Companies strive to answer many questions in an effort to benefit from positive employee behavior in the workplace. The goal of most companies is to foster a win-win situation for both the company and the associate. What is the difference between a satisfied happy employee and a disgruntled and unmotivated employee? Is it the amount of money you make or the amount of time you spend at work? Is it the work environment? Does the position meet the employee’s needs? Can the employee perform successfully? Does the employee know the role they play in your organization? Has the manager provided his employees with the tools to be successful? In fact, there is a model of individual behavior that answers these questions quite well. The MARS model of behavior and individual outcomes presented in Chapter Two of Organizational Behavior, Fourth Edition (McShane & Von Glinow) is an excellent means of creating a mutually beneficial relationship between employer and associate.
This model identifies four interrelated elements that affect employee performance; Motivation, Skill, Role Perception and Situational Factors. These factors are closely related to each other; For example, a data analyst is adept at running reports (skill), self-taught on how to use the latest tools to extrapolate data (motivation), and understands how this information will help management make decisions (role perception), but has no the required access to data files (situational factors). Unless all elements of the MARS model are satisfied, employee behavior and performance will be negatively affected.
A successful manager will possess a clear understanding of the above elements and will be able to apply them. Motivation is the internal influence that affects the actions of employees. Employers must meet the intrinsic needs of associates to fully capitalize on the motivational element of this model. To get the job done, employees must have the necessary skills. Managers are responsible for ensuring that their employees receive the training and skills necessary to be successful. Another critical function of the capability element is to place employees in positions that make effective use of their talents. The third element of the MARS model is role perception. Staff members must have a clear understanding of where they fit in the organization and how they contribute to the overall mission. Complete job descriptions with clear expectations will help the associate understand the role perception element. The final element is situational factors. Employees must have all the necessary tools, equipment, and workspace to do the job.
How does a manager adopt the MARS model? Starting with motivation, employers must have a good relationship with employees and discover the driving force behind their actions. A well-known theory of motivation that organizations must consider is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In the workplace, Maslow’s hierarchy levels are satisfied as follows:
Level 1 – Physiological and corporal – Good salary and safe working conditions.
Level 2 – Safety and security – Job training and enrichment programs.
Level 3 – Social & Friends – Workplace camaraderie and team building seminars.
Level 4 – Esteem – Employee recognition program for performance and promotion.
Level 5 – Self-realization – Autonomy, selecting own assignments.
According to Maslow, when a need is met, continuing to offer the motivator has little to no effect. In the information technology (IT) field, managers will soon realize that IT employees are motivated by higher levels; Esteem and Self-realization and not necessarily increasing the salary or the perceived punishment.
The most motivated worker will not be successful without the skills required for the job. Managers will need to understand the key tasks, the skill set required to get the job done, and effectively hire the best candidate. Providing the necessary training will ensure that associates have the best chance of success.
The third element of the MARS model is role perception. As mentioned above, a complete job description and ongoing feedback are essential to ensure that employees understand how they play a role in the company. In the IT discipline, the support staff is generally divided into technical and non-technical. Examples of technical personnel would be server administrators, network technicians, programmers, and database administrators, to name a few. Non-technical personnel would be software instructors, implementation personnel, and data analysts. When dealing with IT issues, it is vital to direct the customer to the right staff member for support. To adopt this model, managers must ensure that employees understand what role they play in fulfilling the organization’s mission.
The final component of the MARS model is situational factors. To be successful, staff members must have the tools to get the job done. A safe work environment, the right time, and the right people are aspects of the workplace governed by the organization, not the employee. In the field of information technology, one way to comply with the above is to ensure that staff have the appropriate level of access based on their position. This policy mutually protects the integrity of the system and that of the employee.
In conclusion, the MARS model of motivation, ability, role perception, and situational factors will help managers understand how and why employees succeed or fail. To successfully implement this model and reap the benefits, companies must live to meet all four components.
The MARS model is identified in Chapter 2 of Organizational Behavior, McShane, S. & Von Glinow, MA (2008). (4th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.