Motivation and Leadership:

Challenges Managers Face Motivating Todays Workforce.

Tanya Nuez
Management-MANA 6301-01
E. Thomas Coyle, Jr., PhD
University of Texas at Brownsville

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Abstract
In todays workforce, leaders and managers are often challenged with the task of motivating their
employees for optimal performance. Thru decades of research and studies, theorists have been
trying to develop theories of motivation but many have lacked to take into consideration human
development. Many new studies and theories today try to explain the changing needs of todays
worker. This evolution has lead to an entirely new view on the subject of motivation. How can
organizations keep their diverse employees happy and motivated to perform to the best of their
ability? What do employees want from their jobs today? Though a conceptual analysis of a
variety of studies and collaborations of different authors, this study takes into consideration the
human side of motivation and the importance of understanding the reason that makes a person
like his job. Future studies to determine how motivation can be more accurately measured would
be an important contribution to this area of study.

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Motivation and Leadership: The Challenge Managers Face Motivating Todays Workforce.
Motivation is a topic that has been researched, discovered, and rediscovered many times
throughout the years. In todays business world, many motivation theories that might have
worked then are outdated or have evolved into new ideas today. Managers today face many
challenges in our complex workforce. The worker today is very different from the worker of
twenty and thirty years ago. People have become more educated, women have joined the
workforce with equality to men, and people dont settle with securing themselves for old age.
People want more out of their jobs. They take fringe benefits such as vacations, health insurance,
and sick leave for granted; even salary is no longer the strongest motivator for employees today.
What do employees want from their jobs today? How can organizations keep their diverse
employees happy and motivated to perform to the best to their ability? What do leaders need to
do today to motivate one of their most important resources, their employees, to make their
companies successful? It is important to study and understand the human side of motivation and
focus on the workers themselves and how their behavior, personality, and attitude affect their
motivation; and how the role of a manager affects his ability to become a leader that understands
his people in order to lead them to successfully performing on the job.
Understanding Motivation and its Evolution
Motivation is an inner desire to satisfy an unsatisfied need (Lussier, 2012). From a
business perspective, motivation is the will to achieve an objective set by the organization by
giving all of ones effort. Understanding that people are always motivated by self-interests is
significant in understanding motivation (Locke, 2008). Researchers and theorists have agreed
that we cannot see or feel motivation. According to Kanfer (1990) it is a hypothetical construct.
We can only observe the effects that suggest different levels of motivation (Jex, 2002).

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According to Pinder (1998), motivation determines the form, direction, intensity, and duration
of work-related behavior. There has been great evolution on the studies of motivation and
management from the scientific management approach to the human relations movement, to the
human resource approach (Storch, 2001). As Storch stated in 2001, the scientific management
approach (Taylor, 1890) assumes that work is not pleasant for most people and the money earned
working is the motivation, not the job itself; the human relations movement (Mayo, 1930)
assumed that the need to belong and the need to feel useful were more important that money; and
the human resource approach, mostly used as todays approach, assumes that people want to
contribute to the effectiveness of an organization and that they are able to make important
contributions.
Theories of Motivation
Over the years theorists have been diligent trying to develop theories of motivation.
Many of these however were lacking the consideration of human development and some simply
were difficult to apply in the real workforce. There are many motivation theories in history. Here
are three major classes of motivational theories (Lussier, 2012): content motivation theories that
focus on identifying and understanding employees needs; process motivation theories that focus
on understanding how employees choose behaviors to fulfill their needs; and the reinforcement
theory that proposes that the consequences of a behavior will motivate employees to behave in
predetermined ways (Skinner, 1969). These theories are helpful in understanding the
relationship of motivation and an employees behavior as well as the application of each in an
organization.

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Behavior and Motivation

From the content motivation theories derive four specific theories that set the basis for the study
of motivation and are important to mention as a part of historical research and analysis:
Hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow (1943), the ERG theory by Clayton Alderfer
(1969), Two-factor theory by Frederick Herzberg (1968), and the Acquired needs theory by
Henry Murray (1938). All of these theories were based on satisfying employee needs as a
motivator. On the other hand, the process motivation theories are made up of three specific
theories: Equity theory by J. Stacey Adams (1963), Goal-setting theory by E. Locke (2004), and
Expectancy theory by Victor Vroom (1964). These theories basically propose that the behavior
of an employee has a direct relationship with the work they accomplish and that they are
motivated by self-accomplishment. Within the Reinforcement theory there are three different
types of reinforcement (Skinner, 1971): positive reinforcement, where attractive rewards are
offered for a desirable performance to encourage the continuation of that behavior; avoidance
reinforcement is threatening to provide negative consequences for poor performance in order to
encourage desirable performance; punishment is providing a punishment for undesirable
behavior to prevent the behavior in the future; and extinction is the withholding of reinforcement
for a particular behavior i.e. ignoring an employee as punishment. Because the motivation
process goes from need to motive to behavior to consequence to satisfaction or dissatisfaction
(Lussier, 2012), it becomes very complex determining what theory to apply as managers to
motivate our employees. Understanding the behavior of our personnel and the different
personalities we may encounter in our workforce is crucial to determine what motivation
approach to take in order to achieve job satisfaction and high performance.

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Personality and Motivation

Analyzing a persons behavior is a key factor to determine how to motivate them.
Behavior is thought of as the soft side of business (Braksick, 2000). Most of the shortfalls of
applying methods of motivations are due to the fact of not attending to behavior. Behavioral
science helps managers to get a clear understanding of human behavior and it teaches them how
to create an environment that motivates and sustains desired behaviors (Braksick, 2000).
Behavior is the product of perception which is how a person interprets reality (Lussier, 2012).
Perception is the persons process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information. By
analyzing peoples behavior and understanding the factors that influence their perception like
their internal environment i.e. personality, self-esteem, attitudes, intelligence, needs, values, etc.;
and the perception of himself and his self-esteem, a leader can have a better understanding of
those who surround him.
There are no two individuals alike and this is why important as a leader to study
behavioral science. People issues are the hardest of all (Braksick, 2000). A persons personality
is a combination of behavioral, mental, and emotional traits that define an individual. As
individuals our personalities are deeply influenced by our genes and environmental factors like
family, friends, school, work, etc. There are five main personality dimensions that help us study
human behavior (Lussier, 2012). These are extroversion, agreeableness, emotionalism,
conscientiousness, and openness to experience. To be able to understand these personalities is a
very complex duty yet managers must be trained to deal with all sorts of personalities in their
workplace. In the case of extroversion, a manager may want to place an enthusiastic person who
enjoys working around people in a sales department. However if he has an employee who is very
reserved and less sociable, he may want to place him in a more quiet environment with limited

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customer interaction. In the case of agreeableness, for example, you may have a very cooperative
employee who is friendly and considerate with his coworkers, he may be a good candidate to
lead a team. If on the other hand you have a person who is very competitive and somewhat self
interested, you may want him in a position where he could be an aggressive salesman working
on commission. The emotionalism dimension is very important to observe and understand
because this is where the emotional stability of a person lies. If you have an emotionally stable
employee, most likely he will be a very positive addition to your workforce. He may bring
calmness in a high stress environment. If the person is emotionally unstable, he may bring too
much negativity to the job. When a person is conscientious, he is responsible and very
dependable. This person will most likely always look for the best options for the organization
considering the well-being of those who surround him. If he does not have much
conscientiousness, he may be a very irresponsible and unreliable person who you may not want
to trust with important tasks. The last of the dimensions mentioned above is the openness to
experience. When you have an open minded person, you have someone who is willing to try new
things, intellectually curious, creative, and tolerant. This person will most likely be always
looking for new ideas and new strategies to improve. On the other hand a person who is closed to
new experiences will not be willing to try new things and will probably never grow in an
organization as an employee. He will probably work best in a product-line doing as a worker.
Undoubtedly there are many personalities in any given organization. The complexity of
understanding these is huge not only because we ourselves have our own personalities but
because there can be any combination and concentration of any these personalities. Managers
must learn to work with all types of people in order to resolve conflicts and have a more
productive workforce. It is important to also know what motivates each type of personality on

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your workforce. Not everyone will be motivated by the same things. Knowing about peoples
personality will help explain and predict their behavior, perception, and attitude which will all
result in their job performance (Luthans, Avey, Patera, 2008).
Attitude and Motivation
The way a person perceives a given situation will result in their attitude toward that
situation. It is important to understand how attitudes are formed and affect job performance. A
result of a persons perception is their attitude which plays an important part of the whole
behavioral process. A person emits a judgment based on his or her perception of something or
someone. This attitude may be positive or negative. Whatever it may be, it will affect a persons
behavior. Attitude plays a major factor in determining performance. There is a very close
relationship between personality, perception, and attitude. Job satisfaction is a persons attitude
toward their job and is generally measured from satisfied/positive/high to
dissatisfied/negative/low (Lussier, 2012). Many organizations hire on the base of attitude
because effectiveness is based on employees attitudes (Ford and Bowen, 2008). Employees with
good attitudes toward work will care about what they do. We have found that our success
depends more upon employee success that any other single factor (J.W. Marriot, Jr.). Not only
do employees attitudes affect their own job performance but it can affect their coworkers
performance as well.
Managers attitudes toward employees largely determine their performance as well. If
managers have high expectations of their employees to be productive and successful, the
employees will have a positive attitude and will most likely perform to these expectations
(Pygmalion effect). If managers treat employees with negativity and disrespect, the attitude will
also be negative and unproductive. Changing an employees perception of his place within a

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company where the employee feels he has greater control over his work is an effective way of
creating a positive attitude and job satisfaction (Brachmann, 2014).
The Role of a Manager
The tasks and functions of a manager are very important in determining the road to
motivation. These basic functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Lussier,
2012). As planners, managers need to set goals for the individual on a regular basis. He must
constantly ask himself and his administrative team to redefine the purpose and role of their
institution. This will allow for employees to feel as part of a team and they will constantly be
trying to meet these goals and set expectations. The autocratic leader who made unilateral
decisions is hardly effective in any organization today. As organizers, managers need to make
sure they coordinate and delegate to achieve increasingly complex and costly goals. As leaders,
the most important skill of a manger, they must influence others to work toward reaching these
objectives, and ensure that employees are correctly placed, challenged, and involved in how their
determined tasks will be resolved (Sager, 1979). As controllers, managers must follow through
and establish mechanisms to ensure objectives are met. If the individuals reach a tangible goal
then the leader should consider giving him some type of recognition. But what else do managers
need to become true leaders?
Becoming a Leader
To be a true leader, a manager must possess a variety of core traits that will make him
different from any other person in his organization. According to Kirpatrick and Locke, 1991,
these traits are: drive (an extensive term which includes achievement, motivation, ambition,
energy, tenacity, and initiative); leadership motivation (the desire to lead without seeking a
personal advantage); honesty and integrity; self-confidence (which is associated with emotional

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10

stability); cognitive ability; and knowledge of the business. These traits can help a leader acquire
the necessary skills; develop an organizational vision and an effective plan for seeking to attain
it; and take the necessary steps to implement the vision in his real world (Kirpatrick and Locke,
1991). For the sake of this paper I will discuss the leadership motivation trait. Leadership
motivation involves the wish to influence others behavior and lead, in other words have power.
Effective leaders can give power to others as means of increasing their own power. It is
important that leaders use socialized power as a motive in order to achieve their desired goals
(Kirpatrick and Locke, 1991). The use of this power is expressed as the ability to develop
networks and alliances, obtain cooperation from others, being constructive in resolving conflicts,
and being a role model to influence others. These leaders exercise power for the good of the
entire organization as opposed to gaining power for manipulation.
Employees are motivated by leaders who make them feel secure, accepted, and
connected. There are five important characteristics that define leaders and qualities that leaders
need to have to be the respected role models of their employees: honesty/integrity, realism,
vision, responsibility, and connection (Rock, 2012). Honesty is the single most respected
leadership quality according to the American Management Association. These leaders are great
communicators who present the facts as they understand them and give honest responses when
asked. They recognize and admit their own weaknesses and follow a code of contact based on
honesty. This is a leader who is considered trustworthy and can lead a team to raise performance
standards. Leaders who are realists are motivational leaders who see the world as it is and not the
way they think it should be. They lead by example and inspire others with their authenticity and
their honesty. Successful leaders are also visionaries. They share their vision for the future and
win support for their ideas in doing so. They take their employees into consideration when

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envisioning something and make them feel as part of the vision. Responsible leaders are very
reliable leaders who step forward and have a hands-on approach to solving problems. They
credit people for their achievements and also accept overall responsibility for failures instead of
blaming any one on the team. The connection with ones workforce is very important in any
organization. By listening to others, asking questions, and establishing a bond, leaders are able
to motivate others rather than being autocratic or authoritarian and just telling people what to do.
What do Employees want from their Jobs Today?
We have many theories on being a good, motivational leader but what do we know about
what employees want? Workers today are guided by many different standards. Diversity has
made it difficult for organizations to stereotype and treat everyone in a certain way. People no
longer see their job as a means of satisfying their basic needs; they do not only see their job as
networking with others and being accepted in a society. People see their job as part of their
lifestyle. Today fringe benefits like sick days, health insurance, and vacation are seen more like
an obligation of the employer than a benefit. Equal Employment Opportunity, unions, and social
security have given employees many rights and have made people change their view of the
workforce. People have found dignity and pride in what they do and those are the elements that
are the key to motivation in todays society (Sager, 1979). In todays workforce people are
motivated by the idea of making a difference (Llopis, 2012). They want to be noticed and
recognized for their work and to achieve this, they look for new ways to learn and improve their
skills. People also want to grow and advance so they may be always looking for an opportunity
within the organization for growth. They want to feel that they are a reliable part of a team but
also that they are not alone in case of a failure. They want to make an impact and mark their way

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toward significance. Happiness is probably one of the most sought after things a person wants to
feel at their job. It fuels self-esteem and gives people hope for tomorrow.
Understanding Job Satisfaction and Happiness
Leaders need to have a good understanding of their worker to have a good understanding
of motivation. If we can understand a worker goals, we may be able to motivate him. People are
very different as discussed previously and have different goals. According to Sager, 1979, studies
performed asking people to list what they like about their work listed the following and ranked
them in order of preference:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Achievement, a sense of seeing something tangible made from their effort.

Recognition of appreciation from their supervisors or colleges.
The work itself.
Increased responsibility in their area.
Advancement of promotion within the organization.
Opportunity to learn new things or grow.

The same studies were performed about things people do not like about their work and these
were the results:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Restrictive policies where they are limited to make decisions.

Poor supervision. The manager is unsupportive and makes life at work hard.
Poor interpersonal relationships where the job becomes undesirable.
Poor working conditions. A noisy environment, poor lighting, uncomfortable

temperature, etc. are conditions that affect how they feel about their job.
5. Poor salary. This is not the number one complain as one would imagine but it is still
important in a workers perception of his job.
6. Low status and lack of security.
From these results it is very obvious to understand the things that make people satisfied
with their jobs and the things that make people have poor job satisfaction. It is important to
mention the theorist Frederick Herzberg who developed the Motivation-Hygiene theory in the
1950s of worker satisfaction and dissatisfaction. He concluded that hygiene factors such as

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salary, fringe benefits, and working conditions can prevent dissatisfaction, but they do not
motivate the worker (Carla Valencia, 2005). He found that motivators such as achievement,
recognition, responsibility, and advancement increase job satisfaction and motivation. His theory
concurs with this the results of this study when analyzing that what makes people happiest and
motivates them in their job is what they do and what makes them unhappiest is the situation in
which they do it. It is important to know if the individual is satisfied with the hygiene factors
offered by the job and if he will find the challenge he is looking for in the job. This second part is
very hard to determine because it will always depend on each individual and what he finds
challenging. It is always very important to remember that people have ideas of their own. It is
necessary to let workers exercise their creativity and initiative or they may become frustrated.
Encouraging creative change is a very important motivator (Sager, 1979), providing that the
changes are desirable within the organization and not only for the employees sake. Innovation
can make even a routing task important and employees may feel they are contributing in their
own small way. As a result, the individual grows in the job, achieves a tangible goal, and should
receive some recognition for the effort. These three elements: growth, achievement, and
recognition are the elements which make people like their jobs (Sager, 1979).
This does not in any way imply that supervisors need not do their job of planning,
organizing, leading, and controlling. This is still the leaders responsibility and without these
actions an organization would fall into trouble. But this does mean that a supervisor can adjust
his management approach according to the character and motivation of the individual on his
staff. Another great contributor to the study of motivation is Chris Argyris. His contribution is
very important because it states that people need feedback about their impact on the organization.
If people can feel pride and respect in what they do in their jobs, their energies will be focused

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on doing the best job they can possibly do. Also giving an employee additional responsibility has
been proven to be a good motivator. Even if this additional responsibility does not come with
higher pay, the internal feeling of satisfaction will motivate the person as trust has been set on
him to do the job.
Conclusion
Motivation does not only consist of threats or benefits, but of ideas, feelings and attitudes
an employee has about his job. If we can understand a persons personality and what drives them
as persons, their goals, know what they like and do not like, and how can we take the next steps
to motivate them. As leaders we must build meaningful and purposeful relations with our
employees. We cannot just analyze the assessment scores to know if they are being productive.
You must get to know their goals, desires and aspirations. The objective should be to help one
another to accomplish each others goals. To do this, you must earn the trust of your employee.
Trust is a powerful motivational tool and if your employee can see who you really are, you may
be surprised at the results (Llopis, 2012). Also helping your employees get discovered will
elevate their motivation to achieve. If you encourage your employees to take responsible risks,
they may feel twice the responsibility when doing so. As a leader we must allow our employees
to have a sustainable impact in the work they perform and then acknowledge their effort with
feedback. Feedback is a great way to motivate people because they feel like what they do
matters.
In order for your employee to be motivated, you must make sure he is placed in the right
position, he is challenged, and he is involved in how his task is to be accomplished. Leaders
must not be afraid of taking risks with their employees. Change and innovation can be a great
thing in an organization when dealing with motivation. Getting people involved in testing and

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implementing new strategies makes them feel like part of the team and not just replaceable labor.
When an employee has high autonomy, receives feedback about his performance, and has an
important, identifiable piece of work to do which requires skill variety, they may experience
feelings of happiness and therefore will have an interior sense of motivation (Hackman &
Oldham, 1980). It is important to remember that the job itself is what makes people happy and a
happy employee is a productive employee.

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