Motivating Employees to Behave Ethically - Essay Example

MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES TO BEHAVE ETHICALLY] Submitted By: Name Course Lecturer Date Introduction Motivation among employees cannot be observed directly, its absence or presence is observable through individual conduct. It is normally measured as a person’s use of energy in intensity, persistence and direction towards a given activity. Motivation has a strong relationship with employee needs and motives. Intrinsically motivated workers are more excited about and interested in their organizations. Thus, their excitement improves individual performance, self-esteem, happiness, persistence and creativity. This implies that, motivation has a specific connection to values, behaviour as well as personal choices’ desire outcomes (Clemmons 2008, p.3). This essay will talk about ways through which an organization can motivate its workforce to behave in an ethical manner. Employee motivation and ethical behaviour Expectancy theory and motivation According to Lunenburg (2011, p.1), Expectancy theory was first developed by Victor Vroom and maintains that, individuals believe there exist links between their efforts in discharging their tasks, the performance achieved from such efforts, and the rewards given for their performance and effort. This implies that, individuals are motivated if they think that putting more effort will result in good performance, and the performance will result in desired rewards. Expectancy theory is founded on four main assumptions. First, individuals join companies with anticipations about their motivations, past experiences, and needs, which influence the way they respond to the company. Second, the behaviour of an individual is a product of conscious selection. This means that, individuals are at liberty to choose the behaviours proposed by their personal expectancy calculations. Third, individuals want varied things from an organization, such as good salary, advancement, and job security. Lastly, individuals will choose amid options in order to optimize results for them individually (Lunenburg 2011, p.2). Employee behaviour is influenced by their expectations from the company, and thus a company can influence employees to behave in an ethical manner by using motivators that match their expectations. Social cognitive theory and behaviour This theory states that learning takes place within a social setting with a reciprocal and dynamic interaction of an individual, behaviour and environment. It stresses on social influence and on internal and outer social reinforcement. The theory considers the special manner in which people acquire and uphold behaviour, as well as the social setting whereby the people exercise the behaviour. It considers an individual’s past experiences that determine whether the behaviour will occur. Such past experiences impact expectations, expectancies, and reinforcements, which in turn determine whether an individual will participate in a given behaviour and the grounds for doing so (Boston University School of Public Health 2013). In other words, the kind of a social environment that a person lives in highly influences his or her behaviour. Accordingly, organizations can influence their employees to exercise ethical behaviours by providing work environments that encourage them to do so. Encouraging ethical employee behaviour through motivation Ethics concerns behaviour, and it involves doing the correct thing. Ethical values eventually drive people’s behaviour. They influence people’s attitudes, which in turn influence their conduct. Values are central to the formation of attitude and to the way people respond to situations and other people (Kerns 2006, p.11). Using motivators that relate to set ethical values can assist in making employees exhibit desired behaviours. From the expectancy theory and social cognitive theory, it is clear that the behaviour of employees can be influenced by their expectations from the company as well as the prevailing environment. Thus, an organization can motivate its workforce to behave in an ethical manner through a number of ways. Selection of the right people An organization should be conscious regarding the people being recruited. It is hard to hire new employees without the proper values and expect to transform them to match the values of the company. During the selection and recruitment process, it is important to understand that, most individuals have the desire, willingness, and capacity to behave ethically, but they also have a very strong success desire that they are ready to give up their ethics in order to attain success. Thus during recruitment and interviewing, HR professionals ought to convey the values that are expected from the candidates for them to succeed in the company (Josephson 2010). Choosing people with values that match the company’s values promotes ethical behaviour among employees since such values guide them in discharging their duties. Moreover, it motivates employees in the sense that the selected people are likely to have shared interests with the organization as well as fellow employees. Thus, they tend to do their work with a lot of passion and thus, chances of transgressing are very low. Having employees with shared values also enhances unity especially in discharging group tasks, which in turn motivates group members to excellently and efficiently execute the assigned duties. Training Training is among the most common ways that organizations use to motivate employees. Training is a non-monetary reward that gives employees opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge that will help them to excellently discharge their duties. In other words, training facilitates both personal and career development. Managers can use training to foster ethical behaviours among employees by ensuring that during training, mentoring, and discipline processes they reinforce the desired form of behaviour (Josephson 2010). By doing so, employees get acquainted with what is expected of them in terms of their conduct, as well as the consequences of not adhering to the organization’s behaviour expectations. Follow-up and accountability Follow-up and accountability are crucial in implementing virtuous values within an organization. Procedures and systems can remind individuals of their commitment to the organization and help link promises or words with their deeds. In firms with behavioural honesty, deeds and words are important. One of the main ways through which firms ensure accountability among its workforce is through employee empowerment, whereby employees are free to make independent decisions regarding their work and are accountable for the outcomes of their decisions (Kerns 2006, p.12). Such accountability indicates that the employees’ efforts are of value to the organization, which brings about a sense of recognition. This not only motivates employees, but also influences them to behave in an ethical manner since they are aware that unethical behaviours come with consequences. When ethical values such as accountability drive the behaviour of employees, aligning actions and words serves to foster the development and maintenance of an ethical behaviour. Having a shared vision and learning experience Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell (2010, p.134) maintain that, transformational leaders try to raise the level of commitment of employees and to promote motivation and trust. They convey a feeling of mission, generate and enhance novel learning experiences, and stimulate new modes of thinking. They consider the aspirations and needs of employees together with those of the organization. This really matches the foundations of the expectancy theory. Considering and meeting the aspirations and needs of employees will give them a sense of belonging and persuade them to show positive behavioural outcomes. Transformational leaders also build respect and commitment for values providing agreement on the way to handle ethical issues (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell 2010, p.134). According to the social cognitive theory, the social environment of individuals influences their behaviours. Thus, in the case of transformational leaders, they promote behaviour and activities by creating an environment characterised by a common vision and learning experience, which highly motivates employees. Accordingly, an organization can inspire its staff to exercise ethical behaviour through the adoption of a transformational leadership. This is because; it has a strong influence on employee espousal of ethical decisions as well the formation of an ethical organizational culture. Modelling Managers should ensure that their behaviour models what they expect from employees. Use of role models when dealing with employees may act as a source of motivation where employees set both personal and career goals with the aim of reaching the level of their role models. For example, a manager who portrays an ethical behaviour and has made great achievements in relation to his career development within an organization may constitute a good example for employees to imitate. In the process of working towards the achievement of the set goals, individual and organizational performance may be enhanced while observing ethical values. Modelling is an effective and a practical way of motivating workers to behave ethically since employees put into practice exactly what they observe from their leaders (Josephson 2010). Conclusion Individual conduct indicates whether employees are motivated or not. According to the expectancy theory, the behaviour and performance of individuals depends on the rewards they expect for their performance. The social cognitive theory states that, individual’s behaviour is influenced by social environment and past experiences. Selecting and recruiting the right people can motivate and foster ethical behaviour among employees by ensuring a match between personal and organizational values, and effective teamwork. Training not only helps employees to acquire new skills and knowledge, but also acquaints them with expected behaviours. Follow-up and accountability helps employees to align their words with actions as well as avoid unethical behaviours. Having a shared vision and learning experience motivates employees, and helps meet their aspirations and needs, which in turn fosters positive behaviours. Modelling enables employees to set personal and career goals, and to imitate ethical behaviours portrayed by their leaders. Reference List Boston University School of Public Health 2013, January 22, The Social Cognitive Theory, Retrieved May 8, 2013, from http://sph.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/SB721-Models/SB721-Models5.html Clemmons, AB 2008, Values as Determinants of Motivation to Lead, Michigan, ProQuest. Ferrell, OC, Fraedrich, J & Ferrell, L 2010, Business ethics: ethical decision making and cases: 2009 update, Mason, OH, South-Western Cengage Learning. Josephson, M 2010, November 16, Creating an Ethical Workplace Culture, Retrieved May 8, 2013, from http://josephsoninstitute.org/business/blog/2010/11/creating-an-ethical-workplace-culture/ Kerns, CD 2006, Creating and Sustaining an Ethical Workplace Culture, Graziadio Business Review, 6 (3), 11-16. Lunenburg, FC 2011, Expectancy Theory of Motivation: Motivating by Altering Expectations, International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15 (1), 1-6. Read More