MBA Project: Teamwork Effectiveness on Employee Motivation in Malaysia

This MBA project investigates the impact of teamwork effectiveness on employee motivation within an Enrichment Centre in Malaysia. The study explores key concepts such as teamwork, motivation, leadership, communication, team trust, and rewards & recognition. It critically reviews teamwork theories and models like Tuckman's Theory, Belbin's Model, and the GRPI Model, further examining empirical studies conducted both in Malaysia and globally. A conceptual framework is presented, highlighting the relationships between leadership, communication, team trust, recognition & reward, and employee motivation. The research employs a positivism paradigm and explanatory research design, utilizing questionnaires for data collection from a sample of employees. Data analysis includes demographic analysis, normality and reliability tests, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to test hypotheses. The findings reveal the impact of teamwork on employee motivation, concluding with recommendations for enhancing teamwork effectiveness and suggestions for future research. Desklib provides access to this project and other solved assignments for students.

Impact of Teamwork Effectiveness on Employee
Motivation in Enrichment Centre at Malaysia

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
1Table of Contents
1. Introduction 4
1.1 Research Gap 10
1.2 Research Rationale 12
1.3 Significance of Research 15
1.4 Research Aims 16
1.5 Research Objective 16
1.6 Research Questions 16
2. Literature Review 17
2.1 Definition of Key Concepts 17
2.1.1 Teamwork 17
2.1.2 Motivation 18
2.1.3 Leadership 19
2.1.4 Communication 20
2.1.5 Team Trust 21
2.1.6 Rewards and Recognition 22
2.2 Critical Review of Teamwork theories and models 23
2.2.1 Tuckman Theory 23
2.2.2 Belbin’s Model 24

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
22.2.3 T7 Model 25
2.2.4 GRPI Model 27
2.2.5 Heckman Model 28
2.2.6 The Lafasto and Larson Model 29
2.3 Empirical studies 30
2.3.1 Empirical studies in Malaysia 30
2.3.2 Empirical studies Global 33
2.4 Conceptual Framework 35
2.4.1 Leadership & Employee Motivation 36
2.4.2 Communication & Employee Motivation 37
2.4.3 Team Trust & Employee Motivation 38
2.4.4 Recognition and Reward & Employee Motivation 39
3. Research Methodology 40
3.1 Research Paradigm 40
3.3 Research Strategy 43
3.4 Data Collection Method 44
3.5 Research Instrument 46
3.6 Total Population 49
3.7 Sample Size and Sampling Method 50
3.8 Ethical Issues and Accessibility 51

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
3Abstract 52
Chapter 4: Data Analysis 52
4.1 Demographic Analysis 53
4.2 Normality test 55
4.3 Reliability test 57
4.4 Descriptive statistics 58
4.5 Correlation Analysis 59
4.5.1 (i)Leadership(ii)Communication(iii)Team Trust(iv)Reward and Recognition & Employee
Motivation 61
4.6 Regression Analysis 62
4.6.1(i)Leadership(ii)Communication(iii)Team Trust(iv)Reward and Recognition & Employee
Motivation 62
4.6.2 Discussion on Hypothesis Findings: 64
5.0 Conclusion and Recommendation 67
5.1 conclusion 67
5.2 Recommendation 70
5.3 Limitation 70
5.4 Future research direction 71
Reference List 73

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
4
1. Introduction
The main purpose of the study is to cover various discussions related to impact of Teamwork
Effectiveness on Employee Motivation in Enrichment Centre in the context of Malaysia. By
Enrichment Centre, we mean a certain kind of private space where employee is offered with
different kind of training and motivation facilities. As per Warrick (2016), this is done in order
to make them more competitive and make them ready for doing different kind of work. This is
also done so that if any kind of job were given to them, they would be able to do the same.
Further, Korner et al. (2016) also suggested that providing with different and new kind of jobs
shall make them more competitive and creative and help in avoiding the same kind of repetitive
work for them every day. It can be said that the working of employees in teams helps to motivate
the employees a lot. As opined by Ghaferi and Dimick (2016), it can be said that if one of the
employees feels uninterested or demotivated, he/she feels the urge to work by looking at his
teammates. The collective team spirit helps in again by motivating him and bringing in the urge
inside him to work hard and perform better. Teamwork can be said to be highly effective in
ensuring and instilling proper kind of motivation among the minds and the hearts of the
employee of an organization (Hu and Liden, 2015). In the enrichment centers, when the
employees are given with different kind of new work to do (in order to avoid the repetitive
work), individual employees learn working on matter by looking at their more efficient and
knowledgeable colleagues and in this way, effective kind of motivation can be brought into their
minds (Cha et al. 2015).
There is many importance of teamwork for the organization as well as the team. Woodcock
(2017) opined that the team can achieve the common goals they need to meet and, in this way,
they can work in a collective way. Building up a team and working in this collective spirit instills
brotherhood and harmony between the team members or the employees of the organization. As
explained by McEwan et al. (2017), the good performers among them (in the team's) act as
leaders and they help in instilling the same kind of positive spirit among the others also. They
also help the others by motivating them and helping them out in their work. Hartgerinket al.

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
5(2014) suggested that the team can easily do a bulk of job easily with the participants of all the
members of the team, the work is divided among the team members, and each of the tasks are
divided among them and done efficiently. The job load on each member or employee becomes
less and all of the members in a single teamwork in unison in order achieve any kind of goal or
motive (Hanaysha, 2016). This helps them in achieving the goals and the targets they have to
meet. The teamwork also effectively helps in the growth and development of the organization as
a whole. It can be said that when the team is benefitted as a whole from the united functioning of
a team, the difference of team working in the same organization gets somewhat benefitted in
equal respect. As per Nieboer (2014), the overall contribution of the each of the different team
towards the whole of the organization can be thus said to be immense. As stated by Tjosvold
and Tjosvold (2015), the well performance made by the teams helps in raising the overall
productivity of the organization. This leads to an increase for profits that are being earned by the
concerned business organization. Thus, it can be said that in different of the manners, the
presence of team and the employees working in a team benefits the team as well as the
organization as a whole it also benefits and helps in the overall motivation and work enrichment
of the different employee functioning and working in the different business organization in
Malaysia.
As per the words of Katzenbach and Smith (2015), teamwork can be said to be an essential part
of the smooth working of any kind of business organization. The same is seen in Malaysia.
Teams are employed and made use of in different of the sectors of tasks that are carried out in
different of the business organization and different industries in the country. as per Nemiro
(2016) teams are made up in the various department of an organization such as Sales, Marketing,
Management, Operational, Technical, Administrative, Accounting etc. At the Enrichment
Centre, teamwork has been an essential part for the carrying out of different kind of activities.
Mainly each of the teams comprised of 10 members and each of the team have a manager. as
opined by Flaherty (2015), the most efficient team members are regarded as the leader of the
team and the person helps the manager to take good care of the team. as per the lines of Luthans
et al. (2015), the leader plays role in guiding and motivating them. He also ensures to instill team
and united spirit among all of them. The workers work in an unseen basis and this helps them

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
6achieving all of the task and the goals that are being given to them. In the organization, it can be
seen that the teamwork and presence of working in a team acts as the biggest machinery fort
creating a spirit and air of motivation among all of the employees working in different of the
teams (Carter et al. 2015). It has to be understood that without the working of a proper and
effective kind of team, the air and essence of motivation cannot be instilled among the mind of
the employees. As per Gu et al.(2018) motivation also comes from a positive kind of working
environment and area. It has to be known that the Enrichment Centre in Malaysia takes many
steps in order to maintain a positive and good working and functioning environment. There is
presence of understanding, harmony and cultural diversity among the staffs and the workforces.
Fay et al. (2015) says that the leaders and the managers play a joint kind of role in maintaining
good and friendly relationship between all of the employees. Further, Magnusson et al. (2014)
also suggests that presence of healthy kind of competition is also maintained in the workplace.
the healthy kind of competition present there also plays a great role in motivating all of the
employees and bringing them together in a united manner in order to make an overall and united
contribution of the staffs that are being put onto by all of them.
As per the lines of Northouse (2018) the primary research and theorization of teamwork
occurred in the 1950s under the course of psychology experts and scholars inspecting how
people identify with themselves as well as other people. This examining took a glance at how
activities impacts group collaborations and how the decisions made by the members in a team
helps in grasping the abilities and aptitudes of different individuals in taking care of an issue at
work. Extra investigations found out the ways that the changes and adjustments take place in the
working groups after some time and how groups coordinate innovation in finishing assignments.
As per the statement provided by Hepworth et al. (2016), the most profound work on this topic
started taking occurring after World War II and concentrated on finding the purposes behind the
disappointment and the unsuccessful among different people of the military groups.
There are countless of the different teamwork theories that have been used by several of the
organization in different places of Malaysia. The main theorists have been the people such as
Bruce Tuckman. His theory is named as Theory of Stages. As per Burke (2017) there are mainly
four stages such as forming, and storming, and norming and at the end, performing in the same.

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
7This theory lays down the fundamentals for proper building up of teams. As per Forsyth (2018)
by making the application of this theory, many of the organization could systematically make
effective and efficient teams, which led to huge contributions for the organizations. The next
theory is about Belbin's Theory of team roles. Senaratne and Gunawardane (2015) played a
great role in understanding of the theory by Belbin and defining the different of the job roles and
framing them with the coexistence and performance of the different roles or posts to be held in a
team. The roles are of Resource investigator, Coordinator, Shaper, Monitoring and evaluation
expert, Team Worker, Implementer, Completer-Finisher, and the most important, that is the
Specialist. If this theory is properly used and as per this theory, team roles are assigned and
allocated, then the team in the specified organization can perform in a better manner. Instances
of such have been seen in the country of Malaysia. Again, another big theory is there which
helps in the better performance and understanding of a team based structure and working. As per
the details laid down by Tananchai (2017), the theory had been designed by Isabel Briggs-
Myers and is commonly known as the MBTI Theory. The theory describes about the various
kind of ways and means by which different people perceive the world in a different manner. It
can be said that this theory helps in the overall operation of teams by undertaking a personality
test. This element helps the people of a team in better understanding others. Organization makes
use of this theory to ensure the accurate and effective performance of the teams. The next
important teamwork model and theory is the John Adair’s Leadership Theory. as per Storey
(2016), it helps in better understanding the need and essentials of leadership in team. It also helps
in showing the ways by which a good leader can be created and made working inside the
structure of a team. In order to ensure effective working of team, the team must have a good
leader who shall help the members to work in a united spirit. The leader shall also help in
constantly motivating them and keeping them united as a working team. Thus, the role of leader
in the team is huge. Thus, the overall importance of this theory can be said to be huge. The next
effective team based theory can be related to Color theory formed by Carl Jung. As per the
statement put forward by Gale (2015) this theory defines that color has an important role to play
in defining the social kind of human behavior or trait. The particular kind of behaviors of the
team members can be associated with a color and can be studied. Thus, this theory helps in better
understanding of different people. Teams also perform based on identity of the people. As per
Jenkins (2014) the working of a team can be said to be much healthier and smoother if

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
8likeminded people are present in the same team. Like-mindedness depends on many of the things
such as cultural inheritances and traditional beliefs.as per D’Innocenzoet al. (2016) all these
kind of cultural and traditional outlooks builds up the social identity of a person. This social
identity is homogenous to some extent helps in the early establishment of uniform minded
individuals who shall be easily able to work and perform in a single team. Thus, the Social
Identity Theory of Tajfel helps in this aspect. It helps in identifying of social traits and identities
of a person and so, on basis of that, individuals can be organized in a team’s where can perform
in healthy manner and get likeminded kind of people or sharing common beliefs and ideologies.
The next great and important theory is about the Motivation Theory or the X and Y Theory by
Douglas McGregor. As per Lawteret al. (2015) this theory explains how humans being get
motivated and what things naturally motivate them all. It can be said that this theory has a great
application in the understanding the fundamentals that how working in team helps in motivating
employees. In order to motivate employees in a working team, the application of this theory is
made many a times. The next big theory is the strength Theory. It helps in the better
understanding the strength that is inherently present in the overall working of a team based
output machinery (Shen et al. 2015). It can be said that this theory also explains the participants
and working in a collective manner in order to get ensured success and this kind of success can
be said to be huge if the team structure and work is properly followed up. The last theory, which
can be said to be very important and relevant, is the Team Analysis Theory. as per the words of
Guise et al. (2017) the theory is based on the fundamentals and assumption that every
functioning team shall fall apart and fall to function at any point of time. With the passing of
time and disinterest and demotivation among the team members, the unity and relation between
them may get affected. By making the proper application of this theory, the issues arising in the
team has to be analyzed and different kind of steps have to be taken up which shall help in the
way of mending them.
Several of the studies related to the subject of team building and teamwork shows, how it has
helped in building up of motivational factors and how these have been studied in Malaysia. As
per the research and article written down by Mat et al. (2017), the manufacturing industry in
Malaysia requires a huge amount of workforce. Every single kind of work has to be done in a

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
9team-based manner, as each of the tasks is labors and time taking. There should be skilled
members present in the teams and the teams have to be well guided because with any kind of
little mistake, the whole process shall be disrupted leading to a huge amount of loss. Thus, the
building and maintaining of team is effectively done in this sector and this leads to increase and
maintenance of huge motivation among the team members (Daskin and Surucu, 2016). The
article has pointed out the basis of motivation: and how it has been brought in by the working of
the teams (in a right manner) in the business organizations. The article also directs that fact of the
importance of job satisfaction. If the team is accurately worked upon, and all the members
cooperate and harmony working between them, then they can each be satisfied in their respective
jobs and work rules. This shall lead to inculcating of motivation among them. As per the Article
of Mohd and Asri (2016), while working in a team in Malaysian Statutory Body Institute, team
conflicts are common. However, conflicts help in bringing new idea but it disrupts and hampers
the overall working of the team. It interferes with team performance and reduces the level of job
satisfaction. Further, it deteriorates the relationship between the various team members and thus
they find issues to work together in a united spirit. This also affects the factor of motivation.
Ahmed et al. (2018) has pointed out the role of leadership in team based working machinery.
The authors have shown the path by which different leadership styles helps in building up the
relationship between several of the team members working in a team. The leader is responsible
for providing them with right kind of motivation while working in a team. The study has been
particularly carried on the service sector/industry in Malaysia. As per the journal of Azizanet al.
(2017), team effectiveness is utmost needed in order to ensure the proper motivation of the
people functioning together in a team. The nurses of a Malaysian hospital have been taken into
consideration, where many a times, they have to work in a team-based manner in many of the
operation or diagnostic case. Generally, for a patient, teams of nurses are appointed in the
hospital if the condition of the patient is critical. Instances of team working and motivation
derived from it can be seen in this journal.
Several of the studies have been carried out in the global level in relation to this specific topic of
research. As per the lines of Maruping and Magni (2015), the motivation of employees is
needed in order to make them understand the importance of collaborative spirit for the bus of

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
10machineries and tools relying upon collaborative technology. The use of such machineries and
putting a joint effort helps in nursing the spirit of unity and motivation to strive harder gross
among them. On the other hand, Raziq and Maulabakhsh (2015), explains the impact of the
kind of work environment that is present and how it motivates and directs the line of motivation
among the workforce performing in a single team. It shows the ways that a work environment
can be made healthy, smooth, and effective for functioning of members in a united and team
spirit. In this manner, motivation can be ensured among them. As opined by Lisak and Ere
(2015), leadership has to be utterly ensured in a multicultural team. Where cultural diversity is
present, in order to maintain good relation and harmony between the team members, a leader
need to be present that shall see through that every member in the team is treated equally
irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. This fact shall help in establishing the spirit of
motivation among the minds of the team members. Last but not the least, Driskell et al. (2018)
explains the different change that needs to be brought in a team if any kind of major issue is
faced in it while working. It has laid down the ways by which team working in extreme nm
economic, social, cultural and technological crisis can still function well and lead to individual
motivation of each member of the teams.
1.1 Research Gap
The term research gap is used for defining the gap in knowledge that is yet to be studied. The
current research study is being undertaken in response to the identified gaps in the research. The
first gap that has been identified is in regards to the conceptual confusion. This means that the
concept of teamwork as a motivational factor hasn't been considered in researchers and hence
this gap in knowledge can be minimized by appropriately defining teamwork as motivation at
workplace. Due to absence of theoretical arguments as well as experiment, the impact of
teamwork on employee motivation at workplace in context of Malaysia is a very critical gap of
the research.
As considered by Kazmi et al. (2017), employee engagement is a critical path of teamwork and
it has been identified that this characteristic is different as well as distinguishable from the other
work related concept such as job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment and
behavior. Teamwork is an umbrella term that is used for defining several other concepts. This is
why it is necessary to identify and define teamwork and its end results as motivational factors.

MBA MAIN PROJECT - CHAPTER 1,2,3
11Another research gap which was identified was the absence of theoretical arguments which is
indicative of the relationship or linkage between the concept of teamwork and employee
motivation. It was discovered that the impact of teamwork on employee motivation has not been
argued theoretically or empirically in context of Malaysia. An individual who wishes to
accomplish his personal goals and work related target, need to work in an optimum environment;
which can be produced as a result of teamwork. This optimum work environment becomes a
motivational source for the team members as they are allowed to claim responsibility in
successfully completed projects and minimizes the chances of friction among team members.
As suggested by Dinh (2016), the absence of a link between teamwork and motivation is another
research gap that has been identified as this aspect has not been argued in an empirical or
theoretical manner. Normally the traditional motivational techniques undertaken by the
management focuses on the extrinsic factors that affect employee motivation. These techniques
reward individual effort which diminishes the team status and can be one major demonization
factor. Since individualism of a team is rewarded it is often assumed that a cohesive teamwork
will be resultant of individually satisfied employees. This ignorance is a primary reason why
team work as an intrinsic motivational factor has to be takeninto account. With growing demand
for productivity, business organization implements themes to undertake projects. Successful
project completion indicates that the various aspects of the project has been appropriately
assigned and dedicated to the team members. However, in practical cases, this is not true as
project completion involves disagreement and friction (Nadhir and Puteh 2017). As these
frictions are considered to be caused by external factors, there remains a small probability that
the team is not exploiting its potential to the full capacity. Considering teamwork as motivational
factors helps in identifying the intrinsic and inter related aspects of teamwork that in turn are
responsible for influencing employee motivation. Another research gap which has been
identified is the absence of link between teamwork and management styles within the
organization. How a team perceive and accomplishes a job assigned to them is affected by the
management and leadership style present in the organization. Since this aspect has not been
contested in an empirically or theoretically, this has been identified as a potential research gap.
Chin et al. (2016) opined that, if the management style of an organization is work oriented, the
primary focus will be on productivity and profit which means that the teams are evaluated on the
basis of productivity which gives room to conflict of interest. In case of people oriented