ABSTRACT

Our research was exclusively on work motivation, we examine progress made in theory and research on needs, traits, values, cognition, and affect as well as three bodies of literature dealing with the context of motivation: national culture, job design, and models of person-environment fit. The major problem of the study is necessitated by the fact that most organization are performing below expectations notwithstanding the amount of motivational tools adopted; and also to highlight on organizational unique corporate culture. The research explored the following objectives among others. One’ concept of motivation and its strategies; two-motivational factors that positively affects organizational performance in Nigeria and tools that facilitates effective motivational planning and implementation. The study used both primary and secondary sources of data. A total number of 92 frequency distribution; percentages and chi-square(x²) were used in testing the hypothesis. The research findings reflects our conviction that organizations and people want results not minding the fact that many organizational motivation strategy may not encourage productivity. This addresses itself to a comprehensive, total approach to productivity problems as affected by poor motivational strategies. It is underlined that motivational factors affecting employee productivity or performance in the banking sector are of broadly the same as those affecting non-bank institutions. We conclude that there is a significant positive relationship between organizational motivation and employee performance, and that organizational motivation influences employee performance as well as affecting management decision significantly. We conclude that there is a significant positive performance, and that organizational motivation and employee performance, and that organizational motivation influences employee performance as well as affecting management decision significantly. We recommend that management executive should realize that people are unique and sometimes irrational and complex and may not be motivated with the same motivational tools.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION 

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

At the dawn of this new millennium, Miner (2003) concluded that motivation continues to hold a significant position in the eyes of scholars. “If one wishes to create a highly valid theory, which is also constructed with the purpose of enhanced usefulness in practice in mind, it would be best to look to motivation theories . . . for an appropriate model”. Miner’s conclusion is based on a comparison with other middle range theories of organizational behavior (OB). The question remains as to whether, on an absolute standard, motivation theory and research have fared well over the last quarter of a century. In answering this question, we provide a definition of the construct and an assessment of how the field of motivation in the workplace has evolved and progressed since the year in which the last chapter (Korman et al. 1977) devoted exclusively to this topic appeared in the Annual Review of Psychology (ARP).

We selectively review theory and research, emphasizing work published in the past decade, 1993–2003, with special emphasis given to research on contextual effects and mediating mechanisms. This is because scholars (e.g., Pinder 1998) have pointed to the power of context to moderate opportunities for, and constraints against, organizational behavior. In addressing this issue, the chapter concludes with an assessment of the degree to which progress has been made to predict, understand, and influence motivation in the workplace.

Work motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate work-related behavior and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration (Pinder 1998). Thus, motivation is a psychological process resulting from the interaction between the individual and the environment. Accordingly, the importance of context is acknowledged throughout our analysis.

However, because of space limitations, we focus primarily on national culture, job design characteristics, and person-environment fit, omitting reviews of other exogenous sources of motivation (e.g., organization climate and culture, leadership, and groups and teams). Job design is traditionally included in reviews of motivation. National culture and person-environment fit are relatively new to this literature, hence our choice of these three contextual variables.

The role of human motivation has always been considered by psychologists to be a very difficult undertaking, especially because motivation is something inside the organism. But the fundamental difficulty has actually been self imposed or, more specifically, imposed by false philosophical assumptions. Two key assumptions were that: (a) only material events could be causal, and (b) only entities that were directly, externally, perceivable could be admitted into the realm of science. Accepting these positivist premises meant that: (a) consciousness could not be considered a cause of action; and (b) making valid inferences about internal events, especially if they were mental events in other people, was logically impermissible.

Historically, motivational psychologists have tried to conform to these strictures by externalizing or materializing their key concepts. Skinnerian behaviorism, for example, externalized motivation by attributing it to reinforcers (consequences of action) and treating the human mind as an epiphenomenon. Drive-reduction theorists like Hull kept motivation inside the organism but attributed it to strictly physiological mechanisms. Both approaches assumed the validity of psychological determinism—the doctrine that man has no choice with respect to his beliefs, choices, thinking or actions. Both also barred introspection as a scientific method on the grounds that it could not be publicly verified and that, even if it were, the data obtained thereby were causally insignificant (due to determinism or materialism).

Beginning in the late 1960s the positivist paradigm in psychology began to fall apart for a number of reasons. First, it had lost support in philosophy (e.g., Blanshard, 1962). Second, the materialist approaches did not work. Human action cannot, in fact, be understood by looking at man only from the outside or only at his internal physiology.The recognition of these facts ushered in the “cognitive revolution” in psychology; it became the dominant paradigm by the end of the 1970s or early 1980s.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problem with most organization has been how to identify and adopt a suitable motivational strategy to enhance workers performance and attain organizational goals and objectives. However, three major problems prompted the urge to carry out the research.

1. The research is necessitated by the fact that some organizations especially banks are performing below expectations notwithstanding the amount of motivational tools adopted. That is to say the underperform considering the amount of motivational strategeies been used on workers.
2. The research is also necessitated by organization unique corporate culture and motives, which the study of the motivational strategies will highlight insight on the best style to be adopted by an organization.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objective of this paper therefore is to

1. To explore the concept “Motivation” and its strategies.
2. To identify the motivational factors that positively affects organizational performance in Nigeria.
3. To highlight tools that facilitates effective motivational planning and implementation.
4. To proffer general recommendations for the effective and efficient planning and implementation of motivation in Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be investigated

1. What kind of relationship exist between motivation and organizational performance?

1. To what extent does motivation influence organisational performance?
2. What motivational factors are responsible for difference in performance?

1.5 HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

The following hypothetical statement will be tested.

H₁:       Motivational factors do not positively affect organisatioanl performance.

H₂:       There are no motivational factors responsible for significant difference in

performance.

H₃:       Motivational strategies use in banks are not effective.

1.6       SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The expected benefits to each of the key stakeholders are illustrated as follows:

1. Management and staff will benefit from this study because the policies that will be formulated from the findings will facilitate reform in the banking sector.
2. The Government of Enugu State in general, stands to benefit as the study affords them an enriched policy initiatives that will encourage investors to invest more in the banking sector.
3. Shareholders and other clients will benefits from the study because the study will paves way for organizational profitability in the banking industry.
4. The study will also be relevant to the human resource development department in the formulation of policies relating to motivation of staffs and development of personnel and for the government, to ensure adequate training and motivational tools are put in place to improve performance and the economy as a whole.
5. Another obvious and important significance of the study is that it serves as database and knowledge archive for users and for further researchers in related discipline.
6. The study stands to guide organizations to adapt, embrace and adhere to their organisational motivational strategies, the mission and vision of the organization to increase the productivity of the organization.

1.7       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study was delimited to the organizational motivation and its focus is on the factors affecting workers’ performance in commercial banks. However, the study discussed organizational motivational influences on employees’ performance and how organisational motivation affects management decisions. This study in terms of location is delimited to deposit money banks that have branches in Enugu State. A selected commercial bank branches were sampled for the study. The time scope covers the period from March 2011 to March 2012.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The researcher would have covered a larger geographical area, but due to some circumstances, an exhaustive investigation about this study could not be carried out. Some of the limitations to this study were:

1. Financial Constraint: Where by the researcher lacks sufficient fund to embark on an in depth study that could have covered the entire country.
2. Time Constraint: Where the researcher is inhibited by time from getting all necessary information that will be relevant for the study.
3. Attitude of Respondents: This is shown by the respondents’ indifference, revealed by the rejection of the questionnaire and/or failure to return the questionnaire.
4. However, efforts were made to overcome the above outlined limitations. 

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Motivation is the term used to describe those processes, both instinctive and rational, by which people seek to satisfy the basic drives, perceived needs and personal goals, which trigger human behaviour (Cole, 1995:119).

 Productivity is an economic indicator that measures the output of goods and services in the economy or in an industry from the effective utilisation of various inputs used to produce those goods and services. It is used to measure the efficiency of production, and is most often expressed as a ratio of outputs over inputs. Moreover, to measure productivity economists usually focus on labour productivity (Mankiw, 2001). Labour productivity is the amount of output produced by a worker given one hour of labour input (Mankiw, 2001; Dike, 2003).

Performance is the extent to which an individual is carrying out assignment or task. It refers to the degree of accomplishment of the task that makes up an employee’s job (Cascio, 2006).