HRM Group 9: Motivators

 

 

TOPIC: Motivating knowledge workers to stay in the organization

 

 

DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM:  

Organizations frequently face the problem of keeping their knowledge workers because these have many opportunities to find a better job and are usually in deficit. Therefore, managers should know how to motivate knowledge workers to stay in the organization. It is also important that managers know the knowledge workers' expectations.
In our research we want to find out which motivation factors help retain knowledge workers in the organization.
 
HYPOTHESES:

a.Neglecting motivation factors in organization causes departure of knowledge workers.

b.The strongest motivation factor is financial award.

 

QUESTIONS:

a.  Who are knowledge workers?

b.  What are motivation factors?

c.  Which motivation factors are used in the specific organization?

d.  Which motivation factors would keep knowledge workers in the organization?

e.  Is the salary the main motivation factor to keep knowledge workers in the organization?

 
DISTRIBUTION OF TASKS:
          Alenka will try to answer questions a and b.
          Nastja and Andreja will work on the empirical part - questions c, d, e.
 
  
LITERATURE:

 

-  Amar, A.D. (2004) Motivating knowledge workers to innovate: a model integrating motivation dynamics and antecedents. European Journal of    Innovation Management 7 (2)-  Eti, d.d. webpage www.eti.si (accessed 24.4.07)

 

-  Brower, Michael J. (1995) Empowering teams: what, why and how. Empowerment in organizations 3(1), 13-25.

 

-  Darr, Asaf (2003) Control and autonomy among knowledge workers in sales. Employee Relations 25(1), 31-41.

 

 

 

-  Furnham, Adrian (1995) Personality at Work: the role of individual. London and New York: Routledge.

 

-  McCormic, Ernest J. (1985) Industrial and organizational psychology. Englewood: Prentice-Hall.

 

-  O’Donnhue, Wayne,  Cathy Sheehan, Robert Hecker and Peter Holland (2007) The Psychological contract of knowledge workers. Journal of knowledge Management 18(2), 73-82.

 

-  Reed, Michael (1992) The sociology of Organization. New York: Hemel Hempstead : Harvester Wheatsheaf.

 

-  Van Gelderen, Marco and Paul Jansen (2003) Autonomy as a start-up motive. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 13(1), 23-31.

 

-  Vroom, Victor H. (1967) Work and motivation. New York, London and Sydney: John Wiley & Sons.

 

-  Zimbardo, Philip G. (2006) Psychology: core concepts. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

 

 

GROUP MEMBERS

 

1) Alenka Arlič

2) Nastja Uranc

3) Andreja Raholin

 

 

DISTRIBUTION OF ROLES

 

1) Chair: Nastja

2) Secretary: Alenka

3) Progress chaser: Andreja

4) Timekeeper: Andreja

5) Reserve person: Nastja

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

 

Motivation – motivacija

Knowledge worker – delavec znanja

Expectancy -  pričakovanje

Innovation – inovacija, noviteta

Job performance –  izvedba dela

Generation X– generacija X (rojeni v baby boomu po 2.sv.v.)

Generation Y -  potomci generacije Y (rojeni okoli leta 1980)

Extrinsic – zunanji (extrinsic reward)

Intrinsic – notranji

Flexible – prilagodljiv, fleksibilen

Upward mobility – mobilnost navzgor, napredovanje

Feedback – povratna informacija

Non-cooperation – nesodelovanje

Psychological contract - psihološka pogodba (nenapisana, neizrečena pričakovanja delodajalcev in delojemalcev)

Antecedent - prioriteta 

 

 

DISCUSSION OF ISSUES

 

Issue 1: Topic

Decision 1: We have decided that our topic will be  How to motivate knowledge workers to stay in organization?

 

Issue 2: Sources

Andreja: We've already sent our sources to prof. Nadoh Bergoc but I think that we still have to find some extra sources. If any of you finds something useful, please contact others.

Nastja: I have already found some extra literature, but not all is useful for us, just some parts of it. I will try to find more and send you via e-mail.

Andreja: Hi, I just want to tell you that I'm going to read the article about Motivating knowledge workers to innovate and I will try to find anything useful there.

Andreja:I have read the article and found it very useful. There is all information that we need, but the problem is that the sources of this article are not available to us (we cannot find it in any library in Slovenia.

 

Issue 3: Defined problem

Andreja: Hello, we must write also a defined problem. I've translated and shortened what we had written. If anything is translated wrong, correct and improve it.

 

Defined problem:

Organizations frequently face the problem of keeping their knowledge workers because these have many opportunities to find a better job and are usually in deficit. Therefore, managers should know how to motivate knowledge workers to stay in the organization. It is also important that managers know the knowledge workers' expectations.
In our research we want to find out which motivation factors help retain knowledge workers in the organization.

 

Nastja: I think that this definition of our problem is good. It tells what we are going write about and it's not too long. I agree with it

Alenka: I think the definition is short and to the point.

 

Issue 4:  Minutes of the third meeting

Alenka: Andreja and Nastja can you please help me - I have published 3rd minutes but it is not framed.... I don't know why so please try to make it better. Thanks.

Andreja: Sorry, I deleted another frame. I don't know how to change it back:(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 1st group meeting

 

 

Minutes of the first meeting of »Problem Based Learning Project«

held on 28 February, 2007 at FDV library

 

Present: Andreja Raholin, Nastja Uranc, Alenka Arlič

Absent: /

 

 

Agenda:

1)     defining the problem

2)     reforming  the title

3)     review of the literature

4)     any other business

 

 

Item 1

Discussion:

We got a confirmation for our definition of the problem from our subject and English teachers, so Nastja volunteered to put in order our wiki page.

Decision:

Definition of our problem is suitable so it will be posted at the top of our wiki page.

 

 

Item 2

Discussion:

At the beginning we formed the title which was not suitable and our subject teacher told us to change it.

Alenka suggested that the title should be Motivation of knowledge workers for staying in organization.

Nastja and Andreja agreed but they suggested asking our English teacher for confirmation.

Decision:

We will consult our English teacher for the title.

 

 

Item 3

Discussion:

Andreja suggested that we should carefully read the articles that we found and try to use them for our problem.

Others agreed and Nastja proposed Monday to be the deadline.

Decision:

All the articles will be carefully read by Monday.

 

 

Item 4

Discussion:

Nastja suggested that the next meeting should be at her place in Koseze to avoid problems with finding free table and chairs in the library.

Decision:

The next meeting will be on Monday or Tuesday in Koseze.

 

 

Minutes taker: Alenka Arlič

 

 

Chair: Nastja Uranc

 

 

Minutes of the 2nd group meeting

 

 

Minutes of the second meeting of »Problem Based Learning Project«

held on 6 March, 2007 in Koseze

Present: Andreja Raholin, Nastja Uranc, Alenka Arlič

Absent: /

 

 

Agenda:

1. Action-item follow up

2. Forming the questions

3. Distribution of tasks

 

 

Item 1

All assignments from the previous meeting have been carried out. We all had some difficulties with articles because some of them are too specific and do not relate very well  to our problem.

 

 

Item 2

We have formed two hypotheses and five questions.

         

 

 

Item 3

Andreja suggested that specific tasks should be distributed after we get confirmation of the research questions from our subject teacher. But the skeleton agreement is the following:

Alenka will try to answer question a and b.

Nastja and Andreja will work on the empirical part and will try to answer questions

c, d, e.

Furthermore, until the next meeting all of us should read some theories of motivation.

The next meeting will be on Monday or Tuesday in Koseze.

 

 

Minutes taker: Alenka Arlič

 

 

Chair: Nastja Uranc

 

 

 

Minutes of the 3rd group meeting 

  

 Minutes of the third meeting of »Problem Based Learning Project«

held on 13 March 2007 in Koseze

 

Present: Andreja Raholin, Nastja Uranc, Alenka Arlič

Absent: /

 

 

 Agenda:

  1. Action-item follow up
  2. Empirical part of the Report

 

 

Item 1

At the last meeting we decided to read some theories about motivation but all theories had not been read. All members read just some of them therefore Alenka proposed to read them until the next meeting. The theories will be discussed next week and the group will decide which theory is the most appropriate for our specific problem.

 

 

Item 2

Discussion:

Firstly, we thought that empirical part will be composed of two interviews but when we discussed this with our subject teacher, we changed our decision. Andreja suggested interviewing more than just one former knowledge worker from a specific organization. Others agreed with that but Nastja suggested carrying out an interview also with the manager from our selected organization who is responsible for human recourses.

She also volunteered to drive to Izlake when we have an appointment with the manager.

Decision:

At least two interviews with knowledge workers and one with the manager will be made. Alenka will send an e-mail to the manager from the organization and try to make an appointment.

 

 

Minutes taker: Alenka Arlič

 

 

Chair: Nastja Uranc

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 4th group meeting

 

 

 

Minutes of the fourth meeting of »Problem Based Learning Project«

held on 27 March 2007  FDV library

 

Present: Andreja Raholin, Nastja Uranc , Alenka Arlič

Absent: /

 

 

Agenda:

  1. Action-item follow up
  2. The theories of motivation
  3. Empirical part of the Report

 

Item 1

All assignments from the previous meeting have been done.

 

 

Item 2

Discussion:

All the theories of motivation which are appropriate for knowledge workers were read. Nastja read Maslow's Need Theory and some definitions of Motivation and Work Motivation, Andreja read two articles about the motivation of knowledge workers and was very delighted because it is very suitable for our problem. The second article that she read defines the concept of knowledge workers. Alenka focused on the expectancy theories, especially Vroom's VIE theory and equity theory. Andreja suggested summarizing all the theories until the end of this week. The others agreed with the proposal.

 

 

Decision:

All these theories and the concept of motivation and knowledge workers will be summarized until the end of the week.

 

Item 3

Discussion:

We know all of the theories that are appropriate for our problem therefore Nastja suggested preparing the interviews. We still had some time left therefore the others agreed to combine some interview questions:

-for the knowledge worker who does not work in the selected organization anymore,

-for the manager from our selected organization who is responsible for human resourses

-for the knowledge worker who is still employed in the selected organization.

Each member proposed questions related to the theories that she knows. Andreja suggested getting approval for the questions from our subject teacher. Alenka volunteered to make an appointment with the manager she had already contacted, but now she will try to arrange a date and time for our appointment. She will also try to make an appointment with the knowledge workers.

 

Decision:

We designed three interviews and decided to go to the contact hours of professor Nadoh-Bergoč to get the approval. Alenka will contact the manager and the knowledge workers.

 

 

Minutes taker: Alenka Arlič

 

 

Chair: Nastja Uranc

 

 


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  • Recent comments:
    Vida Zorko:Hi, try to write a preliminary distribution of tasks. And you can always change it later.
    alenka:Hello! We have a problem with distribution of roles because our subject teacher J.N. Bergoč hasn't confirmed our research questions yet and we don't know if our questions are ok. Therefore we can't distribute roles to each of us... We don't even know if our questions are well done. Is it ok, if we post distribution of roles at the top of wiki page when we get confirmation?
    Vida Zorko:You are welcome, Andreja :-) Do you want some more? Here are two bits to corect in this sentence 'There are (=is) all information that we need, but the problem is, (= no comma) ...'
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