(The Evaluation of the Factors Affecting Employees' Motivation with the AHP Method: A Pharmaceutical Application)

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the motivation of sales representatives of a pharmaceutical company in Izmir Region. Design / Method / Approach – Motivational factors are organized in three dimensions such as socio-economic dimension, organizational and managerial dimension and psycho-social dimension. The Analytical Hierarchy Process has been utilized to weight factors under these dimensions. Results – Among all motivational factors, wage has the highest weight. However, “fair and open management”, and “education and promotion” have preceded other tangible factors. “Respect for private life” is the most important factor in psycho-social dimension. Discussion – Findings have again shown that material factors, especially wage factor, are very effective on work motivation of sales representatives. However, besides the financial expectations, the weights of intangible factors are not to be underestimated. Factors such as education, open and fair management and respect for private life stand out as important factors. In the light of these findings, it is clear that a motivation-increasing approach based on material awards alone cannot achieve long-term success. Employees should be given opportunities to improve themselves and advance in their profession; a trustworthy management system should be built, and respect for private life be ensured, especially during non-working hours. When using the findings in the development of motivation-enhancing methods, concentrating on only global weights should be avoided and local weights should be considered as well. Although the global weight of respect to private life is low, the local weight is very high. The fact that it is more important than the development and success factor in psycho-social dimension, this may indicate some problems related to the organization.