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WORK MOTIVATION SCALE
GENERAL PROBLEM
On Work Motivation
SPECIFIC PROBLEM
To assess the level of work motivation in an individual using the work motivation questionnaire
developed by Dr. K. G. Agarwal.
BASIC CONCEPT
The tenn motivation is derived from the Latin word movere, meaning ''to move". Motivation can
be referred as a combination of motive and action. Motivation is defined as the process that
initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes you to act,
whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge. It
involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday
usage, the tenn motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something.
• Motivation is an action word that influences every aspect of our daily lives.
• Motivation is fundamental in the level of success an individual attains.
• Motivation is a personal and internal feeling. This feeling arises from needs and wants.
• Motivation is continuous process because as our one need fulfills it gives rise to other
needs.
There is general agreement that people are motivated in situations where they can participate, they
can feel accomplishment and receive recognition for their work, where the communication is
frequent and there are opportunities for career and knowledge growth.
"Motivation represents those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and
persistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented." (Mitchell, 1982, p.81).
Motivation is the "willingness to exert high levels o effort toward organizational goals,
conditioned by the efforts and ability to satisfy some ind· dual need." - Robbins (1993)
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' Characteristics of Motivation
1. Motivation is not a personal trait but an interaction between the individual and the situation.
2. Motivation leads to an action that is goal oriented. Motivation leads to accomplishment of
organizational goals and satisfaction of personal needs.
3. Motivation is inCTuenced by two forces:
a. Internal forces: These forces are internal to the individual, i.e., their needs, wants
and nature.
b. External forces: These forces are external to the individual, which may be
organizational related such as management philosophy, organizational structure, and
superior-subordinate relationship, and also the forces found in the external
environment such as culture, customs, religion and values.
4. Motivation can be positive as well as negative. Positive motivation or the carrot approach
offers positive incentives such as appreciation, promotion, status and incentives. Negative
motivation or stick approach emphasizes penalties, fines and punishments.
5. Human behaviour is highly complex, and it becomes extremely diffic~lt to understand
people at work. Motivation is a dynamic and complex process.
Types of Motivation
There are two types of motivation.
1. Intrinsic Motivation - It is a type of motivation in which the motives originates from inside
the human body. It refers to the internal driving state stimulating an individual to behave in a
specific way. It includes all biological drives such as hunger, thirst, sleep, relief from pain,
temperature regulation, need for oxygen and so on. It includes motives such as biological
needs, curiosity, internal needs, psychological needs and personal desires.
2. Extrinsic Motivation - In this type of motivation, the motives originate from outside the
human body. The driving force exists outside the human body that stimulates an individual for
certain actions. These motives are external to human but have a rewarding or punishing impact
on the individual which may motivate them to behave accordingly. It includes motives such as
incentives, bonuses, allowances, promotion or demotion, etc.
Theories of Motivation
Hertzberg's Two-Factor Theory
According to Frederick Hertzberg, there are two factors which are important in determining job
satisfaction and worker's motivation. These factors are motivators and hygiene factors.
1. Motivators - Factors that seemed to cause job satisfaction when present like the profession
itself, development, acknowledgment, progress, success, and responsibility.
2. Hygiene Factors - Factors that tend to cause job dissatisfacti when absent like working
circumstances, administrative and business regulations status, security, compensation,
interpersonal interactions, and supervision.
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Limitations :
• It is difficult to distinguish between these two factors.
• It overanalysed the top-level people based on the methodological grounds.
Vroom's Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom established the expectancy theory in 1964. He stated that people will act in a certain
way because they expect a specific outcome and that the intensity of their work will depend on how
desirable this outcome is for them. In a nutshell, people are motivated and work harder if they
believe their efforts will help them achieve a specific goal and gain the reward they want.
There are three fundamental principles to Vroom's expectancy theory:
I. Expectancy: It's the individual's belief that they can reach a particular target or achieve a
specific goal if they put more effort into a task.
2. Instrumentality: It's the individual's expectation that they will be rewarded if they reach a
particular target or achieve a specific goal.
3. Valence: It's how valuable the reward is to the individual, how valuable it is to them.
Limitations :
• Rewards can create tension as people focus on individual prizes rather than teamwork and the
organization's larger goal.
Adams' Equity Theory
In 1963, John Stacy Adams introduced the idea that fairness and equity are key components of a
motivated individual. This theory states that people are more motivated when they perceive
themselves to be in fair conditions according to their referent groups.
Based on the idea that individuals are motivated by fairness and if they identify inequities in the
output and input ratios of themselves and that of their referent groups, they will seek to adjust their
input to reach their perceived equity. Adams suggested that the higher an individual's perception of
equity, the more motivated they will be and vice-versa.
Workers tend to bring inputs to the job such as experience, education, qualifications, energy, effort
and expects to receive certain outcomes such as pay, fringe benefits, recognition, interesting and
challenging work.
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Personal Rewards = Others' Rewards [Equity]
Personal Input Others' Input
Personal Rewards > Others' Rewards [Overpayment Inequity - guilty feeling]
Personal Input Others' Input
Personal Rewards < Others' Rewards [Underpayment Inequity- stress and anxiety]
Personal Input Others' Input
Limitations
• There might be a difference of perception between the manager and the employees.
• Exact comparison is difficult as each human is different.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory
According to Maslow ( 1943, 1954), human needs were arranged in the form of a hierarchy, with
physiological (survival) needs at the bottom, and the more creative and intellectually oriented 'self-
actualization' needs at the top.
Maslow argued that survival needs must be satisfied before the individual can satisfy the higher
needs. The higher up the hierarchy, the more difficult it is to satisfy the needs associated with that
stage, because of the interpersonal and environmental barriers that inevitably frustrate us.
Higher needs become increasingly psychological and long-term rather than physiological and
short-term, as in the lower survival-related needs.
t. Physiological needs these are biological requirements for human survival, e.g., air, food,
drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, and sleep.
2. Safety needs - people want to experience order, predictability, and control in their lives.
3. Love and belongingness needs - belongingness refers to a human emotional need for
interpersonal relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group.
4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow's hierarchy and include self-worth,
accomplishment, and respect
s. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in Maslow's hierarchy, and refer to the
realization of a person's potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak
experiences.
Limitations :
• Might vary from person to person.
• This theory is not empirically supported.
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Determinants of Motivation
Researchers have identified three major components of motivation: activation, persistence, and
intensity. The degree of each of these components can impact whether one is able to achieve their
goals or not.
• Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior. An example of activation would be enrolling
in psychology courses in order to earn your degree.
• Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. An
example of persistence would be showing up for your psychology class even though you are
tired from staying up late the night before.
• Intensity is the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal. For example, one
student might coast by without much effort (minimal intensity) while another student studies
regularly, participates in classroom discussions, and takes advantage of research
opportunities outside of class (greater intensity).
Factors affecting Motivation
There are seven basic factors that affect our ability to motivate the group, organisation or
committee:
I. Group Size: A group should neither be too large (impersonal) nor too small (overworked).
2. Group Goals: Even if the purpose of the group is predetermined, it is important that group
members be a part of the organisational goal setting process and help establish the group's
direction.
3. Competencies of Members: Leaders must attempt to match individual skills or interests with
group tasks. Members should also be provided with the proper resources and information to do
those tasks.
4. Leadership: Participatory and empowering leadership motivates best. A leader should know
his/her leadership style and let his/her group members know it also. Leaders must also be
cognisant of the stages of group/team development (i.e., forming, storming, norming,
performing, and adjourning). Public and private praise, rewards, and/or recognition must be
given to group members at appropriate times.
5. Meeting Time and Length: The meeting time and length should be conducive to the group
members attendance. Meetings should be productive, and when necessary, ice breakers should
be used to promote team building within the group. If there is nothing to cover - then don't
meet.
6. Publicity: The group's activities and its respective membership should be visible to everyone
on campus. Improper publicity, or lack thereof, will diminish the significance or importance of
the group's contributions to the campus.
7. Social Interaction/Fun: Groups should be as informal as po le with plenty of opportunities
for relaxed interaction among group members. It is imP, ant for individual
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members to develop a sense of belonging and acceptance with the other group members
and group goals.
Ways to enhance work motivation among employees
In the work domain, work motivation is "a set of energetic forces that originate within individuals,
as well as in their environment, to initiate work-related behaviors and to detennine their fonn,
direction, intensity and duration" (after Pinder, 2008, p. 11 ). Without work motivation, companies
experience reduced productivity, lower levels of output and it is likely that the company will fall
short of reaching those all-important goals.
Some ways to enhance work motivation among employees are as follows :
1. Encourage teamwork
Collaboration between teams in the company allows ideas to be developed further. Working
with those with different skill sets will, in tum, create more innovative results. In teams,
there's power in numbers and anyone experiencing a lack of motivation should be boosted by
those around them.
2. Recognise and reward great work
Employees need to know that their managers appreciate their hard work. Giving well-
deserved recognition not only increases self-esteem but also enthusiasm and team morale.
3. Set frequent clear targets
All goals should add to the overall target, but breaking this into more attainable chunks feels
less overwhelming. If employees are frequently hitting targets, the feeling of satisfaction
grows and will act as a great motivator to continue on to the next set of goals.
METHODOLOGY
ARRANGEMENT OF THE EXPERIMENT
The participant were asked to sit comfortably and was then engaged in an informal conversation to
make them feel relaxed. Once it was ensured that they are comfortable, the test was introduc~d.
The instructions for the test were given to the participant and then she was asked to fill the
questionnaire and mark the suitable response accordingly to each one of the item in order to
measure the level of her work motivation. The participant was reassur that their results would be
kept confidential and not shared with anyone. After the completio of the test, all the answers were
scored accordingly based on the scoring manual.
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PRELIMINARIES
1. Name of the participant -AA
2. Age of the participant - 21 years
3. Condition of the participant- Fresh and cooperative
4. Gender of the participant - Male
5. Educational Qualification - Undergraduate
6. Occupation - Student
7. Marital Status - Unmarried
8. Date of the test - 16.04.23
9. Time of the test- 8:00pm
MATERIALS REQUIRED
1. Dr. K. G. Agarwal Work Motivation Questionnaire
2. Scoring Manual
3. Answer Sheet
4. Paper
5. Pen
CASE STUDY
The participant was a twenty five year old male and was really calm and patient. He listened
carefully to all the instructions that were required to be followed. He paid attention to what was
being said. The subject had no queries regarding the test implying that He understood what was
to be done. Although there was no time limit, He completed the questionnaire in 15 minutes.
INSTRUCTIONS
"For the purpose to understand your organization from a better perspective, on the following pages,
26 statements have been given. Each statement has five alternatives for you to answer. You need to
put a tick mark in the box near the most suitable alternative for each item. Mark only one
alternative for each statement. Answer all 26 statements. Although there is no time limit, you can
conveniently complete this questionnaire in 15 minutes. Your answers would be pt confidential."
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PRECAUTIONS
1. Thorough reading should be done on the words before choosing the correct option for the
answer.
2. There is no time bound but the participant needs to complete the test as soon as possible.
3. The participant must be willing to take part in the experiment otherwise the responses will be
biased.
4. Scoring should be done manually and carefully by following all the instructions present in the
scoring manual booklet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SCALE
Work Motivation Questionnaire is a scale that is used to assess the motivation level of an
individual in a work setting, the scale was developed by Dr. K. G. Agarwal It consists of 6 factors
that assess different domains pertaining to the work setting of the person -
• Factor I is Dependence
• Factor II is Organisational Orientation
• Factor III is Work Group Relations
• Factor IV is Intrinsic Motivation
• Factor V is Material Incentives
• Factor VI is Job Situation
ADMINISTRATION
This scale is self-administrated. The respondent was given the instructions to complete all the
statements by marking a tick on any of the 5 subjective responses - whichever was most applicable
in their case. She was asked not to omit any item from the scale. It was emphasized that there was
nothing 'right' or 'wrong' about these items and she should answer all items frankly and truthfully
without inhibition. Since many items were highly personal to the individuals, they were assured of
confidentiality of their responses.
SCORING
All the items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Since the items were Likert type, summated
scoring is done by assigning 5 to the most positive response and 1 to the extremely negative
response. So, in this way, scores 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 were given to each item, alte tives a, b, c, d, e can
also be assigned respectively.
The scoring for the work motivation questionnaire was based o Likert scale of 5. Since the
questionnaire has sx factors, their scoring is done using th foll ing classification.
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Factors Item Numbers Total number of items
I - Dependence 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22 6
11- Organizational Orientation I, 5, 8, 11, 12, I3 6
111- Work Group Relations 6,14,19 ,20 4
IV - Psychological Work 23,24,2 5,26 4
Incentives
2,3,4 3
V - Material Incentives
7, 9, 10 3
VI -Job Situation
NORMS
Reliability-
reliability co-
Internal consistency of the instrument was found out by Split Half Method. The
at 0.0 I level of significance.
efficient by Spearman Brown fonnula was 0.994, which is significant
Both the values ensure a high reliability of the test.
Validity-
8. Face Validity : Face Validity was computed by circulating
the questionnaire among 22
rated 26 items.
judges who were all practising psychologists. Using a 5-point scale judges
having poor
Mean rotating are given in table I. Items related to organisation's image
Work Motivat ion Questio nnaire
ratings was dropped. One item has four parts. Thus, the
has 26 items.
total work
9. Item Validity : In order to find out the item validity, item correlations with
ion with the
motivation score were computed. All the items had high coefficient of correlat
total score significant beyond 1% level of confidence.
10. Factorial Validity : In order to find out the factorial validity
, all the items were factor
analysed using principle component method.
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RESULT TABLE
Factor I II III IV V VI Total
Score
14 IO 11 85
Raw 20 16 14
Score
+0.43 +0.43 +0.20 +0.53 -0.44
Z-score +0.11 -0.78
D E D D D C D
Grade
INTERPRETATION
Motivation may be considered as a driving force to make an individual to accomplish the
organizational goal. It can be of different types-
• Extrinsic motivation- those that arise from outside of the individual and often involve
rewards such as trophies, money, social recognition, or praise.
• Intrinsic motivation- those that arise from within the individual, such as doing a
complicated crossword puzzle purely for the personal gratification of solving a problem.
A 25-year-old Male working as a chemical engineer participated in the test. The total score
obtained by him on the work motivation questionnaire was 85 with a z-score of -0.44 and an
overall grade as D. From this, it can be interpreted that the participant possesses an average level of
work motivation. The scale comprised of 6 different factors that were assessed in totality-
Factor I was dependence in which he scored 20 with a z-score of +O. I I and a grade of D indicating
that his dependence level is moderate. This shows how much an individual depends on others for
cooperation, recognition and, perhaps trust.
Factor-II was organisational orientation where he obtained a score of 16 with a z-score of -0.78 and
a grade of E meaning that his satisfaction with the organisational orientation like overall job
satisfaction, pay benefits, how well the company progresses, etc is below average.
Factor-III was work group relations where he attained a score of 14 with z- score of +0.43 and a
grade of D that interprets as average. This determines the kind of wor an indivudal has to do.
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+0.43 and a
he attained a score of 14 with a z- score of
Facto r-IV was intrinsic motivation where nsibl e for
y motivated individual. He holds hims elf respo
grade of D whic h mean s he is a intrinsicall
satisfied with it and its recognition.
the work he does to some exten t and seem s
+0.2 0 and a
obtained a score of IO with a z-sco re of
Facto r-V was material incentives wher e he rial incen tives
ge that he feels motivated due to mate
grade of D whic h mean s it is below avera
and benefits.
provi ded to him by this job like promotion
of C whic h
d 11 with a z-sco re of +0.53 and a grade
Facto r-VI was job situations wher e he score onme nt and
ge that provi de him a good work ing envir
mean s the job situa tions are abov e avera
It work s as a good moti vator as well.
enco urage him to learn and use him abilities.
ators for the
play an overall contr ibuti ng role as motiv
At last, a comb inatio n of all these factors
n he is a part of.
indiv idual to perfo rm well in the organizatio
CONCLUSION
moti vatio n
the individual score d 85 on the work
From this test, it can be concluded that has an avera ge
D from whic h it can be conc luded that he
quest ionna ire with z-sco re -0.44 and grade
or mode rate level of work motivation.
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