MGT Ch 5

Chapter Five: Foundations of Employee Motivation

Learning Objectives

• Understand the concept of motivation and its underlying mechanisms that drive individuals in a work environment.

• Define motivation in the context of employee behavior and how it affects performance, job satisfaction, and overall organizational effectiveness.

• Explore key theories of motivation that provide insights into human behavior:

  • Four-Drive Theory: Identifies the core human drives that influence behavior.

  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A framework illustrating how basic needs must be satisfied before higher-order needs can motivate.

• Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, elucidating their roles and impact on employees.

• Understand Learned Needs Theory, which explains how personal needs evolve based on experiences and social norms.

• Learn about the Expectancy Theory model, a motivational theory that highlights the importance of perceived outcomes in determining effort and performance:

  • Improve employee motivation using the model’s comprehensive framework.

• Describe Organizational Behavior Modification (OB Mod) and its implications for enhancing motivation and behavior in a workplace setting.

• Identify characteristics of effective goal-setting and feedback mechanisms that can amplify motivation and performance.

• Understand the impact of equity theory and various forms of justice on employee motivation, emphasizing fairness in the workplace.

Employee Motivation Defined

Employee motivation is influenced by three primary forces within a person:

• Direction: Indicates the goal or outcome of one's efforts, guiding decision-making and behavior.

• Intensity: Refers to the amount of energy and effort expended in pursuing the goal, which can vary based on individual motivation levels.

• Persistence: Represents the duration of effort maintained over time, a critical factor in achieving long-term objectives and overcoming challenges.

Employee Drives and Needs

Human Drives:

• Innate brain activities trigger emotions that drive individuals to address deficiencies or maintain a state of equilibrium.

• Common drives that motivate behavior include basic emotional responses, curiosity, and the desire for social connections.

Human Needs:

• These are goal-directed forces that channel emotional energy toward specific objectives, heavily influenced by self-concept, social norms, and past experiences.

• Individual differences result in a diverse range of needs, illustrating the complex nature of human motivation.

Four Drive Theory

The Four Drive Theory posits four fundamental drives:

• Drive to Acquire: The desire to seek and retain valuable objects or experiences, extending beyond material possessions to include recognition and status.

• Drive to Bond: Reflects the essential need for social relationships, fostering mutual commitments and affiliations within the workplace.

• Drive to Comprehend: Represents the intrinsic desire to satisfy curiosity and understand one's environment, leading to deeper engagement and learning.

• Drive to Defend: Highlights the protective instincts related to social and physical aspects, influencing behavior in moments of perceived threat.

How Drives Motivate Behavior

• Emotional Tagging: DState of Readiness: Emotions create a mrives create emotional associations with sensory experiences, effectively linking feelings with actions taken.

• otivational state that evolves into conscious needs, driving action.

• Mental Skill Set Role: Emotional responses guide motivation and channel it into goal-oriented choices, crucial for achieving success.

Practical Implications of Four Drive Theory

• An effective workplace strategy addresses all four drives:

  • Balancing the fulfillment of these drives to create a harmonious work environment.

Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory

• Organized into seven categories, emphasizing a five-tier their hierarchical structure of needs:

  • Hierarchy: The lowest unmet needs exert the strongest motivational influence, compelling individuals to seek satisfaction of these needs prior to addressing higher-order needs.

  • Self-Actualization: The realization of personal potential, which is a continuous process that is only temporarily satiated based on individual goals and aspirations.

• Limitations: While impactful, the theory has empirical support challenges, as needs may vary greatly between individuals and situations.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic Motivation: Originates from fulfilling internal needs such as competence, autonomy, and personal growth, leading to higher engagement and satisfaction.

• Extrinsic Motivation: Driven by external rewards, including salary, bonuses, and recognition; however, excessive focus on extrinsic factors may diminish intrinsic motivation.

Learned Needs Theory

• This theory posits that needs can be shaped based on:

  • Self-concept and social interactions within various contexts.

• Three Primary Needs studied:

  • Need for Achievement (nAch): The pursuit of accomplishment, requiring clear feedback and personal achievement.

  • Need for Affiliation (nAff): The desire for social approval and meaningful connections, coupled with an avoidance of conflict.

  • Need for Power (nPow): The pursuit of control and influence over others or within a social context, which can serve personal or social ends.

Expectancy Theory of Motivation

Components:

• E-to-P Expectancy: The belief that one's effort will lead to desired performance outcomes.

• P-to-O Expectancy: The perceived link between performance and associated outcomes, such as rewards or recognition.

• Outcome Valences: The value placed on outcomes, which varies based on individual preferences and experiences.

Effective Application of Expectancy Theory

• To optimize motivation, organizations can:

  • Increase expectancies by hiring individuals whose skills align with job requirements and providing thorough training.

  • Offer the necessary resources and ongoing coaching to employees.

  • Implement clear performance metrics with transparent links to rewards, enhancing the impact of performance on motivation.

A-B-Cs of Behavior Modification

• Antecedents: Triggers that precede behavior and can be manipulated to influence outcomes.

• Behavior: Actions undertaken by individuals as responses to antecedents.

• Consequences: Outcomes that result from behavior, which can shape future actions through reinforcement.

Reinforcement Contingencies and Schedules

OB Mod Consequences:

• Reinforcement Techniques: Positive reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and negative reinforcement can be used to shape behavior.

• Schedules of Reinforcement: Include strategies like continuous reinforcement versus variable ratio schedules to optimize behavior outcomes.

Social Cognitive Theory

• Promotes learning through observation, emphasizing the significance of modeling behaviors:

  • Learning through Observation: Understanding outcomes by watching the behaviors and outcomes of others.

  • Behavioral Modeling: The process of imitating the actions and strategies of successful individuals.

  • Self-Regulation: Involves setting personal goals and reinforcing personal achievements to motivate oneself.

Effective Goal Setting Features

Characteristics of effective goal setting involve:

• Specific: Clear expectations that guide task performance.

• Measurable: Defined metrics that facilitate the assessment of progress and performance.

• Achievable: Goals must be realistic to promote acceptance and commitment.

• Relevant: Goals should empower individuals, allowing for control over their achievement.

• Time-framed: Establishing deadlines to encourage timely completion of tasks.

• Exciting: Goals should be motivating, fostering genuine commitment rather than mere compliance.

• Reviewed: Ongoing feedback mechanisms that provide constructive insights to guide progress.

Characteristics of Effective Feedback

• Specific: Feedback should focus on observable behaviors or outcomes for clarity.

• Relevant: Ensure feedback is meaningful and within the employee's control to act upon.

• Timely: Present feedback as soon as possible after the performance event to enhance learning.

• Credible: Ensure source reliability and trustworthiness in feedback.

• Sufficiently Frequent: Feedback should be provided regularly, especially for learners, and aligned with task cycles.

Strengths-Based Coaching

• Emphasizes the identification and utilization of employee strengths:

  • Engaging employees in discussions about their strengths and how to overcome barriers to success.

  • Motivating employees through positive reinforcement and feedback focused on their strengths rather than flaws.

Sources of Feedback

• Nonsocial Sources: Automated feedback systems that provide consistent data.

• Social Sources: Direct feedback from managers, peers, and customers, enhancing interpersonal dynamics.

• Multisource Feedback: A comprehensive approach to feedback that incorporates diverse perspectives for a holistic view of performance.

Organizational Justice

• Encompasses fair application of rules across the organization:

  • Types: Including distributive, procedural, and interactional justice, each impacting employee perceptions and motivation significantly.

Equity Theory Model

• Evaluation of fairness based on outcome/input ratios:

  • Assess perspectives by comparing personal outcomes and inputs with those of others, informing perceptions of equity and motivation.

How Inequity Motivates Behavior

• Inequity Tension: A state that arises from perceived inequities, motivating individuals to take corrective actions.

  • Individuals might adjust inputs (effort), outcomes (rewards), or perceptions of fairness to address their feelings of inequity.

Procedural Justice Rules

• Emphasizes fair decision-making that considers the interests of all stakeholders:

  • Features include consistency, transparency, and the opportunity for employee input into decisions.

Interactional Justice Rules

• Stress the importance of respectful treatment and thorough explanations in the decision-making process, contributing to a fair workplace environment.