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Motivation
Motivation is the word derived from the word motive which means needs, desires, wants or
drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the
goals. Motivation is a psychological factor which arouses an organism to act towards a desired
goal

and

optimize

well-being.

Motivation may be rooted in a basic impulse to optimize well-being, minimize physical pain, and
maximize pleasure. It can also originate from specific physical needs such as eating, sleeping,
resting, and sex.
Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain manner. These inner conditions, such as
wishes, desires, and goals, activate to move a person in a particular direction and behavior.

Maslows need hierarchy

Abraham Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1940-50s USA, and the Hierarchy
of Needs theory remains valid today for understanding human motivation, management training,
and personal development. Indeed, Maslow's ideas surrounding the Hierarchy of Needs
concerning the responsibility of employers to provide a workplace environment that encourages
and enables employees to fulfill their own unique potential (self-actualization) are today more
relevant Abraham Maslow's book Motivation and Personality, published in 1954 (second edition
1970) introduced the Hierarchy of Needs.

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Physiological Needs: Physiological needs are those required to sustain life, such as:

Air

Water

Food

Sleep

According to this theory, if these fundamental needs are not satisfied then one will surely be
motivated to satisfy them. Higher needs such as social needs and esteem are not recognized until
one satisfies the needs basic to existence.
Safety Needs: Once physiological needs are met, one's attention turns to safety and security in
order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. Such needs might be fulfilled
by:

Living in a safe area

Medical insurance

Job security

Financial reserves

Social Needs: Once a person has met the lower level physiological and safety needs, higher level
motivators awaken. The first level of higher level needs is social needs. Social needs are those
related to interaction with others and may include:

Friendship

Belonging to a group

Giving and receiving love

Esteem Needs: After a person feels that they "belong", the urge to attain a degree of importance
emerges. Esteem needs can be categorized as external motivators and internal motivators.
Internally motivating esteem needs are those such as self-esteem, accomplishment, and self
respect. External esteem needs are those such as reputation and recognition.

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Some examples of esteem needs are:

Recognition (external motivator)

Attention (external motivator)

Social Status (external motivator)

Accomplishment (internal motivator)

Self-respect (internal motivator)

Maslow later improved his model to add a layer in between self-actualization and esteem needs:
the need for aesthetics and knowledge. According to the Maslow hierarchy, if a person feels
threatened, needs further up the pyramid will not receive attention until that need has been
resolved.
Self-Actualization: Self-actualization is the summit of Maslow's motivation theory. It is about
the quest of reaching one's full potential as a person that is what a person would be he must be.
Unlike lower level needs, this need is never fully satisfied; as one grows psychologically there
are always new opportunities to continue to grow. Self-actualized people tend to have motivators
such as:

Truth

Justice

Wisdom

Meaning

Self-actualized persons have frequent occurrences of peak experiences, which are energized
moments of profound happiness and harmony. According to Maslow, only a small percentage of
the population reaches the level of self-actualization.

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Douglas McGregors Theory X and Theory Y

Douglas McGregor (1906 - 1964) is one of the forefathers of management theory and one of the
top business thinkers of all time. He was a social psychologist who became the President of
Antioch College. He later became a professor of management at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (he was succeeded by Warren Bennis). His book The Human Side of Enterprise
(1960) had a profound influence on the management field, largely due to his Theory X and
Theory Y.
McGregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y in
1960. His work is based upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, in that he grouped the hierarchy
into lower-order needs (Theory X) and higher-order needs (Theory Y). He suggested that
management could use either set of needs to motivate employees, but better results would be
gained by the use of Theory Y, rather than Theory X. These two opposing perceptions theorized
how people view human behavior at work and organizational life:
Theory X: Theory X is based on traditional assumptions about people (employees). Here,
the conventional approach of management is used as a base. It suggests the following
features of an average human being/employee (assumptions about human nature)
Assumptions of Theory X:
1. The average human being is inherently lazy by nature and desires to work as little as
possible. He dislikes the work and will like to avoid it, if he can.
2. He avoids accepting responsibility and prefers to be led or directed by some other.
3. He is self-centered and indifferent to organizational needs.
4. He has little ambition, dislikes responsibility, prefers to be led but wants security.
5. He is not very intelligent and lacks creativity in solving organizational problems.
6. He by nature resists changing of any type.

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In the case of such employees, self-motivation is just not possible. They will work only when
there is constant supervision on them. A manager has to persuade, punish or reward such workers
in order to achieve organizational goals.
Theory Y: Theory Y is based on modern or progressive or professional approach. Here,
the assumptions about people i.e. employees are quite different.
Assumptions of Theory Y:
1. Work is as natural as play, provided the work environment is favorable. Work may act as
a source of satisfaction or punishment. An average man is not really against doing work.
2. People can be self-directed and creative at work if they are motivated properly.
3. Self-control on the part of people is useful for achieving organizational goal. External
control and threats of punishment alone do not bring out efforts towards organizational
objectives.
4. People have capacity to exercise imagination and creativity.
5. People are not by nature passive or resistant to organizational needs. They have become
so as a result of experience in organisations.
6. An average human being learns under proper conditions. He is also willing to accept
responsibility.
7. The intellectual capacity of an average human being is utilised partially under the
conditions of modern industrial life.

Herzberg Two Factor Theory

In 1959, Frederick Herzberg, a behavioural scientist proposed a two-factor theory also called
motivator-hygiene theory. According to Herzberg, there are some job factors that result in
satisfaction while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction. According to Herzberg,
the opposite of Satisfaction is No satisfaction and the opposite of Dissatisfaction is No
Dissatisfaction.

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`
FIGURE: Herzbergs view of satisfaction and dissatisfaction
Herzberg classified these job factors into two categories. This area) Hygiene factors.
b) Motivational factors.
a. Hygiene factors: Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of
motivation at workplace. These do not lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these
factors are absent / if these factors are non-existant at workplace, then they lead to
dissatisfaction. These factors are extrinsic to work.Hygiene factors are based on the need tofor a
business to avoid unpleasantness at work. Hygiene factors are also called as dissatisfiers or
maintenance factors as they are required to avoid dissatisfaction.
b. Motivational factors: According to Herzberg, the hygiene factors cannot be regarded as
motivators. The motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to
work. These factors motivate the employees for a superior performance.
Hygiene Factors

Motivating Factors

Company Policies

Achievement

Administration

Recognition

Supervision

Growth

Working Conditions

Advancement

Interpersonal Relations

Interest in Job

Salary

Responsibility

Status

Challenges

Security

No Security

External

Internal

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Maintain

Promote

Basic

Added Value

Job Characteristic Model

The job characteristics model (JCM) proposes that any job can be described in terms of five core
dimension.

Core job
dimensio
n

Critical
psychologic
al states

Skill variety

Experienced

Task identity

Meaningfulness
of the work

Task
significance

Autonomy

Feedbac
k

Experienced
responsibility for
outcomes of the
work

Knowledge the
actual result of
the work
activities

Personal and
work
outcome

High internal
work
motivation
High-quality
work
performance
High
satisfaction
rate

Low
absenteeism
and turnover

Employee
growth need
strength

1. Skill Variety: It is the degree to which the job requires a variety of different activities so the
worker can use a number of different skills and talent. For instance, an example of a job
scoring high on skill variety would be the owner-operator of a garage who does electric

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repairs, republic engines, does body work and interact with customers. A job scoring low on
this dimension would be a body shop worker who spray paint eight hours a day.
2. Task Identity: It refers the degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and
identifiable piece of work. An example of a job scoring high on identity would be a
cabinetmaker who designs a piece of furniture, select the wood, builds the object, and
finishes it to perfection. A job scoring low on this dimension would be a worker in a
furniture factory who operates a lathe solely to make table legs.
3. Tasks Significant: It refers the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives
or work of other people. An example of a job scoring high on significance would be a nurse
handling the diverse needs of patients in a hospital incentive care unit. A job scoring low on
this dimension would be a janitor sweeping floor in the same hospital.
4. Autonomy: Autonomy refers to the degree of control a worker has over the performance of
tasks and assignments. An example of a job scoring high on autonomy is a salesperson who
schedules his or her own work each day and decides on the most effective sales approach for
each customer, without supervision.
5. Feedback: Feedback is direct response, positive or negative, to an activity performed in the
interest of the organization. Job design theory directs that feedback can be:
Immediate;
Ongoing; and
Provided by direct supervisory contact, rather than filtered through management.

Goal setting Theory

In 1960s, Edwin Locke put forward the Goal-setting theory of motivation. This theory states
that goal setting is essentially linked to task performance. It states that specific and challenging
goals along with appropriate feedback contribute to higher and better task performance. In
simple words, goals indicate and give direction to an employee about what needs to be done and
how much efforts are required to be put in.
The important features of goal-setting theory :
The willingness to work towards attainment of goal is main source of job motivation. Clear,
particular and difficult goals are greater motivating factors than easy, general and vague goals.
Specific and clear goals lead to greater output and better performance. Unambiguous,
measurable and clear goals accompanied by a deadline for completion avoids
misunderstanding.

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Goals should be realistic and challenging. This gives an individual a feeling of pride and
triumph when he attains them, and sets him up for attainment of next goal. The more
challenging the goal, the greater is the reward generally and the more is the passion for
achieving it.
. Feedback is a means of gaining reputation, making clarifications and regulating goal
difficulties. It helps employees to work with more involvement and leads to greater job
satisfaction.
Employees participation in goal is not always desirable.
Participation of setting goal, however, makes goal more acceptable and leads to more
involvement.
Goal setting theory has certain eventualities such as:
a. Self-efficiency- Self-efficiency is the individuals self-confidence and faith that he has
potential of performing the task. Higher the level of self-efficiency, greater will be the
efforts put in by the individual when they face challenging tasks. While, lower the
level of self-efficiency, less will be the efforts put in by the individual or he might
even quit while meeting challenges.
b. Goal commitment- Goal setting theory assumes that the individual is committed to
the goal and will not leave the goal. The goal commitment is dependent on the
following factors:
i.

Goals are made open, known and broadcasted.

ii.

Goals should be set-self by individual rather than designated.

iii. are public

Individuals set goals
Goals
Individual has internal locus of
vision.
control
Self-set goals

Committed
to Achieving

should be consistent with the organizational goals and

Self -Efficacy

SelfGenerated
Feedback on
Progress

Goals
Accepte
d

Motivation (intention to
work toward goal)

Specific
Difficult
National Culture
Participation in
Setting

Higher performance
+ Goal
Achievement

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Figure: Goal setting theory