Public Service Motivation, Essay Example

Public service motivation accomplishes the understanding and the importance of commitment to performance goals. The understanding of the goals of the employee facilitates the acceptance of performance goals by the employees. It portrays the level at which employees are able to stay on track despite challenges and shortcomings in their productivity. Dresang (2007) notes that, it is crucial for employees to understand that their goals are achievable in order to ensure performance. The basic tools in the achievement of this goal are self-efficacy and job goal’s importance.

Self-efficacy dictates that regardless of the importance of performance goals set in place, the commitment of the employees is reliant on the achievability of their objectives. The judgment of the employee’s personal capability to perform is essential in the motivation of the employee towards productivity. Therefore, the role of self-efficacy is portrayed by the individual commitment, and incentive towards the attainment of the predefined goals. Self-efficacy also enlightens the behavior and persistence of the employee towards this goal. Self-efficacy is a decisive factor in motivation as it assists individuals applies the required effort in the performance of their tasks.

On the other hand, Hays & Kearney (2003) provide that the concept of job goal importance is also a necessary factor as it drives the motivation of the employees towards their perceived objectives. Although the achievement of self-goals is crucial, the employees also work towards the achievement of performance objectives. The individual goals should be in line with the performance objectives to ensure effective performance of the employees. The enhancement of the performance of employees in this regard can be connected to the mission, task, and the public service function available to employees.

The needs of the individual are decisive factors to consider in setting the role of motivation in performance and productivity. The hierarchy of the individual’s needs portrays the level of commitment of the employee towards achievement of the perceived goals. The higher the needs of the individuals in the hierarchy, the greater are the motivation to achieve that goal. Self-actualization takes priority in the hierarchy followed by self-esteem and then love and belonging to the individual. The need for safety of the individual and other psychological needs also form part of the hierarchy of needs but on a lower level. In consideration of this, it is imperative that the productivity of the individual and the consequential performance relies on the importance of the needs of the individual associated with the task.

Public service motivation ensures that individuals participate in the management process by making the employees’ part of the process. This ensures that the objectives of both the individual and the performance objectives put into consideration (Wright, 2007). The overall quality management also ensures that the quality of the work of the employee remains at a high standard. This is achieved by taking into context the employee information on the production process and ensuring they participate. Employee participation helps to identify the operational challenges develop opportunities as well as assist the employees in developing their skills and talent. Employee satisfaction can also be achieved using motivation in the performance of the tasks by these employees. It is noteworthy that motivation does not necessarily stem from money but can be because of a commitment to a good cause.

 Strategic human resource management

The components of strategic human resource thinking include organization, which implies that the essence of a good strategy should be well organized to fit the objectives of the company, as well as keep in touch with other intrinsic and extrinsic factors including technology. Reorganization of the strategies initially developed goes a long way in the successful; planning of any strategy. Organization is key in the planning process as this component ensures that the adopted strategies are suitable, well organized and effective. Given the change of operational performance of organizations, the component of the organization is vital to ensure that the perceived goals achieved. Another component in strategic human resource thinking is the element of staffing. Staffing is critical as the operations of an organization rely majorly on the availability and productivity of its staff. It is, therefore, essential that an organization has sufficient staff and that the staff qualifies for the positions (Dresang, 2007)). The importance of staffing in the planning process is essential, as it is necessary to consider the required number of staff to facilitate the smooth operations of the company as well as to identify overstaffed areas, or understaffed areas to ensure a balance in staffing.

Also, important is the component of employee development, which provides for the advancement of the employees. Paarlberg & Lavigna (2010) provides that, employee development incorporate the acquisition of knowledge and skills by the employees in the course of business to guarantee a high level of efficiency maintained or enhance the performance of the organization. It is noteworthy that better employee development results from staffing and organization. Staffing identifies the pool of employees that require development while the organization stipulates the appropriate development strategies and measures. Accordingly, employee development integrates into the planning proceeds through the employment of career development, skill training, and motivation achieved by succession planning. Compensation is another crucial component in the process of strategic human resource planning, and it involves the fulfillment of the needs of the employees. Low wages ultimately results in lack of motivation of the employees and, therefore, implies that the performance of the employees become compromised resulting in poor productivity. Given the importance of compensation, it becomes necessary to incorporate the element of compensation in the planning process (Hays & Kearney, 2003). Compensation can be integrated into the planning procedure by succession planning putting into consideration the factors of organizational policies and the element of staffing.

Contracting, on the other hand, plays a vital role in human resource management thinking and aims at meeting the staffing needs of the company. The factors to put into consideration in contracting include the necessity, the duration the organization needs the employee and both staffing and organizational strategies employed by the organization. In incorporating the element of staffing into an organization, it is essential to consider the workload available the finances available for contracting as well as the goals of the company (Wright, 2007). Planning of contracting policies adopted also rely on the cost benefit analysis of the strategy. An equally vital component of strategic human resource management planning is the component of result evaluation, which essentially measures the planning policies adopted. It is critical to point out that this component of strategic human resource thinking looks into all the other components of strategic human resource planning in order to arrive at an elaborate evaluation of the results attained.

Role of human resource manager

The role of a human resource manager in productivity improvements is a crucial one since it ensures that the personnel work towards the attainment of the perceived objectives of the company. The human resource managers position to facilitate the improvements of productivity because of control and supervision of the organization’s staff (Buelens, 2007). It is noteworthy that the role of the human resource manager in the attainment of this goal is clearly articulated.

The major role of the human resource manager in this perspective is the job and workflow design. This is a clear clarification of the expected mission of the task, which is essential as the objectives set as well as outlining the expectations. Job design geared towards the achievement of total quality management aimed at streamlining operations and achieving productivity in line with the expected outcome. The role of the manager is to set out the details and the dynamics of the job. Establishment of jobs to ensure improved performance and productivity of an organization plays a central role in the human resource manager’s role as the manager is tasked with the responsibility of staffing. Hays & Kearney (2003) articulate the direct correlation of productivity to staffing signifies that the improved productivity in an organization relies on the outcome of strategies employed by the human resource manager. Other roles of the human resource manager that lead to improved productivity are the staffing, improvement and retention of staff and motivation of employees.

Concerning the employment development and retention of the employees, the role of the human resource manager is ensuring the recruitment of qualified and competent employees. The human resource manager also ensures that talented, skilled and product oriented employees remain in the organization by motivational incentives like increased earnings. The development of employees to improve their skills and knowledge in production in order to improve the level of efficiency of the staff is the mandate of the human resource manager. The motivation of the employees is also critical to improved productivity and thus the human resource manager must endeavor to establish motivational strategies in respect to improving the performance of the employees. The manager’s role also includes ensuring a favorable working environment for employees. The manager must strive to provide an environment that is safe, and facilitates development (Dresang, 2007). This is essential because an environment that ensures undisturbed work facilitates improved productivity.

The human resource manager has the task of evaluating the efforts and the prodsuctivi8ty of the employees in order to determine clearly the areas that need changes or improvements. Without assessment of the performance of the, the human resource manager cannot be strategically positioned to develop strategies. Planning and development of strategic human resource strategies aimed at improving productivity rely on the evaluation of the current workforce to identify shortcomings and opportunities to work on them. Additionally the application of any necessary changes in staffing is the responsibility of the human resource manager. These changes are because of the evaluation conducted on the efforts and productivity of the employees undertaken by three human resource managers. Consequently, it is imperative to note that improvements in productivity rely on the decisions of the human resource manager and, therefore, the roles of the human resource manager need to be clear.

Delegation

The importance of delegation to managers is that it reduces the workload of these manages. The essence of reduction of the workload of the managers ensures that they only deal with weighty issues. Through delegation, the managers delegate their functions to other individuals and only act to provide guidance for the work delegated. In this manner, the manager ensures that the work is done in accordance with the required standards while only guiding the process and not having to oversee the tasks. It is imperative that delegation takes control of the manager and places another individual in a central position ensuring that there are checks in the system (Andersen, 2010). Delegation also improves the element of motivation as the individuals whom the management tasks delegated are motivated by the trust associated with the delegation to these individuals.

Delegation of responsibility of the managers to other individuals also does away with the rigidity in the management process by developing a hierarchy that is more employees oriented. The delegation of power puts the manager in the overall position but introduces intermediaries between the manager and the employees. According to Dresang (2007), hierarchy is fundamental to an organization as it creates a culture of responsibility and creates authority within the organization. It is critical to, point out that the involvement of the staff in management can be achieved through delegation as the team leaders whom the authority is delegated to, are in touch with the objectives and perspectives of the employees. Through delegation, the employees are more likely to complete their tasks to the fullest of their abilities since there is someone to answer to apart from the overworked manager. The employees are also more at ease with their fellow employees than they are with the manager and, therefore, the concerns and suggestions of the employees expressed genuinely. Similarly, the assessment and evaluation of employees to facilitate improvement represented as the delegation of authority ensures that all employees have representation through their team leaders.

Delegation also aims at maximizing the potential of the employees because they feel they are part of the organization. Delegation makes the organization’s staff feel as if they are part of the decision making process by incorporating their opinions in the process. The motivation and contribution of the employees provide them with occupational satisfaction, which in turn provides motivation for improved performance. Delegation also presents the employees an opportunity to develop and nurture their skills and talents and help them flourish. Equally critical is that this does not only affect the employees, but it also affects the managers. Delegation allows the manager work on his/her communication skills supervision, guidance, decision making and motivation skills. In essence, delegation improves both the individual’s efficiency as well as the general performance of the company.

Furthermore, delegation helps the subordinate as well as the superior in maintaining a good relationship. Delegation gives meaning to the superior subordinate relationship through the flow of authority from the top to the bottom and signifies achievement of results. Delegation, therefore, gives stability to the working relationship. Development more so on the horizontal level can be achieved through the employment of delegation as this ensures that the organization is stable. This concept is an indispensable tool in the development of the human resource as well as the management of the organization.

Reference list

Andersen, J. A. (2010). Public versus Private Managers: How Public and Private Managers Differ in Leadership Behavior. Public Administration Review; 70, 1; ProQuest. Pg. 131

Buelens, M., Van den, B. H. (2007). An Analysis of Differences in Work Motivation between Public and Private Sector Organizations. Public Administration Review; ProQuest. Pg. 65

Dresang, D, L. (2007). Personnel management in government agencies and non profit organizations. Pearson Education Inc.

Hays, S. W. & Kearney, R. C. (2003). Public human resource management: problems and prospects. Pearson Education Inc.

Paarlberg, L. E & Lavigna, B. (2010). Transformational Leadership and Public Service Motivation: Driving . Public Administration Review; ProQuest. Pg. 710

Wright, B. E. (2007). Public Service and Motivation: Does Mission Matter? Public Administration Review; ProQuest. Pg. 54