Business 2.4

Motivation

-the desire, effort, and passion to achieve something

-the willingness to complete a task or job with enthusiasm

-getting someone to do something you want

-wanting to do something for yourself for a particular reason

Benefits to increased worker motivation

-higher morale and job satisfaction (improved productivity and quality)

-improves corporate image (attracts customers and potential employees)

-better working relations (better culture and less conflict in the workplace)

-lower staff turnover (reduces the costs of hiring staff)

-lower absenteeism (staff incentives to show up for work)

-higher profits (generated from all the above factors)

Warning signs of poor motivation in the workplace

-high absenteeism rates

-high labor turnover rates

-high wastage level

-low quality output

-increasing number of customer complaints

-poor punctuality

-increasing number of disciplinary problems

Intrinsic Motivation

The internal drive that forces a person to engage in an activity or behavior for its own sake, rather than for external rewards or pressures

-none rewards

-want to do better

Extrinsic Motivation

The drive to engage in a behavior or activity primarily because of external rewards or the avoidance of punishment, rather than because the activity itself is enjoyable

-through rewards

-no punishment

Taylor (main idea)

-employees are primarily motivated by money (only theorist that says people are motivated by money)

-advocated the use of piece-rate pay systems (more you produce the more money you make)

-higher productivity can be accomplished by setting output and efficiency targets relayed to pay

Taylor (managemnet and tasks)

-autocratic management style - manager’s role to plan, direct, and control all tasks

-repetitive tasks - division of labor and specialization (really good at doing something so you continue to do it and get better)

-motivation is subjective (driven by personal feelings and values)

-rewarding work is objective (measurable outcomes)

Tylor (piece rate system)

-a payment system

-incentive system to reward highly productive workers

-worker receives payment based on a standard level of output and receives another rate if the worker exceeds that level

-workers should be scientifically selected for jobs based on ability, not social circles (skill over personality)

Criticism of Taylor

-ignores the non-physical contributions of workers (mental contributions)

-difficult to measure output of certain professions

-people are not only motivated by money (ignores non-financial factors of motivation)

-workers dislike autocratic style of leadership and want to have a say in how things are done

-repetitive and monotonous tasks can lead to job dissatisfaction

Positives of Taylor

-many developing countries around the world in industrial sector of economy

-safe to say that the more you are paid, the harder you will work

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

-focused on the psychological (emotional and mental) needs of workers

-believed that people are motivated by more than just money

-needs must be met to motivate employees (and to proceed to higher levels)

-suggested that businesses offer incentives to workers in order for them to fulfill each level of need in sequence

Maslow’s Triangle

workers need to be satisfied with lower-level needs before they can progress to higher level needs

physiological needs

-survival needs: food, water (how much money a person earn can determine how well survival needs can be met)

security needs

-safety needs: predictability, daily structure, protection from harm, job security, sick pay, maternity leave, retirement

social needs

-love and belong needs: acceptance and loved, opportunities for interaction, teamwork, anti-discrimination

esteem needs

-ego needs: desires for recognition, self-respect, internal or external, job titles, praise, positive reinforcement, internal promotion of staff, training/development

self-actualization

-the forces that drive a person to be the best that they can be; democratic outlook

-opportunities for personal development and promotion

Criticism of Maslow

-may not be feasible for an organization to motivate all workers up the hierarchy

-levels of need are difficult to measure

-making assumptions that everyone follows the same order

-no explanation of what motivates people once they have achieved self-actualization

Positives of Maslow

-knowing employee needs can help businesses put strategies in place to motivated employees

-if an employee doesn’t meet a lower need, it is safe to say it might be difficult to truly motivate him/her to be as productive as possible

Herzberg's Two Factor Theory

-investigated the factors that cause satisfaction and dissatisfaction at work

-focused on the psychological aspects of work

-studied high level jobs; engineers and accountants

-research concluded that there are two factors affecting the level of motivation in the workplace: HYGIENE FACTORS and MOTIVATORS

Herzberg Hygiene Factors (maintenance factors)

-mainly physical aspects

-the aspects of work that do not motivate but must be met to prevent dissatisfaction

-the factors that meet people’s basic needs

-can cause dissatisfaction if they fall below an acceptable level

-Examples: organizational rules, regulations, policies, supervision, pay (pay doesn’t motivate but needs to be acceptable)

-hygiene factors become an expectation and are taken for granted, so they do not motivate an employee to work any harder

Herzberg Motivators

-intrinsic motivation

-job empowerment (more autonomy to make choices) connects to Maslow’s esteem needs

-job enrichment (more challenge)

-growth opportunities (promotion, advancement) connects to Maslow’s esteem into self-actualization

-recognition / praise (connects to Maslow’s esteem)

Criticism of Herzberg

-does not apply to all occupations, especially those in low-skilled and low-paid jobs where job enrichment and job empowerment are not a feature of the work

-findings may not be representative to less skilled workers since he only studied accountants and engineers

-some employees do not want enriched jobs because it involves extra responsibilities and stress

-does not look at team work as a motivator

McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory

employees have 3 needs that influence motivation

-achievement (success)

-affiliation (social)

-power

-all are present in most people, but intensity of each will differe

Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory

two types of motivation exist

-autonomous (intrinsic)

-controlled (extrinsic)

three sets of needs

-competence

-relatedness

-autonomy

Autonomous (intrinsic)

free will and choice in what you are doing

-comes from within

-you do something because it’s interesting, enjoyable, or personally meaningful

-no reward

Controlled (extrinsic)

motivated by a reward or avoidance of punishment

-comes from external pressure

-motivated by rewards, praise, deadlines, or avoiding punishment

-less sense of choice

Deci and Ryan Competence

THE NEED TO FEEL EFFECTIVE AND CAPABLE

-self-satisfaction when individuals feel competent

-employees gain confidence to take on new challenges

-managers should avoid putting employees in situations where they are likely to fail

-managers should nurture confidence by giving suitable and more challenging as competence grows

Deci and Ryan Relatedness

THE NEED TO FEEL CONNECTED TO AND CARED FOR BY OTHERS

-individuals feel the need to be connected to others in the workplace

-managers should foster a teamwork, encourage collaboration, and build a culture of mutual support

Deci and Ryan Autonomy

THE NEED TO FEEL IN CONTROL OF OUR ACTIONS AND DECISIONS
-having a sense of control over what you are doing

-managers should give employees choice when possible

Deci and Ryan Conclusion

-when three needs are met, employees’ sense of autonomous motivation should increase

-intrinsic and extrinsic motivation do not always conflict

-employees only motivated through controlled methods tend to have less sense of purpose or motivation

Adam’s Equity Theory

-employees will be motivated when they perceive that balance exosts between their inputs into a business and their outputs from it