Imagine that you are the owner of a small manufacturing company Research Paper

Imagine that you are the owner of a small manufacturing company - Research Paper Example The minimum wage workers, mostly in the assembly section, would be at the level where the basic needs have to be satisfied. The basic needs or the lowest levels needs are the physiological needs and unless these are satisfied, other needs will not even surface. This is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that explains what motivates people and the type of needs that cause action. Based on this theory, it is thus necessary that minimum wage workers are given wages that meet their basic needs. This is their primary concern and can motivate them to work. Moreover, it takes lot more than money to make people happy. People seek job security, recognition and status. Job security is particularly important for people that seek to satisfy lower order needs (Latham & Ernst, 2006). However, even though their basic needs are met, they also expect distributive justice. If an employee feels he is underpaid, it could adversely affect performance. This may also lead to feelings of hostility towards the management. Adams’ equity theory focuses on the motivational effects of distributive justice where the workers would compare the inputs and outputs of their own self versus those of others (Locke & Latham, 2004). To ensure low turnover, management should try to increase the link between efforts and performance evaluation, and performance and outcomes. Providing the right job role and training to fulfill the job role would motivate the minimum wage worker because they would feel recognized. This is the based on the Hawthorne Studies, which found that supervision, incentives and working conditions impact performance. Self-determination theory (SDT) is another theory of human motivation and development. One of the theories it focuses on is controlled motivation. Controlled motivation consists of external regulation as well as introjected regulation (Deci and Ryan, 2008). Once the basic needs of the minimum wage workers are provided, to achieve the desire productivity , they need some amount of control. Through control behaviour should be regulated by means of external contingencies such as rewards and punishment. Under control people are pressurized to think, feel or behave in particular ways. They may also try to give their best as this could bring them rewards and failure to do so could result in punishment. As far as employees from other sections (sales, technology and administration) are concerned, different set of motivation strategy can be adopted. Goal-setting theory by Locke and Latham focuses on the effects of conscious goals as motivators of task performance. Goal setting is a powerful motivation technique as it creates a â€Å"strong situation† (Latham & Ernst, 2006). The strong situation minimizes the effect of personality difference among workers. In sales and technology people with differing skills and personality are likely to be in the same team. Goal-setting theory states that setting high goals can lead to high performan ce, the higher the goals the higher will be one’s performance and variable such as participation in decision making and feedback enhance performance (Locke, 1968 cited in Locke & Latham, 2004). When people attain goals they feel satisfied. This will also ensure high quality work. To minimize the impact of individual differences, goal-setting should be based on individual talent and capabilities. At the same time, high but attainable goals could enhance productivity and performance. Organizational