Motivation is a complex topic that covers almost all areas of human life.

Up to now, motivation

is still a topic that has received a lot of attention and research from psychologists or business

people, managers, etc. However, there is no absolute definitive theory about motivational

processes because motivation comes from many aspects, each of which will have its own

process and different application. Especially in the field of management, the concept of

motivation has been widely applied due to its feasibility and effectiveness for creating

engagement of employees and managers to promote work performance, increase employee

satisfaction and build a cohesive, healthy working environment. In this essay, I will conceptually

analyze each motivation theory, highlighting its effectiveness in management.

The Encyclopedia of Management defines motivation as the degree of readiness of an organism

to pursue some designated goal and implies the determination of the nature and locus of the

forces, including the degree of readiness. There are also many other theories that define

motivation. Specifically, according to Koontz and O'Donnell's Definition of Motivation:

"Motivation is a general term applying to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes, and

similar forces that induce an individual or a group of people to work." But In the words of

Michael J. Jucious, "motivation is the act of stimulating someone or oneself to get a desired

course of action, to push the right button to get the desired action." But clearly, those

definitions all have the same intention of human psychological behavior and are all geared

towards accomplishing a certain goal. Motivation acts as the driving force that guides all human

behavior. So understanding how it works, its classification, and the factors that can affect it can

be very important. Two main types of motivation are often described as extrinsic or intrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation arises from outside the individual and often involves extrinsic rewards such
as titles, money, social recognition, or praise. Intrinsic motivation is intrinsic and arises from

within the individual, such as solving a complex crossword puzzle purely for the sake of solving

a problem. Moreover, in addition to the two obvious types of motivation, some studies suggest

that there is a third type of motivation which is family motivation. An example of this would be

to work when you have no internal motivation to do it (no intrinsic motivation) nor external

motivation, but because it is a means to do so. support your family financially. However, in my

opinion, the nature of this type of motivation is sometimes a combination of the two above,

that comes from the love of family in your soul that urges you to work, the other side is

receiving appreciation and recognition from your family when you have worked hard for a long

time to nurture your family.

Psychologists have presented different ideas to explain what motivates human conduct

throughout history. There are several theories of motivation in management, all of which focus

on offering insight into what drives or motivates a person in the workplace. Employee

motivation is critical to the success of any organization. Nonetheless, everyone is inherently

different, and no two people react the same way to the same circumstance or environment.

Organizations must not only understand the many features of their personnel but also what

motivates these specific personalities. So here are three well-known theories that provide an

interesting approach to the motivation of different individuals: Maslow's hierarchy of needs,

McClelland's Three Needs Theory, and the Motivational Theory of Herzberg. The first is about

Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this is is a well-known theory of work motivation. According to

Abraham H Maslow's motivational theory, humans have a hierarchy of needs that they work

their way up through. They go from one need to the next when they are met. Maslow's theory
of work motivation includes five needs. Physically, the most basic needs are for food, clothes,

and shelter. These requirements are strongly related to a person's compensation. Security: the

desire to be safe. In the workplace, this might translate to a sense of job security or just a desire

to work in a safe setting—the desire to be a part of a group. Humans are sociable animals; they

seek out groups and want to feel appreciated as members of such organizations. Ego: the desire

for recognition or status. People will want to feed their egos or increase their self-esteem by

succeeding at work. Self-actualization: once an individual has ticked all the other needs off, they

will move into a stage where they become more creative or growth-oriented. The second

theory about motivation is McClelland's Three Needs Theory. According to David McClelland,

each person has three primary needs: the need for power, success, or affiliation. In this

employee motivation theory, McClelland says that a person's particular need will have a

significant impact on their behavior. Power: Having a position of power or control motivates

this individual. They are often self-disciplined and powerful leaders. Need for Achievement: This

individual is driven by success or the achievement of goals. They thrive in difficult conditions

and usually give themselves difficult goals to achieve and strive hard to succeed at. Affiliation

Requirement: This person thrives in a group or collaborative setting. They get along well with

people and enjoy social contact. The last is the Motivational Theory of Herzberg. This also

known as Two-Factor or Hygiene Theory, is another one of the more renowned employee

motivation theories. It implies that when it comes to work, humans have two types of needs:

hygiene and motivators. Hygiene refers to a person's work environment, including working

conditions, salaries, and workplace interactions, whereas Motivators are the things that inspire

individuals to work more - job recognition, advancement, and accomplishment. According to

Herzberg, if individuals are unhappy at work, it is due to the work environment, and if they are

pleased with work, it is because they are satisfied or driven.

These are the three primary motivating theories in management, therefore when implemented

in practice, I suggest some criteria to boost the percentage of success, which are

communication and listening. These are two aspects that enable managers truly understand

and accompany their staff in order to help the firm prosper with great performance. On the

other hand, to really inspire and motivate employees we need to do the following five things in

parallel. The first thing is learning about personal motivation. As I analyze at the beginning of

the motivation definition, everyone is motivated by something different, therefore it is critical

to understand what motivates each individual. "What drives you as an employee may not

motivate your team members," says Sara Varni, CMO of Twilio and a guest on the

Supermanager podcast. “Identifying what truly motivates each individual is critical if you want

to provide optimal performance for the entire team." The second one that every manager

needs to do is express appreciation for a job well done. It's easy to get wrapped up in our daily

routines and lose sight of all the wonderful things our team members are accomplishing. A

simple acknowledgment, on the other hand, can assist remind employees that their work is

respected and appreciated; this also stimulates staff to continue doing a fantastic job.

According to Manuela Bárcenas Fellow app's head of marketing, telling colleagues when you

believe they're good at something serves as an incentive. Include a scream segment in your

meeting schedule as one approach to do this. Employees can thank another employee in this

section for something they believe deserves attention. The third thing is bringing little surprises

and watching for signs of burnout. Similar to the traditional way of creating a positive
environment, bringing small surprises to your team also contributes to a good atmosphere.

These can be simple things like cupcakes, chocolate, or books to borrow. And while this may

seem like a small gesture to you, it makes your employees feel cared for and helps create

employee-manager bonding. In turn, employees' gratitude will make them harder and more

motivated employees. Burnout kills productivity and motivation and affects employees' mental

health and quality of work. So, managers need to watch for signs of burnout to ensure that

their employees are happy and thriving in the workplace. The fourth is creating a safe

mentality. Danielle Leong, GitHub's technical director and guest on the Supermanager podcast,

says that psychological safety is the ability of employees to voice their needs in a safe

environment. “Consent and safety are extremely important because it means that everyone can

fully contribute to all ideas,” says Leong. Therefore, if employees feel safe in their environment,

they are more likely to contribute and become more motivated. The final thing is creating a

stretch goal. The Harvard Business Review demonstrates that stretch goals are extremely

difficult and novel compared to conventional goals; “Long-term goals involve fundamental

expectations that go beyond current capabilities and performance.” However, while stretch

goals pose some difficulties, they also come with a number of benefits. Steven Denning, a

Forbes contributor, explains the benefits of stretch goals by looking at mediocrity; “If we let go

of the idea of long-lasting goals just because they are hard to achieve, we start down the road

to mediocrity.” Dennings uses the example of a hospital: if we aim for mediocrity, what is the

acceptable number of injuries or deaths from medical care? The answer is no, obviously. “The

fact that these goals are not easily achievable, i.e. they are lasting goals, does not make them
less valuable, less attractive, or less inspiring,” says Denning. Therefore, managers should create

stretch goals to motivate employees to work above mediocrity and strive for 100%.

To be honest, I tend to favour Herzberg's Motivation Theory. It focuses on the fundamental

needs of inspiring people. Overcoming the sources of discontent, according to this idea, does

not result in satisfaction. Therefore, only improving happiness indicators will not remove

discontent. Managers must provide job enrichment activities for employees in order to increase

job satisfaction. This is accomplished by creating employment that is both fulfilling and

demanding. Employees should essentially be given the opportunity to flourish at what they do

best. Any manager who begins with this idea and then adds the capacity to listen and

comprehend would, in my opinion, create a fantastic environment and increase employee

satisfaction. I am inspired by all the amazing things around me, thus I think that everything

occurs for a reason and it's important to always try to attain objectives to advance yourself and

society. Last but not least, one of the aspects that motivates me the most in both job and life is

my family. For me, family nurtures my individuality and motivates me to keep enhancing

myself, to fearlessly confront any hardships to accomplish important goals in my life.

In general, motivation is a frequently used notion in all facets of life, particularly in human

resource management. To achieve maximum efficiency, motivating the team requires strong

understanding and communication, as well as direct actions. Every person is clearly different

and independent, and so are their specific motivating requirements. Managers should really

care about their employees and use various motivating techniques with each of them, thereby

creating a productive, balanced working environment and creating sustainable values for the

business.
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