Chapter 15: Motivation and rewards Flashcards
What is motivation?
Motivation accounts for the level, direction and persistence of effort expended at work.
What are rewards and what are the types of rewards?
A reward is a work outcome of positive value to the individual.
Extrinsic rewards are externally administered. They are valued outcomes given to someone by another person.
Intrinsic rewards are self-administered (the feelings of competency, personal development and self-control people experience in their work, they come from within).
What are content theories of motivation?
Content theories of motivation help us to understand basic human needs and how people with different needs may respond to different work situations.
What are needs?
Needs are unfulfilled physiological or psychological desires. People have needs, and will engage in behaviours to obtain extrinsic and intrinsic awards to satisfy these needs.
How does Abraham Maslow group needs in his Hierarchy of human needs theory?
Lower order needs are physiological, safety and social concerns. These are desires for social and physical wellbeing
Higher order needs are esteem and self-actualisation (The realisation or fulfilment of one’s talents and potentialities) concerns. These represent a person’s desires for psychological development and growth.
How does Maslow describe how these needs affect human behaviours?
The deficit principle states that a satisfied need is not a motivator of behaviour. People are expected to act in ways that satisfy deprived needs; that is, needs for which a ‘deficit’ exists.
The progression principle states that a need at one level does not become activated until the next lower level need is already satisfied. People are expected to advance step-by-step up the hierarchy in their search for need satisfactions.
How does Maslow’s theory aid managers?
His theory advises managers to recognise that deprived needs may negatively influence attitudes and behaviours. Providing opportunities for need satisfaction may have positive motivational consequences.
What is a process theory of motivation?
Process theories of motivation offer additional insights into how people give meaning to rewards and then respond with various work-related behaviours.
What is the basic premise of Edwin Locke’s goal-setting theory?
It focuses on the motivational properties of goals. Task goals can be highly motivating, IF they are properly set and IF they are well managed. Goals give direction to people in their work and clarify performance expectations.
What is a way to achieve the motivation benefits of goal setting?
Managers and team leaders must work with others to set the right goals in the right ways.
The degree to which the person expected to do the work is involved in setting the performance goals can influence his or her satisfaction and performance.
What are the conditions of goal setting?
Build goal acceptance and commitment - People work harder for goals they accept and believe in, not forced on them
Clarify goal priorities - Make sure expectations are clear
Provide feedback on goal accomplishment - Make sure people know how they’re doing
Set specific goals - Generally leads to higher performance
Set challenging goals - More difficult goals lead to higher performance
Reward goal accomplishment - Reward people for doing what they were sent out to do
How does MBO help this process?
It allows both managers and employees to have a say, thereby increasing participation.
