MOTIVATION HANDOUT BY A/INSP MARAMBO

INTRODUCTION

Motivation is a very personal thing and can be different for each

person.What motivates one individual may noy motivate another.Yet
there are certain things that have a wide appeal to almost everyone and
one of these is recognition and rewards for work well done.

Managers are continually challenged to motivate a workforce to do two

things .The first challenge is to motivate EMPLOYEES TO WORK
TORWARDS HELPING the organisation achieve its goals.The second is to
motivate employees to work torwards achieving their own personal
goals.The puporse of this paper it to look at some theories of motivation
and how as managers we can apply them in our work situations.

OBJECTIVES

 Define the term motivation

 Outline the purposes of motivation
 Outline the theories of motivation and their implications on
employee morale and productivity
 Correctly apply the theories of motivation in dealing with both
human and performance problems in work situations.

Definition of motivation

Robbins and Coulter (2000:423) define motivation as ,”the willingness to

exert high levels of effort to reach organisational goals,conditioned by
the effort’s ability to satistfy some individual needs.”
According to Gabriel (2003:241), motivation is defined as ,”the process
of initiating and directing behaviour.”

Certo (2000:354), defines motivation as,”the inner state that causes an

individual to behave in a way that ensures the accomplishment of some
goals.”

In an organisational terms , motivation c n be defined as, the application

of certain external or internal forces meant to influence behaviour t
owards a certain desired objective.

Motivation Process in an employee

An unsatisfied need creates tension that stimulates drives within an

individual. The drives generate a search behaviour to find particular
goals that if attained will satisfy need and reduce tension.

The following are some of the features of motivation;

 Motivation is an act of managers

 Motivation is a continuous process
 Motivation can be positive or negative
 Motivation is goal oriented
 Motivation is complex in nature
 Motivation is an art
 Motivation is system oriented
 Motivation is different from job satisfaction
THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

A number of theories were formulated in order to try and explain the

driving force behind individual motivation .The following are some of
these theories;

 Jeremy Bentham’s “The Carrot and stick Approach”.

 Stacey Adams ”Equity Theory”
 Edwin Locke’s “Goal setting theory”
 Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs Theory”
 Douglas McGregor’s “Theory X and Theory Y”
 Victor Vroom’s “Valence X Expectancy Theory”
 Fredrick Herzberg’s “Two Factor Theory”
 David McClelland’s “Theory of Needs”
 Skinner’s “Reinforcement Theory”

However, for the purposes of this presentation focus will be limited to

the following theories;

 Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs Theory”

 Douglas McGregor’s “Theory X and Theory Y”
 David McClelland’s “Theory of needs”

Abraham Maslow ‘s” Hierarchy of Needs Theory”

One of the most widely mentioned theories of motivation is the

hierarchy of needs theory but forth by psychologist Abraham
Maslow.The theory is based on the assumption that people are
motivated by a series of five universal needs.These needs are
ranked ,according to the order in which they influence human behaviour
,in hierarchical fashion.Maslow concluded that when one set of need is
satisfied ,this kind of need ceases to be a motivator.
Physiological needs

These are deemed to be the lowest – level needs for sustaining the
human life. These needs include the needs such as food, water, warmth,
sex, sleep, etc. So long as physiological needs are unsatisfied, they exist
as a driving or motivating force in a person’s life. A hungry person has a
felt need. Once the hunger is satisfied, the tension is reduced, and the
need for food ceases to motivate .At this point (assuming that other
physiological needs are satisfied) the next higher order need becomes
the motivating need. Maslow was of the opinion that, until these needs
were satisfied to a degree to maintain life, no other motivating factors
can works.

Security and Safety Needs

When physiological needs are basically fulfilled, safety needs begin to

manifest. Safety needs begin to manifest. Safety needs include a desire
for security, stability , predictability, dependency, protection, freedom
from fear and anxiety. In the workplace this need translates into a need
for at least a minimal degree of employment security, the knowledge
that we cannot be fired willy –nilly and that appropriate levels of effort
and productivity will ensure continued employment.

Social /belonging needs

Generally ,as gregarious creatures ,human have a need to belong and

be accepted by others .In the workplace ,this need may be satisfied by
an ability to interact with other co-workers and perhaps to be able to
work collaboratively with these colleagues. As Officers in Charge ,you
should try and promote recreational facilities for subordinates to satisfy
this need.

Self-esteem Needs

According to Maslow, once people begin to satisfy their need of

belonging, they tend to want to be held in esteem both by themselves
and by others. This kind of need produces such satisfaction as power,
prestige and self -confidence. It includes internal esteem factors like
self- respect, autonomy and achievement and external esteem factors
such as recognition and attention.

Self- actualization Needs

Maslow regards this as the highest need in his hierarchy .It is the drive
to become what one is capable of becoming; it includes growth,
achieving one’s potential and self- fulfilment. As supervisors you should
allow people to excel in areas that you feel they are strong .Allow them
to develop themselves to the fullest.

As each of these needs is substantially satisfied, the next need becomes

dominant. From the standpoint of motivation, the theory would say that
although no need is ever fully gratified, a substantially satisfied need no
longer motivates. So if you want to motivate someone, you need to
understand what level of the hierarchy that person is on and focus on
satisfying those needs above that level.

Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

Douglas McGregor, in his book,”The human Side of Enterprise”, states

that people inside the organisation can be managed in two ways. The
first is basically negative ,which falls under the category X .After
viewing the way in which the manager dealt with employees, McGregor
concluded that a manager’s view of the nature of human beings is based
on a certain grouping assumptions and that he or she tends to mould his
or her behaviour towards subordinates according to these assumptions.

Theory X Assumptions

This is the assumption that employees, who dislike work, are lazy,
dislike responsibility and must be coerced to perform.

 Employees inherently dislike work and whenever possible will

attempt to avoid it.
 Since employees dislike work, they have to be forced, coerced or
threatened with punishment to achieve goals.
 Employees will avoid responsibilities and will seek formal directions
whenever possible.
 Most workers place a greater importance on security over all other
factors and display little ambition.

Theory Y Assumptions

This is the assumption that employees like work, are creative, seek
responsibility and can exercise self -direction.

 Employees view work as being as natural as rest or play.

 Employees can exercise self -control and self- direction if they are
committed to the goals.
 The average human beings are willing to accept or even seek
responsibility.
 The ability to make innovative decisions is widely dispersed
throughout the workers.
An organisation that is run on Theory X lines tends to be “authoritarian”
in nature .In contrast Theory Y organisations can be described as
“participative”, where the aims of the Organisation and of the
individuals in it are integrated.

David Mcclelland‘s Theory of needs.

David McClelland developed a theory on three types of

motivating needs;

NEED FOR POWER (NPOW)

Basically people with high need for power are inclined towards influence
and control .They like to be at the centre and are good orators. They are
demanding in nature, forceful in manners and ambitious in life. They can
be motivated to perform if they are given key or power positions.

NEED FOR AFFILLIATION (nAff)

In this category are people who are social in nature. They try to affiliate
themselves with individuals and groups .They are driven by love and
faith. They like to build a friendly environment around themselves.
Social recognition and affiliation with others provides them motivation.

Need for Achievement (nAch)

People in this category are driven by the challenge of success and the
fear of failure .Their need for achievement is moderate and they set for
themselves moderately difficult tasks. They are analytical in nature and
take calculated risks. Such people are motivated to perform when they
see at least some chances of success.

McClelland observed that with the advancement in hierarchy the need

for power and achievement increases rather than affiliation .He also
observed that people who were at the top ,later ceased to be motivated.

Types of motivation

Intrinsic motivation

This is usually a self- sustaining , self -drive and internal will to perform
due to the realisation that the job needs to be done and the rewards
will flow from it. Intrinsic motivation is usually a result of satisfaction
one gets from fully completing a given task.

Extrinsic Motivation

This is external encouragement or persuasion applied by the manager in

order to ensure that the expected level of performance is attained and
sustained .Extrinsic motivation is usually dominated by rewards and
sometimes by threats.

Motivational Factors

There are several factors that motivate a person to work .The

motivational factors can be broadly divided into two groups:-

Monetary Factors

 Salaries or wages

Salaries or wages is one of the most important motivational

factors .Reasonable salaries must be paid in time. While fixing
 salaries the organisation must consider things such as ,cost of living
and company’s ability to pay.

 Bonus

It refers to extra payment to employee over and above salary given

as an incentive. The employee must be given adequate rate of bonus

 Incentives

The organisation may also provide additional incentives such as

medical allowance , educational allowance, housing allowance etc.

Non-Monetary Factors

 Job security

Guarantee of job security or lack of fear of dismissal, etc can also be

a good way to motivate the employees. Employees who are kept in
temporary position for a long time may be frustrated and may leave
the organisation.

 Appreciation and recognition

Employees must be appreciated for their services. The praise should

not necessarily come from immediate superior but also from higher
authorities.

 Delegation of authority

Delegation of authority motivates a subordinate to perform the tasks

with dedication and commitment. When authority is delegated ,the
subordinate knows that his superior has placed faith and trust in him.

 Working Conditions
Provision for better working conditions such as air-conditioned rooms,
proper equipment , machinery, adequate resources ,etc motivates the
employees.

 Job enrichment

Job enrichment involves giving more challenging tasks and

responsibilities.

 Workers participation

Inviting the employee to be a member of quality circle , a committee

,or some other form of employee participation can also motivate the
work force.

 Cordial relations

Good and healthy relations must exist throughout the

organisation .This would definitely motivate the employees.

 Other Factors
 Giving time-offs
 Nomination for driving courses
 United Nations Missions
 Good leadership styles
 Appraisal and addressing of training needs
 Resolving conflicts amicably
 Memorandum of Good work
 Staff development

 Importance of motivation
 Motivation offers several importance’s to the organisation and to the
employees

 Higher efficiency
 Reduces absenteeism
 Reduces employee turn over
 Improves the corporate image
 Good relations
 Improved morale
 Reduced wastages
 Facilitate initiative and innovation.

Conclusion

It is evident from the discussion that the success of any organisation

largely depends on the capacity of its managers to motivate staff.
Therefore, as first line managers, you should ensure that you put in
place motivational mechanism that drive your staff towards achieving
your objectives.