Question 1
You have explored four concepts of motivation in this week’s Studies, with two focused on the job and the characteristics of the job, and two looking at how employees think about inputs at work. Many HR professionals find that this combination of theories, which focus on job characteristics and how employees view job inputs, goes a long way in explaining what motivates most employees in today’s complex job market.
A search for America’s “best places to work” yields a number of sources. Using a source of your choice, select any three companies it lists as the best place to work and describe how that company uses any of the motivation theories discussed in this week to develop a motivated workforce. Be sure to specify which theory you are referring to and how you think the company applies it to its work environment.
Question 2
Leadership is an organization-wide issue, not just a human resources issue. Yet, it has a significant impact on employee engagement and HR’s ability to create an adaptive, innovative workplace.
As you think about the leadership components you have read about this week, respond to the following questions in this discussion:
- What role do human resources play in building effective leadership throughout the organization?
- What role do human resources play in partnering with leaders to build leadership that engages employees?
- What strategies do human resources need in order to build leadership in its own department?