Motivation Theories

Question 1

Factors that initiate, direct, and sustain human behavior over time.

Answer 1

Motivation

Question 2

Motivation is seen as absolutely irrelevant or absolutely critical in the workplace.

• Theory X leaders micromanage and coerce team members because they believe people do not like to work and must be strictly controlled and forced to work.
• Theory Y leaders that employees dislike rigid controls and inherently want to accomplish something. Therefore leaders apply a more participative style that empowers employees.
• Theory Y is considers more appropriate in today’s knowledge-driven workplaces.

Answer 2

Theory X/Theory Y

Question 3

Individuals are motivated by a desire to satisfy certain needs. Understanding these needs allows leaders to offer the right incentives and create the most motivational external environments. Common factors are achievement, a desire for social connection, and some degree of control.

Answer 3

Needs Theory

Question 4

• Five basic categories of needs must be met in an ascending order:
  
  • Physiological (basic needs related to survival)
  • Safety and security
  • Belonging and love (the need to belong, to be accepted)
  • Esteem (both self-esteem and admiration of others)
  • Self-actualization (the need to fill one’s potential)
• A lower-level need must be relatively satisfied in order for a higher-level need to emerge or serve to motivate.
• No need is ever totally satisfied, however. The lower-level needs will always have some influence on behavior.

Answer 4

Maslow

Question 5

• Behavior is driven by intrinsic factors (innate desires) and extrinsic factors (workplace hygiene).
  
  • Intrinsic factors: challenging work, meaningful impact of work, recognition
  • Extrinsic factors: job security, pay, conditions
• Satisfying hygiene factors can remove some areas of discontent that interfere with motivation, but satisfactory workplace conditions are not enough in themselves to create motivation.
• Motivation is created by appealing to individual desires or needs.

Answer 5

Herzberg

Question 6

• Individuals are motivated by three basic desires:
  
  • Achievement (accomplishment)
  • Affiliation (feeling part of a group)
  • Power (influence or control over others)
• Employees have all three needs but the needs’ relative importance may vary among individuals. Effective leaders identify and appeal to each employee’s primary motivators.

Answer 6

McClelland

Question 7

• Individuals are motivated by innate needs, such as competence and relatedness but also by needs for:
  
  • Autonomy, or the need to feel that one has control over one’s life.
  • Purpose, or the sense that one’s actions have effects beyond the individual or the workplace.

Answer 7

Self-determination

Question 8

Effort increases in relation to one’s confidence that the behavior will result in a positive outcome and reward.

Answer 8

Expectancy Theory

Question 9

Level of effort depends on:
   - Expectancy
   - Instrumentality
   - Valence
All three factors must be addressed to create motivated employees.

Answer 9

Vroom

Question 10

The way a person interprets the causes for past success or failure is related to the present level of motivation. A leader can help employees attribute results to the correct causes and create opportunities for success.

Answer 10

Attribution Theory

Question 11

• Success or failure can be attributed to internal factors or external factors. Internal factors may be under the employee’s control, but external factors are probably beyond the employee’s control.
• A track record of success can create empowered and resilient employees, while a track record of failure can create “learned helplessness” and even aggression or hostility in the workplace.
• Leaders create opportunities for success for less experienced employees, perhaps by providing more resources, coaching, and guidance. More challenging assignments are given to employees who believe they can succeed.

Answer 11

Heider, Weiner

Question 12

• Motivation can be increased by providing employees with goals against which they can assess their achievement.
• Optimally, employees should be involved in designing goals and supported in achieving their goals.
• Effective goals are:
  
  • Specific and clear
  • Important to the individual. This enables greater commitment.
  • Realistic but challenging. Goals that are unrealistically high can harm motivation.
• Feedback helps employees determine the effectiveness of their effort.

Answer 12

Goal-Setting Theory