Three Motivational Theories PDF

Preview

Summary

paper on the Three Motivational Theories in OTB...

Description

Three Motivational Theories

This paper focuses on theories of motivation and their influences on human motivation. Three theories of motivation: Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are discussed. These theories are also compared and contrasted considering their influences on human motivation in the contemporary work setting. Then a theory that best applies to my own personal and developmental journey is analysed. Maslow’s theory Maslow’s theory that was based on the major factor of identifying individual needs. It argues that needs may differ from person to person but for the success of any organization, a manager ought to motivate his employees by satisfying their needs and not his own idea of what their needs are (Lægaard, 2006, p. 55). Notwithstanding, Maslow believed that no matter the differences, there is a hierarchy of needs that cuts across all people. He classified them into five basic needs which are; - Self-actualization needs which indicates the need for people to realize their creative and productive potential, esteem needs referring to the needs for self-respect, appreciation from others and self-esteem. Social needs indicating the need for relationships, friendships and socializing based on emotions. Safety needs indicating the need for physical and psychological stability as well as safety and lastly the physiological needs indicating the primary needs of humans such as food, water and shelter (Lægaard, 2006). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow believed that everyone has a hierarchy of needs, comprising of physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Maslow’s theory of motivation states that people act to fulfill their unmet needs. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the primary human needs are physiological needs: food, shelter, and clothing. Physiological needs and safety are physical needs. Once the physical needs are met, individuals turn to needs that involve relationships with other people, social needs, or needs for acceptance by others and for giving and receiving friendship and love. The esteem needs are needs for the respect of others and for a sense of accomplishment and achievement. These can be satisfied by feelings of self-worth, receiving of praise and recognition from managers and others in the firm. Lastly, at the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy are the needs for self-actualization. This is living up to one’s potential or for using one’s abilities to the maximum. (Gitman, et al., 2018). Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory of motivation is also referred to as a two-factor content theory. This is based upon the simple idea that motivation can be divided into hygiene factors and motivation factors. The key part of this theory of motivation is that the leading motivating factors are in the inherent value and fulfilment gained from the job itself. The theory suggests that to motivate an individual, a job must be challenging, has scope for the enrichment, and must interest the jobholder. (ACCA, n.d.)

Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory in the late 1950s, Herzberg surveyed numerous employees to find out what particular work elements made them feel exceptionally good or bad about their jobs. The results indicated that certain job factors are consistently related to employee job satisfaction, while others can create job dissatisfaction. According to Herzberg, motivating factors (also called job satisfiers) are primarily intrinsic job elements that lead to satisfaction. Hygiene factors (also called job dissatisfies) are extrinsic elements of the work environment. One of the most interesting results of Herzberg’s studies was the implication that the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction. Herzberg theory has increased my understanding of motivation by making it known that proper management of hygiene factors could prevent employee dissatisfaction, but that these factors could not serve as a source of satisfaction or motivation. Good working conditions, for instance, will keep employees at a job but won’t make them work harder. But poor working conditions, which are job dissatisfies, may make employees quit. He classified the motivational factors from a point of satisfaction to dissatisfaction and they included aspects such as; - growth, recognition, responsibility, performance, influence, advancement and meaningful work. He later classified the hygiene factors from a point of dissatisfied to not dissatisfied and they included aspects such as; benefits, job security, pay, management, working conditions, interpersonal relations and personnel policies (Lægaard, 2006, p. 61). Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Vrooms’s expectancy theory stipulates that behavior is a product of available choices to be prioritized. The idea is to derive satisfaction and minimize dissatisfaction in employee’s Independent factors such as personality and skills determine performance (Wagner and Hollenburg, 2007). This theory also explains that performance, motivation, and effort are within an individual’s motivation, and variables such as valence, instrumentality, and expectancy confirms this. The higher the effort in work relates to the higher the performance. Vroom’s model suggested that an individual’s motivation can be calculated by the desire for maximum use of a given behavior. He came up with the formula of achieving this as Motivation = Expectancy X Instrumentality X Valence. This meant that the success of motivation was controlled by the employee’s faith in a positive connection between efforts, success and reward value (Lægaard, 2006). Vroom’s Expectancy theory revealed a connection between rewards and the amount of work that needs to be done to achieve the reward. According to Vroom’s theory, an employee will apply more effort when it is believed that their increased effort will result in a positive reward. For instance, if an employee believes a pay raise or a promotion is imminent once he receives a positive performance appraisal, it is obliged to be motivated to improve their overall job performance. However, if the employee receives no reward following a positive appraisal, it will result to demotivation. Following this trend, managers will be able to predict performance and

employees will also know their position in the organization if standards are established and expectations are delivered consistently (Bowman, 2016), a useful approach to the understanding of motivation.

COMPARISON OF THESE THEORIES The three theories have differences in the fact that Maslow’s theory was based on inner motivation of needs of individual’s whereas the Herzberg theory was based on the outer motivation of needs of individuals. The expectancy theory on the other hand had a rational scientific approach to it bringing a unique perspective of motivation in employees. Maslow’s theory also had a focus on the humanist perspective whereas the Herzberg theory had a focus that relied on the organization and what it would offer for employee motivation. Arguably, these theories had their own unique contribution to shaping human motivation in organizations today but they all had their own weaknesses and downfalls that failed to address the matter fully.

As suggested by Victor Vroom and unlike Maslow’ theory, the expectancy theory of motivation does not focus on needs but concentrates in the results. When Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory concentrates on the association of internal needs of an individual and the expected effort needed to satisfy them such as time and money, Vroom puts apart effort (a result of motivation), performance, and results/outcome. Compare and Contrast Maslow's Theory of Needs with Vroom's Expectancy Theory - MBA Knowledge Base (mbaknol.com) The first similarity is that both of these theories suggest that motivators have to be in place for employees to be motivated. Similarly, both theories also agree on many of the factors that motivate staff, such as recognition put in any other examples here too as you have said they agree on many factors. There are some further similarities when considering de-motivation. Both Vroom and Herzberg agree that there are factors, separate from those that cause motivation, which cause people to be de-motivated, although they are not the same. Herzberg uses hygiene factors to describe what de-motivates people at work. However, Vroom suggests that factors that cause demotivation are outcomes that people want to avoid like stress. Similarly, both agree that there is a point where there is no motivation and no de-motivation. Compare and Contrast Herzberg's Two Factor Theory with Vroom's Expectancy Theory of Motivation - MBA Knowledge Base (mbaknol.com)

The theory I choose I feel that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs applies directly to my personal and developmental journey, as my own needs are constantly changing. It makes sense to think that once a need is met, we desire another need. One cannot be motivated by the same factors over and over, forever. Maslow’s Theory understood these truths in our lives and that’s the beauty of his theory of motivation.

As one needs is met, we desire other needs. We all think of ourselves as having various needs—the need for food, for example or the need for companionship— that influence our choices and behaviours. I would be interested in growth and individual development. I would also need to be skilled at what I do. I may demand a challenging job, an opportunity to complete further education, increased freedom from supervision, or autonomy to define my processes for meeting organizational objectives.

Conclusion Motivation is very much needed for employees in an organization to be productive, and management or leadership style has an important role to play. Motivation is not always based on financial rewards, but nonfinancial rewards methods can also be used to derive the best out of employees. Although individuals have their expectations, it is the leadership’s responsibility to develop and align with suitable theories to bring job satisfaction to their employees. However, there is no single reliable theory to be used. A mixture of them can be utilized. In terms of empowering the workforce, employees should be encouraged and given a platform to voice out their concerns on how they can be motivated. Rewards and promotions following performance appraisals may be used to boost employee’s morale as well as feedback. All employees should understand the company’s vision and goals and work together towards those. In some organizations, workers perform their duties in an assembly whereby if a certain section of employees is affected it will affect the whole plant. Employees perform their duties diligently if they are inspired and motivated as the results will always be positive with efficient production. Results-oriented organizations will go all the way to motivate their employees for them to reach their goals.

References Gitman, L. J., McDaniel, C., Shah, A., Reece, M., Koffel, L., Talsma, B., & Hyatt, J. C. (2018, September 18). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved September 21, 2020, from https://opentextbc.ca/businessopenstax/chapter/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/

Wagner, J.A. & Hollenburg, J.R. 2007. Organizational Behaviour. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle: PrenticeHall. Herzberg’s Motivation Theory – Two Factor Theory. (2018, December 3). Retrieved from https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/04/herzbergs-two-factor theory/

Laegaard, J. & Bindslev, M. (2006). Organizational theory, 1st ed. Ventus Publishing & Bookboon.com.

Bowman R. (2016). Motivation Theory and Practice: Equity Theory vs. Expectancy Theory. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/motivationtheory-practiceequity-vs-expectancy-rodric...