Motivation Paper

Motivation Paper

Five basic motivation theories have been developed over the years and used in corporations nation-wide to develop and maintain healthy and strong work environments. Motivation is described as “the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person’s effort expended at work” (Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G., & Osborn, R.N., 2005). In the hopes to achieve the best work possible from employees, JAMS Toy Store uses different motivation theories with the three main groups of employees; salespeople, production workers, and administrative staff. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the ERG Theory, the Two-Factor Theory, Equity Theory, and the Expectancy Theory are the five basic motivational theories used for the appropriate group of employees. The following will examine which theory best suits each of the three employee groups, listed above, with the JAMS Toy Store.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory contends “human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied” (Gwynne, 1997). Physiological, safety, love, and esteem needs must be met in order to attain an unselfish attitude or self-actualization. Physiological needs include air, water, and sleep; safety needs are more of a psychological nature and have to do with a desire to feel safe and secure within the home environment; love and a sense of needing to belong needs are fulfilled by being part of a group, whether in the community or at work; esteem needs are met when one is able to excel at a task or receives praise from others. Finally, “the need for self-actualization is the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming” (1997).

The administrative staff at JAMS Toy Store would be fulfilling the love or sense of belonging and esteem needs, and even self-actualization, of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. According to Encarta Dictionary, administer means “to be in charge of, to manage the affairs of a business, organization, or institution” (Encarta, 2005). Employees generally belong to some type of organization, such as Administrative Professionals, National Association of Personnel, or other business-type of organization, thus fulfilling the need to be part of a group. The esteem needs are met when these individuals are recognized by others for the work they have done in developing and implementing new programs that lead to efficiency in the workplace. Once the employees have obtained the sense of belonging and recognition, they are well on their way to achieving all they can be, leading to self-actualization.

ERG (Alderfer)

Clayton Alderfer’s existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) Theory is motivation, based on those three groups of needs. Existence needs reflect all forms of material and psychological desires. Money, for example, would fill the existence need since food and shelter require money. Relatedness needs “center on or is built upon the desire to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships” (nwlink.com, 2005). Coworkers would take up this need since relationships are formed at the workplace. The growth need would push an individual to make productive effects on himself or herself by development. Within the ERG Theory, “an already satisfied lower-level need can become activated when a higher-level need cannot be satisfied” (Schermerhorn, et al., 2005). This means that a not so important need could be the goal when a more important need cannot be reached.

JAMS Toy Store has many employees that are motivated in different ways. Salespeople could use the ERG Theory effectively. People who work in sales strive to do the best they can in order to support themselves and their families. The salespeople that work for JAMS Toy Store are motivated by the three groups of needs that the ERG Theory is based upon. First, the existence need is just that, existence. The need for existence lies in the salespeople’s pay checks. Some may even work on a commission. The more toys in which one sells, the more money he or she might make. The more money he