Why to Study Motivational Preferences of ADEC, Essay Example

ADEC Motivational Preferences

The Abu Dhabi Educational Council is an organization that represents the needs and rights of individuals of non-English speaking background with disabilities. The organization aims ate empowering such individuals together with their families and care givers so as integrate them into the Victorian Community. The organization’s mission is for individuals of non-English speaking background with disabilities to achieve full citizenship through assisting them together with their families and care givers and guaranteeing responsive and inclusive service systems. The criteria for the selection of this organization is founded on the value that the organization and its work adds to the lives of vulnerable individuals within the community while also adding value to the economy as a whole. The organization’s functions and roles are unique to itself as one of the few organizations that cater to the needs of people with disability, especially those from non-English speaking backgrounds. Considering the sensitive and vital nature of the work accomplished by the organization, there is considerable interest in any existing institutional motivation relative to the very low rate of employee turnover.

Demographic and Work Related Characteristics

The research returned 42 out of the 50 initially issued surveys. The 42 survey forms were dully filled and delivered on time, with none of the forma missing any information. The 8 unreturned forms were assumed to have been a lack of cooperation from the respondent. All 42 responses comprised the study sample.

The study mainly entails classifying the study sample according to the distinct individual characteristics of the respondents this is depicted in table 2.

ADEC organization is a female dominated organization. This is predominantly owing to the fact that education sector in the United Arab Emirates is mainly comprised of female instructors. The involvement of men within the education sector in the United Arab Emirates is currently very low (Dickson & Le Roux, 2012). Historically, ADEC has always recruited more women than men. The education sector in the United Arab Emirates.

The age classification depicts a rather mature sample, with most of the respondents being classified as middle-aged. There are very few individuals within the organization below the age of 25. The second largest population of individuals is aged between 25 years and 34 years if age. It is highly likely that the relatively mature sample (in terms of age) depicts sample responses that are carefully thought out and a close representation of their actual preferences.

The classification within the survey also reveals a relatively highly educated sample. More than half (76%) of the respondents have a bachelor’s degree or diploma. Non-graduates comprise the second largest population within the sample, with the least (less than 5%) of the respondent having pursued education beyond the graduate level. It is most likely that the level of education depicted by the sample indicates the sample responses are a close representation of their actual preferences.

The survey revealed certain specific trends as regards to marital status of employees within ADEC. More than half (69%) of the respondents were married, with most of the married being in the middle age group. the survey had created a provision for the responses pertaining to divorce. However, none of the respondents provided reactions in this section. This is mainly due to the low rate of divorce rates within the UAE. All of the single respondents were found below the age of 34 years. Most of the single respondents were also found to be male. Alluring to UAE’s cultural and social norms that emphasize the family unit and the significant role of women in the family unit.

The study sample were also characterized on two levels as pertains to work experience, i.e. prior work experience and current work experience. Over half (52%) of the employees have been with ADEC for the past 10 years or more. About 30% of the employees at ADEC were employed with extensive prior experience. Only 14% of the employees at ADEC were employed with no prior experience on their respective roles and duties. The company tends to hire middle-aged individuals with more than 3 years of experience.

The study sample depicted diverse professional skills through the functional areas with which they are associated. More than half (54%) of the respondents were teachers with the next largest functional area represented was the miscellaneous support staff. The senior support staff represented the least representation, at less than 5% of the total sample population.

Motivational Preferences of the Respondents

The main aim of the study was to identify the specific motivators of performance that are preferred by each and all of the study sample. This was achieved through the development of a 7-point Likert Scale. The scale ranked the respondents opinions according to degree to which they agree with a given opinion. The lowest value, 1, depicted strong disagreement, the median value, 4, depicted neutrality towards a given subject, and the highest value, 7, depicted strong agreement with a given idea. The Total Average Score reveals that employs with ADEC perceive intrinsic motivators to be more effective as opposed to intrinsic motivators. However, it is important to note that the difference between the total average score for the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators is less than 2 points (0.12). This shows that while intrinsic motivators are considered to be important and valuable by most employees, extrinsic motivators are of relative importance. The fact the intrinsic motivators are of more importance than extrinsic motivators resonates with Edward L Deci’s and Richard M. Ryan’s self-determination theory. This theory postulates that optimal growth and functionality is realized when three innate needs are satisfied; (1) autonomy, (2) competence and (3) relatedness.

Extrinsic Motivators

The survey results depict a TAS comparison that resonates with the economy of the UAE. The comparison reveals that the most important and central incentive in obtaining a job is not financial compensation. The UAE highly developed economy with a stable social welfare system that ensures the well-being of the citizens. However, the results depicted by the comparison may originate from an industry-related factor. ADEC is an organization that was develop for the sole purpose of aiding the vulnerable within the society, who do not have the protection of Victorian citizenship. For this reason, most individuals within the organization are driven by sentiment as opposed to financial incentives.

An analysis of the individual motivational values, as pertain extrinsic motivators, depicts that most individuals are concerned with the provision for pay incentives. This is largely owing to the fact that the UAE is an economy that is highly dependent on oil and petroleum mining, process and sale. With global oil prices prone to sudden fluctuations, most employees would rather have the provision for receiving incentives (AS 6.52) as opposed to receiving fair wages or compensation (AS 6.15). When global oil prices do not favor UAE’s economy, employees will be looking for opportunities to increase their income. For the organization, it may employ performance based financial incentives. This fact plays to administration’s favor. Owing to the fact that the organization is not a profit-making entity, a pay-increase that applies across the board may not be viable. A performance-based incentive allows for organization to reward deserving employees so as to encourage improved performance from the rest of the employees.

The second most important factor that employees consider is job security in the workplace (AS 6.47). The average score for this motivational factor resonates with the human resource trends that have been identified at ADEC. As highlighted earlier, most of the employees at ADEC have been with the company for more than 10 years. This is largely due to the fact that job security is of the second most importance to ADEC employees. This order of preferences depicted in extrinsic motivational factors contradicts the study conducted by Manolopoulos in 2008, which ranked job security as the most important extrinsic motivational factor that most employees are concerned with. Manolopoulos’ study had two inherent differences to the current ADEC study. (1) The study entailed a Greece, a European economy, and (2) the study was conducted in 2008, at the peak of the 22007/2008 global recession. At the time, Greece was experiencing considerable economic and financial turmoil, characterizing the extrinsic motivational preferences of most of Greece’s labor.

The third most important extrinsic motivational factor is communication and cooperation in the work environment. Most of the employees at ADEC require communication and cooperation in order to accomplish their required tasks and responsibilities. The nature and success of ADEC’s operations is largely dependent on the employees’’ abilities to coordinate and liaise with other stakeholders so as to realize their goals and objectives. As such, it is expected that communication and coordination be an important factor in motivating employees towards optimal productivity.

The second least important motivational factor is the provision for a fair salary (AS 6.15). As indicated before, this is owing to the nature of ADEC’s operations. ADEC’s employees are predominantly motivated to help and assist the vulnerable within society as opposed to making profit from operations. The least important extrinsic factor that employees are concerned about is the opportunity for hierarchical advancement (AS 5.76). This is largely owing to the nature of operations that the organization engages in.

Intrinsic Motivators

The total average score for intrinsic motivators at ADEC (6.32) is superior to that of extrinsic motivators (6.20). This highlights the type of organization that ADEC has developed itself into. Three of the intrinsic motivators employed in the survey; opportunities to advance in the field of employee expertise (AS 6.53), need for esteem and reputation (AS 6.60) (AS 6.54), and the social need surpass the highest extrinsic value prevising for pay incentives (6.52). The opportunity to take responsibilities (AS 5.87) has been rated only higher than the lowest intrinsic motivator, the opportunity for hierarchical advancement (AS 5.76). The hierarchical preference of the intrinsic motivational factors can be obtained through an analysis of the survey results, comparing them against each other.

The most important intrinsic motivational factor is the need for esteem and reputation (AS 6.60). Most employees regard their work as an important factor to receiving esteem and a positive reputation. This means that ADEC employees are more concerned about the sentimental value that their employment and work has as opposed to financial benefits that they realize.

The second most important intrinsic motivational factor is the social need (AS 6.54). This resonates with the main goals and objectives of ADEC. The organization aims to help the vulnerable within society, which makes the social need imperative to the organization’s success. Employees depict the opportunity to advance in the field of employee expertise as the third most important intrinsic motivational factor (AS 6.53). The organization’s employees seek to develop their own expertise and experience through exposure to the organization’s functional operations. The minimal difference between these two intrinsic motivational factors indicates that they are of relatively equal importance to ADEC’s employees.

The opportunity to take responsibilities (AS 5.87) has been identified as the least important intrinsic motivational factor within the organization. This is an interesting result from the survey as it generally contradicts the third most important intrinsic motivational factor the opportunity to advance in the field of employee expertise.

The Effects of Individual Characteristics on Motivational Values

The individual characteristics of individuals have been analyzed as regards their respective average scores, depicted in table 3. The work related features and demography features of employees were employed in the classification for this section as well. This analysis is crucial in developing a clearer representation of the motivational preferences for unique groups of individuals.

As discussed earlier, the lowest ranked extrinsic motivational factor is the opportunity for hierarchical advancement (AS 5.76). However, this factor is of utmost importance to individuals with no prior work experience (AS 7.00). However, this is expected as individuals with no work experience are usually eager to prove their value by quickly advancing through the hierarchical structures within the organization. This extrinsic motivational factor is also of considerable importance to employees under the age of 25 (AS 6.82), single individuals (AS 6.80) and those with less than two years of current work experience (AS 6.80).  Characteristically, individuals with more than 7 years of prior work experience gave the lowest ranking for hierarchical advancement (4.60). However, individuals with no prior work experience ranked hierarchical advancement as their highest priority in employment (7.00). While the provision for pay incentives was highlighted as the highest ranked extrinsic motivational factor, it received a very low score in employees of Senior Support (AS 5.80). Individuals within the 45 to 54 age group also recorded a similar rating for this intrinsic motivational factor. While the opportunity to take responsibility is considered the least important intrinsic motivational factor, non-graduates would quickly welcome the opportunity to take responsibilities. This is mainly associated with the need to gain recognition and advance upwards through the hierarchy of the organization.

As regards education, non-graduates have been found to hold extrinsic motivational factors in high regard. Non-graduates perceive provision of pay incentives, communication and cooperation in the work environment and security in the workplace as very important. This is evident in their 7.0 average score that indicates a strong association to these extrinsic motivators. Non-graduates also perceive the need for esteem and reputation, social need and the opportunity to take responsibilities as equally important, with an average score of 7.00. Taking into consideration the marital status of the study sample, trends were similar between married and single individuals. Also, it is important to note that there aren’t significant differences between the married and single employees within ADEC.

When categorized according to the level of current and prior work experience, major differences were detected in trends. Individuals with less than 2 years of current work experience (AS 5.20) are more concerned about the working conditions when compared to employees with more than 15 years of current work experience. This is mainly associated with the fact that employees who have worked for the company for extended period of time have a solid understanding of ADEC’s organizational culture. As such, they have experience with handling changes within the work environment. Employees with less than 2 years of experience (AS 6.80)  and those with more than 15 years if experience (AS 6.40) perceive hierarchical advancement to be of importance to their careers as opposed to employees with 6  to 10 years (AS 5.80) and 10 to 15 years (AS 5.70) of experience. Employees with more than 15 years of experience do not believe that there is need for creative work (AS 4.50), while employees with less than 2 years of current work experience believe that creative work is of significance (AS 6.50). interestingly, employees with less than 2 years of current experience do not believe opportunities to take responsibilities would intrinsically motivate them (AS 4.12), while employees with 10 to 15 years of current work experience perceive such opportunities would be beneficial to the motivate them to perform (AS 6.57).

ADEC’s employees with more than 7 years of experience do not believe that the opportunity for hierarchical advancement could motivate performance (AS 4.60). However. Employees with no prior experience perceive such opportunities as integral to optimal performance (AS 7.00). The survey also depicts employees with no prior experience have little concern about the work environment (AS 4.80). While those with up to three years of experience (AS 6.00) believe that the work environment is considerably important in ensuring optimal performance. Characteristically, employees with no prior experience depict preferences that are on either extremes.

An analysis of employee motivational preferences by department depict little differences in trends. Employees in the IT department (AS 4.75) do not believe that opportunities for hierarchical advancement are critical to optimal performance. However, individuals in administration (AS 6.00) believe that such opportunities are critical to optimal performance. These inherent differences are characteristics of the differences in the function of these department. Employees in administration measure career success through hierarchical advancement. However, employees in IT derive career success through the development of new and improved solutions for the organization. Teachers (AS 4.90) do not perceive working conditions to be inherently determinant of performance. However, employees from the IT department believe the work environment is of considerable importance to optimal performance. The senior support staff generally perceive intrinsic motivators as more important that all other departments.

The analysis and discussion depicted above reveals that the demographic within ADEC has different preferences in motivational factors. The most significant differences were highlighted in the age groups and the level of prior and current work experience. While the findings are considered reliable for the sample, extrapolation of the results onto ADEC’s employee population requires the use of a number of statistical tools. The ANOVA and t-test could be employed to measure the accuracy, variance and other features of the survey results.

Conclusions

This research studies motivational preferences held by ADEC employs, highlighting the most significant factors that would motivate the employees. The research also attempted to find any relation between work related and individual demographic characteristics of the sample.

The study results show that intrinsic rewards, particularly, the need for esteem and reputation, social need and the opportunities to advance in the field of employee expertise as the most important and most effective motivators within the organization. While the intrinsic preferences vary from one demographic to another, the information obtained from the survey can be exploited so as to keep all employees motivated towards optimal performance.

While extrinsic motivators come behind intrinsic motivators, there are certain elements of extrinsic motivators that are considerably important to employees at ADEC. Elements such as provisions for pay incentives are crucial to motivate younger employees. An employee who is paid well is more likely to put in more effort in the daily endeavors and tasks within the organization (Mankiw, Kneebone, & McKenzie, 2014). An employee who is paid well is more likely to have a balanced and healthy diet. This is because disposable income determines an employee’s expenditure limits. Therefore by paying workers better, the company reduces incidences of sick leaves, ensuring continual production.

Recommendations

As depicted by the analysis above, non-monetary retention of employees has a considerably long-lasting effect as opposed to monetary techniques. The most recommended technique to non-monetary retention of employees is the use of talent management. Talent Management is a concept of business that has evolved over time as the needs, wants and tastes of markets and organizational human resource requirements have changed. This evolution of talent management has seen the definition and scope of talent management expand with these changes in the market. Even though the concept of talent management existed since the 1970s, popularity of the concept developed in 1997 after the McKinsey & Company conducted a study and coined the term Talent Management (Silzer & Dowell, 2010). At this point in time, the concept was still premature and ill developed as its scope was limited to primitive human resource function that stretched only as far as middle-level to top-level management.

Mentorship

This is where employees who show potential are groomed towards a certain function or position within the organization (Yost & Plunkett, 2010). This can be done to ensure ease of change in the case where a senior manager either retires, leaves the company or is promoted to a higher position. This can also help motivate workers to bring out the best in them.

Academic Programs

This entails ensuring high performance and high potential employees receive the opportunity to further their education and increase their skills on the job (Conger, 2010).

Succession Planning

Succession planning is best managed under the talent management strategy an organization chooses to employ (Conger, 2010). This strategy will provide the organization with the direction as to which employee is best to succeed which manager, either middle or top management. Once the employees have been identified, then they can be groomed for the position to be vacated and succeeded.

Works Cited

Abu Dhabi Education Council. (2015, May 20). About ADEC. Retrieved from ADEC: https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Pages/default.aspx

Conger, J. A. (2010). Developing Leadership Talent: Delivering on the Promise of Structured Programs. In R. Slizer, & B. E. Dowell, Strategy- driven talent management: A leadership imperative. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Dickson, M., & Le Roux, J. (2012). andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emirati males become teachers andWhy do Emira. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, 9(2). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://lthe.zu.ac.ae/index.php/lthehome/article/download/111/35

Mankiw, G. N., Kneebone, R. D., & McKenzie, K. J. (2014). Principles of Microeconomics. Toronto: Nelson Education.

Silzer, R., & Dowell, B. E. (2010). Strategy-driven talent management: A leadership imperative. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Yost, P. R., & Plunkett, M. M. (2010). Developing Leadership Talent through Experiences. In R. Slizer, & B. E. Dowell, Strategy-driven talent management: A leadership imperative. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.