Motivation in Nonprofit Organizations

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Employee Engagement and Motivation in Non-Profit Organizations
Challenges
Effects of Self –Motivation Theory
The Different Management Approach
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Globally, demands for competitiveness have compelled most organizations to adopt vast and critical transformational initiatives. For instance, most non-profit organizations have streamlined their strategic management systems, including workforce motivation in order to remain competitive and relevant in their endeavors. Basically, most organizations have realized the significance of a competitive and motivated workforce.

Consideration of employees’ welfare and their consequent engagement and motivation has increasingly become a critical factor in enhancing organizational performances (Axelrod, 2010). Nonetheless, these initiatives have also become vital components and indicators for benchmarking and compliance to the existent labor laws. Generally, employee and volunteer’s satisfaction has become a vital aspect for enhancing organizational performance.

The provisions of engagement and developmental opportunities contribute to the alleged satisfaction in numerous organizations (Thomas, 2009). Observably, there are distinct challenges associated with the establishment and ratification of motivational opportunities both for the paid and volunteering staff in most non-profit making agencies.

Following the notable challenges and gaps, there is a need for an extensive research and analysis concerning the issue of employee engagement and motivation in various organizations. Therefore, this paper presents some inherent beliefs on how the management of non-profit organizations can effectively establish opportunities to motivate paid staff and volunteer workers.

Employee Engagement and Motivation in Non-Profit Organizations

An effective and transformational leadership style, coupled with a strategic management approach forms a basic springboard for successful employee and volunteer engagement and motivation. Non-profit organizations are increasingly encouraged to adopt team building initiatives or programs in order to enhance the integration and engagement of its entire staff. Because teams work in unity with collective goals, an introduction of teamwork ensures that all employees get engaged and motivated appropriately.

Consequently, there is remarkable minimization of discrimination based on sex, race, or age in terms of paid or volunteer workers. Regarding every worker (whether paid or volunteer) is a critical step towards achieving proper employee engagement and motivation (Axelrod, 2010). This explains why an open-minded management approach encourages motivation for novelty and innovation amongst all its workers.

The management has to determine the interests of its workers and volunteers and thereafter, assist them to achieve these intrinsic goals. Being passionate about the workers’ interests and providing the necessary resources that volunteers need to achieve these are critical contributors in enhancing engagement and motivation. The management of non-profit organizations need to empower its workers recognize and work on matters that they deem vital (Thomas, 2009).

This concept is a springboard for innovation and constructive competiveness. Adoption of collective decision-making processes and participatory approaches is a vital initiative for engagement and motivation. For instance, through participation in meetings, volunteers would feel more accommodated and respected in the opinion by the management.

Enhancing equality (of opinions) in meetings and decision-making processes initiates effective communication of diverse ideas regarding pertinent issues within the organization. Furthermore, this aspect also creates a sense of responsibility and collective goals within every individual.

The integration of honesty, transparency and trust within an organization’s leadership system provides an impetus for effective motivation and engagement (Axelrod, 2010).

Concurrently, rewarding the best performers is a critical management-employee appraisal tool for enhancing motivation and constructive competition among workers. It is vital to note that such recognitions should be given to all workers, including volunteers without segregation. In turn, the entire staff feels motivated to perform better and enhance the success of collective outcomes.

Challenges

Apparently, managers within non-profit organizations are likely to face diverse challenges while dealing with engagement and motivational issues. Lack of commitment to organizational goals amongst the volunteers might be a notable challenge hindering the management’s integration of effective motivational approaches (Chen, Ployhart, Thomas, 2011).

There is a general observation that volunteers might have the tendency of concentrating excessively in developing their personal interests and objectives at the expense of the organizations’ collective goals. Similarly, conflicts based on individual differences, cultural diversity, and role conflicts are some of the potential challenges for management in engaging both paid and unpaid workers.

It is generally agreeable that individuals are most likely to disagree particularly owing to their different beliefs and cultures within an organization. Therefore, this makes it technical for the management to establish teamwork and initiate a singular organizational culture and identification brand (Chen, Ployhart & Thomas, 2011).

The processes involved in ensuring full integration and engagement of culturally unique individuals are time-consuming and costly. There is likely to be a level of prejudice on the volunteers by most paid staff since the volunteers are never on the payroll. This consequently leads to a psychological stereotyping of roles and responsibilities, gossip, and branding of personalities. As a result, volunteers might end up feeling wasted and compromised by organizational policies and other paid staff.

This condition is most likely to cause a rift within the organization, making it hard for the management to organize for unity, engagement, and motivation amongst its employees. The psychological demoralization among volunteers is likely to cause notable impediments towards a manager’s establishment of engagement developmental opportunities.

For instance, the feeling of guilt and lack of designated pay might render volunteers unanswerable and less devoted to the organization’s goals (Thomas, 2009). Consequently, this might lower their capacity, productivity, and urge to perform substantially due to minimized motivation and engagement.

Therefore, the management is tasked to convince volunteers that they are also vital components of the organization’s mainstream. On the other hand, the paid workers may develop an attitude of superiority over the volunteers since they might feel powerful and more useful to the organization. The psychological effect of superiority of the paid staff over the unpaid ones has a sensitive and detrimental impact on the organization.

The paid workers might at times refuse to be engaged in team-building activities organized by the management (Chen, Ployhart & Thomas, 2011). Alternatively, they might look down upon the motivational initiatives shared by volunteers from the management. It is also obvious that they might be dedicated to thwart the strengths and work achievements of volunteers. In general, these situations are more likely to cause a management challenge in enhancing engagement and developing opportunities.

Effects of Self –Motivation Theory

The self-motivation theory developed by Deci and Ryan provides a critical insight into the volunteer workforce within different organizational contexts. This theory explains that people encounter various kinds of motivation, which basically include autonomous and controlled motivational frameworks. Volunteer workforce is observed to experience profound logic of volition and choice (Chen, Ployhart & Thomas, 2011).

This occurs particularly when they encounter an autonomous motivation. It is, therefore observable that the volunteer workforce is more likely to get highly engaged in productive duties and gain potential motivation when they are left to act autonomously. On the other hand, this remains the opposite when persons experience controlled motivation.

Under the controlled motivation, it is notable that the volunteer workforce is more likely to feel obliged and driven by forces transcending the self. Thus, it can be deduced that the influence of managers and the controlling community generally seems to be a demoralizing factor in the engagement and motivation of the volunteer workforce.

Ensuring lack of punitive bureaucracies and stringent deadlines remains a critical factor in enhancing the volunteers’ intrinsic motivations (Boezeman & Ellemers, 2008). Additionally, appreciation and reward of the volunteer workforce remains another important factor in the development of the intrinsic motivation. An analysis of the motivation theory and its effects on the volunteer workforce reveals a crucial discrepancy of its effect on the paid workers.

For instance, paid workers are never motivated intrinsically compared to volunteers within unrestricted supervisory conditions. Instead, they tend to perform better under pressure and with restrictive and stringent deadlines. This may be partly due to the obligation that they have to fulfill after getting paid by the organization. In addition, their contracts might also have outlined the restrictive job conditions prior to the employment and all have to adhere and ensure compliance.

The Different Management Approach

As a manager, within a profit-making organization, the realization and integration of strategic leadership skills and full recognition and recompense of the workers’ efforts will be necessary. The use of a matrix reward method in accordance to the performance of the organization in terms of revenue amounts would be critical for enhancing employee performance (Boezeman & Ellemers, 2008).

However, this is unlike within the non-profit organizations that mostly focus on voluntarily service. Definitely, it is important to observe that the motivation theory may not necessarily apply to the profit-making organizations as it is with the volunteer workforce within non-profit organizations (Thomas, 2009). The team building mechanisms generally applies to all these organizations. Consequently, their application would lead to more engagement and motivation in all organizations.

It is notable that profit-making organizations are more likely to exclude their employees into fixed deadlines, managerial supervisions, and stringent schedules for purposes of enhancing the organization’s competitiveness and, thereafter, revenues (Thomas, 2009).

This condition would thus require a more comprehensive and strict managerial approach coupled with real-time monitoring and appraisal of worker’s performances periodically. It is vital to indicate that this approach would compromise the effect of the motivation theory that does not require strict monitoring and constant supervisory exercises from managers or departmental heads.

Conclusion

Engagement and motivation of workers remain significant within organizations if competitiveness and efficiency are to be achieved. Non-profit organizations seeking the services of both the paid and unpaid staff constantly face inherent challenges in integrating motivational provisions within their management systems. There is a need for extensive research and examination of various theoretical frameworks associated with the motivation and engagement of workers.

This is a critical provision when considered in an organizational context. Most firms endeavor to establish, nurture, and embrace a productive and motivated workforce in order to accomplish their periodic objectives. Thus, motivational and integration strategies need a considerable and prompt execution. This should be done while considering relevant disparities existing between non-profit and the profit-oriented organizations.

References

Axelrod, H. (2010). What If You Treated Everyone Like a Volunteer? Web.

Boezeman, E. & Ellemers, N. (2008).Pride and respect in volunteers’ organizational commitment. European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 38 (1) 159–172.

Chen, G., Ployhart, R. & Thomas, H. (2011). The power of momentum: a new model of dynamic relationships between job satisfaction change and turnover intentions. Academy of Management Journal, vol. 54 (1) 159–181.

Thomas, K. (2009). Intrinsic Motivation at Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement. California, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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