The Impact of Motivation on Workplace Success

Overview-Motivation “Motivation is the influence or drive that causes us to behave in a specific manner and has been described as consisting of energy, direction, and sustainability” (Kroth, 2007). At the workplace, employees who are motivated are more engaged in their work and committed about working for the organization. High levels of motivation and workforce engagement can be translated to better performance, productivity and job satisfaction and direct impact on an organization’s success and thrive. According to Jim Harter, a Gallup research scientist, “engagement or the lack of it, has substantial implications for how well businesses organizations achieve their goals” (DuBrin, 2013). In his online blog, Nick Stein from SalesForce.com outlined the results of a recent research which concluded that seventy-eight percent of employees cited recognition as the main motivating factor in their career. Sixty-nine percent of employees said they would work harder if they were better recognized. Fifty-two percent of employees were not satisfied with the amount of recognition they

Many of the emerging business practices such as flexible work schedule, tele-commuting, the use of social media at work, the implementation of performance appraisals and reward programs based on goals and objectives reached vs. hours of work, are based on these needs based theories. The effectiveness of motivational practices will depend on how well organizations take into consideration the values, needs and priorities of their workforce to develop rewards and incentives programs