Term Paper on "Motivation Group Dynamics and Leading Teams"

Term Paper 15 pages (4920 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Motivation, Group Dynamics and Leading Teams

The contemporary tendencies in the field of business impose the use of teams and team work in order to render companies more competitive and more successful. Human resources have become a strategic asset for any organization, regardless of its filed of action. Under these circumstances, the importance of a coherent functioning of teams within a company has become fundamental. The direct implication of this fact is to be found in the area of motivation. The expectancy theory provides a complex analysis instrument from this point-of-view, helping us to understand the relation between the expectations that people have and the amount of effort that they would be willing to make in order to achieve a goal. In addition, the rules of efficient team leading and the control of group dynamics must be underlined as being relevant for the successful running of business.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relation between motivation and the dynamics of the groups as well as team leading. The hypothesis that the paper wishes to demonstrate is that motivational techniques have a positive impact upon the functioning of groups as well as upon the process of team leading.

Background

The discussion of the matter in question is important under the circumstances of the contemporary management and Human Resources policies. A working place is not a mere working place anymore. It is a place where people try to satisfy their needs and desires. The work place is the one where an individual builds one of his social roles. What you do is what you are. In other words, the work place is an environment where one of the components of the social status is created.

Taking all these aspects into consideration, it is needless to say that the financial aspect involved by motivational techniques is not sufficient. Psychological stimulation is also needed and people need to be offered all kinds of daily incentives. " Wages can not always be increased, especially with global competition, work motivation is usually diminished by job simplification and improving employees satisfaction is a worthy goal in itself. Consequently, theories focused on improving motivation and satisfaction were developed " (Steel, Konig, 2006).

Human resources have become a strategic asset for all the companies, regardless of their functioning area, since the technological resources are more or less available for everyone. Therefore, the difference in the development of a company and its success highly depends on its employees. The contemporary perspectives upon employees no longer regard them as mere action-performers, but members of an integrated team. In this context, the job of the team management is rather difficult when it comes to satisfying the needs of each individual. The difficulty of this task arises from the differences between people. While one should try to preserve these differences and use the potential and talent of each individual at a maximum level, managers must also keep the teams functioning in a coherent manner.

Approach

As far as the approaches to each of the concepts analysed by the paper are concerned, the ones that have been found to be the most complex will be used. The expectancy theory will be discussed regarding the theme of motivation. The second major theme, that is the one of group dynamics will be focused on the five stage model of forming- storming- norming-performing and adjourning. The last major theme that the paper brings into discussion - leading team- is to be approached from the perspective of the need to create effective teams.

Limitations

The limitations of the approach may be found in the fact that the analysis has remained theoretical and in the use of a restricted number of theories. There are various researches and case studies which analyze the themes discussed by this paper. Many of them could have been used in order to provide a deeper perspective upon the matters of motivation, group dynamics and team leading. Nevertheless, it must be mentioned that the paper does not wish to present an exhaustive view upon its subject, but rather demonstrate its hypothesis with the help of the theories which have been considered relevant.

Motivation

There are various theories which attempt to explain the mechanism through which a company can properly motivate its employees. Motivation could be defined as the means through which the needs and desires of an individual are fulfilled so that he is stimulated to perform certain actions. Basic needs, such as the one for food, water and shelter must be fulfilled first. Then, there are more complex needs, such as the one to belong to a group or the one regarding self development and self achievement which must also be satisfied. Although the issue may not seem to represent a problem, the complex variables that it implies turns it into a real challenge.

If in theory, the satisfaction of the needs which have been mentioned above should be enough to motivate employees, practice shows a different reality. So the question arises, why are not people satisfied and motivated even when they earn a lot of money and have an important job proving them with a high social status? And if people are not motivated enough under these circumstances, how can one efficiently motivate people with routine jobs? The solution is to be found in the very perspective upon the matter in question.

Besides the basic needs people need to get the feeling that they are going somewhere with their lives. A career, success and self development are crucial factors of motivation. But are they sufficient? Apparently not.

The values of the individual must be in a synergy relation with the values of the company he is working for. In addition, the sense of boredom and routine should be avoided in order to keep individuals passionate about what they do. Last but not least, it is important to organize working hours and tasks in a manner that will allow the individual to have a life outside the office and at the same time benefit from the opportunity of developing a career.

All this may sound nice and easy, but it is an almost impossible task. The reasons for this situation are multiple. First of all, companies are focused on profit. The contemporary tendencies of globalization and the maximum exploitation of technology make the saying "time is money" more relevant than ever. So how can one pay attention to the needs, values, desires and beliefs of individuals in the chase for profit? It is here where theory comes in helpful (to support and enhance practice).

Out of the numerous theories that analyze the motivational process, the expectancy theory is one of most complex. "Many researchers have proposed that expectancy theory provides an appropriate theoretical research framework that examines a user's acceptance of and intent to use a system" (Chen, Lou). The expectancy theory was originally conceived by Vroom in 1964 in order to explain human behaviour taking into account the individuals capacity to reason upon their actions and environment.

The hypothesis at the core of the theory is that people asses the efforts that they make in order to reach a certain outcome. Furthermore, they evaluate the possibility of that specific outcome to occur. " the choice of the amount of effort exerted by the individual is based on a systematic analysis of the values of the rewards from these outcomes and the likelihood of reaching these outcomes through his or her actions and effort " (Chen, Lou,).

There are two models which are interrelated that must be brought into discussion when analyzing the expectancy theory. One is the valence model, the other is the force model. The first model refers to the overall attractiveness of a process. This dimension is defined as the sum of the products of attractiveness implied by the mentioned process. The evaluation of these products of attractiveness is associated with the probability that the system has to produce the desired outcome. To sum up, the essential variables of the valence model are represented by valence, the perceived attractiveness of a certain outcome and the perceived probability for that outcome to be obtained.

The variables that the second model deals with are represented by the motivational force, the expectations that a certain amount of effort will lead to the desired outcome and the valence (or attractiveness) that has been obtained using the valence model. "The motivational force is the product of attractiveness of the system and the probability that a certain level of effort will result in a successful contribution to the system" (Chen, Lou,).

The core elements of the expectancy theory (that is value and expectancy) appear in other theories as well, such as "the self-efficacy theory, or in Gollwitzer's theory stating that feasibility is related to expectancy, while desirability is a form of value" (Steel, Konig, 2006) the manner in which this theory presents the course of action which is more likely to be taken is represented by the multiplying of expectancy and value (the… READ MORE

How to Reference "Motivation Group Dynamics and Leading Teams" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Group Dynamics and Leadership Group Work Thesis

Group Dynamics and Leadership

Group work is often used in business and educational settings in order to take advantage of the fact that individual excellence can be optimized by working… read more

Thesis 10 pages (3122 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Group Dynamics the Precarious Nature Thesis

Group Dynamics

The Precarious Nature of Group Dynamics

With the advent of the new millennium has come an increased focus on the workplace and the impact of sociological concepts within… read more

Thesis 8 pages (2447 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Motivation at Southwest Motivation Is the Ability Research Paper

Motivation at Southwest

Motivation is the ability to influence and persuade individuals or a group of individuals to achieve or accomplish organizational or institutional goals. Nevertheless, the necessary the study… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (2865 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Management / Organizations

---

Leading Organizational Change for Results White Paper

Leading Organizational Change for Results

Leadership of organizations face challenges in policy and decision-making, implementation, evaluation, and directing of individuals and organization in today's dynamic business environment. One of the… read more

White Paper 8 pages (2327 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Leading the Organization Insights From Management Dynamics Term Paper

Leading the Organization

Insights from Management Dynamics Inc., for the Virtual Team

In creating an effective team, every person involved needs to realize that it is their commitment and willingness… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (835 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>