Organizational Motivational and Leadership in the Workplace

Organizational motivation and leadership in the workplace

In today's multicultural world of business, the workplace includes different types of people and personalities, in which creates a need for different motivational strategies. To develop these strategies, organizational leaders or managers need to understand and adapt to the changes and needs of the employees as well as keeping the aim of aligning an employer and employee relationship stay in balance. Within this paper, a selected organization and situation will be discussed, and how motivational theories can be applied to the situation, along with evaluating the leadership role, power, and influence it plays on the situation.

The Selected Organization

The selected organization is a private company called I.W. Industries in which is categorized under Screw Machine Products and Manufacturers. This organization also has sub-divisions, such as lamps, lighting, plumbing fixtures, blown glass, and glassware. I. W. Industries also does business as Concinnity Division, I.W. Inc. and has been in business for over 79 years (I.W. Industries, 2011).

This organization was developed by a family named Warshawsky, in which they built this company with a vision of being successful through the help, concerns, and needs of their employees. They employ more than 200 employees and estimate annual revenue of $20 to $50 million dollars. This organization's home base is located in Melville, New York and does business all around the world (I.W. Industries, 2011).

I.W. Industry's vision, mission, and strategies are based on new innovative products that are needed by other manufacturers and distributors to meet consumer demands as well as their needs. Having a strong and happy work environment, this organization has provided a great relationship among vendors, clients, as well as their own employees. They provide a family oriented atmosphere, in which many of the original employees are now promoted to executive positions. This company has never been on strike and has never fired anyone unless the situation was to damaging that they could not fix or control, the human resource manager would have no choice but to let that person go.

In the three years of working at I.W. Industries has given me a sense of job satisfaction as well as belonging. This organization was considered home away from home because of the atmosphere it provided. This company still remains strong in their values and complies with the needs of their employees.

The selected situation

Although many situations occur in organizations, such as absenteeism, conflicts, and personal problems, each situation is handled differently. In many organizations, absenteeism is one of the most significant problems that affects productivity in addition to overburden other employees to step up and do their work (Smith, 2010).

Today more industries are trying to grow and prosper toward the competitiveness of other organizations, but when the performance is determined by employee attendance, their productivity, and commitment to the organization is questionable. Therefore, it becomes difficult to minimize the incidences of absenteeism, and the costs in which associates with lose of human capital, in which results from inadequacy (Smith, 2010).

Another situation that can relate to people's absenteeism is through empathy because people can understand and accept why he or she is being sick and absent from work. For instance, many women who are pregnant take off days because of morning sickness, in which managers or leaders can empathize with her situation and accepts the reason for her absenteeism but it can also be questionable on the pretense of her being pregnant as an excuse for not showing up for work.

Empathy and absenteeism are situations that organizations have come to adapt by developing mechanisms to minimize economic losses. Having an absence management policy can establish a way of respecting human values and the contribution of employees when all other factors are stabilized (Smith, 2010).

In my personal insight, absenteeism in I.W. Industries was not a serious situation because many people did not take off because of the policies but also because of the atmosphere this company possess. My absenteeism was caused by a family dilemma, in which the owners and supervisor empathized with my situation. They allowed me to take off a week with pay to get myself so that I could function and perform my duties effectively.

Motivational theories

Motivation can be complex and difficult because of individual's behaviors and attitudes. Organizational aims, purpose, and values among staff and employees gives a better platform for motivation. Motivational receptiveness and potential in everyone changes from day-to-day, from situation to situation. If the alignment and values of the organization are correctly facilitated then motivational methods will work but if the alignment is off, no motivational method of any sort will work (Chapman, 2010).

Many motivational theories can be applied to most any situation but the most important theory is valuing each individual in the organization. Many organizations use incentive programs to appeal to the employee's needs for recognition, and reward for excellent attendance, Using Abraham Maslow's need hierarchy could be difficult because people do not necessary follow in the steps of the pyramid but people are motivated because he or she needs to survive, so by being absent on a frequent basis shows that he or she has a major medical problem in which managers now request a verification documentation from a doctor if his or her absenteeism is excessive (Swansbro, nd.).

Sometimes absenteeism is based on other reasons, such as car problems, family issues, or other personal dilemmas, in which organizations take into consideration. Having a situation such as absenteeism can be resolved through the concern of the organization and regular communication. Bringing the attention to the employee of the situation and offering help that will accommodate any hardships that the individual is experiencing will give some incentive or motivation to change (Swansbro, nd).

Motivational theories such as expectancy, reinforcement, and goal setting to absenteeism can be instrumental