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The Art of Motivation

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The Art of Motivation: It’s Affects and Applications
Part I. Definition and Importance of Motivation Before delving into the topics of motivational theories, the affects of motivation, and motivational tools, etc., it is important to first define motivation and explain why the subject of motivation is so important in the organizational setting today.
Motivation Defined The topic of motivation is not something new. For decades, scholars, researchers, theorists, psychologists, and organizational leaders have studied this phenomenon which has produced (quite possibly) hundreds of definitions of motivation. The following three definitions are cited to provide insight into the meaning of motivation. • Motivation is how …show more content…

For instance, some cultures appear to place social needs before any other needs. Also, there is little evidence to suggest that people are motivated to satisfy only one need level at a time, except in situations where there is a conflict between needs (Petri and Govern). Even though Maslow’s hierarchy model lacks scientific support, it is quite well-known and is the first theory of motivation to which many people are exposed. To address some of the issues of Maslow’s theory, Clayton Alderfer developed the ERG theory, a needs-based model that is more consistent with empirical findings.
Alderfer’s ERG Theory To address some of the limitations of Maslow’s theory, Clayton Alderfer developed the ERG theory. Like Maslow’s theory, the ERG theory describes needs as a hierarchy. The letters ERG stand for three levels of needs: Existence, Relatedness, and Growth. Like Maslow’s theory, the ERG theory is hierarchical – existence needs have priority over relatedness needs, which have priority over growth. However, unlike Maslow’s theory, the ERG theory allows for different levels of need to be pursued simultaneously. The ERG theory also allows the order of the needs to be different for different people. The final difference is that the ERG theory acknowledges that if a higher level need remains unfulfilled, the person may regress to lower level needs that appear easier to satisfy. This is known as the frustration-regression principle (O’Neill

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