Summary
Within the past decades, management as a broad field of organizational administration has significantly developed and acquired evidence-based guidelines for improvement. The highly competitive business environment and unstable economic processes of recent years impose a significant challenge on organizations and their management due to the necessity of implementing new and even unconventional management approaches. Human capital has become one of the most valuable assets (Mahmoud et al., 2020). In its turn, globalization and digitalization reinforce remote modes of employment, which necessitates a qualitatively new approach to human resource management and organizational leadership. Indeed, the changes in the demographic of the workforce worldwide and the inevitable influence of globalization on workplace management require changes in the methods of advancing employee productivity. This factor is particularly dependent on motivation and job satisfaction, supported by multiple contemporary research studies (Ali & Anwar, 2021; Mahmoud et al., 2020; Tentama et al., 2019). Thus, the research in the management of motivation in millennial employees is essential to validate whether the practices that deem effective for average workers might apply to the new generation of the workforce. Overall, this paper claims that under the influence of high competition, globalization, and the digitalization of the workplace in the modern world, organizations should find multifaceted approaches to enhancing competitive advantage through motivation, job satisfaction, and employee productivity.
Current Trends
Several important management-related studies have recently investigated the relationship between motivation, productivity/performance, and job satisfaction. Ali and Anwar (2021) conducted a study with the banking industry representatives to identify what factors organizations might alter to achieve better employee job satisfaction. The study results indicated that such motivational methods as compensation, incentives, and recognition of contribution and expertise positively impacted the employees’ job satisfaction. These findings allow for assuming that motivation and satisfaction are two intertwined variables that are essential in successful employee management. It is particularly relevant in the context of the discussion of the productivity of the whole organization since the better employees perform, the better organizational outcomes. Indeed, such an observation was supported by the findings of Tentama et al. (2019), who investigated the intersection of managed motivation and productivity. The scholars argued that “productivity is one of the most important and influential basic variables that regulate economic production activities” (Tentama et al., 2019, p. 154). When testing their hypothesis, the researchers proved that motivation has a statistically significant positive effect on productivity. In addition, Van der Kolk et al. (2018) found that management control applied to results enhances extrinsic motivation, while cultural and personnel control advances the intrinsic motivation of employees. Thus, these findings, paired with those presented by Ali and Anwar suggest that when investing in the motivation of employees, organizations might develop more devoted, satisfied, and productive employees. Moreover, current research suggests that one of the most effective ways to advance employee motivation is through educational efforts and training (Ozkeser, 2019). However, these methods’ effectiveness might differ depending on the generation of employees. According to Mahmoud et al. (2020), extrinsic material motivation is more influential for millennials, while extrinsic social motivation is more effective for older generations. Thus, current research provides a wide range of evidence on the proper advancement of specific employee groups’ motivation to contribute to their productivity and ultimate organizational benefits.
Future Research
Given the synthesis of the current evidence on managing workplace motivation, one might outline several paths for future research in this area. Firstly, specific educational factors that contribute to different types of employee motivation might be further studied within the realm of human resource training (Ozkeser, 2019). Secondly, the relationship between motivation, productivity, and quality of work might be advanced to identify the most beneficial outcomes for organizations and employees (Tentama et al., 2019). Thirdly, according to Ali and Anwar (2021), “future researchers can approach this problem with more variables in mind, such as political and regulatory issues, sociocultural factors” (p. 29). Fourthly, the scholarly investigation of the impact of management control on motivation and performance in settings different from the public sector is encouraged by Van der Kolk et al. (2018). Finally, Mahmoud et al. (2020) suggest that future research studies “can be conducted in other countries to aid companies in redesigning work tasks in light of today’s increasingly competitive global environment” (p. 16). Thus, there is a pool of opportunities for future research to contribute to the body of academic literature on motivation management.
References
Ali, B. J., & Anwar, G. (2021). An empirical study of employees’ motivation and its influence on job satisfaction. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management, 5(2), 21-30.
Mahmoud, A. B., Reisel, W. D., Grigoriou, N., Fuxman, L., & Mohr, I. (2020). The reincarnation of work motivation: Millennials vs. older generations. International Sociology, 35(4), 393-414.
Ozkeser, B. (2019). Impact of training on employee motivation in human resources management. Procedia Computer Science, 158, 802-810.
Tentama, F., Nasywa, N., Agustina, D., & Dabi Dabi, S. A. (2019). The role of work motivation towards work productivity. Advances in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities Research, 370, 154-157.
Van der Kolk, B., van Veen-Dirks, P. M. G., & ter Bogt, H. J. (2018). The impact of management control on employee motivation and performance in the public sector. European Accounting Review, 28(5), 901-928.