Chang (2003); Singh, et al
...
Chang (2003) discusses obstacles women have entering the workforce and an obstacle
for women are stereotypes which is discussed by Abrahamsson (2001)
...
28
LITERATURE REVIEW
2
...
3 Conceptualization – Age and motivation
In our third research question, how can the relationship between motivation and age be
described, we will rely on work done by Eisner (2005) because it is recent and explains a lot
of differences in the workforce and we will focus on the different strategies managers are
supposed to use for the different generations:
•
Traditionalist
•
Baby Boomers
•
Generation X
•
Generation Y
We are interested in investigating if managers motivate the age groups specifically and if they
perceive them to be motivated in a different way
...
29
METHODOLOGY
3 METHODOLOGY
In this chapter we will begin by explaining the research method we used in this study
...
Finally, we will discuss problems that appeared throughout this thesis and
how we managed to overcome them
...
1 Purpose of research
The major focus of our thesis is a descriptive research strategy because the aim is to describe
different variables and the relationship between them
...
We will also begin to explore a new review
...
In the beginning when a new case is looked at it will be exploratory
and this will continue throughout the case
...
(Miles & Huberman, 1994) Description is used when
individuals make choices which guide us toward our paradigm, access and pre understanding
and no description can exist without analysis and interpretation (Gummesson, 2000)
...
Even in the explanation there exist elements that in their turn have to be explained and this
process never ends
...
2 Research approach
To reach the purpose with our study we have chosen a qualitative approach which according
to Denscombe (2000) is used as a mark for the kind of study performed by the researcher
...
This research is connected to small-scale studies since it is easier to gain a
deeper understanding of the researched area with fewer units
...
Alam (2005) explains that qualitative methods is the least understood and
most criticized research method today, but studying a variety of projects from different
organizations can better help capturing the complexity of the social setting and facilitate a
comparison of activities across a variety of settings and situations
...
A contact with the case in
question is established, the role of the researcher is to gain an overall view over the case
...
The accessibility of this data needs to be
proceeded before any conclusion can be drawn
...
Only one case is investigated, but since it is done over a period of time a
deeper understanding of the context may be gained
...
Our qualitative research will also be tight because we have a time limit of ten weeks in
finishing this thesis
...
A loose design is best used when the researcher has plenty
of time to conduct the research where a more tight design are used when the researcher search
for clarity
...
3 Research strategy
Since we used a qualitative approach in our research, which is connected to small-scale
studies, we have chosen to conduct a case study
...
Every choice includes
assumptions of what is going to be conducted and also results in both pros and cons
...
These strategy decisions are often taken before the research
initiates
...
Explanation case study builds the
ground for more precise questions or testable hypotheses (Gummesson, 2000)
...
Explanatory case studies on the other hand are better used
when designing and doing casual case studies since the more complex this process is the
better for this kind of theory
...
(Yin, 2003b)
Denscombe (2000) states that a case study is appropriate when using small-scale studies,
since it is only focused on one or few research units and therefore results in deep and detailed
information
...
One pro with a case study as a research strategy is
that it makes it possible to use different methods depending on the circumstances surrounding
the situation
...
31
METHODOLOGY
3
...
According
to Yin (2003b) using multiple sources of evidence contributes with strength to the case study,
this kind of evidence can come from documentation, archival records, interviews, direct
observation, participant observation and physical artifacts
...
Most of the time documentation is useful in any case study made and the data should be
explicit
...
Documentation is used throughout the case study, from the beginning to the end and
if documentation contradicts each other it is a clue to gather more information about the topic
...
The weaknesses are that the retrievability can be low, the data collection can lack information,
a variety of authors is used and some information sources can be unavailable
...
Structured of formal interview
is when the researcher has a series of standardized questions, such as interview schedule or
questionnaire
...
Unstructured or informal
interview is when the researcher has a list of topic areas that he or she works the way through
during the interview, it is like an informal conversation
...
Semi-structured interviews are made up of a combination of open and closed questions
...
Since this method is highly verifiable and seen as reliable
it is liked among researchers
...
The most common interview form is open-ended, where the respondents answer
certain matters as well as his or her opinion of the topic
...
The interviewer follows a case study
protocol where certain questions have been established
...
It also allows identifying other relevant sources of evidence
...
The main weakness is reflexivity since the interviewee only might say what the
interviewer wants to hear
...
5 Sample selection
Our case study research was focused on two medium-size companies from the same town and
their managerial approach toward motivation
...
The companies are of
equal size and turnover and it was convenient to conduct a focused interview with the plant
32
METHODOLOGY
managers
...
The two companies we have chosen for our case studies are Polarbröd and Älvsbyhus which
are both located in the town of Älvsbyn in northern Sweden
...
Both of the companies are successful, even though they are located in the same, but
not very large town
...
Since both companies depend a lot on personnel for the
end product to be produced, the employees play a vital part of the process
...
The reason for only interviewing managers is the time limit of this thesis,
but the managers chosen have the most knowledge in the investigated area
...
By comparing the answers of the respondents
with theory we hope to get a clear picture on how managers motivate their employees
concerning gender and age in small and medium-sized companies
...
6 Data analysis
In order to analyze the gathered data and compare it to theory we have created an interview
guide (see Appendix A, B) where we will lift out certain variables concerning workplace
motivation and compare the findings of our companies to theory
...
Qualitative data is used as a supplement to quantitative data to supplement, validate, explain,
illuminate and reinterpret data in the same case study
...
The process to select, focus, simplify, abstract and transform the data
is called data reduction
...
This is a part of analysis which
will narrow down and focus on important factors that will be brought up in the conclusion
...
This can be different matrices, graphs,
charts or networks that will give an overlook over the information gathered
...
This activity takes place throughout the entire
process of qualitative data research, in the beginning an image of the conclusion is established
and in the end the conclusion is well grounded in theory and by a case analysis which will
lead to validity
...
Relying on theoretical proposition is the most
33
METHODOLOGY
common strategy used in case studies where certain data receive more research and other are
overlooked (Yin, 2003a)
...
Cross-case analysis helps
to enhance generalizability and a deeper in understanding and explanation
...
Multiple cases helps a researcher find negative cases to strengthen a theory,
build patterns through similarities and differences across cases
...
In order to collect data from
multiply cases either a case-oriented strategy or variable-oriented approach can be done
...
When using the strategy of variable-orientation researchers
look for themes that cut across cases
...
(Miles & Huberman, 1994) First a within-case analysis will be conducted on the two
companies and then a cross-case analysis to find similarities and differences
...
The evidence gathered in
multiple-case studies is considered more compelling and the study is considered to be more
robust
...
Each case in a
multiple-case study has to be selected so that it can predict similar results or produce
contrasting results, but for predictable reasons and the theoretical framework is of vital
importance when conducting multiple-case studies
...
7 Validity & Reliability
For our case study to be valid it is important that we carefully use the interview guide in order
to get the most accurate results
...
Our interview guide has also been approved by our
supervisor in this thesis
...
Validity refers to the problem of whether the data collected is the truth
of what is being studied (McNeill & Chapman, 2005)
...
It is
when a theory, model, concept or category describes reality as it appears (Gummesson, 2000)
and it refers to the truth in the case study, if the findings appear to make sense (Miles &
Huberman, 1994)
...
Construct validity means that
the measures and concepts in the case study are being established, in order to increase
construct validity researchers can use multiple sources of evidence, establish a chain of
evidence or have the report reviewed by key informants
...
External validity is when the
domain of the study can be generalized, this refers to theory being tested so that a logical
replication can be made
...
Triangulation refers to the use of multiple methods to cross-check and verifies the reliability
of the research tools and the validity of the collected data (McNeill & Chapman, 2005)
...
(Silverman, 2000; McNeill & Chapman, 2005) Triangulation is used in
research to support the findings by showing that measures can be done that agree or do not
contradict the findings
...
(Miles & Huberman, 1994) Triangulation makes the findings
and conclusions of the research more convincing and accurate and by using multiple sources
of evidence the construct of validity is assisted (Alam, 2005)
...
The use of an interview guide help in improving the reliability of our
qualitative study
...
The interview guide can also be used on other companies when conducting other qualitative
case studies in the same area
...
Also the sample selection and
methodological in this paper can be duplicated by other researchers
...
When a case study has high reliability it can be
copied by other researchers and the same findings and conclusions should be drawn
...
The emphasis is on
making the same case study all over again and not by making a new case study, this in order
to minimize the errors and biases in the study
...
In each of the
case studies we will start by first looking at research question one and the variables in our
theoretical frame of references and then move to research question two where the same
approach is used
...
4
...
Polarbröd is a family business with traditions in the northern
Sweden bread culture that have existed for hundreds of years
...
When Polarbröd began their factory the bread became very popular and the founders wanted
to expand to other parts of Sweden, but in order to do so they had to preserve the bread and
distribute it fresh, the only way to do this was by freezing the bread, called polarmetoden
...
Polarbröd was rated as one of the top 25 brands in Sweden in 2003 together with
IKEA and Lego
...
In recent years export has increased and corresponded to 12 % during
2005
...
On average the company has 367 employees, the turnover in 2005 was 579 million Swedish
crowns and the company baked 32 911 ton of bread divided on the three Polarbröd factories
in Älvsbyn, Bredbyn and Omne
...
In presenting our empirical data we will refer to the respondent Maria Göransson
...
1
...
For Margareta
Jonsson (owner of the company) “people are the focus”, both personnel and customers
participate in making Polarbröd profitable
...
The
employees work on the same schedule for one week and then they switch shifts, this include
working from Sunday night to Friday night depending on the shifts
...
The motivational factors for companies with shift work are primary external, but in
Polarbröd’s case affiliation is the major one concerning motivation
...
Attempts have been made to improve the shift hours and the company
welcomes ideas from employees in order to make improvement of work hours
...
Polarbröd wants to engage their employees in health
activities, but it is a small number that participate in these activities
...
Maria Göransson states that it is very easy for leaders to form an opinion of a certain group
...
Managers at Polarbröd makes attempt to talk and recognize
people who want to work in projects and improve work place
...
The psychological work environment
is considered to be good at Polarbröd, which includes friends, coffee breaks, parties, gifts, the
company even have a mobile house which employees can borrow, but the demand is not high
in Älvsbyn, where Polarbröd is located
...
Dust is a big problem when making bread and this aspect at work has increased, the workers
has to improve their own working environment since they are considered to be specialist
when knowing what to improve
...
Leaders are there to support the fun “activities” that already exist at
work and make them even more stable and Polarbröd has improved well in this area, but in
the end it is all up to the individual, each individual is different, but having respect for others
as well as for general human values is an important factor
...
When recruiting personnel Polarbröd looks for
37
EMPIRICAL DATA
managers with the above characteristics
...
According to Göransson managers are very important for motivation, managers are there to
help the “weaker” and the goal is to work together with personnel to solve problems
...
Good
leadership work in strengthening the motivation and in Polarbröd's case the owner picture is
important among employees
...
Both Kjell and
Margareta Jonsson participate, make decisions, and visit the factory
...
Polarbröd is a
private owned company and this is rather unique for a large number of companies and the
owners invest money in order for the company to remain private and this is highly valued
among the managers at the company and it motivates them
...
When possible Polarbröd attempts to
recruit internally and the workers should know that advancement can be a motivational factor
...
The plant manager explains that the policy of Polarbröd is that all employees should have a
family life
...
Therefore at Polarbröd the relationship with managers and employees is very important
...
Employees that can motivate others are steady, both in themselves and in
the way they handle the environment and the company has to look in the future for managers
and employees with these characteristics
...
The survey has
shown that feeling good at work and with co-workers is a more important motivational factor
than money
...
The survey demonstrates that safe employment and the feeling at work are high motivational
factors and the view of Polarbröd is that high quality, ethic and moral, equality and coworkers are important
...
Wellbeing at work
38
EMPIRICAL DATA
and relationship with employees and co-workers was also rather high on the list of
motivational factors
...
Polarbröd believes that a year
is too short a period of time to make changes that are noticeable for the company
...
Today with the entrance of the European
Union and globalization grocery stores such as Ica for example are bringing plagiarism of the
kind of bread Polarbröd produces to their shelves
...
It is no longer safe as it was in the
past to work for grocery companies and the feeling of safety have changed both at work and
in society
...
Globalization does not only bring negative effects, it also allows for
Polarbröd to expand and the company welcomes competition
...
Something positive for the motivation at Polarbröd is that the
employees have their own responsibility, if a problem occurs the employees know what to do,
they are innovative and do not have to wait for a manager telling them what to do
...
When recruiting managers Polarbröd conducts psychological tests, the company looks for
curiosity and likeability of human beings in their managers
...
Each half hour the workers change station to another one and this movement takes place
continuously during the work shift
...
They are the one who are responsible for talking to these
employees who stands out and see if they want to advance or not
...
Each year an employee discussion exchange is conducted where a routine formula is used as
the base of the discussion
...
It is vital that managers communicate when a situation occurs, both possibilities
and ways to improve as positive feedback
...
39
EMPIRICAL DATA
4
...
2 Motivation and Gender at Polarbröd
In 2006 Polarbröd was given the award as Sweden’s most gender equality based company
...
Polarbröd
recruits both men and women and for example in the factory Polarbröd has something called
Smörgåshuset where only women work, and the mechanics are only men
...
According to the plant manager when a manager position is available in
the factory Polarbröd looks for women that they encourage to search for the vacant position,
also they would like to see women as truck drivers
...
The company chooses to motivate both genders in an equal
manner and work towards not having one gender dominate
...
1
...
In order to solve this motivational factor the employees
can change shifts with one another and this is done among employees and the managers do
not have to get involved
...
Individuals have different preferences depending on sex, male or
female, if one have children or not and so on and Polarbröd has a working group that is trying
to implement a laundry schedule, tvättstugeschema, meaning that employees choose to work
when it is most suitable for them
...
According to Göransson Polarbröd has recognized that all employees are motivated on an
individual basis and therefore they try to generally motivate all employees the same way
...
2 Case 2: ÄLVSBYHUS
Company background
Älvsbyhus was founded in 1944 by Gunnar and Göran Johansson, but the production of
houses did not start until 1960
...
Divided on the three plants, Älvsbyhus produces 34 houses a week, with a working week of
40 hours
...
In 2005 the number of employees
reached 278 and the turnover was 1 154 million Swedish crowns
...
The houses are
built inside the plant with frequent production in comparison with other house builders which
builds the houses outdoors and Älvsbyhus is considered to be among the most effective
manufacturing company for house building in Europe
...
Älvsbyhus do not only provide a house without anything in it, it is built complete with
interiors such as kitchen, bathrooms and wardrobes
...
Work takes place under good working conditions
with effective and routine tasks
...
(Älvsbyhus webpage)
Älvsbyhus is a family business and because of this the leadership is very obvious and
decisions can be made quickly, the process of making decisions is short
...
The different managers that work at Älvsbyhus
are managers of the collective, plant manager and drift manager
...
(Lars-Göran Wallström)
Our respondent at Älvsbyhus was Lars-Göran Wallström who is local plant manager at the
plant in Älvsbyn
...
4
...
1 Employee motivation at Älvsbyhus
Motivational factors managers can use
According to Wallström it has been realized that the employees are all motivated differently,
but at first place of the motivational factors is the wage since all employees in the plant work
41
EMPIRICAL DATA
on piece rate
...
The low price is obvious in the entire
company
...
Employees can earn between 145150 crowns per hour when working at Älvsbyhus
...
The piece rate depends on the individual and how hard he or she works, it can be said
that the worker more or less control their own wage
...
Another motivational factor at Älvsbyhus is bonuses, the company gives money as bonus for
attending work, an employee can receive up to six crowns extra per hour and they have to
attend work to receive this
...
When working for Älvsbyhus the
employees know that the working hours end at four in the afternoon and it is rarely that
employees have to work overtime
...
Älvsbyhus have grown to such a large company that the stress
of working overtime is not the same as it was in the past when the company were not as big as
it is today
...
The plant manager explains that in the plant in Älvsbyn employees are
given Christmas lunches, this is not done in Bjärnum where the employees receive Christmas
dinners due to the fact that the plant and employees are of a smaller number
...
The gym is a very good idea, but instead of using it
employees crave for a Nautilus gym card, but the question is that once a person receives it
will he or she really use it
...
It is clear that employees need to have their own interest, they
can not be married to work and affiliation is vital
...
What people do during
the lunch is up to them, some employees go out together and others go home to eat
...
Managers can sense that something is wrong when an employee is not
present at the coffee breaks and actions are taken
...
Over the years different attitudes have existed toward Älvsbyhus, some think
that the company is good while others believe it is bad
...
42
EMPIRICAL DATA
DISC-model
In each group at the company there exist an informal leader, and according to the plant
manager it is both for good and bad
...
Personal
characteristics in employees differ and some have a characteristic that motivate others
...
The work task goes hand in hand with the piece rate when
motivating employees
...
Incentive profile
In 2005 the company conducted a survey, Prevent, concerning the work environment
...
Employees wanted the physical
environment to be improved, but few suggestions were made on how to conduct this
...
Älvsbyhus knows that motivation is
very individual and young people are not motivated by being part of the gold club,
guldklubben, or the retirement club, pensionsklubben, which are for employees in the end of
their working life
...
Leadership
The goal of the company have been clearly stated by Donald Johansson and influence the
entire company, to make cheap houses with good quality
...
No human being has the same motivational
level on a constant basis, it goes up and down and as a leader it is not easy to motivate
employees if the manager is not motivated themselves
...
Managers are there to motivate others, some succeed and others do not, but the goal stated, to
make cheap houses with good quality, by Älvsbyhus is present at all levels of the company
and other companies have a hard time obtaining this in their organizational levels
...
It is acknowledge that workers take pride when Älvsbyhus sells as many houses
as they do, but the workers do not want to show this pride
...
The heaviest work happens inside the plant
where everything is put together and it is mostly young people working at theses stations
because the work is heavy
...
Employees working at these stations have a
43
EMPIRICAL DATA
higher turnover, but some have worked there for 30 years, it all depends on what attitudes the
workers have toward work
...
The group contains eight to nine workers that have
the opportunity to advance, they have to be:
•
Multifaceted
•
Have the right attitude
•
The willing to learn more stations
Wallström explains that these people have the opportunity to advance to drift manager
...
The work task goes hand in hand with piece rate which is
what motivates employees
...
If an employee has come up with an idea that results in
economic savings for the company they have the possibility to receive a reward which is
calculated in a concrete manner
...
Employees have the opportunity to influence by making propositions,
work more effective and suggest new ways of working
...
Some have small talks at the beginning of the day other
chose to communicate differently, but when changes occurs all division have meetings
...
2
...
At the offices there are more women
working and the company would like to have more women working for them
...
There should be more women working for the company, but mostly women are
looking for other jobs, are afraid of working in men dominated company or do not want to
further educate themselves
...
There exist no differences at the company when motivating men and
women, it just exist different values in the two groups
...
4
...
3 Motivation and Age at Älvsbyhus
The plant manager explains that the company would like to have more employees that can
perform a number of tasks, but employees that have worked for a while do not want to loose
any piece rate and because of this they are unwilling to educate themselves to become more
multitasked
...
Wallström goes on to mention that Älvsbyhus has a variety of age groups working for them
and managers have recognized different values in their employees
...
People from the 1950s are very good at work, but do not have the
same motivational drive as people from the 1940s
...
This generation both want to strive forward, but some do
not
...
Young people today have to have the
right thinking and it is easy to categorize young people in a specific category, but as the rest
of the workforce it has been noticed that some workers work better than others and are
motivated differently
...
The older are
striving for some kind of carrier, but the young prefer not having to travel far distances to
work, have a job where they live and have their social life and be able to work out
...
Employees
have to communicate with managers and tell them what they want and participate more active
at work, but it is obvious that some employees are not willing to do this
...
Each employee
has the opportunity to show what they are good at, but it is so individual
...
First we will compare the data in the two cases separately with our
theoretical frame of reference in a within-case analysis and then we will compare the
outcome of the two within-case analysis with each other in a cross-case analysis
...
1 Within-case analysis
The most common strategy to rely in case studies is theoretical propositions which means that
certain data research more certain data receive more research and other are overlooked (Yin,
2003a)
...
5
...
1 Within-case analysis of Polarbröd
Employee motivation in SMEs
Motivation has been studied for over a century, but still managers have a hard time
understanding what motivates employees
...
(Marcum, 2000;
Hiam, 2003) Motivation can be seen as a strategic issue because if employees and managers
are not motivated to perform at work it will impact on the organizations cost, productivity and
performance (Glen, 2006)
...
2006; Bymes, 2006; Kiger; 2006; Kehr, 2004; Robbins, 2003;
Barbuto, et al
...
According to Quiley & Tymon
Jr (2005), when individuals experience internal motivation it is directly affected by the work
tasks being meaningful, competence challenging, and with the opportunity to make choices
and progress
...
2006; Bymes, 2006; Kiger; 2006; Katz, 2005)
...
The company has
recognized wage, working hours and benefits to be some of the major motivational factors
...
The
company values contribution made by employees since they are the specialists in the areas
...
46
DATA ANALYSIS
There exist several motivational profiles that are supposed to be seen as a help to managers
for selecting employees that have the characteristics to motivate others
...
(Bossé-Smith, 2005)
Polarbröd has recognized that a steady person is best suited for a managerial position and to
work for their company
...
The characteristics are all important
in a leader, but a steady person dominates in society
...
The motivational factor that gets the highest score by
the respondent gives the manager an idea of what motivates that individual
...
Instead the company conducts their own
survey each 18 month concerning motivation in order to improve their performance
...
Managers can not fall in the trap of believing that
all employees are motivated in the same way
...
(Bryan, et al
...
This is very much influenced by the statement that
“people are the focus”
...
Job characteristics indirectly affects work motivation, this includes skill variety, task identity,
task significance, autonomy and feedback (Garg & Rastogi, 2006; Katz, 2005)
...
Polarbröd have shift work and therefore they know that the job characteristics are very
important in order to motivate employees and they work a lot with this issue
...
Employees have the autonomy to influence the improvements of their work stations
...
(2004) research has been conducted on gender perspective and
motivation with various results
...
In 2006 Polarbröd was rewarded Sweden’s most equal company and the gender perspective of
being equal at work is motivated among employees
...
47
DATA ANALYSIS
In a gender-balanced workplaces there is insignificant gender typing of jobs and insignificant
gender segregation
...
(Abrahamsson, 2001)
However, researchers are intrigued in women entering the workforce and investigating
genders impact on motivation is still of importance (Singh, et al
...
In male dominated
workplaces women faces bigger challenges and therefore less women might search for work
in these occupations (Singh, et al
...
In a male dominated workplace almost only men are
in production and almost all jobs in production are “men’s work”
...
(Abrahamsson, 2001)
Polarbröd have chosen to generalize and motivate all their employees equally and this is taken
from the organizational structure
...
Studies demonstrate that women and men have different conditions concerning work and this
is also affected by the organizational structure
...
(Chang, 2003)
There are several different organizational structures and Polarbröd is considered to be a
gender-balanced workplace where neither of the gender groups should dominate
...
Age
According to Eisner (2005) the workforce contains four different generations, all with age
differences and preferences
...
The older generation does
not want to work night and the younger generation wants the night shifts and prefers
weekends off
...
Traditionalists are likely to stay within the company as well as the workaholic Baby Boomers
...
The trend in
society today is that the younger generations replace the older ones and therefore managers
will recognize different motivation issues in their workforce
...
This is a way of
allowing employees to make their own decisions and participate to make work more fun
...
1
...
Most of the time managers believe that everybody
is motivated equally and they do not try to motivate them as individuals
...
In the literature review there exist several motivational factors, the major being internal and
external factors (Bryan, et al
...
2002; Katz, 2005; Quiley & Tymon Jr, 2005)
...
Salary and wage packets on the other hand are the base for external motivation,
but are not assumed to give the same commitment and excitement to employees that internal
factors can provide (Bryan, et al
...
At Älvsbyhus managers know that the main motivational factor is payment, because the
employees work on piece rate and it inspires the employees
...
However, it is hard to have affiliation when working on track, besides the coffee
breaks
...
The DISC model
describes four different individual characteristics that have been found to be able to motivate
others
...
Another motivational profile is the incentive profile, which according to Hiam (2003) both
managers and employees should take
...
Älvsbyhus knows that their workers are there to earn their piece rate and therefore not a lot of
effort is put on an incentive profile which will show what employees are motivated by
...
The survey mostly showed that a lot of
employees wanted improvement in certain areas, but no suggestions were put forward on how
to solve the problems
...
Managers can not fall in the trap of believing that
all employees are motivated in the same way
...
(Bryan, et al
...
Leaders know that the leadership style is for
them to motivate others, but there also exist informal leaders in the work units and when these
leaders make others perform better it is preferred to a formal leader that does not motivate his
or her employees to perform a well-done task
...
Job characteristics indirectly affects work motivation, this includes skill variety, task identity,
task significance, autonomy and feedback (Garg & Rastogi, 2006; Katz, 2005)
...
At Älvsbyhus the job characteristics goes hand in hand with the piece rate, but the company
has a team called jumpers which are given the opportunity to do multiple tasks
...
At
Älvsbyhus the employees can also give suggestions on how to make the work more effective
and find new ways of performing the work task
...
(2004) research has been conducted on gender perspective and
motivation with various results
...
Älvsbyhus is a male dominated company, but there should be more room for females entering
the company
...
Älvsbyhus
would like to see more women advance at work, but it is important to keep the gender
perspective and not only focus on women
...
A gender segregated workplace has obvious segregations between men
and women since they work in different units of the company
...
2004)
...
2004)
...
On the company level
however there is visible gender segregation and a comprehensive gender typing of jobs and
working areas
...
Everybody that works at Älvsbyhus also knows that the day ends at four a clock in the
50
DATA ANALYSIS
afternoon when they will have time for their personal lives
...
Studies demonstrate that women and men have different conditions concerning work and this
is also affected by the organizational structure
...
(Chang, 2003)
The organizational structure is dominated by the goal to make cheap houses with good
quality and this is performed by the employees working on track with less work variation of
the tasks
...
Älvsbyhus has a clearer age difference between the generations
...
In this
generation some individuals want to advance while others are satisfied with their current
position
...
Traditionalists are likely to stay within the company as well as the workaholic Baby Boomers
...
The trend in
society today is that the younger generations replace the older ones and therefore managers
will recognize different motivation issues in their workforce
...
Managers have recognized
that motivation differs concerning the workforce, but it is not emphasized as much as the
piece rate
...
2 Cross-case analysis
The aim with studying multiple cases is to increase generalizablity, also to see processes and
outcomes across cases and understand how they are qualified to local conditions and by doing
this creating a more sophisticated description and powerful explanation
...
By having
multiple-case samples researcher can strengthen the precision, the validity and the stability of
the findings
...
With only one variable no
clear conclusion can be made and within cross-case analysis pattern clarification is needed,
which mean multiple variables
...
The table demonstrates the answers of the local
plant managers at both companies
...
Polarbröd agrees with theory regarding motivational factors
managers can use
...
The table on Älvsbyhus is
also consistent with theory, although the external factors dominate in the company
...
Polarbröd believes that a person who is steady and like other people are better suited for
managerial positions since they are better suited to motivate others since they are confident in
themselves
...
Steady individuals are seen as individuals with the ability to motivate others at Älvsbyhus,
and the personal characteristics are very important in a manager
...
The incentive profile is not used by Polarbröd, but the company conducts their own survey in
order to gain insight in what motivational factors that exist among their employees
...
Although in 2005 they conducted a survey on the work environment and allowed the
employees to make their voice heard
...
At the company the employees also have their own power since they
can influence certain decisions and do not have to wait for a leader telling them what to do
...
Employees are more empowered at Polarbröd than at
Älvsbyhus, but at both companies the work of managers is to help employees and keep them
motivated
...
The theory brings up five variables which Polarbröd tries to implement in
their business
...
5
...
1 Gender and motivation
Our investigation concerning gender has not been divided into male and female categories,
but in order to organize our interview guide we have divided our questions concerning gender
into the following variables (see Table 5-2):
Table 5-2: Summary of the key findings on RQ 2 – Gender and motivation
Variables
Polarbröd
Älvsbyhus
Gender perspective
Motivation
Organizational structure
-
-
+/-
+/-
+ Findings agree with theory
+/- Findings partly agree with theory
- Findings disagree with theory
The two companies are very dissimilar concerning gender perspective and do not agree with
theory
...
Although they are different they choose not to make differences when motivating their
employees and both companies wish for women to either make it as managers or just to try
the job
...
Polarbröd have a clear
strategy to not differentiate between genders and choose to motivate everyone equally
...
Therefore the company goes against theory since they actively choose to motivate everybody
equally, even though differences exist
...
Managers have tried to keep an open mind on both female and male stereotypes, but the truth
is that the female truck driver has been recognized to be a better driver than a man and have
different insight
...
Älvsbyhus has a clear male division in the
plant and are not working actively toward recognizing what factors motivates the genders
differently
...
5
...
2 Age and motivation
Age is very easily divided in four different workforce generations and in order to have
structure in our interview guide we have divided our questions concerning age into the
following variables (see Table 5-3):
Table 5-3: Summary of the key findings on RQ 3 – Age and motivation
Variables
Polarbröd
Älvsbyhus
Age differences
Motivation
-
+/-
+ Findings agree with theory
+/- Findings partly agree with theory
- Findings disagree with theory
Polarbröd’s table shows that they do not agree with theory on the age differences
...
The local plant manager at Älvsbyhus has better insight in the different
employee generations working in the plant and therefore the company partly agrees with
theory
...
Therefore it is easier for them to
generalize their motivation strategy among employees
...
However, as always some individuals are more motivated than others
...
The chapter will answer the stated research questions in chapter one and finally
implications and recommendations will be presented
...
1 RQ1: How can the way Swedish managers motivate their employees in
SMEs be described?
Much research has been done on motivation
...
The research has revealed different findings and some
findings even contradict one another due to the fact that researchers have focused on different
variables, organizations and countries
...
It appears that today intrinsic motivational factors are more
important than external motivational factors while in the past mostly external factors
dominated
...
Individuals are very unique and bring their personalities with them to work and no overall
conclusion can be said to motivate everybody equal
...
Due to the differences in the world some companies choose to motivate
everybody equally while other companies do not care what motivates their employees as long
as the work is done
...
It was interesting to investigate two companies with employees working
in track having so different strategies of motivating the employees
...
Literature also mentions that external
factors might be looked at as internal and the opposite is also true, therefore it still exist
research to be done in order to categorize the different factors
...
Some are very concerned with having motivated employees while others just want
their employees to get the work done
...
The reason wage might not be considered as high as affiliation
can have to do with the fact that the wage employees in the factory receive is higher than the
collective agreement
...
On the other hand companies do
not take all motivational factors mentioned in theory into consideration, since one
motivational factor dominates, wage
...
55
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
A help tool for managers when considering what can motivate ones employees is different
motivation profiles, which also can help a manager to see if certain employees have the
capability to motivate others
...
Findings
demonstrate that the population has been divided into four different characteristics and this is
a fairly broad generalization although it is easy to classify a person to suit a certain
characteristic
...
This is not surprising since 30-35 percentage of the
population fall under the category of being steady, but these individuals are quite, shy and
focus on people rather than the task
...
In theory it sounds really good to conduct an incentive profile in order to investigate what
motivates both employees as well as managers
...
The profile might also not give a specific
answer and no conclusions can be drawn on what areas to improve
...
Managing employees is a very important task a manager performs and the relationship
between manager and employee can be considered a motivational factor
...
A person that has a managerial position does not have to be suited as a manager,
some individuals are born leaders while others are specialists in a certain area and both are
needed in an organization
...
Although the companies lack knowledge and experience in
the area of motivation the respondents were highly competent
...
Both companies work on track and not a lot of inventions can
be done on the work task being perform, but employees who are specialist performing the
work have the opportunity to influence and make suggestions on how to improve
...
The two companies wished to improve their organization, but still they
seemed a bit afraid of changes, but they wanted to know how to progress their performance
and worked very hard with this issue
...
Autonomy is also very important since it allows the flexibility to
balance work and life and this aspect is even more important for the new generation
...
2 RQ2: How can the relationship between motivation and gender in the
workplace be described?
Literature presents the fact that it is very easy to stereotype individual to belong to certain
groups and this is a major mistake concerning motivation because individuals are motivated
by different factors, the major ones are internal and external
...
Gender and work have fascinated researchers for a long time and especially now researchers
are interested in women at work, since the number of women entering work occupations is
increasing
...
However it is not only good to focus at women concerning
gender, but it is very easy to take the step and end up there
...
Due to this it is
interesting to see if managers try to separate employees in different groups due to gender, or if
everybody is treated in an equal manner
...
Findings demonstrate that the employees are individuals and therefore
their motivational factors differ, but the managers motivate them in an equal manner
...
When motivating everybody equally nobody can say that they do
57
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
not receive the same treatment as a colleague and everybody know what to expect from the
manager
...
Companies can be male or female dominated as well as equals and the aim for most
companies is to have a gender segregated workplace
...
This can be done in certain industries while in other a dominate gender will be more
represented than another
...
It is hard to say if
larger companies with more resources will have the same view on gender concerning
motivation
...
3 RQ3: How can the relationship between motivation and age be
described?
Theory is discussing the new generation entering the workforce and how different these
employees will be to their previous generation
...
Findings demonstrate that the new generation does
not have the same thinking as the old one and they live in a different world, loyalty is not the
same and changes need to occur constantly
...
The fact that the
generations differ are due to patterns, qualities, values, assets and styles
...
It is interesting to see that the motivational factors have changed over the years due to
changes in the environment, in society and in the world
...
In the past managers knew where they had their workers and that most of them were
58
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
motivated to stay in the same company, but today managers can not have the same feeling of
security concerning the younger generation
...
The two companies in the case study have indications of different motivational factors, but do
not have any differences concerning age in comparison with motivation
...
From the above findings the following conclusions can be made:
•
Managers should not use different motivational strategies due to age since it is easier
to motivate everybody equal
•
It might be easier to have motivated employees if their nearest manager is of the same
generation since they might have the same values and preferences
•
The challenge for managers is not only to keep the new generation at work, they can
not overlook the old generation just because they are more loyal
•
Managers should give employees of the new generation the opportunity to have
variety in their work tasks, otherwise they might leave the company sooner than
expected
6
...
We will first provide implications
for theory followed by implications for practitioners and finally, implication for future
research
...
4
...
Our findings may somehow be of aid in connection with
the motivation among their employees:
•
Managers should not focus only on either internal or external motivational factors
since both are crucial for the motivation of employees
59
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
•
Try to choose a manager with a combination of the different characteristics mentioned
in the DISC model
...
4
...
•
We conducted a multiple- case analysis where two companies were compared with
theory and each other from a managerial perspective and therefore it might be
interesting to also conduct studies where the employees’ point of view are included
•
Our qualitative data has been narrowed down from the introduction and certain
concepts has been left out that could be interesting to observe and find similarities and
dissimilarities with our thesis
•
The same study could be conducted on other industries with more companies and in
different parts of Sweden
•
To conduct a qualitative study involving a larger sample of companies would
obviously result in findings when it would be more prone to generalization
60
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Employee motivation in SMEs
Motivational factors managers can use
1
...
How does the work environment provide a place where people can be motivated?
3
...
Do certain employees at the workplace motivate others?
•
Decisive
•
Influential
•
Steady
•
Compliant
Incentive profile
5
...
How do leaders motivate employees at the workplace?
7
...
How does the work provide for skill variety in order to motivate?
9
...
Is the task significant when motivating employees?
11
...
Is feedback given on a regular basis? What is the feedback for?
Do you have anything to add?
B
...
Does it exist any particular stereotypes of motivation concerning male and female
employees?
2
...
How is gender differences perceived, is the work divided into male and female units?
•
Male dominated
•
Gender segregated
•
Gender balanced
Do you have anything to add?
APPENDIX A
C
...
Have the age differences at work differentiated when motivating employees?
2
...
Have you recognized any particular changes concerning the new work generation, Yers, in
comparison with the older generations at work?
4
...
Motivation av anställda i små och medelstora företag
Motivationsfaktorer ledare kan använda
1
...
Hur kan de anställda bli motiverade utifrån arbetsmiljön?
3
...
Vilken typ av anställda motiverar andra?
•
Beslutsam
•
Inflytesrik
•
Stabil
•
Medgörlig
Stimulerande profil
5
...
Hur motiverar ledare sina anställda på arbetsplatsen?
7
...
Hur tillhandahåller ni era arbetare med varierande arbetsuppgifter?
9
...
Har arbetsuppgiften en viktig funktion när ni motiverar anställda?
11
...
Hur ger ni feedback till era anställda? I vilket syfte?
Har ni någonting att tillägga?
B
...
Finns det några speciella stereotyper angånde motivation med manliga och kvinnliga
medarbetare?
2
...
Hur uppfattas könsskillnader på arbetet, är abetet uppdelat i manliga och kvinnliga
avdelningar?
•
Mansdomined
•
Könssegregerat
•
Könsbalancerat
Har ni någonting att tillägga?
APPENDIX B
C
...
Blir anställda motiverade annorlunda beroende på åldersskillnader?
2
...
Har ni uppmärksammat någon speciell skillnad mellan den nya generationen, Y, i
förhållande till den äldre arbets gruppen?
4
Title: Motivation Full Project
Description: A Full Project for University Students in the Field of management
Description: A Full Project for University Students in the Field of management