MOTIVATION

Definition, Concept, Types, & Theories

 ➡ Driving force that initiates and directs behaviour.

➡ Derived from the Latin word “movere”, which

means to move.

➡ To be motivated means to be moved to do

something. A person who feels no impetus or
inspiration to act is thus characterised as
unmotivated, whereas someone who is energised
or activated toward an end is considered
motivated.

What is motivation? ➡ Goal oriented behaviour

➡ Internal processes which determine:

1. direction of behaviour

2. effort individuals make towards achieving the

behaviour

3. persistence displayed in meeting goals

Elements of motivation

Physiological/
Individual behaves Achieves a
Psychological
in a certain manner particular goal
deficiency

(DRIVE) (INCENTIVE)
(NEED)
➡ NEED : Physiological or psychological deficiency in an individual will result in a
need.

➡ DRIVE/MOTIVE: causes a person to attain their goals or satisfy their need

➡ INCENTIVE: anything that can mitigate the need and decrease the intensity of the
drive
Theories of motivation
Maslow’s theory of motivation

➡ Comprises a 5 tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels

within a pyramid.

➡ Hierarchy of needs that ranges from “lower” to “higher”.

➡ As lower needs are fulfilled, there is a tendency for other, higher needs to emerge.

➡ Satisfied needs will no longer motivate.

➡ Motivating a person depends on knowing at what level that person is on the

hierarchy.

➡ Maslow’s theory maintains that a person does not feel higher need until the needs
of the current level has been satisfied.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

➡ Hierarchy of needs:

‣ Lower-order (external)

‣ Higher-order (internal)

➡ Need for self-actualisation is an

individual’s prime motivation
➡ Physiological needs: These are necessary to sustain life. They include food, water,
clothing, shelter. These needs have the highest potency for motivation. A person
who lacks these needs will be motivated by need.

➡ Safety needs: When physiological needs are reasonably satisfied, safety needs
begin to manifest themselves. These include protection from physical dangers such
as fire, accidents, etc.

➡ Social needs: When physiological and safety needs are reasonably satisfied, social
needs become motivators. Individuals are social beings, and want to receive
affection, acceptance, establish friendships. Feels the need of belonging to a
group/society.

➡ Esteem needs: When the first 3 needs are essentially satisfied, esteem needs
become dominant. The person must feel important, and must also receive
recognition from others, as that supports the feelings of personal worth. Feelings
of self-esteem, self-confidence, and power are produced which are related to
enhancing competence and achievement.
 Self-actualisation
➡ This is the need to realise one’s potential, i.e. to become everything one is
capable of becoming.

➡ Human potential

➡ The need for personal growth

➡ Continual process of becoming rather than a perfect state one reaches of a

`happy ever after`.

➡ As each individual is unique, the motivation for self-actualisation leads people in

different directions. In one individual it may take the form of the desire to be an
ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically, and in still another it may
be expressed in painting pictures or in inventions.
Hertzberg’s two-factor theory

➡ Also known as the motivation-hygiene theory

➡ To determine which factors in an employee's work environment caused satisfaction

or dissatisfaction.

➡ Absence of factors that cause job dissatisfaction does not necessarily mean job
satisfaction.

➡ Motivational factors are responsible for job satisfaction and maintenance factors
are responsible for job dissatisfaction.
➡ Job satisfiers were associated with job content (Intrinsic factors)

➡ Job dissatisfiers were related to job context (circumstances/situation) (Extrinsic

factors)

➡ Job satisfiers were called motivators, and job dissatisfiers were called hygiene
factors
➡ Hygiene factors : They are preventive in nature, they are responsible for
preventing dissatisfaction.

➡ They are similar to lower level needs in Maslow’s hierarchy

‣ presence of able supervisors

‣ administrative policies of the organisation

‣ fair pay

‣ conducive working conditions

‣ good interpersonal relationships

➡ Once hygiene factors have been addressed, organisation can make use of
motivators to make people feel motivated and satisfied.
➡ Hygiene factors :

‣ Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of
motivation at workplace. In other words, hygiene factors are those factors which
when adequate/reasonable in a job, pacify the employees and do not make them
dissatisfied. These factors are extrinsic to work. Hygiene factors are also called as
dissatisfiers or maintenance factors as they are required to avoid dissatisfaction.
These factors describe the job environment. The hygiene factors symbolise the
physiological needs which individuals want and expect to be fulfilled.
➡ Motivator factors : essential to keep employees satisfied

‣ the work itself - meaningful and challenging work

‣ giving adequate responsibility to employees

‣ clear achievable goals

‣ career growth (opportunity for growth)

➡ Motivational factors :

‣ According to Herzberg, the hygiene factors cannot be regarded as motivators. The motivational
factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to work. These factors motivate the
employees for a superior performance. These factors are called satisfiers. These are factors involved
in performing the job. Employees find these factors intrinsically rewarding. The motivators symbolise
the psychological needs that are perceived as an additional benefit. Motivational factors include:

‣ Recognition - The employees should be praised and recognised for their accomplishments by the
managers.

‣ Sense of achievement - The employees must have a sense of achievement. This depends on the job.
There must be a fruit of some sort in the job.

‣ Growth and promotional opportunities - There must be growth and advancement opportunities in an
organisation to motivate the employees to perform well.

‣ Responsibility - The employees must hold themselves responsible for the work. The managers should
give them ownership of the work. They should minimise control but retain accountability.

‣ Meaningfulness of the work - The work itself should be meaningful, interesting and challenging for
the employee to perform and to get motivated.
 Herzberg’s 2 factor
Job dissatisfaction Job satisfaction
principles

Improving the
Influenced by Hygiene factors Influenced by Motivator factors
motivator factors
increases job
satisfaction
Interpersonal relations Achievement
Policies & rules Work itself
Quality of supervision Recognition
Improving the
Salary Responsibility
hygiene factors
Job security Career advancement
decreases job
Working conditions Possibility for growth
dissatisfaction
➡ Proposed a continuum of needs rather
than a hierarchy

➡ Existence needs - These are

associated with the survival and
physiological well-being of an
individual
Alderfer’s ERG Theory
➡ Relatedness needs - These needs
emphasise the significance of social
and interpersonal relationships

➡ Growth needs - These needs are

related to a person’s inner desire for
personal growth and development
 Relationships between Alderfer’s ERG
theory concepts

➡ Satisfaction-progression (Moving up to higher-level needs based on satisfied needs.)

‣ With Maslow, satisfaction-progression plays an important part. Individuals move up the need
hierarchy as a result of satisfying lower order needs. In Alderfer's ERG theory, this isn't
necessarily so. The progression upward from relatedness satisfaction to growth desires
does not presume the satisfaction of a person's existence needs.

➡ Frustration-regression (If a higher level need remains unfulfilled, a person may regress to
lower level needs that appear easier to satisfy.)

‣ Frustration-regression suggests that an already satisfied need can become active when a
higher need cannot be satisfied. Thus, if a person is continually frustrated in his/her
attempts to satisfy growth, relatedness needs can resurface as key motivators.

➡ Satisfaction-strengthening (Iteratively strengthening a current level of satisfied needs.)

‣ Satisfaction-strengthening indicates that an already satisfied need can maintain satisfaction
or strengthen lower level needs iteratively when it fails to gratify high-level needs.
 ➡ A lower level need does not have to be
gratified (i.e., a person may satisfy a need
at hand, whether or not a previous need
has been satisfied);

➡ The ERG theory allows the order of the

Difference between needs to differ for different people;

ERG Theory & ➡ If a relatively more significant need is not

gratified, the desire to gratify a lesser need
Maslow's model
will be increased (i.e., the frustration in
meeting high-order needs might lead a
person to regress to a more concrete need
category);

➡ Thus, while the ERG theory presents a

model of progressive needs, the hierarchical
aspect is not rigid.
 Expectancy theory
➡ Valence

‣ “Is the outcome I get of any value to me?”

‣ It refers to the emotional orientations which people hold with respect to outcomes
(rewards). The depth of the want of an individual for extrinsic or intrinsic rewards;
the strength of the individual’s preferences for expected outcomes.

➡ Expectancy

‣ “I am able to complete the actions.”

‣ Refers to the strength of a person’s belief about whether or not a particular

performance is attainable.
➡ Instrumentality

‣ “If i complete certain actions then, I will achieve the outcome.”

‣ In other words, it is the belief that if you perform well, a valued outcome will be
received.

➡ MOTIVATION = VALENCE X EXPECTANCY x INSTRUMENTALITY

➡ This theory of motivation is not about self-interest in rewards but about the
associations people make towards expected outcomes and the contribution they
feel they can make towards those outcomes.
Types of motivation
 Intrinsic v/s Extrinsic motivation
➡ Intrinsic motivation refers to doing
something because it is inherently
interesting or enjoyable.
➡ When intrinsically motivated a person
is moved to act for the fun or
challenge entailed rather than
because of external pressures, or
rewards.
➡ Intrinsically motivated behaviours,
which are performed out of interest
and satisfy the innate psychological
needs for competence and autonomy
are the prototype of self-determined
behaviour.
➡ Extrinsic motivation is a construct
that pertains whenever an activity is
done in order to attain some
separable outcome. Extrinsic
motivation thus contrasts with
intrinsic motivation, which refers to
doing an activity simply for the
enjoyment of the activity itself,
rather than its instrumental value.
➡ Extrinsically motivated behaviours—
those that are executed because
they are instrumental to some
separable consequence—can vary in
the extent to which they represent
self-determination.
➡ Extrinsic motivation can vary greatly in the degree to which it is autonomous.

For example, a student who does his homework only because he fears parental
sanctions for not doing it is extrinsically motivated because he is doing the work in
order to attain the separable outcome of avoiding sanctions.

Similarly, a student who does the work because she personally believes it is valuable
for her chosen career is also extrinsically motivated because she too is doing it for its
instrumental value rather than because she finds it interesting.

Both examples involve instrumentalities, yet the latter case entails personal
endorsement and a feeling of choice, whereas the former involves mere compliance
with an external control. Both represent intentional behaviour, but the two types of
extrinsic motivation vary in their relative autonomy.