MOTIVATION

1) WHAT IS MOTIVATION ?
IT REFERS TO THE FORCES WHICH ARE WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL OR WHICH ARE
EXTERNAL TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHICH AROUSES ENTHUSIASM AND PERSISTENCE TO
BEHAVE POSITIVELY , BENEFITING THE ORGANISATION IN ACHIEVEMENT OF THE GOALS
AND THUS BENEFITTING THE INDIVIDUALS .
2) WHY MOTIVATION IS IMPORTANT ?
IT BASICALLY HELPS IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS AND ALSO ACHIEVING HIGH
LEVELS OF PRODUCTIVITY AND BRINGS ABOUT SATISFACTION TO THE EMPLOYEES.
3) WHAT IS THE NATURE OF MOTIVATIONAL PROGRAMMES ?
MOST MOTIVATIONAL PROGRAMMES MAY INCLUDE ;
- PAY FOR PERFORMANCE
- LUMP SUM BONUSES
- PAY FOR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
- FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULES
- TEAM BASED COMPENSATION
- EMPOWERMENT OF EMPLOYEES
4) A SIMPLE MODEL OF MOTIVATION
A SIMPLE MOTIVATIONAL APPROACH MAY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING ASSUMPTIONS;
a) PEOPLE HAVE NEEDS SUCH AS FOOD , SHELTER , CLOTHING AS WELL AS ESTEEM.
b) TO SATISFY THESE NEEDS PEOPLE MAY BEHAVE IN A CERTAIN MANNER
c) BY BEHAVING IN A CERTAIN MANNER , PEOPLE MAY RECEIVE REWARDS WHICH
MAY SATISFY THE NEEDS.
d) REWARDS AND FEED BACK MAY INDICATE IF THE BEHAVIOUR WAS
APPROPRIATE .
REWARDS CAN BE EITHER INTRINSIC OR EXTRINSIC.
- INTRINSIC REWARDS ARE ACHIEVED BY PERFORMING A PARTICULAR JOB OR
TASK.
- EXTRINSIC REWARDS ARE GIVEN BY OTHERS . THEY INCLUDE SUCH THINGS AS
BONUSES , PROMOTIONS AND PAY INCREASES.
5) SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL OR EARLY APPROACHES TO MOTIVATION
5.1 SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT - FREDRIC TAYLORS SCIENTIFIC APPROACH IS THOUGHT TO
HAVE SOME MOTIVATIONAL EFFECT ON THE EMPLOYEES AS IT FOCUSED ON IMPROVING
JOB EFFICIENCY WHICH HELPED EMPLOYEES TO GET ECONOMIC BENEFITS. HOWEVER, IT
HAD ITS OWN LIMITATIONS AS WORKERS WERE TREATED AS MACHINES.
5.2 HUMAN RELATIONS AND HUMAN RESOURCES APPROACHES - THESE APPROACHES
CONSIDERED SOME OF THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE WHICH HAVE SOME MOTIVATIONAL
EFFECTS.

6) THE CONTEMPRARY APPROACHES TO MOTIVATION

THESE CONTEMPORARY THEORIES COULD BE CATEGORISED NDER 3 AREAS;
- CONTENT THEORIES
- PROCESS THEORIES
- RE- INFORCEMENT THEORIES
6.1) CONTENT THEORIES
CONTENT THEORIES EMPHASISE ON THE NEEDS THAT WOULD MOTIVATE PEOPLE.
THEREFORE THE MANAGERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THESE NEEDS.
6.1.1 ABRAHAM MASLOWS NEEDS THEORY IDENTIFIED 5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEEDS
WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY MANAGERS. THE NEEDS HIERARCHY CONSISTS OF
FOLLOWING NEEDS;
- PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
- SAFETY NEEDS
- SOCIAL NEEDS
- ESTEEM NEEDS
- SELF ACTUALISATION NEEDS
THE NEEDS PRESENTED IN THE SHAPE OF A PYRAMID AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
WHICH ARE COMMON TO EVERYONE ARE AT THE BOTTOM . THE HIGHER LEVELS
INCLUDE ESTEEM AND SELF ACTUALISATION NEEDS.
6.1.2 LATER ALDERFER PRESENTED THE ERG THEORY USING THE NEEDS THEORY . THE
KEY COMPONENTS OF THIS APPROACH INCLUDE; EXISTENCE , RELATEDNESS AND GROWTH
NEEDS.
6.1.2 TWO FACTOR THEORY BY FREDRIC HERTZBERG ATTEMPED TO FOCUS ON FACTORS
WHICH MOTIVATE PEOPLE AND FACTORS WHICH CAUSES DIS-SATISFACTION.
- ACCORDING TO HIM THE FACTORS WHICH CAUSES MOTIVATION OR SATISFACTION
ARE THOSE RELATED TO A JOB SITUATION. THEY INCLUDE AUTONOMY, RESPONSIBILITY
AND AUTHORITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH FOR PEOPLE.
- THE FACTORS WHICH CAUSED DISSATISFACTION OR HYGIENE FACTORS WERE
RELATED TO THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT . THEY INCLUDED FACTORS SUCH AS ; POOR
SUPERVISION , POOR COMPANY POLICIES , INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND POOR PAY.
- IN THE CONTEXT OF APPLICATION OF THIS THEORY ,MANAGERS NEED TO INCREASE
THE PRESENCE OF MOTIVATORS AND REDUCE THE PRESENCE OF HYGIENE FACTORS .
6.2) PROCESS THEORIES
AMONG THESE THEORIES EQUITY THEORY AND THE EXPECTANCY THEORY COULD BE
CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT.
6.2.1 EQUITY THEORY PROPOSED BY STACY ADAMS SUGGESTS THAT EMPLOYEES ALWAYS
CONSIDER AND COMPARE THEIR INPUTS IN RELATION TO OTHERS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS.
IF THEY PERCEIVE INEQITY , IT MAY LEAD TO DEMOTIVATION . THEREFORE, MANAGERS
MUST MAKE SURE TO TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER.
6.2.2 EXPECTANCY THEORY SUGGESTED BY VROOM FOCUSES ON FOUR IMPORTANT
FACTORS . EFFORT LEADING TO PERFORMANCE, WHICH RESULTS IN OUTCOME SHOULD
BE OF VALUE (VALENCE). ACCORDINGLY , IT SUGGESTS THAT PEOPLE CALCULATE THE
PROBABILITY OF ACHIEVING CERTAIN OUTCOMES,

6.2.3 REINFORCEMENT THEORY THIS APPROACH SUGGESTS THAT EMPLOYEES LEARN TO

BEHAVE IN CERTAIN WAYS BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF REINFORCEMENTS.
7) USE OF JOB DESIGN APPROACHES TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES
THIS APPROACH EXAMINES THE EFFECT OF ;
- JOB ROTATION
- JOB ENLARGEMENT
- JOB SIMPLIFICATION AND
- JOB ENRICHMENT
THOUGH ALL THE ABOVE APPROACHES HAVE SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES , THE JOB
ENRICHMENT APPROACH STANDS OUT ABOVE THE REST . THIS APPROACH IS SIMILAR TO
THE MOTIVATORS MENTIONED IN THE TWO FACTOR THEORY , INTRINSIC REWARDS AND
GOES PARRELL TO SELF ACTUALISATION NEEDS. JOB ENRICHMENT COULD BE ACHIEVED
BY VERTICALLY ENRICHING A JOB BY IMPROVING SUCH FACTORS AS AUTONOMY ,
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH .A JOB COULD BE
ENRICHED BY USING SKILL VARIETY , TASK SIGNIFICANCE , TASK IDENTITY , AND FEED BACK.
MANAGERS CAN CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF THE JOB TO MEET EMPLOYEES HIGHER
LEVEL NEEDS.
8) EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT
EMPOWERMENT OF EMPLOYEES COULD BE SEEN AS A RECENT TREND IN MOTIVATING
EMPLOYEES . EMPOWERMENT COULD BE ACHIEVED BY GIVING EMPLOYEES MORE
INFORMATION AND AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS TO MEET EMPLOYEES HIGHER
LEVEL NEEDS .
( IF YOU HAVE TIME EXPLAIN THE ( LEE TOP SAC)
9) CONCLUSION
MOST OF THE MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES OFFER SOMETHING TO CONSIDER BUT OUT OF
ALL THE NEEDS THEORY , TWO FACTOR THEORY , EQUITY THEORY , EXPECTANCY THEORY
, JOB ENRICHMENT AND EMPOERMENT OF EMPLOYEES SEEM TO BE VERY ATTRACTIVE .
A MANAGER MUST USE THESE APPROACHES PRUDENTLY TAKING THE LEVEL OF THE
TARGET GROUP , NATURE OF THE WORK INVOLVED AND THE ORGANISATIONAL
SITUATIONS INTO ACCOUNT TO OBTAIN TANGIBLE RESULTS .