Factors Contributing to Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction

Factors Contributing to Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction
Author’s Name
The Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
Executive Summary
This study aims to identify the sources of employee motivation, focusing on the case of Walmart. Two theoretical lenses considered for this purpose include Maslow’s theory of motivational needs and Herzberg’s two-factor theory. The case is analyzed in light of reports published about Walmart’s policies as an employer and its implications for employee motivation. The findings indicate that Walmart suffers a high employee turnover rate, rooted in its poor and unstructured approach to employee motivation and job satisfaction. The findings indicate that Walmart’s employee motivation is attributable to hostile work conditions, low wages, and inconsistent policies. Based on the insights gained from the study, the industry players are recommended to focus on employee motivation and work towards ensuring a sense of connectedness, robust reward management system, proper feedback loop, and coverage of all other essential and higher level motivational needs of employees.
1.0. Introduction
1.1. Motivation for the Research and Research Question
Theoretical debates and empirical findings converge to the point that employee motivation is a potential source of positive job behavior that translates into positive outcomes for the organization (Chiat & Panatik, 2019; Pincus, 2020; Robbins & Judge, 2019). This realization is in line with and largely the driver of the expansion of the role of human resource management in a contemporary context. Organizations use HRM strategies to motivate employees and leverage that motivation to maximize productivity (Robbins & Judge, 2019). Hence, a strategic approach to motivation is blended into the broader organization management and strategic management goals. Therefore, it is strategically important to investigate the factors contributing to employee motivation.
Keeping the above in view, the research aims to identify the sources of employee motivation that drive job satisfaction and productivity. Hence, the research seeks to answer the following questions:
* Which organizational and strategic factors contribute to employee motivation?
* Which strategies can be employed to produce the factors contributing to employee motivation and minimize ones having an opposite impact?
1.2. Methods
The study is based on the insights gained from Walmart’s case. Walmart is a large multinational retail chain headquartered in the US and has a presence in 24 countries worldwide (Walmart Official, 2023). Walmart is a highly representative and insightful case as the company has long struggled with its profit-oriented model where customers were given discounted prices and subsequent relief at the expense of employees’ benefit (Demos, 2014; Wilshire, 2023). Therefore, being a large organization with a global footprint and receiving criticism makes Walmart a potential case for the study. The researcher has qualitatively synthesize...