The motivation of employees is a widely studied and interesting topic. Many organization’s both large and small alike continually ask the question “What must we do to increase office motivation?” If jobs are the building blocks of organizational structures, then motivation is the super glue that holds the organization together. For organizations to move forward in their industries all employees from the top to the bottom must be motivated. Motivation is described as the process of starting, directing, and maintaining physical and psychological activities. (Duening & Ivancevich, 2006) Motivation embraces the ideas of preference to activities, the idea of enthusiasm and vigor of responses as well as perspective of organized action toward goals. Many theories have been created on how best to motivate employees, however the most common theories stem from the concept of human needs.
Managers and Motivation
People spend a considerable amount of their lives working, due to this idea many would like to be rewarded in some way with what they do. Motivation primarily deals with why people do things as well as what drives them to behave in a specific way. Many studies have been completed and one common thread links all of them. Motivated employees are happier at work. Motivated employees have higher self-efficacy, they are absent less often, and they tend to be more productive and strive to maintain a higher level of excellence. This in turn encourages them to contribute more to the development of an organization.
Literature Review
Many behavioral scientist believe that humans are motivated by the desire to satisfy needs. (Duening & Ivancevich, 2006) Abraham Maslow developed a theory highlighting five levels of needs, physiological, sa...
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...ivation where everyone feels valued.
Conclusions and Future Study
In conclusion, the concept of motivation is will always be a major discussion topic for managers. The key to motivation as we currently know based on research is that we must satisfy needs. Motivation is intrinsic and extrinsic. As managers our job is to play a role in the choice, competence, meaningfulness and progress of our employees. (Duening & Ivancevich, 2006) As we become more familiar with our employees behaviors we can make better decisions on how to motivate them. Herzberg, McClelland, Musselwhite, Bulter and Waldrop, have explored this concept in great detail, however they all have one commonality; successful motivation makes your job more enriching. Employees want to come to work, they are more productive and they are more successful, which in turn makes the organization more successful.
Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
People spend an extensive part of their lives at work, so it is not astonishing that they expect to be rewarded and fulfilled with the job that they do. Motivation is concerned with why people do things as well as what drives them to act in a particular way. Understanding what motivates an individual is important in a workplace. Motivated employees are happier at work. They get more satisfaction from their work, they are absent less frequently, and work with more enthusiasm. This encourages them to contribute more, hence increasing the productivity in the organization. Unmotivated workers will not be as contented with their position in the work environment as motivated workers. The job might not be as important for them which may lead to a poor performance, which will lead to less efficiency and hence to poor productivity.
Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes one’s duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each, as well as how these theories can be used to further strengthen and sustain worker motivation....
Motivation is an important concept which is critical for understanding of and improvement in organizational behaviour and performance. It is therefore important for the managers to understand motivation. It is an important tool which they can use to get more out of their employees and increase organizational performance. Motivation can be defined as the factors, both internal as well as external which arouse in individuals the desire and commitment for a job (Mele, 2005, p. 15). Organizational performance on the other hand refers to the degree to which the organizational objectives have been achieved.
Robbins and Judge define motivation by means of three elements. The first element is defined as being the process that account for an individual’s intensity which is concerned with how hard a person tries. The second element is direction that benefits the organization and the third element is persistence which is a measure of how long a person can maintain effort. Motivation is also driven by certain situations that vary between individuals and within individuals, at different times. (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p.186) These elements should not only be expected from employees but from managers as well.
Motivation is key in the workplace. It is developed from the collaboration of both conscious and unconscious principles such as the strength of desire or need, motivating force or reward estimation of the objective, and desires of the person and of his or her peers/co-workers. These elements are the reasons one has for carrying on a specific way. An illustration is an understudy that invests additional energy contemplating for a test since he or she needs a superior review in the class. The Inside and outside principles that animate want and vitality in individuals to be constantly intrigued and centered around their work, part or subject, or to try to achieve an objective.
The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. But that’s easier said than done! Motivation practice and theory are difficult subject, touching on several disciplines.
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of basic human needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory suggests that embedded in the very nature of each human being are certain needs that must be attained in order for a person to be whole physically, psychologically, and emotionally. First, there are phys...
Motivation is best defined as the needs, wants, and beliefs that drive an individual. It is the basis of what people work for and keeps them doing things they otherwise would never do. People act in a whole new manner when they are motivated by something. Motivation gives them a whole new perception of the task at hand. Motivation is not always positive though, and it does not always just come from one place, for example, your boss. Motivation can be negative by not receiving something, and contrary to popular belief it is not always money that motivates people to do what they do. People have different needs, wants, and desires and the finding what is most important to those individuals is the key to motivation. People and companies have used countless techniques and approaches to motivate others and employees, but what works for one person does not necessarily work for the other.
Motivation is the process of getting someone to act on a particular situation. According to (Adelhardt, S, K. 2015, December 2) lack of motivation in the workplace is the most problematic subject for all managers, because it leads to decreasing productivity, performance and yet it increases the chances of employee resignation. Many employers suppose that managers these days are struggling to motivate their employees due to lack of significantly vital experience as well as knowledge in the employee engagement developing process. One of the successful strategies that managers can use to increase employee inspiration is by offering an attractive remuneration and benefits to their employees. Remuneration and benefits such as an extrinsic bonus
Motivation is the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximizing employee’s motivation is a necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organization’s targets and objectives. However, this is a considerable challenge to any organizations managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that, there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins,2002).
Motivation, as defined in class, is the energy and commitment a person is prepared to dedicate to a task. In most of organisations, motivation is one of the most troublesome problems. Motivation is about the intensity, direction and persistence of reaching a goal. During the class, we have learned a substantial theories of motivation and many theories of motivations are used in real business. Each theory seems to have different basic values. But, they all have been analysed for one reason, recognising what motivates and increases the performance of employees. Ident...
People’s behaviour is determined by what motivates them. The aim of this essay is to discuss the essence of the motivation and psychological strengths, its evolution, a brief overview of the key theories of the employees’ motivation and behaviour analysis. The main task is to understand how motivation affects employee behaviour and to clarify the importance of motivation. In this essay I will discuss and produce definitions and examples to answer the main question of what is the driving force and how do people’s needs influence performance at work?
Employee performance defines the individual performance and behavior. It is essential to understand that performance is not merely a tasks and work need to be done to receive bonus or pay increase. Main objective is to enhance the skills set of an individual while helping the business performance (Baker, 1999).