MARS Model of Individual Behavior and Results

Companies are striving to answer many questions inhierarchy levels are satisfied as follows:
efforts to benefit from positive employee behavior inLevel 1 - Physiological & Body - Good salary and
the workplace. The goal of most companies is tosafe working conditions.
foster a win-win situation for both the company andLevel 2 - Safety and Security - Job training programs
associate. What is the difference between a happyand enrichment.
satisfied employee and a disgruntled unmotivatedLevel 3 - Social & Friends - Team building
employee? Is it how much money he or she makes, orseminars and workplace camaraderie.
the amount of time they spend on the job? Is it theLevel 4 - Esteem - Employee recognition program for
work environment? Does the position meet the needsperformance and promotion.
of the employee? Can the employee successfullyLevel 5 - Self-Actualization - Autonomy, selecting own
perform? Does the employee know the role they playassignments.
in their organization? Has the manager provided theirAccording to Maslow, when a need is met, continuing
employees with the required tools to be successful? Into offer the motivator has little or no effect. In the
fact, there is a model of individual behavior thatinformation technology (IT) field, managers will soon
answers these questions quite well. The MARS modelrealize IT employees are motivated by the higher
of Individual Behavior and Results introduced in chapterlevels; Esteem and Self-Actualization and not
two of Organizational Behavior, 4th edition (McShanenecessarily by increasing salary or perceived
& Von Glinow) is an excellent medium for creatingpunishment.
the win-win relationship between the employer andThe highest motivated worker will not be successful if
associate.they do not posses the abilities required for the
This model identifies four interrelated elements thatposition. Managers will need to understand the key
have an affect on employee performance; Motivation,tasks, the required skill set to accomplish the job and
Ability, Role perception and Situational factors. Theseeffectively hire the best candidate. Providing
factors are highly interrelated; for example, a datanecessary training will ensure associates will be given
analyst is skilled in running reports (ability), self taught onthe best chance for success.
how to use the latest tools to extrapolate dataThe third element of the MARS model is
(motivation), and understands how this information willrole-perception. As previously mentioned a
help management make decisions (role perception), butcomprehensive job description and continuous
does not have the required access to the data filesfeedback are essential in ensuring employees
(situational factors). Unless all of the elements of theunderstand how they play a part in the company. In
MARS model are satisfied, employee behavior andthe IT discipline, the support staff are typically broken
performance will be negatively impacted.down by technical and non-technical. Examples of
A successful manager will possess a cleartechnical staff would be the server administrators,
understanding of the abovementioned elements andnetwork technicians, programmers and database
be able to apply them. Motivation is the internaladministrators to name a few. The non-technical staff
influence affecting employees' actions. Employers mustwould be the software trainers, implementation staff
meet the intrinsic needs of associates to fully capitalizeand data analysts. When working IT issues it is vital to
on the motivation element of this model. In order toroute the customer to the proper staff member for
accomplish the job, employees must have thesupport. In order to adopt this model, managers must
necessary abilities. Managers are responsible forensure employees understand what role they play in
ensuring their employees receive the required trainingaccomplishing the mission of the organization
and skills to be successful. Another critical function ofThe final component of the MARS model is Situational
the ability element is to place employees in positionsFactors. To be successful, staff members must have
that will effectively utilize their talents. The third elementthe tools to perform the job. A safe work environment,
of the MARS model is role-perception. Staff membersadequate time and the right people are aspects of the
must have a clear understanding of where they fit inworkplace governed by the organization, not the
the organization and how they contribute to the overallemployee. In the IT arena, one way the above is met
mission. Comprehensive job descriptions with clearis to ensure the staff is given the proper level of
expectations will aid the associate in understanding theaccess based on their position. This policy mutually
role-perception element. The final element is Situationalprotects the integrity of the system as well as the
factors. Employees must have all of the required tools,employee.
equipment and work space to accomplish the job.In conclusion, The MARS model of Motivation, Ability,
How does a manager adopt the MARS model?Role perceptions and Situational Factors will assist
Starting with motivation, employers must have a goodmanagers in understanding the how and why
relationship with employees and discover the drivingemployees succeed or fail. In order to successfully
force behind their actions. One well known theory ofimplement this model and reap the benefits, companies
motivation organizations must consider is Maslow'smust strive to fulfill all of the four components.
hierarchy of needs. In the workplace Maslow's