Motivating the employees: Applying theories of motivation

Running Head: Block 2 1
Motivating the employees
Applying theories of motivation
Cineplex employs about 13,000 people and it is a great task to keep them motivated so that the
organization achieves its desired results (Cineplex, 2017). Amongst the several theories of
motivation we would apply here Vroom’s expectancy theory and goal-setting theory.
Vroom’s expectancy theory
Expectancy theory proposes that people can be motivated to do a certain task if the outcome of
that behavior is desirable to them (DuBrin, 2011). As the value of reward differs from one
employee to another, individual differences should be considered before deciding to reward a
particular employee.
Goal-setting theory
Using the goal setting theory the team managers at Cineplex can sit with their employees on an
individual basis and decide on an action plan to reach a goal that is in line with the overall
organizational goal. To decide the goal for an individual SMART (Specific, measurable,
achievable, reliable and time-bound) tool can be used.
Motivational approaches
At Cineplex there would be some employees who are intrinsically motivated. They love the work
with all its challenges and need no external motivation. On the other hand there are people who
are externally motivated and need rewards and punishment to keep them motivated. There are
different approaches to motivate such individuals.
In case of Cineplex it’s recommended to use a combination of goal setting and expectancy theory
approaches to motivate externally motivated people. First the team manager should determine
long term goal of every individual employee in line with the organizational goal and individual
capability. Then an action plan towards the achievement of the goal needs to be determined. It is
important to reward the employee on positive performance towards the goal. The reward should
be something that the employee desires.

Block 2 2
According to the Expectancy theory, the employees would act in a particular way if the reward
on performance is desirable to them. So, by rewarding them with something that they desire for
performing towards the achievement of organization goal, the employees of Cineplex can be
motivated to be more efficient.
Time-shifting approaches
It is important to understand that traditional theories of motivation do not always work. As an
effective manager, you should consider about shifting your motivational approach when
traditional methods of motivation starts failing. One method that can lead to high levels of
motivation is ARC which is the acronym for autonomy, relatedness and competence (Fowler,
2014).
In cineplex, which is a large organization there are more than 10,000 employees (Cineplex, 2017).
In such a large organization a universal motivation theory applied across the organization might
not succeed. Thus the organization should be divided into small task groups or teams. Each team
is assigned a manager.
The manager should let each employee know about the importance of his role in the team and
organization. The employee should be made aware about the importance of his job and how it
fits into the larger picture (Fowler, 2014). The manager should also give the employees some
degree of autonomy in relation to his job. It is also important that the manager lets the employee
know about his or her competence and motivate if the employee is feeling a bit down.
Groups and teams in the organization
Tuckman’s model of group development
According to Tuckman the group development passes through 5 different stages. These are
forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Bonebright, 2010). At Cineplex the
current stage of group development is norming. The internal conflicts between the members have
subsided and the group norms are being laid down.

Block 2 3
Roles of group members
After the conflicts amongst the group members in the forming and storming stages have subsided
the members are now well aware of their roles in the norming stage. These roles have been
designed according to his conflicts and are in line with the overall goal of the group.
Group norms
Group norms are informal guidelines that guide the behavior of the group members at Cineplex.
They help the group members to conform to the operations and activity of the group. The norms
have been developed over the stages of development of the group spanning over the forming and
storming stages.
Team
A team consists of a group of people sharing a common goal and purpose. Teams have been
formed at Cineplex to achieve several goals like improvement in customer service.
Team building practices
In order to build an effective team it is important to follow certain principles. Some of this are-
1. The most important parameter that binds a team together is mutual trust and respect. It is
important to build trust among the team members.
2. It is important to define roles of the team members and lay down ground rules so that
there are no roles conflicts later.
3. It is also important that every team member gives and accepts constructive criticism that
helps towards attainment of individual and team goals.
Group think and social loafing
Whereas collaborations amongst group members can improve the over performance, groups can
also lead to problems like social loafing and group think. Group think is a serious issue as due to
the conformity amongst the group members it tends to hide the negative side of a particular
individual action (Kaba, Wishart, Fraser, Coderre & McLaughlin, 2016). Social loafing on the
other hand occurs when individual do not perform their share of the group task.
In order to avoid these from happening it is important to clearly define roles of individual group
members and encourage the culture of constructive feedback within the group.