Ambition at work and career satisfaction

Article Critique

Ambition at work and career satisfaction: The mediating role of taking charge behavior and the moderating role of pay

The Main Topic/Question

The main topic that has been discussed in this article is employee compensation. Every organization intends to depict different employee compensation. Interestingly, employee compensation creates an impact on the employee ambition, career satisfaction, and behavior. Interestingly, the impact on the employee behavior, satisfaction and ambition can be positive or negative.  The main question, which can be derived from this article, is how an organization creates the impact on the employee behavior through the appropriate compensation (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Intended Audience

The intended audience in this article is a group of employees and the management of the company. Employees work for an organization and expect attractive compensation. On the other hand, the management of the company wants to retain its best employees by providing the best compensation. Thus, this article can be analyzed by navigating both perspectives (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Discussion of What Appears To Be Valid or Invalid

Taking the charge behavior is a good approach in an organization. It seems a valid point because attractive compensation motives the employee and increases the assertiveness to contribute to the success of the company in an effective and lucrative manner. However, critically, it is to mention that the total behavior of employees cannot be changed without creating the pertinent work environment. No doubt, the attractive compensation enhances the visibility of motivation. However, the management cannot take on employees against the only compensation it offers. Increasing the number of ambitious employees in the firm through compensation is a valid point. However, finding the business opportunity looks invalid. Making employees able to find business opportunities needs the training and development process. Thus, compensation is not the only factor (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Agreeing with the Author’s Assertion

I agree with the author that extrinsic rewards cannot lead towards the effective performance of ambitious employees. The organization needs to reward people in different ways.  Delegating tasks, managing the leadership positions, and imposing responsibilities are several ways that can be encouraged in an organization. Paying good is not the solution. If the company does not use the effective compensation strategies, the employee turnover may be increased. Also, ambitious employees also want an increase in pay to be the greatest contributor (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Explanation

The increase in the pay and alternatives of extrinsic rewards increases the performance of employees in the company. A qualified and skillful employee works in the competitive environment. He works hard to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. The ambitious employee is more sensitive than other employees. Thus, the increase in the pay along with the appreciation at the right time is according to the expectations of employees.  If an organization decreases the pay of an employee in the company even due to the financial crises, it can demotivate them. Unfortunately, it is not good for both employee sustainability regarding performance and organizational growth (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Employee’s Behavior Can Be Affected By His/her Compensation

It has been revealed that the employee behavior can be changed through the effective compensation process.  The social factor also comes into life when an employee gets attractive pay. If the company is paying employees well, they want to stay in the company and streamline their efforts to make a difference. The increase in the pay also increases the competition in the company, which also changes the behavior. I agree with the authors that employee satisfaction, ambition, and performance are triggered by the increase in the pay, as it is one of the prominent factors that fascinate employees in the firm (Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017).

Reference

Baroudi, S. E., Fleisher, C., Khapova, S. N., Jansen, P., & Richardson, J. (2017). Ambition at work and career satisfaction: The mediating role of taking charge behavior and the moderating role of pay. Career Development International, 22 (1), 87-102.