Chapter 1

Introduction

This sudden shift in the economic stability and job market has resulted in diminished passion and loss of productivity for many employees. As unemployment rate has drastically increased with a parallel increase in redundancy rate, expenditures have been cut down, demand for products and services have fallen and the fall in stock prices have led to depleted bank balances. Therefore, as organisations have downsized by cutting costs, job security, morale, contractual benefits and non contractual perks have all been affected and in many ways this has affected the motivation level of most employees. If employees’ motivational driving forces are blocked before they achieve their desired goal or ambition this would lead to either frustration or constructive behaviour which would eventually lead to lower or higher productivity depending on the outcome.

The term motivation is a familiar one. According to Martin (2005), within organisations, managers are constantly seeking ways to improve performance at every stage in order to raise productivity and reduce costs and a major element in this process is the application of practices assumed to contain the necessary motivational properties.

According to Martin (2005), there is no one theory of motivation that can be claimed to embrace the entire range of organisational and personal circumstances that exist. For example, something that motivates an individual today may not work tomorrow, yet may become viable again the day after, perhaps due to mood swings or factors outside of the work setting. Equally every individual employee is different and will respond to particular motivation processes differently. For example, the use of recognition and praise for good work may be motivational to one person, but yet have only limited effects for someone seeking to earn additional money to pay a large bank loan. Organisational circumstances also change over time which impacts on motivation practices.

In this research project, the author will discuss the factors which affect the motivation of employees in a nursing home within the context of content theories wherever possible.

Chapter 2

Literature Review

2. Motivation defined

The business encyclopaedia by the Gale group Inc, define motivation as “the ability to change behaviour, a drive that compels one to act because human behaviour is directed towards some goal”.

According to Daft (1997, p.526), motivation refers to “the forces either within or external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action”.

Mullins (1996, p.480) suggests that the underlying concept of motivation is “some driving force within individuals by which they attempt to achieve some goal in order to fulfil some need or expectation”.

Moorhead and Griffin (1995, p.78) believe that motivation is “a set of forces that lead people to behave in particular ways”.

From such definitions it could be seen that motivation is a correlated relationship between attitude and behaviour and the need to act in a certain manner in order to achieve a certain goal or ambition.

2.2 Theories of motivation

There are many competing theories of motivation, all of which attempt to explain the nature of motivation itself. There is no general theory of motivation. The various theories put forward by writers in the field are not conclusive. Because of the complexity of motivation, there can be no single answer to what motivate individuals to work productively. Different theories provide a convenient framework within which attention can be directed to what and how individuals can be motivated willingly and effectively towards the company’s goal. Since the various and complex theories are not conclusive, each having their own critics, or having been subjected to alternative findings which claim to contradict original ideas, it is necessary to understand the different available theories and their accompanying implications. Thus, an evaluation of available theories is critical. Furthermore, it is possible to derive from them a basic overview and develop it in this thesis.

Theories on motivation have been around for a long time. Some of the early names in this field have been people like F.W Taylor, Elton Mayo and W F Whyte, however in this RAP, the author will only focus the content theories which are the works of Maslow (1943), Alderfer (1972), McClelland (1961) and Herzberg (1959) theories as otherwise the literature review would become too vast and complicated and would be difficult to connect with the survey carried out.

Motivation theories are classified into

Content theories which concentrate on identifying the motives that produce behaviour whilst

Process theories encourage (or reward) behaviour in the dynamic context. Another important concept in relation to motivation at work is that of an intrinsic and extrinsic motivator. Whilst Intrinsic motivators are those which originates inside an individual as a response to the job itself and the circumstances surrounding it extrinsic motivators by contrast are those which originates outside the individual worker and which influences their behaviour according to Martin (2005). These would include the work of Vroom/Porter and Lawler Expectancy models (1968), Adam’s equity theory (1965), Locke’s goal theory (1968), and Kelly’s attribution theory (1971).

Additional perspective on motivation have been introduced by McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y (1960), Ouchi Theory Z (1981), Hofstede, Trompenaars and cultural influences on motivation (1980), and Maccoby’s social theory (1988) among various others.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Maslow (1943) produced the idea that a hierarchy of needs could explain purposeful behaviour. The basis of this model is that individuals have innate needs or wants which they seek to satisfy and they have to satisfy the lower needs first before moving to the next level.

The figure below shows the model, indicating the hierarchical nature of the innate needs.

Figure 1: Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs

The five levels included in the hierarchy can be defined in the following way:

Physiological needs. These include the needs for food, shelter, water to drink and sleep. In an organisational context this would also include the need for wages.

Safety needs. These include the need for shelter and protection. In an organisational context this would include the need for job security.

Social needs. These include the need for friendship and a sense of belonging. In an organisational context, this would include the need to work as part of a team.

Esteem needs. Incorporated in this category are concepts of achievement, adequacy, recognition and reputation.

Self-actualisation needs. This category is related to the opportunity to realise one’s full potential.

If applied rigidly, individuals have to satisfy one level of needs first before moving to the next level. However, this is not always true as human beings are not always predictable and have different needs depending on their circumstances and the time.

Alderfer’s Erg theory (1972)

Alderfer (1972) describes a three-level hierarchy, compared to the five levels proposed by Maslow. They are:

Existence needs. This category is grounded in the survival, or continued existence of the person. As such it would include many of the issues covered by the physiological and safety needs identified by Maslow.

Relatedness needs. This category is based on the need for people to live and function in a social environment.

Growth needs. This category is grounded in the need for people to develop their growth.

McClelland’s acquired needs theory (1961)

This theory develops a different set of needs as the basis of motivation:

Achievement motivation. This describes the need to attain realistic but challenging goals.

Authority motivation. This describes the need to exert influence, take the lead and make an impact.

Affiliation motivation. This describes the need to be liked, to be popular, to create friendly relationships and interactions with others.

Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1974)

According to Herzberg (1974) people are influenced by two factors namely:

Hygiene factors. The presence of these factors will not motivate individuals as such, but their absence will serve to create dissatisfaction with the job and organisation. These include salary, working conditions, job security, company policies, and interpersonal relationships at work.

Motivator factors. These are factors which could motivate the individuals to improve their work performance. They include factors such as recognition, sense of achievement, responsibility, growth and advancement.

Chapter 3

Methodology

The methodology section will be developed to present the basic research process that has been undertaken to approach the problem statement, the primary and secondary methods which have been used to collect data, the limitations of the research, the analytical perspective, findings as well as conclusions and recommendations. Furthermore, a thorough and extensive literature review was carried out in order to comprehend and clarify the author’s own concept of the factors of motivation.

A feasible way to collect the necessary data was found and the techniques required to carry out the research was implemented. Primary and secondary data was collected, analysed and findings has been explained.

3.1 Conceptual framework

Figure 2: the conceptual Framework

3.2 Topic selection

This particular topic was chosen for various reasons. Fisher (2007, p.31) suggests relevant factors, which were taken consideration when choosing the topic. The topic chosen was both contemporary and challenging. Many researchers have written extensively on the subjected matter and it has been tested time and time again. This topic is still very relevant in this modern economy. The author chose the nursing home as the field of interest and factors of motivation as the main focus. Nursing home is a huge booming business in the United Kingdom. There are about half a million care places in residential and nursing homes in the United Kingdom with a combined stock market worth of 375 m pounds.

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Figure 3: cartoon of employees described as assets

Chapter 4

Background of Four Seasons Health Care

Four Seasons Health Care owns and operates over 400 nursing and Care Homes and Specialised Care Centres in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man. The Company is one of the largest independent providers of care services in the United Kingdom. Four Seasons’ origins date back to the late 1980’s.The company has developed through both the acquisition and construction of care facilities and has firmly established a reputation for professionalism in all aspects of its care operations. The company employs over 21000 staffs. Norwood Green Nursing Home is a branch of Four Seasons Health Care.

4.2. Management Style

Pete Calveley, Chief execut