Motivation, Management, Supervision, Development

and Diversity

Professor Walter C. Farrell, JrAnd

2011 Class Members

Why Motivation MattersMust select, develop and retain workforce to carry out mission

Human services have limited extrinsic motivators

Outcomes better for staff and clients

Theoretical ApproachesIndividual

◦Relevant personality traits and needs

Interpersonal◦Interactions between employee and other individuals in environment

Organizational◦Structure, culture and organizational policies

Individual ApproachesNEEDS THEORY: Satisfying higher-level needs leads to improved work performance and growth

REINFORCEMENT: Patterns of reinforcement motivate work performance

SELF-EFFICACY: Perception of ability to perform motivates work performance

Interaction ApproachesATTRIBUTION THEORY: Explanations of causes of behaviors motivates behavior

JUSTICE THEORIES: Perceptions of fairness in organizations affects motivation

Organizational ApproachesQUALITY OF WORKING LIFE: Overall job satisfaction motivates performance

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: Organizational commitment to continuous improvement and teamwork motivate performance

Conservation of ResourcesIntegrative approach

Used to understand the process of stress and burnout in organizational settings

Stress occurs when there is a loss of resources◦Resource loss and gain happens in cycle

◦Loss cycles are more salient and rapid

Accumulated stress leads to burnout

Human Resource Management Recruitment and screening for personnel

◦ Recruitment generating applicant pool for employer to make a selection that satisfies needs of organization

Locating avenues to reach promising applicants (Idealist, Craigslist, Monster.com, community centers, newspapers, employment agencies)

◦ Selection reviewing job applicants to decide who is offered a position Selection committee, CEO, Advisory

Board, Management Team

Human Resource ManagementOrientation is crucial to introduce

new workers to the organization (policies, procedures, colleagues, roles and responsibilities, and authority structure)

◦Relate the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the agency and provide information about department’s role and scope

Human Resource Management Supervising--helping staff set priorities,

establishing goals, working with diverse staff, monitoring employee performance, providing supportive and education-oriented guidance

◦ Continuous and ongoing◦ Weekly or monthly

Evaluation--measurement of the extent a worker has achieved the requirements of position within the team

◦ Should be continuous, not one-time or occasional

◦ Yearly, quarterly, monthly

Human Resource ManagementHandling Employee Performance

Problems◦“Performance problems” are viewed as evidence of lack or worker knowledge or skill, poor attitude, need for more supervision, or poor use of time

◦Handling performance problems 1) Counseling and/or training, 2) written

reprimands, 3) Final warning and a probationary period, and 4) dismissal

Supervision and DevelopmentRelationship between

employee/volunteer and immediate supervisor is most important relationship

Belief that nothing is greater threat to retention than salaries

Must provide staff the opportunity to develop personally

Elements of Effective Supervision Emotional support

Work support

Clear expectations

Fair and consistent feedback

Communicate information

Instruction

Creating a culture that supports workers

Building a learning and performance oriented culture

Training vs. DevelopmentTRAINING provides knowledge and skills to be used in current job

DEVELOPMENT contributes to overall growth of employees and prepares for future opportunities

Roles of a SupervisorTeacher/Coach

Mentor

Evaluator

Leader

Learner

Examples of Development Activities

Orientation

Conferences

Staff meetings

Brown-bag lunch discussions and Journal clubs

Job rotations and Shadowing

Group supervision

Individual career counseling

Continuing education at universities

Diversity in Human Service Organizations

Human service organizations traditionally serve communities with a high concentration of diverse, disadvantaged, and oppressed groups

A 2011 National Association of Social Workers study indicated >87% of licensed social workers are predominately non-Hispanic whites◦ 90% reported having Blacks/African Americans on caseloads

◦ 80% reported having Hispanics/Latinos on caseloads

This workforce data highlight drastic contrast in diversity among personnel and clients served in human service organizations

Social and Psychological Aspects of Diversity • Despite progress to increase representation of

diverse groups in the workforce, the exclusion of these groups from circles of influence limits contribution and involvement in workplace

• Workforce Diversity- the division into distinction categories that (a) Perceived commonality within a given cultural or

national context(b) Potentially harmful or beneficial employment

outcomes

• Inclusion-Exclusion Continuum– Individual’s sense of being a part of the

organizational system in both formal and informal processes

Theories of Diversity and Intergroup Relations

• REALISTIC CONFLICT THEORY (RCT)--People act in self-interest causing their drive to maximize own rewards to the detriment of others

• EQUITY THEORY---People strive for justice and view perceptions of injustice as the cause of personal distress and intergroup conflict

• RELATIVE DEPRIVATION THEORY---Perceptions of injustice are the cause of personal distress and intergroup conflict

• SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY---Social structures and individual identity are connected through the meanings people attach to their membership in identity groups (formed by race, ethnicity, or gender)

Managing for Diversity and Empowerment • Theory and research indicates people are motivated to seek social

inclusion and avoid exclusion . There are Four paths to address social exclusion

1. Individual change---Individual members of a group disassociating themselves psychologically and behaviorally from their low-status group

2. Group change---Groups redefine or alter elements of values/attributes to seek positive status for the group as a whole

3. Organizational change---Organizations implement policies and remove barriers to advancement and promotion of members of disadvantaged groups

4. Societal Change ---Society as a whole can create social mobility of disadvantaged groups through legislation and public policies

The Bill Walsh Case◦Bill Walsh is the late Coach of the San Francisco 49ers NFL football team, who led the team to three Super Bowl titles, 1982,1985, and 1989

◦He was hired in 1979 to rebuild a team with a 2-14 record in 1978-79, that had never won a Super Bowl

◦He rebuilt the team from the bottom up, starting in the Spring of 1979

The Bill Walsh Case◦FIRST, he met with the Owner to

secure the title of General Manager to go along with his Coach title so that he had full authority over all personnel, after the Owner, and secured the Owner’s commitment that he would not undercut him

◦SECOND, he met with the football field groundskeepers, custodians, secretaries, football scouts, stadium workers, etc. individually to outline his long-term vision for the organization and to solicit their input and support

The Bill Walsh Case◦THIRD, he reviewed players’ performance, behavior, and “effort “records to determine who should keep and let go

◦FOURTH, he reviewed existing staff’s past performance and kept those who bought into his vision for the organization

◦FIFTH, he hired new staff to fit his vision

◦SIXTH, he then managed and led the organization to new heights

The Bill Walsh Case◦Seventh, In 1987, after winning two

Super Bowls titles, he used his “professional capital” to establish a “Minority Coaches Fellowship Program” to broaden inclusiveness in the NFL

◦Eighth, by 2012, Walsh or his coaching progeny had won 13 (39%) of the 33 Super Bowls played since 1980.

◦Of the 66 Coaches who participated in the 33 Super Bowls (2 per Year), the only four minority (African American) coaches are from the “Walsh Family Tree”

The Bill Walsh Case◦ADDENDUM

Also see F-12 ACCOUNTABILITY on the class website (Ricks, Thomas E., “Whatever Happened to Accountability,” Harvard Business Review, October 2012, pp.93-1000