If you ask any manager what mission is most important to them, they will often say “motivate employees”. The question is : What exactly motivates employees? And how can motivation impact employees’ performances.

Here are immediate actionable tips to increase employee motivation in the workplace; first of all, don’t let employees become bored; you must create a social climate for employees through group work, which confirms the theory of Elton Mayo on (social man), Man is there for not only an economic being but also has motivations related to the interest of the job. Let them pick a project or give them the opportunity to propose a new project to you. Chances are they’ll pick something they’re interested in, something innovative, impressive and useful to the company and something you may not have even thought about yourself.

Also, you can value individual contributions; their individual efforts and contribution play an important part of the company’s overall goals and direction. Employees will take pride and be engaged in their work if they are aware of how their efforts create an impact the organization; regardless of how big or small their contributions are. Managers do not have to reward their employees with gifts every single time they did a good job at a task. At times, a simple “Thank You” or “Great job” will suffice.  These meaningful words acknowledge effort, build loyalty and encourage people to work even harder.

Without forgetting the right environment to work in; when it comes to managing your employees, one of the most important things you can do for them is to provide the right work environment. A workspace should empower employees to do their best work. But it’s not just about physical comfort. “It’s also about designing work to suit workers’ cognitive and psychological characteristics, adjustable standing desks and well-positioned computer screens can not only alleviate pain but can also affect employees’ emotional well-being and promote focus. Remember, employees can’t do their best work in an office they find disruptive. Consider creating a comfortable, productive space that encompasses everything from ergonomic furniture to temperature-regulated interiors. Prioritize onboarding and training is realizing that a sink-or-swim mentality doesn’t work when the aim is to cultivate high-performing teams and a positive work environment.

And of course, take care of physical health: every employee cares about being productive, being in good physical and moral health will allow them to be more beneficial and eventually have a less stressful day. Initially, the concept should be easy to use, create an online based-programs that are accessible for smartphones which offer employees track fitness, help them with their diet by making a schedule and count calories programs. And also suggest other activities and exercises which are relatively simple which all workers or most of them feel comfortable doing, and adapt these exercises to their evolution overtime to manage their health. In addition, organizations are progressively bringing wellbeing professionals on-site for their workers to get to. It can include wellness coaches, nutritionists, physical specialists, coaches, therapist and more.

Finally, the company can provide some entertainment methods: Finding fun ways to motivate employees empowers a positive work environment. It shows that it’s not all about work; a little loosening of professionalism can go a long way toward encouraging your workers. The organization can also offer something outside the work to make sure the workers can get along even outside the work environment by organizing sports, team work or a dinner in a specific restaurant according to the culture of each, so they can exchange their cultures.

It goes with no doubt in the business world today that employee motivation is a key factor in improving your bottom line. Many studies have suggested that a decrease in employee motivation had a significant impact on the bottom line of the company’s studies (70% percent of American employees lack engagement and motivation, which costs a yearly 450 to 550 billion dollars in lost productivity-Gallup study on “State of the American Workplace”). This would lead many of us to ask how you improve your overall employee motivation. Job performance can just like work motivation be divided in task and contextual performance. The performance can simply be measured over time. After a specific period they can see if the performance of an employee is increased or decreased. There are variables that influence the job performance. The most important variables are joy, interests, money and power. All of these variables have a positive influence on the job performance.

In short, one can say that motivation has a positive effect on the job performance of employees within an organization. Both intrinsic as extrinsic motivation have a positive influence on the job performance. Managers can use this information within an organization to motivate their employees which will increase their performance.

Authors

• EL MOUMNI CHAIMAA
• ELBAYA HOUSSAM
• ESSADIKI NOUHAILA
• HADDOUBI HAJAR
• EL RAITI ANAS
• HOSSAINY OUSSAMA

References

• https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-great-managers-motivate-their-employees-1918772
• https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/blog/staff-retention/stop-employees-getting-bored/
• https://inside.6q.io/employee-motivation-important/
• https://www.unitedway.org/blog/five-steps-to-improved-physical-health
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322340840_Influence_of_FunEntertainment_at_Workplace_on_Employee_Performance_in_Sri_Lankan_IT_sector
• Practical and Effective Management of Libraries : Integrating Case Studies, General Management Theory and Self-Understanding ; author: Moniz, Jr., Richard;Editeur: Elsevier Science; Publication Year: 2010

Given the digitalization and globalization of the business world, as well as the important role of business communication which brings together the means and methods- used by a company to get in touch with its environment and to pass information on it, establish its notoriety or to strengthen its brand image with its internal and external partners- this cannot be achieved without having a good command of technology, and the strong relationship between these two which appears on the internal level of the organization only at its external level with its environmental partners, this relationship which enables companies today to carry out their work more efficiently, quickly and above all with more comfort, also to build solid relationships between employees as well as with customers and external partners. Although everyone knows the importance of technology but it is only now that we have come to really understand its importance during the Coronavirus crisis, hence the appearance of the telecommuting and distance education platforms.

In this article, we will tackle the impact of technology on an organization, the change towards the culture of telecommuting and the impact of the Coronavirus on the evolution of the latter, likewise the role of intercultural management in the efficiency of the company. We will also make a comparison between communication then and now, thanks to technology, to conclude with recommendations on the situation.

We all know the role and the importance of technology in an organization; and within the framework of the external growth of companies on a global level, technological tools (IT, telecommunications) are at the heart of the projects, we know that they have revolutionized companies for a few years and more precisely, the organization of work. So in order for a business to face competitors it has to organize itself. Today, the integration of these technologies within companies is present for the sole purpose of providing solutions and to make life easier for employees, and these technologies allow them to work in easier conditions than before with a certain efficiency and productivity. So thanks to these technologies, for example software and electronic messaging that facilitate the management of work with security and speed, as well as systems which subsequently lead to the smooth running of the business. As a result, people no longer have to see each other to work together thanks to all these means of networking. But there are still some obscure points which can hinder the proper use of these tools made available, and that physical contact is still important, for example emails are useful, but used wrongly or improperly, therefore they can become completely useless, so they can produce information overload, blurring the boundaries between work and non-work, a feeling of isolation.  Besides, a strong use of technology destroys interpersonal relationships and can be a source of stress, without forgetting their impacts on health such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Nowadays, digital transformation has several effects on human practices, habits and behavior. It consists of developing new information and communication technologies, and helps the companies to bring innovative working methods and tools. In this sense, the telecommuting is one of this digital revolution’s benefits. It is an organizational working way, which allows the employee, but also the company, to gain in terms of time, efficiency, flexibility and, above all, productivity. In other words, by telecommuting, the employee can exercise remotely his/her missions, relaying on new technological working methods. In the context of Coronavirus, companies operating in several business sectors use this practice to work online without moving to the workplace. It also aims at limiting the spread of the virus by avoiding the human direct contact. However, the adaptation with this new working method seems difficult, because it’s available only for the service sector, while the industrial one remains incompatible with the telecommuting. Moreover, this practice can in some cases demotivate employees, decrease the feeling of belonging to the company and degrades the collective projects. All these elements impact negatively the development of the employee’s career and productivity in the company.

Cross-cultural business communication

In a professional world, cross-cultural management can be benefic for the business communication of the company facing the globalized world, and a good company is a company that knows where to include technology in negotiating and when to be there as a person, this can affect its sales figures positively, knowing that a successful transaction only in Europe is different from a country to another, in France for example, highlighting the concept, that is to say the originality, the history and the innovative character of the product, is an effective way to sell a product, because the relational and the emotional aspect are decisive in the conclusion of a sale. But in Germany, it’s totally the opposite; it is the sales pitch and the quality of the product and the service that prevail. To sell effectively in Germany, you must not neglect to provide the customer with additional information such as: market trends, competition, the technical presentation of the product; the salesperson who wants to sell in Germany is therefore not in a seductive approach like in France, but puts forward rational and verifiable arguments, by putting forward the quality of the product above all. In addition, for a company that is interested in dealing with other countries, it should take into consideration the cross-cultural factors, like in United States, it is recommended to be punctual, meet deadlines, to always get straight to the point, to be efficient and honest in the negotiation process. Americans are, however, adept at small talk in order to create a relaxed working atmosphere, so do not hesitate to maintain these informal exchanges while minimizing physical contact, which Americans generally do not appreciate.

But in China, trust founded relations are really important to make different transactions with Chinese population, it is essential never to lose face of your Chinese partners when you want to sell effectively in China, it means never show a position of weakness or shame. Moving to Russia, it may be relevant to take into account certain well-marked cultural traits: Adopt an informal tone, sometimes be theatrical and accentuate your emotions, do not interrupt your interlocutor and ask questions at the end of the negotiation, do not use the term “compromise” (synonymous with defeat, for the Russians) accept invitations to dinner or to the Sauna, bring a gift on first contact.

In conclusion, communication is the most important element in business, it is critical to the success of each organization. Without strong communication, businesses will face significant problems. This is especially true in today’s business environment. The organizational structures and cultures are changing, and this has added a new dimension to the challenges organizations face with communication. Communicating within the global economy has an impact on the business communication and the workplace, so the use of technical communication tools has become necessary. This is especially in our current situation.

Authors

• MOUSSAFIR Hakima
• SIDKI Mounia
• KAIZAR Chaimae
• N’AITOBRAH Youssef
• KRIMI BENCHEQROUN Chaimaa

Resources

1. https://owl-ge.ch/travaux-d-eleves/2011-2012/article/impact-des-nouvelles-technologies-sur-l-entreprise
2. https://magajo.com/limpact-nouvelles-technologies-lentreprise/
3. https://lematin.ma/journal/2019/teletravail-mal-decoller-maroc/318615.html
4. https://www.communicaid.fr/blog/formation-interculturelle/vendre-a-travers-les-cultures/
5. http://jrnledcompresearch.com/technology-and-its-impact-in-business-communication/

In this article, we will attempt to demonstrate the elements that allow good and successful leadership within a multicultural environment.

In order to become a successful leader of  multinational corporation, you are constantly required to improve your circle of competence by enhancing your skills, and opting for a multicultural management approach , a multicultural environment in a business  context refers to  a group of participants from different countries or regions interacting and bringing different values to an economic entity.  We can define cross- cultural management as the study of the influence of societal cultures on managers and management practices as well as the study of the culture orientations of individual managers and organizations members.

One of the key elements that can be mentioned when it comes to leadership in a global context in the notion of “cross-cultural leadership” this term refers to leadership in which a leader endeavors to influence the activities and goals of a culturally diverse group by appealing to their systems of shared knowledge and meaning. Cross-cultural leadership recognizes the moderating effect that culture can have on leadership processes. It also seeks to discover the similarities and differences between cultures as to what is generally considered to constitute appropriate and inappropriate leader–follower relations. In order for a leader to have successful interactions within an international context, he/she will have to try to understand the culture, respect it,  abide by it and search for similarities in order to relate to it so that the business goes smoothly and with the least amount of difficulties. We like to think of the cross-cultural leadership as a gradual approach and one that takes time in order to develop and succeed. 

International companies need to understand the fundamentals of intercultural interactions and the culture in which they operate in order to have a successful leadership experience and opt for a multicultural management strategy that takes into consideration all the elements that a culture represents.

In today’s globalized reality, organizations have to benefit from the innovative and productive input from a culturally diverse team. The only way to achieve this is to assure a high quality communication, that every team member implements: one’s knowledge, motivation, skills, behavior and effectiveness to avoid cross-cultural misperceptions.
A leader has to develop his/her communication skills to coordinate the work of his/her team; without continuously improving communication techniques, the message will not reach its goal and so the work too will crash at the hand of confusion and misinterpretation. The fundamental key is to deal with a cross- cultural communication as you would with any and every managed activity: by determining a target, outlining what to do, and checking afterwards that you have attained that objective. With using, during each step, communicative resources, such as gestures, language, and voice, effectively. Only in this way, you can lead the team and build an efficient communication behavior. Intercultural communication competence is more than delivering, accepting and understanding a message, the message must also affectively achieve the communication purpose, punctual, situational, and on target.

The most effective metaphor is definitely to see leaders as sport coaches. At the beginning, they sit on the bench, observe, and read the different needs of their players, and then they integrate and simplify the complexity, indicating the strategy for the game. In doing so, they need to be flexible and adaptable to the context and to the players.
The key factor in being a successful leader is the combination of the person and the situation surrounding him/her, which can be also defined as situational leadership. In this framework, self-awareness, self-regulation and organizational awareness play a crucial role in understanding how to act and behave in a given context with a given group of people to achieve a certain objective. The key for great leadership is the ability to embody more than one style at a time and to alternate them. A great example of international leader is Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, once declared in an interview “Leaders of the future will need to have a lot more sensitivity and global empathy, not just for people from their own countries, but also for people from different countries and cultures”.
In conclusion, if we bear in mind our coach, we can review our module on intercultural teals and leadership. Anytime we meet someone different from us, we need to start by looking at ourselves, being aware of our strength and recognizing them in others is the key to being a successful leader in every situation and, in particular, in an intercultural environment.

Authors : 
• ELMASKAOUI Nabila
• ELAASRI Inasse
• ELKADIRI Zayneb
• ELOUAZZANI Imane

Resources :
•Marturano Antonio and Gosling Jonathan (2007) “Leadership: the key concepts”, Taylor-Francis, 256 pages.
•https://www.cubiks.com/insights/what-does-it-take-lead-across-cultures?fbclid=IwAR1dW0BErDwHGPe_Njj7B2QR04PMk2kAw9LOgssSli3uoCPndiawypmmnno
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuHj3jsBdKE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2IM6_r4hMCjOS4A-1-P7dgyucCFPxvANQacrqWwnKlyAfHO5pKkyYBIt8
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M78uLYYrePI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3FK0pkexocKGQ15tjUNp6aByK2hq3qHrWGD53nzlvVm2ckJpYXgZAAmQE
•https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846740/obo-9780199846740-0074.xml
•https://www.myaccountingcourse.com/accounting-dictionary/multinational-company