The Challenges in Motivating People

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Managerial problems explored in Office Space
Difficulties in motivating people and theories of motivation
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The motivation of workers is one of the top priorities for both managers and leaders. These professionals have to find ways of making employees more committed to the goals set by the organization. Yet, in many cases, they cannot cope with this task. This paper is aimed at illustrating the difficulties in motivating people at the workplace.

Such a film as Office Space directed by Mike Judge (1999) can throw light on the challenges that can be faced by business administrators when they try to enhance employees’ commitment to their work.

Moreover, these examples that are presented in this movie can be connected to various theories of motivation, for instance, equity theory of motivation, ERG (Existence, Relations, Growth) model and reinforcement theory of motivation. Overall, it is possible to argue that an individual can be sufficiently motivated if the work is relevant to his/her talents and interests. Moreover, empowerment is also critical for the internal motivation of an employee.

In contrast, only by relying on rewards and punishments, a business administrator cannot engage workers. There are several pitfalls that should be avoided, for instance, continuous routine, excessive supervision, and failure to recognize the individual achievements of workers.

Managerial problems explored in Office Space

The film Office Space portrays the culture of an IT company called Initech in which bureaucratic rules and paperwork stifle every initiative of employees who just have to cope with daily routine. In many cases, they simply pretend to work. Peter Gibbons, who is the main character of this movie, is dissatisfied with his work experience.

To a great extent, this discontent can be attributed to the excessive supervision that bears no relevance to his work (Judge 1999). For instance, he has to submit the same report to three managers, while he can summarize in several sentences the work that he did in the past. Moreover, one can mention that many of the managers use extremely evasive language in order to conceal the fact that they rely only on coercion as their source of power.

For instance, Bill Lumbergh, who is the Vice President of the division says, “Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I’m also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too” (Judge 1999). He does not want to state directly that Peter will have to work over the weekend. Instead, he tries to sound very casually as though he does not coerce an employee.

This information is critical for understanding some of the main problems that affect this organization. It has to be admitted that a cinematographic work cannot be viewed as rigorous empirical evidence.

Nevertheless, they can throw light on the emotions and motives of characters (Smith 2009). Moreover, in this way, one can illustrate the application of different managerial theories (Champoux 1999). It should be kept in mind that film-makers usually describe problems or situations that take place in real life. Moreover, one can use situations to test existing theoretical assumptions.

Difficulties in motivating people and theories of motivation

This movie can demonstrate to what extent different theories of motivation are applicable. For instance, one can look at the Reinforcement Theory of Motivation. This theoretical model is based on the assumptions that the behavior of an individual depends on the consequences that it produces (Cole 2004, p. 47). If it leads to positive outcomes, a person is more likely to repeat his/her previous actions. In this case, the positive outcome is the reward offered by the management.

In turn, the threat of punishment can be viewed as a force that prevents employees from acting irresponsibly or carelessly (Williams 2011, p. 379). These are the main principles of this approach. Yet, this film contains several examples that run against this theory. For instance, Peter Gibbons decides not to work over the weekend, even though his manager asks him to do so. Additionally, he deliberately violates the dress code established in the company.

The protagonist understands that this behavior can result in significant problems for him. For instance, he may be denied promotion or even fired. Nevertheless, he accepts this possibility. This case is important because it suggests that rewards and punishment are not sufficient for the task of motivating a person.

This is the main issue that should be considered by business administrators who should not rely on the methods involve only rewards or punishments. They should remember that the threat of punishment does not always make a person become more productive. Moreover, he/she should find inherent value in his/her work.

Reinforcement model of motivation is closely related to the equity theory that should also be discussed. This theoretical framework implies that a person is more likely to be motivated if he/she feels that the contribution is adequately compensated (Schermerhorn 2010, p. 366).

Moreover, according to this perspective, workers will not be willing to improve his/her performance if they believe that other people receive underserved rewards (Schermerhorn 2010, p. 366). This assumption is the main component of this model. Overall, the supporters of this theory pay close attention to employees’ perception and their assessment of the compensation system established in a company ((Schermerhorn 2010, p. 366)).

The film Office Space is not aimed at examining this particular issue, but there are some interesting examples. For instance, one can mention such a character as Milton Waddams, who was fired because he did not bring any value to the company. In fact, he only passed information from one department to another (Judge 1999). However, due to a bureaucratic mistake Milton continued to receive paychecks virtually for nothing.

The employees, who observed this situation, became less willing to work harder. Therefore, the principles of the equity theory should not be disregarded. Moreover, managers should remember that workers pay attention to the rewards given to others, even through this information does not affect the level of their material prosperity. So, absence of proper performance appraisal methods is a significant challenge that undermines the motivation of employees.

Apart from that, one can take a look at ERG theory introduced by Clayton Alderfer. This theory is premised on the idea that an individual is concerned with three important aspects, namely existence, relatedness, and growth (Aswathappa 2005, p. 362). According to this model, people can be driven by the need to improve their physical existance. Therefore, they pay attention to such aspects of a job as compensation or healthcare benefits.

Furthermore, they want to feel the sense of belonging to a certain group or community. This is why they attach importance to the corporate culture of a company. Finally, they are willing to fulfill their talents. So, they seek employment that offers them opportunities for professional growth (Aswathappa 2005, p. 362). In turn, managers can motivate employees by addressing each of these internal needs. To some degree, this theory can be supported by the examples from the film.

In particular, one can mention that Peter Gibbons as well as other employees of Initech are very alienated from one another. They live in a very limited space of their cubicles (Judge 1999). Moreover, they are assigned only with routine tasks. This is one of the reasons why they are not motivated to improve their performance. Moreover, it is possible to mention that the protagonist decides to work at the construction site. So, the interactions among employees have profound implications for their motivation.

Furthermore, it is possible to mention humanistic theory of motivation. The supporters of this model argue that motivation is a person’s attempt to fulfill his/her potential (Wiseman & Hunt 2008, p. 61). To a large extent, this theory places emphasis on the personal and professional growth of a person. According to this model, a person becomes dissatisfied if they cannot acquire or elaborate their skills.

In turn, managers can motivate workers by giving them challenging tasks that make people display their best skills. Certainly, rewards are also important for improving their performance. Peter Gibbons does not strive to achieve professional growth. However, his behavior can be partly explained by his unwillingness to work in a company that might be similar to Initech.

Additionally, humanistic theory of motivation suggests that a person can lose motivation if he/she is continuously supervised (Hardina 2006, p. 7). To a great extent, Peter Gibbons also has to struggle with this supervision, especially when he has to submit countless reports to each of the managers monitor his performance.

This problem is related to micromanagement which is so eloquently described in the movie. This issue means that a person is asked to concentrate on the minor details of a certain task, while its essential elements can be overlooked. For instance, Peter is constantly reminded that the title page of his TPS reports was not formatted properly. However, managers do not ask anything about the content of these reports.

Conclusion

Overall, this discussion indicates that there are several obstacles to effective motivation. First of all, business administrators should remember that monotonous task, which do not prompt employees to display their best qualities, can make them less willing to improve their performance. Furthermore, workers’ motivation can weaken significantly if their individual contribution is not properly valued.

Lack of belonging can also be viewed as a factor that undermines the employees’ commitment to the goals of an enterprise. In turn, business administrators should concentrate on the following aspects:

the development of workers’ professional skills
their empowerment,
team-building.

Compensation is also an important tool that business administrators can apply to motivate employees. They should make sure that employees are properly compensated for their contribution. Finally, one can say that the film Office Space throws light on the problems faced by bureaucratic organizations which are adversely affected by micromanagement and lack of cohesion.

References

Aswathappa, K 2005, Human Resource And Personnel Management, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, Delhi.

Champoux, J 1999, ‘Film as a Teaching Resource’, Journal of Management Enquiry, vol. 8 no. 2, pp. 206-217.

Cole, G 2004, Management Theory and Practice, Cengage Learning EMEA, New York.

Hardina, D 2006, An Empowering Approach to Managing Social Service Organizations, Springer Publishing Company, London.

Judge, M 1999, Office Space. 20th Century Fox, Los Angeles.

Schermerhorn, J 2010, Management, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Smith, G 2009, ‘Using Feature Films as the Primary Instructional Medium to Teach

Organizational Behavior’, Journal of Management Education, vol. 23. no. 4, pp. 462-489.

Williams, C 2011, Effective Management: A Multimedia Approach, Cengage Learning, Boston.

Wiseman, D & Hunt, G 2008, Best Practice in Motivation and Management in the Classroom, Charles C Thomas Publisher, Boston.

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