MODULE 7: Human Resource, Its Nature and Motivation

1. Discuss Maslows Hierarchy of needs.

Maslow (1943) stated that people

needs.

When

one

need

is

are

motivated

to

achieve

certain

fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the

next one, and so on.

The earliest and most
Maslow's

(1943,

includes

five

often

widespread

version

of

1954) hierarchy of needs

depicted

motivational
as

levels within a
This five
can

needs,

hierarchical
pyramid.
stage model
be
divided
into

basic (or deficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and
growth needs (self-actualization).
One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher
level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may
be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.
Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a
level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by failure to
meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may
cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy.

Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully self-actualized because
our society rewards motivation primarily based on esteem, love and other social
needs.
2. Compare and contrast job-based theories and job characteristic theory. Justify
your answer.
Job based theories rise from the job and job situations created by the job. The
motivation comes from the work itself, the pay, promotion opportunities,
supervisors and fellow co-workers.
The Job Characteristics Theory studies the factors that make a particular job
satisfying.
Primary component of the Job Characteristics Theory are skill variety, task
identity, task significance, autonomy, and job feedback. When present, those five
characteristics will lead to experiencing the work as meaningful, experiencing
personal responsibility and gaining knowledge of the results.
Job based theory doesnt promise the best motivation and job satisfaction of
employees. There are far deeper things that make a job more satisfying and
motivating. Studying the characteristics of the job and how well employees react
to certain job situations may create more satisfaction aside from concrete things
such as money.

3. Develop an expectancy model diagram of motivation.

EXPECTANCY MODEL

The Expectancy theory states that employees motivation is an outcome of how

much an individual wants a reward (Valence), the assessment that the likelihood
that the effort will lead to expected performance (Expectancy) and the belief that
the performance will lead to reward (Instrumentality). In short, Valence is the
significance associated by an individual about the expected outcome. It is an
expected and not the actual satisfaction that an employee expects to receive
after achieving the goals. Expectancy is the faith that better efforts will result in
better performance. Expectancy is influenced by factors such as possession of
appropriate skills for performing the job, availability of right resources, availability
of crucial information and getting the required support for completing the job.

4. Summarize Banduras Social Cognitive Theory.

The main tenets of Banduras theory are that:

people learn by observing others

the same set of stimuli may provoke different responses from
different people, or from the same people at different times
the world and a persons behavior are interlinked
personality is an interaction between three factors: the
environment, behavior, and a persons psychological processes.

Social Cognitive Theory revolves around the notion that learning correlates to the
observation of role models. In education, for example, teachers play the role of a
model in a childs learning acquisition. In everyday life, the model could be media
sources or those with whom you interact. Effective modeling teaches general
rules and strategies for dealing with different situations.

5. Explain how all personnel management functions influence motivation.

Management functions rolled into one is called leadership. Motivation is a prime

ingredient of leadership. It is an important key for any endeavor to succeed.
Motivation is a goal-oriented characteristic that helps a person achieve his
objectives. It pushes an individual to work hard at achieving his or her goals. An
executive must have the right leadership traits to influence motivation. However,
there is no specific blueprint for motivation.
As a leader, one should keep an open perspective on human nature. Knowing
different needs of subordinates will certainly make the decision-making process
easier.
Both an employee as well as manager must possess leadership and motivational
traits. An effective leader must have a thorough knowledge of motivational factors
for others. He must understand the basic needs of employees, peers and his
superiors. Leadership is used as a means of motivating others.