Employee Motivation a Malaysian Perspective 3

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IJCOMA 18,4

Employee motivation: a Malaysian perspective
Rafikul Islam and Ahmad Zaki Hj. Ismail
Department of Business Administration, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the motivating factors of employees working in various Malaysian organizations. Design/methodology/approach – A survey method was adopted. The survey questionnaire consisted of two parts: respondents’ personal information were obtained through Part A and in Part B, they were asked to rank the ten motivating factors in terms of their effectiveness. The motivating factors were compiled from the existing literature and refined through consultation with human resource professionals. Findings – An ordered set of motivating factors for employees working in Malaysian organizations. Demographic factors like gender, race, education, etc. were found to have impact on the ranking of the factors. Originality/value – The findings are expected to provide useful guidelines to managers while developing employee motivation programs. Keywords Motivation (psychology), Employee involvement, Job satisfaction, Malaysia Paper type Research paper

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Introduction The term motivation is derived from the Latin word “movere” which means to move. Motivation is what moves us from boredom to interest. It is like the steering wheel of a vehicle that directs our activities. Motivation represents those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary activities that are goal oriented (Mitchell, 1982). Bartol and Martin (1998) define motivation as a force that energizes behavior, gives direction to behavior, and underlies the tendency to persist. This definition recognizes that in order to achieve goals, individuals must be sufficiently stimulated and energetic, must have a clear focus

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