MOTIVATION AND THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

MOTIVATION AND THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

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MOTIVATION

The term 'motivation' has been derived from the word 'motive'. Motive may be defined as an inner state of our mind that activates and directs our behaviour. It makes us move to act. Motivation is something that moves the person to action and continues him in the course of action already initiated.

 

According to S.P.Robbins," Motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort towards organizational goals, conditioned by the effort and ability to satisfy some individual need".

 

The relationship between the organization and its members is influenced by what motivates them to work and the reward and fulfilment they derive from it. The manager needs to know how best to elicit the co-operation of staff and direct their performance to achieving the goals and objectives of the organization.

Type of motivation

There are mainly two types of motivations such as

Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

 

Extrinsic Motivation is geared toward external rewards and reinforcer's. Some examples of external rewards are money. praise, awards, etc. Some examples of external reinforcer's are policy and procedures, disciplinary action, speeding tickets boundary-setting, etc. Extrinsic motivation is external in nature. The most well-known and the most debated motivation is money.

Below are some other examples

-Employee of the month award 

-Benefit package

-Bonuses

-Organized activities

Intrinsic Motivation is geared toward internal rewards and rein forcer's. People may work at a job because it gives them feelings of competence and a sense of personal control doing the job is fun, the work is matter of pride, the tasks are challenging, and so on. Our deep-rooted desires have the highest motivational power, Below are some examples.

-Acceptance. We all need to feel that we, as well as our decisions, are accepted by our co-workers. 

-Curiosity. We all have the desire to be in the know. 

-Honor. We all need to respect the rules and to be ethical. 

-Independence. We all need to feel we are unique. 

-Orden We all need to be organized. 

-Power. We all have the desire to be able to have influence.

-Social contact. We all need to have some social interactions.

-Social Status. We all have the desire to feel important.

 

MOTIVATION THEORIES

The process theories deal with "How" the motivation occurs, i.e. the process of motivation and following theories were given in this context:

1.Vroom's Expectancy Theory
2.Adam's Equity Theory
3.Goal Setting Theory
4.Reinforcement Theory

 

Process Theories:

The content theories find the answer to what motivates an individual and is concerned with individual needs and wants. Following theorists have given their theories of motivation in content perspective:

1.Maslow - Hierarchy Of Needs
2.Herzberg's Motivation-hygiene Theory
3.Mcclelland's Needs Theory
4.Alderfer's ERG Theory

 

Content Theories:

MOTIVATION THEORIES

1.Maslow - Hierarchy Of Needs.

 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943. It describes a hierarchy of human needs, with basic needs at the bottom and higher-level needs at the top. Individuals are motivated to satisfy lower-level needs before moving on to higher-level needs.

 

CONTENT THEORIES

CONTENT THEORIES

2.Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory:

Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two-Factor Theory, is a theory of work motivation proposed by Frederick Herzberg in 1959. It suggests that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not opposites but rather two separate and distinct concepts.

Hygiene Factors. Herzberg identified ten maintenance or hygiene factors, that are not intrinsic parts of a job, but are related to the conditions in which the job has to be performed. These are company policy and administration, technical supervision, job security, working conditions, interpersonal relationship with peers, subordinates and supervisors, salary, job security, personal life, etc.

Motivational factors. These factors have a positive effect on the functioning of the employees in the organization. There are six factors that motivate employees: Achievement, Recognition, Advancement, Work-itself, Possibility of growth and Responsibility. An increase in these factors satisfies the employees and the decrease in these will not affect the level of satisfaction.

CONTENT THEORIES

3. McClelland's Needs Theory

McClelland's Needs Theory is a motivational theory in psychology that suggests individuals develop specific needs throughout their life, shaped by their experiences. These needs influence their behavior and motivation. The theory identifies three primary needs:

Need for Power (n-pow): Individuals with a high need for power desire influence and control over others. They seek positions of authority and aim to exert their influence. They are often competitive and assertive.

Need for Affiliation (n-affil): Individuals with a high need for affiliation value strong social connections, seek harmony in relationships, and prioritize belonging. They often prefer collaborative work environments and seek approval from others.

Need for Power (n-pow): Individuals with a high need for power desire influence and control over others. They seek positions of authority and aim to exert their influence. They are often competitive and assertive.

CONTENT THEORIES

4. Alderfer's ERG Theory

Alderfer's ERG Theory is the extension of Maslow's Needs Hierarchy, wherein the Maslow's five needs are categorized into three categories, Viz. Existence Needs, Relatedness Needs, and Growth Needs.

An American psychologist Clayton Paul Alderfer had proposed this theory and believed that each need carries some value and hence can be classified as lower-order needs and higher-order needs. He also found some level of overlapping in the physiological, security and social needs along with an invisible line of demarcation between the social, esteem and self-actualization needs. This led to the formation Alderfer's ERG theory, which comprises of the condensed form of Maslow's needs.

Existence Needs. The existence needs comprises of all those needs that relate to the physiological and safety aspects of human beings and are a prerequisite for the survival.

Relatedness Needs. The relatedness needs refer to the social needs, that an individual seeks to establish relationships with those for whom he cares. These needs cover the Maslow's social needs and a part of esteem needs, derived from the relationship with other people.

Growth Needs. The growth needs cover Maslow's self-actualization needs as well as a part of esteem needs which are internal to the individual, such as a feeling of being unique, personnel growth, etc.

Process Theories

1. Vroom's Expectancy Theory

Vroom's Expectancy Theory was proposed by Victor H. Vroom, who believed that people are motivated to perform activities to achieve some goal to the extent they expect that certain actions on their part would help them to achieve the goal.

Expectancy: A person's belief that more effort will result in success. If you work harder, it will result in better performance.

Instrumentality: The person's belief that there is a connection between activity and goal. If you perform well, you will get reward.

Valence: The degree to which a person values the reward, the results of success.

PROCESS THEORIES

2. Adam's Equity Theory

The Adam's Equity Theory posits that people maintain a fair relationship between the performance and rewards in comparison to others. In other words, an employee gets de-motivated by the job and his employer in case his inputs are more than the outputs. The Adam's Equity Theory was proposed by John Stacey Adams, and is based on the following assumptions: Individuals make contributions (inputs) for which they certain rewards (outcomes).

1. Overpaid Inequity: When an individual perceives that his outcomes are more as compared to his inputs, in relation to others.

2. Underpaid Inequity: When an individual perceives that his outcomes are less as compared to his inputs, in relation to others.

3. Equity: An individual perceives that his outcomes in relation to his inputs are equal to those of others.

PROCESS THEORIES

3. GOAL SETTING THEORY

The Goal Setting Theory, proposed by Edwin Locke in the 1960s, states that setting specific and challenging goals, along with appropriate feedback, contributes to higher and better task performance. The theory emphasizes that the willingness to work towards a goal is a main source of job motivation. Clear, specific, and challenging goals are more motivating than easy, general, and vague goals. The theory also highlights the importance of clear, measurable, and unambiguous goals with deadlines to avoid misunderstanding. Ultimately, achieving these goals provides a sense of pride and accomplishment, motivating individuals to set new goals.

a. Self-efficiency- Self-efficiency is the individual's self-confidence and faith that he has potential of performing the task. Higher the level of self-efficiency, greater will be the efforts put in by the individual when they face challenging tasks.

While, lower the level of self-efficiency, less will be the efforts put in by the individual or he might even quit while meeting challenges.

b. Goal commitment- Goal setting theory assumes that the individual is committed to the goal and will not leave the goal. The goal commitment is dependent on the following factors:

Goals are made open, known and broadcasted.

Goals should be set-self by individual rather than designated.

Individual's set goals should be consistent with the organizational goals and

PROCESS THEORIES

4. Reinforcement Theory:

This theory is based on the concepts of operand conditioning developed by B.F. Skinner. It argues that the behavior of people is largely determined by its consequence. In other words, those actions that tend to have positive or pleasant consequences tend to be repeated more often in future, while those actions that tend to have repeated negative or unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated again.

The reinforcement theory suggests that managers should try to structure the contingencies of rewards and punishments on the job in such a way that the consequences of effective job behavior are positive while the consequences of ineffective work behavior are negative or unpleasant. The focus of this approach is upon changing or modifying the behavior of people on the job. that is why it is also regarded as organizational behavior modification.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the definition of "motive".

• An external force that compels action.

• An internal state of mind that directs behaviour.

• A conscious decision to pursue a goal.

• A reward or incentive for completing a task.

Multiple Choice

2. Is geared toward external rewards and reinforcer's.

• Personal achievement
• Internal satisfaction
• Intrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic motivation

Multiple Choice

3. is geared toward internal rewards and rein forcer's.

• Social motivation
• Performance-based motivation
• Intrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic motivation

Multiple Choice

4. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory proposed by.

• Abraham Maslow
• Sigmund Freud
• B.F. Skinner
• Carl Rogers

Multiple Choice

5. Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two-Factor Theory, is a theory of work motivation proposed by.

• Frederick Herzberg
• Abraham Maslow
• Elton Mayo
• Douglas McGregor