Motivation

• Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means
needs, desires, wants or drives within the individuals.
• It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals.
• In the work goal context the psychological factors stimulating the
people’s behaviour can be -
• desire for money
• success
• Recognition
• Job Satisfaction
• Team Work
• Motivation also helps explain why behavior varies over time. For
example, many people cannot bring themselves to lose weight, quit
smoking, or exercise until they have a heart attack or symptoms of other
serious health problems. At that point, these people may suddenly start
eating a healthier diet, give up tobacco, and exercise regularly (West &
Sohal, 2006). In other words, because of changes in motivation,
particular stimuli—such as ice cream, cigarettes, and health clubs—
trigger different responses at different times.
Sources of Motivation
• The number of possible motives for human behavior seems endless, but
psychologists have found it useful to organize them into four somewhat
overlapping categories.
• First, human behavior is motivated by basic biological factors, such as
the need for food and water (Tinbergen, 1989). Emotional factors are a
second source of motivation (Izard, 1993). Panic, fear, anger, love, and
hatred can influence behavior ranging from selfless giving to brutal
murder. Third, cognitive factors can motivate behavior (Weiner, 1993).
People behave in certain ways—becoming arrogant or timid, for
example—partly because of these cognitive factors, which include their
perceptions of the world, their beliefs about what they can or cannot do,
and their expectations about how others will respond to them. For
example, even the least musical contestants who try out for American Idol
and other talent shows seem utterly confident in their ability to sing.
Fourth, motivation may stem from social factors, including the influence
of parents, teachers, siblings, friends, television, and other sociocultural
forces.
Types of Motivation
• Intrinsic motivation (or internal motivation) comes from within. It
refers to when you do something for its own sake because it aligns with
your interests, passions, or personal values.
• These motivators come with internal rewards, like the feeling of
knowing you’re following your life purpose. That means they hold a
deeper meaning than other motivators, which can usually keep you
focused on a goal for a long time.
• Extrinsic motivation (or external motivation) refers to external factors
that drive you to do something. For example, you could be motivated by
extrinsic rewards or negative consequences.
• What you get is based on you accomplishing (or not accomplishing) a
task.
• Extrinsic motivators are temporary in nature, so they’re best used for
short to medium-term projects. In fact, studies have shown that people
experience a boost in motivation when they’re promised an immediate
reward.
• Example: External motivation can look like students aiming to succeed
in school because their grades reflect their performance. On the other
hand, students who try to succeed in school because they’re genuinely
interested in the content are intrinsically motivated.
• From self-concept, dissonance and mindset to values, orientation and
perceived control, these theories explain how our preference toward
certain mental constructs can increase or impair our ability to take goal-
directed action.
• Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs.
• The most recognized content theory of motivation is that of Abraham
Maslow, who explained motivation through the satisfaction of needs
arranged in a hierarchical order. As satisfied needs do not motivate, it is
the dissatisfaction that moves us in the direction of fulfillment.
• Stimulus Motivation: Seeking Novel Stimulation
Did you ever come home to an empty house and flip on the radio or
television just to kill the silence? Have you ever spent all day Saturday
writing a term paper and then felt you had to get up and take a walk or
talk to someone just for sheer diversion? Most people get bored easily if
there is little overall stimulation or if the stimulation is unchanging. We,
and other animals, have an apparently inborn motive to seek novel
stimulation.
• Optimal Arousal Theory:
Although no known homeostatic mechanism accounts for our need for
novel stimulation, we clearly must have a certain amount of it to feel
comfortable. But, just as too little stimulation is unpleasant and will
motivate us to increase stimulation, too much stimulation is unpleasant
and will motivate us to find ways to decrease it. Too many people talking
at once, too much noise, or a room that contains too many clashing colors
and patterns will send a person off in search of a few minutes of peace,
quiet, and reduced stimulation. Apparently, an optimal level of
stimulation exists, and we feel uncomfortable going either above or
below this level (Korman, 1974)
Optimal level of arousal is “The apparent human need for a comfortable
level of stimulation, achieved by acting in ways that increase or decrease
it”.
Optimal arousal theory is based on the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which posits
that an individual's performance on a task will improve as their arousal
level increases, but only up to a certain point. Beyond this optimal level
of arousal, further increases in arousal will lead to a decline in
performance.
Affiliation Motivation
• The desire to experience and maintain close relations with other people
is generally viewed as a core attribute of human beings. This concept,
known as “affiliation motivation,” relates to the drive to be accepted by
others and perform well to meet their expectations.
• Individuals who are high in the need for affiliation, for example, tend to
prefer being with others rather than satisfying other motives
• Example:
• When asked to perform a clerical task with a partner, individuals who
are high in the need for affiliation but low in the need for achievement
choose to work with a friend, regardless of how competent the friend is.
In contrast, individuals who are low in the need for affiliation but high
in the need for achievement choose the partner who they believe is most
competent.
Human learns the motive to affiliate through his or her own learning
experiences. Infants experience being fed, cleaned, tickled, kept warm,
and other positive forms of nurturing in the presence of another human
being, other human beings may become “positive stimuli” through
classical conditioning. Similarly, because our actions that lead us to be in
the presence of others—smiling, stretching out our baby arms for a hug,
and the like—often lead to pleasant outcomes, then affiliative behaviors
are likely to be positively reinforced.
• Studies have similarly shown that everyday painful experiences—such
as failing college tests—increase our motive to affiliate with others.
• Emotional support . There is considerable evidence that higher levels of
affiliation motivation predict better psychological adjustment
throughout life, perhaps in part because the motive for affiliation
promotes social support when times are tough.
• In a work setting, affiliation motivation can encourage coworkers to
communicate clearly and develop close relationships with one another,
leading to a sense of community. If your primary needs tend to focus on
this type of motivation, you may find enjoyment from acting as a
support member on your team. In a management role, knowing who is
highly motivated by affiliation can help you choose the best candidates
to participate in a group project.
Characteristics of someone motivated by
affiliation
• If you find motivation in the need for affiliation, then you may find it
easier to do the following at work:
• Form strong interpersonal relationships
• Cooperate well with others
• Agree with group decisions
• Identify the positive characteristics of team members
How to apply affiliation motivation in the workplace
• Follow these steps to effectively apply affiliation motivation in the
workplace and encourage your team:
Identify what motivates the members of your team to see if they will
respond best to affiliation motivation.
Practice team-building activities so that employees and colleagues
interact with each other on a personal level and learn about each other.
Promote the success of the group over individual success. For example,
you could assign goals and quotas to teams instead of individual
employees.
Encourage healthy social interaction during work hours, such as by
creating group environments where your team can relax together during
breaks.
Create rewards when your team achieves its goals so they can help each
other succeed and enjoy the rewards for their efforts together.
• For example, consider a situation in which your employer tasks your
team with improving your company’s social media presence. If one of
your team members is motivated by affiliation, they may feel the desire
to create content that is engaging and encourages interaction with the
company website. Their motivation to run a successful campaign comes
not from the possible promotion or pay raise, but from the desire to
support their team. When they provide their coworkers with the tools
they need to succeed in the project, they are helping to create a sense of
belonging in an environment that motivates them.
Achievement Motivation
• The psychological need in humans for success. Achievement motivation
is the psychological need to succeed in school, work, and other areas of
life. Positive psychological force—the motivation that allowed many
people to achieve the American dream of occupational and financial
success. More recently, it has become clear that different people have
different definitions of “success” and different motives for wanting to
achieve their version of success.
 Three Approaches of Achievement Motivation
Mastery goals. Persons with high mastery goals are intrinsically
motivated to learn interesting and important new information. When
students have mastery-approach goals, they strive to master or know the
task they are working on; they are motivated to learn in order to improve
their knowledge and abilities. The emphasis is on learning and self-
improvement. An example of a mastery-approach item is: “ I want to
learn as much as possible from this class.”
 Learners who strive to master the task are not necessarily concerned
about showing that they are competent. Their study strategies touch on
every part of the task as they strive to master it
When students have performance-approach goals, they do not
necessarily care about mastering the task. There is an emphasis on
doing better than other students. Learners who have a performance-
approach goal orientation are extrinsically motivated. An example of a
performance-approach item is: “It is important for me to do better than
other students.”
Learners who have a performance-approach goal orientation are
concerned about their performance or grade. They are extrinsically
motivated. Learners with this goal orientation may select challenging
tasks or problems
Students with Performance-avoidance goals are concerned with
avoiding failure in front of others. They are extrinsically motivated by a
fear of poor performance. An example of a performance-avoidance item
is: “My goal in this class is to avoid performing poorly.”
Learners with performance-avoidance goals may avoid asking for help
because it demonstrates that they do not understand. They avoid placing
themselves in challenging situations. They may experience high levels
of exam anxiety. They may avoid telling friends how they did on an
exam
Achievement Motivation Affiliation Motivation
Has a strong need to set and accomplish challenging Wants to belong to the group.
goals.

Takes calculated risks to accomplish their goals. Wants to be liked and will often go along with whatever the
rest of the group wants to do.

Likes to receive regular feedback on their progress and Favors collaboration over competition.
achievements.

Often likes to work alone. Doesn't like high risk or uncertainty.

Achievers like to solve problems and achieve goals. Those with a strong need for affiliation
don't like to stand out or take risk, and they value relationships above anything else
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory Of Motivation-
Hygiene
• Herzberg’s two-factor theory outlines that humans are motivated by two
things: motivators and hygiene factors.
• These two factors are both critical to motivation: motivators encourage
job satisfaction and hygiene factors prevent job dissatisfaction.
• Motivation factors: factors that are related to workplace satisfaction.
They cover intrinsic needs such as achievement, recognition, and
advancement. Motivation factors allow employees to be content in their
jobs and promote growth.
• Hygiene factors: factors that are not related to workplace satisfaction
but must be present in the workplace in order to prevent dissatisfaction.
Hygiene factors cover extrinsic needs such as pay grade, workplace
policy and relationships with their peers.
In order to apply Herzberg’s theory in the workplace, one must examine the
hygiene factors. As stated above, hygiene factors do not contribute to
workplace satisfaction but must be present in order to prevent workplace
dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors are closely related to extrinsic needs:
• If any of these factors are lacking or missing, a worker is much more
likely to be dissatisfied with their job. Workers who consistently file
complaints often have one or more of their needs that is not being met.
Similarly, examples of dissatisfiers would be poor workplace policy,
aggressive management, or a negative workplace environment.
• Like the hygiene factors, the motivation factors do not lower the level
of dissatisfaction. Even if employees are motivated to work on new
projects, they are still affected by extrinsic needs. Potential problems,
such as pay rate or low amounts of office supplies, still need to be
addressed.
Summary of Two factor theory
Definition: Herzberg's two-factor theory is a motivation theory that suggests that satisfaction

and dissatisfaction at work are influenced by two sets of factors: hygiene factors and motivators.

• Hygiene factors are basic job necessities, such as working conditions and salary, that, if not

met, can cause dissatisfaction.

• Motivators, such as recognition and achievement, drive job satisfaction and motivation. The

theory asserts that to improve job satisfaction and motivation, managers must not only provide

adequate hygiene factors but also focus on motivators.

1. High hygiene and high motivation: This is the combination
that will make employees highly engaged and motivated
towards their work.
2. High hygiene and low motivation: This combination will
mean that the employees will still be going to work in the
company and achieve set targets to keep their job. However,
employees will not be motivated to achieve targets beyond
the set expectations.
3. Low hygiene and high motivation: This is not the best situation for
employees to be in. Even though employees may be motivated, if the
minimum working conditions are not met, employees may look for
another job with better working conditions.
4. Low hygiene and low motivation: This is the worst combination. This
can result in high staff turnover and high work dissatisfaction.