Systems for motivation and incentives at work
INTRODUCTION
Today it is a reality that successful organizations treat their staff as a fundamental source of competitiveness, considering the human factor as its most important asset; hence the need to obtain and have the most qualified, motivated and competitive personnel possible at all times. In this, stimulation considered as an investment of the company is essential to obtain better future results.
This investigative work has its origins in a social problem existing in organizations, the dissatisfaction of workers with the benefits that promote organizational stimulation actions, which generally do not address these in a comprehensive and coherent way, much less with a systemic approach, which of course has a logical impact on organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
The need to provide organizations with a comprehensive and coherent stimulation system and its consistent application, as well as the equally important task of training staff to create and exploit it are two good reasons to work on a stimulation system design procedure. that can be applied successfully in Cuban organizations, the creation of the theoretical model and the methodological procedure in question is the central objective of this work.
The lack of comprehensive and coherent stimulation systems based on the systemic approach as well as its consistent application, is considered by this author as the main cause underlying the lack of effectiveness and efficiency in this function in the world and also in our country for what which constitutes the scientific problem to be solved. The Human Resources Management system (HRMS) in general and the stimulator or rewards system in particular were the object and field of action respectively of this research in which the objective of Elaborating the conceptual framework and a methodological design procedure has been defined. of the stimulation system for organizations, comprehensive and coherent based on the systemic approach that allows its consistent implementation and guarantees the achievement of organizational objectives,individual and social.
With the completion of the work, under current conditions, the real possibility of developing the theoretical framework and a methodological procedure for the design of the stimulation system was demonstrated, applicable successfully in Cuban organizations and that if this implementation is done based on the recommendations given, The results in the increase of the work satisfaction of the workers, the effectiveness and organizational and social efficiency improve continuously.
In order to carry out the research, it has been necessary to use the different theoretical and empirical research methods, highlighting the historical and logical method, analysis and synthesis, the inductive and deductive method, the elevation of the abstract to the concrete as well observation and experiment have also been necessary to use multiple techniques associated with these types of studies, and that in one way or another are manifested and collected in the bibliography (Alvarez L. 2001).
The theoretical model, the methodological procedure and an application taken as a model served for its author to successfully defend his Master's thesis in Management, which has served as a reference for numerous undergraduate and graduate students and researchers to develop work related to systems design. of Stimulation.
The results of this research have been applied with favorable results in numerous organizations in Holguín and other provinces and they have also been used to develop actions in the Diagnosis and Business Improvement files and are also widely used in the training of Human Resources; These applications have also derived a group of more frequent or recurrent problems that can serve as a guide for researchers, businessmen and students in future work and that today are put to their consideration; They have also been socialized from different papers presented at national and international events, among which CIEMPRES V (University of Matanzas 2002) and CIMEII (UNAICC Holguín 2002) stand out, just to mention those of the year 2002, in these events as well,good acceptance has been achieved.
THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONCEPTIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE STIMULATION SYSTEM.
It is necessary to specify that the theoretical approach that definitely supports this work in terms of motivation is closely related to the results of the investigations initiated by López (1991, 1993 and 1994) that have been perfected by Alvarez (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997) and validated from its applications directed by this author (Espejel and Alvarez 1994, Fdez and Batista 1996, Castillo 1996, Betancourt and Quintana 1996, González and Carbonel 1996 Morales and Rdguez 1997, Cruz 1998, Glez 1999) when using it initially to measure “he want to do”, job satisfaction or “concrete motivation” as it was also called and later for the sustenance of this work (Alvarez 1995 and 1997 a, 1995), Saavedra (1994), Gorina and Grullet (1995).
Based on the general theoretical foundation of this systemic approach, a model has been developed that includes the characteristics that in our opinion should be considered based on 5 basic directions (subsystems) associated with the analysis of motivation and therefore when designing and / or perfecting the stimulating system appreciating in each direction both the stimulating possibilities that they can contribute in themselves, as well as the conditions that they can impose and that are necessary to take into account when analyzing the stimulation and the system that promotes this in a comprehensive and coherent way, which is in order to § You count the field of action where this work is undertaken, the analysis of the aforementioned basic directions includes the incursion into the characteristics and dynamics of the environment both external to the organization, and internally,the latter referring to the individual, the groups and the stimulator system, and also includes the individual and group characteristics as well as the characteristics and results of the stimulator system
With regard to the so-called “Concrete motivation” or job satisfaction, it is important to highlight that from the 28 essential variables or dimensions (López 1994, Alvarez 1997 and 2001) the most general needs and motives classified in the 5 subsystems linked to:
• The nature and content of the work.
• Group work and its managers
• Working conditions
• Effort and individual results.
• Well-being conditions
the essential dimensions of the “concrete motivation” per element of the stimulator system are the following:
I. Essential dimensions linked to the nature and content of work
• Variety of skills, Identification of the task, Meaning of the task, Autonomy and Feedback.
II. Essential dimensions linked to group work and the action of managers
• Cohesion, Attractiveness, Socio-psychological climate, Variety of skills, Identification of the task. Meaning of the task, Feedback and Autonomy.
III. Essential dimensions linked to Stimulation to individual effort and result.
• Sufficiency, Correspondence, Relationship, Perception Consistency and Fairness.
IV. Essential dimensions linked to working conditions
• Safe, Aesthetic, Hygienic and Ergonomic.
V. Essential dimensions linked to the conditions of Well-being
• Hours, Maintenance, Attention to life, Cultural and Social Development and Personal and Professional Development.
Motivation for work, according to Trista (1990) is the active manifestation of the worker's needs, satisfaction therefore refers to the well-being that is experienced when the need and the motivation to drive and effort to do it are satisfied and not there must necessarily be a positive relationship between motivation and satisfaction, a highly motivated individual may be dissatisfied and vice versa; What does seem to be clear is that in all cases the level of satisfaction can and does lead to action and therefore affects behavior and results. Finally, the reflection is aimed at differentiating motivation and satisfaction and to mean what is desired to achieve: voluntary, responsible behaviors that translate into favorable results for both the organization and the individual;This is why it is important to focus on the motivators that influence people's behavior (Koontz 1990); stimuli.
The stimulus; understood as such is "Anything that is capable of exceeding man's sensorial-perceptual threshold and triggering his psychic reflex with a certain unconscious or conscious response" (Cuesta 1991) does not necessarily have to motivate, and may even result in very different reasons depending on the psychology of the person; For example, the slave was encouraged to work with lashes, but of course, in essence he was not motivated positively to do so, he did not work motivated by anything other than avoiding punishment or death, he did not do it freely, voluntarily and consciously.
The truly efficient and effective stimulation to be achieved towards work activity in today's world and especially in socialism, must include motivation, and include the achievement of commitment, responsibility, action or free, conscious and voluntary response. The positive stimulus or that causes motivation is considered as a benefit by the individual, being able to have different expressions, classifications and interpretations such as: moral and material for some, tangible and intangible for others, intrinsic and extrinsic… etc., just to mention the more used. They all have the characteristic that they are external to the individual and can finally have a mediate or immediate effect;The point then is to provide the work environment with those benefits that satisfy human needs in such quantity and quality that they achieve it and to establish the routes for their distribution, taking into account at all times the correspondence between need and possibility and between efficiency and effectiveness; The human resources management subsystem in charge of this is essentially stimulation. As already expressed above, stimuli are very important tools for leaders and their effective management is an important part of the art of true leaders.The human resources management subsystem in charge of this is essentially stimulation. As already expressed above, stimuli are very important tools for leaders and their effective management is an important part of the art of true leaders.The human resources management subsystem in charge of this is essentially stimulation. As already expressed above, stimuli are very important tools for leaders and their effective management is an important part of the art of true leaders.
THE STIMULATION OR REWARD SYSTEM.
Work stimulation like all other human resource management functions must be approached holistically as a system. The stimulation system will then contain the directions or spheres of attention in which the stimulation actions must be carried out, as well as the principles and procedures from which they will be carried out, having the man as the center; with the aim of achieving the satisfaction of the workers' needs and thus contribute to the organizational and social objectives.
The directions, spheres of attention or elements of the stimulating system, will therefore be the "motivating groups" previously analyzed, with their variables, attributes or essential dimensions from them, the stimuli that will act on the individual or group will be derived properly.
The stimulating system seen as an important means available to the organization to attract, maintain, develop and commit human resources will have a notable influence on the achievement of the organization's mission, which in turn will contribute significantly in this way to the development of society, to the satisfaction of the needs of its members and the creation of the new values required for the man who builds it. The stimulating system is open and therefore is notably influenced by the actions of its environment (external and internal), which is made up of the rest of the organizational systems and society itself.
Man lives in a given social environment, the analysis of the stimulating system must therefore take into account the influence of all these variables on the individual, the state of "strategic motivators" and the coherent action of the stimulating system with the remaining organizational subsystems..
If these ideas are summarized, the importance of the vision, systemic, strategic, comprehensive, coherent, consistent, proactive - educational, participatory that must characterize this system is revealed and this will be truly achieved and its results will be continuously improved if they are based or they are linked to the application of the most current science and technique in this field.
On the other hand, it is important to emphasize that man is both the object and the subject of this system; object, because the stimulus is directed towards it and subject for some reasons, among which are in the first place the man and the groups, which with the achievement of the organizational and social objectives will propitiate the sources, the bases for financing and perfecting their own system and therefore its continuous improvement and, on the other hand, by the influence of the boss and the groups in the stimulation actions and their perceptions, so much so that it becomes one of the “Motivating Groups”.
Therefore, the design team must promote integration with leaders and groups, committing them to this work, hence the important role of participation in the entire conception, implementation and exploitation of the stimulator system. On the other hand, it must be clear that the bases for the distribution of benefits are always their own needs and results, whether of an organizational, individual or social nature and therefore these must be duly defined in some way in the different directions or spheres of attention based on general or specific policies as the case may be.
In general, the policies that govern the directions related to… Nature and content of work; Group work and the influence of managers, working conditions and, to a great extent, well-being conditions are essentially aimed at distributing according to needs based on organizational objectives and possibilities, policies aimed at stimulating individual results, which They will do from their own results, expressed either in terms of competences (complexity and responsibility), behavior and results obtained.
LAWS AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN THE STIMULATION TO WORK
Among the main principles that should be considered in a special way in the stimulation of work are the following: (Alvarez 2001)
1. Orientation: towards the mission and objectives.
2. Approach: Strategic, comprehensive and coherent.
3 Basis: scientific.
4. Participation.
5. Perception, easy understanding and Feedback
6. Equity and correspondence.
7. Opportunity.
8. Justice.
9. Consistency.
10. Proactive-educational nature.
11. Rationality and efficiency
12. Flexibility and dynamism.
STIMULATION SYSTEMS DESIGN PROCEDURE
After carrying out the analysis of the conceptions and criteria that must be considered regarding the stimulation of work and that make up the desired state, it is necessary to have a methodological procedure that allows its implementation in organizations, this procedure is broadly collected and can be consulted in more detail (Alvarez 2001).
To arrive at the definition of the stages and activities that the procedure must contain, it is convenient to make some reflections about its antecedents and their state in Cuba and the world, since its stages, activities and objectives of the same.
In this sense, the general method for solving problems or the problem solving process based on the approaches proposed by the different authors, among which we can cite Kepner and Tregoe (1983), Zerilli (1988), La Branche (1999) serve as antecedents., Barra (1983), Zayas (1991), and Institutions such as the ILO (1986) and the MES de Cuba (1990) among others, this method is the basis from which the main current approaches in organizational change are based..
On the other hand, the criteria and experiences of the various contemporary philosophies and approaches are taken into account, among which the classic consultancy proposed by the ILO (1980), the collaborative integral consultancy (Portuondo 1992), the program for performance improvement in companies, DO / PMR (Abramson 1993) and the approaches proposed by the Confederación Andina de Fomento, CAF by Rodríguez (1990) and Gómez (1991).
Other important criteria taken into account are associated with the theory of excellence (Austin and Peters 1987), the philosophy of Total Quality (TQM) linked to prestigious researchers, including Deming (1989), Juran (1993), Crosby (1989), Ishikawa (1988), Gitlow (1992) and Omachonu (1995).
Interesting reflections can be derived from the approach to service management and its revolution according to Albrecht (1992), the approach to world-class manufacturing companies by Schonberger (1996), the Engineering of competitiveness linked to Benchmarking (Viedma 1995), Reengineering (Hammer and Champy 1994)), (Champy 1995) as well as the recommendations of Drucker (1990) on how to manage in the future.
The experiences reached in the theory of constraints (TOC) and its change procedure also exerts a significant influence on this work (Goldratt and Cox, 1992), (Sheridan 1994). On the other hand, without a doubt, the procedure has much to do with that established in the Cuban business improvement in the FAR (MINFAR 1989), (Pérez Betancourt 1988) and current (MES 1999). All these approaches define stages, activities, indispensable conditions, which must characterize the processes of change, of continuous improvement with which in essence they coincide.
However, the approach that the proposed procedure follows has as its closest antecedent that proposed in the Permanent Program for the Improvement of Productivity (PPMP) of Dr. Arturo Pacheco (1991), especially due to the experiences and adaptation of this to the Cuban reality (Alvarez and Pacheco 1993) that are finally summarized by Pacheco and Alvarez (1994) in the final report of the applications of this program in Cuba and Mexico. The original procedure has been adapted to the current situation and the function that is the object of study, in this case the stimulation of work.
At this moment it is convenient to express that these organizational change approaches coincide in core, essential aspects such as:
1. Consider the organization with a systemic, comprehensive approach (encompassing all its processes), strategic, adaptive.
2. Put special emphasis on the outputs, the mission, the objectives focused especially on customer satisfaction.
3. Use the process approach where everyone is a customer and at the same time has the next process as a customer.
4. They adopt a specific management philosophy (TOC, Total Quality, Business Improvement…) with a continuous improvement approach where senior management leads the process and all managers are committed to it.
5. Special attention is paid to the Human Factor and the Human Resources Management System with a marked emphasis on competencies and commitment; everyone's participation in management is an indispensable condition for success and training, continuous learning is its essential foundation.
6. A procedure is adopted to implement the continuous improvement process (Know How) and a coordinating team is created.
7. Emphasis is placed on the most up-to-date science and technique, taking advantage of the main tools and techniques available according to the possibilities, special meaning has the use of “cutting-edge technologies (hard and soft) such as computer science, automation, more current systems and approaches such as DPO, Strategic Planning, JIT and ISO 9000.
8. Considering change with a continuous improvement approach makes this process permanent, consistent and all actions are integrated into the daily work of the organization's management and therefore it will become the philosophy of its management.
In a general sense, the need to integrate these ingredients in the methodological procedure can be considered in order for it to be successful and avoid the reasons that make continuous improvement efforts fail (Martínez Hinojosa 1990) in which there is also an overwhelming consensus.
STAGES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURE FOR THE DESIGN OF STIMULATION SYSTEMS.
1. Initial preparation.
2. Diagnosis.
3. Solution strategy.
4. Implementation.
5. Evaluation and Adjustments.
In the original work (Alvarez 2001) the objectives, tasks or activities to be carried out and the main considerations to take into account in each of them are specified by stage. As a result of the applications, a group of recurring problems has been obtained:
FUNDAMENTAL AND RECURRING PROBLEMS OF WORK STIMULATION IN THE CUBAN ORGANIZATIONS STUDIED
DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY OF THE "CONCRETE MOTIVATION".
INSTRUCTIONS.
We are doing an investigation to find out the state in which you consider are the factors that may favor or harm job satisfaction in your organization. We need your cooperation for this.
"THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION"
Mark with an X the box that answers the following questionnaire.
|
Not. |
QUESTIONS |
one NEVER (MM) |
two ALMOST NEVER (M) |
3 SOMETIMES (R) |
4 ALMOST ALWAYS (B) |
5 ALWAYS (E) |
|
one |
Do you have the freedom or ability to decide how and when to do your job? | |||||
|
two |
Is the result of your work easily appreciated in the final product? | |||||
|
3 |
Does your job require you to perform different operations and use a large number of skills and knowledge? | |||||
|
4 |
The results of your work significantly affect the lives or well-being of other people? | |||||
|
5 |
Do your own work, supervisors or other people let you know how well they are doing? | |||||
|
6 |
Can each member of the group skillfully perform all or a large part of the tasks assigned to the group? | |||||
|
7 |
Can the group see the result of the work on the final product? | |||||
|
8 |
Do the results of the group's work significantly affect the lives or well-being of other people? | |||||
|
9 |
Do your own work, supervisors or other people provide the group with information on the quality with which they perform their task? | |||||
|
10 |
Do the members of the group participate in the determination of goals and work objectives? | |||||
|
eleven |
Does the group stick together to achieve a common goal after it is agreed? | |||||
|
12 |
Do you feel supported by the group at all times? | |||||
|
13 |
Are you satisfied with the human relationships that exist between the members of the group and of these with their leaders? | |||||
|
14 |
Does the income you receive from your work allow you to meet your personal needs? | |||||
|
fifteen |
Is the salary you receive according to the quantity and quality of the work you do? | |||||
|
16 |
Does the salary you receive correspond to your level of preparation? | |||||
|
17 |
Are the aspects that are evaluated for the awarding of merits and the selection of the most outstanding known? (both moral and material). | |||||
|
18 |
The system of moral and material stimulation established, offers the greatest amount of merits to the most outstanding? | |||||
|
19 |
Are the most outstanding workers the ones who receive the greatest amount of material stimulus? | |||||
|
twenty |
Does the work environment offer you security? Are the areas properly protected? | |||||
|
twenty-one |
Are the hygienic conditions of your environment favorable? | |||||
| 22 | Is there order, care and aesthetically pleasing environment? | |||||
|
2. 3 |
The equipment, furniture, tools, work tools and space, allow to carry out the work comfortably. | |||||
|
24 |
The conditions of the working hours, its flexibility, do they satisfy you? | |||||
|
25 |
Does your workplace provide favorable conditions for food, transportation, health, etc.? | |||||
| ASSESS THE INCIDENCE OF EACH ONE IN THE ABOVE ANSWER: | ||||||
| * FOOD. | ||||||
| * HEALTH. | ||||||
| * TRANSPORTATION. | ||||||
| * OTHERS. (Name it). | ||||||
|
26 |
Are the conditions for personal and professional development (training, development, possibilities of promotion) satisfied? | |||||
|
27 |
Do you receive support to solve your personal and family problems (housing, nursery school, promotion, etc.)? | |||||
|
28 |
Does your workplace provide conditions for development and participation in the cultural, recreational and social spheres? | |||||
| 29 | Fully assess your satisfaction with the entity. | |||||
| 30 | How do you consider yourself committed to the entity. |
GENERAL DATA:
1.- SEX: Male: _______ Female: _______
2.- AGE: _________ years.
3.- SCHOOL LEVEL: Primary: ____ Secondary: _____ Pre-university: _______
Academic: ________
4.- POSITION OR OCCUPATION: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. WORKGROUP_______________________________________________________
6- NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ON YOU: _______________________
RESULTS OF THE "CONCRETE MOTIVATION" LABOR SATISFACTION DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY.
|
Application |
Comparison |
||||
|
Nr |
System Element and Essential Dimension |
HALF |
EVAL |
HALF |
EVAL |
| I | NATURE AND CONTENT OF WORK |
3.8 |
B |
3.9 |
B |
|
one |
Feedback |
4.46 |
B |
4.5 |
B |
|
two |
ID |
4.13 |
B |
4.15 |
B |
|
3 |
Variety of Skills |
3.66 |
R |
3.7 |
R |
|
4 |
Autonomy |
3.6 |
R |
3.63 |
R |
|
5 |
Meaning |
2.3 |
M |
3.12 |
R |
| II | GROUP WORK AND INFLUENCE OF DTIVES |
3.7 |
R |
3.8 |
B |
|
6 |
Feedback (Group) |
4.3 |
B |
4.28 |
B |
|
7 |
Cohesion |
4.29 |
B |
4.27 |
B |
|
8 |
Attractive |
4.26 |
B |
4.27 |
B |
|
9 |
Autonomy (Group) |
3.93 |
B |
3.95 |
B |
|
10 |
Identification (Group) |
3.74 |
R |
3.76 |
B |
|
eleven |
Variety of Skills (Group) |
3.73 |
R |
3.74 |
R |
|
12 |
Sociopsychological Climate |
3.36 |
R |
3.5 |
R |
|
13 |
Meaning (Group) |
2.28 |
M |
3 |
R |
| III | WORKING CONDITIONS |
3.5 |
R |
3.5 |
R |
|
14 |
Aesthetic |
3.76 |
B |
3.8 |
B |
|
fifteen |
Safe |
3.75 |
B |
3.78 |
B |
|
16 |
Hygienic |
3.3 |
R |
3.2 |
R |
|
17 |
Ergonomic |
3.03 |
R |
3 |
R |
| IV | … EFFORT AND INDIVIDUAL RESULTS |
3.2 |
R |
3.6 |
R |
|
18 |
Fairness |
3.66 |
R |
3.65 |
R |
|
19 |
Correspondence |
3.57 |
R |
3.8 |
B |
|
twenty |
Perception |
3.25 |
R |
3.6 |
R |
|
twenty-one |
Coherence |
3.13 |
R |
3.65 |
R |
|
22 |
Bonding |
2.76 |
M |
3.4 |
R |
|
2. 3 |
Sufficiency |
2.63 |
M |
3.2 |
R |
| V | WELLNESS CONDITIONS |
3.2 |
R |
2.9 |
M |
|
24 |
…Schedule |
3.6 |
R |
2.8 |
M |
|
25 |
… Cultural and Social Development |
3.36 |
R |
3.25 |
R |
|
26 |
…Personal and professional development |
3.3 |
R |
3.35 |
R |
|
27 |
…"Maintenance" |
2.65 |
M |
2.6 |
M |
|
28 |
Attention to Life | 2.64 | M | 2.63 | M |
