Motivation

motivation

the willingness to exert persistent levels of effort towards attaining a goal, central to performance,

extrinsic motivators

the desire to perform a task in order to acquire external rewards or to avoid punishment, tangible, visible, contingent on performance of specified behaviors or outcomes

extrinsic motivation effectiveness

effective for short term, routine tasks or to jumpstart engagement in low-interest activities

intrinsic motivators

the desire to perform a task because it will result in personal/internal satisfaction or fulfillment, intangible, not visible, derived from doing the job itself, such as interesting work, self-direction, using your skills

intrinsic motivation effectiveness

superior for long term engagement, creativity, and complex problem solving

combining intrinsic to extrinsic motivation

adding intrinsic to existing extrinsic motivation tends to boost overall motivation,

combining extrinsic to intrinsic

adding extrinsic motivation to existing intrinsic can undermine overall motivation because when performance is tied to rewards, what once felt like fun can start to feel like work instead (buying your behavior decreases motivation)

extrinsic motivation theories

desired behavior (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement), undesired behavior (punishment, extinction), expectancy theory, equity theory

positive reinforcement

rewarding a desired behavior

negative reinforcement

removing an unpleasant conditions in response to a desired behavior

punishment

introducing an aversive condition or removing a pleasant condition in response to an undesired behavior

extinction

curbing behavior because it stops being rewarded (manager ignores the behavior)

dangers with punishment

stirs negative emotions, punishing consistently is challenging, judging the level of severity is a difficult task, punishment can produce a need for concealment

expectancy theory

will my effort lead to the desired performance? (expectancy), will my performance lead to the desired outcome? (instrumentality), is the outcome desirable to me? (valence)

expectancy violations

occur when factors interfere with the links between effort and performance and or performance and rewards, expectancy violations lead to decreases in motivations

expectancy theory manager strategies

clearly define performance standards, make sure standard is achievable, guarantee that meeting the standard will result in promised reward, offer the right reward

equity and fairness

people must believe that the performance outcome link is fair

equity theory

people compare their circumstances with others by evaluating the ratio of what they are getting from a particular situation (outcomes) with what they are contributing to a situation(inputs)

inputs

what you contribute to the organization, time effort, work, commitment, citizenship behavior, loyalty

outcomes

what you receive in exchange for your contribution, extrinsic rewards, such as pay, benefits, job title, status, and symbols

equity

occurs whenever a person perceives that their personal rewards/inputs ratio is equivalent to that of a similar referent

inequity

occurs whenever one’s rewards/input ratio is perceived to be unequal, people try to eliminate the discomfort by trying to restore equity somehow

addressing inequity behaviorally:

changing inputs, changing outcomes, or exit

change inputs:

withhold or decrease effort or work harder to justify greater outcomes

change outcomes

ask for a raise, talk to boss, lawsuit, strike, advocate for comparative referent

exit

stay silent but look for another job

addressing inequity cognitively

rationalize and change referent

distort inputs or outcomes (rationalize)

maybe the referent is actually better than me, maybe im better than I thought

change referent

they are actually more like me, Im about average to other organizations