Vận dụng các học thuyết trên để phân tích động cơ làm việc của nhân viên hãng hàng không việt nam

Vận dụng các học thuyết trên để phân tích động cơ làm việc của
nhân viên Hãng Hàng không việt nam
1. Over view of Vietnam Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines was established in 1993. From a small and unknown
airline with old-fashioned fleet

(manufactured by the older Soviet

Union), after nearly 20 years, Vietnam Airlines has risen to become a
dynamic airline with impressive growths and 70 modern aircrafts (mainly
manufacutred by Boeing, Airbus and of youngest age in the region),
transported more than 12.4 million passengers in 2010.
- The company's overall strategy: to become one of top three airlines in
Southeast Asia, with effective business, continually improving quality,
and provide customer satisfaction.
Managing and motivating the employees are always the top priority to Vietnam
Airlines which has over 10.000 employees at various ages and fields such as
technical, commercial, and operational department; and distributed from the
South to the North of Vietnam and to foreign countries.
2. Analysis of the Maslow and Herzberg’s theories
2.1 Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was
one of the pioneers in the school of humanistic
Psychology, which was considered as the Third
Force while the two other main schools of
psychotherapy

were

well-known

called

Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism.
In 1943, he developed a theory in which its
influence is widely recognized and used in many different sectors including
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education field. That theory called the Hierarchy of Needs. In this theory, he
classified humans’ needs into an ordering system, in which only after the lower
level needs have been satisfied would the higher level needs appear.

 Overview of the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
At the beginning of the theory, Maslow divided humans’ needs into five levels:
- Basic Needs
- Safety and Security Needs
- Social Needs
- Esteem Needs
- Self-actualizing Needs
Maslow’s

Hierarchy

of

needs

is

represented as a pyramid, in which the

lower needs is put below the higher one.

 Basic Needs
Basic needs is also known as the Body Needs or Physiological Needs
including the literal requirements for human survival that without them, the
human body simply cannot continue to function, such as food, water, air, and
sexual instinct. These are basic and most powerful of humans’ needs. From the
pyramid, we will see that the Body Needs is classified in the lowest order (the
most basic level).
Maslow said that higher level needs will not appear unless basic needs are
satisfied. The basic needs will dominate and urge people to act until
satisfaction fulfilled. The workers’ objection happens when they cannot live
with their salary states that satisfying the basic requirements must be
considered as the first priority.

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 Safety and Security Needs
With their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take
precedence and dominate behavior. The demand for safety and security is
reflected in both physical and mental form including:
- Personal security
- Financial security
- Health and well-being
- Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts
These needs are usually expressed via the desires for a stable life and a social
life based on Law, a house to stay, etc... Many people look for the safety in
mind in the religious beliefs and philosophy. This is one kind of the emotional
security.

The social insurance policies, the retirement benefits, the savings accounts,
and reasonable disability accommodations are also the expression of the safety
needs.

 Social Needs:
After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human
needs are social and involve feelings of belongingness. People express their
needs in the communication process. For example, they search and make
friends, find love and get married, or join a particular community or a social
group. Humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. In addition
they need to love and be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others. This
needs can often overcome the basic and safety needs, depending on the
strength of the peer pressure.

 Esteem Needs (also known as Self-esteem and self-respect needs)

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Esteem needs presents in two levels, a lower one and a higher one. The lower
one is desire to be accepted and respected from others by their own
achievements, the need for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention.
The higher one is the need for self-respect, strength, competence, selfconfidence, independence and freedom.
When a person is encouraged and rewarded for their contribution, they are
willing to work more enthusiastic and efficient. This need is classified below
the belonging needs. For instance, after joining a group, people desire to be
respected and loved by everyone in the group sothat they always try to get a
given stable position in that group.

 Self-actualizing Needs

Maslow describes this desire as follows: "self-actualization as a person's need
to be and do that the person was "born to do". This level of need pertains to
what a person's full potential is and realizing that potential.
2.2 Herzberg's Boby Motivation-Hygiene Theory
Frederick Herzberg (1923-2000) was an American
psychologist who is father of the Two Factor Theory
(also known as Herzberg's Boby Motivation-Hygiene
Theory and Dual-Factor Theory) which has been
widely applied by enterprises.
To

better

understand

employee

attitudes

and

motivation, Frederick Herzberg performed studies to
determine which factors in an employee's work environment caused
satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The studies included interviews in which 203
accountants and engineers in the U.S. were asked what pleased and displeased
them about their work. The choice of two objects for the interview was
explained by the importance of them in the U.S.. Herzberg's discovery created
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a big surprise because it was totally contrast with the way people thought
before. Managers often assumed that satisfaction is opposed to dissatisfaction
and vice versa. However, according to Herzberg’s theory, the opposite of
satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the
opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction.
Factors related to satisfaction with the work are called Motivator - internal
factors. Factors related to dissatisfaction are called Hygiene Factors - external
factors.
Motivators are factors leading to satisfaction, such as:
- Achievement.
- Recognition

of

organizations,

leaders and colleagues.
- Responsibility.
- Get promoted.
- Personal growth as desired.
Hygiene Factors are considered maintenance factors that are necessary to
avoid dissatisfaction but that by themselves do not provide satisfaction.
Factors lead to dissatisfaction may be:
- Company policies.
- Inappropriate supervision.
- Under expected working conditions.
- Unfair wages and other compensations.
- Bad relations with co-workers and others.

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If motivators are fulfilled it will create satisfaction thereby encouraging
employees to work harder. However unsatisfied hygiene factors will cause
dissatisfaction.
This theory enables managers to know the factors that cause employee
dissatisfaction to avoid. For example, employees may dissatisfy with their
work because their salaries are too low, too strict supervision, or relationship
with colleagues is not good. Thus, managers must find ways to improve
wages, make a good supervision, and improve the relationship between
colleagues. However, avoiding the factors that cause employee dissatisfaction
does not mean that employees will be satisfied. To motivate and encourage
employees, the administrators need to focus on factors such as achievement,
recognition and job assignment. Employees will be satisfied with the assigned
work if it utilises their full qualifications and skills, gives them opportunity to
learn, and improves skills and career promotion.
2.3 The relationship between the two models
Although developed by the different authors in different historical period,
Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Two Factor Theory of Herzberg have very
tight relationships with each other, specifically as follows:
- They were performed on the basis of insight researches on psychology
and humans’ needs;
- There were many similar analyses, such as analysis on safety needs and
recognition needs;
- They were tightly linked psychological factors and personal needs to the
human resource management in organizations and companies which aims
to motivate employees.
3. Motivation analysis at Vietnam Airlines

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3.1 Labor Force
By the end of 2011, Vietnam Airlines has 10.500 staff excluding its
subsidiaries, of which brand offices, headquarters, operation, and services
account for 13%, 13%, 33%, and 38% respectively. (Source: Organization and
Personnel Department - Vietnam Airlines). The highest qualification is Ph.D.
and the lowest is high school educated. Due to the nature of an airline with a
wide range of activities, personnel of the Vietnam Airlines is arranged on a
very wide geographic range, from north to south of Vietnam and in the
different countries in the world. Therefore, the research of organizational
behavior for the effective management of human resources is essential.
3.2 Motivation
Currently, Vietnam Airlines has two target groups which are senior managers
(from the department managers up) and unskilled workers who are basically
quite stable and less affected by the labor market. Therefore, the author will
focus on analysing the middle level managers to specialists as they are quite
sensitive to the labor market.
Analysis relating to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
- Income to ensure the Basic Needs: the income level of Vietnam Airlines is
currently quite moderate in Vietnam and can meet the basic needs of
employee’s life. However, the income paid by Vietnam Airlines is not
really attractive, especially for characterised labor force. There is strong
competition from the other airlines with respect to pilots, technicians,
highly trained and experienced labor forces that has not obtained the
opportunities to get high positions.
- Working conditions- safety needs: working conditions at Vietnam Airlines
is relatively good compared with the average of Vietnam including
environmental and labor policies.
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- Social needs: Vietnam Airlines pays alot of attentions on the group
activities such as culture, sports, trade unions, and youth’s activities.
- Self-esteem and self actualization: Vietnam Airlines has basically been
able to create a working environment enabling individuals to develop the
professional capacity , and get respect from colleagues. However, because
of the large scale, working culture, management culture, and development
encouragement have not been performed well in all departments. These
outstanding individuals are not always be put in right place therefore
company can not utilize full ability of the employee.
Analysis relating to the Two Factor Theory of Herzberge
Motivators in Vietnam Airlines:
- Personal development and promotion: Vietnam Airlines has created the
mechanism to facilitate personal development and promotion. However,
the opportunity is not equal between departments and appointed
procedures are relatively cumbersome as it must follow general
regulations of the State-owned Corporation.
- Assignment: There are growing numbers of young employees who
demonstrate increasing levels of ability and be given increasing levels of
responsibility.
- Recognition: The company always concentrate on improvements, even
hire consultants to improve the job assessing process to increase the
accuracy in the employees’ evaluation.
Hygiene Factors:
- Salary policy: Vietnam Airlines has maintained salary payment policy at a
relatively moderate level in Vietnam. Employee income is still less than
many other State-owned corporations and lower than foreign airlines;

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- Company policies: Many policies such as bonuses and per diem and
procedures of recruitment and appointment are also bound by the general
provisions of the State and quite cumbersome;
- Relationship: Relationship between colleagues is basically good.
However, due to large-scale, diverse in age, culture, and geography,
Vietnam Airlines could not avoid some problems related colleagues’
relationship;
- Stable job: The stability of job that Vietnam Airlines provide their
employee is at a high level, especially compared to other foreign
enterprises, and small and medium enterprises.
3.3 Measures to provide incentives to work
Vietnam Airlines could apply some of the following measures:
- Basic needs: employee of Vietnam Airlines have not to face with the
problem of basic needs. However, the income policy is not really
attractive to the labor resources of middle level managers and special
labor force like pilots and technicians, while there is strong competition
from the other airlines to get these labor forces. Therefore Vietnam
Airlines needs to improve efficiency performance evaluation process and
income distribution, and focus on highly specialized forces and major
contributing employee;
- Safety needs: Vietnam Airlines must maintain the safe working
environment and create employee’s trust through policies such as
pensions, social insurance, etc...
- Social Needs: take advantage of large-scale labor forces and cultural
diversity, enhance the exchange activities, hold competitions related to
sports, culture, and arts; increase satisfaction by reducing stress and

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improving quality of life through mental values of employees, thereby,
making them more loyalty to the company;
- Self-esteem and Self actualization: priority to improve the environment
for scientific research, encourage them to express their own ideas, and
provide incentives in material and immaterial method such as dicounted
airline tickets, rewarding holidays, honors, and merits; improve the
process of recruitment, training, appointment, and recognition the
contributions of employee.
- To enhance encouraging factors such as recognition of the organization,
empowerment, personal development and avoid the factors causing
dissatisfaction of the employee like unfair payment policies and stress in
colleagues’ relations.

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4. Conclusion
Human resources management in a large corporation like Vietnam Airlines has
always been a difficult problem. However, if the managers understand and
apply the theory of human resource management appropriately and closely to
the real conditions of the company, it will certainly make the employee
satisfied and love their job. Consequently, it leads to more efficient operation
and sustainable development.

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