Chapter 7: Motivation Flashcards
Motivation
Set of energetic forces that originates both within and outside an employee, initiates work-related effort, and determines its direction, intensity and persistence
What is direction, intensity and persistence?
Direction: WHAT an employee does
Intensity: HOW HARD and employee works
Persistence: FOR HOW LONG an employee works
Engagement
Most often refers to motivation but can refer to affective commitment; intensity and persistence in work effort
- used in contemporary workplaces and has different meanings depending on context
Outwardly engaged
Devote a lot of energy into their jobs
Inwardly engaged
Focus a great deal of attention and concentration on their work (can lose track of time)
Expectancy Theory
Describes cognitive process employees go through to make choices among different voluntary responses
What 3 beliefs help determine work effort according to expectancy theory?
- Expectancy
- Instrumentality
- Valence
Expectancy
Belief that exerting a high level of effort will result in successful performance on some task (E–> P)
What factor(s) shape expectancy?
Self Efficacy: belief that a person has the capabilities needed to perform the behaviours required for success on some task (AKA self-confidence or task specific version of self-esteem)
What is self-efficacy impacted by?
- past accomplishments
- vicarious experiences (observations and discussions with others who have performed such tasks)
- verbal persuasion
- emotional cues (+ or -)
Instrumentality
Belief that successful performance will result in some outcome(s)
(P–>O)
Most employees don’t perceive high levels of instrumentality in their workplace
- 35% viewed performance of key driver while 60% viewed seniority as key driver
Need
Clusters of outcomes viewed as having critical psychological or physiological consequences
- outcomes deemed more attractive when they help satisfy needs
Valence
Anticipated value of the outcome(s) associated with successful performance
- can be + : prefer one outcome over another
e. g. salary increases, bonuses, informal rewards - can be - : prefer not having one outcome over having it
e. g. disciplinary actions, demotions, informal rewards - can be zero : no feelings towards it
Extrinsic motivation and Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsice: Desire to put forth work effort due to some contingency that depends on task performance
e.g. pay, promotion, praise
Intrinsic: Desire to put forth work effort due to the sense that task performance serves as its own reward
e.g. enjoyment, knowledge gain, skill development
Intrinsic + extrinsic motivation = employee’s total motivation level
What drives how attractive an outcome is based on employee needs?
- Culture
- Power of motivator pay
- research shows that financial incentives have stronger impact on motivation as money is relevant to meeting many needs
Motivational force
Direction of effort and is dictated by 3 beliefs: expectancy, instrumentality and valence
Equation: E–>P x [(P–>O) x V]
- motivation increases as successful performance is linked to more and more attractive outcomes
- motivational force = 0 if any one of 3 beliefs is 0
Goal Setting Theory
Theory that views goals as the primary drivers of the intensity and persistence of effort
- specific and difficult goals will result in higher levels of performance
Specific and Difficult Goals
Goals that stretch an employee to perform at his or her maximum level while staying within the boundaries of his or her ability
Specific: measuring stick or number to shoot for
Difficult: push people to work their hardest and longest (intensity)
What are the moderators that will specify when assigned goals have an effect on task performance?
Feedback: progress updates about your goals
Task Complexity: degree to which info and actions needed to complete task are complicated
Goal Commitment: degree to which a person is determined to reach the goal
Equity Theory
Employees develop perceptions of the outcomes they receive for their job inputs, relative to some comparison other
Inputs: effort, education, experience, training, seniority
Outputs: pay, intrinsic rewards, satisfying supervision
Comparison Other
Another person who provides a frame of reference for judging equity
3 possible scenarios for comparison other
- Your outcomes/inputs = other person’s outcomes/inputs
- sense of equity
- you maintain intensity and persistence of effort - Your outcomes/inputs < other person’s outcomes/inputs
- equity distress occurs (creates anger or envy) or underreward equity - Your outcomes/inputs > other person’s outcomes/inputs
- equity distress occurs or overreward equity
Equity Distress
Internal tension that results from being overrewarded or underrewarded relative to some comparison other
Cognitive Distortion
Re-evaluation of an employee’s inputs, often occurring in response to equity distress - mentally restoring balance
Another way of restoring balance:
Internal comparisons - comparing oneself to someone else in the company
External comparisons - comparing oneself to someone in a different company
How to restore balance for underreward equoity and overreward equity?
Underreward: - shrinking inputs by lowering intensity/persistence of effort - seeking better outcomes - changing comparison other Overreward: - increasing intensity/persistence of effort - shrinking outcomes - changing comparison other cognitive distortion
Psychological Empowerment
Energy rooted in the belief that tasks are contributing to some larger purpose 4 determinants of empowerment levels: - meaningfulness - self-determination - competence - impact
Meaningfulness
Value of a work goal or purpose relative to a person’s own ideals and passions
Self-Determination
Sense of choice in the initiation and continuation of work tasks
- strong driver or intrinsic motivation
Competence
Capability to perform work tasks successfully
Impact
Sense that a person’s actions “make a difference” toward an important purpose
- Research shows their is an increasing interest of psychological empowerment as motivating force
Ranking motivational forces and their impact on performance (4)
- Self-Efficacy
- Difficult Goals
- High levels of valence, instrumentality, expectancy
- Perceptions of equity
Link between motivation variables and job performance?
Link between motivation variables and organizational commitment?
Job Performance:
- strong (+)
- higher task performance so higher self-efficacy/competence
Org Commitment:
- less is known
- equity has moderate positive effect because ppl with higher levels of AC and NC have higher equity
Types of compensation practices to increase employee motivation
- Individual-focused
- Unit-focused
- Organization-focused
Individual focused
Piece-rate pay: rate for each unit produced or service provided
Merit pay: increase to base salary according to performance evaluation ratings (piles on)
Lump-sum bonuses: bonus received for meeting individual goals, but with no change to base salary
Recognition awards: impromptu tangible or intangible awards to recognize achievement
Unit-focused
Gain sharing: employees and managers work together to develop strategies for increasing performance by reducing costs
Organization-focused
Profit sharing: bonus received when publicly reported earnings of a company exceed some minimum level, with magnitude of the bonus contingent on magnitude of profits
