Chapter 6 Motivation

OB

Motivation

a set of energetic forces that originates both within and outside an employee initiates work related effort and determines its direction, intensity and persistence

direction of effort

what do you do

intensity of effort

how hard do you do it

persistence of effort

how long do you do it

expectancy theory

motivation is fostered when the employee believes three things: effort - performance - reward

expectancy

can be shaped by self efficacy; an individuals belief that he or she is capable of performing a task

past accomplishments

one has performed well at a task previously

vicarious experiences

developing through other peoples performances

verbal persuasion

other people encourage and convince you to perform

emotional cues

experience sensations from their body

instrumentality

the belief that successful performance will result in certain outcomes

instrumentality can be hindered by

inadequate budget to provide outcomes even when performance is high, use of policies that reward things besides performance such as attendance or seniority, time delays in rewarding good performance

valence

anticipated values of outcomes

valence: positive

prefer having the outcome - salary increases bonuses

Valence: negative

prefer not having outcome - disciplinary action, termination

Valence - zero

no interest in outcome either way

Goal setting theory

behavior is a result of conscious goals and intentions

task complexity

vague: i will lose weight

vs.

specific: i will lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks

feedback

easy: i will lose 0.1 pound

vs.

difficult: i will lose 8 pounds

goal commitment

no feedback: without a scale poor performance

vs.

constant feedback: measure your weight regularly increased performance

rewards

the goal achievement to the receipt of monetary or non-monetary rewards

publicity

publicize the goal to significant others and coworkers to create some social pressure to attain it

support

provide supportive supervision to aid employees if they struggle to attain the goal

participation

collaborate on setting the specific proficiency level and due date for a goal so that the employee feels a sense of ownership over the goal

resources

provide the resources needed to attain the goal and remove any constraints that could hold back task efforts

practical considerations of goal setting theory

goals should be specific

certain conditions are necessary for goal setting to work

goals should be linked to action plans

performance feedback and participation in deciding how to achieve goals are necessary but not sufficient for goal setting to work

equity theory

motivation is maximized when an employees ratio of “outcomes to inputs” matches those of some “comparison other” ; thus motivation also depends on the outcomes received by other employees

a sense of equity

each member contributed equally to the project participating in meetings brainstorming sessions and execution of tasks thus all members are rewarded equally

under reward inequity

in a corporate setting a team works collaboratively on a project with each member contributing equally at the recognition ceremony only a few employees receive bonuses for “outstanding contributions” leaving member b feeling undervalued and without a reward

over reward inequity

a team receives a substantial bonus at the end of the year, but member c who contributed very little to the projects receives the same amount as high performing colleagues

five practical lessons from equity and justice theories

employee perceptions are what count

employee want a voice in decisions that affect them

employees should be given an appeals process

leader behavior matters

a climate for justice makes a difference

psychological empowerment

an intrinsic form of motivation derived from the belief that one’s work tasks are contributing to some larger purpose, fostered by four beliefs - meaningfulness, self determination, competence, impact