This subfield analyzes how to motivate and incentivize workers through performance rewards, promotions, and other mechanisms.
Theory of motivation: This topic covers the different theories of motivation, including Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, and Expectancy Theory. It helps in understanding the basic principles of what motivates workers.
Incentive schemes: This topic focuses on the different incentive schemes that organizations use to motivate workers, such as bonus plans, profit-sharing, and stock-option plans. It helps in understanding how these schemes work and their effectiveness in motivating workers.
Job design: This topic focuses on the design of jobs, i.e., the division of labor, task allocation, and the level of autonomy provided to workers. It helps in understanding how job design affects worker motivation.
Performance feedback: This topic focuses on the importance of performance feedback in motivating workers. It covers the different types of feedback, including extrinsic and intrinsic feedback.
Employee recognition: This topic focuses on the importance of recognizing employees' achievements and contributions. It covers the different types of recognition, including non-monetary and monetary rewards.
Compensation and benefits: This topic focuses on the role of compensation and benefits in motivating workers. It covers the different types of compensation, including fixed and variable pay, and the different types of benefits, such as healthcare and retirement.
Work environment: This topic focuses on the importance of a positive work environment. It covers the different factors that contribute to a positive work environment, including workplace culture, workplace safety, and work/life balance.
Employee engagement: This topic focuses on the importance of employee engagement in motivating workers. It covers the different ways to increase employee engagement, including providing training and development opportunities, and involving employees in decision-making processes.
Leadership: This topic focuses on the role of leadership in motivating workers. It covers the different leadership styles, including transformational and transactional leadership, and how they affect worker motivation.
Organizational culture: This topic focuses on the importance of organizational culture in motivating workers. It covers how to create a positive organizational culture that motivates workers to achieve organizational goals.
Pay incentives: These incentives are used to motivate workers by offering them monetary rewards for achieving specific goals.
Non-financial incentives: These incentives include non-cash rewards such as promotions, recognition, flexible hours, work-from-home options, and increased job responsibility.
Skill development incentives: These incentives are designed to encourage workers to develop new skills or enhance existing ones. They can include training programs, seminars, and workshops.
Career path incentives: These incentives offer workers a clear career path that includes opportunities for advancement and higher pay.
Bonus and commission incentives: These incentives allow workers to earn additional income based on their performance or the success of the company.
Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs): These incentives provide employees with a stake in the ownership of the company and encourage them to work harder to increase the value of their shares.
Recognition incentives: These incentives acknowledge and reward workers for their hard work and successes.
Team-based incentives: These incentives encourage cooperation and collaboration among workers by rewarding teams for achieving specific goals.
Feedback and evaluation incentives: These incentives provide workers with constructive feedback and evaluations on their work performance, encouraging them to improve their skills and abilities.
Health and wellness incentives: These incentives promote healthy living and encourage workers to take care of their physical and mental health, thereby improving job satisfaction and productivity.