Organisational Structure and Motivation
Introduction
This essay reviews how motivation of employees is influenced b y organisational culture, national culture and organisational structure using journals and academic texts. The intent of the essay is to highlight some of the less obvious factors that influence motivation in organisations. According to anfer !"#$%& motivation is an inner state that energies, stimulates and directs behaviour towards specific goals. Additionally, 'ando(o !"##)& stated that there are generally two elements in motivation which are encouragement and goal. Schein !"#$*&, states that organi+ational culture is a set of beliefs, values and way of life in an organi+ation. 'ofstede !"#$& defines national culture as the programming of the human mind that distinguishes one group of people from another. -ruc(er !"#$& describes structure as the /means for attaining objectives and goals of the organisation0. 'andy0s !"##1& definition of structure states, /the allocation of formal responsibilities, the typical organisational chart. 2t also covers the lin(ing mechanisms between the roles and the co3ordinating structures of the organisation.0 1.2 Influence of Organisational Structure on Motivation
'andy !"###& developed a model of organisational cultures categori+ed into four types. The power culture relies on central power with lines of influence extending throughout the company, fre4uently found in small organisations and relies on trust, empathy and communication for effectiveness and is less bureaucratic. The role culture is characteri+ed as a bureaucracy operates by logic and rationality. 'arrison and 'andy !"##1& describes it as a temple that relies heavily on strong organi+ational pillars and is controlled by procedures and controlled from the top. Tas( culture is job3oriented and is similar to a net with some strands stronger than others. The power and influence at the interstices are somewhat li(e the matrix organi+ational structure which brings the right resources together to unify power of the group. 2nfluence is widely spread and based on expert power. 5erson culture has the individual as the central focus with the structure used to serve individuals within them. Management hierarchies are only possible by mutual consent. 2ndividuals have "
almost complete autonomy and any influence over them is li(ely to be on the basis of personal power. 1.3 Influence of Organisational Culture on Motivation
According to anfer !"#$%&, motivation is an inner state that energies, stimulates and directs behaviour towards specific goals. Additionally, 'ando(o !"##)& stated generally the two main elements in motivation are encouragement and goal. 6mployees ta(e specific actions driven by encouragement and aspirations to achieve goals set by the organisation. Organi+ational culture triggers employees0 motivation to accomplish organi+ational objectives, therefore high motivation re4uires strong organisational culture according to 'olmes and Marsden !"##&. Many authors state that strong organisational culture is built on positive3sounding virtues, attitudes and behaviours which they claim to be useful to employee motivation according to -eal and ennedy !"#$)&7 Trice and 8eyer !"#$*&. ilmann et al. !"#$*& argue that culture has positive impacts on motivation when it channels behavior in the right direction7 alternatively, culture has negative impacts on motivation when it points behaviour in the wrong direction. According to 9il(ins and 5atterson !"#$*&, the ideal culture is distinguished by clearly defined assumptions of e4uity and a sense of collective competence which result in employee motivation. According to anter !"#$1&, there are cultures of pride which is good for motivation and cultures of inferiority which impacts motivation negatively. 1.4 Influence of National Culture on Motivation
:ational culture is essential to motivation as stated by de Mooji and 'ofstede !)"&. 'ofstede;s dimensions identified (ey distinctions among cultures which drive motivation based on their perspective on life, level of independence, opinions and beliefs. Stewart and 8ennett !"##"& stated that employees in the
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1.5 Influence of National Culture on Organizational Culture and Structure
'ofstede !)"& defines culture as =the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another>. According to 'ofstede !)"& Asian countries have high power distance scores, which relates to a culture0s willingness to accept differences in power compared to other cultures. Taller organisational structures are expected, with a higher ratio of supervisory staff having a narrow span of control, additionally, decision ma(ing is more centrali+ed. Motivation of employees from with cultures with high power distance comes from status and powe r. Masa(a+u !"##?& defines individualism as =a view of humanity that justifies inner beliefs and unilateral self3assertion, as well as competition based on these>. 2n collectivist cultures though, the interest of the group is placed above the interest of the individual. 2n collectivist cultures, assignments are second place to relationships and group based decision ma(ing is preferred over individual. They place a higher value on consensus and teamwor( compared to individual initiatives. 5romoting a supportive atmosphere and facilitation of team effort are the primary roles of the leader. 6mployees are rewarded based on length of service and tenure and they are motivated from a sense of belonging. 1.6 Conclusion
Motivation of employees is influenced by organisational culture, national culture and organisational structure. According to 'olmes and Marsden !"##&, motivation of employees is highly influenced by organi+ational culture. An understanding of 'ofstede0s !"#$& dimensions is a powerful tool for motivating employees from varying cultures, it was also seen as a better predictor compared to the use of personality traits. @indings from research done by Oldham and 'ac(man !"#$"& suggested that the relationship between organi+ational structure and motivation can be explained by the nature of the jobs within the structure. Anderson and 8rown !)"& concluded from their research that there was a clear lin( between structure and motivation, additionally they found that flat structures are often more advantageous for promoting motivation.
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2.0 eferences
Alvesson, M. !))&. Understanding organizational culture. ondonB SAC6. Anderson, D. and 8rown, D. !)"&. The functions and dysfunctions of hierarchy. Research in Organizational Behavior , 1, pp.**3$#. 8usinesscasestudies.co.u(, !)"*&. Organisational structures and cultures - Organisational structure in an innovative environment - Capco | Capco case studies, videos, social media and information | Business Case Studies. EonlineF Available atB httpBGGbusinesscasestudies.co.u(GcapcoGorganisational3structure3in3an3innovative3 environmentGorganisational3structures3and3cultures.htmlHax++1:$mideIv EAccessed 1 Jan. )"*F. 8usinesscasestudies.co.u(, !)"*&. Organisational structures and cultures - Organisational structure in an innovative environment - Capco | Capco case studies, videos, social media and information | Business Case Studies. EonlineF Available atB httpBGGbusinesscasestudies.co.u(GcapcoGorganisational3structure3in3an3innovative3 environmentGorganisational3structures3and3cultures.htmlHax++1:$mideIv EAccessed 1 Jan. )"*F. de Mooij, M. and 'ofstede, C. !)"&. The 'ofstede modelB applications to global branding and advertising strategy and research. International Journal of dvertising , )#!"&, p.$*. 'ofstede, C. !)%&. Asian management in the )"st century. sia !acific J "anage, )?!?&, pp.?""3?). Man+oor, K. !)""&. 2mpact of 6mployees Motivation on Organi+ational 6ffectiveness. B"S , 1!"&. Man+oor, K. !)""&. 2mpact of 6mployees Motivation on Organi+ational 6ffectiveness. B"S , 1!"&. Mullins, . !)*&. "anagement and organisational #ehaviour . 'arlow, 6nglandB 5rentice 'allG@inancial Times.
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3.0 Bibliography
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