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Module 4

The document discusses several theories of motivation in the workplace including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and expectancy theory. It explains that motivation involves activating, sustaining, and directing behavior toward goals and is influenced by factors like intensity, direction, and persistence of employee effort. The theories provide frameworks for understanding what drives employee motivation and how organizations can best motivate workers.

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Mila Casandra Castañeda
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23 views3 pages

Module 4

The document discusses several theories of motivation in the workplace including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and expectancy theory. It explains that motivation involves activating, sustaining, and directing behavior toward goals and is influenced by factors like intensity, direction, and persistence of employee effort. The theories provide frameworks for understanding what drives employee motivation and how organizations can best motivate workers.

Uploaded by

Mila Casandra Castañeda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Module 5: Motivation

Learning Objectives:
 Explain the role of human drives and emotions in employee motivation
 Summarize Maslow’s needs, McClelland’s learned theory and discuss the implications for motivating employees

What is Motivation?
Motivation may be defined as the process of activating behavior, sustaining it, and directing it toward a particular goal.
Motivation moves people to act and accomplish.

In the workplace, motivation may be specifically defined as the set of internal and external forces that cause a worker or
employee to choose a course of action and engage in a certain behavior.

Key Elements of Motivation


1. Intensity refers to the level of effort provided by the employee in the attempt to achieve the goal assigned to
him. In simple terms, intensity refers to how hard a person tries to do work.

2. Direction refers to what an individual chooses to do when he is confronted with a number of possible choices.
When a field salesman, for instance, decided to visit a friend instead of a prospect, he is moving away from the
direction his company wants him to take.

3. Persistence is a dimension of motivation, which measures how long a person can maintain effort to achieve the
organization’s goals. A person who scores low in persistence gives up prematurely. An example related to what
action a salesperson will do when confronted by a prospect who thinks slowly and do not make hasty decisions.
Persistence could be the answer, but the salesperson could decide otherwise.

Theories of Motivation
A. The Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow forwarded the idea that human beings possess a hierarchy of five needs such that as each need is
substantially satisfied, the next becomes dominant.
A brief description of the needs is provided as follows:
1. Physiological Needs – which include hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs
2. Safety Needs – which include security and protection from physical and emotional harm
3. Social Needs – which include affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship
4. Esteem Needs – which include internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement, and
external esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention
5. Self-actualization – refers to the drive to become what one is capable of becoming, which includes growth,
achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment

B. The ERG Theory


The ERG Theory is a need hierarchy theory of motivation that was developed by Clayton Alderfer. He believed that in
motivating people, we are confronted by three sets of needs: existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G).

These sets of needs may be briefly described as follows:


1. Existence – this refers to needs satisfied by such factors as food, air, water, pay, and working conditions
2. Relatedness – this refers to the needs satisfied by meaningful social and interpersonal relationships
3. Growth – this refers to the needs satisfied by an individual making creative or reproductive contributions

C. Acquired Needs Theory


Acquired Needs Theory was developed as a result of a research made by David McClelland and his associates. They
found out that managers are motivated by three fundamental needs, which may be briefly described as follows:
1. Need for achievement – this refers to the desire to do something better or more efficiently, to solve problems,
or to master complex tasks
2. Need for affiliation – which refers to the desire to establish and maintain friendly and warm relations with
others
3. Need for power – which refers to the desire to control others to influence their behavior, or to be responsible for
others

McClelland believed that the foregoing needs are acquired over time as a result of life experiences. His research finding
consists of the following:
1. People who have high achievement needs have the drive to advance and to overcome challenging situations
such as those faced by entrepreneurs in introducing innovative new business.
2. An affiliation-motivated person prefers to work with friends.
3. The need for power drives successful managers.

D. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory


Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory also known as intrinsic/extrinsic motivation was based on interviews with 200
engineers and accountants.

Herzberg distinguished between:


- Motivators (challenging work, recognition, responsibility) which give positive satisfaction
- Hygiene factors (status, job security, salary and fringe benefits) that do not motivate if present, but if absent,
result in demotivation. It is referred to as hygiene, the presence will not make you healthier, but absence can
cause health deterioration

E. Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom, a psychologist and professor of organization and management at Yale University, developed this theory. It
predicts that employees in an organization will be motivated when they believe that:
 Putting in more effort will yield better job performance
 Better job performance will lead to an organizational rewards, such as an increase in salary or benefits; and
 The employees in question value these predicted organizational rewards.
The theory suggests three variables within the expectancy theory:
1. Expectancy probability – based on the perceived effort-performance relationship. It is the expectancy that one’s
effort will lead to the desired performance and is based on experience, self-confidence, and the perceived
difficulty of the performance goal. Example, if I work harder than everyone else does in the plant will I produce
more?
2. Instrumentality probability – based on the perceived performance-reward relationship. The instrumentality is
the belief that if one does meet performance expectations, he or she will receive greater reward. Example, if I
produce more than anyone else in this plant will I get a bigger raise or a faster promotion?
3. Valence – refers to the value the individual personally places on the rewards. This is a function of his needs,
goals, and values. Example, do I want a bigger raise? Is it worth the extra effort? Do I want a promotion?

Reference:
Human Behavior in Organization by Roberto G. Medina, PhD

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