The Individual

Basic Motivation Concepts

1
What is Motivation?
 A personal trait – u have it or don’t
 The result of the individual and the situation
 Level of motivation varies b/w individuals and within
individuals at different times

And so Motivation is defined as…..

The willingness to exert high levels of effort

towards organizational goals, conditioned by the
effort’s ability to satisfy some individual need

2
What is Motivation?
Explanation:
General motivation concerned with effort towards any goal - here the
focus is on organizational goals to influence work- related behavior

Element of Motivation:
 Effort
 Measure of intensity
 Qlty of effort - effort should be channeled in a direction
that benefits the org.
 Effort should be directed towards and consistent with org
goals
 A need satisfying process
 Some internal state that makes certain outcomes appear
more attractive

3
The Motivation Process
Unsatisfied Need

Tension

Drives

Search Behavior

Satisfied Need

Reduction of Tension

4
The Motivation Process
Explanation
 Motivated employees are in a state of

tension
 To relieve tension they exert effort

 The greater the tension, the higher

the effort

5
Early Theories of Motivation
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
 Physiological, Safety (lower-order), Social, Esteem, Self-
actualization (higher – order)
 Higher-order needs – internal
 Lower-order needs- external

 Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

 Theory X – assumes that employees are lazy, dislike work and
responsibility and need to be coerced to perform
 Theory Y – assumes that employees like work are creative, seek
responsibility and can exercise self-direction

 Fredrick Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory

 Intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction (achievement,
recognition, the work, responsibility & growth
 Extrinsic factors are related to dissatisfaction (company policy,
administration, interpersonal relationship & working conditions)

6
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 Clayton Alderfer’s ERG Theory
 Existence – basic material requirements
 Relatedness – desire too maintain interpersonal
relationships
 Growth –desire for personal development
 More than one need maybe operative at the same time
 If the gratification of a higher level need is stifled, the
desire to satisfy a lower level need increases
 There is no rigid hierarchy

 McClelland’s Theory of Needs

 Need for achievement – drive to excel
 Need for power – desired to be influential and have control
 Need for affiliation – desire for close and friendly
interpersonal relationships

7
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 Cognitive Evaluation Theory
 Allocating extrinsic rewards for behavior that had been
previously intrinsically rewarded tends to decrease the
overall motivation level
 Individual feels a loss of control over his/her behavior

 Edwin Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

 Specific and difficult goals lead to higher performance
 People do better when they get feedback
 Participative goal setting increases acceptance of the
goal
 Factors influencing goal performance relationship
 Goal commitment, self efficacy, national culture

8
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 Reinforcement Theory
 Behavior is a function of its consequences
 Individuals direct their actions
 Ignores the inner state of the individual &
concentrates on what happens when he/she takes
some action
 It explains what controls behavior
 If u are consistently reprimanded for an action u will
refrain from doing it

9
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 J Stacy Adams’ Equity Theory
 Individuals compare their job inputs & outcomes with those of
others and then respond so as to eliminate any inequities
 Self-inside – employee’s experience in a different position inside
current org
 Self-outside - employee’s experience in a different position outside
current org
 Other-inside – another individual/ group inside the employee org
 Other-outside – another individual/group outside the employee org
 The above depend of 4 moderating variables
 Gender
 Length of tenure
 Level in the organization
 Amt of education or professionalism

10
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 J Stacy Adams’ Equity Theory
 When employees perceive inequity they”
 Change inputs
 Change outputs
 Distort perceptions of self
 Choose a different referent
 Leave the field
 Establishes 4 propositions
 Give payment by time, overrewarded employees will produce more than
equitably paid employees
 Give payment by quantity of production, overrewarded employees will
produce fewer, but higher quality, units than will equitably paid employees
 Give payment by time, underrewarded employees will produce less or poor
quality of output
 Give payment by quantity of production, underrewarded employees will
produce a large number of low quality units than will equitably paid
employees

11
Contemporary Theories of
Motivation
 Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
 Employee will be motivated to exert a
high level of effort when he/she believes
that effort will lead to good performance
appraisal, that a good appraisal lead to
an organizational reward and this reward
will satisfy employees’ personal goal
 Focuses on 3 relationships:
 Effort performance relationships
 Performance reward relationships
 Rewards-personal relationships

12
Matching Ability and
Opportunity

Performance=f( A*M*O)
A is Ability
M is Motivation
O is Opportunity

13