Applications+to+21st+Century+Rural+Practice

=__Applications to 21st Century Rural Practice__=

Motivation Theories
(Angie Iafrate)

There are various ways in which the discussed motivation theories could be applied to 21st century rural social work practice. For instance, one common complaint of workers in rural agencies is that there are few opportunities for professional advancement. There are few managerial/supervisory positions to be had, and those who obtain them generally hold onto them for a long while. **Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs** characterizes the need for achievement, status, and responsibility (all elements of being promoted in the workplace) as an "**esteem need**," the last level of needs to be met before moving on to self-actualization. From Maslow's theory, a manager may consider the notion that for those workers in a rural agency, where those esteem needs may not have opportunity to be met, workers may become dissatisfied or impatient with their jobs, feeling hindered to reach greater goals like self-actualization. There may be a feeling of hopelessness that sets in with the realization that the opportunites for achievement, status, and responsibility are few and far between. They may seek work elsewhere, either in another field or another geographic region. Similarly, those who fall into the category of power-oriented workers as per **McClelland's Needs Theory** will likely find great dissatisfication in the rural agency where they reach a point in the organizational scheme where promotion is unlikely and there is no more power to be had.

Can this be averted in the rural agency? In some cases, perhaps yes, and in others, perhaps no. Regarding the latter, an individual who would be motivated solely by power may simply never be satisfied in a job where that power is just out of reach, no matter how hard s/he works. Of course, an individual who is motivated by either achievement or affiliation according to McClelland, or even one who is motivated in part--but not solely--by power, may still find satisfaction and motivation in his job. Take **Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory**, for example, which differentiates between hygiene and motivation factors. Herzberg's theory indicates that self-actualization can be encouraged in the job tasks themselves, in some cases. It is not an ultimate destination, then, but can be brought into the nature of the work; this refers to the concept of **job enrichment** as discussed in the principles and theories section. While not every position is conducive to job enrichment, managers in the rural agency should be aware of those which are and seek to implement it for those workers who might be motivated to fill a need of self-actualization in the workplace. **Job expansion** can also be used to add more responsibility to the worker's job, which could help to fulfill a certain type of esteem need, even if it does not promise the highest of self-actualization.

Another application to the rural agency could be related to the **affiliation-motivated** individual, as per McClelland's theory, In a rural community, where everyone knows each other and it is difficult to always compartmentalize the professional and the personal, the rural manager may find him/herself in a situation where these employees have meshed their need for workplace affiliation with social affiliation. While socializing outside of the agency is not necessarily a negative, a manager may find him/herself in a position with a subordinate where the need to affiliate has led the worker to pursue an out-of-work relationship with him/her, or with other employees, which if not done properly and with boundaries can lead to distrust in the workplace if the social web becomes too complicated.

(Vanessa Miller) Bandura's social learning theory can be applied to 21st century in that managers need to be role models for their employees. Social learning theory is based on observation, imitation, and modeling. Managers should always display exceptional work ethic and set an example for workers. As Weinbach (2011) states "the example set by the manager can affect the behavior of all employees who seek the manager's good will, who wish to emulate the manager, and/or who simply wish to advance within the organization" (p. 139). The manager can affect all aspects of the organization by his or her actions. Weinbach (2011) explains, "managers who attempt to communicate the message of 'do as I say, not as I do' rarely succeed in providing a positive influence on others" (p. 139). Just as social learning theory emphasizes modeling, Weinbach (2011) states that "the manager is always on stage. The social worker is watched for clues as to how to act, think, and what attitudes are appropriate" (p.139). Exhibiting poor behavior portrays to the employees that it is okay to act poorly. If the manager and employees both exhibit inappropriate behavior, it negatively impacts the entire organization. Weinbach (2011) states, "..their poor example will cause resentment and will weaken their overall capacity to influence others" (p.139). It is essential that the manager exhibit appropriate behaviors for observation, imitation, and modeling for his or her employee.

Just as Maslow's Hierachy of Needs theory characterizes the need for achievement, status, and responsibility, Alderfer's ERG theory emphasizes existence needs, relatedness, and growth needs. This applies to 21st century application in that employees have a need for continued psychological growth and development and have desires for satisfying interpersonal relationships. This also relates to an employees' need to grow and have advancement opportunities. In addition, employees may find the need to change positions for their personal growth. Weinbach recommends a role switch in order for clients to grow in knowledge and challenge of a new position.

While none of these scenarios are necessarily true or applicable for every situation, as most workers likely have motivating needs that do not fit so easily in a box devised by theorists, the rural agency manager must nevertheless be aware of these theories and their general principles, as it is likely that some element or another will apply to at least a handful of employees. Having anticipated these problems related to common issues that arise in the rural agency (i.e., lack of opportunity for promotion and blurred lines between professional and personal existence) and using motivation theories as a guide, managers may be better-equipped to handle them at that time, or even preempt them before they come an issue that will affect work quality, turnover, etc.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
Doris Dennah

It is essential for managers to consider the question of which motivation is more desirable to have at the work place in the 21st century. On the one hand, in an ideal situation it is far more desirable to have intrinsic motivation. For the long run employees who are motivated intrinsically will continue to be satisfied and interested in their work or tasks. On the other hand, with extrinsic motivation it is not sustainable there are some drawbacks. For example, employees may lose their enthusiasm or motivation towards their work if there is no reward/punishment. Also, you get a diminishing return: that is if reward stays at the same level than employees motivation will drop off. To counteract that, it requires a bigger reward to keep the same employees motivated. And giving extrinsic rewards may lead to employees not cultivating intrinsic motivation within them-selves. Managers must always reward/punishment to get employees to do their work, so to speak. However, “we must face the hard fact, which is that most employees will be more enthusiastic about extrinsic rewards than internal motivation. Therefore, extrinsic motivation has to form a crucial basis of the company’s policy” (Buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-extrinsic-motivation-at-the-work-place).

However, in the article (A //Survey of comparison of career motivations of social work and business students)// Basham (2009) found that “social work students were more motivated by a desire to gain knowledge or expertise in their service field, whereas business students differed in seeking greater career advancement and self-sufficiency” //(Journal of Social Work Education//. 45 (2) p.187-208). In yet, another study in the article (//Views of specially-trained child welfare social workers);// the study explores the similarities and differences between those who choose to remain in public child welfare “stayers” and those who leave “leavers” in a sample of Title IV-E (MSW) graduates. Data was collected from 304 **stayers** and 82 **leavers** specially-trained, MSW-level child welfare workers to compare and contrast their motivations, perceptions, and experiences over a 10-year data collection period. The results showed that “dedication to children and families and social work values does not differ between stayers and levers” (Morazes, J.L. & Amy D., Clark, S.E., (2010). //Qualitative Social Work.// 9 (2) p. 227- 247).

I believe it is healthy to conclude base on these studies in spite of the view that most employees are motivated by extrinsic rewards, that in human services organizations particularly in rural areas, most social workers have the desire to selflessly accomplish the overall goal of giving the clients our primary beneficiaries, efficient and effective service.