Job Motivation and Expectancy Theory
Instructions Please REEPLY to Ambers discussion question in 125 words or less in APA format and cited references
Amber Akers posted Sep 23, 2020 3:08 PM
Not too long ago, I was in an administrative assistant position in which I was deeply motivated in the beginning to learn as much as I could and stay busy and be helpful to my coworkers and all other stakeholders. As time went on, those desires worked to my extreme disadvantage as I began to feel taken advantage of and given more work than I was able to complete in the time allotted, while others were not busy at all. It came down to what I can only attribute to perhaps a resentment among the three of us in that particular office due to the lack of motivation and desire I had to be there, the feeling of unappreciation for all the work I was doing, and condescending attitude the others began to illicit. In my opinion, some jobs carry a heavy weight of politics and one is not always permitted to voice their concerns or have their opinions considered in favor of maintaining the status quo or not rocking the boat. These types of work environments are not inherent, I believe they are fostered by managers who fail to care what a minority of employees think if the majority has loyalty to that person. The completion of the mission itself, which is not one but a constant barrage of several that present themselves repeatedly, becomes minimized for all parties because there is discord among employees that overshadows. Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation most closely illustrates this job I had. I had a certain degree of effort that I gave to the job in the beginning, which was a lot and felt like what was needed for the job, expected, or more than expected of me, and would be rewarded by becoming useful and viewed as a valuable member of the team. However, the manager and/or other coworkers may have adhered to Skinner’s Reinforcement theory, where undesired behaviors, such as presenting an idea different from the majority, were punished and desired behaviors, like just doing their work for them, were rewarded (Motivation and motivation theory, 2015). By not considering personality differences among the three of us in that office, the manager seemed to just do what the majority wanted, since the work would still be done, though the motivation of one would be depleted. Hackman and Oldman’s job characteristics model describes what I believe that job and others should consider in terms of motivation of employees:” providing autonomy and knowledge of the results” of employees tasked with increasingly essential duties produces higher job satisfaction and motivation (Louis, 2016).
Louis, D. J. (2016) Notes on the Job Characteristics Model.
Motivation and motivation theory (2015). In Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of Business (2nd ed.) Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Mar-No/Motivation-and-Motivation-Theory.html
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Module 1 Discussion Instructions Please REPLY to Delnilla discussion question in 125 words or less in APA format and cited references Delnilla Jordan posted Sep 24, 2020 9:43 AM
A few years ago, I took a job as a Medical Support Assistant or MSA, at a local VA Hospital. I specifically worked in the Surgery Service section of the hospital. My daily responsibilities consisted of scheduling veterans for pre and post op appointments, as well any necessary follow ups. This job was very time consuming because I was responsible for 3 separate clinics, which meant, 3 separate groups of patients. It was specifically too much to keep up with as one person. Not only was I assigned 3 clinics, but a few of my co-workers as well. The only daily motivator was that our veterans depend on us to take care of them. When I say “us” I mean a medical team holistically, all the way down to the administrative team. Overall, the job was very depressing, the morale was extremely low in our office in which 6 of us were squeezed together. The leadership at the division level was intimidating, so it was not a place that exercised any type of “open door” policy because you were looked at as a troublemaker. So, we all became little worker bees that sat in our 6-man office and took minimal breaks. I went home daily, mentally exhausted, but I still felt that I somehow could make a difference. I think the characteristics missing in that position, was morale, personality, and guidance. I am not a medical professional, so I could not daily answer a ton of questions from patients, because the medical portion was not my specialty on the administrative part of it.
The Job Characteristics Theory or JCT, which was introduced over 40 years ago by psychologists, Hackman, and Oldham, is a theory that states, “job design effects motivation, the work performance as well as job satisfaction.” (2019) This framework would have been beneficial in my position at the VA as it would have determined the daily outcome as well as being a determining factor to stay with the organization or not.
Understanding the Job Characteristics Model (including Job Enrichment). (2019, September 23). Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.cleverism.com/job-characteristics-model/