EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

A PROJECT REPORT ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION By SELWYN PRABHAKAR In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AMITY GLOBAL BUSINESS SCHOOL BANGALORE TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Page Introduction Background of the study State of the problem Objective of the study Need for the study Scope of the study 3 Limitations of the study 5 Company and Industry Profile 6 Methodology 14 Research Design 15 Literature Review 16 Data Analysis and Interpretation 20 Findings 38 Summary 40 Recommendations 43 Conclusion 44 Bibliography and Annexure 45 INTRODUCTION Background of the study The study focused on what motivated the employees the most. Hence the main subject to be focused on was Employee Motivation or Motivation in general. Motivation is the ability to change behavior. It is a drive that compels one to act because human behavior is directed toward some goal. Motivation is intrinsic (internal) when it comes from within based on personal interests, desires, and need for fulfillment. However, extrinsic (external) factors such as rewards, praise, and promotions also influence motivation. As defined by Daft (1997), motivation refers to "the forces either within or external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action." People who are committed to achieving organizational objectives generally outperform those who are not committed. Those who are intrinsically rewarded by accomplishments in the workplace are satisfied with their jobs and are individuals with high self-esteem. Therefore, an important part of management is to help make work more satisfying and rewarding for employees and to keep employee motivation consistent with organizational objectives. From a manager's perspective, it is important to understand what prompts people, what influences them, and why they persist in particular actions. By getting to know what motivates employees, the management can design policies, procedures, functions and systems that can create a workforce of happy and motivated employees who in turn would be more than willing to move the organisation forward. Statement of the problem The project was undertaken to find out what motivated employees the most and how it was correlated to their respective age and experience. For this purpose a questionnaire was formulated and administered to the employees. The results will help the management in knowing what motivated employees the most so that they can concentrate on designing policies and systems that would manage and support a motivated workforce. The Objective of the Study The purpose of this project report is to determine the factor that motivates an employee the most and the motivational profile each employee belonged to with regards to age. This project report is meant provide information about the relationship between an employee's age and his/her key motivator. Need for the study The findings of the project would provide the management with information about the employees’ key motivating factors so that they could accordingly design policies and procedures that would lead to a constantly motivated employee workforce. Scope of the study The study covered a sample of a hundred employees of Sourcebits Technologies. The study sought to determine the key factor that motivated employees the most and to also determine their motivational profiles with regards to their age. The study would benefit the organisation in a way of providing information on what factor motivated its employees the most. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The sample size was limited and thereby could not take into account all the employees of the organization for the study. With the presence of a neutral answer choice, it was difficult to gauge the attitude and profile of certain respondents. Contradictions were found in a few responses A few respondents had chosen multiple options where only one option was required according to the question. COMPANY AND INDUSTRY PROFILE The Company Sourcebits is a software development company with offices in Bangalore, India and Atlanta, USA. Established in April 2006, the company has a strength of over two hundred award-winning developers and designers. Sourcebits is at the bleeding edge of emerging technologies and has quickly become one of the world’s top destinations for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, BlackBerry, Adobe AIR and Web application development. Sourcebits' development center for iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, RIA and iPhone builds world-class, best-selling applications tailored to client specifications. Their programmers and user interface experts leverage the latest development trends and the freshest techniques. Sourcebits is an industry leader in advanced software, Web portal and visual design. They take pride in being one of the most creative and forward-looking software development companies in the world. Sourcebits Clients General Electric Sling Media Pointy Heads Coca Cola Skyfire ESRI Meredith Freeverse Red River Press Mac Game Store Product Profile Sourcebits Technologies being a software development company provides technology driven services and creates applications for Apple iPhone and iPad, Blackberry, Android and Mac products. The company designs and developments Web applications and Mobile applications. iPhone Applications and Game Development Sourcebits has been at the frontier of iPhone application development since the iPhone SDK was announced by Apple in March, 2008. Building on its advantage in established Mac technologies, Sourcebits quickly became one of the top iPhone development companies in the world. Their applications are routinely among the Top 50 on the App Store and have been downloaded more than 4.5 million times. The Sourcebits team specializes in developing highly interactive and “achingly beautiful” iPhone applications and games. iPad Applications and Game Development With over 100 original applications and 4.5 million downloads for iPhone and iPad under their belt, Sourcebits has the expertise and knowledge to deliver iPad applications to market on time and on budget. Even now their crew of critically acclaimed designers is busy engineering new and iPad-optimized applications for clients. The iPad application rush is well underway. Web Development Sourcebits has the experience and expertise to bring commercial Web presence to life. Their programmers and graphic designers work at the bleeding edge of Internet technologies like the Zend PHP Framework and Ruby on Rails. Their engineers will tailor the project to meet client specifications. They double–check the strength and security of each and every line of code for the client's peace of mind, and they can optimize for platform–specific hosting such as Amazon Web Services or the Google Application Engine. Android, Blackberry and Palm Pre Application Development With the astonishing success of iPhone and the word ‘App’ now solidly in the mainstream, it didn’t take long for BlackBerry and Palm to open their smartphone platforms to third party developers, or for Google to enter the market with its own popular mobile operating system: Android. Android, in particular, with its open source roots and optimization for Google’s Web apps is quickly gaining traction as the chief rival to iPhone. As with Android, Sourcebits is pushing boundaries on the other popular smartphone platforms: BlackBerry and Palm Pre. Totaling around 25% the worldwide smartphone market, publishers simply cannot ignore BlackBerry and the Pre. Mac Applications and Game Development Sourcebits offers a wide variety of native Mac applications development – ranging from 3D games to business applications. Sourcebits faithfully sticks to Apple’s elegant user interface philosophy, producing visually stunning and feature–rich applications built on the latest technologies. Their code is fast, clean and efficient, and each line is unique and project–specific. The Software Industry in India It's the technological revolution that at times brings surprising opportunities for some nations. India, though not among the front runners in terms of economic growth, has successfully utilized such opportunities in the revolution to become an IT hotspot. For the past several years, India has been an increasingly favored destination for customized software development. As a result, a number of software companies in India have come up. Not only the number of players has increased in the Indian IT market, but at the same time, Indian software companies have done considerably well in the global market. Such huge success of software companies in India has given birth to a new speculation – whether other developing countries should imitate Indian example and whether the success of India would constitute a competitive challenge to the software industry of the developed world or not. With the huge success of the software companies in India, the Indian software industry in turn has become successful in making a mark in the global arena. This industry has been instrumental in driving the economy of the nation on to a rapid growth curve. As per the study of NASSCOM-Deloitte, the contribution of IT/ITES industry to the GDP of the country has soared up to a share of 5% in 2007 from a mere 1.2% in 1998. Besides, this industry has also recorded revenue of US$ 64 billion with a growth rate of 33% in the fiscal year ended in 2008. The export of software has also grown up, which has been instrumental in the huge success of the Indian software companies as well as the industry. In fact, software export from India accounts for more than 65% of the total software revenue. The domestic software market largely depends upon sale of software packages and products, which constitute major part of revenues. Products account for almost 40% of the domestic market. On the other hand, more than 80% of revenue from software exports comes from software services like custom software development and consultancy services etc. Between 2008 and 2013, the India IT-ITES industry is projected to expand at an average growth rate of 13.9 percent with the domestic market growing slightly higher at 15.8 percent, compared to exports growth of 12.7 percent. The iPhone/Android Application development Industry With the demand of smart phones like iPhones and Google's android, the demand for mobile apps development has grown manifolds. The interface of iPhone/Android application development is ground breaking. Today, many computer manufacturers have adopted the same interactive technology for handheld PCs and laptops. As per a latest estimate, the sales of iPhones have reached a whopping $21.4 million. The popularity of this smart phone has prompted many to develop third party iPhone applications which are compatible and have a huge market in terms of business growth and profit. Apple has devised a unique way where iPhone application developers are allowed to bid the pricing for their applications. Apple will claim only 30% of the bidding price while the remaining will 70% share would be of the developers. Although the idea is too good to believe, slowly many iPhone apps developers started creating iPhone enabled applications. Today iPhone apps development is a billion dollar industry and programmers are earning exorbitantly. The demand for iPhone/Android apps has opened up new avenues for development companies. Many companies offer cost-effective and feature-enhancing solutions to the clients. The variety of services include offering enhancing features of iPhone, customizing the themes and icons, integrating the power of internet with iPhone among others. Many consider iPhones to be smartest of all smart phones. However, android based applications have also brought a new wave in the mobile apps market. Dynamic and innovative mobile apps can be developed in Android based platform for the smart phone users. Apart from the basic features like web browser, Google map application, music player, calendar and contact list, android based apps offer many inventive features including Blue-tooth, CDMA, touch screens, video camera, P2P using Google talk etc. Since Android platform is open source, it incorporates cutting-edge technologies for the developers community as and when they evolve. Future trends in Mobile Application Development The world of mobile applications is fast paced and dynamic, with new features and functionalities emerging constantly. However, a cursory observation of the mobile application development industry will show several main directions the industry is heading in. Several of these future trends are the direct result of new technologies developed by the major players in the industry such as Apple and Google. In the last few years the mobile applications and devices sector has seen radical change. Mobile devices have been manufactured with wider screens, faster processors and increased graphical capability. Network providers offer better data plans allowing constant connectivity to the internet and more developers than ever are creating applications for mobile devices. All these developments have allowed previously unfeasible features to be brought to mobile devices. Banking Services With the continued success of business focused mobile devices such as the BlackBerry, mobile banking services have the potential to really become prominent in the future. As well as appealing to business users, banking services such as money transfer are popular in developing markets due to low costs and faster speeds than traditional services. Mobile banking is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide and has given rise to several new business models such as online banks and internet wealth managers. Mobile payment systems, where users can pay wirelessly at the point of sale, are also experiencing continual increases in popularity. This is particularly true in developing countries where mobile infrastructure is more reliable than fixed line infrastructure. Although mobile banking services are expected to become more widespread each year, there are several key challenges that this fledging industry must overcome. Firstly, mobile platform fragmentation will be detrimental to the growth of mobile banking as fragmentation will make it difficult for firms to develop a mobile banking solution that everyone can use. Secondly, regulatory requirements may cause a slowdown in the market due to security concerns about mobile financial transactions. Encryption of transmitted data, device authentication and encryption of data stored on the device are all current security issues. Regulations are likely to differ between markets increasing the cost of entering several markets at once. Location Based Services With the constant availability of the web on mobile devices, location based services are sure to become more prominent in the near future. Location based services are likely to be used widely for social networking purposes. Several services exist which aim to match users to nearby people with the same interests or inform users of nearby events and gatherings which match their interests. Although many of these services are limited at the moment, location based social networking has the potential to become the biggest location based service. Several mobile social networks have already made an impact on the market. If an established network such as Facebook adopts location based services, it has the potential to completely transform location based networking. Cloud Based Services Closely related to location based services are cloud based services. Cloud computing exists when services and data are stored on the internet instead on individual devices, providing on-demand access. This allows sharing of resources between devices and is very popular for business use. With the emergence of cheaper data plans from network carriers, it is likely the majority of mobile devices will be constantly connected to the internet. This functionality will allow new innovative applications to be developed. These applications will take advantage of constant connectivity and allow devices to access information from the internet to share with other devices. This functionality has been heavily promoted by Google on its Android platform. Applications have been developed that allow devices to access real-time traffic information by connecting with other devices nearby. Cloud computing can also be used to enhance positioning technologies and location based networks. Advertising Signs indicate that mobile advertising will soon become increasingly prominent. Mobile hardware manufacturers are constantly developing devices with wider screens which will help the mobile advertising sector. The entrance of Google into the mobile sector also indicates that mobile advertising is set to increase as Google will want to extend its desktop advertising empire to the mobile web. Advertising will also allow developers to offer free advertising funded applications, creating a new business model of mobile applications. METHODOLOGY The project consisted of finding out that factor which motivates the employees the most. The most appropriate means to ascertain such information was to conduct a motivation survey. The research undertaken was a descriptive research as it sought to describe the characteristics of a small sample of employees with regards to what motivated them the most and also classifying them into personality driven motivational profiles. The project consisted of three stages. STAGE 1 – Gathering information and inputs to frame the necessary questions for the survey. STAGE 2 – Collecting data using the survey method, by getting the sample employees fill the questionnaire. STAGE 3 – Analysing and interpreting the primary data collected from the survey responses. Research Methodology : - Problem definition – To ascertain what factor motivated the employees the most according to them and also determine their intrinsic motivational profiles. Objectives – To conduct a motivation survey by framing and administering a questionnaire to sample respondents. Methodology – Descriptive research RESEARCH DESIGN A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting a research project. The research design used for this project is a descriptive research design as it is used in describing facts and characteristics of a sample population under observation. In this project, it is used to describe the key motivator of individual employees and to determine their various motivational profiles. For the fulfillment of this purpose, primary data had to be collected through a questionnaire that was to be filled by a sample of employees. Sample Size – 100 respondents Questionnaire formulation – The questionnaire consisted of 22 statements based on the Likert scale and 1 Multiple Choice Question. Sampling Technique – Simple random sampling Data Collection – The data collection method used for the project was the survey method. The survey method of collecting data involves questioning employees for their responses. The employees were asked questions in the form of statements to which they agreed, disagreed or were neutral based on the 5 choice Likert scale. They were asked a variety of questions regarding their attitudes, intentions and preferences in the light of situations and circumstances given in the statements. The questionnaire designed for this project also consisted of a multiple choice question to ascertain the factor that motivated the employees the most. LITERATURE REVIEW At one time, employees were considered just another input into the production of goods and services. What perhaps changed this way of thinking about employees was research, referred to as the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo from 1924 to 1932. This study found that employees are not motivated solely by money and that employee behavior is linked to their attitudes. The Hawthorne Studies began the human relations approach to management, whereby the needs and motivation of employees become the primary focus of managers. Motivation Defined Many contemporary authors have also defined the concept of motivation. Motivation has been defined as the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction; a predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need and the will to achieve. Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-orientated behavior. It is the psychological feature that stirs a human being to action towards a desired goal, the reason for that action. Employee motivation is the process of boosting the morale of employees to encourage them to willingly give their best in accomplishing assigned tasks. Employee motivation is the key to achieving extraordinary results. One cannot succeed at leadership if the employees are demotivated or disgruntled. There are broadly two kinds of motivation. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from within an individual rather than from the external environmental factors such as good working conditions, salary, compensation, benefits, financial rewards and recognition. Extrinsic motivation is exactly the opposite of intrinsic motivation where in which motivation comes from external factors as mentioned above. This project seeks to determine both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that motivated employees. The Role of Motivation Why do we need motivated employees? The answer is survival. Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly changing workplaces. Motivated employees help organizations survive. Motivated employees are more productive. To be effective, managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of the roles they perform and their age. Of all the functions a manager performs, motivating employees is arguably the most complex. This is due, in part, to the fact that what motivates employees changes constantly. For example, research suggests that as employees' income increases, money becomes less of a motivator. Also, as employees get older, interesting work becomes more of a motivator. Motivation Theories Understanding what motivated employees and how they were motivated was the focus of many researchers following the publication of the Hawthorne Study results. Five major approaches that have led to our understanding of motivation are Maslow's need-hierarchy theory, Herzberg's two- factor theory, Vroom's expectancy theory, Adams' equity theory, and Skinner's reinforcement theory. According to Maslow, employees have five levels of needs: physiological, safety, social, ego, and self- actualizing. Maslow argued that lower level needs had to be satisfied before the next higher level need would motivate employees. Herzberg's work categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygienes. Motivator or intrinsic factors, such as achievement and recognition, produce job satisfaction. Hygiene or extrinsic factors, such as pay and job security, produce job dissatisfaction. Vroom's theory is based on the belief that employee effort will lead to performance and performance will lead to rewards. Rewards may be either positive or negative. The more positive the reward the more likely the employee will be highly motivated. Conversely, the more negative the reward the less likely the employee will be motivated. Adams' theory states that employees strive for equity between themselves and other workers. Equity is achieved when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs. Skinner's theory simply states those employees' behaviors that lead to positive outcomes will be repeated and behaviors that lead to negative outcomes will not be repeated. Managers should positively reinforce employee behaviors that lead to positive outcomes. Managers should negatively reinforce employee behavior that leads to negative outcomes. However the following motivation theory called McClelland's Theory of Acquired Needs was used as a base for formulating the questionnaire and aiding the purpose of the project. McClelland's Theory of Acquired Needs In his acquired-needs theory, David McClelland proposed that an individual's specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped by one's life experiences. Most of these needs can be classed as achievement, affiliation, or power. A person's motivation and effectiveness in certain job functions are influenced by these three needs. McClelland's theory sometimes is referred to as the three need theory or as the learned needs theory. Achievement People with a high need for achievement (nAch) seek to excel and thus tend to avoid both low-risk and high-risk situations. Achievers avoid low-risk situations because the easily attained success is not a genuine achievement. In high-risk projects, achievers see the outcome as one of chance rather than one's own effort. High nAch individuals prefer work that has a moderate probability of success, ideally a 50% chance. Achievers need regular feedback in order to monitor the progress of their achievements. They prefer either to work alone or with other high achievers. Affiliation Those with a high need for affiliation (nAff) need harmonious relationships with other people and need to feel accepted by other people. They tend to conform to the norms of their work group. High nAff individuals prefer work that provides significant personal interaction. They perform well in customer service and client interaction situations. Power A person's need for power (nPow) can be one of two types - personal and institutional. Those who need personal power want to direct others, and this need often is perceived as undesirable. Persons who need institutional power (also known as social power) want to organize the efforts of others to further the goals of the organization. Managers with a high need for institutional power tend to be more effective than those with a high need for personal power. General Implications for Management People with different needs are motivated differently High achievers should be given challenging projects with reachable goals. They should be provided frequent feedback. While money is not an important motivator, it is an effective form of feedback. Employees with a high affiliation need perform best in a cooperative environment. Management should provide power seekers the opportunity to manage others. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Overall Analysis Statement 1 - I feel that my superior/team leader always recognises the work done by me. 58% of the employee's feel that their superiors recognise the work done by them. 19% strongly agree, 22% are neutral and only 1% disagrees with the statement. Most of the employees are happy of the fact that their superior/team leader recognizes the work done by them. Statement 2 – I feel that the job I do gives me a good status. 54% of the employees feel their job gives them a good status. 19% strongly feel their job gives them a good status. Whereas 19% are neutral about it and 2% disagree with the statement. The employees enjoy the good status their job gives them. Statement 4 - Visibility with the top management is important to me. 47% of the employees consider their visibility with the top management to be important. 23% strongly agree and 28% are neutral about the importance. 1% disagrees and another 1% strongly disagrees. The employees want to be seen with and recognized by the top management. Statement 5 - There is a fair amount of team spirit in the organisation. 50% of the employees find that there is a fair amount of team spirit in the organisation. 9% strongly agree, 33% are neutral, 5% disagree and 3% strongly feel there is no team spirit in the organisation. The employees are contented with the amount of team spirit in the organization. Statement 8 – I want to be the best at my job. 59% strongly agree that they want to be the best at their jobs. 38% agree and 2% are neutral about the statement. None of the employees disagree. The employees want to perform to their fullest at their job and hence want to be the best at their job. Statement 9 – I find opportunities for advancement in the organisation. 52% find opportunities for advancement in the organisation. 25% are neutral about the statement. 7% disagree and 16% strongly disagree. Most employees find opportunities for growth and career advancement in the organisation. Statement 10 - You feel the need to make sure that things around you are working in tandem with company goals. 56% feel the need to make sure that things around them are working in tandem with company goals. 12% strongly agree with the statement. 28% are neutral about it. 3% disagree and 1% strongly disagrees with the statement. Most employees feel the need to control things around them and make sure that everything is working in the best interest of the company. Statement 11 - You seek to have a certain amount of control over the working and performance of your colleagues regardless of position. 48% of the employees seek to have a certain amount of control over the working and performance of their colleagues regardless of their position. 7% strongly feel the same. 31% are neutral. 10% don't seek to have control and 3% strongly disagree with the statement Most employees seek to have a certain amount of control over their colleagues. Statement 12 - You generally tend to seek guidance from your colleagues, seniors and/or your leader. 53% of the employees tend to seek guidance from their colleagues and seniors. 25% strongly tend to seek guidance. 20% think neutrally and 2% don't tend to seek any sort of guidance. Employees are highly dependent on others for guidance. Statement 13 - You always tend to work with a sense of direction. 71% of the employees always tend to work with a sense of direction. 23% strongly agree. 5% are neutral when it comes to working with a sense of direction and 1% doesn’t tend to work with a sense of direction. All employees are direction oriented and focused when they are working. Statement 14 - You feel the need to belong to a team or a work group. 53% of the employees feel the need to belong to a team or a work group and 31% of them strongly feel that need. 15% are neutral about the statement and 1% do feel the need to belong to any team or work group. Employees have a high need for affiliation and relationships. Statement 15 - You are motivated when working with others rather than when working individually. 38% of the employees find themselves motivated when working with others rather than when working individually. 29% strongly feel motivated when working with others. Just below 28% are neutral about the statement. Only 4% are motivated while working individually and 1% is strongly motivated working by themselves. Most employees were very team oriented and hence they were motivated working with others. Statement 16 - You value relationships at the workplace. 41% of the employees strongly value relationships at the workplace and 37% agree with valuing relationships at the workplace. 13% are neutral about the statement. But 6% disagree and 3% strongly disagree. The employees seem to highly regard and value their relationship with others. Statement 17 - You prefer to work independently. 22% of the employees agree and 7% strongly agree that they prefer working independently. A majority 55% are neutral about the statement while 13% disagree and 3% strongly disagree with the statement. For most employees working independently and not working independently does not matter. Statement 18 - You tend to plan and schedule your own work/task without supervision. 47% of the employees tend to plan and schedule their own work without supervision. 26% are neutral towards the statement. 14% and 13% disagree and strongly disagree implying that they are dependent when it comes to planning and scheduling their work. Employees are independent when it comes to planning and scheduling their own task. Statement 19 - You normally do not take help or advice from colleagues and seniors. A majority of 47% of the employees disagree with the statement implying that they do take help or advice from colleagues and seniors. 17% and 12% agree and strongly agree to the statement implying they do not normally take any help or advice. 24% are neutral towards to the statement. Employees do take help and advice from colleagues and seniors implying that they are dependent to an extent. Statement 20 - Being comfortable is more important to you than getting ahead. 37% of the employees agree and 9% strongly agree with the statement. 32% are neutral towards the statement. 17% and 5% disagree and strongly disagree with the statement respectively. Being comfortable and getting ahead are equally important for employees. Statement 21 - You are satisfied to be no more better than your colleagues at work. 37% of the employees disagree and 14% strongly disagree to the statement implying that they are keen on being better than their colleagues. 33% of the employees are neutral and only 1% agree with the statement. Employees are highly competitive at work. Statement 22 – I sometimes try to achieve more than what is required from my target. More than half of the employees agree and 28% strongly agree that they try to achieve more than what is required from their target. 10% are neutral about the statement while 4% and 1% disagree and strongly disagree with the statement respectively. Employees are highly achievement oriented and have a need for achievement. Factor that motivates you the most For a majority of 45% of the employees, Career development was their most motivating factor while 23% of the employees found the financial incentives to be the most motivating factor for them. 8% chose rewards and recognition, 7% showed a mixed response by chose more than one factor. 6% chose job security. 4 % of the employees did not respond while 2% were motivated by competition. 1% chose activities and training to be most motivating while another 1% was most motivated by fringe benefits. However 3% chose other motivating factors. What motivated 3% of the employees was the fact that they were working for the best company in the industry. Employees are generally motivated by growth and career development opportunities provided by the organisation. Age wise Sub Analysis based on motivation profiles RECOGNITION AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q1 52 --- 26 22 --- Q2 56 2 24 18 --- Q4 50 2 32 16 --- AGE 26-30 Q1 62 2 19 17 --- Q2 51 2 28 19 --- Q4 45 25 28 2 --- It can be noted that among employees belonging to both the age groups, a majority of them had agreed to statements that highlight a sense of recognition implying that most of the employees under age groups 21-25 and 26-30 were very likely to be inherently motivated by a sense of recognition. Under age group 21-25, 74%, 74% and 66% agreed to statements 1, 2 and 4 respectively. Under age group 26-30, 79%, 70% and 73% agreed to statements 1, 2 and 4 as against only 2% for disagreeing to the same statements. All employees are motivated by being recognized by their colleagues and superiors. AFFILIATION AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q5 54 4 32 6 4 Q14 50 --- 12 38 --- Q15 34 2 32 32 --- Q16 28 6 20 40 6 AGE 26-30 Q5 47 6 34 13 --- Q14 53 2 20 25 --- Q15 42 6 24 26 2 Q16 48 6 6 40 --- It is evident from the table that among employees belonging to both the age groups, a vast majority of them had agreed to statements that highlight a sense of affiliation and belonging implying that most of the employees under age groups 21-25 and 26-30 were inherently motivated by having a sense of affiliation and belonging within the organisation, department or team. Under age group 21-25, a majority of 60%, 78%, 64% and 68% agreed to statements 5, 14, 15 and 16 as against only 8%, 0%, 2% and 12% disagreeing to the same statements. Employees regardless of age group valued relationships at the workplace and had a high need for affiliation. ACHEIVEMENT/COMPETITION AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q8 40 --- 2 58 --- Q9 60 6 22 12 --- Q20 40 14 28 12 6 Q21 16 32 36 2 14 Q22 6 4 10 26 --- AGE 26-30 Q8 38 --- 5 57 --- Q9 42 8 30 20 --- Q20 34 18 38 6 4 Q21 13 42 32 13 --- Q22 54 4 8 32 2 According to the responses mentioned in the table, employees belonging to both the age groups are high on a need for achievement and are equally motivated by a sense of competition. For example statement 21 states “You are satisfied to be no more better than your colleagues at work” to which a majority of 55% of the employees under age group 26-30 agree as against only 13% disagreeing implying that those 13% of the employees maybe high on achievement but at the same time not so competitive. Similar findings are recorded for the employees under 21-25. All employees wanted to achieve by performing better and being the best at their job. CONTROL AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q10 60 2 26 10 2 Q11 44 10 34 6 6 AGE 26-30 Q10 53 4 32 11 --- Q11 51 11 30 6 2 According to the data derived from the table, although most employees under both age groups agreed to statements 10 and 11 that highlight the need to control, employees under age 26-30 seemed to exhibit more need for control when compared to responses pertaining to employees under age group 21-26 Older and more experienced employees felt the need to control. This indicates that as people in the organisation grow older, their general need to maintain or exert control increases by certain degrees. DIRECTION AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q12 46 2 24 28 --- Q13 72 2 6 20 --- AGE 26-30 Q12 57 2 18 23 --- Q13 72 --- 4 24 --- Working with a sense of direction is a priority for almost all employees under both the age groups. All the employees almost equally find it important to work with a sense of direction, seeking some form of guidance from colleagues and superiors at the same time. Under age group 21-25, 24% and 6% of employees have a neutral attitude towards statements 12 and 13. Under age group 26-30, 18% and 4% of employees show a neutral response towards a sense of direction and guidance. Most employees worked with focus and direction receiving guidance from time to time. INDEPENDENCE/AUTONOMY AGE 21-25 A D N SA SD Q17 18 14 54 10 4 Q18 48 18 26 8 --- Q19 22 42 24 12 --- AGE 26-30 Q17 23 14 57 4 2 Q18 47 10 28 15 --- Q19 11 53 23 13 --- For statement 17 which highlights work independence as a preference, employees under both age groups show similar results where a majority 54 and 57% are neutral about working independently. For statement 18 which highlights work autonomy and scheduling, employees under the group 26-30 seem to be more in favour of work autonomy than employees under the age group 21-25. For statement 19, the employees under age group 21-25 are more in favour of not taking help from colleagues or seniors whereas only 11% of employees between age group 26-30 agreed to the statement. This meant that work autonomy was high among employees between the age group 26-30 and work independence was slightly high among younger employees. Older employees tend to plan and schedule their work whereas the younger employees generally prefer working independently Key motivators for age group 21-25 50% of the employees between the age group 21-25 chose career development opportunities as their major motivating factor. 22% of the respondents found financial incentives as their key motivating factor. The 3rd majority of the group, that is 8% of the group found the job security factor motivating them. 6% were motivated by rewards and recognition. Another 6% had chosen multiple motivating factors. 2% were motivated by fringe benefits and another 2% were motivated by other factors. 4% of the employees didn't respond. Employees were motivated more by career growth and development opportunities provided by the company. Key motivators for age group 26-30 The data appears to be the same for employees between age group 26-30 as it for employees belonging to the age group 21-25. Majority of the employees that is 38% were motivated by career development opportunities while 25% of the employees were motivated by financial incentives. Rewards and recognition gained 3rd place with 11% of the respondents being motivated by them. 5% were motivated by job security and another 5% were motivated by competition while only 2% of the employees were motivated by employee and training sessions etc. 6% chose multiple motivating factors and 5% of the employees for were motivated by other factors. 4% didn't respond. Older employees were motivated less by career development opportunities and more by financial incentives. FINDINGS Career development opportunities was the most motivating factor for a majority of the employees. A second majority of employees were most motivated by the financial incentives provided by the company. All the employees were motivated by being recognised and having a sense of achievement and competition. Employees valued relationships at the workplace and were motivated working in teams implying that they had a high need for affiliation. All employees regardless of age sought some guidance from colleagues and superiors. Employees within the age group 21-25 tend to be more dependent at the workplace Employees within the age group 26-30 tend to be more independent and self-autonomous at work SUMMARY From the age-based analysis and interpretation, it can be found that employees belonging to both age groups 21-25 and 26-30 are driven by a sense of recognition in the workplace and they also feel that it is a very important and an integral part of their motivation. This result directly corresponds with the results pertaining to the achievement/competition factor because the same employees who were driven by a sense of recognition showed a tendency to achieve or be competitive at their workplace. Almost all of the respondents wanted to be best at their jobs and also found opportunities for advancement on the organization thereby indicating that a combination of a sense of recognition and achievement/competition automatically led them to be optimistic about their growth and advancement in the organization. While majority of employees under both age groups always tried to achieve more than what was required from their job target, surprisingly for most employees, being comfortable was more important than getting ahead implying that although they wanted to achieve, they didn’t prefer to do it at the cost of the comfort they perceived was important. Almost all the employees wanted to be better than their colleagues at the workplace. From the interpretation of the responses from employees, it can be proved that having a sense of recognition and the need to achieve and be competitive were interrelated and that even if some employees are not motivated by achievement and competition, they are certainly motivated by a sense of recognition. The sense of recognition is linked with Maslow’s Social Needs which must be fulfilled so that one can move on to having self-esteem. When it comes to the need for power and the desire to control, the findings suggest that the older employees between the age group 26-30 seek have to have some amount of control over the working and performance of their colleagues regardless of their position and also felt the need to monitor and make sure that things around them were working in tandem with company goals. Only a few employees between the age group 21-25 had some desire to control implying that the more experienced and older an employee in the organization is, the more would be his/her need and desire to control. When it comes to working with a sense of direction, all employees under both age groups always worked with a sense of direction. But when it came to seeking guidance from colleagues, seniors or leaders, more number of the older employees agreed to seeking guidance from either colleagues, seniors or their leaders while some of the younger employees were neutral about seeking any sort of guidance from others. What can be inferred is that working with direction and guidance is important regardless of whether a person had the need to control or didn’t seek a need to control. What can also be seen is that almost all younger employee’s sought guidance from others in the workplace which proves the fact that even if an employee receives recognition or has a high sense of achievement and competition, an individual employee will continue to seek guidance in order to achieve their purpose as a contributor and an asset of the organization. More than half of the employees from both age groups were neutral about working independently suggesting that work independence or dependence didn’t matter much to them but this contradicts the fact that the employees between age group 21-25 did not plan and schedule their own work or task and always depended on their leader or superior to give them tasks. However the older employees between age group 26-30 showed a parallel response as most of them tended to plan and schedule their own work and task without supervision. Almost all employees under both the age groups took help or advice from colleagues and seniors. What can be generally inferred is that regardless of age, all the employees showed signs of dependence in the workplace and needed someone to govern, mentor and guide them while performing their task. An employee may receive recognition for his/her work, may want to achieve above his/her target or may want to always perform better than his/her colleagues but may still tend to seek guidance, help and governance from other employees in the workplace simply because he may not have yet reached a stage of employment where independence and self-autonomy come naturally with certain factors like age and experience. According to the results of the study, financial incentives is the second most core factor that motivated employees, so it just proves that unless passion for work replaces monetary benefits as a core motivator, an employee may still find himself seeking guidance, help and governance in every aspect of his job. One trend to be noted is that all the employees regardless of age have a high sense of affiliation. They all valued relationships at the workplace and were also motivated when working with others rather than working by themselves individually. So the paramount inference that can be drawn from the results is that the employees are typical high achievers who are recognized, want to be recognized for their work and who also want to compete to perform better than their colleagues, but at the same time they also want to be directed, guided and helped by their superiors or leaders in every aspect of their work proving that they are dependent to a major extent and cannot self-direct themselves. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the employees in the study were young freshmen with little or not as much experience as that of the older and experienced employees in the organisation. According to McGregor’s theory Y, people are inherently motivated to perform better and hence they did not need much coaxing or correction which is the case here but for theory Y employees, to reach the top of Maslow’s pyramid i.e. in this case reaching a level of self dependence and autonomy would come with age, experience and a strong passion for the work. A majority i.e. 45% of the employees were most motivated by career development opportunities while the 2nd majority where most motivated by financial incentives. 8% of the employees were motivated by the job security they perceived. However a key thing to be noted is that 2% of the employees were motivated by the fact that they were working for the best company in the industry. Employees within the age group 21-25 were motivated by career development opportunities by 13% more than employees under age group 26-30. This implies that career development opportunities are preferred by young employees because they are at a stage in the career development life cycle where they see the importance of growth and therefore need career growth in order to fulfill their career objectives and survive as healthy and motivated employees. But as an employee grows with age and job experience thereby reaching a certain desired pedestal, the desire for growth gradually levels off with career development opportunities not being the core motivating factor. These results can be justified by the fact that the Web/Mobile application development industry recently came into being and is still growing at an increasing rate with major clients such as Apple, Google’s Android and Facebook seeking talented young individuals to contribute to technology and society through intelligent and smart web and mobile based applications. Sourcebits Technologies is considered be one of the top leaders in the iPhone and Game development industry and therefore it is instinctive for young and talented employees to seek for growth and career development opportunities as developers in a company like Sourcebits. The employees of the organisation are divided into teams based on their role, task and expertise thus every employee is part of a team that works towards the completion of set goals. This justifies the fact that according to the study all employees had a need for affiliation hence they valued relationships and were motivated working with others rather than working individually. RECOMMENDATIONS The following are some of the recommendations that can be used to motivate employees. Recognizing teams or work groups for their joint effort rather than individual contributors. Teams with similar tasks or projects can compete with each other for the faster completion of projects. Teams can have an informal retreat or an off site meeting where members get to know each other and also set goals and develop plans. A one day sporting event or picnic can be used as a simple breather from everyday work making the employees happier. Encouraging employees to write a short testimonial of how they could enhance their skills and put their talent to creative use only because of the opportunities the company gave them. Exposing the employees to international job or short term project opportunities for development and knowledge sharing. Having employees set their career goals and expectations so that a career counselor can guide them in drafting a development plan or blueprint helping them focus on projects that will take them in the direction which will facilitate long-term success. Implementing certain methods or techniques that would create of feeling of oneness with the company in the minds of the employees. CONCLUSION In the light of the results and findings, it is noted that most of the employees are motivated by the career development opportunities provided by the company and a second majority of employees are motivated by financial incentives. Most of the employees who were motivated by career development opportunities were between the age group 21-25 implying that young employees with little or no work experience were driven more by the career development opportunities provided by the company whereas for the older employees with some amount of work experience career development opportunities were not the paramount motivator. Hence as an employee grows in age and experience within an organization, he is motivated more by certain other factors that can also include the demands of the job itself. All the employees in the organization were motivated by being recognized by colleagues and superiors and also having a need for achievement and a sense of competition. At the same time they were dependent on other colleagues and superiors and always sought some guidance from them. The reason for them being dependent may be due to the fact that they all were team oriented and showed a high need for affiliation so depending on other fellow employees came naturally to them. Employees must be allowed to work together in teams in order to collectively achieve their group targets which ultimately lead to the fulfillment of company goals. Absence of such teams may lead to unhealthy competition and power conflicts between individual employees ultimately causing employees to be demotivated. Since a majority of the employees in the organization are young, the management must focus on creating opportunities that would aid in the growth and development of an employee’s career thereby maintaining and nurturing a motivated employee workforce. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.sourcebits.com www.articlebase.com www.articlesnatch.com www.google.com PAGE 45 EMBED opendocument.ChartDocument.1
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