Motivation Theories Flashcards
Maslow’s theory of hierarchical needs
People have five sets of needs, which come in a particular order. As each level of needs is satisfied, the desire to fulfill the next set kicks in.
It states that a person will be motivated when all his needs are fulfilled. People do not work for security or money, but they work to contribute and to use their skills.
ONE CANNOT ASCEND TO THE NEXT LEVEL UNLESS LOWER-LEVEL NEEDS ARE FULFILLED.
The hierarchy of needs:
1- Physiological needs: are basic needs for survival such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex, and shelter.
2- Safety needs: Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers (e.g., health, secure employment, and property)
3- Social (belongingness and love) needs: The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on.
4- Self-esteem needs: The need for respect and recognition.
5- Self-actualization needs: The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative/challenging work. Self-actualization is the highest-level need to which a human being can aspire.
Abraham Maslow (1943). American psychologist.
The Job Characteristics Theory (JCT)
Job characteristics theory is a theory of work design. It provides “a set of implementing principles for enriching jobs in organizational settings.
It is widely used as a framework to study how particular job characteristics affect job outcomes, including job satisfaction. The five job characteristics are
skill variety,
Task Identity,
task significance,
autonomy, and
feedback.
a task in itself is the key to the employee’s motivation. A boring and monotonous job is disastrous to an employee’s motivation whereas a challenging, versatile job has a positive effect on motivation
Hackman and Oldham 1975
The Hawthorne Effect
Employees are more productive when they know their work is being measured, observed and studied
Elton Mayo (developed)
Theory X and Theory Y
Theory X: Managers who accept this theory believe that if you feel that your team members dislike their work, have little motivation, need to be watched every minute and are incapable of being accountable for their work, avoid responsibility and avoid work whenever possible, then you are likely to use an authoritarian style of management.
Theory Y: Managers who accept this theory believe that if people are willing to work without supervision, take pride in their work, see it as a challenge and want to achieve more, they can direct their own efforts, take ownership of their work and do it effectively by themselves. These managers use a decentralized, participative management style.
Douglas McGregor (1950s)
Reinforcement theory (law effect)
The theory generally states that people seek out and remember information that provides cognitive support for their pre-existing attitudes and beliefs.
It states that behavior is a function of its consequences—an individual will repeat behavior that led to positive consequences and avoid behavior that has had negative effects. This phenomenon is also known as the ‘law effect’.
i.e, individual’s behaviour with positive consequences tends to be repeated, but individual’s behaviour with negative consequences tends not to be repeated.
(management): behaviors are shaped by their consequences and that, accordingly, individual behaviors can be changed through rewards and punishments. Reinforcement theory explains in detail how an individual learns behaviour. Managers who are making attempt to motivate the employees must ensure that they do not reward all employees simultaneously. They must tell the employees what they are not doing correct. They must tell the employees how they can achieve positive reinforcement.
The managers use the following methods for controlling the behaviour:
Positive Reinforcement: This implies giving a positive response when an individual shows positive and required behaviour. For example - Immediately praising an employee for coming early for job. This will increase probability of outstanding behaviour occurring again. Reward is a positive reinforce, but not necessarily. If and only if the employees’ behaviour improves, reward can said to be a positive reinforcer. Positive reinforcement stimulates occurrence of a behaviour. It must be noted that more spontaneous is the giving of reward, the greater reinforcement value it has.
Negative Reinforcement: This implies rewarding an employee by removing negative / undesirable consequences. Both positive and negative reinforcement can be used for increasing desirable / required behaviour.
Punishment: It implies removing positive consequences so as to lower the probability of repeating undesirable behaviour in future. In other words, punishment means applying undesirable consequence for showing undesirable behaviour. For instance - Suspending an employee for breaking the organizational rules. Punishment can be equalized by positive reinforcement from alternative source.
Extinction: It implies absence of reinforcements. In other words, extinction implies lowering the probability of undesired behaviour by removing reward for that kind of behaviour. For instance - if an employee no longer receives praise and admiration for his good work, he may feel that his behaviour is generating no fruitful consequence. Extinction may unintentionally lower desirable behaviour.
B. F. Skinner (1957)
Goal Setting Theory of Motivation
In simple words, goals indicate and give direction to an employee about what needs to be done and how much efforts are required to be put in.
This theory states that goal setting is essentially linked to task performance. It states that specific and challenging goals along with appropriate feedback contribute to higher and better task performance.
Edwin Locke found that individuals who set specific, difficult goals performed better than those who set general, easy goals. Locke proposed five basic principles of goal-setting:
1) clarity
2) challenge
3) commitment: Put deliberate effort into meeting this goal. Share your goal with someone else
4) feedback
5) task complexity.
Edwin Locke (1960’s)
ERG Theory of Motivation
Alderfer redefined Maslow’s theory of hierarchical needs in his own terms. He recategorized Maslow’s hierarchy of needs into three simpler and broader classes of needs:
- Existence needs- basic material necessities/ In short, it includes an individual’s physiological and physical safety needs.
- Relatedness needs- (be it with family, peers or superiors), getting public fame and recognition. Maslow’s social needs and external component of esteem needs fall under this class of need.
- Growth needs- These include need for self-development and personal growth and advancement. Maslow’s self-actualization needs and intrinsic component of esteem needs fall under this category of need.
Adams’ equity theory of motivation
Adams’ equity theory of motivation says that to be motivated, individuals need to perceive that the rewards they receive for their contributions are fair, and these rewards are similar to those received by their peers.
It suggests that we not only compare our contributions to the amount of rewards we receive but also compare them to what others receive for the same amount of input.
McClelland’s motivation/needs theory
McClelland categorized the needs or motives into achievement, affiliation, and power.
he believed we all have: a need for achievement, a need for affiliation, and a need for power.
According to McClelland, these motivators are learned.
McClelland says that, regardless of our gender, culture, or age, we all have three motivating drivers, and one of these will be our dominant motivating driver. This dominant motivator is largely dependent on our culture and life experiences.
Achievement:
Has a strong need to set and accomplish challenging goals.
Affiliation:
Wants to belong to the group.
Power:
Wants to control and influence others.
Elton mayo’s motivation theory
workers are motivated by social and relational forces more than financial or environmental conditions. It holds that managers can increase productivity by treating employees as unique individuals rather than interchangeable cogs in a machine.
Mayo believed that workers are not just concerned with money but could be better motivated by having their social needs met whilst at work (something that Taylor ignored)
*Workers motivated by having social needs met
*Workers should work in teams
*Managers should have greater involvement in employee’s working life
better communication, Greater manager involvement, working in group teams*
Bandura’s self efficacy theory
Self-Efficacy is a person’s particular set of beliefs that determine how well one can execute a plan of action in prospective situations.
self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation.
Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory OR
Herzberg’s two-factor theory
Frederick Herzberg theorized that employee satisfaction has two dimensions: “hygiene” and motivation. Hygiene issues, such as salary and supervision, decrease employees’ dissatisfaction with the work environment. Motivators, such as recognition and achievement, make workers more productive, creative and committed.
the existence of motivators increase your motivation and satisfaction but the lack of them, do not decrease your motivation and satisfaction. such as achievement and advancement.
In the same way, the lack of hygiene issues, decreases your satisfaction, but the existence of them do not increase your motivation and satisfaction. such as salary, interpersonal relationships, and working conditions.
satisfied Vs unsatisfied
+motivators = necessarily satisfied
-motivators = not necessarily unsatisfied
-hygiene = unsatisfied
+hygiene = not necessarily satisfied
Self regulatory
