Complete the readings for this unit and then complete additional research on the McClelland theory of needs. Remember, McClelland believes that individuals are motivated by achievement, power, and affiliation, yet they tend to favor one over the others. After reviewing and researching the theory, discuss which one seems to motivate you the most (achievement, power, or affiliation), and explain why.

REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS EACH)

                                                     CLASSMATE’S POST

Of McClelland’s various motivation types, I fall into the achiever category.  The following concepts pretty much describe my work style to a tee, other than I operate well in a group OR alone.  However, I do prefer to perform as a member of a smaller team. 

a) Taking calculated risks with high rewards 

b) Reliance on instant and consistent feedback to assure the job is being performed correctly 

c) Lack of satisfaction until job is completed in its entirety 

d) Placing high value on the work itself and not simply material rewards 

My respect for coworkers is also based on their achievements in their own professions and not on their position or affiliation with others.  I have no interest is achieving power over others; however, have been told numerous times that I possess “leadership skills”.  I feel that feedback stems more from the fact that I am very decisive, and action is imperative to my success.  I am become frustrated very quickly around individuals and groups who cannot work through a problem quickly and act.  

Answer/ reply to below in 150 words/ 10 sentences min

 

Organizational change is necessary for any organization to stay relavent and successful. Change is scary and getting people on board for change can be a challenge as it can be easier to just stick with what you know.  I love this quote by Albert Einstein, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  We use this one a lot at work, especially when bringing up changes to employees who typically are against it. We are in the process of “fixing” numerous issues with our medical maintenance programs and for the most part, the issue we encounter with others is the fear of the unknown. Even though we are trying to fix something that is broken, people stick to “Well, that’s the way it’s always been done”. That drives me crazy! Looking online, there are numerous strategies I found, but a few strategies I came across that I liked to involve others in planning organizational change are as follows:

1. Consult the team on the plans for change and allow them to participate. This one is critical because if the team is not included in the plans, they will not be accepting of the change when it is implemented (Bremer, 2018).
2. Management supports the change. When management is showing a positive reaction to the change, then employees tend to follow. But if management has a bad attitude towards the change, this will show and make the transition painful.
3. Communicate the change early on and effectively and throughout the transition process. Self explanatory.
4. Finally, follow up. Changes will take time to implement, therefore, following up and receiving feedback on what is going well or what might need to be tweaked is important to ensure the change is effective.

 Like I mentioned, these are only a few of the strategies, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the communication piece is probably the most important when implementing changes.

What would you say is the most important strategy if you had to pick?

Reference

Bremer, M. (2018, Mar 10). Sucuri WebSite Firewall – Access Denied. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://www.ocai-online.com/blog/2016/10/Organizational-Change-what-are-4-Strategies-to-Change

Lotich, P. (2018, November 5). 8 Steps to Implementing Successful Organizational Change. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/implementing-organizational-change/

  

reply to the students response in 150 words and provide 1 reference

question 

Describe the relationship between training and needs assessment. 

STUDENTS RESPONSE

 

Among recruiting, talent management, compensation, and benefits another responsibility of a Human Resource Manager is to conduct needs assessments and train employees.   Training is defined as a learning process that involves the acquisition of skills, concepts, rules, or attitudes to enhance performance. (Rue, Ibrahim, & Byars, 2016, p.g. 160)   Determining needed training is a big part of conducting a needs assessment.  A needs assessment is an analysis of the specific training activities the organization requires to achieve its objectives.   By conducting an effective needs assessment Human Resources can determine the types of training, if any, a new employee will need in an effort to ensure that they are as efficient as possible.  Also, a needs assessment can assist an employee who has been with the company for some time to add additional skills to their existing skillset in an effort to become promotable.   In summary, according to opm.gov, the assessment should address the resources needed to fulfill the organizational mission, improve productivity, and provide quality products and services. A needs assessment is the process of identifying the “gap” between performance required and current performance.

REFERENCE:

(n.d.). Training and Development Planning & Evaluating. Retrieved from https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/training-and-development/planning-evaluating/

Rue, L. W., Ibrahim, N. A., & Byars, L. L. (2016). Human resource management (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

 

reply to the students response in 150 words and provide 1 reference

question 

What are the two basic requirements of an effective incentive pay plan? Please remember to explain your reasoning. 

students response

 

According to Rue, Ibrahim and Byars (2016), the two basic requirements of an effective incentive plan are:  1) the plan concerns the procedures and methods used to appraise employee performance and 2) the incentives (rewards) must be based on performance (p. 288). 

I think an employee’s performance, particularly if it is stellar, will be reciprocated by incentives.  This is not to say the employee seeks incentives from the onset because of their work.  Many employees simply love and enjoy what they do.  This is just part of the “reward” process for going above and beyond relative to organizational contributions.  I think it begins by employees enjoying what they do through job satisfaction and, in turn, incentives will follow.  Employees are assessed via performance appraisals which are used for a variety of reasons, but more importantly, used to help communicate how the employee is performing their job while establishing a plan of improvement (Rue, Ibrahim & Byars, 2016, p. 224).  A couple of key things a performance appraisal addresses are strengths and weaknesses of the employee which plays a significant role in determining whether employees have met the criteria for any job incentive.  Bottom line is incentives should be based on merits of the work performed by employees.  If an employee’s performance is well-above average, there is strong propensity that this individual will be in the running for job incentives.  In contrast, marginal performers do not usually receive high marks on their respective appraisal and subsequently run the risk of not being rewarded or even worse, fired over a course of time.

Reference:

Rue, L., Ibrahim, N. & Byars, L. (2016).  Human Resource Management (11th ed.).  New York:  McGraw-Hill

Read the below post and respond with at least 50 words

Participative leadership is one of the most common styles of leadership that produces the highest motivation and performance among employee. The participative leader is a style of leadership that consult their subordinates, solicit their opinions, and involve his/her team in decision making (McFarlin,178). As Tony Beckham mentioned in the video, a leader shared meaning, shared values, and welcome all the voices on the team to receive an equal opportunity. However, there is a flip side to everything; and participative approach stands no exception to it. One of the major flaws of the participative approach is the level time of the time that decision making slow down. Example, when a team is supposed to deliberate a specific problem and possible solutions, they need guidance and more time to help them to create a more structured solution when arriving in a decision. Time efficiency is still a problem.   

The possible solution for this problem, the leader would discuss the project with the subordinates and the team would decide on how and when specific projects and objects have done and who will be in charge of doing particular tasks, however, the leader would have full control on things such as project’s budget or if there is money involved. Another solution is to exercise growth motivation when an employee psychologically well and driven by universal grow this will excel in self-actualization, and this supports the idea participations satisfies a person’s level needs. I  believe the development of potential or even professional growth will be driving force to become an employee be more motivated.  

References: 

Beckham, T. (3/27/2011). Tony Beckham: Cross-Cultural Leadership. 

McFarlin D,  & Sweeney P. (2012).  Cross-Cultural Leadership. Effectiveness: Pulling Everything Together. International Organization Behavior  (pp 176-179). Routledge: New York, NY