SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Baguio City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment For the Requirements in

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
MY PERSONAL THEORY OF MOTIVATION

Submitted By:

JENNIFER B. LANUZA
MS Psychology II

Submitted To:

MR. EDWARD MACALMA

May 2, 2012

THE AI (AKO ITO) THEORY

Life has many great options, but you dont have to pick always what seems to be the best, just pick whatever makes you really happy, and it will be the best and perfect choice

In this imperfect world, we aim for perfection, but at the same time, we find our own place in the sun, finding meaning in what we do, and in return being happy and content with our decisions and this includes decisions involving what work will provide us that kind of fulfilling feeling. Much has been theorized regarding what drives people to work what motivates them to give their best in what they do while others do not really care about the quality and quantity of work so long as they could provide food on the table or receiving something from the services they render. Motivation will actually explain why people see their work as just a job (trabaho lang which connotes impersonal relationship with what they do), while others see it as a career (karera, which implies personal involvement and/or engagement in what they do). My personal theory of motivation, which I named AI, not the usual Artificial Intelligence stuff but more on Ako Ito, which represents that a persons motivation to work tells something either consciously, subconsciously or even unconsciously of what type of person he/she is. It means how he does his work, his passion and his attitude tells something of his personality or it reflects his/her identity, what he wants to achieve, what he wants to be known for or even how he wants to be remembered. To experience satisfaction and enjoyment of success in life, a definitive goal is essential, you must know at all times, precisely and for certain what it is you want to accomplish and achieve (N.V.Peale, Treasury of Courage and Confidence). I think one of the reasons why people indulge in job hopping is that they are still on the verge of knowing what they want,

they are not motivated to stay in a company because they could not see themselves being happy there, and so during the process of changing one job to another, they are looking for themselves, because in the first place they may not yet know what they really wantthey are looking for a work where they could finally say, ah, ako na ito, this is the work for me. It might also showcase the personality of a persons discontentment, adventurous and/or protean nature, where he wants to know everything, want to digest it all in, so he can say, ako ito, ang dami ko nang alam. I met a lady, who I fondly call Mamo and for 25 years, she worked with an institution, and this propels me to interview her why she stayed with the company for that long. She said the pay is not that great although she does a lot of work but according to her shes not complaining about it, because she verbally said, Kasi dito ko natagpuan yung ako. She stayed because she found her place and her mission in the work that shes doing. And so she is motivated to give her best and look forward to the performance of her tasks every single day. Another concept that will expound on AI Theory is the fact that people are motivated because of the title, prestige or reputation attached to the performance of their work, which somehow boost their self-esteem, and will speak of their ako ito sapagkat ito ang gusto ko. These recognition is so reinforcing that a person sometimes tend to be a swellhead or even change or manifest a bossy attitude just because of his/her elevated status. Let us just take the case of an example of a former colleague of mine. She used to be a humble person and easily approached, but when she finally earned her title of being an Attorney, which she rightfully deserved because she really worked hard for it and now working as a partner, most of us noticed a change in her. I dont want to be subjective on this, but a lot of us noticed that she

shed off some of her positive attributes and is now more of a snob. Maybe, she gave her best in what she does; she worked hard to be where she is now, and somehow her mentality is now more on, ako na ito ngayon, mas mataas na na-achieve ko kumpara sa inyo. (Let me emphasized that this is the common notion of the group and not as sole perception of the author). I sometimes wonder that this may be the reason why during homecoming and reunions, few people will just attend, because others might view it as a venue to tell (and boast) of ones exploits and achievements, and those who did not really achieved much may feel left out, inadequate and may even felt that they had not tried enough when they compare themselves to their colleagues. To cut the story short, people are motivated to work so that they can tell the world what kind of people they are now. Ito na ako ngayon. The ako ito theory may explain also why people changed from someone who was irresponsible to someone who knows and shoulders responsibility. Let us just take the case of a person who is labeled as tamad, walang patutunguhan, or ganyan na yan habang buhay, hindi na yan magbabago. And so to prove everybody wrong with their perceptions, he gave his best in what he does, he worked hard and he prospers (like a telenovela), and at the end, these people will see his achievements, praise him and will be sorry of their former notions of him. And triumphant he will say, ito talaga ako. When I was asking my bestfriend what motivates him to work, he said, Nothing, so long as I could provide for our needs. His answer exemplifies emptiness. He used to work with IBM and in Japan as HR Practitioner, and was receiving a lot but decided to give it all up because he was not happy. Ive invited him over to be a guest speaker in two of my classes, and he had enjoyed it and I was cajoling him to try the teaching profession and even to pursue

MS Psychology over that of a medical degree. I dont know if I am badly influencing him but Ive seen a glimpse of what job will give him enjoyment, and I think he is contemplating because he knows that, in the end of the day, I am only for where he is at his happiest. As summary of this paper, Ako Ito Theory explains a part why people are motivated to work because what they do gives them a sense of identity. If one wants to fully give their best in what they do, they should not accept what society foists on them, reinvent by forging a new identity, one that commands attention, be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you (Womens Journal, 2000). Regardless of who you are, what your work is, so long as it speaks about You, represents the true You, and it what you do gives you a sense of fulfillment, then youve found your sense of motivation. But then again, let me emphasize individual differences, and this is only one, alongside other theories, that will explain why people work.