Determining a Suitable Research Problem, Annotated Bibliography Example

Lindner, J.R. (1998). Understanding Employee Motivation. The Journal of Extension, 36(3).

The abstract succinctly described the implementation of a survey to assess ten motivating factors in accordance to an understanding of the employee motivation theory. According to the methods section, the motivation theory is largely based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which include physiological, safety, social, ego, and self- actualizing. Overall, the authors hypothesize that employees are   motivated by their needs and managers can take advantage of this motivation to facilitate productivity. The sample included 25 employees from the Piketon Research and Extension Center and Enterprise Center. 23 out of the 25 employees participated in the survey for a response rate of 92%. Employees were asked to rank their motivators on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most important motivating factor and 1 being the least important motivating factor. The limitations of the study included its sample size and the short length of the survey. Furthermore, the results are only internally valid. It was found that employees were most concerned with being given interesting work.

A comprehensive literature review was not included in this study. However, the study was based on the theoretical understanding of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) and Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1959).

The conclusions of this study indicate that it is most important to place an emphasis on providing employees with creative work so they continue to feel motivated. It is the manager’s role to ensure that this happens because they are responsible for delegating tasks. While it is not possible for each employee’s creative needs to be met in this manner, effective leaders are good at maximizing the extent to which this occurs.

Rynes, S.L., Gerhart, B., Minette, K.A. (2004). The Importance of Pay in Employee Motivation: Discrepancies between What People Say and What they Do. Human Resource Management, 43(4): 381–394.

The abstract introduces the concept that despite the emphasis that many employers place on pay, the importance of pay is deemphasized in actuality. This study is a literature review that synthesized a variety of studies that discuss the use of pay as an employee motivator in the workplace in addition to studies that reflect upon the efficacy of this tactic as a motivator.

A study that aimed to assess the discrepancy towards opinions of pay importance and habits of using pay as a motivator, the researchers found that employers are more likely to talk about the meaning of pay as a motivator than they are to implement it as a motivating strategy (1994). However, it has also been found that other forms of motivation, such as allowing employees to participate in the decision making process, has allowed equal amounts of motivation in many cases 1998).

This study therefore demonstrates the importance of many different components   in motivating employees. Since many organizations do not wish to provide their employees with financial incentives, this is an important understanding because there are equally effective ways to make sure that these individuals are rewarded for their hard work and remain motivated as a consequence. Overall, it is   important for employers to be aware of these motivating factors so they can contribute to the success of their organization in a more meaningful manner.

References

Ellis, T. J., & Levy, Y. (2008). Framework of problem-based research: A guide for novice researchers on the development of a research-worthy problem. Retrieved from http://www.inform.nu/Articles/Vol11/ISJv11p017-033Ellis486.pdf

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. 2013 Practical research: Planning and design.