An integral part of the management process is the management of people. Understanding the critical importance within an organization will be to recognize that the human element and the organization are synonymous. The average worker when managed well within the organization can usually be the root source of quality and productivity gains. The focus is not on capital investment, but to employees, as the fundamental source of improvement. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a plethora of corporate downsizing, mergers and restructuring as indicated by De Meuse, Bergmann et.al, (2001). Lester and Kickul (2001) indicated that "current economic and employment landscape puts pressure on how organizations structures and motivates employees." Due to the fiercely competitive environment most companies operate in, companies focus on corporate goals, profit margins, and stock market prices, (Bergmann et. al., 2001) leaving the employee to focus on determining his or her source of motivation. It is not surprising to find organisations seeking potential employees who are intrinsically motivated especially during interviews. The workplace is now one of increased workload and stress, decreased job security and commitment as indicated by De Meuse, Bergmann et al. (2001).
The effectiveness of an organisation depends on the degree to which it achieves its goals. An effective organization will make sure that there is a spirit of cooperation and sense of commitment and satisfaction within the sphere of its influence. In order to make employees satisfied and committed to their jobs, there is the need for strong and effective motivation at the various levels. The performance of an individual can be determined by the work environment, his/her abilities and motivation to work. In situations where the individual appears not to have the need capacity to do what is required of him or her some form of training can be provided to build the capacity required, where ergonomics and other environment factors are identified as cause of an individual's inefficiencies, some form of adjustment can be made. However, when the individual lacks the desire to works, remedying it goes begun what an employer can do to bring about immediate results. This can be explained on the bases that, human behaviour is a complex and understanding it to enable change is not an easy task and as indicated by Fletcher, 2004, wanting an immediate change in human behaviour is hard to imagine. Motivation therefore, can be considered as a factor that plays a significant role in influencing employee's job satisfaction. However, this role might be negative or positive considering the fact that, motivation is intangible nature. Considering role of motivation on job satisfaction, one might one the stands of the Ghanaian employer. Thus the Ghanaian employer acknowledge the importance of motivation and if so, what the steps put in place to ensure that, motivation has a positive impact on employees.
Most organizations have evolved with time and are adapting leaner and flat structures, these organisations place a lot of focus on delivering value on customers, not likely to provide employees with jobs for life, very open and flat structured, and are more dynamic with competitive requirements and strategies. An attempt to understand motivation and its resultant effects on job satisfaction is not easy especially in a country like Ghana, where few organisations pay particular attention to their employees' level of motivation. It is said that, a happy worker is a good worker but one may be tempted to challenge the validity of this statement. For at least 50 years, researchers have sought to determine if any, the relationship that job satisfaction has with job performance. It is important to emphasise that, empirical evidence to support that job satisfaction leads to better performance is conflicting or likewise the existence of a positive correlation between the two. If empirical literature is mixed on issue and a motivated employee is assumed to be a satisfied employee then serious questions will have to be raised to assess the relationship that exist between motivation and job satisfaction. On the other hand some researchers argue that results are equally inconclusive with respect to the hypothesis that there is no such relationship. It is quite notable to note that, it was very difficult finding published works in Ghana that seek to address or suggest this relationship, if any, on the relationship between motivation and job satisfaction and the effect of motivation on job satisfaction. As a result of this ambiguity, this research seeks to determine the relationship, if any, that exist between motivation and job satisfaction, keeping in mind the value this relationship has for organizations.
In the late 19th century, jobs were essential, usually hard and/or monotonous, not well paid and most people work for bosses. One's tardiness or unproductively was considered unacceptable and he or she could get fired for it. In the early days of this Industrial Revolution and in some parts of the world, workers were regarded as expendable resources; management's sole aim was to increase productivity. Taylor (1911) analysed time and motion, broke jobs down into small parts, and devised quicker and better methods; price rates were worked out and workers achieving the standard were rewarded. It is not surprising to find some companies today, publishing sales figures as motivators. This form of motivation often gives rise to defensive or retaliatory behaviour, such as union organization, poor-quality work, executive indifference, and failure of managers to take any risks in decision making or even dishonesty. Whether managers are first-level supervisors or chief executives, the power of their position to give or withhold rewards or impose penalties of various kinds gives them an ability to control, to a very great extent, the economic and social well-being of their subordinates. However, the extent to which these sales figures determine employee's level of job satisfaction is yet to be established.
Maslow's need theory has received wide recognition, particularly among practicing managers. His theory of motivation has been accredited to the theory's intuitive logic and ease of understanding. However, research does not validate this theory as Maslow provided no empirical evidence and other several studies that sought to validate the theory hence, found no support for it. Another theory on motivation suggests that, physical surroundings affected output and the Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies would be a good point of reference. It also holds the view that people work harder just because others take interest in what they are doing. People's interaction with others within the organisation and informal work groups also affects output; communication, group norms and values are directly related; worker participation, type of supervision, morale and satisfaction. There are other theories that delve on the importance of motivation. Other motivation theories that could be considered include McGregor's Theory X and Y, Equity theory, Process theory and Herzberg's Two Factor theory.
Job satisfaction is a complex and multifaceted concept, which can mean different things to different people. Job satisfaction is usually linked with motivation, but the nature of this relationship is not clear. Satisfaction is not the same as motivation. "Job satisfaction is more of an attitude, an internal state. It could, for example, be associated with a personal feeling of achievement, either quantitative or qualitative." In recent years attention to job satisfaction has become more closely associated with broader approaches to improved job design and work organization, and the quality of working life movement. The relationship between job satisfaction and performance is an issue of continuing debate and controversy. One view associated with the early human relation's approach, is that satisfaction leads to performance. An alternative view is that performance leads to satisfaction. However, a variety of studies suggest that research has found only a limited relationship between satisfaction and work output, and offer scant comfort to those seeking to confirm that a satisfied worker is also a productive one. Labour turnover and absenteeism are commonly associated with dissatisfaction, but although there may be some correlation, there are many other possible factors. No universal generalizations about worker dissatisfaction exist, to offer easy management solutions to problems of turnover and absenteeism. The study suggests that it is primarily in the realm of job design, where opportunity resides for a constructive improvement of the worker's satisfaction level.
Problem Statement
There are motivation theories not supported by valid evidence but are easy to understand. If one should ask how many people are motivated by being given badges, titles, dedicated car parking spaces, photos in company newsletters, how many can not wait to get home from work to do other things? One will be amazed at the numbers simply because motivation does not operate in a vacuum. If people are going to spend as much time at work as they do, why can they not be enthused about the work that they do? Do managers have a responsibility to try to stir them up? Maintaining satisfactory hygiene factors will not necessarily motivate people - but it will stop them from being dissatisfied! However, there is not necessarily a relationship between satisfaction and productivity. One can find your job satisfying without you really doing very much. Also, when conditions are satisfactory, people attribute success to their own doing and when things are positive, they look to management for someone to blame. It should also be noted that, perhaps some managers subscribe to Theory X personally, whilst publicly espousing Theory Y? The underlying fact is, changing one's actions in line with Y will not necessarily lead to increased motivation. In the concept of job satisfaction, the employee feels the importance of his belongingness in the workplace as well as the importance of his job. This achievement can be in the way where the needs are satisfied such as their self-esteem need and self-respect, appreciation or recognition, the safety and security of the employee (Wright, 2001). The job satisfaction of the employee is also affected by several factors, and for the organization to achieve the job satisfaction of the employees; they need to describe the relationship of the commitment and motivation towards job satisfaction.
Research Objectives
The first objective is to determine motivational efforts of management in achieving job satisfaction. The second objective is to seek other factors, if any, that influences employee's sense of satisfaction. The third objective is to be able to empirically test some of the various theories of motivation and assess their impact on employees' job satisfaction in a country like Ghana. Finally through the study, recommendations could be made to the organisation on how to establish strong motivational program that leads to job satisfaction and brings out the commitment in their employees. This will contribute to knowledge management in the area of human resource.
Research Questions
There are several questions presented that can help the completion of the study in understanding the different factors that can produce the job satisfaction among the employees.
Which motivational theory best determines an employees' job satisfaction?
Is there a relationship between motivation and job satisfaction?
Are there other factors that contribute to job satisfaction apart from motivation?
What are the measurements or signs that prove that the employees are committed to their job?
Does job satisfaction play an important role in the success of the entire organization?
METHODOLOGY
This study will be a quantitative research drawing on deductive technique as research questions will be deduced from theories. The data for the research will be collected using a questionnaire and the population for this study will on 50 people across various industries above the legal working age (18+) in Ghana. The sample population will be randomly selected from the population in order to limit sampling error and other research biases. The study will gather participants' information such as their age, gender, civil status, number of family members, years of employment and their position in their respective company. All these requirements will serve as moderating factors of the study and ethical considerations will be noted with great emphasis on confidentiality. +
