Motivation Paper

Employee Motivation

What motivates employees today? This is an increasing concern to managers today because the definition of motivation is a very complex. One cannot actually define motivation but can give theories to better explain it. In this paper, I am going to talk about some of the major theories and factors that affect motivation at the job.

The first theory is the two-factor theory which was suggested by Fred Herzberg. “Herzberg was one of the first to suggest a model of the motivational properties of task design based on his two-factor theory of satisfaction.” (Mowday & Steers) The study he conducted found that factors that led to satisfaction were different from those factors that led to dissatisfaction. For Herzberg’s theory the two factors that effect motivation in the workforce are motivator factors and hygiene factors. Motivator factors, which were determined to be the satisfiers, dealt with the content of the job such as advancement, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. The dissatisfiers or hygiene factors pertained to job security, policies, working conditions, relationships with personnel. So according to Mowday and Steers, if one wishes to improve motivation and satisfaction, jobs should be designed to allow greater scope for personal achievement and recognition, more challenging and responsible work, and increased opportunities for advancement and growth.

The second theory is the expectancy theory which explains motivation based on the employee receiving rewards. The most widely used version of the expectancy theory is that suggested by Victor Vroom. Vroom proposed three factors related to this theory. The first factor is the effort-performance expectancy, which is when the employee believes that the effort he contributes will produce a preferred level of performance. The second is the performance-outcome expectancy, which means that the employee believes that the level of performance given will result in a desired reward or outcome. The last factor of Vroom’s model is valence or what value the employee puts on the effort, performance, and outcome. The employee must then rate each factor depending on its attractiveness with +1.0 being highly attractive or -1.0 being highly unattractive. “This value can then be multiplied by the associated valence to yield a summary index of the psychological force on an individual to exert effort.” (Vecchio p77) The closer the number to +1.0 indicates full assurance that the event will take place. According to Mowday and Steers, the expectancy theory appears to offer a conceptual richness that facilitates better understanding of how task design influences employee motivation.

The third and one of the more early theories of motivation is the achievement motivation theory. This theory is best explained by David McClelland. McClelland focused on three different needs: the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. His studies show that people who are involved in situations that have a moderate risk, don’t rely on luck, and want feedback on how their doing tend to have a high need for achievement. Although having a high need for achievement is good in some cases, it will in other cases, result in that individual to alienate themselves and have a harder time getting along with co-workers. “Individuals who have a high need for affiliation tend to be warm and friendly in their relationships.” (Vecchio p71) This may appear to be a good thing but if this need is not balanced with achievement and power, one might be concerned with the chance of ineffectiveness being high. Vecchio states that managers should also have a reasonably high need for power in order to function effectively as leaders. It is said that if a manager does not have high level of needs, one can gain more by participating in training programs. “The results of such programs have reportedly been successful; participants are likely to have greater subsequent success in their careers, as measured by rates of promotion, salary progress, and business expansion.” (Vecchio p72)

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the fourth theory. I wanted to talk about Abraham Maslow because according to Gallagher Jr. and Einhorn, he is probably the most influential theorist is this area. “According to Maslow, needs can be classified into a hierarchy, with the needs that are lower in the hierarchy being more essential to survival.” (Vecchio p72) In his hierarchy of needs the first to be fulfilled is physiological needs, such as food and water, the basics or necessities. After the first is fulfilled one can move up the hierarchy and it is to be known that one does not have to completely fulfill each need, just enough to move on to the next. The next need is the