What is Motivation? Motivation is the force that makes us do things: this is a result of our individual needs being satisfied (or met) so that we have inspiration to complete the task.
These needs vary from person to person as everybody has their individual needs to motivate themselves. Depending on how motivated we are, it may further determine the effort we put into our work and therefore increase the standard of the output.
When we suggest factors (or needs) that determine the motivation of employees in the workplace, almost everyone would immediately think of a high salary. This answer is correct for the reason that some employees will be motivated by money, but mostly wrong for the reason that it does not satisfy others (to
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Without going into the fine details and depth of all the motivational theory, we will use Fredrick Herzberg's (1966) research to outline the main issues concerning motivation. In 1966, Herzberg interviewed a number of people in different professions at different levels to find out two things:
Those factors that MOTIVATED them in the workplace
These were identified as factors that gave employees an incentive to work resulting in job satisfaction. They are also referred to as 'motivators'. These motivators increased the job satisfaction of the employee and further increased their efficiency.
Those factors that PREVENTED JOB DISSATISFACTION
These were identified as factors that prevented job dissatisfaction. These did not make the employees happy (or have job satisfaction): it just removed the unhappiness out of working. They are also referred to as 'hygiene' factors. Such hygiene factors, if not satisfied, had an effect of reduced employee efficiency.
Herzberg believed that all factors fell into one of these categories and therefore had separate consequences. His research concluded that some factors fell into both categories although they held a stronger position in one of them.
7 motivational strategies
1. Team Work
Skillful managers form work groups when possible with the hope that peer pressure will induce high levels of performance. This is reported to be an effective means of motivation
Motivation is having a reason or reasons to act/behave in a particular way. It creates “drive” in people whether it is in pursuit of a goal, or the need to complete an activity. It produces enthusiasm and a willingness to achieve in both a work environment and in your personal life. Motivation can be increased and decreased in line with the incentives on offer.
Motivation is derived from an internal force that provides an individual the opportunity to achieve their needs or goals. People are motivated by a variety of things and often have different motivating factors. Employers should be mindful of individual motivating factors when attempting to motivate staff to increase performance. While some people may be motivated by money, many are motivated by things like: recognition, promotion, and increased responsibility. Once an employer has identified motivating factors they are able to analyze a variety of motivational theories to design and implement a program that will motivate employees to go above and beyond what is expected of them.
Factors such as recognition, achievement, advancement, and growth can trigger motivation. They call these factors motivators. Motivators, such as salary, working condition, status, and security are called hygiene factors, which tend to eliminate dissatisfaction" (Robbins, 1996).
Motivation is a very broad term that is discussed in a variety of settings. There is the motivation to perform in a business setting, the motivation to perform on the field of competition, the motivation to provide for friends and family, and the motivation to accomplish goals that have been set. These are all various motivations that any one person can be involved with at any time. According to Maslow, motivation always exists within a person and in various forms, “...motivation is constant, never ending, fluctuating, and complex, and that it is an almost universal characteristic of practically every organismic state of affairs” (Maslow, 1954). As complex as motivation seems, it is everyone’s intention to identify their personal
A successful motivational program recognizes these factors and combines awards, recognition, and peer pressure. To even further maximize full potential, managers should personalize these incentives based on the employee’s interests, hobbies, and recreational activities (Boe, 2011). This is consistent with the ERG theory developed by Clayton
There are very many factors that motivate employees to do outstanding work in their jobs. Though most of them are non-monetary factors like participative decision making, work teams, challenging jobs, goals in life or in the company, power and other factors. Most of the employees that emerge in their workplace, either in a small cubicle or a mega office have got some drive that enable them to perform in their work, but the key question is, is money is the key motivation in their workplace? In this essay both sides will be argued in order to find the answer to this (Robbins, Odendaal & Roodt, 2003).
In most organisation, money is often seen as a prime motivator for employee in the government and corporate sectors. It empowers them to perform better and contribute to the organisation objective goals and productivity, however, following the shifting of economic conditions and social values, people's desire is dramatically changing. Most employee may feel that they are affected by internal and external
Motivation is the reason or purpose behind action, or what causes one to act in
Motivation in the workplace is one of the major concerns that managers face when trying to encourage their employees to work harder and do what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis. According to Organizational Behavior by John R. Schermerhorn, James G. Hunt and Richard N. Osborn the definition of motivation is "the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person's effort expended at work." They go on to say that "motivation is a key concern in firms across the globe." Through the years there have been several theories as to what motivates employees to do their best at work. In order to better understand these theories we will apply them to a fictitious organization that has the following
There are several different ways an employer can motivate their employee's: job design & goals, performance appraisal, pay, and career development.
While Motivation factors are related to the ability to achieve and experience psychological growth such as achievement, recognition, participation, involvement, delegation, autonomy and other intrinsic aspects when fulfilled generate motivation in the employees.
According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are distinctly different from those that lead to job-dissatisfaction. Therefore, the managers who seek to eliminate factors that create job-dissatisfaction can bring about peace at the workplace but cannot motivate the employees. These factors are termed as hygiene factors comprising administration, supervision, working conditions, salary and wages etc. While absence of hygiene factors will lead to dissatisfaction, mere presence of these factors will not satisfy (i.e. motivate) the employees. In order to motivate the employees, managers must resort to ‘motivators’ (those factors that motivate the employees towards better performance) such as recognition, challenging assignment, responsibility, opportunities for growth and self-fulfillment etc.
Consistent with Herzberg 's two-factor theory, work that is perceived by employees as meaningful, satisfying, and significant is a strong predictor of employee motivation. Discuss management 's role in designing job content that supports job satisfaction in the context of Herzberg 's theory.
They are also referred to as 'motivators'. These motivators increased the job satisfaction of the employee and further increased their efficiency. These factors prevent job dissatisfaction. These did not make the employees happy (or have job satisfaction): it just removed the unhappiness out of working. They are also referred to as 'hygiene' factors. Such hygiene factors, if not satisfied, had an effect of reduced employee efficiency.
One of the first authors that dealt with the sources of motivation was Frederick Taylor who focussed on the overall productivity of an organisation. He linked this productivity to the effort an employee puts into their work which in turn is dependent on monetary rewards (Taylor, 1911). This theory was established in the context of the industrial age and thus is outdated for today’s analysis but it still provides a basic assumption which is often referred to by other authors. The total neglecting of a worker’s intrinsic motivators is a starting point for discussion for authors that conducted research in that area after Taylor.