Current And Traditional Approaches To Motivation Business Essay Example
Current And Traditional Approaches To Motivation Business Essay Example

Current And Traditional Approaches To Motivation Business Essay Example

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  • Pages: 12 (3138 words)
  • Published: August 19, 2017
  • Type: Dissertation
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Introduction

Motivation has long been utilized by managers and leaders as a valuable tool. Over time, numerous motivation theories have emerged, encompassing both traditional and contemporary approaches. However, the application of these theories in practical scenarios can be challenging due to the need for customization according to individual employees. To achieve successful outcomes, factors such as personality, needs, and goals must be considered before choosing a motivational theory.

Every day, the visual aspect of businesses changes due to market shifts or technological advancements. This leads to changes in every industry, often resulting in senior employees becoming outdated and less productive. As a result, younger and more energetic employees take on leadership roles, leaving the older employees with no choice but to wait for retirement. Consequently, companies reach a point where their previously

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productive workforce stops producing. Even if new employees can compensate for the reduced production or sales, the company still faces losses that need to be corrected. I encountered the most significant obstacle when attempting to find a realistic and effective solution to this problem.

Motivation and the factors it encompasses cannot be directly observed. Theories and evaluations are based on the final outcome of a person's actions. However, our observation of that outcome gives logical reasoning to the steps taken previously. Yet, it is only when the final outcome is assessed that we truly determine if the method employed was correct or the most effective.

So, to provide a solution, I will present the information gathered from my research and attempt an analysis that will propose potential solutions. I cannot say that this paper introduces new motivational theories and concepts. However, I believe it explores, examines, and

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provides solutions to a significant issue of our time.

The Concept of Motivation

``Motivation refers to the forces either within or external to a person that stimulate interest and perseverance to pursue a particular course of action.'' Richard L.

Daft, 2006. Each day, from the morning we wake up, we engage in various actions. We go to school or work with a specific behavior. However, it is uncommon for us to question the reason behind our preferences for certain activities. For example, why do we enjoy one class more, or why do certain tasks at work bring out the best in us.

However, every action we take is driven by some form of motivation. The provided table below will help us uncover the underlying factors influencing our behavior. This model of motivation is sourced and adapted from Games H. Donnely and James L.

Gibson and Ivancevich (1978) contend in their book Fundamentals of Management (3rd edition, p. 185) that our demands are impacted by our recent activities. The authors offer illustrative instances to support this assertion. For instance, an individual who has recently attended a dinner event and consumed food may not experience hunger but still have a craving for communication and entertainment. Conversely, a person who has just completed a workday without eating throughout is likely to feel hungry and might not be inclined towards social interaction until they have had a meal.

The fulfillment of our demands depends on the attacks we utilize, and it is crucial to bear in mind that what may appear logical to one individual may appear peculiar to another with diverse demands. The subsequent step involves adopting a specific behavior that will aid us

in attaining our objectives, even though the outcome may differ. When we successfully accomplish our goal, it demonstrates that the behavior we employed effectively met our demands. Conversely, repeated unsuccessful attempts result in defeat and motivate individuals to seek fresh constructive behavior. This entails exploring alternative approaches towards our goals, comprehending what we aspire to achieve, and acting deliberately.

When a group's collective efforts fail, individuals will resort to psychological defense mechanisms to avoid acknowledging or experiencing their unmet needs. These defense mechanisms effectively prevent the individual from fully satisfying their needs. Conversely, achieving a goal successfully results in a reward that serves as positive reinforcement for correct behavior. This reward encourages individuals to repeat such behavior in future situations. Rewards can be categorized into two types: intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are internally derived and closely linked to personal fulfillment. On the other hand, external entities like supervisors or managers grant extrinsic rewards, which often come in the form of promotions or bonuses.

Both types of wages are crucial for employees. Successful managers assist their employees in attaining both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Research indicates that the most creative and high-achieving employees are those who derive satisfaction from their work itself. Numerous studies have confirmed that employee motivation results in exceptional performance, enhanced productivity, and greater profits.

Theories concerning Employee Motivation

Comprehending what drives employees is vital for management and can aid in reaching elevated performance levels and fostering organizational growth.

The aim of contented theories is to understand and address the various needs of employees in the workplace. These theories focus on how employees strive to fulfill their needs, and it is crucial for managers to

comprehend this range of demands. By understanding these needs, managers can design work that assists employees in satisfying them while also achieving organizational goals. Contented theories primarily concentrate on the motivating needs of employees. Whether they are basic necessities like food and clothing or higher-level desires such as accomplishment and financial rewards, people have different kinds of needs. These theories help identify the needs that serve as incentives and drive individuals to engage in behaviors that enable them to meet these needs. Therefore, management only has to create jobs that align with these needs and encourage desired work behaviors.

The Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs theory, which recognizes that people have multiple demands organized in a hierarchical order. Maslow believes that human needs create a pyramid structure. The bottom level of the pyramid consists of basic physiological demands like eating, drinking, and breathing. In a workplace context, these demands include payment for survival and adequate working conditions such as proper heating and ventilation. The next level up is safety needs, which involve the necessity for a secure and safe environment.

The belongingness demands include the demand of experiencing portion of a group, holding good dealingss with other co workers and by and large being accepted as a squad member. The regard needs chiefly have to make with having acknowledgment and positive attending, being appreciated and motivated by having congratulations, publicity and more duties. The self realization needs represent the demand for self fulfilment within an organisation. Ego realization is reached when employees are provided with chances for growing, creativeness and preparation. Harmonizing to Maslow, the demands at the base of the

pyramid must be met before the top demands are satisfied. Once one degree of demands is satisfied, then the individual seeks to carry through the following in hierarchy degree of demands.

The ERG Theory

The ERG Theory explains why companies are putting in so much effort to find ways to acknowledge and promote employee engagement in decision making. The reason is that employees who contribute ideas and feel valued and appreciated are more loyal and motivated. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that when an employee's idea is implemented, it not only motivates the employee but also the entire workforce, giving them hope for their own efforts to be recognized. It is also important to note that other actions, such as offering job flexibility, can enhance motivation within organizations.

Job flexibility, such as telecommunicating, flexible hours, and occupation sharing, allows employees to have more control over their work and responsibility for its organization. This is considered an important benefit that increases employee commitment to their company. Additionally, companies have attempted to create a sense of connectivity between personal and work life by adding elements of fun in the workplace, loosening strict rules, and making work more enjoyable and personal.

The Two-Factor Theory

The two-factor theory, developed by Frederic Herzberg, suggests that there are two factors that influence work motivation. Herzberg reached this conclusion after questioning a large number of employees.

The first set of factors, also known as hygiene factors, are the factors that do not make an employee satisfied but also do not make them dissatisfied with the working environment. These factors include work status, payment, and interpersonal relationships. When these hygiene factors are low, the

employee is more likely to be dissatisfied. It is important to note that good hygiene factors only prevent dissatisfaction but do not generate satisfaction.

The second set of factors, known as incentives, primarily target higher levels of demands. These demands include acknowledgment, accomplishment, personal growth, and responsibility. Without incentives, along with good hygiene factors, it results in a sense of impersonality towards work. The findings of this theory are truly fascinating.

The text indicates that satisfaction and dissatisfaction in one's work stem from different factors. It is important for directors to focus on both factors in order to not only retain contented employees, but also motivate them to improve their performance.

Acquired Needs Theory

According to David McClelland, individuals acquire certain needs throughout their lifetime. These needs are not foundational in Maslow's hierarchy of needs and are not innate, but rather acquired through learning.

More specifically, these demands include the demand for Achievement, the demand for Affiliation, and the demand for Power. Life experiences play a role in the acquisition of these demands. After 20 years of studying this topic, McClelland concluded that individuals with a high demand for achievement are often entrepreneurs, while those with a high demand for affiliation excel at coordinating and establishing good working relationships. Individuals with a high demand for power are likely to pursue paths that lead to managerial positions.

Process theories on motive

Process theories of motive aim to understand the complex relationship between the various variables involved in motivation. It is important for directors to comprehend what triggers behavior and how it is directed and sustained.

There are two primary procedure theories: the equity theory and the anticipation theory.

Equity Theory

The equity theory

is "the procedure theory that focuses on individuals' perceptions of how fairly they are treated relative to others" (Richard L. Daft, 2006). J. Stacy Adams, the developer of the theory, argues that individuals are motivated by seeking social equity.

If individuals believe they are fairly compensated compared to others for their contribution, they will perceive fair treatment. To measure fairness, people use a ratio of inputs (effort, education, experience, ability) to outputs (recognition, payment, promotions, benefits). Equity is achieved when one person's ratio matches another person's ratio. When there is perceived unfairness in the workplace, tension arises and there is an effort to restore equity. The most common methods to address unfairness are:

  • Changing inputs. For example, an overpaid individual may increase effort while an underpaid individual may decrease it.
  • Changing outputs. For example, an employee or a union may request a raise or improved working conditions to align their input with the output compared to higher-paid employees.

Distorting perception: In such cases, individuals artificially believe and make others believe that their job position is more important than it actually is, or that someone else's benefits are not as significant as they may seem. This creates a deluded balance. Ultimately, individuals may choose to leave the job.

For illustration people that feel that there is no equity will seek another working environment that is more balanced.

Expectancy Theory

Harmonizing to the anticipation theory, motive depend on person 's outlooks about their ability to execute undertakings and receive desired wagess. It is concerned with the believing procedure people use in order to be rewarded. Based on single attempt and public presentation it involves the followers:

  • Whether the attempt that will be

put into a undertaking will ensue to the coveted public presentation degree.

  • Whether the successful public presentation will convey the coveted result.
  • Whether the value of the result is extremely valued by the employee every bit good.
  • High anticipation and high valued outcome leads to high motive, otherwise motive degree is low.

    The main focus of this theoretical model is not on the needs and motivations of individuals. Instead, it emphasizes the cognitive processes of employees in obtaining rewards. As each employee has a distinct personality, their goals and requirements may also differ, which affects management.

    The main objective of the management team is to assist employees in achieving their personal goals while also meeting the company's objectives. Managers must ensure that employees possess the necessary skills and resources to fulfill job requirements and accomplish established goals.

    According to the Goal Setting Theory, studies have shown that employees are more motivated when provided with clear and attainable objectives. These objectives should be specific, achievable, and embraced by the employees. Feedback plays a vital role in this theory.

    Performance feedback is crucial for maintaining desired work behavior and motivation. According to Edwin Locke and Gary Latham's theory, setting goals enhances motivation as it allows employees to focus their energy and efforts in a specific direction. Additionally, challenging goals serve as a strong incentive, compelling employees to put in more effort to achieve their desired outcomes.

    Reinforcement theories on motivation

    The reinforcement theory does not consider the approaches and thought processes of employees when it comes to their needs and motivations.

    The theory is primarily focused on the connection between behavior and its consequences. The regulation of this theory is governed by

    the jurisprudence of affect. The theory suggests that a behavior that is rewarded is more likely to be repeated, while a behavior that is punished is more likely to be corrected. Therefore, positive reinforcement, which includes pleasant rewards such as congratulations, publicity, additional responsibilities, work flexibility, and social recognition, serves as a tool to motivate employees. This theory highlights the effectiveness of non-financial incentives, which have been shown to be just as powerful as monetary rewards.

    Another tool is negative support, which suggests that a negative effect will cease once the desired behavior is adopted. Punishment is another tool that implies that an undesirable behavior will face consequences. However, this tool does not point out the desired or "right" behavior as it only provides negative feedback to the employee. The last reinforcement tool is extinction, which entails the withdrawal of positive rewards such as congratulations and pay raises.

    Motivational thoughts

    Undoubtedly, we are experiencing some disruptive times.

    Organizations aim to enhance their public image by recruiting young and ambitious employees, who are highly motivated to achieve new sales and productivity targets. These employees are appointed as managers over senior employees with valuable experience and knowledge. Consequently, the senior employees become less motivated and lose interest in their job, simply passing the time until their retirement.

    The loss for the organization is greater than expected due to the underproductive employees. These employees not only have low productivity themselves but also affect the productivity of their entire group or team. Their lack of motivation is the main reason for this behavior. Additionally, the organization promotes younger and inexperienced employees to higher positions, with the same or even higher pay than senior

    employees. This creates a clear example of unfairness that negatively impacts the performance of formerly successful employees who still have a lot to contribute. To keep the entire workforce motivated, a wise manager should strive to maintain a sense of fairness.

    Authorization

    Empowering individuals to meet higher demands is an effective means of providing motivation, according to management. In our case, empowering senior employees would involve sharing power, even if new and younger employees were placed in managerial positions. Thus, the job description for managers would be slightly altered, but senior employees would not resist the junior managers and would instead collaborate with them as a team. This is also a way for senior employees to prove themselves and assess if they can lead their team to successful outcomes in the current market conditions. These employees are already aware of their ability to perform well, so empowerment at this stage simply unleashes existing motivation.

    Employee empowerment is comprised of four key elements that must be provided to employees in order for them to effectively carry out their job.

    Establishing the Significance of Work

    Another method of motivating employees is to help them identify the intrinsic rewards derived from their own work. For instance, senior employees may be given the opportunity to give lectures at seminars for new management trainees and speak and lead sessions at conferences for district managers, enabling them to fulfill their need for high-level respect and self-realization. Mentoring relationships could also be established to assist in achieving the same objective. Additionally, assigning senior employees to groups that maintain close communication and encouraging them to compete based on actual results can further enhance

    the significance of their work.

    By implementing the aforementioned techniques and actions, senior employees will experience a sense of respect, value, importance, and empowerment within the company. This will greatly enhance their motivation and subsequently elevate their performance to new heights.

    Conclusion

    Now that we have examined motivation and its applications, it is time to address the question of how motivation truly impacts performance. Previous analyses of both traditional and contemporary motivational theories indicate a strong correlation between motivation and performance. To gain a better understanding, it is necessary to comprehend the essence of motivation.

    A single employee may question the motivation theory by simply asking "Why should I work harder?". Is there concrete evidence that motivation is linked to performance? To answer this question, we need to examine this issue from another perspective. Since motivation and its factors cannot be directly observed and can only be evaluated by the end result, let us observe what happens to performance in the absence of any motivation activity. When considering the content theories of motivation, there are clear hygiene factors such as working conditions, payment, and safety. If these factors are not met, a very low level of performance will result. Therefore, factors like unfairness or lack of support also indicate a very low level of performance. However, it is difficult to predict employee behavior to follow a specific pattern, and it is also challenging to determine how much an annual or semi-annual assessment will ensure desired working behavior on a daily basis.

    The role of a director is not to control the workforce, but rather to establish an environment in which the workforce can learn,

    contribute, and thrive. They also have the responsibility of inspiring employee motivation towards achieving organizational goals by maximizing each employee's unique skills, talents, interests, and needs.

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