Employee motivation is an intrinsic and internal drive to put forth the necessary effort and action towards work-related activities.
[4] In the mid 1920s another theorist, Elton Mayo along with Fritz Roethlisberger and William Dickson from the Harvard Business School, began studying the workforce.
However, today there are studies and systematic reviews are conducted to find out whether the Hawthorne effect exists, and the level of impact it can make under certain conditions.
Campion and Thayer [9] found that jobs with more motivational features have lower effort requirements, a better well-being, and fewer health complaints.
The study found that organizations were not taking into account the increased job ability requirements that job enrichments or enlargements entail nor were the organizations increasing compensation for employees who were given extra tasks and/or more complex tasks.
Many studies have been conducted concerning how motivation is affected by rewards resulting in conflicting and inconsistent outcomes.
The meta-analysis by Wiersma [14] concluded that when extrinsic rewards are given by chance, they reduce intrinsic motivation.
A study conducted by Earn [15] also examined the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.
Earn [15] wanted to know if extrinsic rewards affected a person's intrinsic motivation based on the subject's locus of control.
The study also found that when the controlling aspect of the extrinsic reward was made pertinent by making pay dependent on a certain amount of performance, higher pay undermined the intrinsic motivation of subjects and their locus of control was not relevant.
The core dimensions listed above can be combined into a single predictive index, called the Motivating Potential Score.
[18] Other benefits from quality control circles include an improved employee-management relationship, increased individual commitment, and more opportunities for employee expression and self-development.
The results of this study suggest that quality circles can provide employees with informational and social support that can help increase their motivation.
[19] Employees become personally and meaningfully involved with the organization beyond just doing their assigned tasks, which increases their motivation and production [19] Open book management is a four-step process.
The last step involves employers paying their employees a fair share of profits through bonuses and incentives.
Four factors must exist for any employee participation program to be successful:[20] "Work motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate work-related behavior and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration” (Pinder, 1998, p. 11).
[23] Sometimes employers utilize flextime schedules that allow employees to arrive to work when they choose within specified limits.
[27] Shareholder returns, operating income, and revenue growth have also had higher financial performance in employee engaged organizations.
[27] Employers who practice employee motivation and engagement techniques in their organization will likely see an increase in overall business performance.
Employers who pay at least a minimal living wage will meet these basic employee needs [29] The next level of needs is referred to as safety and security needs.
Employers can meet these needs by ensuring employees are safe from physical, verbal and/or emotional hazards and have a sense of job security.
Forming high quality relationships with peers can extrinsically improve employee motivation.
[2] Force = Valence x Expectancy x Instrumentality As Human Relations management took hold, increasing intrinsic motivation and attending to individuals became a larger concern for employers.
Increasing intrinsic motivation could be achieved through the Goal Setting Theory by Edwin A. Locke.
[33] Employees that work alongside their employers in the goal-setting process have the intrinsic benefit of participating in decisions, which can lead to higher motivation as they are empowered in their workplace.
[34] As employees reach these personally set goals, management can reinforce those efforts by showing recognition toward their success.
These five key principles align closely around the SMART goal setting strategy designed to define objectivity and achievability.
This synergy emphasizes social justice, fair treatment, continuous learning, and ethical leadership.
By aligning professional development, teamwork, intrinsic motivation, work-life balance, and recognition with Islamic objectives, organizations can cultivate a workplace that not only prioritizes individual well-being but also upholds broader societal and moral dimensions, fostering motivation in accordance with Islamic principles.
[35] As a result, Abdullah et al. (2023) has developed a unique employee motivation index by fusing McClelland and Maqasid Shariah in their studies.