Influence of Motivation on Organizational Commitment

Question: Describe about the Influence of Motivation on Organizational Commitment. Answer: Organizational commitment is the psychological attachment that members of a particular organization possess towards the organization. An employee commitment towards his/her organization can be determined by observing the organizations variable such as turnover, organizational behaviour of the citizens, as well as the individual employee job performance (Wayne, et al. 2013, pp.606). Factors that determine the level of employee commitment to the organization include employee empowerment, job security, role stress, level of motivation and distribution of leadership roles within the organization (Meyer, et al. 2012, pp.225-245). The three-component theory offers an explanation on employee organizational commitment. The theory provides three distinctive components of commitment by employees towards an organization. The three components include; Affective commitment This concerns the emotional attachment of employees towards the organization. The theory maintains that whenever an employee harbours a high level of affective commitment towards the organization, they are able to enjoy their relationship with the organizations environs and hence are likely to commit their life and to stay at the organization longer (Jackson, et al. 2013, pp.84-106). No one forces them to stay but rather they stay because they have chosen to stay. Continuance commitment Employees commit their future and stay at the organization because to them leaving the organization is likely to prove costly. For instance, one may be forced to stay at an organization due to the fear of being unemployed or losing a position held at the organization through demotion at another organization (Chun, et al. 2013, pp.853-877). Normative commitment In this case, an employee feels that he/she is obliged to stay at an organization and that it would be unethical to leave the organization. There is yet no single definition on what organizational commitment is. Various scholars give varied definitions on the concept of organizational commitment (Chiaburu, et al. 2013, pp.10). However, among the several definitions by the various scholars, there is some degree of consensus that organizational management entails technics aimed at making an employee commit his/her future to the organization. According to Becker (1960), organizational commitment in an employee emanates from his/her awareness of the cost to be incurred by leaving the organization. However, according to Mowday et al. (1982), organizational commitment is the emotional attachment an employee possesses towards a given organization. On the other hand, according to Wiener, organizational commitment emanates from the feeling among employees of a given organization that they have a moral duty to remain loyal and committed to the specific organization. Moreover, Evenson (2003) points out that motivation is how employees of a given organization are able to strive and obtain optimum performance on a day to day basis and enjoy the challenges associated with the process of achieving the good results while caring for their colleagues and the organization in the course of achieving positive results. Furthermore, Meyer and Herscovitch (2001) maintain that organizational commitment is the force binding a given employee to the organization in relation to specific aims and which can be distinguished from motivation factors. Every successful organization invests a lot of resources in their employees. It is therefore very essential for organizations to ensure that the employees remain committed to the organization and do not leave (Park Shaw, 2013, pp.268). An employee with a low commitment level will definitely not perform at his/her best. Furthermore, whenever an employee leaves an organization, there are losses incurred in terms of the high cost of replacement as well as temporary implications to the performance of the organization (Costanza, et al. 2012, pp.375-394). It is therefore essential that an organization comes up with ways of ensuring that there employees remain committed to the organization at all times. Motivation entails factors and conditions created at an organization to encourage the morale of employees and boost their performance. There are two forms of employee motivation in any organization; intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the employee and is usually applicable whenever the employee finds the work to be satisfying, fulfilling and he/ she is able to enjoy doing it (Imran, et al. 2014, pp.135-144). On the other hand, extrinsic motivation entails external factors that boost the morale of an employee. They include actions taken by the organization such as punishment and rewards, in order to encourage the employee to perform effectively (Reeve, 2014, pp.5). For instance, an employee will work hard to evade punishment while at the same time the same employee will work hard to get rewarded. According to Bartol and Martin (1998), motivation is the inward push that enables an employee to satisfy an unsatisfied desire and ensure that they attain a desired goal. To them, motivation emanates from an individuals innate psychological desires which drive the individual to achieve set objectives. On the other hand, Kalimullah (2010) maintains that employee motivation entails streamlining the objectives of the employee to match those of the organization thereby enabling him/her to channel efforts towards the realization of the organizations goals. However, Mary (1996) points out that, motivation especially for employees by an organization entails the measures taken by the organization in an attempt to achieve organizational effectiveness that uses resources without putting undue pressure, strain and stress on the employees. There exists an old saying that you can take a donkey to the river but you can never force the same donkey to drink water. Human beings at a work station behave just like donkeys. You can employ them, give them working tools but can never force them to perform. Motivation plays a crucial role in ensuring high level of performance and commitment among employees of a given organization. Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic encourages employees to get committed to a given organization and perform at high levels (Lepper Greene, 2015, p.2). For instance, an employee will work hard because he/she anticipates rewards such as promotion at the end of the day. On the other hand, another employee may remain committed to a certain job due to the fear of a punishment such as demotion. Equity Theory According to this theory, employment is a form of beneficial and contributory relationship between the employee and the employer. The benefits are in the form of job promotions, employee recognition as well as pay. On the other hand, contributions are in the form of employee expertise, educational qualification, employee effort and ability as well as the experience held by the employee (Pinder, 2014). The theory maintains that if there is equity between benefits and contributions, then the employee is able to enjoy being at the organization and hence commit their future to the organization. If conditions of equity are realised, the employee is able to experience job satisfaction. The theory emphasizes on the importance of motivation in realizing employee commitment to an organization. It encourages the organization management to redesign the organizations motivation system in a manner that avoids the destruction of performance due to perceived inequalities while at the same time ensure that they do not over reward and cost the organizations performance. The equity theory can explain the influence of motivation on organizational commitment. Employees are encouraged to stay and commit their future to an organization depending on the benefits they get from the organization (Manzoor, 2012, pp.1). The benefits could be in the form of rewards and punishments. Employees may stay at an organization due to the fear of punishments they may encounter in the event of leaving the organization such as being unemployed or getting a job in a smaller company. Similarly, the employees may be encouraged to stay at the organization because of the rewards they reap from the organization such as pay increment, promotion and recognition. According to Rudolph and Kleiner (1989) and Sujan (1986), rewarding employees with extrinsic rewards in the form of salary increment, fringe benefits as well as promotion encourages employees to want to stay at the organization longer in anticipation of similar rewards in the future. On the other hand, Darmon (1974) maintains that rewards in the form of money and other financial incentives play a significant role in shaping employees behaviour hence making them commit their future to the organization as an obligation. Furthermore, Dauten (1998) states that a process of motivating employees that requires them to bet on their success enables the employees own the organization perform and hence want to stay to advance on the successes they achieved. Relying on the equity theory and based on the synthesis of the literature provided by Dauten (1998), Darmon (1974) as well as Rudolph and Kleiner (1989), I propose that Motivation influences Organizational commitment. Motivation is an important factor that influences organizational commitment. However, the organization should not over emphasize on motivation in its attempt to promote employee commitment to the organization. This is because there arise cases when motivating employees do not translate into more employee working culture (Yidong Xinxin, 2013, pp.441-455). Due to the varied preference among employees on the mode of motivation, the organization might end up suffering in the long run as a result of a certain mode of motivation employed. For instance, in cases of employees who ascribe more to material motivation factor, the main concern will be distributive justice. On the other hand, with employees whose preference is non-material motivation factor, their focus is usually on acquisition of fair procedure. It is of great importance that in the process of motivating employees, the organization management maintains justice in the factors used. A just motivation system will ensure that all employees are treated fairly and with respect regardless of their social status, ethnic background, race or cultural orientation. For instance, employees should be promoted based on the contribution in terms of educational qualification, ability, expertise and experience. This in the long run will create a culture of justice within the organization which will make staying at the organization enjoyable and hence encourage organizational commitment (Gelens, et al. 2013, pp.341-353). Furthermore, motivation systems that focus on the employee contribution will encourage positive competition among the employees; a phenomenon which will impact positively to the growth of the organization. For instance, rewarding employees based on their academic qualification will encourage other employees to go back to school and advance their educational qualifications. This is in the end will earn them promotions which will make them commit their future to the organization. Moreover, the acquired status as a result of the education advancement will make the employees stay at the organization due to the fear of losing the acquired status upon leaving the organization. Furthermore, ensuring justice in motivating employees reduces conflicts at the work place that could be occasioned by a feeling among the employees who deserve motivation but yet the same is given to those who do not deserve due to preferences such as social status or cultural orientation. 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