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Theories of Motivation and their application to the workplace

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Published: 23rd March, 2015 Last Edited: 1st May, 2017

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What is motivation? Motivation is defined as "the processes that account for an individual's intensity, direction, and persistence of effort
toward attaining a goal" (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Motivation comes from the Latin word meaning movement. According to the article
The Future Work of Motivation Theory Campbell and Pritchard suggest that "motivation has to do with a set of independent/dependant
variable relationships that explain the direction, amplitude, and persistence of an individual's behavior, holding constant the effects of
aptitude, skills and understanding the task and the constraints operating in the environment". When looking into motivation one must
look at the entire picture to analyze the process in its entirety. Intensity is describing how hard a person tries, do they try a little or do
they try a lot. Direction needs to benefit the company; the direction needs to be towards the company's goal. Persistence describes how
long a person can stick to the task, how much effort they will give to actually achieve a goal. In the theory of motivation the subject
wants to minimize pain and increase pleasure. Furthermore, there are two types of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic
motivation. Intrinsic motivation has to do with enjoyment in the task one is involved in. When a person enjoys doing a task they don't
have to be pressured by an outside party to complete the task, they just do it. Extrinsic motivation comes from such things as money,
rewards or threat of punishment. People do these tasks to win the reward and compete with other people to get the reward.

In discussing motivation it is important to discuss the theories associated with it. The Hierarchy of Needs Theory by Maslow is one of the
first theories. In this theory the hierarchy of human needs is discussed. The first need physiological includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex
and bodily needs. The second is safety including security and protection from physical and emotional harm. The first two are lower-
order needs and can be satisfied internally. The third is social which encompasses affection, belongingness, acceptance and friendship.
The fourth is esteem which deals with internal factors such as self respect, autonomy, achievement and internal factors such as status,
recognition and attention. The final need is self actualization which is the drive to become what we are capable of becoming includes,
growth, achieving our potential and self fulfillment. These last three needs are higher-order needs and must be satisfied externally
(usually by employers with bonuses, cash etc.).This theory shows that when a need is satisfied it no longer becomes a motivator and we
must move onto the next need. If someone is on one level you need to figure out if they are satisfied with that level and either stay on
that level or move to a different one. "Maslow argued that the first three needs on the list represent deficiency needs that people must
master before they can develop into a healthy personality, while the last two represent growth needs that relate to the individual
achievement and the development of human potential" (Steer, 2004). It is essential to remember that an employees needs are always
changing and that what an employee needs today, may not be what they need tomorrow.

This chart shows the Hierarchy of Needs Theory by Maslow very clearly. As this chart displays it is easier to grasp the theory when
everything is put in the proper chart. The physiological needs are at the bottom of the chart as they state the first needs that a human
being needs fulfilled. As they move up the chart they need more intense needs fulfilled. Physiological and Safety needs can be satisfied
internally while the top three must be satisfied externally. The top need is self actualization and is important in developing a person and
becoming the person an employee wants to be in the end. This is a visual way of seeing how this theory is all tied together.

McClelland later created his own theory using Maslow's theory, his own Theory of Needs. He took a more defined approach and only
used very distinct needs. He described his theory as people having many needs at one time and this driving motivation, more specific to
the workplace environment. His theory had three parts, need for achievement, need for power and need for affiliation. Need for
achievement is a person's need for success. Need for power is a person's need to feel in charge, make people behave in a certain
standard way. Need for affiliation is the "desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationships" (Robbins & Judge, 2011).

Theory X and Y by Douglas McGregor are also used in motivation. This theory states there are two completely different types of human
beings and managers mold their behaviors according to certain assumptions. Theory X is when an employee dislikes work and a
manager must guide them to get tasks completed. The employee just simply does not want to work and will most likely be motivated by
money. The theory states that people inherently dislike work and need to be supervised and pushed into completing work. The
employee needs to be rewarded, enticed, threatened or bribed to motivate them and they need a narrow span of control to keep them
on the correct path. Theory Y states that an employee views responsibilities as the norm and can complete tasks and take on
responsibility. It is believed that these employees exhibit determination and self control and are motivated to achieve progress. In this
theory the employees want to do well and have a creative way of accomplishing their goals. They are usually very positive and can drive
themselves to complete tasks. Human resource departments were in a way developed for Theory Y as it is a bigger emphasis on the
needs of people individually This theory is used today to help motivate employees and has set some of theInterested
rules for thein
human
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