W2 - motivation Flashcards
why is motivation important in an organisation
- vital for organisational success
- reflects how much effort employees are willing to put into their work
motivation - a psychological process resulting from the interaction between the individual and the environment
theories of motivation focus on how people are motivated:
1. to satisfy their innate needs
2. by their personal traits
3. by perceptions of fairness
4. by goals
role of money
- those entering the workforce often report that a high paying job is the primary goal
- research suggests money has a relatively small effect on job satisfaction
- research shows how much you are paid has little effect on how much you enjoy your job
market vs social norms
- even though money is not a driver of motivation it is still focused on to motivate staff
- high pay doesn’t = high motivation
Dan Ariely - live simultaneously in 2 different worlds:
- social norms = friendly requests people make of one another/ doesn’t have instant payback (mowing the lawn)
- market norms = exchanges that are sharp edged: wages, prices / interactions include payments
- Ariely suggests as soon as money is mentioned we are transported from a social world to a market one
- once it has transitioned it is hard to reverse
what does Ariely’s theory mean for the workplace
- market norms can take away from the meaning people get form work
- to create a healthy environment business should instil a sense of purpose in job roles
- cash incentives are expensive and only take employees so far, by rethinking what employees want (meaning and purpose) social norms have the power to take employees further over a longer period of time
need theories of motivation
- need theories identify internal factors that motivated employees behaviour (based on the idea people are motivated by unfulfilled needs)
- popular need framework comes from Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
- Herzberg’s 2 factor theory
self determination theory (SDT)
- introduced by Deci and Ryan (1985,2000) focuses on how individuals all have the same basic needs
- people tend to become happier when pursuing things that are intrinsically motivated and aligned with their own goals
- SDT helps understand what might motivate employee behaviour, being able to have both autonomy and capability to make choices is what every employee wants to have
- intrinsic motivation is a narrow category, whereas extrinsic motivation is much broader
- based on the fact consequences from activities can be both external and internal
- external consequences = tangible, social approval, rejection
- internal consequences - emotional states
- motivation is a mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
(look at diagram)
how can intrinsic motivation be supported
- satisfaction of psychological needs
Extrinsic motivation continuum
(see diagram)
- behaviour has been integrated into the individuals sense of self
- as the individual progresses along the continuum their motivation becomes less controlled and more self determined
what motivation is better to use
- intrinsic motivation leads to positive outcomes
- extrinsic motivation can lead to people taking short cuts
- increase intrinsic motivation
- do the by working on basic needs - relatedness, autonomy and competence
meaning in the workplace
- job meaning essentially captures the extent to which employees see their work as important and valuable
- meaningful jobs = more motivating
- when jobs are aligned with what we think is valuable it makes the work meaningful
how can a company generate meaning
- every job has meaning because every company values has purpose - it Is about understanding the depth of those benefits
- purpose
- self realisation
- accomplishment
- status and power
- belonging to a community
- agency
- autonomy
fairness theories
- equity theory highlights:
1. the fairness of rewards - if people realise that they get paid less for the same work, motivation will reduce
2. visibility of procedures - if it is unclear why one employee has been promoted over another they may become demotivated. - this theory has expanded into organisational justice theory (see diagram):
- distributive = perceptions regarding fair outcomes
- procedural = processes that leas to fair outcomes
- informational
- interactional = interpersonal reactions and treatment
- employees value fairness as it reduces uncertainty and communicates positive social worth and moral reasons.
goal setting theory (SMART)
- Goals are used to motivate staff
- goals aid performance because they direct attention to activities, sustain effort and promote the use of task relevant knowledge
- results show performance is highest when goals are specific, difficult, have feedback and high goal commitment
- set goals using SMART
individual differences in needs
- needs theories assume all people are motivated to fulfil the same needs
- does not allow the possibility for one need to be stronger and more beneficial than another
- McCelland’s need theory focuses on individual differences in needs (Expectancy Value Theory of Motivation)
- three types of core needs:
1. achievement - getting things done
2. power - having influence over others
3. affiliation - having good relationships - everyone has a blend of them but one is usually dominant - this blend shapes they behaviours and motivations at work
goal orientation
- two main types of goal that employees work towards:
1. mastery goal orientation
2. performance goal orientation
mastery - mastering new skills, increase understanding
performance - doing better than others and demonstrating competence
mastery approach - attempts to improve knowledge skills and learning
mastery avoidance - focus on avoiding misunderstanding
performance approach - motivation to outperform others and show superiority
performance avoidance = motivated to avoid negative judgement
