Motivation
Definition;
Motivation is the act of stimulating someone or oneself to get the desired course of action
Or
Motivation is a general term applying to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes, and
similar forces.
Terms of Motivation
Motives: These are expressions of a person’s needs: personal and internal, such factors within
individuals which individuals impel them to action and are activated needs pr active desires.
Needs: They are certain compulsions in a person so that the individ ual behaves in specific ways
to relieve these compulsions or tensions.
Incentives: An incentive is something, which incites or tends to incite someone to make a
determination. It is an external stimulus, which activates need and motivates one to work.
Disincentive: A disincentive is that which impedes or tends to impede determination or action.
Drives: Drives are the intra organic activities for a particular type of behavior. Drive is a force,
which will move a person towards a particular objective.
Importance of Motivation:
1) Results in creating a favorable work environment within organization.
2) It adds the will to work along with the ability to work for a worker.
3) It acts as an activator and energizer.
4) It helps in securing voluntary co-operation from workers through motivation.
Theories of Motivation:
Traditional Theories
“Be strong” or “Fear & Punish” – The philosophy of might is right, characterized the thinking
of aggressive and authoritarian managers. Managers developed a strategy of forcing people to
work by threatening to punish or dismiss them or to cut their rewards it they did not work well.
This theory is based on the military principle. In present days this theory is resisted and
condemned by workers, as it is authoritarian.
“Efforts and rewards theory” – This theory tried to establish a direct relationship between
efforts and rewards. Management thought that people could perform and contribute better to
the extent they were rewarded. To practice this theory, managers should establish the
standards of performance, monitor the behaviour of employees and decide about the rewards
and penalties based on the degree of performance.
“Monastic Theory” – This is almost like efforts and rewards theory, the management assumes
that people work for money only. This theory seeks a single cause of behaviour. It assumes that
all the activities of men are directed only towards earning money. More effort will provide more
wages, which will further encourage the workers to more effort. This is also known as t he “
Effort-Reward-Effort” theory but this theory is criticised on the basis that rewards can serve as
motivators’ up to a particular point only, and not beyond that.
“Carrot and stick theory”- This theory suggest a judicious combination of both rewards and
penalties for motivation. This theory is based on the strategy of putting a carrot in front of a
donkey and hitting it with a stick from behind so that it has to run. The carrot refers to incentives
like money and other inducements and the stick refers to penalties, fear of dismissal, demotions
etc.
“Be good or paternalistic theory”- After experiencing he “Be strong” theory and its limitations,
some mangers implemented a new strategy. They were kind, generous, and had the interest of
the employees at heart. They functioned much as parents towards their children. But they
expected loyalty, demanded respect and provided their employees what they sought was good
for them. They were fair bug firm. Employees in many cases responded to this strategy
favourably. As a result, the paternalistic theory was successful in its approach and effectively
competed with “ Be strong” theory. High wages, job security, good facilities for education,
health, recreation, and good work environments were provided to gain loyalt y and increase
efficiency.
Modern Theories
Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy:- Human needs can be classified into (a) Basic physiological
needs or primary needs and (b) social needs and psychological needs or secondary needs.
Abraham Maslow states that individuals have these needs and they are motivated to satisfy
these unsatisfied needs. If they are satisfied, they go to higher level of need. Needs are
arranged according to a hierarchy of importance from the “basic Physiological to the complex
self actualization needs.” The need at any level of the hierarchy will emerge only when the lower
level needs are fully satisfied.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(Original five-stage model)
Self-actualisation
Personal growth and fulfilment
Es teem needs
Achievement, status, responsibility, reputation
Belongingness and Love needs
Family, affect ion, relationships, work group, etc
Safety needs
Protection, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc
Biological and Physiological needs
Basic life needs - air, food, drin k, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
Basic physiological needs are the primary needs of an individual. The survival of an individual
depends upon the satisfaction of these needs, namely food, clothing, shelter, sex, air, water and
other necessaries of life. The organization helps an individual to satisfy their basic needs by
providing reasonably good salaries, benefits and working conditions . Once these needs are
satisfied, the individual will get an idea about the higher level needs.
Security/ Safety Needs: These refers to the need to be free of physical damage or the feelings
of loss of food, job or shelter, when the physiological needs are satisfied man starts thinking of
the way by which he can continue to satisfy theirs physiological needs.
Social needs (Affiliations/ Acceptance): When physiological and sociological needs are
satisfied theses needs begin occupying the mind of a man. This is exactly why he looks fro the
association of other human beings and strives hard to be accepted by its group. Social needs at
work place include human relations, formal and informal work groups.
Esteem Needs: These needs are power, prestige, status, independence, competences, skill,
knowledge, initiative and self-confidence. Every man has a feeling of importance and he wants
others to regard him highly. It is also called ego needs; it is concern for getting recognition from
others. A very good organizatio nal climate and more opportunity for development, responsibility,
praise and promotion can play a vital role in satisfying esteem needs
Self-Actualization: This is the highest need in the hierarchy. This refers to the desire to
become what one is capable of becoming. Man tries to maximise his potential and accomplish
something when this need in activated in him. In this stage he tries to find an answer for who
am I? What is my purpose of coming on the earth?…
Critical Analysis of Maslow’s Theory:
Even though Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs has become popular, it is still subjected to a
lot of criticism. Do needs follow in hierarchy? To a certain extent yes but not for all people at all
level. But one thing is very true, i.e. psychological needs come af ter satisfying physiological
needs.
Herzberg’s hygiene –motivation theory
Herzberg’s modified Maslow’s theory as he calls it as a two-factor theory of motivation.
Frederick Herzberg and his associates conducted research based on the interview of 200
engineers and accountants working in 11 different firms in the Pittsburgh area. He developed a
theory with two factors. They are hygiene factors and motivational factors. The dissatisfiers are
known as hygiene factors because they support the mental health of the workers. Another set of
job conditions operates primarily to build strong motivation and high job satisfaction. They are
called as motivational factors the need structure in Herzberg’s theory of motivation are
Need structure
Physiological or Primary needs Social,
psychological, egoistic
or secondary
needs
Hygiene Factors Motivational Factors
Salary Job Itself
Company Policy & Administration Feeling of achievement
Job Security Recognition
Working Conditions Responsibility
Personal Life Advancement
Status Opportunity for growth
Technical supervision Challenging work.
Interpersonal relationships
Hygiene factors as stated by Herzberg are related to the work environment and are external to
the job. They include wages, fringe benefits, status, and job security. The presence of these
factors at a satisfactory level prevents job dissatisfaction, but they do not provide motivation to
the workers. Even though they are not motivators, they will prevent the individual from becoming
dissatisfied. Motivational factors are the motivators, which are essential to increase the
productivity of the employees. They are also known as satisfiers and they are concerned with
the job itself rather than the environment. These factors are recognition, feeling of achievement,
responsibility, advancement, opportunity for growth and so on.
Expectancy model of motivation (Vroom’s Expectancy Theory):
This has been developed by Victor H Vroom and by co-researchers Lyman porter and Edward
Lawer. They view mot6ivation as dependent on the strength of individual’s desires for a set of
goals and the likelihood that a specific type of behaviour will lead to the achievement of
individual goal. A simple representation of these ideas is given as:
Personal
Characteristics,
Abilities
Efforts 1) performance 2) Desired
Outcome
Motivation
1) Expectancy that efforts will achieve performance
2) Expectancy that performance will lead to desired outcome
As can be seen, an individual starts with some desired outcome or goal in his mind. He then
constructs a bridge of likely happenings in terms of efforts and performance to reach his
particular goals. Motivation depends upon the certainty of the bridge’s holding up.
Effort: How hard and how persistently an individual works
Performance: Behaviour that directly promotes the organizational goals
Expectancy: Likelihood that a potential outcome will occur
Outcomes: Individual’s feeling derived directly from the person’s work, organizations reward
such as pay, and the social and physical environment in which the work is performed.
Valence: The strength of individuals desire for a particular outcome