Role of Management in Motivating Workers in the Insurance Industry: A Case Study of Glico Insurance Company
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study are:
- To determine how managers contributes to the motivation of personnel managers and their satisfaction in the insurance sector.
- To determine the effectiveness of personnel workers in the Insurance industry
- To look into some motivation mix, that is, the set of controllable variables that managers in the insurance companies can use to influence their personnel workers and recommend appropriate motivation mix that will make the staff experience job satisfaction that will enhance performance and quality of service rendered to customers.
- To determine the effectiveness and impact of motivation on employee’s productivity in the insurance company.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Much has been said and written about motivation of personnel managers by management either directly or indirectly by others. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to evaluate these previous write ups and determine earlier accomplishments in the field as well as to disclose where contributions are desirable.
This chapter explains extensively how management motivate personnel managers (workers) which is broken into various subsections viz, the concept of motivation, definitions, intrinsic motivation and satisfaction, implication and Application of related theories, motivation and job satisfaction, job justification and productivity, Frederick Herzberg’s Theory of job satisfaction, employee motivation, towards greater job satisfaction in industry etc.
CONCEPT
The issue of concept of motivation and its origin, dated back to the 19th century. Henry Fayol (1941 – 1925) developed and originated the idea of industrial management and control. Although some analysts discovered to a noticeable degree the practice of motivation in United State. Other school of thought presented F.W. Taylor (1911 – 1935) as one of the original proponent of motivation principles. This application either was discovered to be in full swing around 1930 in Untied States of America, when they had what is economically referred to as revolutionized economy. Motivation, like any other major productivity instrument has gained this priorities even in the developed and less developed countries like Ghana.
In Africa in particular, inspite of its under-developed economic situation, motivation is equally seen as an instrument of industrial harmony. However, in Ghana, the origin of motivation can be traced to the common practice of individual organizations, motivating their workers in anticipation of higher productivity and enhance profitability. Although some other school of thoughts relate the origin of motivation to pre-colonial times with reference to the advent of Europeans and other Western countries, it becomes not too acceptable to relegate Ghana to the situations of not even identifying one thing to this credit since creation, therefore, motivation in Ghana must be assumed to be like it’s origin in other parts of the world.
Motivation in the Ghanaian context always bother on the system, which analyses and classifies the favorableness or unfavourableness of employees job in organizations and other related bodies borrow strongly the practice of motivation in order to achieve set objectives either directly or indirectly. Therefore, for purpose of achieving the objectives of this research work, consideration was adequate to motivate and its impact on personnel managers productivity in the Insurance industry.
DEFINITION
Questions of the definition of motivation seem to be an unending situation that still needs the co-operation and compromise of different authors, writers and professionals. In this area of study, its has shown that experts have conducted quite a reasonable empirical studies on motivation in worker’s productivity as measures for corporate survival, even in recent times and until now, no general accepted conclusion seems to be reached on what should generally be the definition of motivation.
Some defined it based on environmental factors; others see it based on organizational objectives while a good number gave a contingency reasoning to it.
In my own words, motivation is an internal and external factor that stimulates desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role or subject and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal. Motivation result from the interactions among conscious and unconscious factors such as the intensity of desire or need inceptive or reward value of the goal and expectations of the individual and of his or her significant other.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter would be treated in order under the following: research design, area of study, population of the study, sample and sampling procedure techniques, instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.
DESIGN OF THE STUDY
The research design used in this study is determined by the nature of the research problem and by its objectives. As this study is focused on finding out the role of management in motivating workers in Insurance industry, using Glico Insurance Company as a case study; the use of descriptive survey method is considered logically sound.
The main reason for adopting this method is that as reported by Ndagi (1984), a descriptive researcher is concerned with the collection of data for the purpose of describing and interpreting existing conditions, prevailing practices, belief, ongoing process, attitudes etc.
AREA OF THE STUDY
The study focused specifically on the role of management in motivating personnel managers in the Insurance industry with particular reference to Glico Insurance Company.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
Population can be defined as a group from which a sample is drawn. It can be anything depending on what one is studying.
The population of this study were the entire staff of Glico Insurance Company both staff and management. The respondent include both management which comprised of senior staff and workers which comprised of contract staff, junior staff and intermediate staff.
The total staff strength of the company as at the time of this study is fifty (50) which forms the population size for the research study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, an attempt was made to classify responses according to sex age, position occupied, educational level etc of the respondents.
The researcher presents in this chapter the answer supplied to the questionnaire by the respondents. The analysis and interpretation follow in order after a table with simple percentage employed to clarify the relationship between data is presented. The researcher also used tables and other statistical method for easy understanding, orderly arrangement and structuring of data to produce reasonable facts and reliable conclusion. Hypothesis will be tested with the chi-square (X2) statistical tool.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
From this research study titled, “The role of management in motivating personnel officers in Insurance industry,” the researcher’s mindset is to understudy the process, procedure and method of empirical application of the concept in the Insurance industry and to observe if personnel officers are practically well motivated using Glico Insurance Company as a case study.
The chapter discusses the major findings of this study in relation to the objectives as shown in the tables and figures contained in the study analysis based on various responses to the items on the questionnaire and on the facts gathered from oral interviews and the review of literature. The research attempt to answer the following question:
- Does management of your Insurance company always motivate personnel workers?
- Does this motivation have any impact on your productivity?
- Beside the motivation portfolio, is there any adequate provision for job security?
- Do you see all element of satisfaction you enjoy as a motivational package?
- How often does the management consult with the personnel workers on the issue of welfare of the organization and workers? In pursuance of the research question, questionnaires were sent to selected staff of Glico Insurance Company.
From the study, it was identified that personnel officers of Glico Insurance Company experienced motivation; this was the view of 56.67% of the total respondents. It was also discovered that the level of adequate provision for job security beside motivation portfolio, 29 or 95.67% of the total respondents reasoned this way.
Similarly, the study revealed that employee’s productivity in Glico Insurance Company does not necessarily depend on motivation since every personnel worker has their own assigned job. Table 9 illustrates that 14 or 46.67% agrees on that while 16 or 53.33% disagrees.
It was also established from the study that personnel workers agrees that all element of satisfaction they enjoy service as a motivational package. Table II illustrates that where it rates 22 or 73.33% of the total respondents. In the study, the role of managers in motivating personnel officers is significant that is to say, management on their own part try hard to see that personnel workers are adequately treated well. Table 8 illustrates that where it rates 19 or 63.33% of the total respondents.
Thus, fact from the theoretical view point, the review of literature revealed that Maslow (1943) motivational theory had a least as much impact as Herzberg’s (1959) motivation theory which these needs are likely to be met by polices to incorporate team work and involvement of all workers. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs stipulates that for a worker to work well, his basic needs must be satisfied such as his physiological need, love need, esteem need etc. In the case were management fails to meet these hierarchical needs, personnel workers are de-motivated but when such needs are developed and met, people become motivated. The Implication is that despite the success of job enrichment strategies, there is little support for the notion that factors influencing motivation fall into the simple dichotomy suggested by Maslow.
CONCLUSION
From the analysis of data and the results, it was established that motivation has a relationship with personnel officers‟ productivity but the basic fact underlying the issue is that what appears to create motivation on one employee in a particular organization might not act similarly in other organization most especially in the Insurance industry.
The need for effective motivation on personnel workers by management cannot be overemphasized. This is because motivation depends on the way a person perceives it. When management on their part motivates his workers, it would reflect on the workers out put, if otherwise, that would also reflect on their output.
From the result of this research reached on the hypothetical testing which provided that there is a significant impact of motivation in personnel officers‟ productivity but not very significant and their compensation packages are not comparable to other insurance companies, it is quite clear that in some cases personnel officer’s productivity and the principle guiding it, depends to a large extent on management style. According to Keith (1981; 89), motivation can produce neutral, negative or positive results. He further presented that for motivation to impact positively on personnel workers‟ productivity their must be some corresponding or relative linkages to personnel workers‟ opinion, attitude, morale, climate, quality of work life and environment as well as the size of the insurance company.
Similarly, Porter, Lawler, and Raymond (1989; 34), observed that motivation does not necessarily increase personnel officers productivity. Other critics of this concept believe that there are no precise degrees of productivity that result from motivation.
Consequently, it can be deduced that at times motivation does work but not in all situations as a panacea to increase personnel officer’s productivity in all corporate organizations or insurance companies. While some workers see it as a privilege, others consider it to be right.
Meanwhile, it is imperative to note that beside financial inducement, motivation of personnel officers can still be packaged in some other ways that will in essence influence productivity positively. Based on this claim, the management of the various insurance companies should realize that what prove positively successful in one insurance company might not yield expected result in some other insurance companies. Therefore workers needs, environment and job design should be properly analyzed and evaluated before taking some decisions. Management should also in formulating and implementing it’s policies take note on the interest of it’s workers welfare, having proper concern in the evaluation of such policies, so that they do not at the minimal rate demoralize and demotivate her workers. The policies they adopt should encompass improved working conditions, job security and satisfaction, comparable salary etc. these would enable adequate productivity.
RECOMMENDATION
In the light of the foregoing study and the adjourning findings, it is clear that in spite the level of success attained by Glico Insurance Company, and the actual impressive performance of personnel officers, it has been discovered that there are some recommendation that proposes as a contribution towards improving the role of management on personnel officers.
Consequently, the following recommendation becomes imperatives.
- That management should be able to identify what actually motivates personnel officers.
- Whether such motivational package is capable of inducing high productivity.
- The management should also endeavour to include some packages that will ensure adequate job security and if possible work towards developing a policy for pensionable service.
- The management should also do a kind of comparative work to examine whether what is obtainable in Glico Insurance Company is still fashionable in the Insurance industry. This could be done by comparing their packages with that of other existing insurance company.
- Adequate training whether in-door training or otherwise should be periodically designed for personnel officers if the emphasis is on improved productivity
- Other measures other than job evaluation or appraisal should be adopted to determine individual personnel officer’s productivity.
- Management should view personnel officers as partners with common goals to achieve the efficiency of the other workers and increase productivity.
It is hoped that the implementation of the above recommendation by Glico Insurance Company. would guarantee management their role in motivating personnel officers.
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