Theories of Motivation in

Industrial Management
By Ashis Kumar Pradhan
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
• Abraham Maslow published a paper in the Journal Psychological Review entitled “A Theory of Human
Motivation” in the 1943.
• He extended the concept by including the observation on human behaviour.
• The theory justifies other theories of the psychological development of humans and focuses on the stages that
assist growth in humans.
• In this theory, Maslow relies on physiological terms like self-transcendence, self-actualization, esteem,
belongingness, safety, physiological needs.
• This theory also includes the biological and humanistic approaches to human personality.  
• The connection between Maslow’s theory and biological factors would explain the aspect of humanistic
theory and helps to explain the biological aspects of personality.
• According to the theory, Maslow explains that there are four needs like, Physiological needs, Esteem, Love, and Deficiency needs.
• The original Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has five-stage models, and it is briefly explained below.
• Stage:1 – Biological and Physiological Needs. 
• Air, Water, Food, Warmth, Shelter, and Sleep.
• Stage:2 – Safety Needs.               
• Freedom from Fear, Protection from Natural Elements, Law and Order, Security and Stability.
• Stage:3 – Love and Belonging Needs.         
• Love, Friendship, Affection, Trust and Acceptance, Intimacy, Receiving and Giving, Affiliating and being part of a Family or Friends or
Work.
• Stage:4-Esteem Needs.   
• Self-Esteem, Independence, Mastery, Dominance, Achievement, Prestige, Status Self-Respect
• Stage:5-Self-Actualization Needs.                                             
• Self-Fulfilment, Seeking Personal Growth and Realizing Personal Potential.
Herzberg’s Motivation Theory – Two
Factor Theory
• Herzberg’s Motivation Theory model, or Two Factor Theory, argues that there are two factors that an organization can
adjust to influence motivation in the workplace.
• These factors are:
• Motivators: Which can encourage employees to work harder. They are found within the actual job itself.
• Hygiene factors: These won’t encourage employees to work harder but they will cause them to become unmotivated if they
are not present. Hygiene factors are not present in the actual job itself but surround the job.
• Motivators are referred to as factors for satisfaction, and hygiene factors referred to as factors for dissatisfaction.
Two Factor Theory of Motivation
• Motivating factors include:
• Achievement: A job must give an employee a sense of achievement. This will provide a proud feeling of having done something
difficult but worthwhile.
• Recognition: A job must provide an employee with praise and recognition of their successes. This recognition should come from
both their superiors and their peers.
• The work itself: The job itself must be interesting, varied, and provide enough of a challenge to keep employees motivated.
• Responsibility: Employees should “own” their work. They should hold themselves responsible for this completion and not feel as
though they are being micromanaged.
• Advancement: Promotion opportunities should exist for the employee.
• Growth: The job should give employees the opportunity to learn new skills. This can happen either on the job or through more
formal training.
• Hygiene factors include:
• Company policies: These should be fair and clear to every employee. They must also be equivalent to those of competitors.
• Supervision: Supervision must be fair and appropriate. The employee should be given as much autonomy as is reasonable.
• Relationships: There should be no tolerance for bullying or cliques. A healthy, amiable, and appropriate relationship should exist
between peers, superiors, and subordinates.
• Work conditions: Equipment and the working environment should be safe, fit for purpose, and hygienic.
• Salary: The pay structure should be fair and reasonable. It should also be competitive with other organizations in the same industry.
• Status: The organization should maintain the status of all employees within the organization. Performing meaningful work can
provide a sense of status.
• Security: It is important that employees feel that their job is secure and they are not under the constant threat of being laid-off.
Douglas McGregor Theory of Motivation
• Douglas McGregor postulated the core leadership assumptions namely Theory X and
Theory Y to assist leaders to question their underlying assumptions and perceptions about
people.
• Douglas McGregor work is established in motivation theory. He postulated 2 theories on
human management and leadership which are Theory X and Theory Y.
• Theory X explains that human beings have an innate dislike for work. They can only be
made to get results at work by the application of coercive methods and by direction.
Theory X stresses on the authoritarian style of leadership where results are the focus of
leadership and it is more work-centered than people-centered.
• Theory Y approach to management is more people-centered. Here the individual is
valued and appreciated. Theory Y submits that when workers are given the right kind of
environment, they can reach their highest potential and can be of great value to their
organizations.
About Leadership
• McGregor’s ideas influenced management and leadership thinking and practice.
• Traditional leadership had been hierarchical and highly controlling where employees always looked up to
leaders and depended on them. These practices leads to disempowering and a waste of human talent and
potential.
• McGregor thought that if leaders did not scrutinize certain core assumptions they have about people; it could
restrict their appreciation and view of the strength of the human capacity for growth, collaboration, and
development.
Choosing a Management Style
• Leaders who hold Theory X assumptions believe that people are lazy, abhor responsibility and not motivated
and therefore need to be coerced before they will work and show commitment.
• Such a leadership assumption leads to very close supervision and control of workers and siphons the
ingenuity of workers and results in a lack of motivation in workers.
• Leaders, who practice Theory Y assumptions, on the other hand, involves workers to engage in joint problem
solving, to understand the needs of team members and to integrate personal needs of achievement with
organizational objectives.
• Although with such an approach the leader facilitates and initiates the control process, it is done with the
involvement of the workers in mind and can be encouraging and motivating for them.