Management and Motivation

This document discusses the importance of control in management, different management frameworks, and their strengths and weaknesses. It explores the benefits and challenges of output and self-regulation and direct supervision methods of management.

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Management and Motivation
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Introduction
Control is one of the significant and very significant roles of the managerial functions. It is a
crucial function because it aids in checking errors and to preparing corrective actions so that the
falling off from standards are minimal and the business objectives are achieved accordingly.
Control generally means setting standards, measuring actual performance and taking corrective
actions.
The controlling function of management involves confirming whether every procedure or
process occurs as it is planned. It also involves determining and asserting that the employees
perform their duties about the plans adopted, principles established and the instructions issued.
The controlling functions of management ensure that there is an efficient and effective use of the
resources which belongs to the organization to achieve the planned objectives and goals.
Controlling helps the managers to measure the attained level of performance and compare it with
the standards which are put in place to discover the deviations in performance. These deviations
are used by managers to improve the level of efficiency (Miner 2015). Setting standards and
controls the proper way is a challenge in many systems of organizations. Some theorists expect
the employees to come up with measures that are acceptable by them on the assumptions that
once an individual set a standard and a goal, they are bound to keep their word and therefore
would achieve and accept the set goals. The standards should be precise and communicated to all
the employees in a manner that they can understand. Different organizational frameworks are
used to execute the controlling function. These include direct supervision, bureaucratic
procedures, cultural control, and output and self-regulation. The management frameworks are
used by the managers to help them better organize and control their organizations and the
workers. In these discussions, we are going to consider only two approaches to analyze their

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weaknesses and strengths, their applicability and how the managers can use them to perform his
or her functions. The importance of control in management include motivating of efficient
employees, future planning, a decrease in risk, helps in coordination and decentralization, and
lastly and important it increases the size of an organization.
Output and Self-Regulation
Output and self-regulation organizational framework relies on the assumption that the workers
are goal oriented and adjust their behaviors based on the desired outcome. This theory helps the
managers to get the things done by delegating their responsibilities to the workers. In an
organization that operates by the output and self-regulation, workers feel motivated since they
are not coerced to perform their duties (Cook & Artino 2016). The framework works best when
the job specification is defined for every worker. The worker does his or her best to meet the
goals of the organization. People feel motivated to take even more significant challenges to feel
satisfaction.
In this organization control framework, the management assumes the underlying theories of
motivation drive their workers to perform their job. One of the theories of motivation that the
managers of these organizations use is the Maslow's hierarchy of needs the theory. Maslow's
hierarchy of needs triangle illustrates human motivation through the desire to satisfy human
needs (Ozguner & Ozguner 2014). At the bottom of the triangle are the physiological needs
which include air, food, water, shelter, and clothing. The highest of the human needs are
indicated at the highest point of the pyramid which is self-actualization and fulfillment. Workers
in an organization, therefore, feel motivated to perform their duties because they want to fulfill
their human needs.

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According to Maslow, people have to satisfy their lower needs first because needs take the form
of a hierarchy. People who are hungry, thirsty and lack of clothing will seek to meet their basic
needs first. Once they are satisfied at the lower level, they will be motivated to progress to the
next degree where they will seek the comfort of being with others (Allen Adomdza & Meyer
2015). This concept means that people only find higher needs when they are satisfied at lower
levels. It is essential to think of what would happen if the source of satisfaction is threatened
when the demands are not satisfied. For example, what would happen if a person takes away a
piece of meat from a hungry dog? The dog becomes aggressive and violent. Human beings too
work the same way. When their source of needs satisfaction is threatened, they become more
aggressive.
From the above analogy, managers use Maslow's hierarchy of needs to assume that people are
always motivated to work so that they can be promoted in their workplaces. The best performing
employees always get the job incentives or rewards which motivates their actions (Allen
Adomdza & Meyer 2015). Managers also assume that the workers would perform their duties
satisfactorily since they would not want their jobs taken away from them. Therefore, the workers
self-regulate themselves while their motivation is the output or the outcome.
Benefits of Output and Self-Regulation Method of Management
The advantages of output and self-regulation method are that it produces popular leaders in
organizations and plays a vital role in individual behavior and performance. This method of
management gives the workers or the employees their space to perform their duties based on
their ability to perform and creativity level (Storey 2014). The freedom given to the employees
creates a good relationship between the leaders and the workers in an organization.

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Another benefit of this method of management is that it encourages diversity and innovation.
Since the workers are motivated to satisfy their higher needs of fulfillment in the workplaces,
they always become innovative and come up with new and efficient methods of performance.
The managers also make the workers feel that their opinions matter in the workplaces and it is
these opinions which bring about the innovativeness.
Thirdly self-regulation can help minimize information asymmetry in the market. It also allows
individuals to internalize behavior and principles since the rules are based on the social norms
and conduct of peers rather than top-down unbending guidelines. It further enhances a deep
instillation of respect and acceptance of the rules and results in better steady behavior and avoids
adversarial situations in which firms try to find exceptions to externally imposed rules. This
generally will increase productivity in the organization, and thus objectives are fulfilled.
Challenges of the Output and Self-Regulation Method of Management
This method might encourage laziness and delay among the employees since they do not get any
pressure from the managers to perform. Since the method of management works on assumptions
that people always desire to satisfy their higher needs, it gives a lot of freedom to the workers
who might be harmful to the organization. From the general knowledge that not all employees
are self-driven, this method may promote performance inefficiencies and ineffectiveness.
Direct Supervision
Direct supervision is a managerial framework where the manager aligns individual performance
and the employee's expectations with the organizational goals. Here the manager acts as a
supervisor who inspects the employees regularly and also works collaboratively with them to

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achieve the goals of the organization (Breevaart, Bakker & Demerouti 2014). In most of the
times, a supervisor performs some of the duties together with the employees so that he or she can
demonstrate how the operations and processes are supposed to be rolled out. Direct supervision
framework requires the managers to evaluate the employee's performance to correct the mistakes
and recommend some of the best practices.
According to the theories of motivations, direct supervision assumes that the workers cannot
perform their duties well if they are not supervised. Therefore the best theory that a manager who
employs the direct supervision method should use is the McGregor’s theory X and the theory Y
theory of motivation. While trying to motivate workers to have the work done, a manager is
supposed to identify two assumptions about his or her worker. The two assumptions are called
theory X and theory Y. The manager is supposed to base theory X on the following assumptions:
Theory X
• Workers are always lazy by nature, and they work as little as possible.
• Workers do not like responsibilities, and they like to be led.
• Workers give their needs the priority, and the organization comes second.
• Workers are resistant to change.
Theory Y
• Workers naturally have the potential for responsibility and development.
• Workers have the will to direct their efforts towards attainment of the organization's goals
• Workers are not resistant to change.

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The direct supervision method of management uses the assumptions of theory X to have the
work done by the employees. The assumptions help the leader or the manager to use the control
or the coercive structure to direct the employees (Gürbüz et al. 2014). The manager here assumes
that the workers are not self-motivated and they have to be given work related pressure to
perform.
Benefits of the Direct Supervision Method of Management
Direct supervision gets a job done quickly as they do not allow any excuses within the
workplace. The supervisory leader expects that the workers follow the orders which are given to
get the work done. In this method of management, the workers have no other option apart from
getting the job done which makes the job to be done quickly and faster (Gürbüz et al. 2014).
Also, direct supervision creates an immediate increase in the level of productivity because the
supervisors create the outline and vision of the work that needs to be done hence making the
organization goals a priority among the workers.
Challenges of Direct Supervision Method of Management
This method of management eliminates innovation, diversity, and creativity. Since the managers
have a clear blueprint of how the operations should be, the workers have no space for
demonstrating their innovativeness and creativity (Gürbüz et al. 2014). Also, people are not
allowed to have their opinions about how a particular function may be carried out. Although this

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method gives the leader control over the business processes, it eliminates creativity and new
ideas from the employees.
Reflective Commentary
Stuart Pritchard explains the theories of motivation and gives the strengths and weaknesses of
these theories. As a manager, I would agree to some extent with the Maslow’s a hierarchy of
need since the human needs are not satiable as he puts it. On the other hand, I would differ with
Maslow's hierarchy of human needs since he says that an individual has to satisfy the lower
needs first. As a learner, I have always found myself wanting to become a top-level manager,
and I'm not yet a worker or an employee in such a company. That means that the lower needs do
not need to be satisfied first for one to desire the higher needs.
McGregor's theory X and Y has a lot of sense in it since it assumes that human behaviors are
predictable which a fact is. However, the weakness with theory X is that it treats all people as
children. People always tend to react negatively when they are treated wrongly (Davison &
Smothers 2015). As a worker, I would not like my manager to assume that I am lazy while in the
actual sense I am not. Treating me negatively would lower my motivation since I would feel like
I am not respected. The managers who operate by the theory X ends up becoming unpopular
among their employees since no one wants to be seen as lazy, irresponsible or unproductive.

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List of References
Allen, M.R., Adomdza, G.K. and Meyer, M.H., (2015). ‘Managing for innovation: Managerial
control and employee level outcomes’, Journal of Business Research, 68(2), pp.371-379.
Breevaart. K, Bakker, A.B and Demerouti, E., (2014). Daily self-management and employee
work engagement’. , Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(1), pp.31-38.
Cook, D.A. and Artino Jr, A.R., (2016). ‘Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary
theories’, Medical Education, 50(10), pp.997-1014.
Gürbüz, S., Şahin, F. and Köksal, O., (2014). ‘Revisiting of Theory X and Y: A multilevel
analysis of the effects of leaders’ managerial assumptions on followers’ attitudes’,
Management Decision, 52(10), pp. 1888-1906.
Davison, H.K. and Smothers, J., (2015). ‘How Theory X style of management arose from a
fundamental attribution error’, Journal of Management History, 21(2), pp.210-231.
Miner, J.B., (2015). Organizational Behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership.
Routledge
Ozguner, Z. and Ozguner, M., 2014, ‘A managerial point of view on the relationship between
Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Herzberg's dual factor theory’, International Journal of
Business and Social Science, vol. 5, no.7.
Storey, J., 2014, Managerial Prerogative and the Question of Control, (Routledge Revivals).
Routledge.

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