2.4 (HL - Only) Motivation & Demotivation Flashcards
Motivation
based on needs and these needs are determined by the individual’s experience
The 3 Core needs of McClelland’s
- Achievement Motivation
- Authority/Power Motivation
- Affiliation Motivation
The reason for motivation theories
keeping your core staff, allowing part-time or short-term contract employees to leave
How are employees motivated
each individual’s behaviour in terms of what motivates them and how they manage and motivate other employees.
The Need for Achievement
- People who have a high need for achievement aim for excellence. As a result, they avoid low-risk situations as they gain little from achieving easy goals/targets.
- Alternatively, they avoid high-risk situations as they fear not achieving.
- As a result, they look for realistic but challenging goals around a 50-50 chance of success.
- This type of employee has a strong need for feedback on achievement and progress to fulfill their need for a sense of accomplishment
The Need for Authority and Power:
Usually fall into two categories:
- A need for personal power and to direct or control other employees- this is a need that may be considered undesirable by some employers and fellow employees
- A need for institutional power- this is a need to organize other employees to attain the organization’s objectives
The Need for Affiliation
- Employees who have a need for affiliation generally seek harmonious relationships with other people in the organization.
- They need to feel accepted and are motivated to work with other people. This type of employee works well as a member of a team and enjoys social interaction.
implications of McClelland’s Work
An employee with a high need for achievement: should be given tasks which are demanding but can be reasonably be expected to achieve. With good, positive feedback, these employees should remain motivated.
An employee with a high need for authority and power: this type is most likely to flourish and perform well when controlling others. For younger employees, this could mean a supervisory role while more senior employees require a larger team to feel their needs are met.
An employee with a high need for affiliation: working as part of a team and given a chance to interact with others will be the key to their success.
Self-Determination Theory
based on the assumption that people seek personal growth, such as mastering challenges and embracing new experiences.
It believes that people have three fundamental needs which are critical to motivation
What are the three fundamental needs which are critical to motivation
- Autonomy (self-independence & control)
- Relatedness (connecting with others and feeling of belonging)
- Competence (feeling capable in our interactions with the world)
- Autonomy
- Importance of fulfilling the need and how to do so
- Issues and things to avoid:
- Ability to feel in control of your own behaviour & destiny and being able to make your own decisions.
- Enhancing autonomy builds self-determination & improving motivation and performance
Achieved by giving people more power to take decisions in their working life. - People lack autonomy if controlled or threatened with punishments or have to meet deadlines.
Avoid giving rewards as receiving these may replace love of the task as a motivator.
- Relatedness
- Importance of fulfilling the need and how to do so
- Issues and things to avoid:
- Arises from having a sense of belonging to a group and good relationships with other people.
- Good relationships with others in the workplace helps to be self-determined through access to help and advice.
Encouraging & supporting teamwork activities within the workplace - Avoid the encouragement of competition between employees or the development of cliques.
- Competence
- Importance of fulfilling the need and how to do so
- Issues and things to avoid:
- A competent employee has the necessary skills and abilities to complete a task successfully.
- Match demands of tasks to employee’s skills and abilities.
- Constructive feedback can help to develop competence as employees have guidance on improving performance.
- Match demands of tasks to employee’s skills and abilities.
- Avoid setting employees tasks that are too complex
- Negative feedback can damage feelings of competence.
- Avoid setting employees tasks that are too complex
John Stacey Adams
workers will naturally compare their efforts and/or rewards to that of their co-workers. His theory has become known as the Equity Theory.
Example of John Stacey Adams
Think of group projects, how demotivating is it if you do most of the work but a group member who does less gets the same grade? The same applies to a job!
