The field of study sought to identify the impact that scientific research and observations could have on the productivity of the workers. The initial study was carried out in the late 1920s at the Hawthorne’s plan in Illinois. The scientists believed that changing the working environment through significant design improvements could make workers more productive. Surprisingly, the findings showed that the environment was less important as the social factors. For instance, some of the motivating factors were appreciation from the direct supervisors and getting along with co-workers. The initial findings sparked the beginning of numerous studies on the same including how lighting, work breaks, and isolation influence productivity. The Hawthorne effect would become one of the best-known effects of the study where subjects of the study alter their behavior as they know they are being watched. As a result, researchers would have to consider its incidence and the degree of effect on the findings. The following research looks into the various prospects of organizational behavior and how it affects performance of work in a real-life organization.
The Organization and Challenges
The report that follows is an in-depth description of a major participant in the retail industry. For the purpose of this study, it will be referred to as Investment Shop. For numerous decades, Investment Shop has been the go-to place for the cheapest goods. Since its establishment the organization sought to create a culture that aims at meeting the needs and expectations of the consumer. The organization identified that customers wanted a variety of products and they delivered by providing multiple quality brands. The customer also wanted goods that are affordable and of high quality and the retail firm was able to deliver exactly that. However, through continued growth and having cemented their name as one of the greats, it seems that the organization has lost sight of things. The organization while it continues to offer cheap and quality goods, it has not set up a foundation to meet the need of customers which is quality customer service. In this case, the retail giant complete neglect of its workforce particularly the employees who interact directly with consumers. The incidence has led to low levels of employee satisfaction with their jobs resulting in a high rate of turnover.
Employee job attitudes is one of the major organizational behaviors studied by researchers (Shani et al., 2009). Management usually seek to highlight the major factors that can prompt workers to be more productive at the workplace. It is evident that the state of mind of every employee is an essential component towards building a positive image and generating the energy to perform their respective tasks at the highest level possible (Glavas & Kelley, 2014). The organizational behavior of job attitudes refers to the perspective that workers hold of their respective duties. There are three general types of attitudes that workers may possess including job-lovers, job-haters, and job-doers. The first identifies individuals who are absolutely passionate about the roles they play in a given workplace setting. Basically, the attitude has much to do with the person as with the company something like a perfect match. The job-haters are the complete opposite as they completely hate the roles they play. The scope on why they do not like the work they do is much deeper and may include a variety of factors from their mangers, co-workers, or recognition in the firm. The job-doers operate on a thin line between love and hate as they just show up at work and do it while holding neutral feelings towards it. ()
The organizational behavior of employee job attitudes is a critical factor in the development of a productive workforce. It is evident that majority of the experiences of the workers in Investment Shop is clearly affected by their job attitudes. Employees who believe that a job is a necessary component of daily life, are the doers who will wake up to the same routine for years on end. There are also those who are lovers and seem to have been the perfect match for the company as they enjoy their daily experiences of taking on different roles in the organization. The lovers are a particularly a small proportion of the total workforce. It is the haters of the job who form a large group in the retail giant. It is evident where many of the workers will only tolerate up to a year or so at the workplace. Findings have shown that only a few of the workers ever make it to two years working for the organization. As a result, majority are within the job-haters category. These workers may feel unappreciated by the management or that their co-workers are too stubborn for them to go through the day in peace. The concerns for these employees could be endless with each being specific for the individual.
Numerous challenges may arise when dealing with employee job attitude. It is evident that the most concerning attitude is the job-haters who have the ability to influence the negativity to the entire workforce. One of the major challenges is the lack of cooperation with other workers. In these cases, the employee may be hating the job because he or she does not associate well with co-workers. The attitude prevents collaborative efforts in the workplace and significantly reduces productivity. Another issue that could pose a major challenge is the feeling of inadequacy making the worker feel less motivated by the day and potentially moving on to a rival company. Additionally, it is more difficult for the organization to identify the best young talents in the organization when more than half of them are not happy with their jobs. The retail company will lose its attractive power and more potential employees are likely to apply for jobs in rival companies.
Theory
The concept of employee job attitudes is closely linked with job satisfaction. In this case, how well the individual is satisfied with their job will greatly influence the attitude they portray in carrying out tasks. Job attitude is considered to arise from complex variables which are physiological, psychological, and environmental that ensures an individual says that he is satisfied with their job. It is evident that the job attitude recognizes the feeling of the worker before, during, and after the completion of a task. A few specific aspects such as coworkers, work conditions, and expectations of superiors influence employee attitude and possibly satisfaction.
The theories of job satisfaction are categorized into two areas; content theories and process theories. In this case, more focus is given to the “what” motivates a person within the organizational setting. A number of theories are found in this section including Maslow’s Need Hierarchy, Herzberg Motivator-Hygiene theory, and McGregor’s theory X and theory Y among others. Process theories focus on the ways in which motivation can occur hence identifying the ‘process’ of motivation and ‘how’ it may come to fruition. Some examples may include Locke’s Goal setting theory, Vroom’s Valance Expectancy theory, and Adam’s Equity theory. The following theoretical discussion on organizational behavior will focus primarily on Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory, Herzberg Motivator-Hygiene theory, and Locke’s Goal Setting theory.
Hierarchy of Needs Theory
The Abraham Maslow theory of needs is one of the first theories to identify and emphasize the various contributor’s that lead to job satisfaction. In the theory, it is evident that the human needs are categorized into five major factors in order of preference. Together they form a five-level hierarchy beginning with the most basic which is physiological needs, safety and security, affiliation/ belongingness, and self-actualization. This theory was created to explain human motivation in general. However, it has been applied to the work environment and explains accurately job satisfaction. The physiological needs in the context of an organization refers to the pay package along with the medical benefits provided. Safety and security needs identify the various factors that the employer provides to protect the workers from harm in relation to their duty. When an individual is satisfied with the working environment then a sense of belonging and affiliation comes into play.
One of the major challenges affecting workers at Investment Shop is the feeling that they are not being appreciated at their place of work. The workers spend majority of the time interacting with customers as they attempt to create the best possible experience as they shop. This incidence becomes somewhat difficult when the organization does not provide the workers with appropriate training and tools required to ensure maximum satisfaction for the customer. As a result, these hardworking employees do not feel like they belong hence portraying a negative attitude to their jobs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory dictates that the needs lower in the hierarchy are satisfied first before realization of the next. In this case, the workers are less likely to seek appreciation and recognition from their coworkers and superiors if they are yet to feel like part of the team. Many may seek to resign from their positions in a quest to satisfy the feeling elsewhere.
Motivator-Hygiene Theory
The motivator-hygiene theory was developed by Frederick Herzberg as he emphasized that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not opposite ends in a continuum. He indicated that when they are practically analyzed, they are two separate and unrelated concepts. The theory identifies the satisfies as various factors that include pay packages, rewards, recognition, and achievement among others which serve as the motivators for positive job attitude. However, the dis-satisfiers include job security, working condition, communication, company policies, and organizational structure which are considered hygiene factors that may cause negative job attitude. The theory highlights that the independence of both the hygiene and motivational factors is true as there is a possibility that they are job-doers or portraying a neutral attitude. The theory emphasizes that employee dissatisfaction is attributed to hygiene factors which may be low, but if they are high it simply means that they are not dissatisfied. Satisfaction is largely influenced by the motivators.
Employees at Investment Shop portray a variety of attitudes that are discussed above. For the job-haters, it is evident that there are low levels of hygiene factors that causes the high level of dissatisfaction. In this case, work conditions, communication, job security, structure, and company policies could influence the negative job attitude portrayed. The workers also show significant cases of neutrality whereby they are neither positively motivated to work nor negatively influenced to do the contrary. Such incidences are a major challenge to the organization as they are unable to achieve optimum level of productivity and makes it difficult to identify the best talents in the company. The lack of recognition of workers within the organization means that they are less likely to achieve full satisfaction. Therefore, even the job lovers may soon experience a deteriorating level of morale when undertaking their various tasks.
Goal Setting Theory
The goal setting theory was pioneered by Edwin A. Locke as an explanation of what it takes to achieve satisfaction for the employees. As one of the major process theories, it is evident that the staff should undergo significant processes that will ensure positive attitude in their places of work. The theory highlights the importance of goals or targets as motivators that give employees a specific direction. The practice of setting goals can be done individually for all workers or may require the input of supervisors. Employers may opt for the latter as it ensures an orientation of employees towards goals avoiding chaotic scenes within the company. Locke emphasizes that if the goals set for the staff at a higher standard, it is more likely that they will put in as much effort to achieve it and possibly surpass it. He adds on the concept of ‘self-efficiency’ where individuals believe in their skills and competencies that will enable them to complete the task hence becoming motivated to finish it.
The goal-setting theory best explains the significant challenge affecting Investment Shop organization. Many of the job-haters in the company feel inadequate and incapable of undertaking various tasks. This feeling may arise from the lack of communication between the junior workers and their superiors. While the latter may already have an idea of what is expected of the workers and the standards they should achieve, they do not usually communicate them to their junior staff. It is important that supervisors identify monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals to their junior staff. Once the workers are able to achieve the short-term goals, they begin to believe in themselves and build their achievement to boost their motivation for working. The workers are able to portray a more positive attitude as they embark on realizing the goals set. The most important thing for Investment Shop is to re-evaluate their process of motivating employees to be the best they can become.
Research
Judge, T. A., Weiss, H. M., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., & Hulin, C. L. (2017). Job attitudes, job satisfaction, and job affect: A century of continuity and of change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 356-374.
The article points out how job attitudes are the most venerable and popular topic of research in the field of organizational psychology. The authors also note that there has been 100 years of research conducted with significant improvement noted in the sophistication of methods and use of theory as a basic search into questions on work psychology. The nature, scope, and structure of the job attitudes are clarified through expansion of various definitions. The research shows there has been significant growth in research investigating relationship of employee attitudes to behaviors at individual and aggregated levels.
Roberson, Q., Ryan, A. M., & Ragins, B. R. (2017). The evolution and future of diversity at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 483.
The research has been an integral basis of understanding how diversity influences the workplace environment and its future. Exploring the foundations of the concept diversity is important to better understand the applied contexts and scholarly literature. The study is essential in understanding change in terms of diversity in the organization while critically reviewing the benefits and challenges associated with the same. The authors also identify the underlying mechanisms and contextual influences on diversity effects within the organizational setting. The research is an important piece of understanding how diversity influences job attitudes in the modern workplace and the best ways of coping with the changing times.
Glavas, A., & Kelley, K. (2014). The effects of perceived corporate social responsibility on employee attitudes. Business Ethics Quarterly, 24(2), 165-202.
The authors conduct the research in an attempt to explore the impact on employee attitudes based on their perceptions of how the organizations treats other above and beyond how the organization treats the employees. The researchers observe 827 employees from 18 different organizations. It is apparent that employee perception of CSR is directly related to organizational commitment mediated partially by work meaningfulness and perceived organizational support (POS). Additionally, these perceptions are directly related to job satisfaction work meaningfulness partially mediating the relationship but not POS. Findings also show that social responsibility has a positive effect on employee attitudes beyond that of environmental responsibility.
Morgeson, F. P., Mitchell, T. R., & Liu, D. (2015). Event system theory: An event-oriented approach to the organizational sciences. Academy of Management Review, 40(4), 515-537.
The authors of this article begin by identifying how organizations are dynamic and hierarchically structured entities. The dynamism of organizations is based on events that take place at every organizational level. The event system theory is developed as a measure of addressing how events become meaningful and come to impact the organizations. The authors note that for an event becomes salient when they are disruptive, novel, and critical. Events can also originate from any hierarchical level of the organization and remain at the same level or travel up or down. The research findings are important in highlighting how events influences organizational changes.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273.
The article reviews the influence of the job demands-resources as it affects organizational psychology. The research provides evidence of the moderating role played by job resources as it addresses the issue of burnout within labor force. Previous studies have shown that work overload, physical job demands, emotional job demands, and work-home conflict have been integral to causing job burnout. The JD-R model as it is popularly known was converted into the JD-R theory in recent years due to significant improvements made. The researchers find there are multiple practical applications that look towards promoting employee well-being and ensuring effective organizational functioning.
Grissom, J. A., Nicholson-Crotty, S., & Harrington, J. R. (2014). Estimating the effects of No Child Left Behind on teachers’ work environments and job attitudes. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(4), 417-436.
The above article is intended to complement the previous studies that have examined the impacts of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on the operations of schools and student achievement. The research seeks to identify how the influences the perceptions of teachers on their work environment and related job attitudes. The latter includes aspects such as job satisfaction and commitment to remain within the teaching profession. The national representative Schools and Staffing Survey over the period 1994-2008 the study seeks to highlight trends of teacher job attitudes. The findings show positive trends on job satisfaction, work environment measures, and commitment to teaching within the period of implementing NCLB. There have been indicators of negative influence on teacher corporation but significant improvements in perceptions of classroom control and administrator support.
Latorre, F., Guest, D., Ramos, J., & Gracia, F. J. (2016). High commitment HR practices, the employment relationship and job performance: A test of a mediation model. European Management Journal, 34(4), 328-337.
The research article stated above discusses and tests a high commitment model of human resource practices and evaluates its association with outcomes on employee perception and attitudes. In so doing, the authors attempt to identify ways in which the human resource management may influence performance of employees. The research shows that high commitment HR practices have a positive influence on performance with administrative support service as a mediator in the relationship. A fulfilled psychological contract and job security are key features of the employment relationship and job satisfaction. The study is novel in its identification of positive influence of HRM on performance through employment relationship within a social exchange framework.
Di Pietro, L., Pantano, E., & Di Virgilio, F. (2014). Frontline employees׳ attitudes towards self-service technologies: Threats or opportunity for job performance? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(5), 844-850.
The above article observes the issue of increased diffusion of self-service technologies (SSTs) on the points of sale as it impacts traditional retailing. In many cases, the use of SSTs has been observed in its ability to reduce personal contact, modifies job conditions, and reduces number of workers. The authors recognize that majority of previous studies focused on consumers’ perspective usually on their acceptance and usage of the technology. However, the study changes focus to an employees’ perspective as it identifies job performance. In-depth interviews were carried out on 250 front-line employees to examine the success of the technology from their attitude and perception on job performance.
Hom, P. W., Lee, T. W., Shaw, J. D., & Hausknecht, J. P. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 530-545.
Hom and his colleagues review seminal publications on employee turnover that have been present over the 100-year existence of the Journal of Applied Psychology. In this research, the primary intention is to highlight the various articles that have brought about theoretical and methodological contributions to the literature on turnover. The review paper identifies how earlier scholars identified ways of controlling or reducing turnover in the organizational setting. Explanation is then given on the beginning of theory development and testing from mid-20th century until its end. The 21st century would then focus on the psychology of staying rather than leaving and the attitude trajectories that help predict turnover.
Christina, S., Dainty, A., Daniels, K., & Waterson, P. (2014). How organizational behaviour and attitudes can impact building energy use in the UK retail environment: a theoretical framework. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 10(1-2), 164-179.
The research is an important review on the influence employee attitudes have towards implementing strategies of efficient energy use in retail organizations. It is evident that there are significant links of attitudes towards organizational structure, staff behaviors, and energy-efficient strategy. The findings show that organizational and structural contexts have significant influence on behavioral outcomes as opposed to individual beliefs on the environment. Secondly, energy management is seen to experience multiple-goal conflicts ensuring a negative impact on the performance of tasks. The user-centered approaches to successful building design, operation, and management have the potential of managing energy more effectively in stores.
Practice
Little or no Co-operation
It is important that every organization creates an environment where workers can associate well and engage in collaborative efforts that will bring about the best in one another. The issue of minimal collaboration efforts within the workforce is an issue that can greatly deteriorate the productivity and performance of the organization as a whole. As indicated by Morgeson, Mitchell, & Liu, (2017) it is important to stir-up events within the organization that will lead to positive changes. The salient changes are the ones that are disruptive, novel, and critical in nature. In this regard, the management team should identify the sectors in the firm where workers are rarely co-operating and make changes that will ensure they do. For instance, the members of staff who are less likely to cooperate will be given tasks that prompt them to share ideas and exchange opinions on how to move forward.
Additionally, the issue of cooperation is not one that can be forced by the upper management staff but may be implied and enhanced through a series of processes. Goal-setting theory in this case can be used as a fundamental factor in the developing of more collaborative relationships between the workforce. The theory identifies motivation as a process that can be attained through step by step achievements. The management team in collaboration with their subordinates can develop goals beginning with short term goals that will bring about enhanced interaction between the front-line workers and ending with the long-term goals.
Low Morale
The issue of low morale is a concerning challenge for Investment Shop. The organization has seen numerous workers jump ship and joining rival companies in the recent years. Such incidences indicate a major problem in the ability of the management team to motivate the staff within their respective roles. The low levels of morale are a primary contributor to the high rate of turnover. The workers may be feeling dissatisfied by the nature and scope of experiences offered within their organizational setting. The workers also show significant cases of neutrality whereby they are neither positively motivated to work nor negatively influenced to do the contrary. Such incidences are a major challenge to the organization as they are unable to achieve optimum level of productivity and makes it difficult to identify the best talents in the company. The lack of recognition of workers within the organization means that they are less likely to achieve full satisfaction. Therefore, even the job lovers may soon experience a deteriorating level of morale when undertaking their various tasks.
The motivator-hygiene theory is an effective contributor to developing a proper intervention for the issue in question. As the theory indicates, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not within the same spectrum. This assertion means that when the employers recognize the issue of poor working conditions as a dissatisfying factor in the workplace, its opposite would not make the workers satisfied. Alternatively, they would become not dissatisfied. In this regard, the authors look into identifying ways in which members of staff will achieve job satisfaction and boost their morale. The identification of the motivators will likely bring about a positive attitude in the workplace.
Lack of Recognition
Investment Shop is clearly experiencing significant issues in the workplace that is making workers feel inadequate. In this case, the organization may need to review its structure and policies as a basic tenet to identifying the cause of workers’ attitudes. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory points out that the human needs are achieved in a series of stages. One of the major challenges affecting workers at Investment Shop is the feeling that they are not being appreciated at their place of work. The workers spend majority of the time interacting with customers as they attempt to create the best possible experience as they shop. This incidence becomes somewhat difficult when the organization does not provide the workers with appropriate training and tools required to ensure maximum satisfaction for the customer. As a result, these hardworking employees do not feel like they belong hence portraying a negative attitude to their jobs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory dictates that the needs lower in the hierarchy are satisfied first before realization of the next. In this case, the workers are less likely to seek appreciation and recognition from their coworkers and superiors if they are yet to feel like part of the team. Many may seek to resign from their positions in a quest to satisfy the feeling elsewhere.
References
- Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273.
- Christina, S., Dainty, A., Daniels, K., & Waterson, P. (2014). How organisational behaviour and attitudes can impact building energy use in the UK retail environment: a theoretical framework. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 10(1-2), 164-179.
- Di Pietro, L., Pantano, E., & Di Virgilio, F. (2014). Frontline employees׳ attitudes towards self-service technologies: Threats or opportunity for job performance? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(5), 844-850.
- Glavas, A., & Kelley, K. (2014). The effects of perceived corporate social responsibility on employee attitudes. Business Ethics Quarterly, 24(2), 165-202.
- Grissom, J. A., Nicholson-Crotty, S., & Harrington, J. R. (2014). Estimating the effects of No Child Left Behind on teachers’ work environments and job attitudes. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(4), 417-436.
- Hom, P. W., Lee, T. W., Shaw, J. D., & Hausknecht, J. P. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 530-545.
- Judge, T. A., Weiss, H. M., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., & Hulin, C. L. (2017). Job attitudes, job satisfaction, and job affect: A century of continuity and of change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 356-374.
- Latorre, F., Guest, D., Ramos, J., & Gracia, F. J. (2016). High commitment HR practices, the employment relationship and job performance: A test of a mediation model. European Management Journal, 34(4), 328-337.
- Morgeson, F. P., Mitchell, T. R., & Liu, D. (2015). Event system theory: An event-oriented approach to the organizational sciences. Academy of Management Review, 40(4), 515-537.
- Roberson, Q., Ryan, A. M., & Ragins, B. R. (2017). The evolution and future of diversity at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 483.
