Motivation in Organizations

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

Motivation

1. Physical and mental energy that a person exerts to achieve a goal.
2. motivation is causal factor to job performance and is complex
3. Performance = f(ability + motivation + environment)
   
   1. High motivation alone does not lead to high performance, but that successful performance is the function of all three factors.

Question 2

Theory and Factors in Motivation of Organizations

Answer 2

Theory and Factors in Motivation of Organizations

1. Need-Hierarchy Theory: Maslow
2. ERG Theory: Alderfer existence, relatedness growth
3. Need Theory: McClelland TAT
4. Two-Factor Theory: Herzberg lower and higher level needs
5. Goal Setting Theory: Locke/Latham
6. Equity Theory: Adams
7. Expectancy VIE Theory: Porter/Lawler/Vroom
8. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT): Bandura, goal setting, self-observation, self-evaluation, self-reaction.

Question 3

1. Need-Hierarchy Theory

Answer 3

Need-Hierarchy Theory

1. Maslow: humanistic clinical psychologist and interest in study of healthy/normal people
2. self-actualization: figures that were exceptionally productive and successful.
3. motivation: result of 5 basic instinctual needs:
   
   1. physiological, safety, social (belonging/love), esteem and self-actualization (in order!).
   2. hierchy with each need as a motivator only when the lower order needs have been satisfied. Cannot be social unless safe 1st.
4. little research support, but physiological needs do take precedent over others.
5. needs also related to job level: managers vs non-mangers have different needs.

Question 4

2. ERG Theory

Answer 4

ERG Theory

1. Alderfer: reduced Maslow’s needs from 5 to 3
   
   1. Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG)
   2. motivated by more than one need as once
   3. also not lower to higher, can regress when frustrated!.
2. All counter to Maslow and more empirical support!

Question 5

3. Need Theory

Answer 5

Need Theory

1. McClelland: used TAT to ID needs that underlie job motivation.
2. needs are culturally determined & 3 needs often act as motivators in work settings
   
   1. Need For Achievement: need to surpass standards of excellence, to advance and grow.
      
      1. goal and task oriented.
   2. Need For Power: need to control/influence others. socialized (for others) vs. personalized (for self) power.
      
      1. best to be high in socialized power
   3. Need for Affiliation: need to establish warm and close relationships with people.
      
      1. best work to work in teams and personable power.

Question 6

Need for Achievement

Answer 6

Need for Achievement

1. nACH: most researched and those high for nACH choose tasks that are moderate difficulty and risk
   
   1. success on such taks depends more on Effort than uncontrollable factors.
   2. prefer frequent, concrete feedback and view $ as a source of feedback and recognition.
   3. personal responsibility over delegation
   4. better sales/entrepreneurs than managers
   5. true across cultures!

Question 7

4. Two-Factor Theory

Answer 7

Two-Factor Theory

1. Herzberg: satisfaction and motivation
2. satisfaction and dissatisfaction as independent attitudes. used critical incident reports
   
   1. Lower-level needs: little effect on job satisfaction and motivation, but produce dissatisfaction when they are unfulfilled.
   2. Hygiene or Job Context factors: pay, benefits, co-worker relationships, supervision, job security, and work conditions.
   3. Higher-Level needs: increase job satisfaction and motivation when they fulfilled but do not cause dissatisfaction when they are unfulfilled.
   4. Motivator or Job Content factors: opportunities for responsibility, advancement, recognition, and achievement.

Question 8

Lower vs. Higher level needs

Answer 8

Lower vs. Higher Level Needs

1. giving adequate hygiene factors will not increase their motivation, but will only keep them from becoming dissatisfied.
2. giving adequate motivator factors will ensure they are both motivated and satisfied.
3. mixed research results
4. Job Enrichment and Job enlargement

Question 9

Job Enrichment

Answer 9

Job Enrichment

1. combining several jobs into a larger job so worker has more responsibility, freedom, autonomy, and control
2. mixed research results
3. does impact job satisfaction: usually by younger and better educated workers, high in nACH, and those with the skill to do the enriched job.
   
   1. other wise it causes anxiety/frustration for those with low nACH, skills, education.

Question 10

Job Enlargement

Answer 10

Job Enlargement

1. increasing the jobs horizontal loading: increase number and variety of tasks.
   
   1. can reduce boredom, but does not usually have a substantial impact on satisfaction and motivation.
2. Job Enrichment: increasing job’ vertical loading: gives worker more higher-level tasks
   
   1. can improve satisfaction/motivation for some.

Question 11

5. Goal-Setting Theory

Answer 11

Goal-Setting Theory

Locke & Latham: employees are motivated to achieve goals they have consciously accepted and are committed too.

1. best to involve worker to help set/dvlp goal
2. specific goals and moderately difficult goals (50% chance of being accomplished) produce higher levels of productivity than easy, general, or amgibuous goals.
   
   1. positive effects of moderately difficult goals on productivity is strongest for simple tasks!
   2. goal-setting plus feedback is superior to improving productivity than either goal-setting or feedback alone!
   3. In fact, goals set by workers are more difficult than those set by the boss!

Question 12

Setting Goals

Answer 12

Setting Goals

group vs. individual goal effectiveness related to the nature of the task (independent task-independent goals)

predictions of goal-setting theory are not moderated in a consistent way by age, gender, or culture.

High nACH: greater goal commitment for self-set goals

low nACH: assigned goals produce greater commitment

Question 13

6. Equity Theory

Answer 13

Equity Theory

Adams: impact of social comparison on motivation

1. employees compare the ratio of their own inputs (KSAEd) to outcomes (financial/nonfinancial rewards) to the input/outcome ratios of others who are performing similar jobs.
2. when perceived as equal: they are comfortable and satisfied with the situation and maintain the Status Quo!
3. If perceived as unequal: experience a state of inequity and try to make the situation more equitable by altering their inputs and/or outcomes, rationalizing the inequity, changing the comparison person, or leaving the situation.

underpayment inequity has greater adverse impact than overpayment on employee bx and attitudes.

Question 14

6. Expectancy (VIE) Theory

Answer 14

Expectancy Theory (VIE)

1. Employee will work hard if he believes that HIGH EFFORT will lead to successful task performance (high expectancy)
2. believes that successful performance will lead to rewards (high instrumentality)
3. believes that rewards are desirable (positive valence)
4. VIE: Valence, instrumentality, effort (reverse)
5. motivation is a multiplicative function of VIE.
   
   1. has been found to predicting job satisfaction, occupational choice, and job effort, but limited because workers are irrational/lack information

Question 15

7. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)

Answer 15

Social Cognitive Theory

Bandura: social cognitive theory: self-regulation of behavior and proposes that it involves four processes:

1. Goal-Setting: set personal goals influenced by past experiences and self-efficacy beliefs.
2. Self-Observation: after setting goals, monitors his goal-related behaviors.
3. Self-Evaluation: The individual uses info from self-observation to compare current behaviors to behavioral goals.
4. Self-Reaction: Self-Evaluation results in both positive and negative reactions.
   
   1. Positive: current bx are consistent with the bx goals and leads to satisfaction, increased self-efficacy and setting higher standards/goals for the future
   2. Negative: current bx fall short of bx goals and causes dissatisfaction and motivates the person to increase effort, alter performance strategies, modify goals, or abandon the activity.
5. depends on self-efficacy beliers and attributions for the discrepancy.