Term Paper on "Job Redesign and Workplace Rewards Assessment"

Term Paper 6 pages (1848 words) Sources: 1 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Job Rewards

Job Redesign and Workplace Rewards Assessment - Outside Sales

Work Overview

The outside sales team is responsible for public relations, client relationships, customer service, promotional sales and advertising in the company. This job requires candidates with skills in each of these areas, including strong communication skills, the ability to network with others, an understanding of the basic concept of sales and marketing and enthusiasm for this line of work.

The company I work with currently uses some one-to-one-based rewards systems, where a manager rewards an individual team member for a sales goal they hit. Company wide reward systems that could be improved include the team member of the month reward system, which is currently not enforced well enough to prove motivating to the employees that work for the team I work in. Goals are set by individuals, instead of by team members and team leaders. Goals should be operational or applicable to the organization, but also individual so outside sales team members can collaborate and decide on goals appropriate to their work function.

In my workplace there are very few individuals that feel inspired or motivated to prove themselves as outstanding sales people. This is a reflection of the lack of interest by members of the sales team, the perceived lack of proper training and coaching and the support needed to direct new salespeople in the field. As Reeve (2001) notes, all of these skills, including the ability to communicate well and network with others in the field are critical to a member of an outside sales team. As these skills are lacking or not demonstrated well among the employees currently working at the company, it is evident the time has come to change the way we work.

Assessment

The assessment reviews the system of goal-setting, performance evaluation, and workplace rewards impacting productivity both positively and negatively.

Reeve (2001) notes a rewards program can be effective, but enforcing the rules and regulations necessary to promote prosperity and foster reward in any organization is not a cause and effect action, meaning managers and employers must go beyond reinforcement alone and find out what intrinsically motivates employees to follow protocol and deliver above and beyond the call of duty. There are many reasons for dissatisfaction among the currently outside sales team. These include the lack of ability to self-manage, and lack of quality communications and investment into the job team members are hired to do. The company would benefit by using a company wide rewards system, a one-to-one rewards system and by setting team goals along with individual goals to motivate outside sales members to perform at their best.

Reeve (2001) notes "mastery goals" and "acquired social needs" are critical to the individual engaged in sales positions (p. 188). This means the management team needs to get together with the outside sales team, and identify (1) who among the team can act as an effective team leader (2) what team members can do to elevate their status in the company (3) how power can be equally dispersed and used within a team to result in reward and recognition for everyone involved in the team. These elements can all prove motivational and inspirational to a team looking for something more than money in their job.

Currently the company pays outside sales team members a flat salary plus commissions. All sales people are encouraged to meat an individual sales goal for the year. When they do they are rewarded with a small bonus. A better motivational tool would be for the company to encourage the team to develop a group goal, and identify what tasks must be carried out to accomplish each goal set by the team. Then, when the team realizes their goal in the allotted time, the entire team is rewarded fairly. Each member may take on a specific task or function in the group to help the group carry out their goal, enabling each member an opportunity to share in self-management. However, the reward is only gained when each unit acts as a team, not someone that is only out to realize his or her own achievements. Far too often outside sales members become trapped in the ideology that they have to "beat" other members of their team to aspire to some defined prize. When everyone in the team works together however, to realize a common goal, the team as a whole and individuals in the team are more likely to realize greater success.

This process is collaboration as Reeve (2001) notes, and is a primary motivational mechanism outside sales forces and other organizational units can use to help people realize their own potential and competencies. By collaborating as a team to create a common goal, the team combines each individual member's talents. In doing so, members of the team with strong skills in one area may share their expertise with team members with strong skills in other areas. This promotes greater productivity and efficiency. Many people ask how this reward system contributes to self-management or development. This type of system promotes self-management in many ways, primarily in that it highlights the key skills each individual member of the outside sales team has, and enables that member to demonstrate their talent to others while others demonstrate their own skills. Someone that has mastery over a skill can teach new team members skills they did not have prior to joining the team, so everyone wins. The leader of the team may then turn to a mentor for guidance and knowledge sharing.

Teams can get together and brainstorm the many ways they can achieve their goals to the betterment of the company and their personal interests. They can use tools they may not have access to if they were to work independently. Because each member of the team is assigned a specific role they can self-manage, they fulfill their need for power because they have the ability to "influence" others and the job itself (Reeve, 175). This means the team member has influence over the way one handles and performs job tasks in a competent and successful manner.

A team-based performance review and evaluation system is best utilized when trying to motivate an outside sales force. This is because if individual rewards are highlighted, team members are more likely to work against each other rather than hit sales targets by collaborating with each member. Teams that work on shared goals are much more likely according to Reeve (2001) to meet their goals than individuals working for themselves alone.

Praise and reward are powerful influencers of performance for an outside sales team. For this reason the company should enact a leader of the month member or outstanding team member of the month to help encourage team members to realize their individual and team goals. An employee of the year reward may also encourage individual members of the team and individuals working in the company as a whole to do their best to realize this reward. This reward may include a special parking place the employee or team member of the month or year may use, and a small bonus or gift certificate the individual can use in multiple places. The company would benefit by asking team members and other employees what types of rewards would result in positive performance. Undoubtedly many answers would flood management, however if enough people provide their insight, the top management members of the organization should start realizing certain themes.

For example, most outside team members would thrive better with less pressure. Thus the use of a team goal and a team reward may prove more useful than individual rewards. To make sure individuals working in a team feel important however, the management or supervisor of the team can offer individual praise, especially when a team member does work that proves exceptionally beneficial or productive to the company. During performance review sessions, team leaders and management should ask members of the outside sales team what they believe motivates them to do a good job. The chances are high according to many including Reeve (2001) that people will not always state money of financial elements the primary motivator on-the-job. In fact, most people do not want more money necessarily; they would rather receive more recognition for the hard work they put in every day, and their commitment to the company.

One way to reward employees that commit to the company would be to provide outside sales members rewards when they reach their 1-year, 3-year and 5-year of service. This reward may also be non-monetary in nature; the organization may for example, offer the team member or individual at this point an extra paid day off during the year, or may provide them with a free lunch on the house at a local restaurant of the employee's choice. The key to rewarding and motivating employees regardless of their position is discovering individual preferences for rewards and motivation.

The outside sales team also benefits by what Reeve calls the "organismic" motivational… READ MORE

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