Definition of Motivation
Generally speaking, Motivation is a psychological feeling or power. It is latent in human
behavior.
In a broad sense, Motivation is the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction,
and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.
Key Elements:
1. Intensity: how hard a person tries
2. Direction: toward beneficial goal
3. Persistence: how long a person tries
According to Hellman and Horn stein, "Motivation is the individuals desire to work"
In fine, motivation means an individuals needs, desires and concepts that cause him or her to act
in a particular manner.
Importance of motivation
❖ Obtaining job satisfaction
❖ Increase productivity
❖ Favorable group behavior
❖ Increase sales and profit
❖ Change becomes possible
❖ Maximum efficiency and success are attained.
❖ It increase team spirit
❖ Reduce strike, boycott, go slow, lockout
❖ Reduce labor turnover and absenteeism
Clarance Francis said, " You can buy a man's time, you can buy a man's physical presence at a
given place, but you cannot his initiate, loyalty and enthusiasm"
Sources of motivation
Financial means of motivation
❖ Fair wage
❖ Bonus
❖ Promotion
❖ Accommodation facilities
❖ Transportation facilities
❖ Medical facilities
❖ Education facilities
❖ Insurance facilities
❖ Participation in profit
Non-Financial means of motivation
❖ Job security
❖ Praise, recognition and reward
❖ Feed back
❖ Too much competition
❖ Participation in management
❖ Opportunity for promotion
❖ Goodwill
❖ Training facilities
❖ Comfortable and attractive working conditions
❖ Co-worker with same mind and sense
❖ Good supervision
❖ Good relationship among workers
❖ Sound management
❖ Treating personnel problems with sympathy
Hierarchy of Needs Theory (Maslow)
There is a hierarchy of five needs—physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization;
as each need is substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant.
Physiological: Includes hunger, thirst, shelter, and other bodily needs.
Safety: Includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm.
Social: Includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship
Esteem: Includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and
external esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention.
Self-actualization: The drive to become what one is capable of becoming; includes growth,
achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment
Figure: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Assumptions of Maslow’s Hierarchy:
• Individuals cannot move to the next higher level until all needs at the current (lower)
level are satisfied.
• Individuals therefore must move up the hierarchy in order.
How to Apply?
If you want to motivate some one, according to Maslow, you need to understand what level of
the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying the needs or above that level.
Two-Factor Theory (Frederick Herzberg)
Psychologist Frederick Herzberg was proposed the two-factor theory. This theory is also known
as motivation-hygiene theory. That is, one factor is motivational or intrinsic and another factor is
hygiene or extrinsic.
Motivational factors include advancement, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. These
factors are related to job satisfaction. Hygiene factors include company policy and
administration, physical working conditions, pay, supervision, relations with others and job
security. These factors are associated with dissatisfaction.
Herzberg said that the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction as was traditionally believed.
Contrasting view satisfaction and dissatisfaction
Traditional view
Satisfaction Dissatisfaction
Herzberg’s view
Motivators
Satisfaction No satisfaction
Hygiene factors
No dissatisfaction Dissatisfaction
When hygiene factors are adequate, people will not be dissatisfied; neither will they be satisfied.
If they are not adequate, people will be dissatisfied.
On the other hand, if motivator factors are adequate, people will be satisfied. If they are
inadequate, people will get no satisfaction but not dissatisfaction.
Criticisms:
1. No overall measure of satisfaction was used. A person may dislike part of his or her job yet
still think the job is acceptable.
2. This theory is applicable to the developed countries abut is not applicable to the developing
countries.
3. This theory is applicable only for the professional, managerial, and higher-level employees.
Regardless of criticisms, Herzberg’s theory has been widely read and few managers are
unfamiliar with his recommendations.
Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom developed the expectancy theory. Expectancy theory argues that an employee
will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when he or she believes that effort will lead to a
good performance appraisal; that a good appraisal will lead to organizational rewards such as a
bonus, a salary increase, or a promotion; and that the rewards will satisfy the employee’s
personal goals. The theory therefore focuses on three relationships.
Expectancy theory helps explain why a lot of workers are not motivated on their jobs and does
only the minimum necessary to get by. According to this theory, employees need to answer in
the affirmative if their motivation is to be maximized.
⮚ First, if I give a maximum effort, will it be recognized in my performance appraisal? The
organizational performance appraisal system may be designed to assess non-performance
factors such as loyalty, initiative, or courage, which means more effort will not result in a
higher evaluation. Another possibility is that employees rightly or wrongly perceive that
his boss does not like him. As a result he expects to get poor appraisal regardless of his
effort.
⮚ Second, if I get a good performance appraisal, will it lead to organizational reward?
Many employees see the performance-reward relationship in their job as weak because
pay is allocated to employees based on factors such as seniority, cooperative, or “kissing
up” to the boss.
⮚ Finally, if I’m rewarded, are the rewards ones that I find personally attractive? The
employee works hard in hope of getting a promotion but gets a pay rise instead. Or the
employee wants a more interesting and challenges job but receives only a few words of
praise. Or the employee puts extra effort to be relocated to the company’s Dhaka office
but instead is transferred to Rajshahi office.
