Leadership Essay: Employee Motivation, Wicked Problems, and Leadership

This essay delves into the critical issue of employee motivation, identifying it as a wicked problem within a business context. It meticulously applies the characteristics of wicked problems, justifying the chosen issue through in-depth analysis. The essay then utilizes the competing values framework to dissect the problem, pinpointing the interplay of competing values and discussing their implications. Furthermore, it explores potential leadership implications, emphasizing the crucial role of leaders in fostering a motivated workforce and achieving organizational excellence. The paper concludes by highlighting the significance of leadership in addressing this complex challenge and providing practical strategies for improvement.

Running head: LEADERSHIP
Leadership
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Description of identified ‘social or business issue’ problem...........................................................3
Discussion of wicked problem characteristics as applying to ‘social or business issue problem. . .4
Discussion and justification that ‘social or business issue problem is a wicked problem...............4
Discussion of application of competing values framework to wicked problem..............................5
Discussion of implication and interplay of identified competing values in the wicked problem....6
Discuss potential leadership implications........................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Executive Summary
The following paper discusses around the wicked problem in the business management context.
The wicked problem that has been addressed in this paper is that of the lack of employee
motivation. The employees are not properly motivated and this has been the main reason for the
losses of the organizations. The justification for choosing this issue as the wicked problem has
been given in this paper. The roles of the leaders have been described by the implementation of
the competing values framework. The responsibility of the organizational leaders in mitigating
this challenge has been highlighted as well.

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Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the significance of the wicked problems in the
business context. The business organizations always try to operate their businesses in a smooth
manner so they can get the maximum success. In this context it can be said that some of the
business organizations face some important issues and problems that can be recognized and
identified as the wicked problems (Lazaroiu, 2015). These wicked problems will have to be
identified and some probable solutions should be found as to how the wicked problems could be
solved with the implementation of the proper leadership. These issues or the wicked problems
will be discussed in this paper.
Description of identified ‘social or business issue’ problem
The business issue that has been identified in this course as a wicked problem is that of the
implementation of the proper strategies in the organizations to get the profits. This strategy can
be the marketing strategy, the leadership problem ir any other problem relating to the overall
performance and productivity of the organization (Lazaroiu, 2015). It has been seen many times
that the companies have failed to adopt the proper HR management policies or the operations
programs. These things have resulted in the loss of the organizations in certain areas. To be
specific, the wicked problem can be identified as the lack of motivation among the employees in
providing the desired productivity (Lazaroiu, 2015). This hampers the organizational integrity as
well. This has been perceived as a wicked problem because it surely lacks the definitive
formulation. The probable solutions for this problem can either be good solutions or bad
solutions. This is considered as a wide ranging business issue all over the world and the
organizations have suffered huge losses because of this as well. The proper or best solution to
this wicked problem is very hard to find (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014).

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Discussion of wicked problem characteristics as applying to ‘social or business issue
problem
There are some characteristics that could be very important for the business organizations
to progress. The various characteristics that this wicked problem has are there are certain causes
of why this problem has been created and there are no stopping rules to determine the finding of
the solution (Dobre, 2013). The trial and error method for resolving these issues cannot be used
since the prolonging of this issue will hamper the overall productivity of the organization indeed.
This wicked problem can be defined as a root for the other problem of the decrease in the
organizational excellence and creativity. Thus these characteristics together will determine the
fact that this issue of lack of motivation among the employees can be a big deal in regards to the
progress of the organization (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013).
Discussion and justification that ‘social or business issue problem is a wicked problem
This identified problem in the business context can be justified as a wicked problem since
the organizations have been suffering from it largely and they need some way out to get rid of
this problem (Dobre, 2013). If there are any such discrepancies within the wicked problem, the
organizations could define and explain these issues in the multiple ways indeed. One of the most
important and innovative solution for this problem for this wicked problem is the implementation
of the proper leadership strategies on the employees. The lack of motivation among the
employees is the responsibility of the higher level managers Chaudhary, N., & Sharma, B.
(2012). The authorities should recognize the importance of applying the proper leadership
strategies so they can provide the employees all sorts of benefits and facilities within the
organization. As the higher level managers have not planned the entire session properly of
motivating the employees, this has turned out to be a blunder for them (Drenkard, 2012). There

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is a huge importance of building the proper strategies. The capabilities of the employees should
be judged and the work pressure should be distributed accordingly. As these things have been
overlooked, this has created a huge issue within the organization (Rajhans, 2012).
Discussion of application of competing values framework to wicked problem
The communication within the organization should be increased and the leaders should
be able to communicate with the leaders in the best ways to find out the ways the employees can
be motivated. The competing values framework will be used and implemented in the course of
this wicked problem. This competing values framework has some four basic quadrants. These
are the internal process model, Open systems model, Rational gold model and Human relations
model. The human relations model could be best applied in this context. As the lack of
motivation among the employees will hamper the general operations of the organizations, the HR
managers will need to address the situation with utmost seriousness (Mahdinezhad & Suandi,
2013).
The HR department should always look to solve this issue by setting up good human
relations between the employees and managers. The managers will have to make the employees
understand the objectives of the organization (Rajhans, 2012). Then only the employees will be
directed towards achieving the objectives. If the employees feel isolated than the others, this will
be highly de-motivating for them as well (Bolman & Deal, 2017). The employees should always
be given the proper training indeed. This will have to be given by the human resource
department only. The team cohesion must be built among the employees. This will positively
lead them to become united with parting their distances aside. The effectiveness of the managers
can be practiced in this manner as the employees will work towards achieving a common goal
indeed (Shields et al., 2015).

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Discussion of implication and interplay of identified competing values in the wicked
problem
The identified competing values are the implementation of the human relations model. It
is because the most important factor in this context is that of establishing a good relationship
between the employees and the managers. This factor is immensely important since the managers
will need to make the employees achieve the organizational objectives. The implication of this
model should be done properly as well (Head & Alford, 2015). This is how the organization will
shape up properly for making the profits. This wicked problem can only be solved if the
organizational effectiveness should reach out to be the most effective need. The people within
the organizations should abide by the programs that are being set indeed. One of the most
important things by which the organization could make the profits is to shape up the
organizational culture in a proper manner (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Thus the interplay should be
managed by the higher authority managers. The roles of the managers and the leaders will play a
very important role in the process.
Discuss potential leadership implications
The leaders will play a key role in the implication of the entire process indeed. It is duly
the responsibility of the leaders to play out their responsibilities in the best ways. The leaders
should sit with the employees and discuss about the organizational culture, values and other
things. This will enable them to understand the ways in which they will mitigate the risks within
the organization (Head & Alford, 2015). The main responsibility of the leaders is to motivate the
employees do what will be best for achieving the profits. This competing values framework
should be used as a strategic tool to measure the performance of the employees. and lead the
organization towards achieving the organizational excellence (Fyke & Buzzanell, 2013).

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The managers of the organization should not work as the strict people just ordering the
ways but they should always lead the people and supervise them for the betterment of the
organization in all the ways. The leaders should look out for the roots of this wicked problem of
lack of motivation among the employees. When they are able to find it, they will go on to
educate the employees and motivate the employees (Fyke & Buzzanell, 2013). The leaders
should supervise the employees and find out their possible strengths and weaknesses. These
things will help to understand these even better. The leaders can arrange for some training
programs and present some rewards and recognitions for the employees. These rewards will
definitely act as the positive motivation indeed. Thus the organizational leaders will go on to lead
the way for achieving the organizational excellence.
Conclusion
This paper can be concluded by saying that the lack of motivation has been identified as
the business issue that requires the utmost attention by the organizational leaders to achieve the
excellence. This wicked problem has been justified to be called a ‘wicked problem’. The
organizations should always make way for applying some policies and programs that would lead
their ways to become the most successful organizations. The main characteristics of the wicked
problem have been discussed here positively. Ot can be said in this context the organizational
leaders will always play the most vital role in motivating the employees by arranging for some
training programs and others. Thus the motivated employees will work harder to succeed on the
organizational objectives.

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References
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
John Wiley & Sons.
Chaudhary, N., & Sharma, B. (2012). Impact of employee motivation on performance
(productivity) in private organization. International Journal of Business Trends and
Technology, 2(4), 29-35.
Dobre, O. I. (2013). Employee motivation and organizational performance. Review of Applied
Socio-Economic Research, 5(1).
Drenkard, K. (2012). The transformative power of personal and organizational
leadership. Nursing administration quarterly, 36(2), 147-154.
Fyke, J. P., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2013). The ethics of conscious capitalism: Wicked problems in
leading change and changing leaders. Human Relations, 66(12), 1619-1643.
Head, B. W., & Alford, J. (2015). Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and
management. Administration & Society, 47(6), 711-739.
Lazaroiu, G. (2015). Employee motivation and job performance. Linguistic and Philosophical
Investigations, 14, 97.
Mahdinezhad, M., & Suandi, B. (2013). Transformational, Transactional Leadership Styles and
Job Performance of Academic Leaders. International Education Studies, 6(11), 29-34.
Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., & Swamy, D. R. (2014). Leadership styles. Advances in
management, 7(2), 57.

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Odumeru, J. A., & Ogbonna, I. G. (2013). Transformational vs. transactional leadership theories:
Evidence in literature. International Review of Management and Business Research, 2(2),
355.
Rajhans, K. (2012). Effective organizational communication: A key to employee motivation and
performance. Interscience Management Review, 2(2), 81-85.
Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., ... &
Plimmer, G. (2015). Managing employee performance & reward: Concepts, practices,
strategies. Cambridge University Press.