Motivation Theory and Industrial PDF

Motivational Consequences: The Dependent Variable ● ● ● ● Most common DVs: ○ Directional measures - most often used: Absenteeism, Job choice ■ Example: accepting a job offer from one company excludes the possibility of accepting another offer simultaneously ○ Intensity measures: task effort, perfo...

Motivational Consequences: The Dependent Variable ● ● ● ● Most common DVs: ○ Directional measures - most often used: Absenteeism, Job choice ■ Example: accepting a job offer from one company excludes the possibility of accepting another offer simultaneously ○ Intensity measures: task effort, performance ■ Applied when direction has been predetermined (e.g. lab experiments) ■ Presume that change in effort will result in change in performance ○ Persistence measures: ■ Less frequently used ■ Captures a pattern of motivational consequences that emerge over time ■ Includes elements of direction and intensity Measures of success: differentiated based on where resources are allocated: time, specific tasks, mental effort etc. Improvements in job performance are more likely due to changes in the time given to a task rather than a constant increase in mental effort It's crucial to understand what causes changes in behavior over time ○ Measures of direction and persistence don't provide much proof of mental effort ■ This suggests that the amount of effort put into a task can vary Distinction Between Motivation and Performance ● ● ● Motivation: driving force behind intentions, choices, and volitional activities Performance: evaluation of behaviors ○ influenced by a person's abilities, task understanding, situational constraints, task demands Distinction between motivation and performance often overlooked in studies assessing motivation, especially in simple tasks or laboratory settings ○ Example: Salesperson motivated to perform job - may make many customer contacts and still perform poorly on sales Heuristic Framework for Motivational Theories ● 3 paradigms of motivation theories: ○ Need-Motive-Value Theories: ■ Needs (as traits(basic requirements for survival)), Motives (internal drives that push us to act), and Values (what we consider important and worthwhile) are key factors ○ Cognitive Choice Theories: Center on decision-making processes and resource allocation ■ Some scholars argue for distinction between arousal and volitional (someones will) sources of motivation