i UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION. SUGGESTIONS FOR ENHANCING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: CASE STUDY OF NECSOM LTD. ANNA IKONEN This report presents the significance of employees for an organization’s success and the importance of motivating them. The case study of Necsom explores the current employee motivation situation in the company and describes the importance of certain factors in motivating employees. After description of the results of the research project, some conclusion are made how to enhance employee motivation systems in companies in general, and at Necsom, in particular.
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i
UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION. SUGGESTIONS FOR ENHANCING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: CASE STUDY OF NECSOM LTD.
ANNA IKONEN
This report presents the significance of employees for an organization’s success and the importance of motivating them. The case study of Necsom explores the current employee motivation situation
in the company and describes the importance of certain factors in motivating employees. After description of the results of the research project, some conclusion are made how to enhance
employee motivation systems in companies in general, and at Necsom, in particular.
2 SUCCESS FACTORS IN A MODERN COMPANY ................................................... 2
3 THE HUMAN FACTOR IN THE COMPANY GROWTH ........................................ 3 3.1 THE GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ............................................................ 3 3.2 EMPLOYEES SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATING THEM ........................... 5
4 WORK MOTIVATION IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ........................ 9 4.1 THEORIES ON MOTIVATION ........................................................................................... 9
4.1.1 Abraham Maslow ................................................................................................. 9 4.1.2 Frederick Herzberg ............................................................................................ 11 4.1.3 C.P. Alderfer ...................................................................................................... 12 4.1.4 David McClelland .............................................................................................. 12
4.2 A SELF CONCEPT-BASED MODEL OF WORK MOTIVATION ............................................. 16 4.3 METHODS AND WAYS OF MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES .................................................... 19 4.4 CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON MOTIVATION ..................................................... 23
5 WORK SATISFACTION AND MOTIVATION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS A RESULT OF RESEARCH IN NECSOM COMPANY .................................................. 27
5.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPANY, NECSOM LTD. ...................................................... 27 5.2 SURVEY METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 28 5.3 SURVEY RESULTS ....................................................................................................... 29
5.3.1 Demographic data ............................................................................................... 29 5.3.2 Work satisfaction ................................................................................................. 30 5.3.3 Work motivation .................................................................................................. 41
5.4 BRIEF SUMMARY OF RESULTS ...................................................................................... 48
6 DISCUSSION ON THE RESEARCH FINDINGS ..................................................... 49
LITERATURE ................................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
iii
Table of figures
Figure 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ................................................................................ 9 Figure 2. Descriptive statistics of work satisfaction ............................................................ 31 Figure 3. Satisfaction profile at Necsom .............................................................................. 32 Figure 4. Different opinions concerning work satisfaction .................................................. 38 Figure 5. Correlation (carrier prospects / position within the company) ............................. 38 Figure 6. Correlation (feeling stressed at work / position within the company) .................. 39 Figure 7. Correlation (carrier prospects / gender of the employee) ..................................... 39 Figure 8. How satisfaction with pay depends on the position with the company ................ 40 Figure 9. How satisfaction with Necsom’s benefits depends on the position ...................... 40 Figure 10. Ranking of motivational factors at Necsom ....................................................... 41 Figure 11.Descriptive statistics of motivational factors ....................................................... 42 Figure 12. How need to learn new skills depends on the position within company ............ 44 Figure 13. Correlation (importance of appreciation / work place) ...................................... 45 Figure 14. Correlation (need of having good salary / position within company) ................ 46 Figure 15. Correlation ( having good salary /work place) ................................................... 47 Figure 16. Correlation ( having good benefits / position with the company) ...................... 47
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Tables
Table 1. Gender of the employees........................................................................................ 29 Table 2. Nationality of respondents ..................................................................................... 29 Table 3. Age category .......................................................................................................... 29 Table 4. Work place of the employees ................................................................................. 29 Table 5. Education level of the employees .......................................................................... 30 Table 6. Position within company ........................................................................................ 30 Table 7. Basis of employment .............................................................................................. 30 Table 8. Working atmosphere .............................................................................................. 32 Table 9. Interesting work ..................................................................................................... 32 Table 10. Variety in the job.................................................................................................. 33 Table 11. Responsibility at work ......................................................................................... 33 Table 12. Having an idea of what is expected of the employee ........................................... 33 Table 13. Encouragement to improve job performance ....................................................... 34 Table 14. Chance of being promoted for a good job............................................................ 34 Table 15. Use of skills and experience................................................................................. 34 Table 16. Recognition of work ............................................................................................ 34 Table 17. I think I am well paid for my job ......................................................................... 35 Table 18. Opportunities to develop skills and abilities ........................................................ 35 Table 19. Necsom provides enough training for employees ................................................ 35 Table 20. Necsom provides relevant training ...................................................................... 35 Table 21. I prefer to work individually rather then in a team .............................................. 36 Table 22. I get a lot of support from the people I work with ............................................... 36 Table 23. I have to cope on my own when I have difficulties with work ............................ 37 Table 24. I am satisfied with my pay ................................................................................... 37 Table 25. I am satisfied with Necsom’s benefits ................................................................. 37 Table 26. Right facilities, equipment, systems to do the job well ....................................... 37 Table 26. Right facilities, equipment, systems to do the job well ....................................... 37 Table 31. Interesting work ................................................................................................... 42 Table 32. Good work atmosphere ........................................................................................ 43 Table 33. Good working conditions ..................................................................................... 43 Table 34. Secure job ............................................................................................................. 43 Table 35. Professional development and growth ................................................................. 43 Table 36. Learning new skills .............................................................................................. 44 Table 37. Carrier and promotion prospects .......................................................................... 44 Table 38. Sufficient time to do the job well without feeling stressed .................................. 45 Table 40. Working for a friendly, competent supervisor ..................................................... 45 Table 41. Working with friendly, helpful fellow employees ............................................... 45 Table 42. Being fairly paid for the work .............................................................................. 46 Table 43. Having good salary .............................................................................................. 46 Table 44. Having good benefits other than salary................................................................ 46 Table 45. Contribution to the company ............................................................................... 47 Table 46. Knowing what is expected of me ......................................................................... 48
1 Introduction Formation of the market according to developing community and recent demands for new
products dictate constant changes. It forces the companies to introduce new techniques,
technologies, train their workers in such direction and employment on newly formed
positions, which causes exerts pressure on educating the employees or gaining the
educated ones.
Organisations face increasing demands in terms of improving quality and business
outcomes in order to remain competitive. A key challenge for employers therefore
concerns how to motivate and retain committed employees in order to achieve business
objectives.
The report shows what a company formed by its workers is and, at the same time, what the
workers formed by their company are, development of human factor in market needs, the
role of workers employed there, and methods of motivating personnel.
We are all motivated to: eat, sleep, have fun, and work. The challenge for management is
to discover what motivates people at work to do what is necessary for the organization to
succeed. In the past, in the industrial-bureaucratic era of rigid hierarchy and
electromechanical tools, management's task was to motivate employees to obey orders and
perform set tasks. Today, in the age of service industries, managements' task is to motivate
employees to take responsibility for: solving problems, responding to customer needs,
cooperating with team members, and continuously improving products and services.
The labour market is changing in its profile, and employees have different aspirations and
expectations from their life and work than did earlier generations. Employers therefore
have a real need to understand employees’ views and needs in order to develop and deliver
sustainable HRM policies.
Motivating employees requires designing jobs that engage employee’s values and provide
satisfying rewards. This requirement is a challenge not only to managers, but also to
employees. In the motivating organization, people are engaged by their responsibilities, by
the challenges that are part of their job. They feel supported by their relationships, and
satisfied by their rewards. Furthermore, they understand organization goals and find them
meaningful.
1
This report presents the significance of employees for an organization’s success and
importance of motivating them. The aim of the report is to discover what the main
motivation factors within a company are. This aim is pursued through a case study of
Necsom Ltd, where the author worked when writing the report. Some methods and ways of
motivating employees have been suggested in following chapters.
This report presents few motivation theories and the research is aimed to show how those
theories are utilized in practise. The research has been done in Finnish telecommunication
company, Necsom Ltd. The case study explores the current employee motivation situation
in this company and describes the importance of certain factors in motivating employees.
The results of the study were aimed to help managers at Necsom to form a motivational
programme for the company. Some conclusion are made how to enhance employee
motivation systems in companies in general, and at Necsom, in particular.
2
2 Success factors in a modern company
The essence of an effective strategy consists of uniqueness of a company and distinctively
allows its employees and outsiders to protect the company against any other rivals. We
might say that the aim of an effective strategy is a definition of the company’s identity
regardless of the fact if it is a café or a hotel. (Obloj 1998, 32)
An effective strategy makes the company different from others. It is widely agreed that the
basis of success is each company’s strategic approach to conditions and abilities of its
functioning on market and designing a winning strategy (Penc 1999).
Success of a company depends on its employees (Penc 1999; Stredwick 2000). That is why
the company should invest in its employees and motivate them. However, it is also
important that employees involve themselves in the company’s life and care about their
work.
As Walker (2000) points out, it seems clear that the business world of today is no longer
limited by national boundaries and that organizations need to have a global perspective if
they are to survive and prosper in this international environment. Many organizations will
succeed or fail on the basis of their ability to deal with this dynamic environment. There
has been a growing recognition in the past decade that international business is the reality
of the business world today. (Walker 2000)
As we move toward a more global economy, a company's ability to compete is dependent
upon its ability to cultivate its human capital on a global basis. Many companies, whether
international, multinational, or global in business focus, have programs, processes, and
structures that have been established around singular sets of cultural values that may not
reflect diverse workplace issues. (Walker 2000)
As a result, human resource professionals must find ways to transform the HR function to
deliver a set of global HR services that are flexible, adaptable, and focused on attracting,
motivating, mobilizing, and retaining global human capital. To accomplish this formidable
task, organizations are looking to align their key human resources functions more closely
with overall corporate strategy so they can effectively capitalize upon their greatest asset -
people. (Walker 2000)
3
3 The human factor in the company growth
Global companies face an added burden in dealing with the leadership crisis. Not only do
they require leaders with solid leadership abilities, but they also need leaders who can
manage within a variety of geographical locations while trying to build a common
corporate culture. This straddling of two cultural worlds - corporate and local - raises the
bar on leadership skills and magnifies the leadership crisis for global companies. (Wellins
2000)
3.1 The global human resource management
As Wellins points out, in addition to looking for candidates with essential core or
functional skills, global companies need to find people who are willing to relocate to a
different country, often more than once. Those candidates must have the skills to work
across cultural boundaries. As a response to that challenge, the global recruiting process is
being overhauled in many companies to better enable them to compete for global talent.
Best Foods, for example, has a Website to attract and qualify candidates for a high-
potential, entry-level talent pool. Other companies, such as Microsoft, are identifying the
unique competencies for managing globally and building assessment processes for global
aptitude. (Wellins 2000)
Global companies, it seems, are using cross-cultural assignments as a way to develop long-
term talent. The success of global business strategies is correlated largely with the success
of an organization's HR practices (Wellins 2000). HR professionals must extend their value
beyond traditional practices by helping senior management create and maintain a shared
mission and culture, both of which are absolutely essential to the ultimate success of a
global business strategy (Wellins 2000).
Multi-national corporations (MNCs) face a variety of questions regarding the appropriate
business practices to use in the different countries in which they compete. MNCs face
challenges in determining the right product, market, finance, and human resource
management strategies across different national cultures (Wellins 2000).
There are a number of unique challenges global companies faces when trying to implement
consistent practices across their global HR networks. The biggest challenge is somewhat
obvious: the worldwide variations in social, political, and economic circumstances. An HR
4
practice that works in one country may be unacceptable in another. Fluctuations in
currency, government regulations, compensation expectations, job security, and learning
styles are just a few examples of the local variations a global HR professional faces.
(Buller & McEvoy 2000)
Another global challenge is that the perceived value of the HR function varies across
locations. In one country, HR may be perceived as a true business partner, working with
high-level managers on critical strategic assessments. In another country but within the
same company, HR may be viewed as a transactional personnel department that handles
administrative work. (Buller & McEvoy 2000)
A third major challenge facing global HR practitioners is that different locations have their
own way of doing things and resist change. If an HR initiative that is viewed as corporate
is imposing on the local HR staff, then it can be difficult to gain acceptance from the field.
That is true regardless of whether it is a U.S. multinational "forcing" initiatives on its local
business or a German company "forcing" policies and practices on its international
businesses. (Buller & McEvoy 2000)
A winning global HR function is constantly adjusting the balance between a strong
corporate culture and local cultural differences. According to the DDI (Development
Dimensions International) survey, 85 percent of global companies are trying to establish a
corporate culture in all locations that is consistent with the goals and vision of the
company. However, 88 percent report that local culture and customs have a "moderate to
great" influence on the way they conduct business in particular locations (Dordrecht 1998).
5
3.2 Employees significance and importance of motivating them
Nowadays, significance of employees, their qualifications, abilities and motivations have
an unbelievably great influence towards enormous competition, large variability of
environment, growing globalisation and increasing demands of customers (Stredwick
2000, Penc 1999). According to Penc, without the employees’ engagement, initiative
towards creating new values, the best productive and marketing plans most probably would
not bring an increase in demands or income.
Employees are the most valuable resource of the company (Penc 1999; Stredwick 2000;
Obloj 1998). Thanks to them, the company demonstrates its abilities and it is they who
lead it to success. The company should invest in their development and education.
As Penc points out, employee’s competence is a possibility to fulfil the requirements of the
job, ability to meet these demands in an unfailing way in a longer period of time.
According to Wlodkowski (1999) competence is the concept or major motivation factor
that describes our innate desire to take the initiative and effectively act upon our
environment rather than remaining passive and allowing the environment to control and
determine our behaviour.
Personality of an employee seems to be important as well. Therefore, the company should
focus its attention on individual features of an employee and try to create favourable
conditions for purposeful exploiting employee’s usefulness. (Penc 1999)
It should not be forgotten that effective performance of an employee in an organization
depends on his abilities and willingness to act. Potential of this aptitude has a manifold
structure, in which the most important role is played by motivation to work, assuming such
a person has proper competence. (Penc 1999)
According to M. Armstrong (1998) managers start to recognize the significance of training
their employees that in turn brings the following profits:
• Motivates them towards future training and developing new skills
• Increases identification with the company because during training
employees get to know company’s goals and its functioning
6
• Improves communication with personnel because of joint training of both
management and personnel; during such courses, methods of solving
specific problems may be found
• Enriches work – training, educational sessions give people chance to accept
new challenge, which is very beneficial for them and their company
• Helps to understand why changes are necessary and what profits those
changes may bring
• Helps the employees to feel that the company treats them seriously
Geert Hofstede argues that in countries with cultures that value uncertainty avoidance (like
Japan and Greece), job security and lifelong employment are stronger motivators than self-
actualisation, interesting or challenging job. Moreover, in certain European countries (like
Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) that value and reward quality of life as much as –if not
more than- productivity, social needs are stronger motivators than self-esteem or self-
actualisation needs (which are higher order needs in Maslow’s hierarchy). What is more, in
countries that value collectivist (like Pakistan) and community practices over
individualistic achievements, belonging and security are higher order needs (again, in
contrast to Maslow’s hierarchy). (Weiss 1996, 101; Adler 1997)
“The point here is that need hierarchies differ with culture. Maslow’s needs may thus be
universal, but the logic or the sequence of the hierarchy is likely to differ from culture to
culture” (Weiss 1996, 102).
Herzberg’s two-factor theory also does not hold up across cultures. A study (Staw 1980)
presented by Adler (1997) showed that interpersonal relationships and supervision in New
Zealand act as motivators, not as hygiene factors; that is, they reduce dissatisfaction.
Hofstede, cited above, also notes that cultures influence factors that motivate and
demotivate (Adler 1997, 162). For example, collectivistic societies like the Scandinavian
26
countries use organizational restructuring strategies (forming work groups to enhance
interaction) to increase quality of work life. More individualistic societies as the United
States focus on job enrichment to increase the productivity of individuals. Other studies
also show that what acts as a hygiene factor or dissatisfier in the United States, may act as
a motivator in other countries. (Adler 1997, 162)
McClelland’s motivation theory (1953) holds up better under the test of cross-cultural
analysis than any other theories I have discussed, however comparable to the analysis of
Maslow’s need hierarchy, Hofstede questions the universality of McClelland’s three needs
(Adler 1997, 161).
As Weiss points out, a moral for individual organizational members working in and/or with
those from different cultures should be “Don’t assume” when the topic is motivation –
whether it is needs, expectancies, or satisfiers (Weiss 1996, 103). It is always
recommendable to find out first what the basic cultural orientation is. Not everyone in a
culture shares all of its basic societal values, but the values can certainly influence
unspoken beliefs, attitudes, and motivations. Moreover, the managers should not use own
values or motivational assumptions as absolute standards but rather be open to discover
other’s motivating values and ideas. (Weiss 1996, 104)
International research “The Importance of Work Goals: An International Perspective”
made by Harpaz in 1990, reveals that work is important to many people. The research
reports on the importance of series of work goals among workers in seven different
countries. Results show that interesting work, on average, is the most objective.
Commenting on the research, Itzahak Harpaz has noted that major findings have a number
of practical implications. For example, the emphasis that the employees give to interesting
work points to the need for challenging, meaningful jobs. (Rugman & Hodgetts 2000, 143)
Additionally, when the work is interesting and challenging, the employees are willing to
exert greater effort. This has led Harpaz to conclude that “intrinsically motivated
employees are concerned with the expressive aspects of work life, not necessarily for the
purpose of securing more financial rewards, but because these very rewards are associated
with intrinsically motivating jobs” (Rugman & Hodgetts 2000, 143).
27
5 Work satisfaction and motivation and its significance as a result of research in Necsom company The study has been done in the company Necsom Ltd. where the researcher worked as a
marketing assistant. The aim of the study was to help managers to design the motivation
program for the company.
5.1 Introduction to the company, Necsom Ltd. Necsom Ltd. is a Finnish company that develops, produces and markets innovative
software and hardware products for intelligent traffic processing and application execution
in the Internet environment. (Necsom 2001)
The company was founded in 1997 by Professor Olli Martikainen, a co-developer of the
GSM mobile communications standard used by 400 million mobile phones worldwide.
Necsom was born out of the idea that the future customers will have a growing demand for
value added services, forcing the networks to be more than just pathways for data.
(Necsom 2001)
Necsom’s current product portfolio includes an intelligent switch platform, called the
Media Switch, a distribution software MOWE (Manager of Objects in Web Environment),
and a management software IBIM (Internet Business Information Manager). Necsom’s
products are designed to provide a complete solution for managing, monitoring,
distributing, and billing of IP-services. The products can be used separately as well.
(Necsom 2001)
Currently Necsom has 40 employees, of which the majority work in the research and
development centre located in Lappeenranta, in south-eastern part of Finland. The sales
and marketing resides in the Helsinki office.
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5.2 Survey methodology
The purpose of this study was to discover the current employee motivation situation and to
describe the importance of certain factors in motivating employees at Necsom, Ltd. The
results of the study was aimed to help managers at Necsom to form a motivational
programme for the company.
The research design for this study employed a descriptive survey method. A survey
questionnaire was developed to collect data for the study. The questionnaire was designed
by the researcher based on motivation theories presented in the chapter 3. The
questionnaire was approved by a thesis supervisor and a general director at Necsom. Some
improvements of the questionnaire were done before the research begin (for example: a
question concerning employee’s income has been removed). This method of research was
chosen since it is quick, inexpensive, and accurate mean of gathering information.
The target population of this study included employees at Necsom from both offices,
Helsinki and Lappeenranta. The sample size included all 40 employees of the target
population. Thirty-one (31) of all employees participated in the survey, including 7 persons
from Helsinki and 23 from Lappeenranta. The response percentage is 77.5%.
Data was collected through use of a written questionnaire (with Necsom logo) hand-
delivered to participants in Helsinki and e-mailed to employees to Lappeenranta office.
Employees were informed about the purpose of the study before the questionnaires were
provided to them. Necsom employees were asked to complete a confidential 3-part
questionnaire (Appendix 1). Part 1 captured information about the survey respondents,
part 2 measured employee job satisfaction and part 3 established the importance of
motivation factors. Questionnaires were filled out by participants and returned to an intra-
company mailboxes, both in Helsinki and Lappenranta.
Analysis of the survey was made by using SPSS – statistics programme. To maintain
confidentiality, the researcher was the only person reading questionnaires and analysis was
made outside the work place.
29
5.3 Survey results
Results of the study show that most of the employees are satisfied with their job at
Necsom.
5.3.1 Demographic data
Part 1 of the questionnaire presented demographic data on the employees.
Table 1. Gender of the employees Table 2. Nationality of respondents
gender
1 3,225 80,6
5 16,131 100,0
missingmalefemaleTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Nationality of respondant
27 87,13 9,7
30 96,81 3,2
31 100,0
FinnishotherTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
As above tables show majority of the employees are male (80,6%) and almost all
employees are of Finnish nationality. Both of these data are relevant to the results of this
research. It is interesting to notice that all female employees working at Necsom took part
in the research.
Table 3. Age category Table 4. Work place of the employees
Age category
21 67,75 16,12 6,5
28 90,33 9,7
31 100,0
20-2930-3940-49Total
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
Work place
7 22,623 74,230 96,8
1 3,231 100,0
HelsinkiLappeenrantaTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
Employees at Necsom are rather young people and a large majority work in Lappeenranta. Table 5. Education level of the employees
Education level
7 22,68 25,8
13 41,92 6,5
30 96,81 3,2
31 100,0
high schoolbachelor degreemaster degreeotherTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
30
Most of the employees at Necsom are highly educated: 25,8% having a bachelor degree
and a 42% having master degree. However it is interesting to notice that despite rather
difficult area that is telecommunication there are still employees without higher education.
Table 6. Position within company Table 7. Basis of employment
Position within company
4 12,919 61,3
7 22,630 96,8
1 3,231 100,0
managerialR&DsupportTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
Basis of employment
27 87,13 9,7
30 96,81 3,2
31 100,0
permanentshort termTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
Position within company is compressed in 3 categories. Employees on managerial position
are both directors and managers from all sectors (such as: marketing, sales and research).
Research and development positions includes system analysts, hardware designers,
software engineers and web designers. Support employees include assistants,
administration work, logistics and documentation work.
The results show that almost all employees at Necsom have permanent basis of
employment and more than a half of the employees are on R&D position. All R&D
employees work in Lappeenranta.
First part of the questionnaire was designed to observe if there is any correlation between
demographic data and both work satisfaction and motivation factors. Moreover,
demographic data presents profile of Necsom employees (who are they, how old, education
level, where do they work etc.). All those data seem to have an influence on the survey
results.
5.3.2 Work satisfaction Part 2 of the questionnaire was designed to measure work satisfaction. This part presents
an overall situation of employee satisfaction at Necsom that may influence motivation
factors.
The scale for answers was: 1. I fully disagree, 2. I disagree to some extent, 3. mixed
feelings, 4. I agree to some extent, 5. I fully agree.
31
Following are the main findings about work satisfaction:
Descriptive Statistics
31 4,32 ,65
31 4,13 ,88
31 2,19 1,14
31 3,48 1,12
31 2,65 ,71
31 3,84 ,97
31 2,16 1,13
31 1,74 ,73
31 2,94 1,03
31 2,29 1,27
31 3,45 ,81
31 3,10 1,11
31 3,13 1,26
31 3,71 ,97
31 4,03 ,60
31 3,87 ,96
31 3,65 1,02
31 3,03 1,28
31 2,26 1,12
30 3,33 1,06
30 3,43 1,01
31 4,39 ,76
31 2,71 1,10
31 2,42 1,20
Working atmosphere inNecsom is pleasantI find my work interestingI am not given anyresponsibilityI have a clear idea of whatis expected of meI get little encouragementto improve my jobperformanceThere is lots of variety inmy jobIf I do a good job I have achance of being promoted
My job makes little use ofmy skills and experienceI rarely feel stressed atworkI have to cope on my ownwhen I have difficulty withmy workThe importance of my jobis recognised by otherpeopleI think I am well paid formmy jobI never worry about losingmy jobI get a lot of support fromthe people I work withI have opportunities todevelop my skills andabilitiesNecsom provides enoughtraining for employeesNecsom provides relevanttraining for my needs
I do not see any careerprospects for me in thiscompanyI prefer to work individuallyrather then in a team
I am satisfied with my payI am satisfied withNecsom's benefitsI have the right facilities,equipment,systems to domy job wellI am kept informed aboutwhat is happening in thecompanyPressure at work oftenaffects negatively myhome/family life
N Mean Std. Deviation
Figure 2. Descriptive statistics of work satisfaction
32
The overall results are presented in the figure below.
Satisfaction profile
3,33
3,43
3,48
3,71
3,87
4,03
4,39
4,32
4,13
1 2 3 4 5
Necsom provides enough training
I am satisfied with my pay
I am satisfied with benefits
I have the right equipment
I know what is expected of me
I get support from fellow employees
I have opportunities to develop my skills
I find my work interesting
Working atmosphere is pleasant
mean
Figure 3. Satisfaction profile at Necsom Table 8. Working atmosphere
Working atmosphere in Necsom is pleasant
3 9,715 48,413 41,931 100,0
mixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Results show that 90.3% of employees consider working atmosphere at Necsom as pleasant. Table 9. Interesting work
I find my work interesting
2 6,54 12,9
13 41,912 38,731 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Results show that work at Necsom is regarded as interesting. 80% of employees stated that
they find their work interesting and over 60% think there is a lot of variety in their job.
33
Table 10. Variety in the job
There is lots of variety in my job
3 9,78 25,8
11 35,59 29,0
31 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
However still many employees are not confident if they have lots of variety in their jobs. Table 11. Responsibility at work
I am not given any responsibility
11 35,59 29,05 16,16 19,4
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Employees at Necsom are given some responsibility. 64,5% disagreed with the statement
“I am not given any responsibility”, whereas 16% had mixed feelings about it.
Table 12. Having an idea of what is expected of the employee
I have a clear idea of what is expected of me
1 3,26 19,47 22,6
11 35,56 19,4
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
A little over half of the employees have a clear idea of what is expected of them. This
seems to be weakness of the company since still large percentage of employees do not
have an idea or are not very sure what is expected of them at work.
Table 13. Encouragement to improve job performance
I get little encouragement to improve my job performance
1 3,212 38,715 48,4
3 9,731 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
34
Only 9,7% of employees are of an opinion that they get a little encouragement to improve
their job performance, whereas 42% disagree and 48% have mixed feelings about this
statement.
Table 14. Chance of being promoted for a good job
If I do a good job I have a chance of being promoted
12 38,77 22,67 22,65 16,1
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Very similar results were for the question concerning rewards. 61% of respondents
disagreed with the statement “If I do a good job I have a chance of being promoted”.
Table 15. Use of skills and experience
My job makes little use of my skills and experience
12 38,716 51,6
2 6,51 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Almost all respondents (90%) are of an opinion that their job makes use of their skills as
well as experience.
Table 16. Recognition of work
The importance of my job is recognised by other people
4 12,911 35,514 45,2
2 6,531 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Just a little over half of employees think that the importance of their job is recognized by
other people whereas 35,5 % did not have any opinion (or mixed feelings).
35
Table 17. I think I am well paid for my job
I think I am well paid form my job
4 12,94 12,99 29,0
13 41,91 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Results show that half of the employees think they are well paid for their job (45%).
However there is still many employees who have mixed feelings or thing that should be
paid more for the job they do.
Table 18. Opportunities to develop skills and abilities
I have opportunities to develop my skills and abilities
5 16,120 64,5
6 19,431 100,0
mixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
The majority (83%) thinks they have opportunities to develop their skills and abilities. Table 19. Necsom provides enough training for employees
Necsom provides enough training for employees
4 12,94 12,9
15 48,48 25,8
31 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Also large percentage of respondents say that Necsom provides enough training for
employees (74,2%) and more than half (61%) think this training is relevant for their needs.
Table 20. Necsom provides relevant training
Necsom provides relevant training for my needs
1 3,23 9,78 25,8
13 41,96 19,4
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
36
Table 21. I prefer to work individually rather then in a team
I prefer to work individually rather then in a team
9 29,011 35,5
6 19,44 12,91 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
The majority of the employees prefer to work as a team rather then individually. This is
quite understandable since 68% of respondents stated that they get a lot of support from
people they work with. The results are reliable when we see that exactly the same
percentage of employees disagreed with the statement “I have to cope on my own when I
have difficulty with my work”.
Table 22. I get a lot of support from the people I work with
I get a lot of support from the people I work with
5 16,15 16,1
15 48,46 19,4
31 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Since employees have support from the fellow employees and do not have to cope on their
own when they have difficulties with job, it is understandable why employees consider
work atmosphere at Necsom as pleasant.
Table 23. I have to cope on my own when I have difficulties with work
I have to cope on my own when I have difficulty with my work
10 32,311 35,5
3 9,75 16,12 6,5
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
37
Table 24. I am satisfied with my pay
I am satisfied with my pay
2 6,55 16,16 19,4
15 48,42 6,5
30 96,81 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
56,7% stated that they are satisfied with their pay and the same percentage stated
satisfaction with Necsom’s benefits. At the same time in each case about 20% of
employees had mixed feelings (did not have a strong attitude towards these statements). It
is interesting to notice that in both questions there was a missing answer. Table 25. I am satisfied with Necsom’s benefits
I am satisfied with Necsom's benefits
1 3,25 16,17 22,6
14 45,23 9,7
30 96,81 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
Table 26. Right facilities, equipment, systems to do the job well
I have the right facilities, equipment,systems to do my jobwell
1 3,22 6,5
12 38,716 51,631 100,0
I disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Table 26. Right facilities, equipment, systems to do the job well
Moreover, 90% of the employees are satisfied with the facilities, equipment and system,
which helps them to do their job well.
38
There are different opinions concerning few of the following matters presented in the table:
Statement I agree
mixed
feelings I disagree
% % %
I never worry about losing my job 41,9 22,6 35,5
I rarely feel stressed at work 32,2 35,5 32,3
I am kept informed about what is happening in the
company 29 22,6 48,4
I do not see any career prospects for me 32,3 29 38,7
Figure 4. Different opinions concerning work satisfaction Table 27. Table 28.
Pressure at work often affects negatively my home/family life
8 25,810 32,3
7 22,64 12,92 6,5
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
I am kept informed about what is happening in the company
4 12,911 35,5
7 22,68 25,81 3,2
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Table 29. Table 30.
I never worry about losing my job
3 9,78 25,87 22,68 25,85 16,1
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
I do not see any career prospects for me in this company
3 9,79 29,09 29,04 12,96 19,4
31 100,0
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agreeTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
As it can be seen from the above figure opinions differ. One of the explanations could be
that employees in different positions in the company see the same thing in a different way.
Some examples showed below:
Correlation between career prospects and position within company
Count
2 12 6
91 33 3
4 19 7
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agree
I do not see anycareer prospects forme in this company
Total
managerial R&D supportposition within company
Figure 5. Correlation (carrier prospects / position within the company)
39
Correlation between feeling stressed at work and position within company
Count
1 22 4 12 8 1
5 31
4 19 7
I fully disagreeI disagree to some extentmixed feelingsI agree to some extentI fully agree
I rarely feelstressed atwork
Total
managerial R&D supportposition within company
Figure 6. Crosstable (feeling stressed at work / position within the company)
It is interesting to notice that although people have different opinions about stress at work,
the majority (58%) thinks that the pressure at work does not affect negatively their
home/family life. 22,6% have mixed feelings about it.
There are other factors that could influence the answer, like: gender of the respondent,
position within the company or work place.
In many cases it is difficult to make any generalization if those factors have any influence
on the answers because, for example there were only 5 females between 31 of all
respondents.
Correlation between carrier prospects and gender of the employee
Crosstab
2 166,7% 33,3%
888,9%
9100,0%
2 250,0% 50,0%
4 266,7% 33,3%
25 580,6% 16,1%
I fully disagree
I disagree to some extent
mixed feelings
I agree to some extent
I fully agree
I do not see anycareer prospects forme in this company
Total
male female
gender
Figure 7. Crosstable (carrier prospects / gender of the employee)
40
I am satisfied with my pay
I fully agree
I agree to some exte
mixed feelings
I disagree to some e
I fully disagree
Cou
nt
10
8
6
4
2
0
position within comp
managerial
R&D
support
Figure 8. How satisfaction with pay depends on the position in the company
It is important to notice that 61,3% of the respondents represent R&D employees, 22,6%
support and only 12,9% managerial position.
I am satisfied with Necsom's benefits
I fully agreeI agree to some exte
mixed feelingsI disagree to some e
I fully disagree
Cou
nt
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Work place
Helsinki
Lappeenranta
Figure 9. How satisfaction with Necsom’s benefits depends on the location
As the figure shows only employees in Lappenranta are not satisfied with company’s
benefits. It may be result of the fact that in Lappenranta work all employees on R&D
position and most of support people.
41
Reward is not just about pay, although this is the major part, and organizations need to
develop a balance between the various components. Rewarding employees for exceptional
work they have done is critical in keeping them motivated to want to continue to do their
best. Although money is important, managers can potentially get even more benefit from
personal, creative forms of recognition.
5.3.3 Work motivation Third part of the questionnaire was designed to measure the importance of motivation
factors within the company.
Respondents considered all of the motivational factors covered by the survey to be
important i.e. most of factors were rated about 3 or higher.
The scale for this part of questionnaire was:
1. Not important, 2. Of little importance, 3. Quite important, 4. Very important
Ranking of the motivational factors in order of importance is presented in the figures
below.
Interesting workA good work atmosphe
Learning new skillsWork with friendly e
Professional develop
Fairly pay for my joTime to make my job
Knowing what is expeAppreciation of work
Contribution to the
Having good salaryWork for a friendly
Good working conditiSecure job
Career and promotionHaving good benefits
Mean
4,03,83,63,43,23,02,82,62,4
2,7
2,83,0
3,03,13,1
3,23,23,2
3,3
3,33,4
3,53,5
3,7
3,9
Figure 10. Ranking of motivational factors at Necsom
42
Following are the main findings:
Descriptive Statistics
31 3,87 ,34
31 2,81 ,75
31 3,35 ,75
31 3,29 ,7831 3,71 ,4631 2,97 ,9531 3,19 ,60
31 3,06 ,73
31 3,45 ,62
31 3,23 ,80
31 3,03 ,7131 3,32 ,6031 3,48 ,63
31 3,16 ,78
31 3,10 ,60
30 2,73 ,64
30
Interesting workCareer and promotionprospectsProfessionaldevelopment and growthin the organizationTime to make my job wellA good work atmosphereSecure jobAppreciation of work doneWork for a friendlysupervisorWork with friendlyemployeesKnowing what is expectedof meGood working conditionsFairly pay for my jobLearning new skillsContribution to thecompanyHaving good salaryHaving good benefitsother than salaryValid N (listwise)
N Mean Std. Deviation
Figure 11. Descriptive statistics of motivational factors
Table 31. Interesting work
Having interesting work
4 12,927 87,131 100,0
quite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
The most important motivational factor for Necsom’s employees undoubtedly is interesting
work. All employees think it is either very important (87%) or quite important (13%).
Having a good atmosphere at work is almost of the same importance. 71% regard is as
very important and 29% as quite important.
43
Table 32. Good work atmosphere
Having a good atmosphere at work
9 29,022 71,031 100,0
quite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Table 33. Good working conditions
Having good working conditions
1 3,24 12,9
19 61,37 22,6
31 100,0
not importantof little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
84% regards good working conditions as an important motivational factor, but only over
60% think it is important to have a secure job.
Table 34. Secure job
Knowing that my job is secure
2 6,58 25,8
10 32,311 35,531 100,0
not importantof little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Table 35. Professional development and growth
Professional development and growth in the organization
1 3,22 6,5
13 41,915 48,431 100,0
not importantof little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
More than 90% say that professional development and growth in the organization is an
important component of what they are looking for in their jobs. Same amount of
respondents look for learning new skills. It is interesting to notice that employees in all
categories of position within company see those matters important, even the managers.
44
Table 36. Learning new skills
Learning new skills
2 6,512 38,717 54,831 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Learning new skills
very importantquite important
of little importance
Cou
nt
10
8
6
4
2
0
position within comp
managerial
R&D
support
Figure 12. How need to learn new skills depends on the position within company Table 37. Carrier and promotion prospects
Knowing that there are career and promotion prospects
1 3,29 29,0
16 51,65 16,1
31 100,0
not importantof little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Fewer employees regard career and promotion prospects just as important. For 32% of
respondents it is not important or of little importance.
Table 38. Sufficient time to do the job well without feeling stressed
Having sufficient time to do my job well, withoutfeeling stressed
6 19,410 32,315 48,431 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
45
Moreover, 80% of employees think it is important to have sufficient time to their job well,
without feeling stressed.
Table 39. Appreciation of work done
Appreciation of work done
3 9,719 61,3
9 29,031 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Over 90% would like to feel appreciated for the work done and more than 80% want to
know what is expected of them.
Crosstab
% within Work place
13,0%71,4% 56,5%28,6% 30,4%
100,0% 100,0%
of little importancequite importantvery important
Appreciationof work done
Total
Helsinki LappeenrantaWork place
Figure 13. Correlation (importance of appreciation / work place) Table 40. Working for a friendly, competent supervisor
Working for a friendly, competent supervisor I can trust
7 22,615 48,4
9 29,031 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Majority of respondents (77,4 %) want to work for a friendly, competent supervisor, which
they could trust. Only 22,6 consider it of little importance.
Table 41. Working with friendly, helpful fellow employees
Working with friendly, helpful fellow employees
2 6,513 41,916 51,631 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Very important for the respondents is working with friendly and helpful fellow employees.
46
As it was said earlier the majority of employees are of an opinion they get a lot of support
from the people they work with. This is something that the company can be proud of.
Table 42. Being fairly paid for the work
Being fairly paid for the work I do
2 6,517 54,812 38,731 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Table 43. Having good salary
Having good salary
4 12,920 64,5
7 22,631 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
Although money is not the main motivator there it is still very important.
Over 90% would like to be fairly paid for the work they do and 87% would like to have a
good salary. Having good benefits other than salary is not that important.
Table 44. Having good benefits other than salary
Having good benefits other than salary
11 35,516 51,6
3 9,730 96,8
1 3,231 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
Valid
MissingTotal
Frequency Percent
% within position within company
25,0% 15,8%75,0% 57,9% 71,4%
26,3% 28,6%100,0% 100,0% 100,0%
of little importancequite importantvery important
Havinggood salary
Total
managerial R&D supportposition within company
Figure 14. Correlation (need of having good salary / position within company)
47
Having good salary
very importantquite importantof little importance
Cou
nt
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Work place
Helsinki
Lappeenranta
Figure 15. Correlation ( having good salary /work place)
Having good benefits other than salary
very importantquite important
of little importance
Cou
nt
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
position within comp
managerial
R&D
support
Figure 16. Correlation ( having good benefits / position with the company) Table 45. Contribution to the company
Feeling that I am contributing to the company's success
7 22,612 38,712 38,731 100,0
of little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
The majority (77,4%) want to contribute to the company’s success.
48
Table 46. Knowing what is expected of me
Knowing what is expected of me
1 3,24 12,9
13 41,913 41,931 100,0
not importantof little importancequite importantvery importantTotal
ValidFrequency Percent
5.4 Brief summary of results
To sum up findings of the study, the results show that employees at Necsom are generally
satisfied with their job. However, the majority of respondents would like to have clear idea
what is expected of them. Most of the employees think that they have no chance for a
promotion even if they do a good job. Many employees would like their job to be
recognized by other people. Only one-third of employees think that they are kept informed
about what is happening in the company.
The aim of this research was to analyse the overall work motivation and satisfaction at
Necsom and to study what motivates employees to work. The purpose was to help
managers to find the right factors that may make the working environment at Necsom even
better. Provided information shall help the managers to design a motivation program based
on employees needs.
49
6 Discussion on the research findings Understanding what motivated employees and how they were motivated has been the focus
of many researchers. Some of the motivation theories are presented in chapter 3 of the
thesis.
The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this
the manager should be able to motivate employees. But that is easy said than done.
Motivation theory and practice are difficult subjects, touching on several disciplines.
Two major approaches that have lead to author’s understanding of motivation are
Maslow’s need-hierarchy theory and Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Although Maslow’s
need-hierarchy theory has been criticized (Hofstede; Trompenaars) it has been still widely
used by researchers (such as Bowen & Radhakrisna 1991; Harpaz 1990; Kovach 1987).
The aim of the research was to see how these theories work in practice.
In order to establish motivational factors the author made a research in the company she
worked for, Necsom Ltd in Finland.
In the study the ranked order of motivating factors were: (1) interesting work, (2) a good
work atmosphere, (3) learning new skills, (4) work with friendly and helpful fellow
employees, (5) professional development, (6) fairly pay for the job, (7) to have sufficient
time to the job well, without feeling stressed, (8) knowing what is expected of me, (9)
appreciation of work done, (10) contribution to the company, (11) having good salary, (12)
work for a friendly supervisor, (13) good working conditions, (14) secure job, (15) career
and promotion prospects, (16) having good benefits.
A comparison of these results to Maslow’s need-hierarchy theory provides some
interesting insight into employee motivation. The number one ranked motivator, interesting
work, is a self-actualisation factor. It is already contrary to Maslow’s theory. Other factors
in order of importance were social factor, self-actualisation factor, social needs again. The
number six ranked, fairly pay for my job, is an esteem factor. A physiological factor, that is
good salary, is ranked as number eleven. Safety needs like good working conditions and
secure job are almost last ranked in the study.
50
Therefore, according to Maslow (1943), if managers wish to address the most important
motivational factor of Necsom’s employees, self-actualisation, social, esteem,
physiological, and safety needs must first be satisfied.
Contrary to what Maslow’s theory suggests, the range of motivational factors are mixed in
the study. Maslow’s conclusions that lower level motivational factors must be met before
ascending to the next level were not clearly confirmed by this study.
However, there are few factors that to some extent could influence results of the research.
Firstly, the researcher was not allowed to ask employees about their incomes. It can be
only assumed that all employees earn enough money to meet their physiological needs as
buying food or paying their rents. On the other hand results show that only less than half
employees think they are well paid for their job and a large majority would like to be fairy
paid for the work they do. At the same time 87% of respondents are of an opinion that
good salary is important. Secondly, although the survey was totally confidential, many
employees were afraid that their answers will be shown to Necsom directors. Many times
employees had to be assured that the researcher will be the only person seeing and
analysing results of the research.
The fact remains that the most important motivational factor for Necsom’s employees
undoubtedly is interesting work (100% employees stated it as important).
The other example compares the two highest motivational factors to Herzberg’s two-factor
theory. Herzberg’s work categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygienes.
The highest ranked motivator, interesting work, is a motivator factor. The second ranked
motivator, a good work atmosphere, is a hygiene factor. Herzerg (1959) stated that to the
degree that motivators are present in a job, motivation would occur. The absence of
motivators does not lead to dissatisfaction, but to the degree that hygienes are absent from
a job, dissatisfaction will occur. When present, hygienes prevent dissatisfaction, but do not
lead to satisfaction.
In the study, the lack of interesting work (motivator) for Necsom employees would not
lead to dissatisfaction, but in the case when there is not a good work atmosphere it may
51
lead to job dissatisfaction. Conversely, employees will be motivated when there is
interesting work, but will not necessarily be motivated by a good work atmosphere.
The discussion above, about the ranked importance of motivational factors as related to
motivation theory is only a part of this study. The ranked importance of motivational
factors of employees at Necsom provides useful information for the company’s directors
and employees. Knowing how to use this information in motivating Necsom’s employees
is complex.
When we follow Maslow we should accept assurance that most Western working people
have their basic needs satisfied, so they are not to be motivated by money (which can buy
following this theory turn their attention to providing more satisfactory relationships, more
interesting work, and more opportunities for self-fulfilment.
Employers who follow Herzberg also reject money as a motivator, and focus their efforts
on providing more enriched jobs. McClelland focused attention on giving people the
opportunity to satisfy their needs for achievement, power, and affiliation.
Regardless of which theory is followed, interesting work and a good work atmosphere
appear to be important links to higher motivation of the company’s employees. Option
such as job enlargement, job enrichment, trainings, promotions, monetary and non-
monetary compensation should be considered. Job enlargement can be used by managers
to make work more interesting for employees by increasing the number and variety of
activities performed. Job enrichment can be used to make work more interesting and
increase pay by adding higher level responsibilities to a job.
Knowing what motivates employees and incorporating this knowledge into the reward
system will help Necsom identify, recruit, employ, train and retain a productive workforce.
Motivating Necsom employees requires both managers and employees working together.
Employees must be willing to let managers know what motivates them, and managers must
be willing to design reward systems that motivate employees.
To sum up the discussion on the research findings, the author of this report found many
discrepancies with other researches presented in the thesis (Porzuczek, Harpaz).
52
Moreover the researcher was not fully able to make any conclusion if motivation factors
depend on demographic data collected in the study. Firstly, it is hard to make any
conclusion if there is any correlation between motivation factors and the nationality of
respondent (the big majority (87%) of respondents are Finnish). Secondly, majority of
employees are working in Lappeenranta office where all (61% of the company’s
employees are on R&D position). Finally, almost all employees have a permanent basis of
employment.
However, it seems important when making any conclusion to notice that 81% of
employees are male and almost all employees are young people (only 6,5% older than 39
years old) with rather high education level (26% with bachelor and 42% with master
degree).
The results were also limited since not all Necsom employees wanted to take part in the
study and those participating did not answer all the questions. However, since the response
percentage is 77.5% and only few answers missing, it can be claimed that the results
present the current motivation situation at Necsom.
53
7 Conclusion It is important to recognize that people are motivated by their own individual goals, values
and desires. A blanket assumption that all employees will be motivated by one thing, such
as salary increases or performance bonuses, will lead to failure. People are motivated more
by feelings and sensitivities than they are by facts and logic. They can quit high-paying
jobs because they do not feel appreciated, do not feel challenged, or do not like the work
environment.
Today's employees asked to rank what they most value in their work, most probably
choose a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Extrinsic factors include better pay
and benefits, employment security, opportunity for advancement, and working conditions.
Intrinsic factors include challenging work, enjoyable work, meaningful work and above all,
opportunity to experience a sense of accomplishment. However, what is challenging,
enjoyable, and rewarding depends on employees' individual values (and skills), which
differ among people at work.
Sometimes, as we shall see, the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic becomes
blurred. Pure intrinsic motivation implies that people would be motivated to work, even if
they were not paid, as is the case when people play a game for fun. Pure extrinsic
motivation implies that people would not be motivated to do something unless they were
paid. In fact, most people need to be paid for their work, even though they may put as
much or more of themselves into games and volunteer activities. An increasing number of
new generation self-developers take a job for the pay and benefits, but they are intrinsically
motivated by other work such as artistic or volunteer activities.
There is an old saying: you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink. It
will drink only if it is thirsty – so with people. They will do what they want to do or
otherwise motivated to do.
Unfortunately a simple answer to the question of how to motivate people was not found by
the author of this thesis. Can money motivate? Yes, but money alone is not enough, though
it does help. The author has discussed some of the theories bearing on human motivation
and this is balanced by some of the practical factors, which can lead to excellence. Human
resource remains the focal point and leadership the critical component, and motivation has
to be “tailored” to each individual.
54
It has become very clear that any simple model cannot be accepted which seeks to explain
human motivation as deriving from generally applicable needs, such as the need for
money, or the need for achievement, or for interesting work, or for relationships at work.
People have different needs, both between and within organisations.
Moreover, as Adler (1997) argues “motivation is culture bound”. Hofstede’s culture
dimensions have important implications for motivation in the work place. According to
Hofstede, national culture explains more of the differences in work-related values and
attitudes than does position within the organization, profession, age or gender. As Hofstede
claims, managers and employees vary on four primary dimensions: individualism/
collectivism, masculinity / feminity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance. For example,
workers in more collectivist countries (such as Pakistan), tend to stress social needs over
the more individualistic ego and self-actualisation needs stressed in countries such as the
United States (Adler 1997, 159). In countries higher on uncertainty avoidance (such as
Greece and Japan) as compared with those lower on uncertainty avoidance (United States),
security motivates most employees more strongly than does self-actualisation. Employees
in high uncertainty avoidance countries tend to consider job security and lifetime
employment more important than holding a more interesting or challenging job. (Adler
1997, 159)
In addition, when the company considers internationalisation, cross cultural aspects on
motivation have to be taken into account. A trend that has accompanied
internationalisation of organizations is the increase in the number of international
employees. In order to maintain a good work atmosphere and keep employees motivated to
work, managers must be observant and sensitive to the needs of each individual. Each
employee is motivated by different factors, some are professional and some personal. In
every culture certain factors act as motivators and others act as demotivators. That is why,
managers should take time to listen to each of the employees and determine what motivates
them. The motivational system should be tailored to the national culture, to the
organization and to the individual employee.
To sum up, it could be said that long-term motivation for employees would be certainly the
feeling that they belong to an organization, which cares about them, challenges, believes in
them and wants the best for them, not just as employees, but as total human beings.
55
Literature
Published sources
Adler, N. 1997. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. 3rd edition. International Thomson Publishing, Boston Alderfer, C.P. 1972. Human needs in organizational settings. Free Press, New York Armstrong, M. 1998. Human Resource Management. WPSB, Kraków Buller, P. & McEvoy, G. 2000. Creating and Sustaining Ethical Capability in the Multi-National Corporation. Journal of World Business. (326-343) Byrne, J. 1998. A close-up look at how America's #1 manager runs GE. Business Week (90-106) Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. & Snyderman, B.B. 1959. The motivation to work. Wiley, New York Hofstede, G. 1994. Cultures and Organizations: software and mind. HarperCollins, London
Lindner, J.R. 1998. Understanding Employee Motivation. Journal of Extension, Vol.3 Maslow, A. 1943. Theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, Vol. 50 (370-396) McClelland, D. 1953. The Achievement Motive. Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York Mercado, S., Welford, R. & Prescott, K. 2001. European Business. 4th edition. Financial Times, Prentice Hall, London Obłój, K. 1998. Strategia sukcesu firmy. PWE, Warsaw Penc, J. 1999. Efficient corporate management. WSMiB, Kraków Penc, J. 2000. Creative management. AW Placet, Warsaw Porzuczek, L. 1999. Dlaczego umysłowych. Personel nr 57. (17-19) Rugman, A.M. & Hodgetts R.M. 2000. International Business. 2nd edition. Financial Times, Prentice Hall, London Schwan K, Seipel G, 2000, Personal Marketing. WSMiB, Kraków Stredwick, J. 2000. An Introduction To Human Resource Management. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford Walker, A. 2000. The global HR model. HR Focus.
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Wellins, R. 2000. The Growing Pains of Globalizing HR. Training and Development (79-85) Weiss, W.J. 1996. Organizational behavior and change. West Publishing Company, St. Paul Wlodkowski, R. 1999. Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Unpublished sources
Bowey, A. 2000. Motivation at work: a key issue in remuneration. http://www.netnz.com/gainsharing/Motivation.html. Last accessed: 15.09.2001 Dordrecht, J. 1998. Creating and Sustaining Ethical Capability in the Multi-National Corporation. Academic Search Elite. http://www.epnet.com/articles. Last accessed: 18.5.2001 Leonard, N., Beauvais, LL. & Scholl. R.W. 1995, A SELF CONCEPT-BASED MODEL OF WORK MOTIVATION http://www.cba.uri.edu/Scholl/Papers/Self_Concept_Motivation.HTM Last accessed: 12.11.2001 Necsom Ltd. http://www.necsom.com. Last accessed: 13.09.2001
Appendix: The form of questionnaire used for a survey
This is a questionnaire to find out how you feel about your job and what motivates you to work.
Please print the questionnaire first.
Please complete Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the questionnaire, and put
in the colour box provided.
Your answers will be completely confidential.
You submit the questionnaire anonymously.
Please take time with answering all questions.
Thank you.
58
Part 1 YOU AND YOUR JOB 1. Your gender: male female 2. Your age: _____ years 3. Nationality: Finnish Other ___________ ( you can specify if you want) 4. Education level: high school vocational school bachelor degree master degree other 5. Work experience: _______ years 6. Position within company: managerial R&D (system analyst, hardware designers, software engineers, web designer) support (administration, assistant, logistics, documentation) 7. Work place: Helsinki (sales) Lappeenranta (R&D) 8. On what basis you are employed: permanent contract short term contract Part 2 HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR JOB Pick a choice (by putting a cross) that most accurately reflects your opinion.
The scale is:
1 I fully disagree, 2 I disagree to some extent, 3 mixed feelings, 4 I agree to some extent, 5 I fully agree.
1. Working atmosphere in Necsom is pleasant 1
2
3
4
5
2. I find my work interesting 1
2
3
4
5
3. I am not given any responsibility 1
2
3
4 5
4. I have a clear idea of what is expected of me 1
2
3
4
5
59
5. I get little encouragement to improve my job performance.
1
2
3
4
5
6. There is lots of variety in my job 1
2
3
4
5
7. If I do a good job I have a good chance of being
promoted 1
2
3
4
5
8. My job makes little use of my skills and
experience 1
2
3
4
5
9. I rarely feel stressed at work 1
2
3
4
5
10. I have to cope on my own when I have difficulty
with my work 1
2
3
4
5
11. The importance of my job is recognised by
other people 1
2
3
4
5
12. I think I am well paid for my job 1
2
3
4
5
13. I never worry about losing my job 1
2
3
4
5
14. I get a lot of support from the people I work with 1
2
3
4
5
15. I have opportunities to develop my skills and
abilities 1
2
3
4
5
16. Necsom provides enough training for employees 1
2
3
4
5
17. Necsom provides relevant training for my needs
(for my job) 1
2
3
4
5
18. I do not see any career prospects for me in this
company 1
2
3
4
5
19. I prefer to work individually rather than in a team 1
2
3
4
5
60
20. I am satisfied with my pay 1
2
3
4
5
21. I am satisfied with Necsom’s benefits 1
2
3
4
5
22 I have the right facilities, equipment and systems
to do my job well 1
2
3 4
5
23. I am kept informed about what is happening in
this company 1
2
3
4
5
24. Pressure at work often affects negatively my
home/family life 1
2
3
4
5
PART 3: THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU
Not important
Of litt importance
Quite important
Very important
1. Having interesting work 1 2 3 4 2. Knowing that there are career and
promotion prospects 1 2 3 4
3. Professional development and growth in the organization
1 2 3 4 4. Having sufficient time to do my job
well, without feeling stressed 1 2 3 4
5. Having a good atmosphere at work 1 2 3 4 6. Knowing that my job is secure 1 2 3 4 7. Appreciation of work done 1 2 3 4 8. Working for a friendly, competent
immediate supervisor I can trust 1 2 3 4
9. Working with friendly, helpful fellow employees
1 2 3 4 10. Knowing what is expected of me 1 2 3 4 11. Having good working conditions (good computers, desks, other equipment)
1 2 3 4 12. Being fairly paid for the work I do 1 2 3 4 13. Learning new skills 1 2 3 4 14. Feeling that I am contributing to the
company’s success 1 2 3 4
15. Having good salary 1 2 3 4 16. Having good benefits other than
salary 1 2 3 4
Thank you for completing this questionnaire. Please check that you have answered all of the questions and then put the questionnaire in the box provided.