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Week 2: Workplace Motivation Paper

Human Motivation
Mr. Gene Edwards
Week 2/Workplace Motivation Paper
Frederick R. Paige III












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In this paper I will talk about and discuss how the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
department encourages and motivates employees to be productive assets. We will also discuss
some of the organizational elements that are used to improve employee performance. Employee
resistance to managements goals will also be discussed and the managements philosophy of
motivation and how it practices these concepts. We will further identify and analyze
motivational theories that are not in practice and how these theories would impact both
management and employees.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Dept. has many ways in which it motivates it
employees. Both sworn and non-sworn employees make up the almost two thousand employees
employed by this organization. Extrinsic motivational factors that CMPD employs include pay
raises for becoming part of a specialized unit, a company vehicle to use for on-duty and off-duty
purposes, company cell phone and a choice of working hours. These offerings of praise
encourage employees to attain and keep a positive vigilant work ethic. These incentives that are
given are usually given in conjunction with each other therefore having a 5% increase in pay
along with a take-home vehicle further encourages employees to look toward these incentives.
These incentives attract positive behavior and a willingness to be productive for the company.
The extrinsic factor and incentives offered by CMPD motivates employees to work and also
further employees to keep working once those incentives are reached.
Reeve (2009) states. Extrinsic motivation arises from environmental incentives and
consequences, such as food, money, praise, attention, stickers, gold stars, privileges, tokens,
approval, scholarships, candy, trophies, extra credit points, certificates, awards, smiles, public
recognition, a pat on the back, prizes, and various incentive plans. Promotions are another
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example of how CMPD motivates their employees. The CMPD sworn employees start out as the
rank of officer and with training and experience can climb up the rank ladder to achieve the
ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Deputy Chief and Chief of Police. A great
incentive in getting promoted is always the increase in pay, but with so many employees there is
always competition, and promotions are not always guaranteed. This is also the case for non-
sworn employees who start out as lower level workers and through training and experience can
become promoted to a supervisory position. Along with the promotion also comes greater
responsibility and expectations to perform at a higher level must be consistent with values of the
company.
Other motivation techniques that CMPD uses include the use of a take-home vehicle and
a company cell phone. These incentives are attractive to employees because of the financial
burden it lifts from having to pay those personal costs of out pocket. The company pays for all
cell phone costs and the company maintenance shop with unlimited gasoline services the take-
home vehicle.
Not all employees are motivated by incentives but some are motivated by intrinsic factors
of challenge, interest and the psychological need of competence. Reeve 2009 states It emerges
spontaneously from psychological needs and innate strivings for growth. When people are
intrinsically motivated, they act out of interest, for the fun of it, and for the sense of challenge
the activity at hands provides. Whether the task at hand is producing arrests, breaking a case,
gathering conclusive forensic evidence, or solving a crime, some employees do not seek a reward
for a job well done. These employees act of a psychological need and feel satisfaction without
the consequence of a reward.
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The CMPD mission statement says, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department will
build problem-solving partnerships with our citizens to prevent the next crime and enhance the
quality of life throughout our community, always treating people with fairness and respect. In
keeping with the function of the department and the mission statement, employees are held to a
standard of conduct and liability. This is the foundation of the organizational effort to improve
performance of an employee. Starting off with a standard of reasonableness and conduct that an
employee must maintain ensures that the employer can carry out a positive or negative
consequence with justification. The most common way that this organization improves
performance is through incentives and rewards. The incentives and rewards attract positive
behaviors and positive course of action. The incentives and rewards precede the behavior giving
the employee something to look forward to once the positive action has occurred.
Keeping the community safe and preventing crime is the broad goal of the police
department and through community relations and public presence, employees complete this goal.
Initiative is something that can be an intrinsic or extrinsic motivator depending on the
consequence or reward. The employees resistance to increasing productivity can be attributed
to fear of consequence if something is done incorrectly or a violation exists. Because the job of
the police officer allows self-management and a sense of choice, officers can get into trouble
when it comes to dealing with the public. If a citizen complains of misconduct or unfairness and
that officer is accused of wrongdoing and investigation follows.
The Internal Affairs office is one of the biggest de-motivators that exist within the
workplace. The Internal Affairs department is perceived as a negative consequence for a
violation because of the ramifications of ones actions. The internal affairs section of the
department is charged with promotion the ideals of treating people with fairness and respect
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through impartial and thorough investigations of alleged employee misconduct. Alleged
misconduct, disrespect or unfairness can result in negative ramifications such as unpaid days off,
suspension, or even employee termination. This attributes to the resistance of productivity by an
employee. Even though these instances are common for someone to be investigated because of
allegations, the department encourages initiative, imagination, ingenuity, and motivation in
fighting crime by the reward system. The attaining of rewards by extrinsic motivation can
summarize the philosophy of motivation within the department.
According to Reeve (2009). Freud believed that all behavior was motivated and that the
purpose of behavior was to serve the satisfaction of needs. In using this theory with Charlotte
Mecklenburg Police Dept it would be unreasonable for this theory to become a practiced
philosophy. Both management and employees in this organization are not necessarily fulfilling a
biological urge or a buildup within the nervous system by being employed here. A physiological
need or a sense of belonging is why most employees chose this career path. A sense of self-
motivation and determination satisfy the internal and external demand of the job. Reeve (2009)
also states. For Hull, drive was a pooled energy source composed of all current bodily
deficits/disturbances. In other words, particular needs for food, water, sex, sleep, and so forth
summed to constitute a total bodily need. If these two theories were put into practice in this line
of work, both management and employees would not be able to accomplish the mission
statement for this organization. Bodily needs do not drive the public service community; it is
more of a cognitive revolution in which the power of thought, belief and judgment characterize
the actions of the employees and management.
Motivational strategies and productivity within the police department are intrinsic,
extrinsic and on a reward based system. Both employees and supervisors in a manner that is
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rewarding can accomplish motivation through various techniques. These individuals are aware
of the complex career path that they have decided to follow. It is a unique field and motivation
cannot always be provided through management. Even though Charlotte Mecklenburg Police
Dept has implemented rewards for hard work and consequences for misconduct, the ultimate
responsibility for motivation and productivity lies with the individual employee.


















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References
Reeve, J. (42). Understanding Motivation and Emotion (5th ed.). : John Wiley & Sons Inc.