Consultation Report: Analysis of Donor Services
Complied by: Leah Rea
Introduction:
The objective of this report is to analyse the organisational structure of Donor Services, an organisation which suffers from internal issues such as employee conflict, job dissatisfaction, and ineffective management. This report will examine the organisational structure via two models of motivational theory: Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Using these two models, the report will ultimately determine that the incoherent task identification, tense and disruptive employee relationships has resulted in marked job dissatisfaction and a lack of motivation within the organisation.
The analysis will firstly use Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model to analyse the organisation followed by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. The first model focuses on motivational structures and how they structure jobs. The second model assesses the link between unfulfilled employee needs and their lack of motivation at work. Together these models will demonstrate that the issues the Donor Services organisation stem from employee dissatisfaction and a lack of employee motivation.
Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model:
This model proposes there are five core job dimensions which must be satisfied to ensure employee productivity and the motivation required for same. If a job includes these components, employees can experience psychological conditions leading to improved productivity and motivation. This report submits that in the case of Donor Services, these five factors are not present and result in job dissatisfaction and low motivation.
The five dimensions and their application to the case are as follows:
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
This theory again reiterates that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors causes dissatisfaction. Herzberg argued there are certain factors that a business could introduce that would directly motivate employees to increase productivity; these factors are categorised as motivators. However, there are also factors that would de-motivate an employee if not present but would not in themselves actually motivate employees to work harder, categorised as hygiene factors. This theory therefore states that organisations/managers within organisations should motivate employees by adopting a democratic approach to management and by improving the nature and content of the actual job. This report assesses both motivators and hygienic factors present at Donor Services and submits that these factors are lacking, resulting in employee job dissatisfaction and low motivation.
Motivators: This category of factors assesses job satisfaction by focusing on job content.
•Achievement: As discussed previously via the Job Characteristics Model, employees at Donor Services do not feel a sense of achievement on completion of their tasks.
•Recognition: Employees seemingly do not have any reward for their jobs, except their salary and ‘good will’ by helping families. This may enough for employees such as Magdalena, but not for Juana.
•Responsibility: Employees are not delegated responsibilities, but are restricted in autonomy to one work process. This is a result of poor management and can be attributed to both Elena and Jose. However with Elena feeling overwhelmed with her role and Jose always absent, responsibilities will not be effectively assigned.
•Work itself: Being confined to one process requiring basic skills is not challenging or interesting and therefore employees are frustrated because they cannot practice their skills.
•Personal growth: The way the organisation is structured does not give a lot of opportunities in terms of career evolution.
Therefore, the structure of Donor Services in terms of organisation and task management – the job content – results in a lack of job satisfaction when assessed using the above factors.
Hygiene Factors: This category assesses job dissatisfaction by examining job context.
•Working condition: It is a boring environment as the employees are doing repetitive tasks. It is also a tense environment due to cliques formed within employees.
•Co-Worker relations: There are a lot of tensions between the manager, Elena and the employees, namely Juana. There is also a lack of solidarity, mutual respect and collaboration.
•Policies and rules: There does not appear to be policies or guidelines; if it does they are not being utilised e.g. disciplinary action for Juana.
•Supervisor quality: It is a very poor management style: Elena is not respected and therefore cannot manage effectively and Jose is well-liked and respected, but is a weak manager as he is never present.
•Wages: No information provided, but it is assumed that wages are not motivating the employees.
The above examination of job context reveals evident employee job dissatisfaction. It can be assumed that a wage increase alone cannot increase employee satisfaction or motivation.
Report Recommendations:
Contingency Plan:
This report submits that Elena should be relegated from her role as sub-manager. This is not a position she wanted or enjoys and a conscientious employee such as Magdalena could be promoted from within. This would ensure effective management witnessed through even work distribution and task clarity. Elena could have a role in representing the organisation to prospective families due to her long-standing faithful service. In addition, Jose should be made to decide whether he will be a visible manager, or whether he will only work with the community; he could be given the role of ‘Community Relations Officer’.
Complied by: Leah Rea
Introduction:
The objective of this report is to analyse the organisational structure of Donor Services, an organisation which suffers from internal issues such as employee conflict, job dissatisfaction, and ineffective management. This report will examine the organisational structure via two models of motivational theory: Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Using these two models, the report will ultimately determine that the incoherent task identification, tense and disruptive employee relationships has resulted in marked job dissatisfaction and a lack of motivation within the organisation.
The analysis will firstly use Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model to analyse the organisation followed by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. The first model focuses on motivational structures and how they structure jobs. The second model assesses the link between unfulfilled employee needs and their lack of motivation at work. Together these models will demonstrate that the issues the Donor Services organisation stem from employee dissatisfaction and a lack of employee motivation.
Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model:
This model proposes there are five core job dimensions which must be satisfied to ensure employee productivity and the motivation required for same. If a job includes these components, employees can experience psychological conditions leading to improved productivity and motivation. This report submits that in the case of Donor Services, these five factors are not present and result in job dissatisfaction and low motivation.
The five dimensions and their application to the case are as follows:
- Skill Variety: the model suggests that employee satisfaction can be stimulated through their use of multiple skills in their job, therefore resulting in greater productivity.
- Task Identity: this element states that for an employee to feel a sense of satisfaction in their work, they should have the opportunity to see the evolution of the task from when it commences until its completion. Being confined to one element of a task means the employee will feel detached from the overall results.
- Task Significance: in addition to be able to see their task through to completion, employees should be able to identify the role their contribution makes in the evolution of the task. In addition, they should be made to feel that their contribution is valued and was an important step towards completion.
- Autonomy: the model proposes employees should be afforded a certain level of freedom to undertake decisions relating to their own work. Granting autonomy enables employees to be innovative with decision-making in their work, strengthening the level of trust in the employer-employee relationship and therefore increasing job satisfaction and productivity.
- Feedback: Employees want to be provided with an assessment and evaluation of their work to date; if an employee does not know how they are doing, they could struggle to reach their potential and/or continue to persist with behaviours that may hinder their productivity. Should a job so structured that employees can assess the success of the project, this is a useful means to provide feedback.
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
This theory again reiterates that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors causes dissatisfaction. Herzberg argued there are certain factors that a business could introduce that would directly motivate employees to increase productivity; these factors are categorised as motivators. However, there are also factors that would de-motivate an employee if not present but would not in themselves actually motivate employees to work harder, categorised as hygiene factors. This theory therefore states that organisations/managers within organisations should motivate employees by adopting a democratic approach to management and by improving the nature and content of the actual job. This report assesses both motivators and hygienic factors present at Donor Services and submits that these factors are lacking, resulting in employee job dissatisfaction and low motivation.
Motivators: This category of factors assesses job satisfaction by focusing on job content.
•Achievement: As discussed previously via the Job Characteristics Model, employees at Donor Services do not feel a sense of achievement on completion of their tasks.
•Recognition: Employees seemingly do not have any reward for their jobs, except their salary and ‘good will’ by helping families. This may enough for employees such as Magdalena, but not for Juana.
•Responsibility: Employees are not delegated responsibilities, but are restricted in autonomy to one work process. This is a result of poor management and can be attributed to both Elena and Jose. However with Elena feeling overwhelmed with her role and Jose always absent, responsibilities will not be effectively assigned.
•Work itself: Being confined to one process requiring basic skills is not challenging or interesting and therefore employees are frustrated because they cannot practice their skills.
•Personal growth: The way the organisation is structured does not give a lot of opportunities in terms of career evolution.
Therefore, the structure of Donor Services in terms of organisation and task management – the job content – results in a lack of job satisfaction when assessed using the above factors.
Hygiene Factors: This category assesses job dissatisfaction by examining job context.
•Working condition: It is a boring environment as the employees are doing repetitive tasks. It is also a tense environment due to cliques formed within employees.
•Co-Worker relations: There are a lot of tensions between the manager, Elena and the employees, namely Juana. There is also a lack of solidarity, mutual respect and collaboration.
•Policies and rules: There does not appear to be policies or guidelines; if it does they are not being utilised e.g. disciplinary action for Juana.
•Supervisor quality: It is a very poor management style: Elena is not respected and therefore cannot manage effectively and Jose is well-liked and respected, but is a weak manager as he is never present.
•Wages: No information provided, but it is assumed that wages are not motivating the employees.
The above examination of job context reveals evident employee job dissatisfaction. It can be assumed that a wage increase alone cannot increase employee satisfaction or motivation.
Report Recommendations:
- Job enlargement – To eliminate frustration and increase motivation employees are to be given a greater variety of tasks to perform (not necessarily more challenging) which should make the work more interesting. For example, outsourcing more complex translations should stop and therefore the bi-lingual employees can use their skillset. In addition, more efficient work distribution should occur which will result in a fairer distribution of work and less tension between employees – Juana and the translators for example – as all will have to work.
- Job enrichment – To create a feeling of value and worth, employees are to be given a wider range of more complex and challenging tasks surrounding a complete unit of work. They should have the opportunity to see the task through to completion. This should give a greater sense of achievement and thus motivation to continue.
- Empowerment – To emphasis the value of employee contribution and enhance manager-employee relations by cultivating trust, greater autonomy should be permitted. By delegating more power to employees to make their own decisions over areas of their working life, this increases motivation and therefore job satisfaction.
- Structure – To increase cohesion and increase productivity, greater training should be provided which increases work efficiency e.g. training to enable relevant information to be shared between groups and eliminate unnecessary steps that can slow turnabout times for processes. Management should undertake specific management training to understand their role, whilst teamwork exercises should be undertaken to strengthen employee relations and eliminate the clique culture.
Contingency Plan:
This report submits that Elena should be relegated from her role as sub-manager. This is not a position she wanted or enjoys and a conscientious employee such as Magdalena could be promoted from within. This would ensure effective management witnessed through even work distribution and task clarity. Elena could have a role in representing the organisation to prospective families due to her long-standing faithful service. In addition, Jose should be made to decide whether he will be a visible manager, or whether he will only work with the community; he could be given the role of ‘Community Relations Officer’.