Introduction

            Motivation is the drive or force which enables the individuals in moving forward on a specific path. It also guides their behavior. It is the force that causes an individual to behave in a specific way (Cliffnotes).  When an individual is motivated, he tends to work in a positive manner and try to bring in innovation. As the individual move forward on the path to success his motivational level also increases.

         When the wishes and drives of an individual will not be fulfilled a mental struggle will begin. This is known as conflict. Conflict is a result of incompatibility or opposing needs, drives, wishes, external, or internal demands (Merriam-Webster).

          There are certain learning motivation techniques which allow the managers to implement constructive work methods for employees.

Motivational Theories and Organizational Behavior

            In order to get the work done in accordance to the requirements and in the best possible manner by the employees, the organizations and managers opt for different motivational techniques. Here different motivational theories and understanding the organizational behavior enhance the process. For this purpose of motivating the managers may use different means, methods, rewards, incentives etc. It is necessary for the manager to identify that which of these motivational factors will be the most effective. Sometimes a simple word of appreciation can raise the motivation level to very high peaks. These factors may differ with the type of employees and it also depends on the number of employees involved in performing a particular task. The motivational factor for an individual will differ from that required for a team.

Basically, there are five common motivational theories which are discussed as under:

1. Goal-Setting theory – According to this theory the setting of the goals is a very strong motivational factor. The setting of specific goal s arise the performance level. Here MBO (Management by objectives) is involved. But it is required that these goals are achievable, cleanly defined, measurable and tangible, then the employees strive very hard to achieve them and this result in their job satisfaction and motivation.
2. Self-Efficacy theory – This theory is some what similar to Goal-setting theory. As the name indicates the individual is looking ways to feed its self efficacy and this theory fulfills it. Here the individual believes in himself/herself that he/she can achieve this goal.
3. Reinforcement theory – Here the managers use the consequences to get the desired outcomes from the employees. According to this theory different behaviors are results of different consequences.
4.  Equity theory – This theory involves comparison of the outcomes. The inputs and outputs of each others are compared. Employees tend to work harder to match up with the best performance and get the better rewards but if anyone receives the benefits without the hard work then the employees also start working slow. Here the employees try to eliminate the inequalities among the pace of work.
5. Expectancy theory – Having high hopes is also one of the motivational factors. These high hopes could be regarding an increase in the salary, any other tangible incentive or a promotion. The employees work very hard and put in extra efforts to receive these performance appraisals. These tangible benefits will be a proof that harder they’ll work better they’ll get then they tend to put in their best efforts. (Robbins & Judge).

            The motivation is a part of organizational behavior which is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act within organizations.  The goal of organizational behavior is to predict and control the behavior within the organization (enVision Software). 

Conflict Management Strategies

            Every organization has to suffer from various conflicts which may occur at one time or the other. These conflicts may rise out of some small issue or may have something serious in the background. It is better that the conflict should be solved well in time before it turnout to be a big problem for the higher authority. For this purpose, conflict management strategies are required.

There are basically two types of conflict management strategies; indirect conflict management strategies and direct conflict management strategies (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008).  According to theses writers the indirect strategies include reduced independence, appeals to common goals, hierarchical referral, altering scripts, and myths.

            When members of the organization are working together no doubt a number of conflicts may arise because of differences in opinions. It is the duty of the management to remind the individuals that they are working together in achieving a goal; the managers can keep apart the conflicting individuals by reducing the independence as this will delay the dealing with the conflict. Furthermore, bringing the changes in the previous myths and script can also help in this regard as they are the part of organizational cultures. (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008, p. 350). These strategies no doubt help in resolving the conflicts.

 Another kind of strategy i.e. direct conflict management strategies has five sub-strategies (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008) they are as under:

– Accommodation:  When the level of importance of a problem is very high this strategy is adopted.

– Collaboration and problem-solving: These are time consuming and cost too much but very effective strategies and prove to be the best to solve any problem.

– Compromise:  In order to get a faster or temporary solution compromise strategy is used.

– Avoidance: Depending on the value of a problem is small and can wait that is, it is not an immediate threat to the organization then it is better to avoid it.

– Authoritative: It aids in telling the solution to the individuals.

Application of Theories in the Workplace

            By applying these theories, the environment of the workplace can be improved, the productivity can be increased, the employees can be motivated thus enhancing the organizational culture and behavior in the organization. The managers must be given special trainings to apply these theories according to the importance and the situation. These theories assist the managers to understand the behaviors of their sub-ordinates evaluate their needs and solve the problems and conflicts occurring at the earlier stages when they are not much harmful to the organization.

            The motivational theories can be effective if the behavior of the individual is better understood. For this purpose, one must understand the type of the individuals and the kind of motivational force they require. Some may be motivated by a tangible factor, like a raise in salary or an extra bonus; the other might be motivated by the difficulty of the task as their sense of achievement requires it. Others may need higher goals which may be specifically set for him. Thus, in a team there are different individuals on whom different motivational theories are going to work and all this is the manager’s job to apply these theories in the best possible manner.

Conflict Management Approaches

            No organization can work practically without having any conflicts. These conflicts could be eradicated if the management has ample information. Different individuals with different problem-solving skills help in this conflict management. 

            Furthermore, there are three types of conflict management approaches that work. When there are common goals to be achieved, the environment of the workplace is favorable and the individuals are working as a team then it is better to adopt the collaboration strategy. According to it both the sides work together and the team spirit and effort is enhanced. Another strategy is compromise when both the sides having almost similar status and demands are willing to sacrifice and give something. By doing this they are increasing a chance to get a better gain. When the managers in an organization has extraordinary decision making abilities then they can apply force strategy that is they’ll be the one to enforce the solution and make the employees to work in accordance with it.

Conclusion

            It is the responsibility of the management to decide that which motivational and conflict management strategy to adopt. They must have a clear view regarding the requirements and desires of their employees. The motivational theories choice will depend on the nature of an employee. They are the one to decide which motivational factor to choose. If this decision is not made accurately the chances of conflicts will increase and the teams will not work properly.

References

Conflict. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/.

enVision Software, Inc. (2010). ERG Theory of Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/ERG_Theory.html.

Motivation. (n.d.). In Cliffnotes. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/.

Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2009). Organizational Behavior (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., (2008). Organizational behavior (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Three Types of Conflict Management that Work. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.life123.com/career-money/career-development/team-conflict/types-of-conflict.shtml.