Importance of Employee Motivation and Appraisal along

with the implementation of change in the workforce.

Introduction:
This is a hypothetical scenario to explain the employee motivation and appraisal as part of the
planning for a major company involving and implementing change in their workforce.
Sivlon Company is the leading manufacturers of the plastic office goods, with four branches
operating in the different zones. It has five important departments working under the
department managers. Under each department manager is a supervisor who control different
number of subordinates as per required by the department. A company has on average 18 sub
ordinates out of 89 employees in total.

Change in the organization:

A company’s one of the signature branch operating in Leeds has introduced a new technology
in the production process requiring a proper team training and development for the employee
at a ground level. In the beginning employees is not self willing to join the training and
development program. Rather than personal will, it is more of the compulsory bondage to
follow as an order from the top management. A company find after few sessions that the
attendance of the employees is up to mark but somehow they are not very enthusiastic about
the sessions which was a thinking point for the top level management.
After the meeting with the senior level management of the company, the director of Silvon
Company Mr. Peter Haughton seeks the service of Phelps Association of Employee grooming
(PAEG). Mr. Haughton explained the scenario and soon after the pact services were provided
by PAEG.

Reaction to change:
Team of professionals from PAEG observed that employees were not self willing as they
were not being informed by the company in advance for the introduction of the new
technology so they feel that company has not concerned them before brining a major change.
The adverse effect of this one ignorance resulted in the decline in the production process
along with the de-motivation on the part of the employees.
(According to Glen, 2006) If employees along with the managers are not rightly motivated for
their job, it will have adverse effects on the business strategies in terms of cost, generating
productivity and overall performance.
Often the internal factors are given more consideration in the key to succeed in motivation but
external factors are also very vital. In Silvon Company internal factors were lacking because
of not only one internal factor but also due to the external factors such as inadequate working
conditions which has urged the employees in remaining de motivated about the changes in the
organization. According to (Quiley & Tymon Jr, 2005), work tasks that are challenging
competence, creates opportunities for personal growth and progress, and worth considering
make employee experience motivation internally where as salary and wages are the base of
external motivation. But (according to Bryan, et al, 2006), the external does not motivate
individual employees to a greater extent than the internal motivating factors.

Importance of Employee motivation and Performance appraisal:

At Silvon, the change was brought but the mind set of employees was not ready for it because
it occurred at sudden to them. PAEG selected the sample of 17 employees to interview them
about their views and it has reached to a point on the basis of finding that the employees
motivation and performance appraisal are the key ingredient for bringing the change with a
success. A workforce is only productive when it is being appraised for their work. Employee
automatically become enthusiastic in his work as he learns that he is being recognised for his
abilities and has been provided an opportunity to participate in activities.
The employees at Leeds branch were not appreciating the idea of introduction of the new
technology because now they lack the trust in the organization by letting them aloof of the
major decision which had a severe impact on them. With one major decision a company has
ignored the feeling of its employees and it has resulted in the decline of production process.
One of the findings came in front of the PAEG in this scenario was the lack of co-ordination
in between the management and sub ordinates. Due to the lack of co-ordination in this matter,
the problem has raised and it would have continuously affected the progress of the company if
it has not been addressed and rectified accordingly.
PAEG has introduced a program by organizing a workshop in which the employees were
given a chance to work with their boss by participating in the decision process to certain
extent. This was the practice for both, the internal motivational factor of the employee
brought the feeling of affiliation as they had a pride to work with power to participate in the
decision process and to bosses it was an activity to develop the room for employees by
listening to them, giving them chance to take initiative and make them responsible for their
approaches. In each session PAEG team observed that gradually the activities developed the
mutual understanding between both parties and once the session was over, it was clearly
noticed that workforce was working with more energy and self interest. So the relationship is
a key motivating factor for the employees to accept the change willingly. If employee’s
feelings are not been taken care of it eventually creates the strategic problems for the
organization which will result in the decline of unit productivity. (According to Huber, 2006)
Employee motivation is regarded as an important element in the planning process along with
the performance appraisal. Performance appraisal is the process-chain which helps in
fulfilling the needs, establishing the objectives and measures the performance of an individual
to see how much commitment he has made to his assigned task. Performance appraisal has
several elements that ensure that target is achieved. It includes jobs itself along with selection
of personnel, their development and the reward system. Usually Performance appraisal is a
technique to utilise modes in formal as well in informal which provides individuals with the
information required, this is essential in locating that whether the set targets are achieved or
there is more room for improvement.
In the scenario of Silvon Company, some of the individuals who were not satisfied with the
ignorance on part of the management lie in the fourth and fifth stage of Abraham Maslow’s
need of hierarchy. As they feel that their self esteem is more important and they should have
been informed by the management before brining a sudden change. Employees who lie in the
fourth stage which is ‘self esteem’ will always opt to have his abilities addressed in properly
and for him, money is not the whole sole important factor but recognition and appraisal for
work is more essential one. Some employees felt that they were not being involved in the
participation of ideas, they lie in the fifth and the most important category of ‘self
actualization’ as they believe in the creativity, sharing of ideas, and more than economic
reward, they consider unique experiences and attitude as a vital for growth and want to be
recognized for their abilities. They have more dynamic approach towards the quality of work
rather than having economic rewards.
Silvon Company, the management was very autocratic in their decision making process which
was a hurdle in the progress. It is rightly said that when employees are growing, the
organization also grow with them. As the company learned that being autocratic in making all
decisions are not very sound in the changing environment so they started following the
concept of democratic leadership by allowing their enthusiastic employees to step up and
participate in the decision making process. When employees are given chance to take
initiative through participating activity, it boosts their moral to play vital role in the success of
the organization.

Rewards through motivation:

Nowadays it is not an era of scientific management where management can motivate people
through money factor but today the work force is properly tackled through proper planning by
providing internal satisfaction about them. It was Fredrick Taylor who believed that man can
be motivated through money and for that piece rate system was introduced but more than
money it is the proper appraisal of the abilities that groom and motivate people. Even the
classic theory of motivation gives more importance to bureaucracy. Where everything was
organized by the top management and employees were only considered as the part of process
but now it is time where change is regarded as one of the important factor to adopt and cope
up with. Silvon management has changed its traditional approach and brought more flexibility
in their ways to tackle their employees.
(According to Maslow, 1983) individuals are more motivated by their internal will when they
reach to the most develop stage of their personality. This stage is need of self actualization,
where individuals are motivated by their inner potential.

Conclusion:
The conclusion of this hypothetical scenario is that employees will be more productive when
they are treated with humanistic approach and properly motivated by involving them in the
decision making process through participation. Employee motivation is a key to success. It is
beneficial for bringing the change that organization perceives as an important factor. The
organization has taken the right step by making a learning environment and letting their
employee contribute in the active decision making process so that in future they become more
valuable for the organization and serves it for a longer period of time.

References:
Books:

Glen, C. (2006), Key skills retention and motivation: the war for talent still ranges and
retention is the high ground. Industrial and commercial training, Pp. 37.45.

Quiley, N. R. & Jr, W. G. (2005). Towards an integrated model of intrinsic motivation and
career self-management. Career development international, Pp. 520-549.

Maslow, A. (1983). The developing Person through the Life Span. Pp 39-44.

Taylor, W. F. (1910). The Principles of Scientific Management. Pp. 7-31

Weber, M. (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Transaled by A. M.

Henderson and Talcott Parsons. London: Collier MacMillan Publishers. Pp. 19-51.

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performance in organization] Available:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mount+cedar+technologies%2c+inc.
%3a+a+case+study+in+designing+a+high...-a0219002990. Last accessed: 8 April 2011.

Motivation Factor [Motivation: Discrepancies between what people say and what they do]
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April 2011.