Expansion Strategies as a Directing Path to Employee Motivation A Theoretical Framework

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1 ABSTRACT Expansion Strategies as a Directing Path to Employee Motivation A Theoretical Framework Preeti Deswal & Dr. Nandini Srivastava Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad, Haryana In today s world of globalization, organizational are competing globally. Resource utilization has increased and their supply is limited. All this along with other universal factors is contributing towards the increase in the cost of production. To remain competitive organizations are trying to control their cost. Means include stoppage of new hiring this ultimately means shifting this increased work burden on their current employees by broadening their jobs. This elaboration of the job includes job enlargement, enrichment, and rotation which together forms expansion strategy of an organisation. Expansion strategies are the steps used to make the employees feel that they are actually owning the organization. This thing ultimately increases the level of performance of the employees on the job and boost their motivation. This has a direct impact on their satisfaction level in the organization while performing their duties. In this study, we analyze the impact of expansion strategies on employee motivation. Keywords: job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation, expansion, motivation. INTRODUCTION The concept of expansion strategy i.e job enlargement, enrichment and rotation have become an elementary tool for management in enhancing employee s motivation and organizational growth. It occurs when an employer through development and intensification, placed the additional amount of work on employees with the aim of making it more interesting, meaningful and accelerating job challenge and responsibility. Jobs are enriched to motivate employees by adding to their responsibilities with a greater need for skill diversity in their jobs. Due to the rapid change in environment and increasing level of competition, organizations are now beginning to shift from the traditional ideological orientation of perceiving money as the greatest motivating factor to a situation where workers today will continue to value their job, have more control in planning their work and deciding how best the effort should be done and to be esteemed for the work they do. JOB ENRICHMENT Job Enrichment is a vertical" expansion of job duties, making employee accountable and providing with responsibilities normally done by a senior employee or supervisor, and usually comes with independence and control over the planning, implementation, and evaluation of job assignments. The ground of job enrichment is to motivate employees. The traditional approach of specialization, or division of labor, splitting work into many components, and assigning each part to a distinct worker results in monotony, and consequently loss of efficiency, and low productivity. The primary approach to relieving such boredom was job rotation and job enlargement. Such concepts, however, did not have any support from psychological studies. Frederick Herzberg, the noted psychologist, in his 1968 article, "One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?" advocated enhancing individual's job responsibilities will make it more inspiring and rewarding for personnel. This became the basis of Job Enrichment, the earliest psychological backed approach to motivating employees at work. According to Herzberg, a few motivators are added to a job to make it more rewarding, challenging and fascinating. According to Herzberg, the motivating factors enrich the job and boost performance. The motivating factors can be: a. Giving independence. > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 160

2 b. Encouraging participation. c. Giving employees the freedom to select the ways of working. d. Let employees choose the place at which they would like to work. e. Allowing workers to select the tools that they need on the job. f. Permit workers to decide the layout of plant or office. Job enrichment gives flexibility to the employee but at the same time increases the accountability. Some workers are power and responsibility hungry. Job enrichment satisfies the desires of the employees. JOB ROTATION It is a management approach where employees are switched between two or more assignments or jobs at regular intervals of time in order to expose them to all aspects of an organization. It is a pre-planned approach with an aim to test the employee capabilities and competencies in order to appoint him or her at the right place. In addition to it, it reduces the monotony of the job and gives them a wider experience and helps them gain more insights. Job rotation is a well-planned practice to minimize the boredom of doing the same type of job every day and explore the hidden potential of an employee. The process suffices the purpose of both the management and the employees. It helps management in discovering the expertise of employees. On the other hand, it gives an individual an opportunity to explore his or her own interests and gain experience in different fields or operations. Bennett (2003) suggests two forms of job rotation: These are (1) Within-function rotation He explains that within-function rotation means shifting between jobs with the same or similar levels of responsibility and within the same operational or functional area. (2) Cross-functional rotation Cross-functional rotation according to Bennett (2003 P.3) means movement between jobs in different parts of the organization over a period of time. However, rather than rotating between a number of tasks that are in the same group and in conjunction, the individual or new employee would rotate through a number of jobs in different departments. This method provides the personnel with developmental opportunities and such methods can also be used by the organization to gather data about their skills, interests and potential to indicate their final placement. JOB ENLARGEMENT It is a job design technique wherein there is an increase in the number of tasks associated with a certain job. In other words, it means increasing the scope of one s duties and responsibilities. The increase in scope is quantitative in nature and not qualitative and at the same level. Job enlargement is a horizontal restructuring method that aims at an increase in the workforce flexibility and at the same time reducing monotony that may creep up over a period of time. It is also known as horizontal loading in that the responsibilities increase at the same level and not vertically. Many believe that since the enlargement is horizontal in nature there is not a great need for training! Contrary to this, job enlargement requires appropriate training especially on time and people management. Task-related training is not required much since the person is already aware of the same or doing it for some time. Job enlargement has its psychological origins. That is, it is seen as a technique that can achieve recognition and self-esteem and helps employees feel worthwhile to the company. In other words, job enlargement might satisfy a need that, in turns, satisfies the employees. However, it is seen by other researchers that job enlargement has a negative impact on employees' motivation and satisfaction because it is perceived as a tool used by the organization to add more workload on employees, and it is > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 161

3 just a matter of work burden which makes the job more boring. Job enlargement has also its managerial origins. That is, it contradicts with the principle of specialization and work of labor which suggests performing the same tasks and work units repetitively by the same worker. This repetition causes alienation and boredom and in the long run dissatisfaction and low level of motivation. As a result, job enlargement is believed to be used as a strategy that reduces alienation and boredom of repetitive tasks. MOTIVATION Motivation is extracted from the word 'motive' which means needs, desires, wants or drives of a person. It is the technique of stimulating people to actions to attain their goals. In the work goal context, the psychological factors stimulating the people's behavior can be - 1 Desire for money 2 Success 3 Recognition 4 Job-satisfaction 5 Teamwork, etc One of the crucial functions of management is to generate willingness among employees to perform to the best of their capabilities. Therefore the role of a leader is to agitate interest of employees in performing their jobs. Therefore, we can say that motivation is a psychological phenomenon, which means needs and wants of a human being have to be tackled by framing an incentive plan. Motivation is one of the substantial factors that affecting performance, behavior, satisfaction, quality, productivity and success or failure in achieving the organizational goals. Keeping employees motivated increases the work performance which leads to productivity and profitability. This will be directly reflected on the high level of competitive advantage. In addition, exploiting and directing the inner forces helps the organization get rid of some harmful behaviors like absenteeism, wasting time and efforts, being late, and inefficient use of recourses. Motivation is also an essential factor affecting employees' organizational commitment and the attitude to work. LITERATURE REVIEW Involving the workers to managerial functions of the higher ranks is called job enrichment. On the other hand enlarged jobs allow workers to perform more tasks by having the same position. The job enrichment also increases the self-actualization, self-control, and self-respect of the workers. That thing leads to the success of the employees' performance (Vroom, 1964; Swinth, 1971). Motivation is goal-oriented behavior (Likert, 1967 and Odiorne, 1970). Locke (1968) showed that there is always a positive relationship between involvement and the accomplishment of the goals by the workers when these employees' jobs are enriched. The job enrichment also increases the motivation level and the performance of the employees in the workplace and their tendency to achieve the goals is also becoming more possible (Bryan & Locke, 1967; Latham & Baldes, 1975; Latham & Kinne, 1974; Latham & Yukl, 1975; Ronan, Latham, & Kinne, 1973; Herzberg & Frederick, 1968; Myers, 1970; Raia, 1974). The authority to the employees can be granted individually or in a group form according to the requirements of the company and of the job nature (Howell, 1967; Amacom, 1973; Walton, 1972). The participation of the employees in decision making may affect the motivational level of the employees or may not (Vroom, 1964; Maier, 1963; Bryan & Locke, 1967; Likert & Rensis, 1967; Latham & Yukl, 1975; Locke, 1968, Oriorne, 1970). Job enlargement is defined as "Assigning workers additional same level activities, thus increasing the number of activities they perform"(dessler, 2005, p.138). An important determinant of employee's behavior at work is job enlargement, so there is a need of research regarding job enlargement and its relationship with motivation, organizational commitment and job satisfaction (Morrison, 1994). Today to accommodate a business need job enlargement is used to enhance employee's scope and workload. > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 162

4 That need can be to increase skills of handling new customer or it can be an industry requirement or to offset the lack of resources due to lack of hiring or high turnover (Hellgren & Sverke, 2001). The employee may perceive this role enhancement as positive enforcement in the start but if this added workload is not accompanied with any reward then the employee mere gain more responsibility and work and consider the work as fatigue and workload (Dessler, 2005). It was argued that that job enlargement is related to the fulfillment of lower order needs of Maslow's theory Therefore job enlargement leads to job satisfaction (Chung & Ross, 1977). Job enlargement leads to a decrease in social interaction and an increase in workload, therefore, decrease motivation, job satisfaction and commitment of the employees (Donaldson, 1975). So the literature supports job enlargement in both favorable and unfavorable ways. Job rotation makes the work more and more interesting and enjoyable. This was extracted from the literature of 1970'son the topic of so-called platitude with limited prospects of promotion with employee-employee. According to the stoner (1977), the employee watches a potential solution in the job rotation, which saves from the lack of motivation. Miceli and cosgel (1999) have told that there is another factor, which leads towards employee motivation and that is "employees are satisfied with the job". In the model developed by cosgel and miceli(1999), it is revealed that the employee is more willing and happy to perform a variety of tasks instead of performing routine jobs and getting specialization in single or certain tasks so it leads to more job satisfaction and motivation. Johnson and Gill (1993) describe motivation in work organizations as the processes by which people are enabled to and induced to choose to behave in particular ways. Motivation is therefore coupled with a search for the ways by which members job performance and productivity may be enhanced or maintain. It is posited that both organizational learning culture and job satisfaction can be used to predict outcome variables such as employees motivation to transfer learning and turnover intention. Job satisfaction is typically defined as an employee s affective reactions to a job based on comparing desired outcomes with actual outcomes (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992). RESEARCH MODEL EXPANSION STRATEGIES MOTIVATION JOB ENLARGEMENT JOB ENRICHMENT JOB ROTATION > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 163

5 DISCUSSION Effect of expansion strategy on Motivation of Employees To uncover the influencers of employee motivation, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, psychologist Frederick Herzberg performed a series of studies and stumbled across an enthralling discovery: The contributors to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction aren t related. In other words, affixing problems or establishing an affirmative work environment won t translate into more satisfied employees; it just means they re no longer dissatisfied. Herzberg concluded that true employee satisfaction rests in a fulfilling job experience frequently known as job enrichment or vertical job loading. Employers who escalate their staff s knowledge through programs or benefits promoting achievement, recognition, accountability and advancement had the happiest, most productive human resource. They also had more cohesive work cultures, increased company loyalty, and more motivated teams. To enrich the work experience and instill motivation in employees, following practices can be implemented in organization: Find a balance between job enrichment and job enlargement A progressive business will inevitably require expanding employees duties and competencies, known as job enlargement or horizontal job loading. While some thrive under a heavier workload of diverse tasks, others prefer intensive and challenging tasks. It s necessary to understand where employees fall on this spectrum so as to balance the duties and expansion opportunities effectively; keeping everyone satisfied and motivated to go the extra mile. Initiate career development discussions Establish a collaborative, cross-departmental discussions about the types of expansion opportunities that employees feel would be most beneficial to them and their co-workers. Monthly lunches can be held with an employee and an executive who don t normally interact with each other. Because of flat hierarchy and emphasis on collaboration, employees can be encouraged to ask questions about the company, discuss career road bumps and successes and gather new insights into the business. This displays a level of transparency and convenience for employees to understand company decisions and gain new perspectives. Offer continued education and guidance Offering continued education, training, mentorship and/or tuition reimbursement can be highly beneficial to personnel. Employees appreciate the opportunity to broaden their skill sets and enhance their standing in the company. As a result, a well-trained and adaptable workforce can be prepared. Collaborate with local colleges or professors to set up informational sessions to give employees an idea of the opportunities available to them. Make Accountable When employees feel trusted and valued by their employers, they gain an enhanced sense of purpose, motivation and responsibility. Demonstrate trust in your employees by stepping away from the supervisor role, giving individuals accountability over projects or departments and training them to take on managerial duties. Variety of Tasks The expansion should expose employees to different tasks that can help widen the scope of their assigned job duties. One way to achieve this is to give employees related tasks to their position that can help add variety to their day. For example, a warehouse worker whose primary job is stocking shelves could also help process incoming inventory and fill order slips. By adding diversity of tasks to his daily job, he can break up his routine and avoid the feeling of repetition. Employee Development Employee development consists of training classes and tuition reimbursement for employees that wish to go back to school. As a company grows, more employees are needed to fill new roles within the organization. By offering training and educational opportunities to existing employees, more career paths, and opportunity is generated that will keep employees motivated. Recruitment costs are also reduced by developing qualified employees for new positions with your existing staff. > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 164

6 Incentive Programs Job satisfaction derives partially from the personal pride of a job well done, and from the recognition that comes from the company. That recognition can come in the form of additional pay, paid time off or prizes such as vacations for top yielding employees. Incentive and recognition programs allow individual to track their progress against company goals, and attempt to surpass those goals to gain rewards. Achieving incentive goals becomes the motivation that keeps employees focused and productive. Rotating Shifts Some employers use rotating shifts to provide expansion opportunity to their employees. Working on a variety of shifts allows employees to come into contact with various co - workers each time the shifts change. It also helps employees experience how production differs from shift to shift, and gives them a chance to come into contact with different managers. Individuals can be more effective by learning through dynamic approaches of managers, and proactive employees can increase their possibility of a raise or promotion by performing at peak levels for a variety of supervisors. Herzberg s two-factor theory Herzberg identified two distinct dimensions that contribute to an employee's behavior at work. The first aspect, hygiene or extrinsic factors, includes features such as wages, work environment, and rules and regulations. When these factors remain deficient, work is dissatisfying and people are not motivated to work. Sufficiency of such factors, however, need not necessarily motivate people to work. The second aspect, motivators or intrinsic factors includes appraisal, sense of achievement, and the opportunity for expansion. The existence of such factors motivates employees, but the absence of such factors need not definitely demotivate the employee. Herzberg discovered five key characteristics that shape such motivators: Skill Variety, or increase in competencies of individuals that will be used while performing work, to remove monotony. Task Identity, or allowing personnel to perform a job from beginning to end. Task Significance, or ensuring that the work performed has an undeviating impact on the organization or business. Autonomy, or flexibility to choose how and when work is done, or involvement in the decision-making process. Feedback, or performance appraisal, and effective communication of results. These five aspects have shaped the ways by which organizations implement expansion strategy. For instance, organizations try to enhance the work of an employee through: Job Rotation: placing people in a variety of job settings, giving them an opportunity to learn and use distinct skills and experience, and perform different kinds of work. Job Enlargement: Combining work activities to give a task identity", that helps employees visualize and complete tasks from start to finish, such as breaking traditional functional line activities, and assigning a project or product-focused work instead. Job Enrichment: Setting goals, and giving team members a flexibility to work in order to attain such goals, and granting the license to workers for making job-related decisions. Decision Making: Involving the employees in decision making and asking as well as considering their inputs during strategic planning exercises. Other Research Apart from Herzberg's Two Factor theory, other motivational theories also lend credibility to expansion strategies. McClelland's Theory of Needs holds that people remain motivated to perform owing to their need of achievement, need of affiliation, and need of power. Expansion strategies > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 165

7 provide the worker with an opportunity to take up higher levels of tasks and responsibilities, and thereby satisfy their needs of achievement, affiliation, and power. CONCLUSION Expansion strategies are an excellent means of enhancing employee job satisfaction and prevention of staff turnover or intent to leave an organization. They are an essential aspect in motivating employees for better and greater performance through a correlative sense for skill variety, task identity, task significance and autonomy. Acknowledgment of task significance will stimulate the employees to further raise their commitment towards the achievement and realization of the goal and objectives of the institutions/organizations. The principle of any expansion strategy in the practice of human resource management has tremendously been seen as a dynamic process of increasing the work structures and processes with an environment that give room for autonomy, flexibility, personal growth and satisfaction to the workplace. Strike a balance between increasing job responsibilities and job opportunities. This is the key to keeping employees satisfied, motivated and focused on success - both for themselves and their company. Finally, research validates expansion strategies and substantiates their impact on employee motivation. The presence of the factors mentioned as motivators by Herzberg feeds the employees sense of accomplishment, and thereby improve job satisfaction and motivation, provided such strategies initiatives are assisted by an efficient feedback and communication mechanism. REFERENCE AMACOM'S Editor. "Job Redesign on the Assembly Line: Farewell to Blue-Collar Blues?" Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 2 (1973), Bennett, B. (2003), job rotation, Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp Bryan, J. F., and E. A. Locke. "Goal Setting as a Means of Increasing Motivation," Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 51 (1967), Chung, K. H & Ross, M. F. (1977). Differences in motivational properties between job enlargement and job enrichment. Academy of Management Journal, (2)1, Cranny. C. J., Smith, P.C., & Stone, E. F. (1992). Job satisfaction: How people feel about their jobs and how it affects their performance. Lexington Books: New York. Dessler, G (2005). Human Resource Management 10 ed., Pearson, Inc. Donaldson, L. (1975 ). Job enlargement: A multidimensional process, Human Relations, 28(7), Encarnacion, Roberto. Job Design." Retrieved from on 03 January Hellgren & Sverke (2001). Unionized employees ṕerception of role stress and fairness during organizational downsizing: Consequences for job satisfaction, union satisfaction, and well-being. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 22, Herzberg, Frederick. "One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?" Harvard Business Review, Vol. 46 (1968), Herzberg, Frederick. "One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?" Harvard Business Review, Vol. 46 (1968), Howell, R. A. "A Fresh Look at Management By Objectives," Business Horizons, Vol. 11 (1967), Johnson, P., Gill, J. (1993). Management Control and Organisational Behaviour, London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Latham, G. P., and G. A. Yukl. "Assigned Versus Participative Goal Setting with Educated and Uneducated Wood Workers," Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 60 (1975), > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 07, November 2016 Page 166

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