Introduction to Motivation

 

A motive is a reason for accomplishing something. Motivation is the strength and direction of behavior and the factors that influence people to behave in certain ways (Armstrong 2017).

Luthans (1998) defines motivation as a process that starts with a physiological deficiency or need that activates a behaviour or a drive that is aimed at a goal incentive.

The term motivation can refer variously to the goals that individuals have, the ways in which individuals choose their goals and the ways in which others try to change their behaviour (Armstrong 2017).

According to Arnold et al (1991), the three components of motivation are:

  • Direction – what a person is trying to do
  • Effort – how hard a person is trying
  • Persistence – how long a person keeps on trying

Types of Motivation

Mainly there are two types of motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation – this type of motivation takes place when individuals feel that their work is important, interesting and challenging and that it provides them with a reasonable degree of autonomy (freedom to act), opportunities to achieve and advance, and scope to use  and develop their skills and abilities (Armstrong 2017).

Pink (2009) expressed that there are three ways that managers could consider to improve motivation of employees.

  • Autonomy – encourage employees to set their own schedule and focus on getting the work done, not how the work is done.
  • Mastery – help employees to identify the steps they can take to improve themselves and ask them to identify how they will know they are making progress.
  • Purpose – to explain the why as well as how when giving instructions.

Extrinsic Motivation – extrinsic motivation occurs when things are done to or for people in order to motivate them. These include rewards such as incentives, increased pay, praise or promotion and punishments such as disciplinary action, withholding pay, or criticism (Armstrong 2017).


Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow in 1954 introduced the hierarchy of needs model. He suggested that there are five major need categories that apply to people in general starting from the fundamental physiological needs and leading through a hierarchy of safety, social and esteem needs to the need for self-fulfillment, the highest need of all (Armstrong 2017). The level of motivation each employee has varies with each level of needs. Once the employee satisfies one level of needs then he/she motivates to reach the next level of needs.



  • Physiological needs – these are the primary needs for an employee to achieve. Physiological needs include food, water, shelter etc. In order to satisfy these needs we need money. So employees are motivated to earn money to satisfy their physiological needs.

  • Safety needs – the next level of needs are safety needs. Employees are motivated to work in order to ensure that their jobs are secure.

  • Social needs – after reaching the basic needs the next most important level of need is social needs like friendships and relationships. As humans, social interaction is very important.
  • Esteem needs – the next level of need is the respect from others which can be gained through recognition and status. By succeeding at work, esteem needs can be achieved.

  • Self-actualization – this is the final level and reaching this level means the employee is at their full potential and become the best version of themselves. 

References

Armstrong, M. (2017) Armstrong’s handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 14th edition. New York: Kogan Page Limited.

Arnold, J., Robertson, I. T. &Cooper, C. L. (1991) Work Psychology. London: Pitman.

Luthans, F. (1998) Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.

Maslow, A. (1954) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row

Pink, D. H. (2009) Drive: The surprising truth about workplace motivation. New York: Riverhead Books


Comments

  1. MAHESH KULARATHNADecember 3, 2023 at 8:06 PM

    Yes agreed. Employee motivation is very important for successful organization. It’s the driving force that propels employees towards achieving their goals, which in turn contributes to the organization’s overall success. The basic principles of employee motivation are a sense of purpose, belonging, a positive work environment, autonomy, growth, and recognition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rushini SeneviratneDecember 18, 2023 at 6:44 AM

    Agreed. Employees either get motivate either by intrinsic or extrinsic motivation which may depend on their current situational factors such as which level of needs Maslow's hierarchy they have already achieved and which needs they are motivated towards obtaining. It also goes to show that for some employees, the means of obtaining the needs in the next level are their sole motivational factor for engaging, performing and contributing towards the organization targets.

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