Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards

February 10, 2011 2 Comments

Managers at work and parents at home are searching for the best reward to give. Rewards are two types, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic reward is a feeling of accomplishment after achieving a challenging task. The intrinsic reword do not need another person’s comments or encouragement, it is, rather a self-fulfillment feeling the worker sense after completing his or her tasks (Schermerhorn et al., 2008). Intrinsically motivated workers perform their tasks with impulsive experience of interest, excitement and satisfaction (Selart, Nordström, Kuvaas, & Takemura, 2008). Extrinsic rewards can be intangible like a public praise or being the employee-of the-month, but extrinsic rewards can be tangible similar to cash payment or benefits (Schermerhorn et al., 2008; Selart et al., 2008). The basic extrinsic needs are receiving external rewards or avoiding punishment (Fullagar & Mills, 2008).

References:

Fullagar, C. J., & Mills, M. J. (2008). Motivation and flow: Toward an understanding of the dynamics of the relation in architecture students. Journal of Psychology, 142(5), 533-556.

Selart, M., Nordström, T., Kuvaas, B., & Takemura, K. (2008). Effects of reward on self-regulation, intrinsic motivation and creativity. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52(5), 439-458. doi: 10.1080/00313830802346314

Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. (2008). Organizational Behavior (10 ed.). NY: John Wiley & Sons.

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Cross-cultural Models

February 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Woodhull and Louis (2009) state that People are social creatures and their cross-cultural issues falls within four models. The first model is the communal sharing model, which divide the population into in-groups and out-groups (Woodhull & Louis, 2009). In-group members treat each other differently than the out-group and share resources, information, and communication freely between them only. Fraternal organization is a good example to the communal sharing model. The second model is the authority ranking model, which is similar to the military hierarchy that divides the culture into layers and ranks (Woodhull & Louis, 2009). The lower ranks respect and obey their superiors who will take the responsibility. The third model is the equality matching that treat the population equally despite of the differences between them (Woodhull & Louis, 2009). The population members track what the contributed to the population and subtract what they took out. A good example of the equality matching is carpool. The last cross-cultural model Woodhull and Louis (2009) discussed is the market pricing model. Entry to this population is open and the relationship is based on utility, price and value. An example of this model is a for-profit business.

References:

Woodhull, M. D., & Louis, D. J. (2009). Why did they do that??? A cross-cultural study of daily decision-making by mexican maquiladoras and U.S./Canadian managers. Business Journal of Hispanic Research, 3(1), 77-93.

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Meetings: Sneaker Time?

December 19, 2010 2 Comments

Listen to this postMost of us have been in a meeting which ended without solving the discussed issues. The meeting participants leave the meeting to meet again in the nearby walkway to discuss the unfinished subject from the meeting. Sometimes they continue the discussion over the phone to complain how unproductive the meeting was. They use the phone to conclude some of the issues discussed in the meeting.
Sneaker time is the time spent by the meeting participants after the meeting discussing the open issues. Sneaker time discussion takes more time and waste many resources. The discussion after the meeting is usually between 2-3 meeting participants, the rest of the participants are not aware of the followup discussion and there is a good chance that they will not even know the outcome of the follow-up discussion.
Meeting discussion is usually documented and circulated for information and action. Sneaker time discussion is rarely documented and almost never circulated. The actions items from the sneaker time discussion can be dangerous because only few people know about them and approve them. These action may contradict with other action items generated by another group in side discussions similar to the sneaker time.
Well managed meetings should discuss and analyze the meeting agenda’s times to reach solutions and action plan that prevent the need for further discussion. The meeting chairperson should manage the meeting while thinking of the possibility of sneaker time after the meeting. The target should be to reduce the sneaker time to meeting time ratio. The meeting participants should leave the meeting without the need for further discussion on the meeting action items.

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Meetings: Why Do We Need An Agenda?

December 16, 2010 24 Comments

You may ask “why do we need an agenda? We all know what we are going to discuss.” Preparing the agenda takes time and in some meetings people do not even look at it. The agenda is a contract between the meeting participants during the meeting. They are committed to the time allocated for each discussion item and they agree on what to (or not to) discuss. Some people are professional in hijacking the meeting. They will steer the discussion to a subject not in the agenda and consume the meeting time to discuss their personal agenda. Most of the time they will start with a shocking or outrages comment that grab everybody’s attention then direct a question to one of the participants (or the meeting chairperson) to answer. When they finish the discussion on that subject the will say “A similar situation or maybe worse is about ….” and the discussion will continue to serve their personal agenda. They would consume most of the meeting’s time before anybody could notice it. The best solution for such people is to say “I am sure this is an important subject that you are bringing to the meeting, but it is not listed in the agenda. We will schedule it at the end of the meeting or you may ask for a separate meeting to give it the time it deserves.”

One of the first signs of a good meeting is a well written agenda. The agenda should have the title of the meeting (the subject) and the start and end time. The exact location for the meeting should be clearly stated. You will need a map with clear directions (like Google maps) if some of the meeting participants are new to the meeting location. The agenda should have a list of the discussion items written in simple and clear language. Please avoid the trade lingo, slang, abbreviations or general statements like “Discuss the situation in XYZ” you may know what is the situation and what is XYZ but other participants may not know or could misunderstood both of them. Estimate how long each item in the list will take and record it next to it. The participants will know how much time is available for that item and be ready to finish their discussion within the available time. They can call and ask for extra time before the affirming the agenda or at least before the meeting could start. Always add 5-10 minutes at the end of the agenda for new items but please do not allow for more than that. If the new item needs more time then schedule a new meeting for that new item.

The meeting participants can read the agenda and prepare themselves for the discussion by researching the subject and preparing important documents (tables, drawings or maps) to support their argument. without the agenda some participants would answer “I did not know that you are going to discus XYZ subject, I am to ready to discuss it, I will come back tot you on …”

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Meetings: What Is Really Going On?

December 15, 2010 6 Comments

Listen to this postWe spend few hours everyday in meetings. Some meetings are short and simple, like a one-on-one meeting to discuss specific issues and take decisions. Other meetings are usually last between half to full hour with attendance between 3 to 7 participants half of them do not know why they are sent to the meeting. Some meetings are large, noisy, crowded and long. They are more like a workshop than a meeting but they exist in the business world and many of us had survived few of them. These large meetings are the least productive meetings because they are difficult to control. It would be almost impossible In such meetings to listen to every participants’ input and give them enough time to discuss their thoughts.
Mismanaged meeting consume the management time and effort and hold the participants in a place were they are only listening instead of working on important issues outside the meeting. You will know that you are in a mismanaged meeting when the participates have side talks and others are frequently checking their iPhones and Blackberries instead of participating in the meeting. You will know that you have been in a good meeting when everybody leave the room knowing enough about the subject to describe it to anybody who ask them about it later. The participants in a good meeting will leave the meeting with a set of actions to take with a specific outcome on a target date. They know whom they should contact for clarifications and to whom they should report their progress. This post is an introduction to a series of posts on the same subject I will be updating in the coming days.

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Your Discussion

December 13, 2010 5 Comments

Listen to this postWe have discussed many issues, challenges and opportunities with different people but we rarely notice how we discuss or negotiate. We start the discussion with a strong believe that we are right and are able to convince the other side to agree with us. We should open the door for the other side to express and discuss their points also. Their ideas might be better than ours but we will find difficulty in accepting their points. The best way to go about such conflict of interest is to share our views and be ready to integrate or mix both ideas and come up with a solution that please both sides. Lions mark their territories with their urine, and I do not suggest that you do the same for your ideas during the discussion, but give the others a chance to change, ultra, expand or add part of their thoughts into the final solution and they will definitely agree with you. Sometimes, when you offer a complete solution to a different department or organization you notice that somebody for that department will disagree and become a roadblock. All you need to do is to give them a chance to review your offer and suggest how you can customize it to their needs. If the changes they suggested are not fundamental then incorporate their input into the offer and announce that they have helped you to reach the final solution. You will see them championing your work and help you in many ways.

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Cirque Du Soleil

November 26, 2010 8 Comments

Listen to this postI never been in a circus before but have seen many of them on TV. I finally got the chance to see one when I am at the age of 48! (it is never too late to go the circus.) Cirque Du Soleil is ranked between the top circuses in the world and they were performing in my hometown Kuwait. So, I booked the tickets one month ago and told the kids that we are going to the circus to make them ready for the excitement. The ticket cost KD 20 ($65) and I thought it will worth it. I was told to go early since there are no assigned seating for the tickets, so I was there with the eager family 90 minutes early. To my surprise, half of the parking lot was full and people are rushing in.

The first shock I got when I discover that the circus will be performed in open are theater without big tents. I always associated the circus with tents but it did not mater since the weather was nice. The second shock I got when I found out that the stage was at least 200 meters (218 yards) away form the first available seat and the seat were arranged on a flat ground. So all I could see is the back of the hundreds of people in front of me! There was big screens on the side but I did not pay that much of money to watch the circus on large screens. The seats were not comfortable, but the kid had cheep cotton-candy and cold pop corn. And we left the show after 30 minuets because we could not enjoy the show. The circus performers were excellent, the music was live and the light and sound effect were amazing. But we could not see most of it. I wonder if most of the circuses are arranged the same way?

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Keiretsu

October 7, 2010 2 Comments

Minority networks of Japanese organizations have shares in the other organizations to create a larger network. The network collaborates to boost each other’s interest (Jones, 2007).
Financial Keiretsu link and group various companies which have their own large banks. The capital Keiretsu is used to manage input and output linkages between the small networks of organizations (Jones, 2007).
Toyota is using capital Keiretsu by owning as large as 40% share from the companies that supply it with inputs. With this share, Toyota is able to exercise good control on its resources (Jones, 2007). The Fuyo Keritsu is a financial Keiretus that has Hitachi, Nissan, Canon and many other companies joined by Fuji bank which provide the financial services to the group.
Just In Time (JIT) principle is part of the Keiretsu theory where companies depend on receiving the needed parts just in time for their use from a supplier that produce the right amount for the user. Keiretsu enabled Toyota to have the strong relation with its suppliers without the cost of owning and managing them. General Motors (GM) has full ownership of its suppliers than any other carmaker which made GM incur the cost of the supplier while the supplier running inefficient operations knowing that GM will buy their products regardless of their business efficiency.
Ford the car manufacturer formed its Keiretsu by owning minor share in its engine supplier, windows producers, body parts and wheels manufacturer. Ford also had notable ownership in the car rental company Hertz which use Ford’s cars only (Jones, 2007).

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Giving Feedback: Positive or Negative

September 28, 2010 4 Comments

Listen to this postGiving feedback or confronting employees is one of the most difficult social task we face in our lives. Giving positive feedback is sometimes called motivation or encouragement, and many of us are sometimes doing it wrongly by generalizing the feedback by saying “you have done a good job”. A good feedback should be specific like saying “Your report has listed the major critical points that we did not notice before, thank you for reporting them to us.” We do similar or even worse mistakes when we give negative feedbacks. Sometimes our negative feedback has more destructive effect than the constructive change we hoped for. Reading the following pages will help you understand the types of feedbacks you may use at work or at home. Some valuable examples are given at the end for your reference.

Giving feedback or confronting employees is one of the most difficult social task we face in our lives.Giving positive feedback is sometimes called motivation or encouragement, and many of us are sometimes doing it wrongly by generalizing the feed back by saying “you have done a good job”. Agood feedback should be specific like saying “Your report has listed the major critical points that we did not notice before, thank you for reporting them to us.”We do similar or even worse mistakes when we give negative feedbacks. Sometimes our negative feedback has more destructive effect than the constructive change we hoped for. Reading the following pages will help you understand the types of feedbacks you may use at work or at home. Some valuable examples are given at the end for your reference. Read more …

Click here to download the full material as PDF file.

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Explicit or Implicit Knowledge

September 27, 2010 2 Comments

Listen to this postDyer and Hatch (2004) stated that knowledge is two types, explicit and implicit. The explicit knowledge can be recorded and shared easily without losing its value during the transfer (Dyer & Hatch, 2004). An example of the explicit knowledge would be the market’s facts and figures that make most of the general information shared by any trade. The implicit knowledge is the pragmatic and complex knowledge that results from experience or experimental learning (Dyer & Hatch, 2004). Implicit knowledge is the hidden and most people do not know that they have it in them. An example of the implicit knowledge would be the required know-how to change and organization culture. The culture change would be done mostly by unfelt skills and knowledge. Implicit knowledge is difficult to imitate and considered as a competitive advantage for the organization over its rivals. Implicit knowledge is thought to be the base for innovative products and processes. One of Dells implicit knowledge examples is the technology that mixes mass customization; just-in-time and customer focus in one strategy and executes it flawlessly (Magretta, 1998).

References:

Dyer, J., & Hatch, N. (2004). Using supplier networks to learn faster. MIT Sloan Management Review, 45(3), 57-63.

Magretta, J. (1998). The power of virtual integration: An interview with dell computer’s Michael Dell. Harvard Business Review, 76(2), 72-84.

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