Theories of motivation

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

The willingness of a person to expand energy and effort in doing a job or task.High levels of motivation result in increasing rates of productivity.

Motivation is what drives a person to apply individual effort over a period of time resulting in increasing rates of productivity.

Question 2

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 2

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivation theory that suggests employees have five fundamental needs which they strive to fulfil in a set order.
• representation of human needs in the form of a pyramid.

Physiological: Basic pay and conditions (food, water, air)

Safety: Job security and safe workplace (protection from physical and emotional harm)

Social needs: Strong relationships (Love, affection, sense of belonging)

Self-esteem: Respect and sense of accomplishment (recognition, attention, achievement)

Self-actualisation: Achieving full potential (personal growth, self fulfilment)

Question 3

Levels of needs

Answer 3

Maslow stated the lower level would be a motivator until it was satisfied. (Physiological and safety & security)
Once the level was satisfied the employee will be motivated by the next level in the hierarchy.
Lower level is a motivating factor until it is satisfied.

Question 4

How can a manager use Maslow’s

Answer 4

Managers can identify where employees are on the hierarchy and implement strategies to satisfy the level they are on
Managers must understand that employees will be on different levels in the hierarchy.
A variety of strategies must be implemented

Question 5

Physiological

Answer 5

• Food, water
• Basic requirements for human survival, such as food, water and shelter

business application: Job, pay, income

Relevance to managing employees:
• Providing employees with a job
• Satisfying payment for job

Question 6

Safety

Answer 6

• Security and protection
• The desires for protection from dangerous or threatening environment. (Security and protection)

business application: Pay, safe working conditions, OH&S, job security

Relevance to managing employees:
• Creating job security
• Insuring the employee has safe and healthy working conditions (OHS, bullying policies)

Question 7

Social

Answer 7

• Love, affection, sense of belonging
• The desires for a sense of belonging and friendship among groups

business application: Teamwork, social activities - staff functions `

Relevance to managing employees:
• Friendly work associates
• Organise employee activities, E.g. birthday celebrations, meals, parties

Question 8

self- esteem

Answer 8

• Respect and sense of accomplishment
• The desires to feel important, valuable and respected. Recognition and attention

business application: Recognition, delegation, empowerment

Relevance to managing employees:
• Job title and task responsibilities
• Merit rewards
• Prestigious workplace facilities

Question 9

Self Actualisation

Answer 9

• Personal fulfilment, full potential
• The realisation of one’s full potential through creativity and personal growth

business application: opportunities for advancement, promotion

Relevance to managing employees:
• Challenging work allowing for creativity
• Participative decision-making
• Opportunities for personal growth

Question 10

why is Maslow’s important

Answer 10

Maslow’s theory was important because it’s suggested that businesses have to create workplaces that attempt to motivate workers through pay rise or job security would only be satisfying lower order needs. Employees would not be fully motivated, they would become despondent, waiting for the day to finish and only doing it for the money.

Question 11

Four drive theory (Lawrence & Nohria)

Answer 11

The four drive theory states that there are four basic motivational needs that drive people emotions and behaviours. The four drives are:

• Acquire
• Bond
• Learn
• Defend

Question 12

The drive to acquire

Answer 12

Includes the desire to own material goods, and encompasses the desire for status, power and influence. This drive is based on the idea that people are ambitious which drives them to achieve. Rewards that fulfil the drive to acquire include:
• Bonuses for reaching performance goals
• Clear pathways for a promotion
• Raising wage
• Increase in range of responsibilities and tasks

Question 13

The drive to Bond

Answer 13

Includes the strong need to form relationships with other individuals and groups. The desire to participate in social interactions and feel a sense of belonging. Activities that develop a social workplace include:
• Introducing recreational team bonding activities such as a sport today
• Allocating work projects to teams instead of individuals
• Celebrating employee birthdays
• Holding social events such as a company morning tea

Question 14

The drive to learn

Answer 14

Include our desire to satisfy our curiosity, to learn new skills and to explore the world around us. It is our desire to gain knowledge, skills and experience. Activities that can develop employee knowledge include:
• Conducting internal and external training seminars and courses
• Pairing junior employees with a senior mental
• Allowing employees to regularly take on different types of tasks

Question 15

The drive to defend

Answer 15

The desire to remove threats to our safety and security and to protect what we regard as ‘ours’. It is a desire to protect personal security as well as the values of the business. Methods to improve the connection between a business and its employees include:
• Having a clear vision that employees can agree with
• Developing policies using employee import
• Insuring that manages represent business values
• Developing trust by supporting and collaborating with employees

Question 16

The drive to acquire: business application

Answer 16

• competitive pay
• monetary rewards programs (To try and give individuals the money they need to acquire the goods)
• Offering career advancement for high achieving employees
• Appropriately recognising good performance

Question 17

The drive to Bond: business application

Answer 17

• Set up support programs (eg. mentoring)
• Structuring work in teams
• build a culture that values sharing
• social gatherings
• employee centred management styles.

Question 18

The drive to learn: : business application

Answer 18

• interesting work
• provide opportunities to learn new things
• provide challenging work
• ensure work/job is meaningful
• support growth and learning opportunities (training and development)

Question 19

The drive to Defend: : business application

Answer 19

• ensure performance. evaluations are fair
• set clear and transparent objectives
• have resolution processes in place

Question 20

Goal setting (Locke and Lathams)

Answer 20

The goalsetting theory is a motivation theory which states that employees drive to achieve well defined objectives. It states that managers can use goals to fulfil five key principles to motivate employees within the workplace.
• In order to motivate employees, goals must be clear and specific and provide a challenge for employees.
• The employee must also be committed to meet the challenge, and it helps if each employee receives constant feedback that provides clarification and adjustment of the goals and recognition for the efforts being made.
• The goal attack should not become so overwhelming that a person loses motivation

These being:

• Specific goals
• Challenging goals
• Commitment
• Feedback
• Task complexity

Question 21

Specific goals

Answer 21

Goals need to be specific so information is clear, allowing less room for error and individual interpretation

Question 22

Challenging goals

Answer 22

Goals need to be challenging as people exert more effort and try harder to obtain difficult goals

Question 23

Commitment

Answer 23

In order to ensure that employee will actively pursue the achievement of a goal, there must be a commitment on the part of the employee. A goal into which the employee has had some input is more likely to serve as motivation

Question 24

Feedback

Answer 24

Feedback provides opportunities to offer recognition for progress achieved, to make adjustments to the goal if necessary, and to ensure expectations are clear and realistic

Question 25

Task Complexity

Answer 25

Goals should be challenging enough to motivate employees; it is important the level of complexity should not overwhelm them

Question 26

Strengths and weaknesses of Maslows

Answer 26

Strengths
• can give manages a clear path to motivate employees
• employees can work in an engaging environment that allows them to reach their full potential
• motivation can occur quickly when employees move up the hierarchy
• Satisfying safety and security and social needs typically does not increase business expenses

Weaknesses
• Can be difficult to measure if employee needs are being satisfied
• Not all employees will be motivated by the same needs at once
• It may be time-consuming for a manager to determine the level of each individual employee
• Satisfying physiological and esteem needs may increase business expenses

Question 27

Strengths and weaknesses of four drive theory

Answer 27

Strengths
• It can provide managers with a simple framework to motivate their employees
• If all four drives are met, employee satisfaction is likely to increase
• Satisfying drives can increase employee performance and therefore business profits
• A manager can target the specific drives of individual employees
• A manager can motivate all employees by encouraging all four drives simultaneously

Weaknesses
• It may be difficult for a manager to manage all four drives at the same time
• If one or more drives are left unmet, employees may lose satisfaction
• Determining the suitable drives for individual employees may be time-consuming for a manager
• Some drives such as the drive to acquire and the drive to learn, can increase business expenses
• Employees may not value or drives equally
• Focusing on gaining individual rewards can cause employees to compete with each other

Question 28

Strengths and weaknesses of the goal setting theory

Answer 28

Strengthens
• goals can align employee efforts with achieving business objectives to improve business performance
• After a goal is set, it’s success can be measured quickly
• When employee goals align with business objectives they can contribute to completing goals such as increasing sales and net profit
• Setting goals with employees can improve their relationship and trust with management

Weaknesses
• It may be difficult for a manager to align employees personal goals with business objectives
• Too many girls at once can be stressful and may demotivate employees
• Setting goals and providing feedback to each employee can be time-consuming for management