Read a short article on motivation theories.
Write a report on a situation from your work life where you had to consider/use one motivation theory.
Summarize one well-known theory of motivation and discuss how it applies to the What the situation/issue/example was
Which theory of motivation was applied/did you apply?
What did you learn from the situation/issue and did that theory of motivation work or not?
1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow described needs in terms of a hierarchy. The concept being that needs at the bottom of the hierarchy must be satisfied before an individual can move to the next level and seek to satisfy those needs. An individual’s needs
are changing all the time, but at any time, an employer can
use the hierarchy to try and determine what is going to motivate an employee. The five levels of the hierarchy are:
Physiological needs: such as food and water.
Safety needs: such as being free from war, natural disasters,
and having job security.
Social needs: such as having relationships and belonging to groups.
Esteem needs: such as receiving praise, recognition, and status.
Self-actualization needs: such as wanted to be the best we can be.
When using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a business should offer different rewards to encourage employees to keep moving up the hierarchy. This will keep employees motivated.
2 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
Herzberg argued that there are two factors which are essential in
the motivation of employees. These are motivators and hygiene
factors.
Motivators: these encourage employees to work harder if present.
Examples of motivators include having an interesting job,
advancement, and growth.
Hygiene factors: These don’t encourage employees to work harder,
but they will cause them to become unmotivated if they are not
present. Examples of hygiene factors include working conditions
and remuneration.
Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory believed that to motivate employees,
employers should:
Eliminate job hygiene stressors: remove those things that are
causing poor job satisfaction, for example, poor working conditions.
Boost job satisfaction: through job enrichment (making the job
more interesting by giving it more complex tasks) and job
empowerment (making the post more satisfying by giving it a
greater variety of functions).
Empower employees: by delegating increasing responsibility to
each employee.
3. McClelland’s Three Needs Theory
McClelland’s Three Needs Theory argues that each of us has
three needs to a greater or lesser extent. The three needs are:
Need for achievement: for example if you are motivated by
setting a new record, or by the opportunity to get promoted.
Need for affiliation: for example if you are motivated by
collaborating with others or being accepted as part of a group.
Need for power: for example if you are motivated by being in
charge of others, or if you are motivated by having high status.
Some people live at the extremes for each of these needs. For
example, a team member with no need for power might be
subordinate and overly dependent, whereas a team member
with too much need for power might exaggerate their own abilities.
Managers can use the Three Needs Theory to set motivational targets tailored to each member of
their team.
