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Assignment:

Respond  to (2) two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

· Ask your colleague to expand upon the impact of the manager’s actions (either positive or negative) on the organization’s culture.

· Propose one or more additional potential results of the effects of each approach your colleague described.

· Suggest an additional strategy for how your colleague might use the information they identified to strengthen their own managerial approach to motivating employees.

· 3 – 4 paragraphs

· No plagiarism

· APA citing

1st Colleague - Natasha Mills

Natasha Mills

Motivational Junk Food Versus Health Food

COLLAPSE

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Susan Fowler explains the concept of motivation in a wide and conceptual model, enhancing the comprehension of the numerous approaches to motivation. According to the author, every employee is motivated to do something (Fowler, 2014). However, the reason behind the motivation is the aspect of concern, particularly for managers and employers, who need their employees on their toes for improved productivity and profitability. Susan posits the narrative of “junk food” and “healthy food” approaches to motivation. Managers have and can adopt these strategies for various purposes.

My encounter with the “junk food” approach involved a manager who was very talented and motivated yet had followership with no motivation for their work. In my experience, the manager used the concept of power and threats to get employees working. The manager used his position and threats to have employees do the right thing and eventually earned success. In the scenario, the manager demanded employees attain certain thresholds of work within a given period. Some of the thresholds set were unattainable due to lack of motivation and limited technical expertise. The manager used his position and power to force change and threaten to lay off employees who did not meet the required standards. The approach, an extrinsic motivational approach, worked, but for a short period (Fowler, 2014).

Fowler’s healthy alternatives to motivation are noted as optimal approaches to motivation (Fowler, 2014). In my experience, managers employing this kind of motivational approach yield the best results, favoring the employee and the manager. In my “healthy food” motivational experience, the manager developed an effective structure of motivation, which majorly involved teaching. The manager was devoted to aligning and integrating employees’ values and goals into the company mission. With such, employees were encouraged to pursue their dreams while simultaneously contributing to the company’s growth. This was quite productive as employees were motivated to do what they enjoyed and felt part.

According to Susan Fowler, suboptimal and optimal motivational approaches have a certain percentage of impact on the employees and the firm (Fowler, 2014). First, the “junk food” approach motivates quick and immediate results. For instance, when coerced and threatened to do a particular task, employees, out of fear, would do it very quickly. Resultantly, the manager achieves their desired results instantly. On the other hand, the instant results are, however, short-lived. This is because the “junk food’ approach is an extrinsic motivational approach. Susan Fowler postulates this as an ineffective approach to motivation. Additionally, the “junk food” approach results in sub-optimality, as the “motivated” employees are disinterested and extrinsically motivated. Thus, the results are only aligned to the benefits or other rewards and punishments attached to the tasks and not intrinsically motivated.

Secondly, the “healthy food” approach produced the best result. This is because the method focuses on improving intrinsic motivation, which is the best form of motivation. Once intrinsically motivated, employees channel their strength and energy to a task, yielding better results (Fowler, 2014). In addition, the “healthy food” approach results in long-term impacts. For example, intrinsic motivation helps employees feel part of the firm, enhancing their engagement in firm activities. Also, integrating and aligning their personal goals to those of the organization stirs purposeful actions, enhancing firm and personal achievement.

Resultantly, as a manager, I will employ Susan Fowler’s motivational science to motivate and enhance productivity. The first action will be to help my employees find meaning and purpose in their work (Fowler, 2014). This will help them understand why they need to work, motivating them to actually work. Second, I will ensure that my employees understand and are willing to contribute to a social purpose. This will be achieved through aligning their work, which is meaningful to them to social work, hence driving them to perform. Lastly, I will ensure healthy interpersonal relationships with my employees (Shahzadi et al, 2014). This will enhance monitoring and the focus on intrinsic than extrinsic motivation.

Fowler, S. (2014). Why motivating people doesn't work... and what does: the new science of leading, energizing, and engaging (Vol. 36, No. 12). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Shahzadi, I., Javed, A., Pirzada, S. S., Nasreen, S., & Khanam, F. (2014). Impact of employee motivation on employee performance. European Journal of Business and Management, 6(23), 159-166.

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2nd Colleague – Nicole Strauss

Nicole Strauss

RE: Discussion - Week 2

COLLAPSE

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I once had a director that would attempt to motivate her team by control, shame, and power. She would publicly correct a team member in front of the entire group. For instance, at each staff meeting, the director would make each team member report the number of admissions or referrals for the prior week. Once the employee had reported their numbers, that director would ridicule those that did not meet their weekly goals. This director thought that her tactics and leadership were entirely appropriate when this “junk food” approach was unsuccessful in motivating the team. Staff came to the meetings in fear of being embarrassed and left feeling ashamed, which further diminished their drive and creativity. This fear led to the team being unable to sustain long-term growth, and employees left the team over time. This director’s-imposed outlook only invoked low self-esteem and hindered creativity. According to Fowler (2017), “employees motivated by fear, guilt, and shame do what is asked because they are afraid of the outcome if they don’t.   Our team fell apart, many employees transferred to other departments, and our morale suffered greatly. Eventually, this director got moved to the corporate office, and we were able to rebuild the team by recruiting new members with the motivation that matched our organizational goals.

On the opposite end of the leadership spectrum, I enjoyed working with a manager who motivated and led the team with grace and “health food” tactics. This manager took the time to understand the team and their work. He spent time in the office as well as in the field with front-line staff. He listened when the staff spoke, took their concerns and recommendations for workflow changes, and put them into action.   As Fowler stated, this manager helped the team “connect their goals to a visible purpose greater than themselves.” This integrated motivational outlook approach assisted the team in staying connected to the organizational mission and finding purpose in the work. The benefits of having a leader that motivates with the “health food” approach lead the team to high employee retention rates, innovation, creativity, and a team that strives for excellence in their daily work.

There are several actions that I can take in my current leadership role to ensure motivation and engagement from my teams and myself within our organization. The first would be to ensure that I align our organizational goals with individual team members’ purposes. According to Fowler (2017), aligning individuals’ goals to meaningful values provides a sense of purpose. The second action would be to ensure that I provide clear expectations of the work and outcomes needed from the team. A good leader shares the mission and vision of the organization and cultivates a positive and safe work environment for the team. These efforts will foster and grow employee engagement and dedication to the work. According to the CultureIQ blog, employees that feel connected, involved and supported, feel engaged.

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Discussion: Motivational Junk Food Versus Health Food Culture and optimal motivation will ideally support and reinforce one another

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