Employee Motivation

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Employee Motivation What motivates employees today? This is an increasing concern to managers today because the definition of motivation is a very complex. One cannot actually define motivation but can give theories to better explain it. In this paper, I am going to talk about some of the major theories and factors that affect motivation at the job. The first theory is the two-factor theory which was suggested by Fred Herzberg. "Herzberg was one of the first to suggest a model of the motivational properties of task design based on his two-factor theory of satisfaction." (Mowday & Steers) The study he conducted found that factors that led to satisfaction were different from those factors that led to dissatisfaction. For Herzberg's theory the two factors that effect motivation in the workforce are motivator factors and hygiene factors. Motivator factors, which were determined to be the satisfiers, dealt with the content of the job such as advancement, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. The dissatisfiers or hygiene factors pertained to job security, policies, working conditions, relationships with personnel. So according to Mowday and Steers, if one wishes to improve motivation and satisfaction, jobs should be designed to allow greater scope for personal achievement and recognition, more challenging and responsible work, and increased opportunities for advancement and growth. The second theory is the expectancy theory which explains motivation based on the employee receiving rewards. The most widely used version of the expectancy theory is that suggested by Vi... ... middle of paper ... ...s the "measurability of individual performance, degree of goal clarity, and degree of job challenge." (Perry & Porter) Work environment characteristics include immediate work environment and organizational actions. External environment characteristics can be divided into six major categories. These are socionormative, political, demographic, economic, and technological. According to Perry and Porter, if motivation is to be affected, one or more of these variables must be changed or affected. In conclusion, there are many theories on how to motivate employees and one must determine which one is the best by assessing the situation and the individual. One must also take into consideration the factors affecting motivation.

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