Qualitative Research for HRM Management Assessment Answer

Research Background

The first part introduces the subject and discusses why this bachelor thesis topic was selected. Following the topic issue, the thesis' goal, research question, and theoretical limits will be explained. Final section is study disposition. This reserach examines international workers' motivation and experience. Everyone can connect to motivation. Work motivation is “one of the most important topics in organisational science; no other issue has more significance for our general economic well-being and no other topic commands more attention in journals and textbooks in the field” (Pinder, 1984, p.6) Swiss Association for Organisation and Management (SGO) research project "Motivation" The fast business environment developments in the previous two years prompted this effort. Reevaluating motivation is required and reasonable, according to the Swiss Association. The project leaders, Bruno S. Frey and Margit Osterloh (2002), prove that company performance depends on motivation.

According to Broeck et al., (2019), author of “Employee motivation: Just ask the employees”, employee motivation is the key to job performance and a company's success. A corporation may ensure that other workers act similarly if it understands why its workers come to work as well as are productive (Dongho, 2006). This method will provide you a market edge. The world is increasingly shifting towards a global economy that benefits multinational commerce. More companies go worldwide as the economy globalizes. This change affects managers. They must understand that managing a multinational is different from managing a local one. Many companies are expanding abroad. Human Resource Management is affected by globalization. European and North American market integration and Asia-Pacific developments further increase this influence. Managers must maintain a competitive edge. Thus, international organizations need efficient HR management and employee engagement. However, inspiring others is difficult. Motivation cannot be forced, as the phrase "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" shows.

Managers must understand what drives individuals, what circumstances affect their motivation, and how to boost or maintain motivation. Latham (2012) defines motivation as a key talent of leadership also cites instances of firms where it is vital, such as Microsoft, where leaders create an atmosphere where the best people may execute with excellence. Manulife, a worldwide financial services corporation, emphasizes employee dedication.

Problem Statement

For most people, work dominates the day. Despite being a common topic, the issue of what inspires individuals to labour is seldom explored. Globalization affects organizations; thus, multinationals must understand employee motivation to be competitive. Gagné & Deci, (2005) note that multinational businesses (MNCs) are crucial to the global economy and need human resource management.

Employee motivation has been extensively studied, however most studies have concentrated on tiny domestic enterprises. MNC and small company opportunities and employee motivation vary greatly. Based on what a firm offers, Gagné & Deci, (2005) found that people chose to work there. Several studies have examined MNC human resource management, but none have examined employee motivation. Most motivation studies utilised quantitative methods, but this study employs qualitative. Questionnaire-based research on work motivation frequently ranks questions without discussing respondents' replies. This research will also analyse individual motivation. According to “What motivates employees according to over 40 years of motivation surveys”, motivation is the biggest challenge confronting organizations today. Employers must understand employee motivation to boost productivity and corporate success. Lastly, workplace demographic changes, technological progression, and globalization require continuing to identify what drives individuals to perform successfully.

The study examines what inspires people to work. Multinational company personnel in Australian  will be targeted (Reizer et al., 2019). We attempt to uncover significant work motivation elements. This research will provide an organizational motivation framework. It will also reveal workers' motivational views and definitions.

Research question

Motivational theories give a strong foundation but are limiting and ignore individual variations. Motivation is affected by factors including employment kind, age, experience, and money that theories cannot explain. This research questioned multinational firm workers to better understand motivation. Process theories on employee motivation were ignored from this study. Process theories are irrelevant for this investigation since it examines motivations.

RQ1: What are the many factors that influence workers' morale on the job?

RQ2: What role does the workplace setting have in inspiring workers to do their best?

RQ3: How do modern human resource managers incentivize their staff members?

RQ4: How much do factors like an individual's personality, values, and beliefs impact how motivated they feel while at work?

Research methodology

Well-planned study design is crucial, according to Kleinbeck et al., (2016). The research design and approach will depend on the question. The objective of the study determines the research design: exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. To get fresh ideas and grasp an issue, an exploratory study is employed. New data frequently modifies the path of this investigation. Descriptive research is second. According to Reizer et al., (2019), descriptive research aims to accurately represent people, events, and circumstances. Domesday Book describes England's population in 1085. Final research design is explanatory. When studying a topic or issue to explain variable connections, this research design is applied. We investigate what drives people to work in our study (Schmid & Dowling, 2020). We want to understand the issue better. The exploratory research design is used.

A coherent research plan is also necessary, according to Reizer et al., (2019). Again, the research topic, goals, previous information, and study time determine the method. Experiment, survey, action research, case study, grounded theory, ethnography, as well as archive research are seven methods. Case studies will be used in this study. Interviews in various circumstances are used to better grasp the real-life setting. Ethnography, like case study, investigates the social world, but it takes a long time, thus it is not applicable to this topic.

Two-time horizons are available for research project planning. Cross-sectional and longitudinal research exist. Because research is done at a certain moment, the initial horizon is called a “snapshot”. Time-limited research initiatives adopt this strategy. The longitudinal time horizon, or “diary” viewpoint, tracks individuals or events throughout time (Sinambela, 2020). Has there been any change over time? is a common longitudinal study question. Due to our 15-week time constraint, this study will employ the cross-sectional time horizon. Thus, employee motivation will not be researched over time; the study is a snapshot.

Data collection

The study's data needs depend on the subject. Data comes from secondary and primary sources. Secondary sources are previously obtained data. Reizer et al., (2019) classify secondary data as documentary, survey, and numerous sources. Researchers often get data from several sources. Documentary sources for instance association websites, newspapers, journals, diaries, administrative, as well as public documents. Secondary data from government, academic, and organisation surveys. Main sources include government publications, industry data, and reports. New data from observations or interviews is primary data.

Audio-recorded interviews with multinational company personnel provided primary data for our study. This study will gather fresh data to determine what encourages MNC workers to work. Documentary secondary material like articles and research papers is also valuable. Inspiration comes from motivation studies.

Interviews

Conversation is crucial for deepening area knowledge. You may learn about respondents' perspectives via chats. The researcher may control answers and participate in data gathering for the study here. Social science and management research usually uses interviews. If you have specific research goals and questions, this data gathering method is ideal. Rephrased and clarified questions are a benefit of doing interviews (Wilson, 2018). This follow-up is probing.

Interviewers gather data by asking respondents predetermined questions, according to Kehr, (2020). The interviewer relies on participants' verbal experiences and viewpoints. Kehr, (2020) say interviewing is a fast way to write study. Researchers may select between organised, semi-structured, and unstructured interviews based on their study topic and aims.

This study's interview method and option will be discussed below (Vo et al., 2022). First, the structured interview uses standardized questions that the interviewer reads and records. This is a quantitative research interview. The semi-structured interview is the second kind, where the researcher prepares questions. The researcher may ask further interview questions here. Finally, the unstructured interview is like a conversation with no preset questions, but the researcher must know what he wants to learn. The responder leads the interview and the interviewee may talk freely. We use semi-structured interviews. We have preset questions for respondents and know what responses to gather for the research (Shkoler & Kimura, 2020). Interviewees should elaborate on their replies. The questions are asked in a same sequence to each interviewee, and extra questions are asked based on replies. Each interview is recorded.

Our worldwide company personnel interviews are designed and structured in the following part. After explaining the question formulation, the interviews will be described. Part of the question format comes from Schmid & Dowling, (2020) motivation study. Over 40 years, studies asked respondents to select 10 motivating aspects, providing inspiration. To match our employee motivation survey, these 10 parameters were created. Questions were brief and linked to our topics. First, we asked ourselves what we wanted from the study and what we needed to know to address our research question. The idea was to arrange and flow questions so responders could follow them. Schmid & Dowling, (2020) recommend recording respondents' "face sheet" information. Thus, an area was developed for respondents to enter their work status, age, and gender. Analysis of replies benefits from this knowledge. Schmid & Dowling, (2020) allows researchers to integrate open-ended, multiple-choice, and rank-order questions in interview questions (Reizer et al., 2019). Open-ended questions let respondents react freely in their own terms. The antithesis of this style is the multiple-choice format, where respondents pick amongst pre-provided responses. The form's set of responses may not reflect the respondent's viewpoint.

We used open-ended and rank-ordered interview questions. To ensure responders answered in their own words and perspectives. Multiple-choice questions would have reduced our findings. We asked respondents to rate ten motivating elements from 1-10, beginning with the most significant and ending with the least important. This aimed to start a debate about these criteria and grasp their ranking order (Rajak & Soleman, 2022). The interviews comprised introduction, following-up, and direct questions. Interviewees described their history, education, and professional experience in the introductory questions. The follow-up questions asked respondents to clarify and provide illustrations. Direct motivation questions were posed.

Before visiting the two firms for interviews, we wanted to make sure participants were ready for our questions. Thus, we email the company contact with information on our topic and interview goals. This information was given to participants. Introduce to the responders and explain the interview format to start the interview. We also stressed anonymity no identities would be revealed. Participants learned about audio recording and transcribing (Pautz & Vogel, 2022). Audio recordings were deleted after transcription. We listened and showed interest in the friendly interview environment. Allowing respondents to remark and asking for any more questions ended the interviews. Thanking them for their time, we gave them the finished study.

Data Analysis

We'll start with sampling, then discuss our organizations and interviews. A sampling involves collecting data from a smaller group instead of a wide population (Kleinbeck et al., 2016). The researcher must pick a sample because time and funding constraints make population data collection challenging. Data gathering is easier with sampling since fewer individuals are involved. Definition of the sampled population is the initial stage in sample selection. In our analysis, Australian multinationals are the population. Schmid & Dowling, (2020) separate sampling approaches into probability and non-probability. Statistically selecting any example is possible with probability sampling. No statistical generalization is conceivable with non-probability samples. You choose non-probability samples using subjective judgement. Differences across groups include sample size. Unlike probability sampling, non-probability sampling has no sample size constraints. 

Purposive as well as self-selection sampling were utilised for this study. Purposive selection selects situations that best answer our study topic and aims. International business and economics students concentrate on transnational enterprises, hence national companies were omitted. International businesses are firms that trade or invest internationally, according to Schmid & Dowling, (2020). We knew the firm kind and how to approach them from the start. To gather the desired sample, a list of suitable firms was developed and their information was collected. Due to time and resource constraints and to get more thorough information, the sample size was reduced to two firms (Chong & Gagné, 2019). The respondents came from two industries; however, the goal is not to compare firms but to obtain diverse viewpoints. Data from fewer examples may provide more comprehensive findings. For this study interviewed finance department employees at the first firm. However, we wanted other opinions, so we interviewed people from other industries and with different jobs (Broeck et al., 2019). Table below lists the two firms and professions we sampled. Self-selection sampling let these firms' workers express interest in our research. Nine workers participated in our work motivation study.

Table Overview of interviewees

Research Findings

Results from the interviews

After providing short business information, the interview findings will be provided individually for each organisation. Eleven open-ended, ranked interview questions were asked (Wilson, 2018). The main goal of this research was to discover what inspires MNC workers to work, hence only relevant information will be presented.

Gustav de Laval and Oscar Lamm Jr. founded Colesin 1883, a major technological enterprise worldwide. Colesbegan as AB Separator. The firm relies on heat transfer, separation, and fluid management, which are important to industrial enterprises (Sinambela, 2020). Colesworks in essential human sectors including energy, environment, food, water, and medicines. Colessells its products in hundreds of countries and has twenty significant manufacturing plants (12 in Europe, 6 in Asia, 2 in the US). Colesemploys 11,500 people globally, mostly in Australian , Denmark, India, the US, and France. Due to ongoing development, the firm introduces 35-40 new items year.

Background and Work Experience

The query sought participant background. A lot of Coles personnel have economics degrees. Coleshas employed three individuals since graduation. Several personnel have had different jobs due to Alfa Laval's growth and work rotation. Accounting, controller, sales, segment, and internal bank positions are available at the firm. This was a key reason Colesworkers joined (Shkoler & Kimura, 2020). As one interviewee says, "the wheel does not have to be invented, it is already here," a major worldwide corporation might be more solid with working methods than a small one. Smaller or newer firms face adjustments. None of the respondents worked abroad.

What motivates you in the work?

This section addresses the research topic and provides most of our study's answers. Interviewees have certain motivational traits, but what motivates them is personal. Coles employees believe that work should be difficult and varied to avoid monotony (Vo et al., 2022). An employee says they need to be "pushed" and challenged to grow, but there must be a balance. Another employee finds motivation in being accountable for the workforce. Many believe the organisation should have growth potential. The interviewers agreed that most people must be driven to advance the firm. Some interviewees say an organisation does not need to be motivated, but most think it is necessary in everyday work.

There are also several staff motivation methods. A worldwide corporation like Alfa Laval's employee motivation would be fascinating to study, even if this study is not about motivation. One employee says the company must care about its employees. Coleshas a sports facility where staff may play gymnastics, boxing, badminton, or anything they choose (Schmid & Dowling, 2020). The employee said that additional advantages like those a huge corporation may provide motivate workers. The employee adds that Coleshas many employees in Lund, and when someone has a personal issue, the firm must aid. Conversations with bosses may encourage employees personally (Reizer et al., 2019). We questioned respondents about gratifying practical tasks during interviews. Several workers preferred initiatives where they could participate and set objectives. After finishing a project, staff feel happy since they achieved their aims. Another responder describes meeting people as satisfying. Controllers interact with customers and assist them solve problems, which is rewarding.

Question asked respondents to rate ten motivating reasons. Based on Schmid & Dowling, (2020) study, this question sought to uncover workplace incentive determinants. Results varied greatly by respondent (Rajak & Soleman, 2022). Good working conditions, innovative and demanding work, solid supervisor-colleague relationships, a flexible work schedule, and personal growth and professional advancement were the top motivators for Colesemployees. Promotion, employment stability, and large compensation were least important. We must note that these parameters change with time; if we repeat the inquiry, the answers would be different. Current events like age and family might affect findings. Schmid & Dowling, (2020) found that decent pay was the top motivating factor in 1992. Some respondents agreed with the prior survey that earnings are not the most significant incentive, but they feel they are among the top ones.

One responder said "good working conditions" were most essential. Maintaining health requires good working circumstances. The responder said it is because younger workers may see working circumstances differently. Another response emphasizes the value of tough job that allows you to think and create. Another employee says a flexible work schedule is emphasized because of the family situation, where it is vital to work at home or leave early to pick up the kids from school. 

Future Work-related Goals

We questioned respondents about their future aspirations at the conclusion of the interview. The findings revealed that most respondents wanted to stay at Colesbut may change positions. One responder wants to work on projects only (Pautz & Vogel, 2022). Interviewees agreed that if they are happy and motivated in their profession, there is no need to change it.

Tesco           

One of Europe's major consulting engineering firms, Tesco provides worldwide services. The corporation operates in Australian , Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland and has projects in 90 countries (Latham, 2012). Tesco provides architectural, building, installation, infrastructure, water and environment, energy system, geographic IT, and industrial services. Tesco engineers, architects, and environmentalists are building a safer, greener, and expanding society. The firm aims to be Europe's top consulting engineering, environmental technology, and architectural knowledge organisation. About 5,100 Tesco workers.

Background and Work Experience

Tesco consultants have water and environment engineering degrees. Most responders have worked at Tesco for years and know the firm well (Kleinbeck et al., 2016). Despite not having international job experience, two respondents worked for a Danish firm in Australian  and acquired experience. One employee said the firm offers international jobs. The respondents picked Tesco because it is a major, well-known multinational corporation with strong resources and growth prospects.

What motivates you in the work?

Employees answered this question differently. One response note decision-making independence; Tesco employees work alone and contact consumers. They also have a range of duties, from fieldwork to million-dollar project construction leadership (Kehr, 2020). Preventing digital addiction is crucial. Tesco offers fresh opportunities for growth, therefore some say it is important to keep learning. We also questioned workers about motivation at work, and they agreed that motivation is crucial for the organisation in terms of performance and commitment. Personal growth will result. In general, Tesco personnel are motivated and helpful, and the organisation has a nice working environment and good communication. Asking how the organisation may boost motivation, we were told that the department has few employees and sees itself as a tiny family that does activities together outside of work. Participating in a group and getting along with everyone is crucial (Gagné & Deci, 2005).

Tesco Environment employees enjoyed solving problems on numerous projects. One employee says: "Having a clear image of a project and being engaged from the outset motivates you. My job is to plan and measure in the field, and you can watch the results grow”. Another responder found it encouraging to face technological hurdles in complex projects and solve unresolved issues as the creator. According to the reply, working on large projects is thrilling. We collaborated with Russians on a Kaliningrad sewage treatment system. Work on a multinational project was interesting (Chong & Gagné, 2019). The rank order question came late in the interview. The goal is to obtain several opinions, not to compare Coleswith Tesco. The ranking order shows that all Tesco respondents chose "Opportunity to do creative and challenging work" as the most significant work motivation, whereas Colesrespondents chose a range of criteria. Promotion opportunities, employment stability, and professional progress were Tesco's least significant criteria.

Future work-related goals

Finally, respondents discussed the future. One responder says, “You should be open to everything, and not close any doors”. Overall, they appreciate their job and want to work like Tesco. Some interviewees contemplate working overseas (Broeck et al., 2019).

Table 5.1 shows Coles and Tesco respondents' greatest and least significant motivating reasons. Colesfound several essential elements, but Tesco found just one, "Opportunity to do creative and challenging work," as the most important incentive.

Summary of motivational factors

Conclusion and Recommendations

This thesis examined what inspires MNC workers. Identifying organizational motivating elements was our goal. After studying motivating elements, we can conclude that motivation is extremely personal and varies by individual. Work motivation changes over time, so what drives someone now may not inspire them next year. Personal circumstances clearly affect employee motivation. This research found no gender disparities in opinions. Our research suggests that younger and older workers have distinct job choices and motivation. The results show that related professions have equally motivated and pleased workers. Many quantitative studies have shown that money is a tremendous incentive at work and generally ranks top, but our research found the opposite. MNC and SME employee motivation vary. Most respondents chose MNCs for their scale, worldwide relationships, and professional progression.

In addition, our research found that workers from the two case firms are more intrinsically driven. Companies share that respondents choose initiatives where they can help and solve an issue. This research hypothesised that (1) experience and family situation inspire workers, and (2) employees are largely intrinsically motivated. The findings supported the claims. To complete the theoretical framework analysis, theories are partially relevant to empirical data, but with constraints. Maslow’s hierarchy is convoluted and hard to understand. One often assumes that satisfying a desire will eliminate it and create other ones. Scientific evidence is scarce for the hypothesis. According to Lawrence's four component theory, this study's results are solely related to the drives to attach and learn. Additionally, the ideas ignore individual variables like age, experience, and job type. A review of employee motivation research suggests that it's crucial to keep studying what drives people to work.

References

Broeck, A. V. den, Carpini, J. A., & Diefendorff, J. (2019). Work motivation. The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, 506–524. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190666453.013.27

Chong, J. X. Y., & Gagné, M. (2019). Self-determination theory for work motivation. Management. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199846740-0182

Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331–362. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322

Kehr, H. M. (2020). Motivation and volition at work. Motivation Science, 6(3), 201–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000168

Kleinbeck, U., Quast, H.-H., Thierry, H., & Häcker, H. (2016). Work motivation. Routledge.

Latham, G. P. (2012). Work motivation: History, theory, research, and Practice. SAGE.

Pautz, M. C., & Vogel, M. D. (2022). Investigating faculty motivation and its connection to faculty work- life balance: Engaging public service motivation to explore faculty motivation. Work-Life Balance in Higher Education, 42–62. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003314868-7

Rajak, A., & Soleman, R. (2022). The effect of learning organization, work engagement, work motivation, and work stress on innovative work behavior: Work motivation and work stress as mediation and moderation. MIX: JURNAL ILMIAH MANAJEMEN, 12(2), 210. https://doi.org/10.22441/jurnal_mix.2022.v12i2.003

Reizer, A., Brender-Ilan, Y., & Sheaffer, Z. (2019). Employee motivation, emotions, and performance: A longitudinal diary study. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(6), 415–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp-07-2018-0299

Schmid, Y., & Dowling, M. (2020). New work: New motivation? A comprehensive literature review on the impact of Workplace Technologies. Management Review Quarterly, 72(1), 59–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00204-7

Shkoler, O., & Kimura, T. (2020). How does work motivation impact employees’ investment at work and their job engagement? A moderated-moderation perspective through an international lens. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00038

Sinambela, S. (2020). The effect of workload on job stress, work motivation, and employee performance. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(04), 1373–1390. https://doi.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i4/pr201109

Vo, T. T., Tuliao, K. V., & Chen, C.-W. (2022). Work motivation: The roles of individual needs and social conditions. Behavioral Sciences, 12(2), 49. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12020049

Wilson, F. M. (2018). Motivation. Organizational Behaviour and Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/hebz/9780198777137.003.0008

Xu, C. (2022). Work motivation in the Public Service: A scale development based on the self-determination theory. SAGE Open, 12(2), 215824402210912. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221091263

You Might Also Like

Management Consulting Assignment Help

Confused About Drafting a Human Resources Strategic Plan For BSBHRM602 Assignments?

Problems and Perspectives in Management Assignment Sample

Looking For Complete Assignment Sample Get It On WhatsApp