ABSTRACT
The Human Resource Manager is generally seen as the bridge
between an organization and its workers and is consequently saddled with the responsibility
of keeping workers committed to the goals of the organization. This study
therefore was dedicated to the investigation of the role of human resource
managers in motivating employees towards the attainment of the organization's
goals. The population for the study was comprised of working-class students at
Northumbria University. Information was collected from 50 participants through
the use of an open-ended questionnaire and analyzed using the thematic method
of analysis. The study found among others that recognition of efforts and
creativity, efficient communication system, human relations, personal concerns
for individual employees, mentorship, and friendly salary structure were the
vital determinants of employee motivation in any organization whether public or
private. Also, it was
discovered that the effect of good rapport on job performance includes work
efficiency, motivation, and job satisfaction. The study therefore
recommends that organizations commit more funds and attention to the development
of their workforce through initial staff training and continued or in-service
training to enable them to sustain their competitive edge, harness employees’
abilities for the benefit of the organization, and retain highly skilled
employees in the long term. Also human resource managers, in the design of
their employee management policies, pay kin attention to the personal concerns
of the employees, mentorship for new employees, and carry out continuous
reviews of salary structure to make sure it reflects the current economic
condition of the society within which employees live.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
1.0. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………7
1.1. Background to the study…………………………………………………………….8
1.2. Contribution to knowledge……………………………………………………...….16
1.3. Research aims/objectives…………………………………………………………...17
1.4. Research questions……………………………………………………………….....17
1.5. Thesis structure/outline……………………………………………………………..18
Chapter Two
2.0. Introduction…...............................................................................................................20
2.1. Conceptual Review........................ ..............................................................................15
2.2 Theoretical Review………………….…………………………………………….....27
2.2.1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs………………………………………………….....27
2.2.2. McClelland Acquired Needs Theory
…....................................................................31
2.3 Empirical Review ……………………………….…………………………………..33
2.4 Summary of Review……………………………….……………………………...…35
Chapter
Three
3.0 Introduction ……………………………………………..…………………….……. 37
3.1 Philosophy of the Study ……………………………………………………………..37
3.2 Research Approach ………………………………….………………………………38
3.3 Ethical Approval ……………………………………………………….……………39
3.4 Research Methods …………………………………………………………………...39
3.5.1 Study Location ………………………………….……………………………...….40
3.5.2 Qualitative Methods …………………………………………….…………………40
3.5.3 Primary Data Collection …………………………………………………………...41
3.5.5 Process of Data Collection ………….……………………………………………..42
3.6 Method of Data Analysis …..…………………………….…………………………..42
Chapter Four
4.0 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………..43
4.1 Survey Completion Rate …………………………………………………………......45
4.3 Demographic Data……………………………………………………………….…....46
4.4 Specific Findings …………………………………………………………………......58
4.5 Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………….…....60
Chapter Five
5.0 Introduction……….……………………………………………………….…….…..62
5.1 Summary ………….………………………………………………………….……...62
5.2. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………….………64
5.3 Implication ……………………………………………………………….……….....64
5.4 Study Limitations ……………………………………………………….…………...66
5.5 Recommendation …………….…………………………………….……………......66
References ………………………………………………………………………….........68
Appendix I – Survey questions (Questionnaire)………………………………………...71
Tables/Charts/Diagrams
Figure 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs …………………………….…………………..28
Figure 2. McClelland Acquired Needs
Theory …………………….……………………31
Table 1. Research Questions and Survey
Items ………………….………..…………….44
Chart 1. Survey Completion
Rate……………………………….………………………..45
Chart 2. Demographic data
…………………………………….………………………...46
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0. Introduction
This
study is concerned with investigating the role of Human Resource Managers in
keeping employees motivated and committed towards the attainment of the goals
and ultimate success of an organization. This chapter, titled “Introduction”,
is dedicated to the provision of a background for the entire study. In addition
to the presentation of the study background, this chapter spells out the
purpose of the study, the specific objectives of the study, the research
questions, and the knowledge contribution expected in areas of human resource
management and employee motivation, and finally a chapter-by-chapter
presentation of the outline for the project. The next chapter “Review of
Related Literature”, delved into an exploration of relevant studies
around employee motivation, human resource management, and the roles of the
human resource manager in motivating employees toward the attainment of
organizational goals. After this it made a relevant presentation of the two
theories selected for the study; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and McClelland's
Acquired Needs Theory. The next Chapter, “Methodology” outlined the
philosophical position, study design for the work, data collection methods, and
chosen method of analysis. Chapter Four focused on the interpretation
and presentation of assembled data as well as the integration of findings with
the findings of other reputable and established authors. The final chapter “Chapter
Five” Summed up the research work, making meaning of the study findings and
their implication for employees, human resource managers, and organizations as
a whole.
1.1.
Background to the Study
One
of the most important aspects of organizational management, both in small and
big organizations, national or multinational companies, in present-day society
is human resource management (HRM) (Brewster, 2016).
Human
Resource Management (HRM) is a general term that captures the
approaches, techniques, and theories of personnel management in corporate
settings. According to Storey, (2016), HRM is a distinctive employee
management approach aimed at securing and sustaining the competitive advantage
of an organization by strategically deploying its workforce while also
maintaining a high level of commitment through the effective application of
diverse personnel management techniques. Stone et al. (2015), describe
it as a system in an organization built in and tasked with the responsibility
of providing both employees and management cadres of the organization with
required KSA (knowledge, skills, and ability) training (for employees) and
human resource-related information/best practices (for leaders or management).
HRM
emerged at a time in the corporate world when labor was seen as a mere tool for
immediate goal attainment and as a result, the relationship between employers
of labor and the providers of labor was mostly contractual (Storey, 2016). Most
companies or business organizations, before the emergence and popularization of
HRM, had difficulties seeing and indeed securing solicited labor beyond the
immediate execution of specified one-off tasks (Schuler, Budhwar, &
Florkowski, 2002) and thus had little concern for relationship building and
tending. However, the move away from ‘temporary truces’ (Goyal, &
Patwardhan, 2020) in labor negotiations to the cultivation and
sustenance of long-term relationships between providers of labor (who have come
to be known as employees) and employers of labor has led to a revelation of the
importance of the sustained working relationship between employers and
employees in guaranteeing the success of an organization (Dortey, Tetteh, &
Akrah, 2022).
Organizations
are established with clearly spelt goals (both short and long-term), and the
attainment of these goals serves ultimately as the measure of success or
otherwise for the organization. However, the attainment of these set goals, as revealed by Shahzad, et al.
(2014) and proven over time by research, is heavily dependent on the
efficiency and effectiveness of the organization’s human resources, consisting
largely of its employees. Employees can boost organizational efficiency both in
the attainment of organizational goals and in the sustenance of its competitive
advantage in the long run, which is what guarantees its sustainability (Khuong,
Mai, & Phuong, 2020).
However, the effective deployment of these capabilities is at the mercy
of the employee’s willingness and devotion to the goals of the organization
(Wabomba, Onguso, & Bula 2022). It is one thing to have ability, it is
another thing entirely to be willing to utilize that ability in pursuit of
organizational goals through effective job performance. Effective Job performance
in the context of HRM involves the achievement of specific results required by
the job through means and methods that are consistent with the procedures,
conditions, and policies of the organization (Dortey, Tetteh, & Akrah,
2022). Hitka, et al. (2021) propose that to guarantee employees' effective job
performance, firms must focus on employees’ motivation and job satisfaction.
Swala
and Kyongo (2015) defined motivation from the perspective of human resource
management as the stimulation of an organization’s workforce into action to
attain a desired goal. It would, in a work environment, refer to an employee’s
desire and willingness to commit to an organization’s goals through the
performance of assigned roles, duties, and/or responsibilities. Shedding more
light on the place of motivation in the employee, and ultimately
organizational, performance, Hitka, et al. (2021) assert that although an
organization may attain temporal success by channelling all of its resources,
human, material, financial, and otherwise, into the attainment of goals
at-all-cost, such practice is essentially insufficient in sustaining
organizational success in the long term. In order words, an organization can
only profit for so long at the expense of the isolated drives of its stakeholders
but sooner or later the consequences of undermining the needs, desires, and
aspirations of its stakeholders, especially employees, will surface in the form
of reduced performance, reduced profitability, and ultimately the risk of
extinction. Swala and Kyongo (2015)
assert that workers are motivated by styles and levels of communication within
an organization, the nature of their work environment, current compensation,
training, and level of satisfaction with job roles.
The
successful operation of an organization is dependent on not only the attainment
of the organization’s goals but also the stimulation and especially the
satisfaction of its employees (Stone et al, 2015). Job satisfaction determines
the level of motivation and the level of motivation, alongside individual
competence, professional knowledge, and skills/abilities, determines
organizational performance (Dortey, Tetteh, & Akrah, 2022). Guyo, Mungania,
and Thiane, (2022) assert that satisfied workers have positive attitudes towards
their jobs which ripple into positive job performance; mirroring the claims of
Abdullahi and Jarma (2023) that highly satisfied workers perform significantly
better concerning output. Such employees are motivated to resume duty on time,
work with enthusiasm, retain focus stay committed to the organization for a
longer period, work with minimal supervision, and exhibit creativity (Dortey,
Tetteh, and Akrah, 2022).
Compounding
the negative impact of low individual and organizational performance, loss of
competitive advantage, and risk of business closure (Hitka, et al. 2021), is
the continuous decline of employee retention rate resulting from a lack of
motivation and job satisfaction among employees. While the human resource
manager and management unit have the prescribed responsibility of recruiting,
selecting, motivating, and retaining employees (Ngalo et al, 2023) in the long
run, the mere itemization and the general acceptance of these roles tend to
create an oversight and unintended underestimation of the difficult task it
presents for the individuals assuming the HR roles in organizations.
Statistical
evidence has, and continues to show that the task of HR managers, especially
that of motivating and retention of employees, is getting progressively more difficult
in the contemporary business world (Stone, et al. 2015). Albrecht et al. (2015), reported that 57%
of companies and businesses all over the world are finding it difficult to
retain their workers as a result of job dissatisfaction and lack of motivation.
Forbes, (2023) reports that 75% of employees in the US have admissible
intention to leave their companies within the first five years of employment.
Between 2018 and 2021 the UK recorded an average of 18.5% employee turnover
rate annually and even the drop to 16.8% in 2022 has done little to alter its
status as one of the regions with the highest employee turnover rate (Greenway,
2023). It seems, as hypothesized by Bratton & Gold, (2012), that the
conventional techniques of motivating employees through wages and increased
incentives are fast becoming incapable of motivating modern-day workers.
Supporting this position Badubi, (2017) reports that 69% of employees would
rather take a pay cut and move from their current organizations into new
organizations than continue to receive their current pay in their current
organizations because it has lost the capacity to keep them motivated.
When
an organization gets to a stage where its employees would prefer to earn less
in another organisation than to continue working with them, then failure for
the organization is inevitable (Snell & Bohlander, 2012). Consequently, an
organization’s motivational efforts become a very important factor in
determining who stays and who leaves an organization as well as who is giving
maximum effort to the organization and who is giving just the required. Because
a lack of motivation among employees of an organization will not only result in
negative below-par performance both for the employee and organization, but
eventually spills over into loss of skilled labour and workforce (Dortey,
Tetteh, & Akrah, 2022). This explains why employee motivation and retention
have been identified as the biggest challenge of human resource management in
the present-day business world (Agrawal, 2010 cited in Swala & Kyongo,
2015), and a very significant factor in securing the competitive advantage and
ultimately determining the long-term health and success of an organization
(Abdullahi and Jarma (2023).
Due
to the global talent competition, the retention of employees within an
organization which is a major goal of human resource management has become
somewhat of an uphill task
(Stone, et al. 2015). Employee retention to a large extent is a function
of available internal and external attractions in an organization per time
(Abdullahi and Jarma, 2023). This places a pressing demand on firms to devise
means to keep employees motivated. This responsibility of devising means to
keep employees motivated is one of, and fast becoming, the most important responsibilities
of human resource managers (Guyo, Mungania, & Thiane, 2022). The
attraction, motivation, and retention of employees according to Stone, et al. (2015) constitute the primary goals of HR
thus the Human Resource Manager, considered the link between the organization
and its employees, is responsible for making sure workers within the
organization are given proper consideration in terms of motivation and job
satisfaction in other to mitigate the risk of losing valuable employees.
A
well-managed organization according to Dortey, Tetteh, and Akrah (2022)
prioritizes human resources (the management and effective deployment of the
same) over capital investment understanding that the financial efforts and
inputs of the organization are at the mercy of the efficiency and functionality
of its constituent personnel. While the
ultimate purpose of setting up the organization is admittedly profit-making
(Kooij, et al. 2013), the actualization of that purpose cannot be, simply,
through financial capabilities in disregard of a motivated and highly committed
workforce. The ability of HR managers to create an inviting and exciting
environment for employees seems to be an umbrella factor that shades all of the
factors associated with employees’ motivation and job satisfaction, which will
ultimately determine whether or not an employee remains loyal to the goals of
an organization and more importantly whether or not they will remain in the
organization. Studies have suggested in-service training, the rapport
between employees and management, and stress management (Guyo,
Mungania, & Thiane, 2022) as strong indicators and determinants of employee
job satisfaction and motivation toward the achievement of an organization's set
goals.
Training
There
is a strong positive correlation between employee training, job performance,
and employee retention (Hassan, 2013). According to Olufayo, and Akinbo (2022)
employee training serves as one of the most effective strategies for improving
work performance and maximizing human capital in any organization. Employee
training or in-service training has to do with the provision of training
opportunities for employees to equip them for specific job roles which may
require skill sets that they do not currently possess as well as bringing them
up-to-speed on the novel and trending practices in their areas of
specialization such as training employees on the use of new technologies and
innovative practices to enable the company keep up with external competitions
(Cheney-Afenu, Tsitsia, & Kabbah, 2020). Validating the need for employee
training Wabomba Onguso, and Bula (2022) posit that firms that enhance their
employees' skills and knowledge outperform those that do not.
In
addition to the enhancement of individual employee and organizational performance,
employee training comes with the promise of keeping employees committed to the
organization in the long term as an unconscious compensatory act for the
organization’s gesture of investing in personnel improvement. Teamstage, (2023)
reports that 94% of employees will willingly stay longer in an
organization if it prioritizes and invests in employee training. And 70% of
that group are very likely to jump in on a chance to work at a company that
invests more in employee training and development than their current place of
work.
Providing
the right training at the right time according to Abdullahi and Jarma (2023)
goes a long way in securing the loyalty and motivation of the organization’s
employees.
Good
Rapport
According
to Guyo, Mungania, and Thiane, (2022), the correlation between good rapport
(between employees and the organization), timely recognition of employees’
achievement, and improved performance of the workers which in turn enhances the
general performance of the organization are significantly positive. One of the
most effective ways of keeping employees committed to the goals of the
organization, according to Wabomba, Onguso, and Bula (2022), is to get them
involved in the decision-making process of the organization through the
delegation of responsibilities by superiors in the organizational hierarchy
(conceptually known as employee engagement). But this is an offshoot of
existing rapport within the cadres and hierarchy of that organization.
The
idea of employee engagement presupposes that employees go the “extra mile” in
carrying out organization-enhancing duties and actions that extend beyond the
confines of their normal routine, highly driven by a sense of belongingness
towards the organization (Tshukudu. 2021). Although sometimes mistaken for job
satisfaction, employee engagement (although emanates from and sustains job
satisfaction) goes beyond just job satisfaction (Saran, 2014). Because job
satisfaction is simply a feeling of satiety and acceptance of current job
demands, environment, and compensatory incentives associated with them.
However, employee engagement stretches beyond such satiety to involve the
execution of responsibilities that are not primarily included in employees’ job
roles.
Engaged
employees show more chances of staying with the organization for longer, they
can perform better and utilize their potential to the fullest, and they help
the organization achieve better commercial and business performance (Fotso,
2022). Again the propagation of this perspective is an assignment that can and
must be carried out by the arm of the organization responsible for bridging the
gulf between the organization’s management and its employees.
Stress
Management
One
aspect of HRM that brings to light the humane dimension of employees is stress
management. Although stress is arguably present in every occupational setting
(Cheney-Afenu, Tsitsia, & Kabbah, 2020), aggravations can result from
dissatisfaction with job roles and the entire organization at large by
employees.
Underneath
the much-celebrated knowledge depth and capability of highly skilled employees
is an underlying desire to strike a fair and acceptable balance between their
work and personal lives; the absence of which creates negative stress (Olufayo,
& Akinbo, 2021). It is imperative
therefore that human resource managers relate with employees with the
foundational understanding that an adverse effect on one side of the beam will
ultimately result in alterations of the effectiveness on the other end.
Gillespie, 2001 cited in Cheney-Afenu, Tsitsia, and Kabbah, (2020) emphasized
the ability of stress to cripple the quality of services as well as stifle the
creativity of employees if left unmanaged. This is why Shankar and Kaushal
(2022) opined that it is not enough for an organization to attain its goals but
it must show sufficient concern for the personal goals of the employees that
may sometimes exist in contrast to that of the organization. Because research
has shown that not only do workers with work–life balance have a higher level
of job satisfaction and perform much better in their jobs but they also have
higher levels of loyalty and commitment to their organizations.
In
managing these issues HR has to make conscious efforts to help employees gain
and maintain equilibrium in their personal and work lives through the
formulation of a customized work-life balance policy for the organization and
extension of its activities to accommodate stress management to keep employees
at the maximum performance level (Fotso, 2022).
1.2.
Contribution to Knowledge
Human
resource management in the present-day corporate world is probably now more
difficult than it has ever been (Wabomba Onguso, & Bula, 2022). The advent
and continuous advancement in technology have indeed provided appreciable help
in the recruitment and selection of employees (two very important goals of HRM)
through the contemporary ease in reaching potential employees and selecting
from the pool of attracted aspirants using e-recruitment and e-selection. But
little has changed, in the positive as regards keeping these employees
motivated towards achieving the goals of the organization and keeping them in
the company (Stone, et al.
2015).
The
Human Resource Manager is generally seen as the bridge between an organization
and its workers and is consequently saddled with the responsibility of keeping
workers committed to the goals of the organization. However, there are limited
studies and empirical evidence on how the human resource manager keeps
employees motivated and committed to the achievement of the organization’s
goals which is the measure of organizational success (Kooij, et al, 2013; Khuong, Mai, & Phuong, 2020; Mansaray, 2019).
This
study, therefore, is expected to emerge with credible empirical evidence on the
roles of human resource managers that help to keep employees motivated and
committed towards the achievement of an organization’s goals and provide
intending human resource managers with the necessary knowledge of the strategies
for creating and maintaining rapport between organizations and their employees.
Also, the findings of this study are expected to serve as necessary feedback to
practising human resource managers on the effectiveness or otherwise of current
employee motivation strategies and practices and provide foundational data for
the innovation of better employee management practices.
1.3.
Aim and Objectives
Following
the established background above, this study proposes to investigate the role
of Human Resource Managers in keeping employees motivated and committed to the
attainment of the goals and ultimate success of an organization. The following
are the specific objectives of the study;
1. To investigate the role of human resource
managers in employee motivation.
2. To find out how the human resource manager
sustains employees’ motivation towards the attainment of organizational goals.
3. To examine how the human resource manager
creates and maintains rapport between organizations and their employees
1.4. Research Questions
1. What are the roles of human resource managers
in employee motivation?
2. How does the human resource manager sustain
employees’ motivation toward the attainment of organizational goals?
3. How does the human resource manager create
and maintain rapport between organizations and their employees?
1.5.
Thesis Outline/Structure
The
summary of each chapter’s contents is presented as follows:
•
Chapter 1: Introduction. The chapter provides background knowledge on
the role of Human Resource Managers in keeping employees motivated and
committed toward the attainment of the goals and ultimate success of an
organization. In addition to the presentation of the study background, this
chapter spells out the purpose of the study, the specific objectives of the
study raises three (3) research questions to guide the study, and the knowledge
contribution expected of the study before concluding with the presentation of a 5-chapter outline for the project.
•
Chapter 2: Literature Review. This chapter explores the relevant
literature and scholarly works around the concept of human resource management
and the role of human resource managers in keeping employees motivated and
committed to the attainment of organizational goals. The chapter also presents
a critical analysis of two major theories of motivation; Maslaw's Hierarchy of
Needs and McClelland’s acquired need theory, as it relates to human resources management. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs proposes that
employees are motivated by their personal needs which are classified
hierarchically into five namely; physiological needs, safety needs, love,
esteem, and self-actualization. While McClelland’s acquired need theory posits
that one of three factors; power, affiliation, and achievement, all of which
are acquired, serves as the driving force of every human being at any given
time. Also, the chapter will contain a section for empirical review and current
academic arguments on the role of human resource managers organized under three
subheadings carved out from the three research questions for the study.
•
Chapter 3: Methodology. Chapter 3 presents a detailed outline of the
study’s approach and design, methods for data collection, and analysis to
generate results. It also provides ethical considerations to guarantee the
accuracy and objectivity of the results.
•
Chapter 4: Results. Presents and interprets data assembled from
interviews and discussions with respondents,
Chapter
5: Discussion of Findings, Summary, and Conclusion. This chapter is
dedicated to the integration of the study findings with the existing body of
knowledge on human resource management and employee motivation. The chapter also
summarizes the work done in this research and makes conclusive remarks on the
findings and their implications for policy development and economic practices.
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