Motivation
What is Motivation?
- Distinguish between the motivational theories of Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor;
- Explain how these theories of motivation apply in the work place; and
- Describe how you can apply these theories in different situations when interacting with others at work.
What is Motivation?
The job of any leader in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this, the team leader or supervisor should be able to motivate employees. But often, this is easier said than done!
Motivation is the key to performance improvement. The old adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink” is still true today. People will only do what they are motivated to do.
Consider the following equation:
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Performance is considered to be a function of ability and motivation. Ability depends on education, experience and training, and as a result its improvement is a slow and lengthy process. Conversely, motivation can be improved quickly.
However, the most difficult thing is determining what motivates an individual. Each individual has varying motivation factors, which we will explore throughout the coaching sessions.
What Motivates You?
Before we explore some of the key theories of motivation, let’s look at the things that motivate you. Take some time to think about the varying factors that motivate you. Are you motivated by money? By a need for approval? By a desire for excellence? Are you motivated by challenge or change? Record your thoughts in the space below.
Theories of Motivation
Theories of motivation are simply attempts to explain why and how people behave (think, act, speak) in different ways, or ‘what makes people tick’. A good understanding of the key theories of motivation is an essential starting point for working effectively with others as a supervisor or team leader. None of these theories is in itself a complete description of motivational factors, but taking them all together helps us to better understand the behaviour of people in a wide range of situations.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
In 1954, American psychologist Abraham Maslow explored what energises, motivates and sustains human behaviour. He hypothesised that the needs of all human beings fit into five broad categories: the physiological needs, the needs for safety and security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem and the need to actualise the self.
Maslow took this idea further and created his now famous hierarchy of needs, as outlined in the diagram on the following page. According to Maslow, some needs take precedence over others. He argued that as people’s needs change, they move up their ‘hierarchy of needs’. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty, you will seek out water before food – a person can survive for weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Therefore, thirst is a stronger need than hunger.
Once basic needs like food and shelter are taken care of, then the individual seeks for higher level needs (e.g. money to maintain survival, belonging to a group). Conversely, if lower level needs again become unsatisfied, then people will tend to focus on that. In other words, people are unlikely to be concerned about what people think of them as a person when they are trying to escape from a burning building – the first priority is more likely to be personal survival!
Take the time to think about which level on Maslow’s pyramid you think you are stationed at now. What does this mean in terms of your own personal motivation?
Herzberg’s Motivational-Hygiene Theory of Job Attitudes
To better understand employee attitudes and motivation, social theorist Frederick Herzberg performed studies to determine which factors in an employee’s work environment caused satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
In 1959, he published these findings in his book, The Motivation to Work. The studies included interviews in which employees were asked what pleased and displeased them about their work. Herzberg found that the factors causing job satisfaction (and presumably motivation) were different from those causing job dissatisfaction. He developed the ‘motivation-hygiene theory’ to explain these results. He called the satisfiers ‘motivators’ and the dissatisfiers ‘hygiene factors’, using the term ‘hygiene’ in the sense that they are considered maintenance factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but that by themselves do not provide satisfaction.
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Job Dissatisfaction Factors (Hygiene) |
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction (Motivation) |
Dissatisfiers:
Dissatisfiers include:
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Satisfiers:
Satisfiers include:
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Herzberg reasoned that because the factors causing satisfaction are different from those causing dissatisfaction, the two feelings cannot simply be treated as opposites of one another. The opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction.
While at first glance this distinction between the two opposites may sound like a play on words, Herzberg argued that there are two distinct human needs portrayed. First, there are physiological needs that can be fulfilled by money, for example, to purchase food and shelter. Second, there is the psychological need to achieve and grow, and this need is fulfilled by activities that cause one to grow.
If the motivation-hygiene theory holds, management not only must provide hygiene factors to avoid employee dissatisfaction, but also must provide factors intrinsic to the work itself in order for employees to be satisfied with their jobs.
Herzberg argued that job enrichment is required for intrinsic motivation, and that it is a continuous management process. According to Herzberg there are a number of job enrichment factors which must be taken into account. These are aspects surrounding the job itself which stimulate and engage commitment of employees to achieve organisational objectives. These factors could include:
- Meaningful and challenging work assignments;
- Increased responsibility (with autonomy);
- Redesigning job(s) to increase variety of tasks;
- Joint goal-setting;
- More decision-making power;
- Working in project or problem-solving teams; and
- Increased and more relevant training.
Now bringing to mind your workplace and supervisory role, what are the important hygiene factors for your team members?
What are the important motivational factors?
What are the most significant job enrichment factors?
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
In his book, The Human Side of Enterprise, Douglas McGregor examined theories on behaviour of individuals at work, and formulated two models which he calls Theory X and Theory Y. These are:
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Theory X managers believe: |
Theory Y managers believe: |
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Therefore, Theory X Managers tend to behave in the following ways… |
Therefore, Theory Y Managers tend to behave in the following ways… |
Us Versus Them
In a workplace survey conducted in the 1990s, managers and employees were asked to rank the importance of the following ten concepts in the workplace. The managers were instructed to rank the ideas as they thought the employees would. The results of the misalignment would seem to indicate that most managers don’t realise what is important to the people they are responsible for.
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Manager |
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Employee |
|
8 |
Appreciation |
1 |
|
10 |
Sense of Belonging |
2 |
|
9 |
Sympathy for Problems |
3 |
|
2 |
Job Security |
4 |
|
1 |
Salary |
5 |
|
5 |
Interesting Work |
6 |
|
3 |
Promotion |
7 |
|
6 |
Loyalty from Company |
8 |
|
4 |
Working Conditions |
9 |
|
7 |
Tactful Disciplining |
10 |
|
Manager |
|
Employee |
|
1 |
Salary |
5 |
|
2 |
Job Security |
4 |
|
3 |
Promotion |
7 |
|
4 |
Working Conditions |
9 |
|
5 |
Interesting Work |
6 |
|
6 |
Loyalty from Company |
8 |
|
7 |
Tactful Disciplining |
10 |
|
8 |
Appreciation |
1 |
|
9 |
Sympathy for Problems |
3 |
|
10 |
Sense of Belonging |
2 |
In another extensive study of employee motivation involving 31,000 men and 13,000 women, the Minneapolis Gas Company sought to determine what their potential employees desire most from a job. This study was carried out during a 20-year period from 1945 to 1965 and revealed that security rated as the most significant factor for employees. The next three factors were:
- Advancement;
- Type of work; and
- A company they were proud to work for.
Surprisingly, factors such as pay, benefits and working conditions were given a low rating by both men and women. So contrary to common belief, money is not always the prime motivator.
Do these results surprise you?
Does this change your attitude to motivating your own staff?
Case Study: Motivation
Instructions: Read the case study carefully. Identify which theory each manager most clearly demonstrates, using the questions that follow as prompts.
Superintendent Stanley is in charge of a busy inner-city fire station. Reviewing the monthly shift reports, the Superintendent notices that on A and B shifts the time off because of sickness among less experienced fire fighters is high. Over the past month, several rookie fire fighters have requested transfers to C shift. To accurately define the problem, Superintendent Stanley calls in the three shift District Officers.
Superintendent Stanley asks each commander for an opinion of the problem and possible solution. Station Officer Smith of A shift explains that the quality of fire fighters was down, especially the latest bunch of recruits. He points out that most were lazy and went out of their way to avoid routine tasks such as housekeeping and station maintenance. S.O. Smith adds, “Everyone knows that it is tradition that the rookies need to work their way into the fire station. This is the way it’s always been.”
S.O. Carlson of B shift says she has no problems with the new fire fighters attitudes on her shift, but skill levels were low. She suggests the training academy was part of the problem, by not providing appropriate training for the fire fighters either initially or on a continuing basis. S.O. Carlson adds that the new recruits lack confidence on the ground and sometimes made minor blunders, but they constantly complained about inactivity between runs. “I have encouraged these individuals to bring reading material with them to work to occupy their slack time. And we have also started a weekly championship card game to keep their morale healthy,” S.O. Carlson concludes.
S.O. Springer comments that the new fire fighters on C shift seem eager to learn and work hard. Each recruit is paired with an older fire fighter upon assignment, he says. The two fire fighters do the same tasks and duty for the first six months and then the recruit is assigned to another mature fire fighter for the remainder of the probationary year. This enriches the job of the mature fire fighters by being given training responsibility, which prepares them for promotion. At the same time, it gives the new fire fighters the confidence in doing the job and builds team spirit into the company. S.O. Springer states that he had introduced some training manuals and student workbooks, as well as increased drill time to promote skill development for the new recruits. He also intends to establish a program of individual training plans to better target the individual and team training needs.
Questions
Which motivational theory does each supervisor most closely demonstrate?
Which concern (concern for production or people) does each supervisor most prominently display? Why do you say that?
Which leadership style does each supervisor most closely express in their comments? Why do you think so?
Summary
Motivation is an inner drive or need which influences individual behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of reality.
Every person is motivated for or against something. No one can ‘motivate’ anybody else, as people are motivated for their reasons, not yours or mine. Arguably the greatest challenge for any leader is to understand what others are motivated for or against, and to act wisely on that knowledge in developing relationships, when assigning work and in communication.
There are several theories of motivation (Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor to name just a few) which can help us to understand the part motivational factors can play in human behaviour. In the end it is practical daily experience and application which will prove most useful in making these theories meaningful.
Evaluation Questions
What is ‘motivation’?
What are the levels of Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’?
If your task is to provide a ‘positive motivational atmosphere’ for new staff members, by ensuring that motivational as well as hygiene factors are present, which theory of motivation is being invoked?
Actions You plan to take based on these
insights:…
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