Substantial responses to 2 discussion posts using APA format and citations from required readings

Introduction

Ana, an employee for a local government agency, volunteers every weekend at a local homeless shelter. Jorge, her co-worker, is a fast learner and has aspirations of rising quickly within the organization. Susan, another employee of the agency, has a large family to support, and her spouse has recently lost his job. Would these three employees all have the same motivation to work? What rewards or incentives might be most appealing to each of these individuals?

As public servants, how might their motivation differ from those who work in the private sector? Chances are that some of their motivators might overlap, and some would be different.

Public and nonprofit administrators need to be informed about what motivates public and nonprofit employees to do their best work. Rewards like raises, bonuses, or public recognition may come to mind. However, what about encouragement, honest and regular feedback, and the satisfaction of serving in your community? This week, you take an inside look at managing public and nonprofit organizations by exploring various strategies used to motivate employees.

Readings

• Cohen, S., Eimicke, W., & Heikkila, T. (2013). The effective public manager: Achieving success in government organizations (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  • Chapter 3, “How to Find and Keep Good People (pp. 47–74)
  • Chapter 4, “Developing Effective Working Relationships” (pp. 75–90)
• Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks: CA: Sage Publications.
  • Chapter 6, “Path-Goal Theory” (pp. 117-138)
• Laureate Education. (2014a). Decision making in the federal government: The Wallace S. Sayre Model. Baltimore, MD: Author.
• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Perry, J. L., Hondeghem, A., & Wise, L. R. (2010). Revisiting the motivational bases of public service: Twenty years of research and an agenda for the future. Public Administration Review, 70(5), 681–690.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Trinka, J. (n.d.). What’s a manager to do? From GovLeaders.org. Retrieved from http://govleaders.org/whats_a_manager_to_do.htm

Discussion 1: Employee Motivation

Most organizational leaders agree that motivating employees is key to organizational productivity. As a result, organizational leaders have long struggled to determine the formula for motivating their employees, from vacation time to family benefits, to intrinsic rewards such as personal satisfaction from serving the community, state, or nation. In addition to individual preferences for motivational strategies, employees who work for certain kinds of organizations may find some commonality in motivators. For those who work in the public sector, effective motivational strategies may be quite different than they would be for those in a for-profit organization.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider various strategies used to motivate employees in public and nonprofit organizations. Then, think about a public or nonprofit organization with which you are familiar; select two motivational strategies you believe would be most effective in that organization given the leadership style of one leader you are familiar and the motivational needs of his/her subordinates.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 3 a brief description of the public or nonprofit organization you selected. Then, describe at least two motivational strategies you believe would be most effective for employees in the organization, and explain why. Finally, explain how you might apply these strategies in the organization. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and other current literature in the Walden Library.

Discussion 2: Reflection: What Motivates You

Public or nonprofit organizations often do not have the funds to reward the employees with bonuses, salaries, and additional monetary benefits. Whether this is a factor in the motivation of public and nonprofit organizations is a matter of debate. In any case, reviews of the relevant literature reveal that work motivation among public sector and nonprofit employees and managers may be very different from that of their private sector counterparts (Perry, Hondeghan, & Wise, 2010).

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 your perspective on the differences in motivation between employees of public and private organizations. Then, from the lens of an employee or student of public and nonprofit organizations, explain the intrinsic factors that motivate you to perform at high levels. Finally, as a manager in a public or nonprofit organization with limited financial resources, explain how you might reward, recognize, and support employees to maintain or increase employee motivation.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and other current literature in the Walden Library.