Employee Motivational Action Plan
Building a well balanced team that understands their goals within an organization, and implements them is both challenging, and critical. To be successful, the team must know the expectations, and they must have the tools to complete each task. It is the responsibility of management to ensure that each team member understands his or her role and has the confidence to navigate any issues that arise. After reviewing the data collections from the individual yearly performance reviews, it is apparent that each person should be approached differently, in regard to motivation, and emotional techniques. The motivational strategy or strategies to be determined that would be most appropriate for each of these three employees based on their individual characteristics (Robbins & Judge, 2011). These people not only react differently to any given situation but also start at different points as well. According to University of Phoenix Apollo Group Riordan Manufacturing (2011), promotional reviews analyzes the three employees evaluated here appear to be positive fixtures in the organization.
Riordan Manufacturing Performance Review Overview
Riordan Manufacturing does yearly Performance Reviews. Three employees were evaluated and recommendations for improvement were made. According to University of Phoenix Apollo Group Riordan Manufacturing (2011), first employee is Mary Tran her Job Title is web support specialist in the IT Department, her Reviewer is Manager Patricia Miller. The second employee is Vongpaka Phouthaphone, his Job Title is Database Analyst, he also in the IT Department, and also reviewed by manager Patricia Miller. Finally the third employee evaluated is Betsy Tummel, her Job Title is Accounts Payable Clerk, in the Accounting Department and her Reviewer is her supervisor Debra LaFave, the General Accounting Supervisor.
First Employee First employee Mary Tran does not believe there is Organizational Justice; her perception is that Patricia Miller her manager is not fair in the workplace (Batool, 2012). According to University of Phoenix Apollo Group Riordan Manufacturing (2011), she states in her acknowledged performance review comments, “I think this is simply unfair. I have tried my best. Patricia is very difficult to please”. Patricia states she needs improvement in many categories; performance competencies, communications, cooperation, problem solving, and quantity. Patricia states that Mary's performance has fallen down in some aspects this year, resulting in the overall rating of Needs Improvement. Patricia is particularly concerned because of the pattern Mary has shown over the past four years with good-performance one year and poor-performance the next year. Mary needs to become consistent and lasting improvement in the future. Basic job requirements are met such as, dependability, job knowledge, planning and organization, quality, and the use of technology. Patricia recommends areas to work on in the Development Plan such as, prepare in advance before communicating with others in order to make the best use of their time. Mary needs to make sure to keep her manager informed of the status of her work on a regular basis. Examine how her work relates to other jobs and departments to determine where she may be able to support them. Be flexible when others need assistance. If Mary is not able to help immediately, let them know when she will be available or offer suggestions for alternative assistance. Accept personal responsibility for her actions and decisions. Admit her mistakes rather than making excuses. If Mary’s actions cause problems for others, apologize and offer assistance to improve things. Confront conflict situations immediately, before they escalate into bigger problems. Monitor and track the status of her work and the condition of her equipment on a regular basis to become aware of problems as soon as possible. Mary is to develop a list of early warning indicators that will highlight possible areas of concern before they become major problems, and monitor it regularly. Use available technological tools, such as charts, graphs, and spreadsheets, to better analyze data, evaluate trends, and identify the relationships among various data elements. Improve her concentration on the job by minimizing distractions. To help ensure that assignments are done on time, maintain daily to-do lists and records. Identify urgent, important, and low-value tasks, and schedule them for completion in that order. Differentiate between urgency and value when setting priorities. Try to delegate or eliminate low value tasks. Learn to more accurately estimate the time needed to complete an assignment in order to set realistic deadlines. Develop a plan with periodic milestones to monitor progress. Look for ways that technology can help Mary accomplish tasks faster and more efficiently. Based on the “Expectancy Theory,” which is the explanation of a workers desired performance at a particular level in the workplace, (Johnson, 2009), Patricia believes “expectations for her performance are reasonable.”
Second Employee The second employee evaluated is Vongpaka Phouthaphone based on his comments, According to University of Phoenix Apollo Group Riordan Manufacturing (2011), acknowledging his review, “I am sorry. I am not good at telling you when I need help. I will try harder.” Vongpaka demonstrates “Self-Efficacy,” which is a belief that he is capable of performing a task. Vongpaka’s performance meets job requirements such as, database development, performance competencies, analytical skills, planning and organization, quality, use of technology, and written communications. Patricia his manager feels that in the area of implementing developmental plans he is unsatisfactory. Patricia states, “Vongpaka seems to be either unwilling or unable to improve his competencies in the areas identified. Most of these, in some fashion, deal with taking initiative and sharing his opinions. He does not seem to be able to tell me what he needs and wants in order to improve.” Patricia feels he needs improvements in initiative, job knowledge, judgment, and problem-solving skills. Patricia states “Vongpaka continues to perform unsatisfactorily in too many areas of his job.” She has set specific goals with Vongpaka for the next 30 days, in the development plan areas to work on. She suggests he offer to help others without being asked. Become aware of peak production periods or deadlines when additional help may be needed. Learn new skills and ask for opportunities to practice them on-the-job in order to increase your potential for more responsibility. Stay aware of changes in the organization or environment that may impact work performance. Build knowledge and understanding of the organization's products and services. Vongpaka is to determine how work contributes to the effectiveness and the success of the organization as a whole. Join professional and industry associations. Try to network with other people who do similar work. Share insights about the impact of such things as new technology, economic and marketplace trends, or legislation. Gather thorough data for problem-solving by using a variety of information sources. Some examples: use direct observation, question individuals familiar with the problem situation, or conduct research and testing. Vongpaka is to develop a systematic process for gathering information and evaluating the problem situation. Ask probing questions (what, where, when, how much) to gain a clear picture of the nature and scope of the problem. Separate complex issues into more manageable components for analysis and evaluation. Take action immediately when problems are identified to ensure that they are resolved before they become larger or more complex. . Overall, Vongpaka is motivated, the processes showing how hard a person works to get the final goal is present.
Third and Final Employee The Third and final employee evaluated is Betsy Tummel in accounts payable. According to University of Phoenix Apollo Group Riordan Manufacturing (2011), her performance competencies in communications, cooperation, dependability, quality, and quantity meet job requirements. In summary her supervisor Debra LaFave states, “Betsy is a strong employee who is doing an excellent job as our Accounts Payable clerk. She is extremely reliable.” Supervisor Debra suggests in the development plan strengths to build on. For instance, use knowledge of effective quality assessment techniques to help others improve in this area. Work with them to identify methods for monitoring the quality of their work, and provide coaching to support their improvement efforts. Debra sad they had a good conversation, and she wants to see Betsy coach other clerks, because she is so proficient.
Management Recommendations
Management recommendations for all employees involved would be to incorporate Job Enrichment, the development in which employees strengthen job responsibilities and gain satisfactions in work tasks, in moving forward (Rashid, & Rashid, 2011). It will increase their motivation. According to (Carlton, 2002), “Tomorrow's Solution: Deal with the System Factors in the Work Environment as Well,” there is a straightforward, but tangible approach viewing this issue provided by Tom Gilbert, who established a problem-solving tool called the Behavior Engineering Model (BEM). There are additional methods, but the BEM will serve as a good example (Carlton, 2002). It looks at the following six areas: Information, Resources, Incentives, Skills and Knowledge, Capacity, and Motivation("All Time Jobs,” 2002). The main three areas, information, resources and incentives, they signify the work environment (system factors) and should be looked at first (Carlton, 2002). We must maintain there are no problems in these areas before we dash to renovate the personnel, embodied by the last three areas, skills and knowledge, capacity and motivation (person factors) ("All Time Jobs," 2002). We will have a training program implemented to provide excellent training for our employees, focusing on the skills that will be required going forth into the future (Ripley, 1999) (Carlton, 2002). Conclusion
In conclusion when building a well balanced team management must become successful, the team must know the expectations, and they must have the tools to complete each task. It is the responsibility of management to ensure that each team member understands his or her role and has the confidence to navigate any issues that arise. Based on these three employees, Mary Tran, Vongpaka Phouthaphone, both reviewed by Patricia Miller, and Betsy Tummel who was reviewed by Debra LaFave her supervisor, in their performance reviews it is apparent that each person has been approached differently, in regard to motivation, and emotional techniques. The motivational strategy or strategies have been determined that would likely be most appropriate for each of these three employees based on their individual characteristics (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Mary expressed her views on “Organizational Justice”; her perception is there is unfairness in the workplace. Vongpaka demonstrates “Self-Efficacy,” he is capable of performing a task, by his performance meeting job requirements. Last Betsy is overall efficient, but does need to coach others to do better. Management in addition strongly recommends that each individual complete other assessments in the program (Carlton, 2002). Those recommended are; what is my basic personality, what do I value, what motivates me, what are my dominate needs, how do my ethics rate and how stressful is my life (Robbins & Judge, 2011). These assessments will further help in understanding how to manage this team.