Motivation

Definition
• Motivation is defined as a condition that is initiated by a
physiological or psychological deficiency or need in an individual,
which causes the individual to behave in a certain manner in order
to achieve a particular goal or incentive

• Need: A physiological or psychological imbalance leads to the

creation of a need

• Drive: A physiological condition which causes a person to work in

a particular direction

• Incentives: Anything that can mitigates a need and decrease the

intensity of a drive is called an incentive
Motivation Process
 Classification of Motives

• Primary Motive: It is not learned and it is physiologically

based e.g hunger, thirst, sleep, etc

• General(Stimulus) Motive: It is not learned but is also not

based on physiological needs e.g curiosity, manipulation
activity and affection motives

• Secondary Motive: It has been learned and acquired over time

e.g power, achievement, affiliation, security and status
 Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory
Maslow states that people have a hierarchy of motivational needs.
Once the needs at a particular level in the hierarchy of needs are
satisfied, the needs at the next level in the hierarchy become
motivators for the individual. The needs are:
• Physiological needs: Primary needs such as basic pay, workspace,
water, cafeteria, etc
• Safety needs: Emotional and physical dimensions like job security,
life insurance, safety regulations, etc
• Social needs: Affection or Affiliation (social belongingness) needs
such as good coworkers, peers, superiors, etc
• Esteem needs: Developing and obtaining respect from others such
as important projects, recognition, prestigious office location, etc
• Self actualization needs: Realization of full potential and its
fulfillment such as challenging projects, opportunities for
innovation and creativity, training, etc
A Hierarchy of Work Motivation
 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
• The Two factor theory provides an assessment for the job satisfaction or
dissatisfaction of employees in work motivation

• Herzberg states that job satisfiers are associated with the job content and job
dissatisfiers are related to the job context

• The satisfiers are termed as motivators which are essential to keep the
employees satisfied

• Examples of Motivators are the work itself, clear achievable goals, appreciation
of good work, giving adequate responsibility to employees, career growth ,etc

• The dissatisfiers are termed as hygiene factors that are responsible for
preventing dissatisfaction

• Examples of hygiene factors are administrative policies of the organization,

able supervisors, fair pay, good interpersonal relations, conducive working
conditions, etc
 Alderfer’s ERG Theory

• Existence needs: Survival and physiological well-being of an

individual

• Relatedness needs: Social and interpersonal relationships

• Growth needs: Person’s inner desire for personal growth and

development
 Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
• Valence denotes the strength of an individual’s preference for
a particular outcome(OUTCOME- Value of outcome to the
person Vs indifference or aversion)

• Instrumentality refers to the degree to which a first-level

outcome would help in attaining the desired second level
outcome(PERFORMANCE- Belief that if I can do better I get
a better reward)

• Expectancy is the probability that performing a specific action

would produce a particular first level outcome or
effort(EFFORT- Belief that if I try hard I can do better)
 Porter-Lawler Model

• Effort: This denotes the amount of energy expended by an individual

to perform a specific task. Employee must be motivated to
accomplish the task

• Performance: Along with motivation, the employee should also have

the abilities and skills required to successfully perform the task

• Rewards: An employee is rewarded based on his performance. Thus,

the employee should have clear perception of his role in the
organization

• Satisfaction: Satisfaction results when the actual rewards exceed the

perceived rewards
Porter-Lawler Model
 Equity Theory

• It states that individuals compare their job inputs and outcomes with those
of others and then respond to eliminate any inequities

• The degree of equity or inequity perceived by an employee with reference

to his/her work situation plays a major role in work performance and
satisfaction

• Employees compare the outcomes what they get from their job in
relation to what they give to the job

• Equity:
(Person’s outcomes/Person’s inputs) = (Other’s outcomes/Other’s inputs)

• Inequity:
 (Person’s outcomes/Person’s inputs) < (Other’s outcomes/Other’s inputs)
 (Person’s outcomes/Person’s inputs) > (Other’s outcomes/Other’s inputs)
 Equity Theory referent comparisons

• Self-inside: The employee compares his/her experiences in the present

position with the experiences of those holding a similar position in the
same organization

• Self-outside: The employee compares his/her experiences in the present

position with the experiences of those holding a similar position in
another organization

• Other-inside: The employee compares his/her experiences in the present

position with the experiences of another individual or group of
individuals holding a different position but belonging to the same
organization

• Other-outside: The employee compares his/her experiences in the

present position with that of another individual or group of individuals
holding a different position and belonging to a different organization
 Equity Theory Choices
After comparing his/her position with that of his/her referent, if an
employee perceives an inequity, he/she will make the following choices:
• Change in inputs: Increasing or decreasing the inputs

• Change in outcomes: Acting in a manner to change result

• Distort perceptions of self: Distort the perception about his/her own

performance

• Distort perception of others: Change the way he/she perceives other’s

jobs, positions or productivity

• Choose a different referent: Change the referent to compare himself or

herself

• Leave the field: Decide to quit the job and look for new one
 Organizational Justice
It is an overall perception of what is fair in the workplace, composed of
distributive, procedural, informational and interpersonal justice

• Distributive Justice: It is a perceived fairness of the amount and

allocation of rewards among individuals

• Procedural Justice: It is a perceived fairness of the process used to

determine the distribution of rewards

• Informational Justice: It is the degree to which employees are

provided truthful explanations for decisions

• Interpersonal Justice: It is the degree to which employees are treated

with dignity and respect
Organizational Justice Model
 Mc-Clelland’s theory of needs

It is a theory that states achievement, power and affiliation are

three important needs that help explain motivation. The needs
are:
• Need for achievement: It is the drive to excel, to achieve in
relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed

• Need for power: It is the need to make others behave in a way

in which they would not have behaved otherwise

• Need for affiliation: It is the desire for friendly and close

interpersonal relationships
 Job Design-The Concept
• Job design is the process of structuring work and
designating the specific activities at individual or group
levels. It determines:
 The responsibility of an employee

 The authority he/she enjoys over the work

 His/ Her scope of decision-making

 His/ Her level of satisfaction

 His/ Her productivity

 Job Design Approaches
Job Design is defined as the process of structuring tasks and responsibilities
into a job in an attempt to make the job more meaningful, significant and
satisfying. Approaches are:

• Engineering approach (Scientific Management)

• Human relations approach ( Interpersonal Employee relations)

• Job Characteristics Model (Features of a job)

• Job enlargement (Horizontal Job expansion)

• Job enrichment ( Vertical Job expansion)

• Job rotation (Switching of jobs)

• Socio-technical approach (Quality of Work-life)

 Job Characteristics approach

• Employees work hard when they are rewarded for the

work they do and when the work gives them satisfaction
• It identifies the specific job characteristics that affect
productivity, motivation and satisfaction and their
interrelationships
• The core dimensions are:
 Skill Variety ( Different tasks)
 Task Identity (Identifiable task beginning and ending)
 Task Significance ( Task importance)
 Autonomy (Substantial freedom and discretion)
 Feedback(Obtaining clear and direct performance
information)
Job Characteristics Model
 Goal Setting Theory
• The theory states that specific and difficult goals, with feedback, lead to higher performance

• A goal can be defined as the desired consequence of an action. So, difficult goals stimulate
performance and commitment

• Goals should be specific, difficult, challenging, owned, accepted, measurable and have a
specific time frame

• The content attribute of goals refers to the level of difficulty involved in attaining the goal

• The intensity attribute refers to the process by which a goal is set and accomplished and
relates to employee participation in goal setting and commitment towards achieving the set
goals

• Goal setting is usually implemented by Management By Objective (MBO): MBO is the

process of setting goals and objectives to be achieved within a pre-determined time period, an
open feedback system and a performance appraisal system to measure the degree to which
the goals have been accomplished

• Barriers are lack of : Top management support, communication, content of the goal and
technical competence