Chapter 5: Employee Motivation Flashcards
What is motivation?
Motivation:
* The forces within a person that influence the direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behavior.
* It determines what goals individuals choose to pursue and how hard and for how long they will work toward those goals.
What are the three key elements of motivation?
Intensity:
* The amount of physical, cognitive, and emotional energy exerted at a given moment to achieve a task or objective.
Direction:
* The focus on what people are trying to achieve; the goal or outcome towards which they steer their effort.
Persistence:
* How long people sustain their effort as they work toward their goal.
* Motivated individuals vary in effort (intensity), duration (persistence), and goals (direction).
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A motivation theory where needs are arranged in a hierarchy, and people are motivated to fulfill higher needs as lower ones are gratified.
Primary Needs:
* Physiological Needs
* Safety Needs
* Belongingness/Love Needs
* Self-Esteem Needs
* Self-Actualization Needs
Self-Actualization:
* * An ongoing need that is never fully fulfilled and is a growth need (continues to develop even when temporarily satisfied).
Deficiency Needs:
* The first four levels (physiological, safety, belongingness, and self-esteem) are deficiency needs that become activated when unfulfilled.
Influences on Employee Needs:
* Employee needs are shaped by self-concept, personal values, and personality.
* A person’s value hierarchy can change over time, altering their needs hierarchy as well.
Criticism of Maslow’s Model:
* While widely known, Maslow’s hierarchy is often misunderstood and incorrectly assumed to be universally accurate.
What are McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y?
Theory X:
* Managers who believe employees inherently dislike work and will try to avoid it.
* These employees must be coerced, controlled, or threatened with punishment to get work done.
* The manager takes responsibility for motivating employees.
Theory Y:
* Managers who believe employees see work as natural, like rest or play.
* Employees will exercise self-direction and self-control when committed to objectives.
* Managers should delegate authority and put the burden of motivation on employees.
Focus on Theory Y:
* McGregor emphasized Theory Y, where managers should foster a work environment that encourages self-direction and intrinsic motivation.
What is Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory?
Hygiene Factors (Dissatisfaction):
* These are the basic requirements to prevent dissatisfaction but do not lead to job satisfaction.
* Similar to Maslow’s lower-level needs.
Examples:
* Quality of supervision
* Pay
* Company policies
* Physical working conditions
* Relationships
* Job security
Motivators (Satisfaction):
* These factors are necessary for job satisfaction and personal growth.
* Similar to Maslow’s higher-level needs.
Examples:
* Promotion
* Personal growth
* Recognition
* Responsibility
* Achievement
What are the key aspects of McClellan’s Theory of Needs?
Needs Can Be Learned: Needs are influenced by self-concept, social norms, and past experiences.
Three Learned Needs:
* Need for Achievement:
* Desire to accomplish challenging goals.
* Prefer working alone rather than in teams.
* Choose tasks with moderate risk.
* Money is a weak motivator, except when it provides feedback and recognition.
* Common among successful entrepreneurs.
Need for Affiliation:
* Seek approval from others and avoid conflict.
* Try to project a favorable image of themselves.
* Support others and excel in roles like conflict mediation or cultivating long-term relationships.
* Less effective in situations requiring resource allocation or decision-making with conflict.
Need for Power:
* Desire to control one’s environment and maintain leadership.
* Rely on persuasive communication and make suggestions in meetings.
* Evaluate situations publicly.
* Personalized power (status/personal benefits) vs. socialized power (benefits others).
What is Expectancy Theory and its key components?
Expectancy Theory: Motivation is based on the belief that effort will lead to desired outcomes.
E-to-P Expectancy (Effort to Performance):
* The belief that effort will result in a specific level of performance.
* Influenced by the individual’s belief in their ability to complete the task.
* Can be increased by providing resources, role clarity, and supportive feedback.
* Companies should match abilities to job requirements and clearly communicate tasks.
P-to-O Expectancy (Performance to Outcome):
* The perceived probability that a specific performance level will lead to a particular outcome.
* Employees need to believe that higher performance will result in higher rewards.
* Measure performance accurately and distribute rewards accordingly.
* Use examples, anecdotes, and ceremonies to demonstrate how performance is rewarded.
Outcome Valences:
* The anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction with an outcome.
* Positive valence: Outcomes align with values and needs.
* Negative valence: Outcomes oppose values or inhibit need fulfillment.
* Individualizing rewards can help match outcomes to employees’ values.
* Be cautious of counterproductive outcomes (e.g., individual performance bonuses creating competition in a team setting).
What is Equity Theory and how does it explain fairness in the workplace?
Equity Theory: Explains how people perceive fairness in the distribution and exchange of resources (e.g., pay, rewards, recognition) in their workplace.
Comparison Others:
* Individuals assess fairness by comparing their outcomes (e.g., salary, benefits) to others’ outcomes.
* Comparison others could be colleagues, supervisors, or even people in different organizations.
* People may compare their outcome/input ratios (e.g., what they give vs. what they get).
Outcome/Input Ratios:
* Employees evaluate fairness based on the balance of what they contribute (inputs, like effort, skills) versus what they receive (outcomes, like salary, benefits).
Fairness and Motivation:
* If an employee perceives the exchange as unfair or inequitable, they may focus on restoring balance, diverting attention from their work to address the perceived injustice.
* If an employee perceives the exchange as fair, they are motivated to continue working towards organizational goals.
What are the three types of Organizational Justice, and how do they impact employees?
Organizational Justice: Refers to the perception of fairness in the treatment of employees. Treating employees fairly promotes motivation, loyalty, and well-being.
Three Types of Justice:
Distributive justice refers to the perception that appropriate decision criteria or rules have been applied to determine how various benefits and burdens are allocated. Criteria such as effort, need, or membership dictate how much each individual should receive, including aspects like higher pay, more tedious tasks, better workplace conditions, and so on.
Procedural justice refers to the perception that appropriate rules have been followed throughout the decision-making process. It tends to be perceived as higher, for example, when the decision-maker demonstrates neutrality or impartiality, allows everyone involved to express their views, and provides an opportunity for appeals.
Interactional justice refers to the perception that appropriate rules have been applied in how employees are treated throughout the decision-making process. For example, we perceive interactional justice when the decision-maker is polite towards potential beneficiaries, honest, candid, and provides information about the decision.
