Motivating Employees Flashcards
motivation
the forces either within or external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action
intrinsic rewards
the satisfaction received in the process of performing an action
extrinsic rewards
a reward given by another person
content theories
a group of theories that emphasise the needs that motivate people
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s theory of motivation contends that employee needs must be considered and fulfilled in order to achieve motivation from them. Their needs are organised in a hierarchy of importance with basic needs at the bottom, such as physiological and safety needs which are more extrinsic motivators, and belongingness and love, esteem and self-actualisation needs at the top, which are more intrinsic motivators. Maslow suggests that the lower level must be satisfied before moving on to the next level which then becomes the motivator. Furthermore, Maslow believed that managers should be aware that their employees will be at different stages of development and therefore a range of strategies should be applied to individual employees.
ERG theory
a modification of the needs hierarchy theory that proposes three category of needs: existence, relatedness and growth
two-factor theory
Herzberg believes that two entirely separate dimensions contribute to an employee’s behaviour at work. The first, called hygiene factors, involves the presence or absence of job dissatisfiers, such as working conditions, pay, company policies and interpersonal relationships. When hygiene factors are poor, work is dissatisfying. However, good hygiene factors simply remove the dissatisfaction; they do not in themselves cause people to become highly satisfied and motivated in their work.
The second set of factors does influence job satisfaction. Motivators focus on high-level needs and include achievement, recognition, responsibility and opportunity for growth. Herzberg believed that when motivators are absent, workers are neutral towards work, but when motivators are present, workers are highly motivated and satisfied. Thus, hygiene factors and motivators represent two distinct factors that influence motivation. Hygiene factors work only in the area of dissatisfaction. Unsafe working conditions or a noisy work environment will cause people to be dissatisfied, but their correction will not lead to a high level of motivation and satisfaction. Motivators such as challenge, responsibility and recognition must be in place before employees will be highly motivated to excel at their work.
acquired needs theory
The acquired needs theory proposes that certain types of needs are acquired during the individual’s lifetime. The three needs most frequently studied are:
Need for achievement. The desire to accomplish something difficult, attain a high standard of success, master complex tasks and surpass others.
Need for affiliation. The desire to form close personal relationships, avoid conflict and establish warm friendships.
Need for power. The desire to influence or control others, be responsible for others and have authority over others.
Early life experiences typically determine whether people acquire these needs. If children are encouraged to do things for themselves and receive reinforcement, they will acquire a need to achieve. If they are reinforced for forming warm human relationships, they will develop a need for affiliation. If they get satisfaction from controlling others, they will acquire a need for power.
process theories
a group of theories that explain how employees select behaviours with which to meet their needs and determine whether their choices were successful
goal-setting theory
motivation can be increased and performance enhanced by setting specific, challenging goals and providing timely feedback
making progress principle
the idea that the most important factor to boost motivation, positive emotions and perceptions is making progress towards meaningful goals
equity theory
a process theory that focuses on individuals’ perceptions of how fairly they are treated relative to others
equity
a situation that exists when the ratio of one person’s outcomes to inputs equals that of another’s
common methods for reducing a perceived inequality
- changing work effort (e.g. putting in less effort)
- changing outcomes (e.g. negotiating increased rewards; or seizing them…)
- changing perceptions of inputs and/or outputs in their own minds (cognitive distortions)
- leaving the job
expectancy theory
a process theory that proposes that motivation depends on individuals’ expectations about their ability to perform tasks and receive desired rewards
E —> P expectancy involves determining whether putting effort into a task will lead to high performance.
P —> O expectancy involves determining whether successful performance will lead to the desired outcome or reward.
Valence is the value of outcomes, or attraction to outcomes, for the individual.
Motivation increases as E —> P expectancy, P —> O expectancy and the valence of R increase (through training/coaching, transparency of the reward process, individualisation of rewards etc)
