Dissertation on "Employee Motivation in a Pcba Contract Manufacturing"

Dissertation 64 pages (17554 words) Sources: 72

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Employee motivation in a PCBA contract manufacturing industry -- an example of Plexus

Today many organizations are going through change due to globalization and ever changing technology. Organizations have to cope with these changes by broadening their networks, introducing new systems at work place, hiring new staff or other many such type of changes. These changes influence workplace atmospheres as well as existing employees and they feel it difficult to cope with the changes. Current paper is a case study of Plexus Company a part of the PCB contract company. Plexus organization went through change as its widened its network and as a result workplace atmosphere was affected. The researcher explored the change affect in the company at operational level by exploring the factors of trust, communication and employee morale in the change management. For this purpose a survey was conducted with the 200 employees at two different departments of Plexus followed by interviews with four directors. The results of the study revealed that employee morale, their trust in management and communication methods adopted by mangers have positive correlations with employee's willingness to accept change.

The study tested three hypotheses. Based on previous literature it was hypothesized that: 1) there is a linear correlation between communication methods applied and employee morale; 2) Employee satisfaction with managerial communication will be positively associated with employees' affective commitment to organizational change. Overall survey and interview results support hypotheses 1 and 2. The results from survey show that communication methods adopted by management have great influence on employee morale. The interview results also support the notion.

The original premise of this project was that leadership and communication styles determined the state of organizational morale. Although the research indicated that this was generally true, there were some unexpected revelations that revealed the relationship among change management, communication, and morale to be somewhat more complex than and not nearly as linear as was first surmised. The interviews described that they used appreciation and public rewards to boost employees' morale.

Table of Contents

Employee motivation in a PCBA contract manufacturing industry -- an example of Plexus

Chapter I-Introduction

Background of the Study

Problem Statement

Organization Chart

Purpose of the Study

Research Questions and Hypothesis

Chapter II Literature Review (5000)

Introduction

Outcomes of Change Initiatives

Motivation

Theory X and theory Y

Systems Theory

Change Management

The Role of Leadership

Behavior which is considered detrimental to the unit's functioning

The behaviors that contribute to optimal team functioning within a larger systems environment

Impact of the Economic Environment on Employee Motivation and Engagement

Theoretical Framework-Seeking Change Management Strategies

Communication

Communication Styles and the Impact on Organizational Health

Mental Models, Culture and Change

Trust, Leadership and Change

Morale

Chapter III-Methodology (2500)

Research Design

Strengths and weaknesses of the case study method

Research Instrument

Sample

Confidentiality & Ethical Considerations

Data Collection

Data Analysis

Interview Data

Chapter Summary

Chapter IV-Data Analysis (7500)

Overview

Survey Results

Correlations

Differences between two groups

Interview Results

The main themes

Employee involvement in decision making

Communication and Personal relationships are used to gain workers trust

Difference in Level of Resistance of change

Methods to Boost Employees Morale

Communication

Employees influence the decision making process

Suggestions for improvement

Summary of the Results

Chapter-5 Conclusion and Recommendations (3300)

Introduction

Restatement of the Purpose of the Study

Restatement of Research Questions

Results

Conclusion

How the management at Plexus established the interfaces while going through organizational change?

How the restructuring process effect employee morale during restructuring process

Does employee satisfaction with communication method have association with employee commitment to effective organizational change?

Recommendation

References

Annexure -- a Consent Form

87

Annexure-B-Survey Questionnaire

Annexure-C-Interview Questions

Employee motivation in a PCBA contract manufacturing industry -- an example of Plexus

Chapter I-Introduction

Background of the Study

During the last few decades due to globalization and international trade firms and organization have expanded their networks and have become more mature. To expand beyond the home country firms have to consider on the strengths that helped them to be successful domestically. These strengths include the competitiveness of their brands, skills in marketing, innovative products and procedures, and ability to manage their supply chains as well as capability to manage change at functional level.

Further, in order to stay competitive in the current global economy, many organizations feel pressure to strategically streamline costs by reorganizing, downsizing or gaining resources through merging with or acquiring another organization. Consequently, the prevalence of organizational change has increased over the past decade and continuous as the competition in the global market rises. After experiencing organizational change, employees who "survive" must deal with the after-effects, including, for example, increased workload, loss of colleagues, continued uncertainty, and job insecurity (Lines, J, 2004). Due to these after-effects, change often results in high turnover, lowered morale, satisfaction and commitment, unproductive behavior, sabotage, and absenteeism (Morrison & Robinson, 1997; Robinson, 1996).

Despite the fact that there is a great deal of information available to managers on how to manage organizational change, roughly three-quarters of changes fail typically because organizations (management) tend to focus on strategic orientation, finances and cutting costs while failing to provide the organization with any true enhancements in how work is accomplished and overlooking human resource needs (Kotter, 1995; Miller, 1994; Sastry, 1997). In the defense of these failed changes, Marks (2006) argues that it is challenging for executives to effectively facilitate change and apply best practices because, in reality, mergers and acquisitions often happen in secrecy for competitive and legal reasons. As a result, given that executives must keep a tight lid on their intentions, it is not always possible to follow best-practice advice that tells managers, for example, that in order to facilitate change there must be open communication with employees early in the process, and/or the incorporation of employee involvement in decision-making to increase buy-in. therefore, in many cases, particularly with mergers and acquisitions requiring secrecy, strategies to facilitate smooth transitions, such as increased participation (Glew, O'Leary-Kelly, Griffin, & Van Fleet, 1995) and open communication (Schweiger & DeNisi, 1991; Young & Post, 1993), are not very practical. Hence, there is disconnect between the ideal and practical enactment of organizational change, which may explain why there continues to be many negative attitudinal and behavioral consequences of change.

From the above discussion it is evident that organizational change is a challenging process and the impact of such change runs deep for employees who have remained with the organization during times of turmoil and uncertainty, affecting emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. Specifically, organizational change has been found to be a critical event that may create or destroy trust in management (Lines, 2005; Morgan & Zeffane, 2003). At its core, organizational change may break the relational exchange between employees and the organization, leading to a loss of trust (Lines, 2005)

Further, satisfaction appears to be a problem even for the employees who remain in their jobs. A 2009 job satisfaction survey conducted by the Conference Board revealed that job satisfaction levels in the United States are at an all-time low. Only 45% of American employees are satisfied with their jobs, compared to 61% in 1987 (Gibbons, 2010). According to CNN Money, 1 in 10 Americans is out of a job and those who are employed are increasingly dissatisfied. One explanation for the lowered satisfaction is that the decreased availability of jobs has made it difficult for employees to find challenging and interesting work. Cost-cutting and downsizing initiatives also have a negative effect on satisfaction ("U.S. Job Satisfaction," 2010). Satisfaction has been linked to increased retention and productivity, among other organizational benefits (Bedeian & Armenakis, 1981). Therefore, undermined satisfaction delivers another blow to organizations trying to achieve their objectives in the midst of economic woes.

Another important factor in successfully managing change is the communication between managers and subordinates about change in which methods of communication play an important role. It is very important that employees are informed about change on time and in an effective manner. Wheatley (2005) has discussed this notion by focusing on the role of the leader. She discusses that the role of leader can play a role in implementing change by continuously supporting conversations within teams and groups with the objective to clarify their goals. Thus communication is the major factor to organize the process of change process.

Problem Statement

For the past 10-year, Electronic Manufacturing Service provider (EMS) Company had shown rapid growth, Global EMS industry turnover grew from year 1996 - $59 billion to year 2000 - $141 billion with an annual growth rate of 20 -- 25% (Sherman & Berry, 2005; Zhai, Shi and Gregor, 2007). EMS Turnover hit 270 billion in 2009 and estimates it may grow up to 479 billions on coming years mainly in APAC. EMS main product is continuing growing especially on computer, consumer and communication sector (Buetow, Mar 2011). Plexus Corporation, a contract manufacturing company based in Neenah WI, U.S. growth significantly on the outsourcing trend

At the organizational level; because of the fast changing, systemic, and complex nature of so many of our… READ MORE

How to Reference "Employee Motivation in a Pcba Contract Manufacturing" Dissertation in a Bibliography

Related Dissertations:

Employee Motivation Concepts and Theories Term Paper

Employee Motivation / Concepts & Theories

Employee Motivation: Theories and Concepts

The issue of employee motivation is one that has become a central concern of management and leadership in modern… read more

Term Paper 20 pages (5502 words) Sources: 15 Style: MLA Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Motivation Is a Central Principle Term Paper

motivation is a central principle within the science of psychology. When people fail and succeed, especially in the workplace, their tendencies and actions give a clear description of their personality… read more

Term Paper 15 pages (3903 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Employee Motivation Roles and Approaches of Managers Thesis

Employee Motivation

Roles and approaches of managers of in employee motivation

Employees' enthusiasm is important for the success of every organization. For employees to be enthusiastic about their jobs, the… read more

Thesis 3 pages (820 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Employee Training and Career Development Term Paper

Employee Training and Career Development

Employee training involves learning done by an employee. It seeks a permanent change in the employees that lead to the improvement of their job performance.… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (1266 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Study of High Employee Turnover in a Florida Comprehensive Services Company Term Paper

High Employee Turnover in a Florida

In recent years, organizational knowledge and employee turnover have been the focus of an increasing amount of attention from management experts seeking to identify… read more

Term Paper 18 pages (4781 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>