A Positive Correlation between Motivation and Highly Satisfied Fire and Rescue Taskforce - Research Paper Example

HOW TO MOTIVATE COLLEAGUES IN FIRE AND RESCUE MANAGEMENT SERVICE 20th November, 2008 INTRODUCTION The significance of the fire and rescue management has been enhanced in the past few years due to a massive outbreak of unexpected calamities, terrorist events; unsafety measures adopted by the firms during and post construction and many other varied reasons. There is a critical connection between the workforce and the motivation extended to them. Motivation instills in the workforce a new sprit to give in the best. It is important to detect and respond to the motivational patterns in the fire and rescue management as it results in benefiting not only the taskforce at work but also the other stakeholders attached along with the task. Fire servicemen are motivated in order to bring out the best valor, bravery and boldness in performance which enhances their overall productivity, on the other hand the government is equally benefited as alert and prompt actions of the motivated workforce helps in preventing massive disasters which further reduce the cost expenditures which the government incurs on behalf of such fatal incidents every year. The lives of people trapped in such incidents, which is the most valuable asset, are being protected by endangering the life of the fire and rescue team. It is the ethical and social responsibility of all firms to ensure health and safety in the organization, such safety measures can be induced if on all times, motivated taskforce is ready to combat various contingencies and threats. Thus motivation of the colleagues in itself is a daunting exercise which should be carried out continuously without fail. In the absence of a motivated workforce, such a challenging task would not be able to be accomplished efficiently and effectively. Policy makers, agencies, stakeholders and organizations are trying to come up with innovative methods of motivation to attract the best recruits of the industry and refine and polish the ones already existing for realizing the optimum output through the use of minimum input and scarce resources. Positive reinforcement, effective discipline, fair treatment, satisfaction, setting of work related goals, restructuring of jobs and appropriate rewards based on the job performance are few of the attributes which can accelerate the process of motivation of colleagues and co workers. In the fire and rescue service management, it is vital that motivational system must be tailored or customized as per the situation and the needs of the organization. Hence, for an in-depth understanding, various motivational theories and concept could be linked with the approach for imbibing the impetus of motivation and rationale behind the research. Theories propounded by Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud, Douglas Mc Gregor are few among the many which can e well linked with the fire and rescue management on the hole. The traditional theory X by Freud, supports a pessimistic approach whereby it’s projected that people by nature tend to shun work, they have no ambition or initiative and avoid taking responsibilities, hence they need to be constantly rewarded, punished, motivated intimidated. On the whole ‘a carrot and a stick’ philosophy needs to be applied. In a fire and rescue team definitely no such theory sustains to judge the entire workforce, but there are few of the employees or colleagues who are demotivated or lack ambition. Here the motivational techniques can help them to invigorate and revitalize their confidence and spirits. On the contrary theory ‘Y’, propounded by Mc Gregor, believed that people want to learn and develop self discipline and self development. Challenging work, autonomy and opportunity for creating new ways of solving problems are factors that help in motivating taskforce at work. Abraham Maslow, one of the most eminent and renowned theorists completely rejects the dark and dingy Freudian approach by introducing theory ‘Z’. Maslow approach is fresh and practical as it believes that work has the potential to eradicate the three evils of boredom, vice and poverty. He holds a stern view that people naturally possess good qualities ( Robbins P S, Sanghi S, Judge A T, 2007). Maslow’s theory of motivation emphasis on the five basic needs in a specific hierarchy, physiological needs (lowest needs), safety needs, love needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs which is the highest level of motivation one can realize from the fire and rescue management services ( Robbins P S, Sanghi S, Judge A T, 2007) . The four drive theory reveals that every individual has basically four innate drives, that id drive to acquire, born , lead and defend which further generate competing emotions. The theory stands on the firm belief that every individual in the workplace needs to regularly fulfill all four drives (Mc Shane L S, Glinow V A M, 2007). Vroom’s expectancy theory is the best applicable theory for fire and rescue management as it is used to analyze a real life motivation program, just apt for the current study. The individual’s expectancy level are influenced by the self esteem and self efficiacy attached with the work (Kinicki A, Kreitner, 2004) Monetary rewards are not the only motivational factor one looks for, what is needed or required for better performance is enhancement of, responsibility, generosity of spirit that ultimately promotes hard work and total commitment for accomplishing the job and are rated among the most vital aspects in motivating colleagues or co-workers. A refreshing synthesis of divergent and diversified influential philosophies, help in actualizing the goals and objectives of fire rescue operations (ACCEL, retrieved on 20th November, 2008) HYPOTHESIS The hypothesis in the current study relates to whether: H1- Motivation can help in improvement of performance of the colleagues of fire and rescue service operations H2- Motivation does not help in performance enhancement of fire and rescue service operations METHODOLOGY To collect the database for gathering information regarding motivational patterns and techniques in respect to colleagues and co workers, both primary and secondary methodology has been undertaken. Secondary methodology was basically intervened so as to extract the vital attributes, components and various innovative methods of fire and rescue operation to boost up the performance and efficiency levels. The fire and rescue team needs an additional motivational factor and literature review can help in highlighting its essence and worth and relating it with past experiences of people can help in accessing a deeper insight into the research problem. Secondary research can be segregated in to different areas comprising of internal and external investigations and exploration. According to Steppingstones, 2004, secondary data resources were extracted internal from the organizations where the fires servicemen were appointed such as there past data records and internal organizational surveys done on annual basis for self improvements in the firm. External secondary data source was collected by searching and exploring various literature available in journals, newspapers, text books, articles and online material as well which could help in understanding the importance of motivation and its application in practical terms. Various management motivational theories have been added through the literature in bringing out the relation between the performance and motivational inputs offered to the fire and rescue task force which can help in achieving superior results and surpassing the minimum or pre defined standards laid down by the individual organizations or set by the individuals on their own as well. The advantage of applying secondary research was that a wide source of data could be collected for interpretations and analysis along with the time and cost advantages as well. However the reliability and authenticity of data could not be completely verified. Further secondary research is a personal interpretation and does not require any interference of specialized or highly trained personnel (Steppingstones, 2004). Primary research (Archives Collection)has also been conducted to gather fresh and original data about the real opinions and views held by various heterogenic, diversified population in regard to the importance of motivation and personal experiences and biasness that people hold against their colleagues. Primary data is something which has not existed before and helps in attaining new approach and thought to the research topic under consideration. Primary data collection requires field work which is undertaken through face to face interviews, telephonic interviews, online surveys, questionnaires, focus groups and consumer panels. The main advantages of including such research methodology are access to information as per the need and requirement. The researcher is able to look up to information that is relevant and meaningful and can focus on the problematic area rather than beating around the bush. It is possible to attain data in short span of time through online surveys and telephonic interviews. Few of the disadvantages which are linked with primary search are that it requires patience and time to acquire data. Misleading and biased data can lead to undependable data, perception and comprehension of data in a completely different manner than what is required may pose problems. The sample size used in the survey comprises of 100 respondents through telephonic and online questionnaire circulation, out of which actual response was realized for only 75 respondents. A closed ended questionnaire was preferred for preventing any biasness and predispositions in the obtained results. The cost and time restraints also favored such approach. The questionnaire is attached for reference (Appendix). The limitations faced during the research process was that timely receiving of questionnaires was not possible; respondents had to be continuously reminded and requested to pose up their views. The respondents were selected as per convenience sampling and cumulative analysis was drawn based on the respondent’s answers. Lack of face to face communication, couldn’t help in verification of actual answers and framed answers. A lot of time was wasted in trying to gain access to respondents due to their own commitments and responsibilities, however the problem was solved as continuous tracing and few adjustments on part of both the receiving and sending ends was helpful in overcoming the problems. On the whole the data collection exercise both secondary and primary was exigent and demanding. PRESENTATION OF RESULTS Presentation of results Tabulated Consolidated Result Sample Size: 75 respondents For Q1 to Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4           Total 'Yes' 50 40 75 35           Total 'No' 25 35 0 40           Graphical representation of Q1 to Q4 Q1. Do you possess a Bachelor’s degree from a college or university related to any field of Fire Service? Q2. Do you possess a Master’s degree from a college or university related to any field of Fire Service? Q3. Do you believe that fire fighting requires a high spirited attitude? Q4. Do you have a combination of four or more years experience as a volunteer, paid-on-call, and/or intern firefighter on any fire department or departments? Q5. Do you believe in Theory ‘X’ or Theory ‘Y’ of motivation? . Ratings from a scale of 1 to 10     Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 10 0 0 5 6 20 10 15 0 15 7 40 20 10 20 20 8 5 25 5 20 20 9 5 5 40 20 10 10 0 0 5 15 5 75 75 75 75 75 75 ANALYSIS Analysis has been done taking both the standpoints in mind, primary as well as secondary research methodology. As far as secondary analysis is concerned, motivation is concerned to be one of the prime factors responsible in improving and enhancing the performance of the employees. Few of the conditions such as age and qualifications for being a part of fire service are been specified by the government, such as minimum age requirement is 18 years of age with a minimum qualification of a high school diploma. In a book by Mattock J, Bannon G, motivation has been given considerable importance in times to fight out the barriers to international workforce. Further it is been analyzed by reading a lot of literature that the subject of motivation is not very well understood and to overcome such a barrier a deep understanding of the human nature is essential and a prerequisite feature of raising the sense of motivated workforce in the organization. Motivation is considered to be the key to performance improvement. Education, training and experience are different ways of performance improvement yet they are slow and sluggish in pace whereas motivation renders quick results. In the practical work culture, especially in a fire and rescue operations and management, there exist certain gaps between an individual’s actual state and the corresponding desired state, which is required to be bridged by the colleagues and the concerned people by implementing various innovative measures. In an extensive study of employee motivation involving 31,000 men and 13,000 women, the ratings for different factors was tried to recover, in which advancement, type of work and the company on the whole were rated to be the top most factors and other factors such as pay package, compensation, working conditions, benefits were rated very low which ultimately proves that money is not sole factor for motivation. (ACCEL, retrieved on 20th November, 2008). The basic principles that could be applied in order to motivate colleagues in a fire and rescue management are firstly creating an environment which can be used to focus on the task which needs to be accomplished, incentives must be encouraged which not only include monetary gains but appreciation and recognition as well. It is been observed that internal motivation is more long lasting in comparison to external reinforcements. Motivation requires a change in beliefs values, and behaviour which requires a lot of patience and tolerance. Continuous informative feedback offers an opportunity for future growth and success. Affiliation and approval also work as strong motivators. On the whole, attitudes, needs, stimulation and affect, competence and reinforcement are few main motivational factors need to be reflected in the culture of the organization for realizing positive results (Weller, M, 2005). Various organizations were searched whereby motivation is regarded to be a vital component such Fire and Rescue Services, UK, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, UK, The New Zealand Fire Services and many other information available on numerous agencies online. The common features extracted from the organizational motivational factors were seeking pay and reward structures for all employees, establishing a clear linkage with reward and output, introducing various rewards and appreciations for recognition etc. The primary research when analysed was found with a moderate variation levels on the questions posed up in the questionnaire. Out of the 75 respondents most of them acquired a bachelor’s and a master’s degree which makes clear that they are qualified and trained for performing the job. As far as experience was concerned 35 respondents were possessing more than four years of experience which reveals that constant training and development needs to be enforced to keep the taskforce updated and trained to face all sorts of challenges. All the respondents had a unanimous view regarding the need of high spirits when on front, constant motivation is the drive that keeps them on at times of panic, chaos and fear. Inspiration and enthusiasm instilled by the co-workers boosts up the morale and temperament of the firefighters when a critical situation is to be faced. Moreover maximum of the participants voted theory Y as best one for motivation as they also believed that challenging, daunting and rigourous exercises helps them to bring out their best. They all posses natural talent, the only thing needed is the right kind of nurturing and guidance to help them move forward. When the respondents were asked to rate on a sclae of 1 to 10, the importance of various motivational factors such as monetray rewards, recognition and performance appriasal, constant encouragement from co-workers and immediate superiors , challenging and complex tasks , training and development, one being the smallest rating factor and 1o being the highest factor of importance. Surprizingly , maximum portion of the respondents voted it as a moderate factor of motivation and regarded as the prime factor of encouragement, on the contrary constant encouragement from co-workers and challenging and complex task were voted as the top most motivational contributory factors. There individual experiences also reflected that motivation helped them to perform actions which otherwise wouldn’t be possible or seen to be like an impossible exercise ot task. Motivation forces within a person a direction, intensity and persistance of voluntary behaviour , on the whole motivation helps to reduce inequity feelings(Mc Shane L S, Glinow V A M, 2007). On the whole the hypothesis H1 proved to be true which stated that ‘ Motivation can help in improvement of performance of the colleagues of fire and rescue service operations’ and H2 which was found reasonably false that ‘Motivation does not help in performance enhancement of fire and rescue service operations’ CONCLUSION The analysis on the whole could be made convincingly that motivation is that there exists a positive correlation between motivation and highly satisfied fire and rescue taskforce. Colleague’s behaviour could be potentially directed towards attainment of organizational goal through inducing positive motivation. When the results are compared with the available literature, it confirms that in the current times, money is not the only factor which one looks forward to, however other factors such as recognition, support, and sense of belongingness, equity, autonomy, freedom and flexibility of work are the attributes essential for keeping individuals in the high spirits. The strengths of the research have been the sincere and dedicated effort in finding out the true information to the best possible level and the weaknesses of the study are the time , cost and availability factors which might affect the analysis of the research. A large number of respondents and face to face interviews could have enhanced the overall credibility of the report and helped in gathering of authentic and unbiased data. Further implications could be made, whereby future researches could focus on the establishment and exploring of unique factors apart from the ones mentioned in the study in order to tap the changes in the minds of the employees depending on the current needs and requirements of the market as well as the individual. Any theory which is more relevant in context with the fire and rescue division , which can further accelerate the pace of performance and productivity can also be interceded. Appendix Questionnaire Qualification History Q1. Do you possess a Bachelor’s degree from a college or university related to any field of Fire service? Yes No Q2. Do you possess a Master’s degree from a college or university related to any field of Fire service? Yes No Q3. Do you believe that fire fighting requires a high spirited attitude? Yes No Q4. Do you have a combination of four or more years experience as a volunteer, paid-on-call, and/or intern firefighter on any fire department or departments? Yes No Q5. Do you believe in Theory ‘X’ or Theory ‘Y’ of motivation (Theories explained briefly) Motivational Attributes Q6. From a scale of 1 to 10, rate monetary rewards as a factor of motivation. Q7. From a scale of 1 to 10, rate recognition and performance appraisal as a factor of motivation Q8. From a scale of 1 to 10, rate constant encouragement from co-workers and immediate superiors as a factor of motivation Q9. From a scale of 1 to 10, rate challenging and complex tasks as a factor of motivation Q10. From a scale of 1 to 10, rate training and development as a factor of motivation Q11. Can you provide any experience which is an example of notable self-motivation, individual initiative or personal achievement? Yes No REFERENCES Robbins P S, Judge A T, Sanghi S, 2007, Organizational Behaviour: Motivation Concepts, Pearson Prentice Hall, First Edition, New Delhi Kinicki A, Kreitner R, 2004, Organizational Behaviour: Motivation, equity, expectancy and goal setting, McGraw Hill Companies, Second edition, New Delhi McShane L S, Glinow V A M, 2007, Organizational Behaviour : Employee Motivation: Foundations and Practices, McGraw Hill Companies, First Indian Edition, New Delhi Weller, M, 14th March, 2005, general Principles of Motivation, retrieved on 20th November, 2008, http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motivate.htm ACCEL, 2008, Employee Motivation: Theory and Practice, retrieved on 20th November, 2008. http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=267545 Mattock J, Bannon G, 2003, Cross Cultural Communication : The Essential Guide to International Business, Kogan Page Publishers. Steppingstones, 21st December, 2004, Research using Secondary Data Sources, retrieved on 20th November, 2008, http://www.steppingstones.ca/artman/publish/article_60.shtml Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, 2008, modified on 8th April, 2008, Viewed on 20th November, 2008, Fire and Rescue Services, UK, Retrieved on 20th November, 2008, http://www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk/UKFireandRescueServices/ Primary research, Archives and Special Collection, What is a primary source? retrieved on 20th November, 2008, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/library/arch/ref/prime/index.html Read More