Countless studies have been carried out on motivation in order to quantify the extent it has on human behaviour. However, humans can be categorised into many subgroups such as, culture, race, religion and it has a bearing on our perception and actions. Thus, no one theory can adequately interpret and explain how motivation works. This essay will discuss two theories of motivation, how it influences our actions, and its shortcomings. Furthermore, the essay will also examine the effect a transformational leader has on employee motivation.
Content theories of motivation identifies our needs and relate motivation to the fulfilment of these needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is based on the assumption that every human being has a hierarchy of 5
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Using the 2 theories as a setting, a transformational leader will recognise the different needs and ability of his employees and utitilise them in the best manner that encourages personal growth which will lead to the company’s growth. These leaders have a hands on approach, open to communication and are active in engaging with every group member. As illustrated by the 2 theories, the common argument is that everyone has a subjective view of motivation that is also inherently tied with their background and ability to complete the task. Therefore, there is no one theory that can address the rationale of our motivation. Although theories provide a framework where a leader can follow, by recognising the differing needs of employees, transformational leaders are able to provide appropriate support which could stimulate employees and gain their trust. As a result, it could inspire employees to emulate the leaders and realise a common …show more content…
By focusing on the health and safety of the workplace, the employees recognise that Paul O’Neill cares about their wellbeing which in turn motivates these workers to work harder. The result is huge increase in profits from the day Paul O’Neill entered the company to the day he retired (Duhigg,
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who introduced the concept of the motivational needs in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” written in 1943. He explains that humans have certain needs that need to be fulfilled and when they are not met is what gives he or she the motivation toward achieving that goal. His work was popularized by a representation of the motives using a pyramid. The pyramid displays the needs in chronological order until one becomes self-actualized. Maslow states that a person will finally reach self-actualization when, “A basically satisfied person no longer has the needs for esteem, love, safety, etc” (1433-1434). The lower levels of the pyramid are more easily accomplished as compared to the higher levels that are more challenging. In order to graduate from one level to another, the lower levels must be satisfied first or else one cannot progress further according to Maslow.
Motivation is defined as individual internal process that energizes, directs and sustains behavior. Motivation depends on how much the person wants something and how likely they think they will get it. Managers struggle to improve motivation in the workplace, but with the right tools they can become successful. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a pyramid of personal satisfaction that need to be met so a person can reach their full potential and be happy. Each level of the pyramid is stratified from the bottom up. A person cannot move up the pyramid until the bottom needs are met. Maslow’s hierarchy is usually a personal tool used to assess how an individual is doing, but businesses adapted this tool to use in the workplace and improve morale.
Maslow developed his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in an attempt to describe patterns of human behaviour, and to try to understand the processes behind the actions of consumers. In essence, his theory centres on the idea of ‘motivation’, which he sees as a driving force in a person’s movement from one level of need priorities to the next.
The credible version of hierarchy of needs of Maslow (1943, 1954), have five motivational levels that are arranged in a pyramid with depicted levels. The stages are divided in basic needs which include, psychological, love, safety, and esteem. These needs are also primary of deficiency needs. The other needs are growth needs which incorporate self-actualization needs. When basic needs are not met, they are said to motivate people. The strength of the desire of such needs depends with the time in which they are denied. For example, the more a person lacks food, the hungrier that person becomes. Basic needs must be satisfied before a person proceeds to satisfy other needs in the higher levels. When basic needs are satisfied reasonably, the person can now strive at achieving the self-actualization level, which is the highest level.
This research paper will focus on whether there is any relationship between employee’s productivity motivation in the workplace, does the productivity of an employee increases when they are appraised by acknowledgement and treatment or does an employee become more efficient in the workplace because of monetary compensation? This paper will help understand where does the motivation of an employee derive from and whether employers should be wanting to pay more attention to the way that they direct their employees, we will find out from this research paper if employees are more productive and efficient when they are compensated and when they are recognized for their work and dedication or if there are just some employees that no matter
Abraham H. Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs model between 1943-54 in USA, and this theory remains valid even today for understanding human motivation, management training and personal development. (4) A. H. Maslow first introduced his idea of hierarchy of needs in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” and his succeeding book Motivation and Personality in 1943. He stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and they are intended to fulfil basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs and when one need is fulfilled they move on the next one, and so on. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs includes five motivational needs, often displayed as a hierarchical pyramid with five levels. This five level model can be divided into basic needs or deficiency needs and growth needs. The four lower levels are considered basic needs and the top level is considered growth needs. The five different level of hierarchy of needs are:
Maslow’s theory implies that before one can be intrinsically motivated we must first satisfy some more basic human needs. These include physiological needs (ensure our physical survival), safety need (bringing safety and security to our lives), social needs (love, affection, acceptance), Esteem needs (self respect) and need for self – actualization (individual being) (Neher, 1991)
Motivation is the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximizing employee’s motivation is a necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organization’s targets and objectives. However, this is a considerable challenge to any organizations managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that, there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins,2002).
Research has shown that motivation in an employee is an important factor which determines his performance. Motivation is the “driving force within individuals” (Mullins, 2007, p. 285). It is the concerned with finding out the reasons which shape and direct the behaviour of the individuals. The people act to achieve something so that they can satisfy some needs (Gitman and Daniel, 2008). It is important for the manager to understand this motivation of individual employees in order to inspire them and devise an appropriate set of incentives and rewards which would satisfy the needs that they have individually (Kerr, 2003). Once these needs are expected to be met in return for some specific behaviour or action, they would work more diligently to have that behaviour in them and to achieve that objective (Meyer and Hersovitch, 2001). Since it would lead to early and fuller achievement of the company objectives as the individual would work more diligently, it would lead to better organizational performance (Wiley, 1997).
Nowadays, the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often present with a pyramid, the more basic needs at the bottom. Maslow argued that an effective motivation is accomplished by satisfying lower level of need to raising up to a higher hierarchy. Individual growth is an intrinsic motivation, when one of the above needs becomes satisfied, the next need can be turned.
Employee performance defines the individual performance and behavior. It is essential to understand that performance is not merely a tasks and work need to be done to receive bonus or pay increase. Main objective is to enhance the skills set of an individual while helping the business performance (Baker, 1999).
Motivation is the reason or purpose behind action, or what causes one to act in a particular manner. Motivation can either be intrinsic or extrinsic in nature, yet it rests solely within the power of the individual actor to be motivated (or not) by intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Motivation is an extremely important topic of discussion in the larger discourse on leadership. It is important because it provides the basis for human action, or inaction. Leaders must be able to understand what motivates their followers in a hope to use that knowledge to guide them to behave in a certain way that is beneficial for the organization. To do so, it behooves leaders to understand the basic concepts and theories of motivation that abound.
Motivation, as defined in class, is the energy and commitment a person is prepared to dedicate to a task. In most of organisations, motivation is one of the most troublesome problems. Motivation is about the intensity, direction and persistence of reaching a goal. During the class, we have learned a substantial theories of motivation and many theories of motivations are used in real business. Each theory seems to have different basic values. But, they all have been analysed for one reason, recognising what motivates and increases the performance of employees. Ident...
In 1943, Psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote a paper called ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’, Maslow proposed that people have five sets of needs (Simply Psychology, 2017). This theory is portrayed in a pyramid (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). The needs consist of physiology needs, security, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualisation and