Managing Motivation at Technocraft

Managing Motivation at Technocraft Lea Darrigade Ines Gyselinck Mary Sagala Benjamin Seban Intercultural Management BS 1 Christophoros Lambridis I. Introduction This report talks about the working motivational problem shown by the workers in a small factory named Technocraft, located in the South East of England. It had slowed down the company’s function in producing high-quality sound recording equipment. The problem has risen to high labor turnover and difficulties in recruiting new employees. It led George Orwell Newell, the company chairman, to hire a consultant named Helen McKiernan to figure out the sources of the problems.
In order to help figuring out the problem, George Orwell told Helen about his hypothesis of the lack of motivation in workers is because company’s location which is in the below-average national unemployment are, therefore most of the women workers, who work on the wiring, had no real reason to work since they already have husbands who can earn adequate wages to fulfill living necessities. However, Helen did not want to conclude the problem there. When Helen had done her research, she found out that the workers actually enjoyed their work, but hate to work for the company.
In other words, the problem that halted the working motivation in workers is the management itself. II. Forms of inefficient management that leads to the lack of working motivation. a) Uncomforting regulation on working performance In a company, it is important to keep the relationship among the workers, including the manager and chairman, to be good so that they can have comfort in doing their jobs. However this failed to happen in Technocraft. This problem occurred since George elected Robert as the wiring Department supervisor.

In order to boost the company’s production, Robert ended all informal working practices and excessive talking among the women workers on the shopfloor. Since then, all the wiring workers have resented his presence. This made the workers to be depressed working for the company. Moreover there was lack of honesty in Robert, when he did mistake in recognizing two women workers, who were late to work, with Elena and Veronica, who were hardworking workers in the company. Even though, he knew his mistake afterwards, his ego was too high to accept his mistake and apologize to Elena and Veronica.
This caused the intense relation between workers and their advisors, which then lead to the slow growth of working production in the company. b) Productivity rise vs. Worker’s rewards From this report, we can see how productivity and motivation show their positive relation. Therefore company would do anything to increase the worker’s motivation. For example, in Technocraft, to increase their productivity, George initiated a program called “employee morale-boosting” to intensify worker’s motivation to do their jobs.
To achieve a long-term progress in their work, there should be fairness and sincerity in all the effort that the manager do to boost the motivation in workers. For example, when George told the workers that they would obtain rewards if they work hard until they can achieve the production target of the year, however when the target was achieved, all the worker got was just tee-shirt. This shows no fairness to the workers. It showed no equality between the reward and the hard works that had been done. George doesn’t want to increase the production cost by giving them more bonus or other reward that are more equal to the workers’ hard works.
III. What Helen & George should do a) Build good relationship among the low-skilled workers, their advisors and chairman In order to start a better future working expectation, George should apologize for the inconvenience and unfairness that happened to the workers. Therefore, workers can be more convinced for a better working condition that would happen in the future. This should be the initial step to be done by George. On the other hand, Helen can help to convince the workers, by telling them that her research would help convey their burdens to the managers so they can be solved immediately. ) Enact a better management system 1) Be more understanding with employees behavior In order to improve the motivation in working, regulation established within the company should emphasize the comfort of workers. For example, there is no need to stop the out-of-work conversations among the workers while they are working because it would make the workers less comfortable in doing their works. It becomes more unnecessary if the works are easy to do. In addition, advisors need to listen more to the workers’ excuse for doing their mistakes.
This is the only way to separate forgivable mistakes from the unforgivable ones. It becomes a forgivable mistake, if it cannot be avoided or there is logical reason behind it. This would help build a better relation between the workers and their advisors, which create comfort to workers to do their jobs. 2) Pay the employees who work over time Last but not least, the company should pay an appropriate bonus wage the overtime workers. This has a big contribution to grow their motivation since there is an equivalent reward to achieve with the right amount of hard works to do.
This policy would bring profit not only to the workers, but also to the company because it can obtain more productivity from the workers. Some people may think that this would increase the short-term cost of production. However the long-term profit would outweigh the short-term cost. Moreover the higher cost of production can be covered by higher price of the products. These higher price would then lead more profit, since the products would be produced more cause by the increase in worker’s motivation. Therefore, this idea would bring benefit to the company in the long term. IV.
Effects of the solutions a) Do nothing By doing nothing, the problem remains and the company may lose profits and portrays a weak image of him to his co-workers. But by doing nothing can give positives ways such as cheap in the short- term and avoiding the risks of making bigger mistakes b) There would be no more labor turnover & difficulties in recruiting new employees. After all, these solutions would bring more comfort to the working condition in the company. There is would less reason for worker willing resign. Moreover, it could lead to a competition for people to work there.
Hence, managers or chairman need to keep a management that benefits both the workers and the company. c) Find a new management system The good management would automatically lead to better relation among workers, which then brings a better working atmosphere to work better. If this could happen, the productivity of the company would increase. On the other side, we don’t know if the new manager will be better than the other one: nicer, understanding and skilled. If we take this risk, it will take a lot of time and costs and at the end we are sure of nothing. If the manager d).
Pay the employees working overtime. It could drive the employees and would out perform themselves, and also bring a long term financial investment for the company but could get more costs in short-term too. V. Theory and Conclusion We can see that the way George ‘s running his company would correspond to the Mc Clelland’s 3 needs theory. He wants to exercise influence and control others (Npower). He is looking for success and he fears of failure (Nachievement). Nonetheless he does not take care of his employees; he does not pay attention to his social group.
In conclusion George does not follow the right way, he should follow the Frederick Herzberg ‘s theory, which means motivate his employees to do well job , respects hygiene in order to obtain job satisfaction from the employees. So finally the best solution for George and his company would be to pay more attention to the employees, make them feel good in the company, show that George is involved in the production process and moreover give to people the money they deserve. So it is a combination of the solution two and three.