Psychology Report Writing on:

The importance of Work motivation theories in the workplace

CONTENTS
 1. Introduction

2. Workplace motivation theories

2.1- Arousal theory

2.2 -Herzberg’s two factor motivation theory

2.3 - Expectancy theory

2.4 - Goal - setting theory

2.5- Maslow’s theory

2.6 - Equity theory

3. Impact of demotivated employees in workplace

4. Benefits of motivated employees

5. Conclusion

6. References

INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION DEFINITION
The word motivation has been derived from the Latin word “movere” which means “to move.”
The process that commences, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors is called motivation.
It can also be defined as the desire to act in service of a goal. The term motivation is frequently
used to describe “why” a person does something. Motive is the inner state that powers up,
energizes, activates, or moves, and directs behaviors towards goals. Motivation is what motivates
us to act, whether it is eating food when hungry or reading a book to gain knowledge. In reaching
enterprise goals and to encourage people to give their best performance, motivation becomes an
important factor. Motivation is very essential in any workplace as a positive motivation will
increase efficiency of the employees and negative motivation will reduce the efficiency of
employees. Motivation is the key element in personnel management. In management, motivation
is considered as one of the most important aspects. The true asset of any firm or business is its
well-motivated employee. In any business, the manager functions to motivate its employees and
subordinates.

There are two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from
within the individual. When an individual is intrinsically motivated then they do something for
personal relief or satisfaction. The example of intrinsic motivation can be the completion of a
riddle because you find it challenging. When an individual does something to get a reward or
avoid a punishment then it is called extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from
something outside of yourself, such as reward or good marks.

We can define a workplace as a building or room where an individual or groups of people have a
common motive, goals, etc. perform their jobs. In other words, we can define a workplace as the
location at which an employee ordinarily performs the duties of his or her position and, the actual
building to which the employee develops and/or proposes reports, etc., and where other
managerial and directorial matters relating to the employee's employment are conducted.

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MOTIVATION

1.Activation: Activation is simply the goal that encourages the individual to action. Whether an
individual recognizes it or not, a goal is chosen among a set of alternatives. For instance, an
individual may be motivated towards a highly social lifestyle for career advancement or social
status. In order to drive educational options, a student may need help in finding his aim, goal,
direction, etc. Educators and counselors can help students find direction by observing, analyzing
data and listening to the student’s passions and interests. Guiding students or to find their
direction a teacher can help them.
2.Persistence: The time in which an individual spends energy and works towards some kind of
direction or goal is called persistence. The factors that initially energized may not necessarily be
the same factors that sustain behavior and provide for persistence. It can also be defined as the
ability to sustain motivation and effort over time. These kinds of characteristics or attributes can
be seen as the basic element of productivity. For example, a student may be initially motivated to
earn good grades in school to receive an allowance at home. Motivation may be supplemented if
the student discovers that learning is fun and personally satisfying.
3.Intensity: Intensity is the strength of the response in the chosen activation. The effort that pulls
in some certain result which is dependent on an individual insight of possibility is called intensity
or motivational force. For example, when an individual tries to complete work when the deadline
is about to happen then he/she tries to complete that work by staying late at work and increasing
the output rate, this is because he/she was motivated to pursue the goal. There is a lack of
intensity to those unmotivated people who don’t have a sense of direction and duration to their
effort. Motivation has a strong relationship to performance according to the expectancy theory is
highly important for organizations to have motivated workers.

MOTIVATION CYCLE

Driving state or motion: Driving state or motion can be defined as the state of tension or arousal
produced by need. The driving state or motion can also be considered as the original source of
energy that activates an organism. For example, when a person feels hunger or thirst then that
person wants to reduce this drive by eating or drinking. Driving state or motion reacts as a
forceful unbroken stimulus to push an individual towards its goal. It is the state when intense
stress leads to uneasy activity and preliminary action.
Goal Directed Behavior: Goal Directed Behavior can be defined as the object of the environment
that activates, directs, and maintains behavior. Goal directed behavior has both positive and
negative value in motivating behavior. Goal Directed Behavior is the assumption that the
behaving organism is well aware of his actions and the consequences received as a result. When
an individual wants to achieve any particular goal object then this kind of behavior is understood
as a motivation. The motivated behavior is directed towards incentive and getting closer to the
incentive provides satisfaction of the aroused drive.
Goal: The goal of any motivated behavior is the reduction of tension in the body. To maintain
and restore a balanced condition, a hungry man eats food. This then reduces the tension. Goal is
an energized activity that reduces tension. An individual is ready for another goal-oriented
behavior, once the individual completes a goal. Goals might be both positive or negative. The
goals that an individual tries to obtain like food, success, friendship, etc. are called positive goals.
Negative goals are the ones that people try to escape from or avoid, such as embarrassing
situations, punishments.

THEORIES OF WORK MOTIVATION

1. AROUSAL THEORY
According to this theory, each person has a unique optimal arousal level. When our arousal levels
fall below these unique optimal levels,we need some stimulation to elevate them so as to reach
the normal level. When our arousal level is extremely low, then we feel tired and bored. To get
rid of this feeling, we engage in activities that will increase our arousal level like hanging out
with friends, watching our favourite movie.

When our arousal level is high, we tend to feel anxious and overwhelmed. In this case, we
meditate, read a book or listen to some soothing songs.

Arousal level affects our performance. When it is low, we tend to get tired, so we underperform.
When it reaches the optimal level, that’s when we’re the most productive. As our arousal level
exceeds the optimal level, then we get anxious and cannot perform well.

Higher arousal levels can sometimes help us perform better, but they can also impair performance
if arousal levels are too high.

IMPORTANCE OF AROUSAL THEORY IN WORKPLACE

As human beings, we all need some level of motivation that could push us to work harder in the
workplace than just showing up to work and doing the bare minimum. We all need a boost, a
surge of adrenaline that might help us reach our final goals. Getting to your 9-5 job every day and
doing the same boring things routinely in the same pattern can be monotonous and exhausting.
This can lower the employees’ arousal level. According to the theory, low arousal causes
tiredness, fatigue, unproductivity and lack of creative ideas. This not only affects the employees
but affects the business as a whole and creates a negative atmosphere in the workplace. The
employees might suffer a creative block because it is impossible for anyone to thrive in a
monotonous environment. So, the employer needs to conduct activities that will elevate the
employees’ arousal level. Rather than micromanaging, employers should grant creative freedom
to employees. Not only does that motivate them, but it also provides them with a sense of
responsibility and accountability. Organizing specific group events or activities, entrusting
employees with challenging tasks and allowing them to compete may be ways to increase
employee motivation. Recognition is another major motivating factor for employees.
Recognizing and rewarding employees for their success not only motivates them to do better, but
also helps to create an emotional connection. These factors help to elevate arousal level and soon
the optimal arousal level can be achieved. However, too much chaos, excessive workload and
pressure can elevate the arousal level above the optimal point. Increased level of arousal will
improve performance, but only up to a point. When it exceeds the optimal level, it creates anxiety
among the employees. Overwhelmed and anxious employees cannot perform their job efficiently.
The employer should organize recreational activities from time to time and try to maintain a
calm, chaos-free workplace.
2. HERZBERG’S TWO-FACTOR THEORY
The two-factor theory, also known as Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory states that there
are certain factors which cause satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the workplace and they are
independent to each other. This means eliminating the dissatisfiers doesn't necessarily mean the
achievement of satisfiers.The hygiene factor and motivator factor are the two factors that
influence employee’s motivation and satisfaction. Hygiene factors also known as maintenance
factors do not lead to extreme satisfaction, but if these factors are absent at the workplace, then
they lead to dissatisfaction. It includes the work environment, pay, workplace relations, company
policies, job security, fringe benefits, etc.
Motivational factors are also known as satisfiers when present lead to positive satisfaction and
motivate employees to do superior work. It includes challenging work, job recognition,
promotion, achievement, career progression, responsibility etc.

IMPORTANCE OF HERZBERG'S THEORY IN WORKPLACE

Employee satisfaction is one of the most important factors for the smooth operation of any
successful business or company. Satisfied and. Motivated employees increase the company’s
production and productivity. They not only lead to an increase in production, but they’re also
more innovative and efficient. Without a motivated workplace, companies experience reduced
productivity, lower level of output and it's more likely to suffer loss. Employee motivation is
critical at all times. The moment the employees lose motivation in their job, it immediately
impacts the company’s revenue and accomplishments. Motivating employees is a challenging but
extremely crucial part of a manager's job. Generally, it is considered that increasing pay will
automatically motivate employees to work harder, but Herzberg believed that money isn’t the
only factor to ensure good work performance. There’s more to motivating staff than just money.

The theory suggests that the first step in creating a happy and productive work environment is to
eliminate the factors causing dissatisfaction by reassessing poor company policies, offering
justifiable salary, providing job security, understanding their needs and wants etc. Once there is
no room for dissatisfaction in the workplace then work towards providing satisfaction and
motivation to the employees. Companies which want to motivate the employees and at the same
time keep them happy need to find a balance between Companies looking to create a workplace
with happy and motivated employees need to find a balance between creating a harmonious
workplace with competitive wages and employment security while rewarding workers and
promoting opportunities for employees to advance in their careers. Employees’ achievement
needs to be recognized, growth needs to be ensured, responsibility needs to be enhanced. They
should feel safe, valued and respected. Their opinion and ideas must be heard and acknowledged
and only then the goals of a company can be met. Being recognised for their efforts and feeling
like their voices and opinions are heard and valued can be a huge motivating factor for the
employees,so making this a priority can be profitable to business.
 Every employee may not have the same motivating and demotivating factor as they’re all unique
so a manager has to deal differently with everyone. Herzberg’s two-factor theory holds that
employers cannot select between motivation or hygiene, rather they must be given the
opportunity to enhance both.

3. EXPECTANCY THEORY
Expectancy theory is a theory of motivation suggesting that behaviour is pulled by expectations
of desirable outcomes. The key assumptions of this theory are that behaviour results from
conscious choices among alternatives which maximizes the pleasure and minimize the pain and
are pulled by an expectation of desired outcomes rather than “pushed” from within by
biologically based drives. Expectancy theory has three components: expectancy, instrumentality,
Valence. Instrumentality is a belief that a person will receive the desired income if the
expectation of performance is met. Similarly, expectancy is an individual’s belief that effort will
lead to desired outcomes. And, valence is a unique value that an individual places on a particular
outcome.

IMPORTANCE OF EXPECTANCY THEORY IN WORKPLACE

Expectancy theory believes that in an organization or a company an employee will be motivated
that putting in the effort will yield better job performance which will lead to better outcomes like
an increase in salary or benefits. If a company wants their worker to put in a certain amount of
effort, they set up a reward structure with clearly defined goals, routine evaluations. In
workplaces, expectancy theory is used to enhance the relationship between efforts and outcomes.
It is used from the initial to the final phase like from recruitment to retirement. During
recruitment, the recruiters develop a strategy to attract applicants with qualification and
experience the organization needs. This is an example of expectancy theory because promoting
from within is a policy that supports employee retention efforts. The expectancy theory can also
be seen during the interviews on both sides as the interviews study the company’s literature, work
on their presentation skills in the expectation of impressing the company’s hiring manager. On
the other hand, the interviewers develop a certain question model which will help in eliciting the
response they want and make the hiring decision more rational and accurate. In many workplaces,
the manager uses expectancy theory for producing a better performance of their employees.

The manager can use the expectation theory to motivate employees to work to meet the
organizational objectives. They can do so by selecting rewards that suit the employee's
preferences, paying them for overtime works, and rewarding those who work for the betterment
of the organization. All these will motivate the employees to do their best for their profit which
will eventually lead to organizational profit. If this theory is properly applied in the workplace,
this may trigger a motivational process that improves performance. This theory will help the
management team better understand what they need to offer their employees so that they will
commit to delivering effective work. This theory helps managers to understand the mental
process through which motivation occurs. It also helps managers to value their employee’s
dignity as it is entirely based on the premise that employees are rational and capable thinking
individuals. Expectancy theory encourages the manager to create a favourable and productive
environment in the workplace. The expectancy theory emphasizes the principle of economic
return thus, workers are more motivated if they know that an incentive will result in a better
outcome. The theory suggests that the best way to motivate employees is through non-financial
incentives such as praise, recognition, and advancement opportunities. It provides insight into the
importance of effort and attitude in self-management. Therefore, the expectancy theory if applied
effectively in the workplace will help an organization profit, prosper and meet its organizational
goals.

4. GOAL- SETTING THEORY

Goal-setting theory is the theory that believes that motivation can be strongly influenced by goals.
The key assumption of this theory is that setting specific and challenging but attainable goals can
boost motivation and performance especially when individuals are committed to reaching the
goals and receiving feedback on their progress. The goal-setting theory states SMART. SMART
is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.SMART
goal pushes people forward and gives them a direction towards their goal and helps them to be
organized and achieve that goal.

IMPORTANCE OF GOAL SETTING THEORY IN WORKPLACE

The goal-setting theory is important in the workplace. The goals that people set gives them focus.
Without goals, the efforts the people put in may become disjoint and confusing. Goals help
employees to stay motivated. When a business sets a goal and achieves it, it will provide them
with a taste of victory which they will want again and again. When people set goals in life which
they want to achieve, they realize that procrastination is dangerous and does nothing but hampers
the future. The habit of setting goals helps a person know what they truly want in life. Setting
goals also helps a business to measure its progress. Being able to keep track of one's progress
towards achieving a goal is only possible if you set one in the first place. It will help employees
to maintain focus, high energy their up and prevent them from going down.

As a manager implementing goal-setting theory in the right way will help in motivating the
employees. When employees can see a milestone to be achieved, they will be motivated and
strive for success which will help the business. There should be transparency in the planning of
goals and objectives that help the business prosper. Employees are likely to be innovative and
creative when they believe in the value of the goals that have been set. Communication is the key
when it comes to goal setting. The managers must be able to understand this and should ensure
that the workplace maintains regular meetings with the employees to track their progress and
keep them excited and motivated towards receiving the goal on which both have decided. Goal-
setting theory helps in bringing clarity to work. In the workplace, goal setting will help to
maintain motivation, especially during setbacks. Setting and accomplishing or failing goals helps
to provide a better understanding of expectation. Setting goals and failing to achieve them in a
certain time will also teach people many lessons. It will make people humble and make them
realize that the work they have been doing is not working and for that, they need to make some
real changes if they want to get somewhere in life. Goal-setting theory is a practice used to
increase motivations for employees to complete work swiftly and effectively. Goal setting leads
to a better presentation by increasing motivation and efforts, but also through increasing and
refining the feedback quality. The rewards for both the organization and the employees make it
worthwhile for managers to implement a goal-setting structure. If managers succeed in following
the basic guidelines and keep all communication open and transparent, only then will goal-setting
be a benefit to the employees and organization.

5. MASLOW’S THEORY OF MOTIVATION

Abraham Maslow propounded the theory of motivation theory is and hierarchy theory of needs
theory primary and secondary needs of human beings into five different levels he developed this
theory on the basis of the assumption:

● Human needs are always unlimited.

● It needs to act as a motivation.
● Needs also have hierarchy.

Psychological needs (basic needs)

Psychological needs are considered as primary needs of human beings; these are the need to be
satisfied for human life, need for food shelter water and clothing. Human needs are always
unlimited as human needs are unlimited as one need is satisfied another need automatically
generates.

Security needs

These needs are considered with safety for life or security for the future economic condition
every organization employee seeks for satisfying their security needs.
Social Needs

As human beings are related to society it is important to satisfy their social needs. This is the need
for friendship, love, affection and belongingness. These needs are generated as soon as security
needs are satisfied.

Esteem needs

These are higher-order needs of human beings. They are the need to satisfy self-respect,
appreciation, promotion, power. These needs should be satisfied to show the importance of their
presence in the organizations.

Self-actualization needs

This is also considered as a higher order need of human beings. These needs are considered with
development as soon as basic and other needs are satisfied employees tend to satisfy self-
actualization needs for self-development.
IMPORTANCE OF MASLOW’S THEORY OF MOTIVATION IN
WORKPLACE
In every organization employees first need is to be satisfied with psychological needs to satisfy
their psychological needs the organization should provide adequate salary , bonuses allowance
etc. if psychological needs are fulfilled they will work efficiently .Only when the psychological
needs are satisfied needs for safety and security are also considered as primary need in modern
days . To motivate the employees by satisfying their security needs should be provided with
facilities such as insurance, provident fund, permanent job etc. As soon as security needs are
satisfied the employee should be treated as part of the organization. Moreover, socialization and
introduction programs should be organized to fulfill their needs and they should be entitled with
the business name. Esteem needs should be satisfied to show the importance of their presence in
the organization to fulfill their needs. Employees should be appreciated by providing financial
and non-financial rewards to keep them motivated. Self-actualization needs are a very important
need in a workplace, in order to develop their career and find better opportunities in future . In
reality, self-actualization needs are never ending.
Motivation refers to encouraging sub –ordinate or employees to perform better, faster ,effectively
and efficiently .whole success and failure of organization depends on degree of employee
motivation it is believed that organization goals cannot be achieved unless and until employees
are motivated . It is necessary to increase willingness to work on that part of employees, only
highly motivated employees accept duties and responsibilities

6. EQUITY THEORY
The equity theory of motivation is that the concept of what a private receives for his or her work
features a direct effect on their motivation. When applied to the workplace, it means a private will
generally aim to make a balance between what they provide to the organization compared to what
they get reciprocally.

The equity theory of motivation is based on the relatively simple premises that people in
organization wants to be treated fairly .equally defined equity is the belief that we are being
treated fairly in relation to other .The Equity Theory of Motivation deals with the way people
compare the value of themselves to others in similar work situations based on their inputs and
outputs. Inputs are what you bring back things, like your skills, time and education. Outputs are
everything you get reciprocally, like your salary, bonuses, raises and promotions.

When inputs are less like the amount of labor or time spent working, but the output of pay is
higher there's a perceived inequity within the situation. Inequities occur when the output/input
ratio isn't like the comparison person. Inequities motivate the worker to undertake to realize
equality. When an employee feels there's inequality they will do many things to scale back their
inequity. They can increase or decrease their inputs or outputs, leave, distort their own or the
others input or outcomes, or simply change the comparison person.
IMPORTANCE OF EQUITY THEORY IN WORKPLACE
Equity theory is predicated on the idea that members of a corporation experience strong
expectations of Justice, balance and fairness in treatment by the workers. The equity theory of
motivation is a pretty powerful motivation, if people do not feel they are being treated fairly they
have to deal with it in some way to bring the comparison back to equilibrium.

Equity theory can assist you gain a far better understanding of the various factors that influence
your team’s motivation levels. Since many employees make work contributions supporting what
they think they're going to receive, you'll benefit your entire team by setting standards for fairness
and equality. If an employee sees that they're receiving similar outcomes to others in their field
with an equivalent amount of experience, they're going to be more likely to remain satisfied in
their position. Some may put a better value on education, skills and training, while others may
feel that their time and energy should receive a greater reward. When you show your team you
appreciate their contributions fairly, you'll help them stay motivated and happy within the
workplace. You can also hold regular team meetings to guarantee everyone feels valued for their
efforts.
 Impact of demotivated employees in workplace
An employee who just clocks in, idles around, does not show enthusiasm towards work and waits
for the day to end; in much simpler terms a demotivated employee is a burden to the company
and they disturb the flow of the workplace. Such demotivated employees have a negative impact
on the workplace in general. When an employee lacks motivation, he does the minimal amount of
work which in turn causes the burden of his unfinished work to fall on other employees.
Demotivated employee may impact the motivation of his entire team. Seeing one employee
slacking off may lead to others following him and this ultimately impacts the team’s
performance. Other employees who have to carry the burden of the demotivated employee may
feel the extra work to be unfair. This degrades the work environment in the company.

Demotivated employee lowers the business performance because of his actions. Such employees
would definitely wont show any enthusiasm in front of customers, they may act rude and this
shows badly on the company’s reputation. Demotivated employee will do the bare minimum
work without putting much effort into it. Such halfhearted work won’t be very well received and
this will cause the demotivated employees’ department or seniors to look bad in front of others.
They dread taking on additional work and when faced with any challenges while working, they
try to avoid it and do not put in any effort to solve it. They may have commitment issues and try
to skip out of work in every possible turn. They may not submit assigned tasks on time causing
inconvenience to everyone and act as a road blocker intentionally or unintentionally. Their work
shows repeated mistakes and they do not try to solve it or learn from those mistakes. This is a
clear sign of thoughtlessness in their work. They disregard warnings and suggestions given to
them. This throws the entire workplace’s balance off the pace.

Demotivated employees have a negative impact in the workplace and it is the duty of managers to
help keep their employees motivated. Managers can research the above-mentioned theories and
try to come up with their own solution to keep up their employee’s motivation. Employees’
motivation to work and the workplace environment reflects the manager’s leadership qualities. In
a way, employee demotivation can also be pointed out as a flaw of a manager to keep their
employees enthusiastic about work and their lack of leadership skills.

Benefits of motivated employees

Those employees who are active, show enthusiasm toward their work, are happy and satisfied by
their role in the workplace are motivated employees. These employees are great assets of the
company. They create a positive work environment which motivates other employees and also
attracts talented new workforce to the company. Any business with culture is found attractive by
the work force and the company can hire competent workers in the process. Motivated employees
improve the overall performance of the workplace. Happy and satisfied workers can also serve
customers well, they will do their best to be of help to their customers and this will improve
customer service provided by the company. Improved customer service attracts more customers
and the name of the company gets spread in a positive light. Motivated employees are less likely
to get day offs and slack off as they are satisfied with their work. Motivated employees lead to
less employee turnover i.e., employees who leave the company and are replaced by someone
new. The company can spend less budget for recruitment and training new employees. Hence, the
workplace is benefited by the presence of motivated employees.

Motivated employees improve the workplace environment. In context of the modern rules and
regulations of labor (labor law) the company should strive to keep motivated. Labor laws are very
strict and if workers are not satisfied with policies implemented by the company and feel
overworked, they may even take legal action against the company which degrades its name. If
workers are satisfied with their job, it is less likely for them to have any beef with the company
and no legal charges would be charged against them. So, motivated employees are necessary for
the company to have a smooth sailing operation. Hence, managers and other administrative
officers of the organization should work hard and ensure that employees are motivated.

Conclusion
Work motivation is the willingness and desire of workers to make an effort in achieving
organizational goals and towards their work in general. Many psychologists have researched and
proposed many theories about motivation and factors affecting it. These theories are commonly
known as motivation theories. In a workplace, a manager can boost their employees’ motivation
by referring to these theories and coming up with new strategies to encourage the workers.
Granting employees creative freedom rather than micromanaging and entrusting them with
challenging tasks can boost employees’ motivation in accordance to arousal theory. By
eliminating factors causing dissatisfaction by reassessing poor company policies, offering
justifiable salary, providing job security and by working to satisfy the employees by creating an
environment where they feel safe, valued and respected as mentioned in Herzberg’s two factor
theory, employees can be motivated. As suggested in expectancy theory, the workers can be
motivated by selecting rewards that suit the employee's preferences, paying them for overtime
works, praising them for their efforts and by fulfilling their desired outcome. According to goal
setting theory, setting challenging yet achievable goals to give purpose and direction to their
work, and giving proper feedback of their work, motivates employees. Maslow theory of
motivation says that by fulfilling employees’ psychological (basic), security, social, esteem and
self-actualization needs, employees remain motivated in the workplace. By treating every
employee fairly, maintaining an environment of equality in the workplace and appreciating
employees’ work contribution can help motivate employees in the workplace according to the
equity theory. Demotivated employees impact the workplace negatively so managers should work
hard to keep their employees motivated. Motivated employees are an asset to the company, they
yield better results and help achieve organizational goals. Hence, motivation theories are very
important in the workplace to keep employees motivated.

REFERENCES
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https://researchleap.com/theories-motivation-application-organizations-risk-analysis/

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/apply-motivational-theories-workplace-10962.html

https://https://www.simplypsychology.org/research-methods.htmlwww.wikipedia.org/