Teams  are an essential component of almost any workforce, and building  successful teams that are mindful of each individual’s strengths, needs,  and abilities allow a business to function successfully, with well  fulfilled employees who feel that they are being treated fairly for the  role they play.  Self-determination theory and justice theory both help  to explain team dynamics, and why some teams are successful, while  others fail.

Self-determination  theory suggests three innate needs that create a feeling of well-being  for an individual.  They are competence, autonomy, and relatedness  (Kinicki & Fugate, 2018).  Competence refers to one’s feeling of  being able to accomplish the job, role, or task; autonomy relates to  one’s need for discretion over what to do and how it is accomplished;  and relatedness is the need to be part of a larger group, and to feel a  sense of belonging.  While relatedness seems the most obviously  associated with a team, competence and autonomy also play a role.  One  needs to feel that he or she is qualified to be part of a certain team,  and that he or she is providing some benefit to the group.  At the same  time, each individual in the group needs to have at least a certain  level of autonomy, even if it is limited to being able to work through  his or her assigned task via a method that appeals to the specific  worker.  Jungert, Van den Broeck, Schreurs, and Osterman (2018) maintain  that when teammates support one another’s innate needs, a team is more  highly motivated, and thus more likely to succeed.

Equally  as important as feeling fulfilled, is the need to feel as though one is  being treated fairly by the group.  Justice theory, comprised of  distributive, procedural, and interactional justice, explains how  fairness is perceived by employees (Kinicki & Fugate, 2018).  The  latter two elements perhaps have more bearing on an established team.   Procedural justice is the perception of fairness in the process used to  distribute tasks, while interactional justice describes the feeling that  one is being treated fairly during the process of implementation  (Kinicki & Fugate, 2018).  Each member of a team needs to feel that  he or she is a valued member, and distributing tasks in an equal fashion  that plays to strengths of each individual, while also taking into  consideration how each teammate will feel during the decision-making  process and whether or not he or she has a voice in the process.   Colquitt, Noe, and Jackson (2002) suggest that procedural justice in  particular is of great significance in the workplace.  It seems that  teams are a natural fit for employees to feel valued and respected in  this way, since it is harder to determine whether one’s voice is being  heard at the corporate or leadership level, but in a team, fair (or  unfair) procedure is very evident.

Applying  self-determination and justice theories to teams allows one to consider  the needs of the individual, and how they fit into the overall team.   Both theories suggest that an employee needs to feel that he or she is  contributing, and being given the opportunity to contribute in a fair  manner.  Teams are vitally important, and understanding how they work  via theories such as these can help managers and team members create  successful outcomes.

reply 2

Vanessa Saint-Jean

In the previous discussion forum, I  discussed some factors that lead to job dissatisfaction in employees  around many organizations and work place.  The effect for  dissatisfaction starts to occur and one of which that an employee would  should signs of dissatisfaction in their employment is lack of  motivation.  When someone comes to job to work for an organization, they  are working for a goal or benefit.  When that goal does not meet their  expectation or what they were promised, such as advancements, employees  may feel bored and will not work to their best potential because there  is nothing for them to strive for. Humans are psychological beings and  need motivation whether essential or non-essential for achieving  organizational or personal purposes and goals (Parijat & Bagga,  2014). I can agree to this based on my experience.  At my current job,  after the merge the advances for anyone who is not a nurse is low.   There were job opportunities that opened due to coworkers leaving or  getting fired but when I asked I received indirect responses or talks  about how the job will no longer be valid.  As leaders and managers,  there should be ways for them to encourage and motivate their employees  and to have a successful organization or workplace (Kinicki & Fugate, 2018).

There are various theories and approaches to increase motivation in  employees.  One theory would be the acquired need theory where the three  needs such as achievement (the desire to excel), affiliation (desire to  be liked) and power (desire to influence) are key drivers of employee  behavior (Kinicki & Fugate,  2018).  As humans, we strive with these learned needs which supports  our daily living.  This means that when we want something, our needs  motivate us to get it.  needs are also shaped by experiences (Uduji & Ankeli, 2013).

The expectancy is when employees have personal goals which they like  to achieve and for this reason they work in organizations. These  personal goals can be satisfied by rewards or work outcomes (Parijat & Bagga,  2014).  Rewards or work outcomes and personal goals are vital which can  lead to very high performance.  An example of this is the benefits that  can draw a new employee.  After the probation period of a new hire, the  employer promises that once the 90-day period is up, the employee can  expect their benefits such as PTO, tuition reimbursements, health plans,  discounts, etc.  this would make the employee stay and use their  benefits.

The Bible has many good versus that pertain to being a good leader.   In Exodus 18:21-22, it says, “Moreover, look for able men from all the  people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and  place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of  fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every  great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall  decide themselves. So, it will be easier for you, and they will bear the  burden with you.”  I feel that this basically says that in order to be a  good lead or to follow a good leader, that person should be trustworthy  and fear God.  Those with good attributes make good leaders and good  leaders come with motivations that can help their employees and  organizations.