Motivation Process & Theories: Goal or An Incentive
Motivation Process & Theories: Goal or An Incentive
Motivation Process & Theories: Goal or An Incentive
MEANINING OF MOTIVATION
Some words whch go with motivation:
Desire
want, wishes
aims, goal
needs and drives
motives, incetives
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Need: Created whenever there is a physiological or psychological
imbalance e.g. when the body is deprived of food
incentive: anything that allievates the need and reduces the drive, restores the
physiological or psychological balance
Model of motivation
A simplified model of motivation would look like below
The need is created when there is a psychological or physiological imbalance
in the person.
Stimulus………………..Response……………………….outcome
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Deprivation/ Reduction of
Deprivation/ With direction drive
Deficiency
A stimulus - e.g. Hunger ( physical) or desire for company
(social/psychological) ……….give rise to a response ( some kind of
a
behaviour) ………which leads to an outcome….( either satisfaction or
frustration
Motives may or may not be clear to individual
But as manages we need to understand the motives of each individual
actions because how we understand others will influence our attitude and
behaviour towards them
For example if somebody is hardworking and reliable, we treat them with
respect – but it might not have been what they wanted ( not the
motive/need)
As managers we need to understand the drive/need
WHAT IS A NEED - what creates the need? - Schein’s classification of
needs
Schein propounded a classification of managers’ assumption about people based
on a review of earlier approaches of motivation. His classification follows a
broadly chronological pattern as follows:
Rational- Economic
Human motivation has its roots from the need for self interest and the
maximization of gains as the prime motivations. According to Schein, this view
places human beings into two categories:
1. The untrustworthy, money- motivated, calculative masses
2. The trustworthy, more broadly motivated, moral elite whose task is to
3
Social model
Views people as predominantly motivated by social needs – the need for
personal relationship. This is drawn heavily on the conclusions of Hawthorne
studies. The implications for managers is that emphasis on attending to peoples
needs over the task will lead to greater productivity as well as higher morale.
a
Self actualization model
Individual needs for self actualization is the prime motivator
The implications to managers here is that people need challenge, responsibility
and autonomy in their work if they are to be motivated
Complex model
Presupposes that understanding people motivation is a complex business in
which interrelated factors are at work
CLASSIFICATION OF MOTIVE
Primary motives
Primary needs are mainly physiological/biological and unlearned. They
include need for food, water, clothing and shelter, sleep, sex and other
material concerns
Secondary motives:
Are mainly psychological and learned. And they include belongingness,
power prestige, competence recognition and achievement.
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For organizational behaviour, as the society develops economically and
becomes more complex, the primary motives give way to secondary
motives in motivating behaviour
THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Historical Development
Content Theories
1900 – Scientific management theories (Fredrick Taylor which emphasized
wages and incentives as motivators
Process Theories
1960s Vroom Expectancy Theory
Porter Lawler Performance/satisfaction model
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Contemporary Theories
Stacy Adams equity Theory of work motivation
1961 McClelland Achievement Motivation model
McClelland isolated the n-Ach as key human motive and that is influenced
strongly by personality and environment
Achievement may be defined as the degree to which persons wishes to
accomplish challenging goals succeeds in competitive situation and
exhibit desire for feedback regard performance
motivation
Persons with high need for achievement tend to have the following
characteristics:
1. Want to do better than the competitors – highly competitive
2. Moderate riskt takers
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3. Need for immediate feedback. these people prefer activities that will
provide immediate feedback e.g. mechanical work rather than research
work, sales rather than marketing
4. Satisfaction with accomplishment: accomplishing a task is intrinsically
satisfied in itself without necessary accompanying material rewards –
want money for what it can buy and not for its own sake
5. Preoccupied with the task: higher achievers tend to be totally preoccupied
with the task until they are successfully completed. They cannot stand to
leave a job half finished and are not satisfied with themselves until they
give maximum effort.
6. They are dedicated, committed and hence sometimes unfriendly,
braggers
7. The like attaining or surpassing a difficult goal and are exited when
solving difficult and complex problems
8. Are innovative – enjoy developing better ways of doing things
9. Can exercise personal responsibility
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Need for security
Have a secure job
Be protected against loss of income
Protection again illness and disability
Protection against physical harm or hazardous condition
Avoid task with a risk of failure or blame
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Application: These needs are unlearned (primary) these needs can be met by
providing basic salary or wage and safe working conditions.
Once the physiological needs have been met, the needs at next higher
levels, safely needs emerge.
Need for a stable environment relatively free from threats
This includes emotional as well as physical safety
Safety needs include desire for protection from physical danger, quest for
economic security, performance for familiar rather than the unfamiliar, and
desire for an orderly predictable world.
Application: Safety needs can be met by job security, joining trade union and
fringe benefits such as insurance or medical scheme, severance pay, pension
plans.
Application: Social needs are met by compatible formal and informal work
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a
Self esteem needs can be broken into two categories. The first category
reflects our need for competence and achievement or success. This can
be satisfied intrinsically.
The second category of esteem needs include the desire for reputation,
prestige and recognition from others.
Application : Ego or self –esteem needs can be met by promotion or merit pay
increase, high status job title, less direct supervision, delegation of authority.
dominated by them
Thus a person who is hungry will not be motivated by safety or affection needs.
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Maslow later modified this argument by stating that there was an exception to
this rule in respect to self actualization – for this level it seems that
satisfaction of one need gives rise to further need for realizing ones
potential
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DOUGLAS MCGREGOR THEORY X AND THEORY Y
McGregor saw two different set of assumption made by managers about their
employees – X and Y
Theory X
Regards employees as being inherently
Lazy – the average human being has an inherent dislike for work and will
avoid it if he can
Because of the laziness, most people require coercion and control,
direction, threat with punishment to get the work done
Avoid responsibility
Has relatively little ambition and only seeks security
Theory Y
This theory sees people in a more favourable light
Employees are seen as liking work – which they see as natural as rest or
play
Work is seen as a source of satisfaction
Employees do not have to be controlled or coerced so long as they are
committed to the organisation objectives. Employees will exercise self
control and self direction to achieved objectives
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Under proper conditions, they will not only accept but also seek
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responsibility
Employee exercise imagination and ingenuity at work
In real life, a bred of the two is likely to provide the best prescription for effective
management
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HERZBERG’S MOTIVATION- HYGENE THEORY (TWO FACTOR THEORY)
1959
1. When did you feel particular good about your job – what turned you on?
2. When did you feel exceptionally bad about your job – what turned you off?
Following the interview, Herzberg and his team came up with the conclusion that:
Certain factors tend to frequently lead to job satisfaction and other facts
led frequently to job dissatisfaction.
The factors leading to satisfaction were called motivators
Those giving rise to dissatisfaction were called hygiene factors
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According to Herzberg, there are two factors that are associated with employee
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satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The two factors are called hygiene factors
(dissatisfies) and Motivators (satisfiers)
The study showed that good feelings (motivators) were associated with job
experience and job content. For example an accounting supervisor felt good
about being given the job to install new computer equipment
a
The most important motivators or satisfiers that emerged were
Achievement
Recognition
The work itself
Responsibility
Advancement -Opportunity for advancement or professional growth
As noted, these factors are intimately related to the content of work i.e. with the
intrinsic challenges, interest and individual responses
Satisfiers are those benefits above and beyond the basic elements of the job.
Satisfiers tend to enhance motivation Commitment and loyalty of employees.
Hygiene Factors
The study showed that bad feeling were associated generally with the
surrounding environment or peripheral aspects of the job – the job context. Fore
example the boss/subordinate relationship
The most important hygiene factors to emerge were
The company policy and administration
Supervision – the technical aspects
Salary
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Working conditions
a
In Herzberg theory, hygiene factors are those that prevent dissatisfaction, but do
not make a positive contribution to employees well being (at least not in a lasting
way)
Hygiene factors do not act as motivators but when they are withdrawn,
they create dissatisfaction and may result in lower productivity.
Employees take hygiene factors for granted as part of the job. Hygiene
factors include company policy and administration, supervision, working
conditions, salaries and fringe benefit, status and security.
Hygiene factors are not intrinsic part of the job, but are related to the
conditions or the working environment under which the job is performed.
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1. Existence Needs
2. Relatedness needs
3. Growth needs
Unlike Maslow, the ERG needs do not have a strict line of demarcations
Unlike Maslow also, he does not contend that the lower needs must be fulfilled
before a higher level need becomes motivation or that deprivation is the only way
activate a need
According to ERG theory, a person’s background or cultural environment may
dictate that the relatedness needs will take precedence over unfulfilled existence
needs and the more the growth needs are satisfied, the more they will increase in
intensity.
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ERG theory says that when a higher order growth needs are stifled or cannot be
met due to personal circumstance, lack of ability or some other factors, the
individual is likely to regress back to lower order needs and feel these needs
more strongly
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For example, if a person cannot move up the corporate ladder and is stuck in a
job he does not like, the individual is likely to emphasize social relationship both
on and off job and become more interested in pay and benefits
This Alderfer calls frustration- regression relationship
Whereas Maslow emphasis is on satisfaction- progression relationship in
which a person moves up the hierarchy after a lower – order need is met
Motivators Growth
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Esteem
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Love/belongingness Relatedness
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Physiological needs
PROCESS THEORIES
The core of the theory relates to how a person perceives the relationships
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a
He concluded that there were three such factors, each based on the
individual’s person perception of the situation. These were:
Expectancy ie. The extent to which the indiducal perceives or beliefs that a
particlua act will produce a partilcur outcome
Instumentality, i.e.e the extent to which the individual perceives that effective
perfomance will lead to desired reward
Valence i.e. the strength of the belief that attractive rewards are potentially
avaialble. The strength of an individual prefence for a partialur outcome/reward
( how attractive is the reward)
In order for the valence to be postive, the person must prefer attaining the
outcome to not attainig it
A valence of zero occurs when the individual is indfferent towards the oucome
A valence is negative if the individual prefers not to attain the outcome to
attaining it
( expectancy)
Perception that Effort Perfoamnce Reward
effective performnce
will lead to reward
(insturmentality )
Perception that reward Intrinsic
will be attractive Role perception reward
a
(valence)
F = valence x expectancy
Indivdual characteristics
Vroom says that effort alone may not necessariey lead to perfomance, other
factors are involved such as individual charactristics . these include:
Personality
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Role perception
The way the indidual perceives his role will also lead to perfomance.
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Example
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a
In a any case, effort does not neccessariy lead to effective perfomance , if the
individuall has insufficient knowledge or skills OR if his perception of his role
does not equalte with that of his superior
Other factors which are not shown may affect perfomance e.g. constraints of the
job, organisational calture. Effort, therefore, does not always result in effective
perfomance. .
It is also true that effective perfomance may not always lead to rewards
anticipated by the individual.
Nevertheless on both counts, it is not the reality which spurs on the individual,,
but the prospects of effective pefomancee and/or desirable reward. It is the
individualsl perception of the situation that is vital part in this theory
Rewards
Rewards may be put into two catogories:
intrinsic
Extrinsic rewards
Intrinsic
Rewards gained from fulfilling high level personal needs such as self- esteem
and personal growth. Are within the contol of the individuall
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Extrinsic rewards
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Several researchers have suggested that the rewards associated with intrinsic
factors are more likely to be perceived as producing job satisfaction. The
extrinsic rewards are less likely to come up to the individual expectations.
a
Conclusion
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Motivation (force) / = satisfaction ( performance
They said that motivation, performance and satisfaction are all separate
variables and related in different ways from was originally designed
The employees ability (4) and role perception (5) interact in determining
the level of performance/accomplishment (6)
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Employee expectation of what is equitable (8) in the way of reward is
influence by the awareness of his or per own performance
Conclusion
The following checklist, derived form the model suggests that successful
managers should :
1. offer valued rewards
2. Create perception that effort will lead to reward
3. Design jobs that so that effort lead to his performance
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a
EQUITY THEORY
Inputs Outcomes
Effort Salary
Education Fringe benefits
Training Travel allowance
Experience Number of subordinates
Loyalty Autonomy
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age Titles
Status symbols
Job assignment
Time off
Opportunity for overtime
Outcome A = outcome B
Input A input B
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If person A feels that his ratio is ether lower or higher than person B, he should
experience a sense of inequity. The magnitude of this feeling will be proportional
to the size of the gap between the two ratios
a
If person A is under compensated in comparison to B( ration of A is less than
that of B) , he may need attempts to restore equity by working on the four
components in the tow ratios:
Input A input B
a
4. Person A may help person B to decrease her input, perhaps by couching
him/her in how to work for efficiently
If the four components of the ratio cannot be altered and if the magnitude of
inequality is substantial, person A would be force to choose another course of
action. She/he might:
1. Alter his perception of the situation so that the inequity no longer seem
unjustified, saying for example “ I deserve to earn more money because I
work harder than most people
2. Leave the field by quitting or obtaining a transfer
3. Choose a different comparison other, someone whose ratio provides a
less uncomfortable contrast;
Another aspect of perceived fairness that is actually not part of equity theory per
se in the notion of procedural justice. This type of justice may be defined as the
fairness of the manner (or method) by which rewards are allocated, again as
perceived by the recipient of the reward . procedural justice, a somewhat
independent issue from distributive justice focuses on the way in which allocation
decisions are made, rather than on the results of the decisions
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