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BANGANGA, Ymarson
CUYUGAN, Paul Justine Luiz
FUERTES, Aldrich Jesse
GAMBOA, Marvin
DALIS, Irish

CONTEMPORARY Theories of Motivation

1. Goal-Setting Theory
2. Reinforcement Theory
Goal-Setting Theory
- The proposition that specific goals increase performance and that difficult goals, when
accepted, result in higher performance than do easy goals.
- In simple words, goals indicate and give direction to an employee about what needs to
be done and how much efforts are required to be put in.

Goals should be:

**Clear and Specific An unambiguous, clear, and measurable goal is more

achievable than one that is poorly defined. In other words, be specific! The most
effective goals have a specific timeline for completion. It should answer who, what,
when, where, why, and how of the expectations of the goal.

**Realistic and Challenging This gives an individual a feeling of pride and triumph
when he attains them, and sets him up for attainment of next goal. The more
challenging the goal, the greater is the reward generally and the more is the passion
for achieving it.
The Figure on the left illustrated how goal difficulty effects
performance. The more challenging the goal, the higher the
performance. Performance sharply declines if goal difficulty is too
high. Easy goals can easily be achieved therefore there is no
incentive to increase the performance. Goals that are too difficult are
perceived as unattainable, which will either ruin commitment or lead
to dishonest behaviors in order to achieve the goal.

Before a goal can be motivating to an individual, one must accept the goal. It is the
first step in creating motivation.
Participation in the setting of goals is not always desirable. Some perform better
when they set their goals or participate in setting the goals and some perform better
when their manager assigns the goals. Participation of setting goal, however, makes
goal more acceptable and leads to more involvement and is probably preferable to
assigning goals when employees might resist accepting difficult challenges.
Better and appropriate feedback of results directs the employee behavior and
contributes to higher performance than absence of feedback. Feedback is a means of
gaining reputation, making clarifications and regulating goal difficulties. It helps
employees to work with more involvement and leads to greater job satisfaction.
Other contingencies:
1. Goal Commitment - Goal setting theory assumes that the individual is
committed to the goal and will not leave the goal. The goal commitment is
dependent on the following factors:
- Goals are made open, known and broadcasted.
- Goals should be set-self by individual rather than designated.
- Individuals set goals should be consistent with the organizational goals and
vision.
2. Self Efficacy - Self-efficiency is the individuals self-confidence and faith that
he has potential of performing the task. Higher the level of self-efficiency, greater
will be the efforts put in by the individual when they face challenging tasks. While,
lower the level of self-efficiency, less will be the efforts put in by the individual or he
might even quit while meeting challenges.
3. National Culture The value of goal-setting theory depends on the national

culture.
-

Advantages of Goal Setting Theory

o Goal setting theory is a technique used to raise incentives for employees to
complete work quickly and effectively.
o Goal setting leads to better performance by increasing motivation and efforts, but
also through increasing and improving the feedback quality.
Limitations of Goal Setting Theory
o Very difficult and complex goals stimulate riskier behavior.
o If the employee lacks skills and competencies to perform actions essential for goal,
then the goal-setting can fail and lead to undermining of performance.
o There is no evidence to prove that goal-setting improves job satisfaction.

References:

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/goal-setting-theory-motivation.htm#
http://www.gostrengths.com/what-is-goal-setting-theory/
https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/6.+Goal+Setting+Theory
Robbins, Stephen P. & Coulter, Mary. (2013). Management. Pearson Education Limited. Ed. 11, p.
464.
Reinforcement Theory
-

Behavior is a function of its consequences. This theory focuses totally on what

happens to an individual when he takes some action.
The external environment of the organization must be designed effectively and
positively so as to motivate the employee.
The managers use the following methods for controlling the behavior of the employees:
1. Positive Reinforcement - This implies giving a positive response when an
individual shows positive and required behavior. For example - Immediately praising
an employee for coming early for job. This will increase probability of outstanding
behavior occurring again. Reward is a positive reinforce, but not necessarily. If and
only if the employees behavior improves, reward can said to be a positive reinforce.
Positive reinforcement stimulates occurrence of a behavior. It must be noted that
more spontaneous is the giving of reward, the greater reinforcement value it has.
2. Negative Reinforcement - This implies rewarding an employee by removing
negative / undesirable consequences. Both positive and negative reinforcement can
be used for increasing desirable / required behavior.
3. Punishment - It implies removing positive consequences so as to lower the
probability of repeating undesirable behavior in future. In other words, punishment
means applying undesirable consequence for showing undesirable behavior. For
instance - Suspending an employee for breaking the organizational rules.
Punishment can be equalized by positive reinforcement from alternative source.
4. Extinction - It implies absence of reinforcements. In other words, extinction
implies lowering the probability of undesired behavior by removing reward for that
kind of behavior. For instance - if an employee no longer receives praise and
admiration for his good work, he may feel that his behavior is generating no fruitful
consequence. Extinction may unintentionally lower desirable behavior.

Reinforcement theory explains in detail how an individual learns behavior. Managers

who are making attempt to motivate the employees must ensure that they do not
reward all employees simultaneously. They must tell the employees what they are not
doing correct. They must tell the employees how they can achieve positive
reinforcement.

References:
http://www.managementstudyguide.com/reinforcement-theory-motivation.htm
Robbins, Stephen P. & Coulter, Mary. (2013). Management. Pearson Education Limited. Ed. 11, p.
465.