W7 - Motivation Flashcards
What are the 3 needs theories?
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- ERG theory
- Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation
Important!
What are the 5 components of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
- Physiological (basic survival)
- Safety (stability and security)
- Belongingness (meaningful relationships)
- Esteem (respect and recognition)
- Self-actualisation (personal fulfillment)
How does Self-determination theory explains our psychological needs?
What are the 3 psychological needs?
Employees are not only motivated by extrinsic rewards, but also by intrinsic factors to fulfill their psychological needs.
The 3 psychological needs (humans’ 3 basic needs) are:
1. Autonomy (need to control the course of their lives)
2. Competence (need to be effective in dealing with environment)
3. Relatedness (need to have close, affectionate relationships with others)
What is the equity theory (Adams, 1965)?
Highlights the importance of perceived fairness in motivating employees.
Equity is subjective.
People desire fair and equitable situations.
People compares their inputs & outputs with that of others.
One is motivated to restore equity.
Equity theory:
Is motivation influenced by social factors (interactions, relationships) or biological factors more?
According to equity theory, motivation is more socially influenced.
How do women view themselves and pay?
What is the relation between gender and equity?
Women tend to compare themselves with other women, and may help to explain their underpayment.
What may employees lack when at work?
Employee theft:
Why do employees steal?
- Moral laxity (lack of moral principles)
- Financial pressure
- Opportunities
- Norms for tolerating theft (a workplace that overlooks theft)
- Job dissatisfaction
- Perceived inequities or unfairness
Scenarios that result in people viewing their workplace as a fair place?
What improves perceptions of fairness?
- People are assured that higher authorities understand them
- The decision is made fairly
- The decision is applied consistently
- The decision was justified based on information
- Decision-makers communicated the information honestly
- People influenced by decision were treated with respect
What is the relation between theft and fairness?
Which groups saw higher theft? Those given inadequate or adequate explanations?
Groups that were given inadequate explanations saw the highest increase in theft.
Groups given moderate explanations had lower theft.
What is the VIE theory / Expectancy theory (Vroom 1964)?
*most prominent theory of motivation
Suggests that employees are driven by 3 factors:
V: Valence (the value an individual places on the reward)
I: Instrumentality (the belief that performing well will lead to a reward)
E: Expectancy (the belief that an effort will lead to the desired level of performance)
What is the goal-setting theory?
Suggests how setting specific challenging goals improves motivation and performance.
Goals are MOST motivating when they are:
- Specific
- Difficult but achievable
- Public
- Accepted / Commitment
- Accompanied with special feedback
Goal-setting theory:
Must goals be participative?
Not always, but participation leads to the setting of more difficult goals which enhance performance
Goal-setting theory:
Are specific and difficult goals effective?
Research supports the effectiveness of goal-setting, especially when they are specific and challenging.
Goal-setting theory:
Must goals be accompanied by rewards?
Not always, but it may increase goal commitment
What is the impact of punishment?
Punishment decreases the probability of a response.
What are the problems associated with punishment?
- Creates fear & anger
- Does not teach the correct response
- May increase the undesirable behaviour when threat is removed
Changes in work arrangements/schedules!
How else can employers motivate employees?
- Job enrichment
- Job rotation
- Flex time (flexible working hours)
Research shows that flex time improves favourable attitudes, less absenteeism, and increased performance - Compressed work week (flexible schedule, work standard hours in fewer days)
Research shows it improves satisfaction, but has no effect on absenteeism and performance.
Which theory of leadership basically states that good leaders motivate their followers according to VIE theory?
Path-Goal theory.
States that good leaders motivate their followers by aligning their behaviours with principles in VIE theory.
Leaders help clarify the goal to success, reduce obstacles and provide appropriate rewards.
Greenburg’s study on equity and justice:
Explores 3 types of fairness:
1. Procedural (fairness of process)
2. Distributive (fairness of outcome)
3. Interactional (fairness of interpersonal treatment)
How are justice perceptions different in different cultures?
Cultural differences affect justice perceptions.
Justice perceptions are more important in individualistic, low power distance and high uncertainty avoidance cultures
(People tend to place more value in fairness in decision-making processes and outcomes).
Impacts of making goals public / private?
Motivation debate:
To be effective, should goals be public or private?
Public:
- Held accountable
- Transparency
Private:
- Avoid external pressures
- Think more deeply about it
- Avoid comparisons
Should goals be public or private:
Who should public goals be made to for desirable outcomes?
What are the desirable outcomes?
Public goals made to people of higher status/importance increase goal commitment and subsequent performance.
*The key is goal commitment.
Self vs Other-ratings
The Importance of Pay (Rynes, Gerhart, & Minette 2004):
Where does pay rank?
When asked self:
Men ranked 7th, women ranked 5th.
When asked others:
Men and women both ranked 1st.
The Importance of Pay (Rynes, Gerhart, & Minette 2004):
Why is pay so important to us?
- Satisfies needs
- Gives us status
What type of people will value pay more? What situations?
The Importance of Pay (Rynes, Gerhart, & Minette 2004):
Factors to the importance of pay?
- Individual differences:
High academic achievers, extroverts, those with high self-efficacy, and those with strong achievement needs value pay more than others. - Situational factors:
Pay is more important in job choice than in quit decisions.
Under-market pay has a stronger negative impact than over-market pay. Pay should be linked to performance for effectiveness.
What is the relation between money and happiness?
Weak relation after basic needs are met.
What you do with the money matters more:
- Spending on experiences relates to life satisfaction rather than spending on possessions
- Spending that matches one’s personality relates to happiness
