Factors affecting motivation in the public sector under the context of self-determination theory and public service motivation : the case of the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization (H.A.I.O.)

Purpose: The main aim of this study is to develop and test a conceptual framework that explores the factors that motivate employees in public services. The study is based on two theories, the Self Determination Theory (SDT), and the Public Service Motivation (PSM). Design/methodology/approach: The empirical testing of the proposed conceptual framework was conducted using a structured questionnaire that was distributed to 390 employees of a Greek public sector organization, namely the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization (Η.Α.Ι.Ο.). The population of the study consists of 489 public servants. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique were used to test the research hypotheses. Findings: Results highlight, among others, the importance of work autonomy and job satisfaction and their impact on employees’ intrinsic motivation. Moreover, empirical results emphasize the need for building a supportive work environment that contributes on employee satisfaction, autonomy and relatedness. Results also confirm the existence of a positive relationship among intrinsic motivation, public service motivation and job performance. Practical implications: The findings suggest that in cases where external incentives are significantly limited (e.g., in the public sector), it is crucial to consider the importance of promoting and supporting intrinsic motivation and support public service incentives. Originality/value: Self-determination theory seems to be poorly explored in the Greek public sector, and moreover, in economies and countries with similar characteristics. Therefore, it seems crucial to increase the knowledge about the real value of self-determination theory as a work motivation approach, especially in the public sector. Finally, research results may help supervisors and business leaders to implement appropriate systems and practices that promote a supportive environment in the workplace.peer-reviewe

Синергетичний менеджмент як концепція організованої синергії в управлінні підприємствами

Изложены сущность и ключевые положения авторской концепции синергетического менеджмента предприятий. Предложена структурно-функциональная модель синергетического менеджмента, основу которой составляет концепт организованной синергии. Определены особенности функций синергетического управления. Обоснована ключевая роль функции самоорганизации и раскрыты предпосылки самоорганизации производственно-экономических систем. Ключевые слова: синергетический менеджмент, организованная синергия, организация, самоорганизация, управление, функция, предприятие.Викладено сутність та ключові положення авторської концепції синергетичного менеджменту підприємств. Запропоновано структурно-функціональну модель синергетичного менеджменту, основу якої становить концепт організованої синергії. Визначено особливості функцій синергетичного управління. Обґрунтовано ключову роль функції самоорганізації й розкрито передумови самоорганізації виробничо-економічних систем. Ключові слова: синергетичний менеджмент, організована синергія, організація, самоорганізація, управління, функція, підприємствоThe article describes the essence and key points of the author’s concept of enterprise synergetic management. Modern enterprises are complex selforganizing systems which function under conditions of ambiguity and environment dynamism. Their management mechanisms require a qualitative update. This problem determines the relevance of developing new approaches. A synergetic approach in management is fundamentally different from traditional systems that are based on the external actions towards the object of management. Synergetic management rejects to regulate directly the object behavior in favor of organizing and stimulating its selforganization internal mechanisms. The enterprise’s synergetic management system consists of components that are presented in the form of a structural-functional model. The basis of this model is the concept of organized synergy. The model contains two self-organization loops which reflect the self-regulation and self-development mechanisms of enterprise’s systems. The features of synergetic management functions which include self-organization motivation, synergetic planning and control were determined. The relationship between “organization” and “self-organization” categories was studied. The key role of self-organization function in the enterprise’s synergetic management system was proved. The universal preconditions for self-organization which are required to form synergetic properties for systems of any nature were defined. These preconditions are autonomy and self-sufficiency of subsystems, informational communication and coordinated behavior, motivated integration into the unified system. Specific self-organization preconditions that reveal concrete directions of the self-organization function implementation in enterprise’s systems were justified. The practical application of the above approach allows to influence the mechanisms of self-organization and ensure their qualitative renewal as well as efficiency growth. Keywords: synergetic management, organized synergy, organization, self-organization, management, function, enterprise

Effects Of Employee Motivation On Organizational Performance At Ethiopian Telecom South West Region Jimma

The study examined the effects of employee motivation on organization performance of crews in Ethio telecom South West Region Jimma. The data were collected through self-administered questionnaire from 229 respondents and 219 were returned.  Both primary and secondary sources of data were consumed in this study. The quantitative research approach was implemented and simple random sampling technics were adopted to provide equal chances for respondents. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 20.0 using an exploratory research design and data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The correlation analysis indicates that there was a positive relationship between the independent variables (employee motivation) and dependent variables (organization performance). The result of the regression implies that the independent variables (employee benefit, promotion, teamwork, training and working environment) have accounted for 78.1% of variance in the dependent variable. Based on the outcome of the study, the researchers recommend that, it is better if the company focuses on employee motivation factors, mostly Promotion, employee benefit, teamwork and training so as to improve its performance

Self-regulated learning in higher education : strategies adopted by computer programming students

Trabalho apresentado em PAEE/ALE’2016, 8th International Symposium on Project Approaches in Engineering Education (PAEE) and 14th Active Learning in Engineering Education Workshop (ALE)To help students overcome their learning difficulties in the transition from entry-level to advanced computer programming, developing an appropriate set of learning strategies, the SimProgramming teaching approach has been adopted at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal). This approach is based on four conceptual foundations: businesslike learning environment, self-regulated learning, co-regulated learning, and formative assessment. In this approach the students develop an activity based on problem-based learning, with a specific set of tasks based on those four conceptual foundations. The approach was implemented in two courses from the second and third curricular years of the bachelor programmes in Informatics Engineering and Information & Communication Technologies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with students (n=32) at the end of the courses, to try to identify the students’ strategies for self-regulation of learning in the activity developed within the SimProgramming approach. The main strategies identified were: organization, planning, time management, identification of difficulties, resolution of the difficulties encountered, work review, identification of the factors that influenced their motivation, and structure of the environment. The factors influencing the motivation most often identified by students were the impact of the assessment in the final course grade, the completion of the course, learning, skills development, and teamwork. Generally, students applied strategies to solve the difficulties, in particular by searching for social help and information search. Procrastination was also often identified by students. Strategies of time management, transformation of information, in-depth review, self-reflection, and self-evaluation were referenced scantily. We found that students changed some of their strategies from one course edition to the next. We conclude by recommending the development of educational practices to help students review their work, treat and process the information they find, conduct self-reflection and self-evaluation of their performance during tasks, adopt concentration strategies, and become aware of their specific difficulties

Motivationsfaktorer - Konsult eller anställd, har det någon betydelse?

Background: Motivation and job satisfaction have been popular research topics in previous literature, which has resulted in multiple motivation theories such as Maslow and Herzbergs's theory. However we base this study on Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci's Self- Determination Theory (SDT), which treats the internal and external motivators linked to competence, autonomy and relatedness. To develop this, we also take part of the research on the theories Person-Organization fit and Person-Job fit. Objectives: The purpose of our study is to investigate how hired consultants and employees experience their motivation to their work and if the employment form may have a bearing on job satisfaction. This becomes interesting at a time when new forms of employment are taking shape because of the companies need for a more flexible work organization. Previous research points to the difficulty in motivating consultants and therefore we want to find out whether it is the actual form of employment that is behind this or whether there are other affecting factors. Method: Our study was based on interviews with 10 respondents from a large international IT company. In the selection of respondents we used a targeted selection since we needed to get in contact with both external consultants and employees of the company to get answers to our research questions. We chose to conduct a case study and used semi-structured interviews with questions divided into three different categories based on the Self-Determination Theory. We transcribed the information from the interviews and followed up by coding as well as a thematic analysis for which we adopted a deductive approach. Results: According to our results the hired consultants and employees seem to experience their motivation and job satisfaction in a similar way. However it seems that factors such as experience of organizational culture, personality and length of employment affect the employees' sense of job satisfaction to a greater degree than the consultants. Conclusions: We concluded that there is a complexity in understanding and working with motivation and job satisfaction as the factors behind them are multidimensional. The actual form of employment contributes significantly to an attitude in the work situation rather than the influence of motivation and job satisfaction

The NGOs, social constructors in the domain of occupying the labor force. The case of Ruhama Foundation

Among the Romanian NGOs, the case of the Ruhama Foundation is a success story. Research undertaken by us captures the main determinants of its success: the quality of the human resources, the strategic management performance and determination (motivation) of the members of the organization. All those have generated complex strategies designed to change the attitudes, the values and even the organizational structure. The diversification of the organization activity, initially focused exclusively on social problems of vulnerable groups, led to a preventive approach to vulnerability respectively of the economic coordinates that allow the identification of the social inclusion and the preventing exclusion. This gave rise to the center “Careers” which offers programs of self-knowledge and career guidance, professional training or retraining correlated with the existing labor market needs, and also the desires and the possibilities and potential beneficiaries of these courses. Our research, conducted in several stages and using various research methods and tools in the context of appreciative inquiry (questionnaires, individual interviews and focus group interviews type), decrypts the process by which the organization is discovered and rediscovers itself, with its potential, values, and desires, based on the opportunities related to the environment in which it operates and it constructs on this basis a new architecture not only to maintain itself on the market, but even to turn it in a social actor, a genuine partner of bodies empowered to ensure social welfare and a promoter of best practice models.NGOs; Social constructors; Appreciative inquiry; Employment; Intraorganizational values; Social architecture

The relationship between Malaysian SMEs human resource practices and Generation Y's job motivation

The contemporary way of living and the economic effects has had its consequence on the way business activities today handle the motivation of employees. Hence, organizations need to determine the best way to motivate their employees. This study was conducted to examine the HR Antecedents that influence Gen Ys’ job motivation in Malaysian SMEs. Quantitative approach with self-administered questionnaire method has been employed for data collection of this study. A total number of 125 respondents based on Convenience sampling was participated in this research. The response rate is 78%. The frequency, mean and standard deviation is computed to measure the average and the variations of the results to determine the differences. A Pearson correlation test is carried out for the HR antecedents and the level of motivation of the respondents to see if there is a significant relationship between the two. Overall, this study found that Gen Ys’ in Malaysian SMEs regard Retaining practices, Training and Development initiatives and Rewards and Recognition as influential HR factors for their job motivation. There appears to be a big gap between the expectations of the Gen Ys’ and the HR antecedents inherent in Malaysian SMEs today. Based on the findings of this study, further research is needed to determine SMEs HR practices which effectively motivate Gen Ys’. These studies recommend to modify HR practices so that SMEs can produce a highly motivated workforce and achieve enhanced organization performance through the strategic management of their Gen Y employees

The effectiveness of IMB-model based diabetes self-management education with type 2 diabetes patients in Jordan: clinical trial protocol

Abstract for AADE Annual Meeting conference: Background: According to the World Health Organization in 2014, 9% of adults over 18 years old are diagnosed with diabetes and more than 1.5 million deaths occur directly by diabetes in low and middle-income countries. Ajlouni et al (2008) estimated that approximately one million people in Jordan have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; a figure that is increasing. To prevent diabetes microvascular and macro vascular complications, increased efforts and attention need to be directed towards improving glycaemic levels and improving metabolic outcomes through appropriate glycaemic management and this may be best achieved through educating patients in self-management of diabetes. Barriers in diabetes self-management behaviours were found to be consistent with Information-Motivation-Behavioural skills (IMB) Model of behavioural change. 2- Aim: to examine the effects of IMB Model-based Diabetes Self-Management Educational (DSME) intervention on three self-management activities: patients’ eating habits, physical activity and medications management, in patients who attend the (NCDEG). 3- Research protocol and methods: A two group trial with randomised allocation of 230 participants on 1:1 average for both groups. Intervention group will receive the educational intervention. Control group will receive usual clinical care and referral to diabetes educational consultation if required. This study will implement an individualised DSME program based on Information-Motivation-Behavioural (IMB) skills theory. IMB behavioural change theory assumption proposes that health-related behaviour information, motivation and behavioural skills are primary determinants of promoting health behaviour. Researcher will use a validated DSME toolkit and will be delivered using motivational interviewing techniques through two face-to-face sessions (one at the beginning and one at the end) and several phone calls intervention for each participant during a period of 3 months from participation. Both groups will be assessed at 2 follow-up times (after 3 months and 6 months) for self-management knowledge, motivation, behavioural skills, diabetes level (HbA1c), blood pressure and weight from baseline assessment (time of participation). After delivering the intervention to participants in the intervention group immediately (after 3 month), a purposive sampling approach will be used to choose 15 participants for an interview to ask them to evaluate the process of implementing of the educational intervention. 4- Implications for practice/research: This clinical trial will make a knowledge contribution about conceptualizing behavioural change techniques as well as individually and culturally tailored needs, within self-management educational intervention for patients with DM. Moreover, this trial designed on three main operations: assessing, implementation and evaluation. Competently, each operation is constructed on IMB model elements, which will provide a comprehensive understanding of how Jordanian patients’ Knowledge, Motivation, Behavioural skills and metabolic outcomes changes overtime, in tandem with performing self-management behaviours over three main points of time, pre-and-post intervention and post follow up

Corporate vision and its influence on motivation in R&D organization: Case study

In the case company X it had been found in a working climate survey that the corporate vision had not been understood by the employees of the R&D organization although the personnel have relatively high work motivation levels. Previous studies have pointed out some special features in an R&D organization, the importance of learning and innovation in R&D organizations, what motivates and how to motivate R&D personnel, etc. However, these studies could not explain the previous contradiction that had been noticed in the case company. This study aims to describe the theoretical linkages between the corporate vision and the motivational issues of R&D personnel. The role of the corporate vision in the case R&D organization has been analyzed. The issues that have more potential to motivate the R&D personnel than the corporate vision are reviewed. Furthermore, this study also attempts to give practical implications for management on these aspects. This case study uses the qualitative method to answer questions that were left open by the quantitative survey study and to deepen and give a more detailed understanding of the mentioned contradiction. This study could be said to have an abductive research methodology approach, and the researcher had some leading theories ready to be tested during the research. Considering the research objectives, the most suitable research method to collect data was the general interview guide approach. This study revealed that motivating R&D employees by a corporate vision is far-fetched. The motivation for R&D employees was coming from other substantially more important sources. On the other hand, there could be some connections between the corporate vision and motivation, that appear, e.g., in projects and organizational culture. In this study it was found that, if the corporation did not establish a R&D vision, then R&D employees practiced visionary leadership themselves to construct a realistic, believable vision for the future of their organization. It was also found that the invented personal R&D vision was based on mainly unofficial information sources and second hand rumors. If an R&D employee sees the future as unfavorable, this deteriorates the working climate and lowers motivation and output levels. Technology leadership had a mental effect on R&D employees by raising their self-esteem as engineers, and it had a positive effect on employees’ long term motivation in the case R&D organization. The issues that were related to the research process in this study were discussed with senior researchers who have generally agreed on the achieved results. Also, the key informants had reviewed the draft and agreed on the results of this study.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Management and Harmonization of the Emotional States of Parents of Children with the Special Needs

The article is sanctified to the question of study of the psycho-emotional states parents as a ponderable lever of forming of paternal position and motivation. It assists becoming and their active voice in the processes of vital functions of own child and also acquisition of possibility self-realization. Our research is based on the theory of self-organizing systems, the concept of synergetic as a paradigm of post-non-classical science, socio-humanitarian and social synergetic. Expediency of application synergetic approach for the study of the psycho-emotional states of parents consists in that situation in that there are families of children with the special necessities characterized by instability and unforeseeableness, it is here known that exactly a synergetic engages in the study of the unstable systems and opens possibilities for their self-organization. Application of psycho-diagnostic testing allowed to reduce the features of the emotional states us in 447 families, where children with the special necessities. We have developed a psycho-synergetic intervention technology, which consists of 5 stages. Application of this technology educed considerable improvements and harmonization of the emotional states parents of children with the special needs, that on the whole positively affected internal domestic situation on the whole