What is Motivation?

    "Motivation is the process of satisfying internal needs through actions and behaviors" (Frunzi 139).
    Motivation is not something a person is born with or without, but rather is something that can be
    enhanced or developed (Hill 85).  "Motivation affects individuals differently, so managers must
    understand the process, theories, and fundamental components of motivation in order to motivate
    effectively" (Frunzi 139).  "To understand motivation, it is also necessary to recognize differences
    among people and be cautious not to assume they share similar preferences" (Catt 136).

Role of Managers in Motivating Employees

    It is the managers primary responsibility to get things done through others" (Frunzi 139).  Effective
    managers get most of their useful information from talking with people (Hill 11).  In order to
    communicate with people for information, managers must give sincere effort and commitment (10).
    Good managers must be good coaches who know how to encourage staff to raise their
    performance at work, improve their knowledge, and realize their full potential (Heller 37).
    Managers must also work with people to solve problems.  "To do this effectively, managers must
    be able to influence what and how other people do things" (Hill 11).  This is a challenge because
    people are unique and have different personalities, needs, goals, desires, and backgrounds.
    Each individual's personality is a result from heredity, upbringing, schooling or lack of it, family and
    friends, work, religion, neighborhoods, and experiences.  As a result, managers must always adapt
    to the employees behavior to take into account the expectations, values, and perceptions of the
    people they are interacting with (Hill 11).

    Managers are also key forces in providing employees with job satisfaction.  When employees do
    not get satisfaction from their jobs, morale drops and absences and lateness increases.  "Employee
    morale involves thoughts, feelings, and sentiments.  Factors that affect morale include the reputation
    or tradition of the organization, management's attitude, job duties, co-workers, communication, and
    employee concerns" (Catt 153).  Job dissatisfaction also makes it difficult for managers to obtain
    employee cooperation and their willingness to accept change (Bittel 252).

    Before a manager can motivate others, a manager, themself, must be motivated.  They must
    exemplify the four C's of motivation:  confidence, commitment, challenge, and competence.  A
    manager must also acknowledge his or her strengths and weaknesses, goals, and expectations
    (Catt 148).  Finally, a manager should never ask others to do a job or task that they would not
    do themselves.

Employee Motivation

    "Employee performance is greatly influenced by the workers expectancy of what the job will provide,
    their attitudes toward personal achievement and advancement, and their wish for harmony in the
    workplace" (Bittel 253).  The amount of opportunity people see in their jobs has a direct relationship
    to their job performance (Hill 95).  More and more people joining the workforce today are looking
    for jobs that not only make money but also have some meaning.  Employees want an opportunity for
    purposeful action and self advancement (Hill 84).  To satisfy the desire to do worthwhile work, a
    good manager gives thought to placing employees on jobs for which they have the most aptitude,
    training, and experience (Bittel 250).  People are willing to put forth the kind of effort that will
    increase productivity if their needs, goals, expectations, and desires are met.

    Many factors influence human motivation.  "People are motivated through expectations for rewards
    they value.  Worker motivation is also influenced by the nature of the job itself, employment
    expectations, and physical as well as the emotional make-up of employees' (Catt 135).

    To increase organizational productivity and employee performance, there are several motivational
    techniques that managers can use.  "Providing employees with information about the work they have
    done is important to future productivity efforts, because workers seem to be better motivated as a
    result" (Catt 86).  Managers must realize that good job performance must be noticed and recognized
    if it is to continue, and poor performance must be corrected if it is going to change (Hill 94).
    "Motivation can also be provided by allowing employees to participate in the goal-setting activities.
    Goals must be conceivable, believable, controllable, measurable, and desirable" (Catt 87).  Allowing
    employees to have some say in regards to the work methods is also one way a manager can
    communicate the belief and trust that the employees are responsible (Hill 89).  "Workers respond
    best when they are given broader responsibilities, encouraged to contribute, and helped to take
    satisfaction in their work" (Catt 13).

    Nonverbal communication can also motivate individuals.  "Managers can show interest in employees
    and what they are doing through expressions of the face or the use of the eyes" (Hill 89).  As the
    expression goes, "It is written all over his face."  Managers can also use intrinsic and extrinsic
    motivators to increase employee performance and productivity.  Intrinsic motivators, such as clean
    restrooms or a nice cafeteria or break room, benefit the employees while on the job.  Extrinsic
    motivators, such as holiday pay, sick leave, and medical/dental plans are best enjoyed by the
    employees when they are away from their job (McCoy 136).  Delegation, job rotation, job
    enrichment, and good listening by manager are also good motivational techniques (Frunzi 160).

Vroom's Expectancy Theory

    "Victor Vroom's Expectancy theory examines motives through the perception of what a person
    believes will happen.  According to the theory, human motivation is affected by anticipated rewards
    and costs" (Frunzi 147).  "Vroom's Expectancy theory argues that work motivation is determined
    by individual beliefs regarding effort/performance relationships and work outcomes.  It posits that
    motivation is a result of a rational calculation" (Hunt 116).  "The theory asserts that motivation is
    based on people's beliefs about the probability that effort will lead to performance (expectancy),
    multiplied by the probability that performance will lead to reward (instrumentality), multiplied by
    the perceived value of the reward (valence) (116+).

        Expectancy - the chance that the effort will positively influence performance of others
        Instrumentality - the probability that performance will lead to a particular outcome
        Valence - the value placed on a desired outcome or result

    The expectancy theory is the perceived value of a reward for accomplishing a goal.  If the person
    perceives the reward to be high, then they will give more effort.  If they perceive the reward to
    be low, then they will give forth minimal effort.  If the reward seems undesirable, it could be
    an example of a de-motivator.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

    "According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which includes basic, safety, social, self-esteem, and
    self-actualization needs, every individual strives to satisfy these needs to some degree.  Maslow
    states that the lower needs must be met before the others can be achieved" (Bittel 147).

            Higher Order Needs: (Hunt 111)

                    Self-actualization - need to fulfill oneself; to grow and use abilities to fullest and most
                                                creative extent

                    Self-esteem - need for esteem of others; respect, prestige, recognition, personal
                                        sense of competence, mastery

            Lower Order Needs:  (Hunt 111)

                    Social - need for love, affection, sense of belongingness in one's relationships with
                                other persons

                    Safety - need for security, protection, and stability in the physical and interpersonal
                                events of day-to-day life

                    Basic - most basic of all human needs; need for biological maintenance; need for
                                food, water, and sustenance

Alderfer's ERG Theory
   This theory is similar to Maslow's Theory because it also deals with human needs.  However,
    the ERG Theory differs from Maslow's theory in three basic respects.  "First, the theory
    collapses Maslow's five need categories into three:  existence needs, relatedness needs, and
    growth needs" (Hunt 112).
            Existence needs - desires for physiological and material well-being
            Relatedness needs - desires for satisfying interpersonal relationships
            Growth needs - desires for continued personal growth and development
    The second difference is that "Maslow's theory argues that individuals progress up the 'needs'
    hierarchy, while the ERG theory emphasizes a unique frustration-regression component"
    (112).  The third difference is that "unlike Maslow's Theory, the ERG Theory contends
    that more than one need may be activated at the same time" (112).

Adams' Equity Theory

    "Equity theory is based on the phenomenon of social comparison.  Adams argues that wen people
    gauge the fairness of their work outcomes relative to others, any perceived inequity is a motivating
    state of mind.  Perceived inequity occurs when someone believes that the rewards received for
    their work contributions compare unfavorably to the rewards other people appear to have received
    for their work.  When such perceived inequity exists, the theory states that people will be
    motivated to act in ways that remove the discomfort and restore a sense of felt equity" (Hunt 115).

            Underpayment (perceived negative inequity) - perceived as a short coming of a reward or
                                                                                  payment in relation to work inputs

            Overpayment (perceive positive inequity) - can produce feeling of guilt from getting more
                                                                             reward or payment for working

Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

    According to Herzberg's Two-Factor (motivation-hygiene) theory, "individuals have positive feelings
    about the organization which employs them if the individual has opportunity for recognition,
    advancement, achievement, and responsibility.  These motivating factors are related to the work
    itself and can increase employee performance" (Frunzi 146).  Herzberg also claims that "hygiene
    factors such as status, working conditions, company policy and administration, money, supervision,
    interpersonal relations, and security do not motivate individuals, but rather prevent job
    dissatisfaction" (147).

McClelland's Acquired Needs Theory
   After research studies, McClelland identified three themes, each corresponding to an underlying
    need that he believes is important for understanding individual behavior. The first theme is that of
    an individual's need for achievement. "This need is the desire to do better, solve problems, or
    master complex tasks" (Hunt 112). The second theme is the need for affiliation, which "is the
    desire for friendly and warm relations with others" (112).  The last theme is that of an individual's
    need for power.  "This need is the desire to control others and influence their behavior " (112).

Ways Managers Can Increase Motivation

• clearly define and be realistic in the expectations of a job or task
• acknowledge good job performance with praise to reinforce desired behaviors
• be sincere and consistent in your motivation techniques
• recognize and understand the employee's needs and point of view

For more information regarding employee motivation, check out this web site:

  http://www.success-motivation.com/concept.html
 

References

Bittel, Lester R. and John W. Newstrom. What Every Supervisor Should Know.  St. Louis:
        McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1990.

Catt, Stephen E. and Donald S. Miller. Human Relations:  A Contemporary Approach.
        Homewood, Illinois:  Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1989.

Frunzi, George L. and Patrick E. Savini. Supervision:  The Art of Management.  Upper
        Saddle River, New Jersey:  Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997.

Heller, Robert.  Communicate Clearly.  New York:  DK Publishing, 1998.

Hill, Norman C.  Increasing Managerial Effectiveness:  Keys to Management and Motivation.
        Menlo Park, Calif.:  Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1979.

Hunt, James G. and Richard N. Osborn and John R. Schermerhorn, Jr.  Organizational
       Behavior.  New York:  John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.

McCoy, Thomas J.  Compensation and Motivation.  New York:  American Management
        Association, 1992.

Motivation in Organizations, http://www.ee.edu.au/~ccroft/em333/lecl.html
 

Biography
    Name:  Michelle Zillmann
    Hometown:  Strong City, Kansas
    Major:  Business Management
    Minors:  Accounting and Computer Information Systems
    Year:  Senior
    Workplace:  Sodexho Marriott Services, Assistant Catering Manager

Return to class home page: http://academic.emporia.edu/smithwil/00fallmg443/home.htm

For questions or comments, mailto:mzillmann@hotmail.com

This page was last updated November 27, 2000.