Provide a 7 pages analysis while answering the following question: Motivating Employees at the SAS Institute. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstr

Provide a 7 pages analysis while answering the following question: Motivating Employees at the SAS Institute. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. It is not easy to understand human nature, as each individual is unique and therefore responds differently to what may be a common situation. Thus, it becomes necessary to adapt to several methods of motivation to address diversified motivational requirements of all the employees in an organization. For instance, one employee may view more time off as an adequate reward for doing the job, while another employee may feel that a bonus would be the more appropriate reward for doing the same job. In such situations, it is important that the manager understand what it takes to drive each individual.

To address these varied issues, several motivational theories have been proposed over the years. Organizations and managers study and implement these motivation techniques that serve to keep the employees motivated, in order to improve: individual performance, productivity, teamwork and continued retention. The aim of all the theories is fundamentally the same, but each theory approaches the issue from different angles.

Alderfer’s (1969) ERG theory, was based on Maslows (1943) hierarchy of needs that proposes: people have a variety of basic needs, which they go about fulfilling in a sequential manner, from lower to higher. Once lower-level needs like security and emotional fulfilment are achieved a person moves forward to fulfil midlevel needs that include social and self-esteem needs. Next in line are the highest level of needs, encompassing the need for acknowledgement/recognition among fellow beings and finally the need for self-actualization.

Alderfer aligned this need theory to motivation by combining the lower level needs as the need for Existence, midlevel needs as the need for Relatedness and the higher-level needs as the need for Growth. Hence, the term ERG theory came into being. In the workplace the need for monetary compensation and periphery benefits represent the existence needs. relations and interaction with colleagues represent the relatedness needs and the inherent desire for personal progress and success represent the growth need (Arnolds & Boshoff, 2002). However, unlike Maslow, Alderfer’s ERG theory holds that people act towards fulfilling several needs at the same time.