Motivation Theories PDF

MG4031 Wk.10 Lec.01 Motivation: A set of processes that activate, direct and sustain human behaviour dedicated to goal accomplishment. Consistently putting effort, energy and commitment into desired results. Why people behave as they do or why they choose alternative forms of behaviour to achieve d...

MG4031 Wk.10 Lec.01 Motivation: A set of processes that activate, direct and sustain human behaviour dedicated to goal accomplishment. Consistently putting effort, energy and commitment into desired results. Why people behave as they do or why they choose alternative forms of behaviour to achieve desired outcomes. - Motivational drivers include the need for interesting and stimulating work, achievement, self-development, variety, social contact, appropriate rewards, traction, structure and routing. - Causes of demotivation include repetitive work, low pay, long hours, poor communication, poor training and lack of responsibility. Content Theories of Motivation: Focuses on what initiates/stimulates behaviour, needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943): Various levels of needs must be satisfied. It tries to explain the different levels of motivation that are important to people at a certain point in their lives. 1. Physiological – Shelter, Survival 2. Safety – Protection, Security 3. Social – Belonging, Loving, Interacting 4. Esteem – Self-Esteem, Self-Worth, Value 5. Self-Actualisation – Desire for self-fulfilment Needs that are satisfied no longer motivate. Higher ordered needs cannot be sought for until the previous have been satisfied. It does recognise that different people are motivated by different things at different times, but it isn’t very relevant to the workplace, the order is not as straightforward as it seems, it also requires need deprivation to motivate. Existence-Relatedness-Growth Theory (Alderfer (1969)): A reduction of Maslow’s hierarchy. The needs of existence, relatedness and growth are placed on a line, giving each equal status. He said that motivation can be driven by fulfilment progression: when a need is satisfied, one is no longer motivated by it, so they more onto the next, or by frustration regression: if a need is being constantly frustrated, one stops being motivated by the needs already fulfilled. McClelland’s Achievement Theory (1960): Needs that people experience can be directly related to their working preferences. The main factor in motivation is the intensity of the individual’s need for achievement. The organisation offers the opportunity to satisfy three sets of needs: 1. Need for Achievement: A desire for challenging tasks and responsibilities to complete tasks more efficiently.  2. Need for Affiliation: A desire for developed social and personal relations. 3. Need for Power: A desire for dominance and influence over others. Two-Factor Theory (Herzberg): He asked people what satisfied them (motivators) and what dissatisfied them (hygiene factors). Motivators Hygiene Factors Achievement Company Policy Recognition Supervision Work Salary Responsibility Work Relationships Advancement Status Growth Security If hygiene factors are good, then dissatisfaction is eliminated, but they provide no satisfaction in themselves (motivators and hygiene factors are autonomous of each other). The opposite of satisfaction is no satisfaction, the opposite of dissatisfaction is none. Process Theories of Motivation: People are more complex, pragmatic and contemplative. Theories X and Y (McGregor (1960)): Focuses on managerial assumptions about employees and their implications. Autocratic managers typically subscribe to theory x, democratic to theory y. X Y Employees are lazy and dislike Employees like work and work. challenges. They need to be corrected, Employees work willingly without controlled and directed. the need for coercion/control. They don’t like responsibility and Respect, esteem, recognition and prefer direction. self-fulfilment motivate people. They want only security and They want responsibility. They are material rewards. imaginative and creative. Expectancy Theory (Vroom (1964)): Focuses on outcomes rather than needs. Motivation = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence Expectancy is the probability that your effort will be followed by a given level of achieved task performance (between 0-1).  Instrumentality is the probability that a given level of achieved task performance will lead to various rewards (between 0-1). Valence is the value of rewards (between –1-1). Employees must be able to identify a connection between their effort and the reward. Equity/Justice Theory (Adams): Comparison of inputs (what you bring to your employment) and outcomes (what you receive for inputs). Individuals can change inputs, try to change outcomes, distort their own ratios, or change the reference group to which they compare themselves. If the outcome-input ratio is unequal, then inequity exists. Negative inequity is when the unfair treatment affects you in a bad way, positive inequity is when the unfair treatment has positive effects for you. The greater the distress experienced, the harder one will work to restore equity. To Motivate, Payment Systems should Be objectively established Clarify performance levels required and rewards available Reward the achievement of required performance quickly and adequately Ensure that employees have the ability, training and opportunity to achieve the required performance levels Recognises that financial incentives are only one source of motivation Take regular steps to identify employee needs and ensuring that they can be met Motivation and the Desing of Work: (the way in which tasks in the organisation are structured and carried out). Task Specialisation (Scientific Management/Taylorism): Jobs were broken down into simple, repetitive, measurable tasks whose skills could be easily acquired through systematic job training. Like theory X. Very efficient but staff were unmotivated. Job Enlargement: An individualistic approach to job design which focuses on the horizontal extension of the job as a means of broadening job scope and creating a more satisfying job. There is more variety and less routine. Job Enrichment: An individualistic approach to job design which focuses on the vertical extension of the job as a means of broadening job scope and creating a more satisfying job. Intrinsic outcomes motivate people to do well. Work should be meaningful; the employees should have responsibility and should receive feedback. It involves removing some controls, increasing accountability, giving a person a complete natural unit of work, giving authority to employees, making reports directly available to the worker, introducing new and challenging tasks and assigning people specific tasks. Core job characteristics to increase meaningfulness, responsibility and feedback: Skill Variety: The extent to which work draws on a range of skills/abilities. Task Identity: The extent to which work requires the completion of a whole, identifiable piece of work. Task Significance: The extent to which the work impacts the work/lives of others. Autonomy: Freedom, independence and discretion. Feedback: The degree to which the employee hears about their level of performance, effectiveness, etc. Implementation Strategies: Form Natural Work Groups Combine Tasks (Groupwork) Establish Client Relationships Vertically Load Jobs: Integrate the planning, controlling and executing functions and giving responsibility to employees. Open Feedback Channels: Ensure maximum communication of job results. The Quality of Working Life Movement: Recognising that employees can and want to make a positive input into organisational decision making, which results in increased commitment, responsibility and performance. This requires high levels of commitment from both managers and employees. Quality Circles are an example of how to encourage this. High Performance Work Design: A more inclusive approach, linking individual contributions, group performance and competitive advantage. It involves teamwork, quality consciousness, employee autonomy and flexibility. There is increased management emphasis on the development of broadly defined, challenging jobs in more organic and flexible organisational structures. References: Tiernan, S. and Morley, M. (2019) Modern Management : Theory and Practice for Students in Ireland, Fifth edition. ed, Dublin, Ireland: Institute of Public Administration, pp. 243-263. MG4031 Lecture Slides