Essential Meaning ofmotivation
1: the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something : the act or
process of motivating someone :
Some students need motivation to help them through school.
2: the condition of being eager to act or work : the condition of being motivated
employees who lack motivation
3: a force or influence that causes someone to do something
Definitions:-
MOTIVATION IS THE PROCESSES THAT ACCOUNT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL’S INTENSITY,
DIRECTION, AND PERSISTENCE OF EFFORT TOWARD ATTAINING A GOAL. THE MAIN
FEATURES OF MOTIVATION ARE A GOAL-ORIENTED CONTINUOUS PROCESS AND A
PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENON THAT CONVERTS ABILITIES INTO PERFORMANCE.
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The 3 keyelements of our definition are intensity, direction, and persistence:
1.Intensity
Intensity is concerned with how hard a person tries. This is the element most of us focus
on when we talk about motivation.
2.Direction
The direction is the orientation that benefits the organization.
3.Persistence
Persistence is a measure of how long a person can maintain his or her effort. Motivated
individuals stay with a task long enough to achieve their goals.
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Features of Motivation:-
Motivationis a captivating concept. It is a fascinating but complex
phenomenon.
The main features of motivation are as follows:
•Motivation is goal-oriented;
•Motivation is a continuous process;
•Motivation may be positive or negative;
•Motivation may be monetary or non-monetary;
•Motivation may be considered in totality, not in piecemeal;
•Motivation is a psychological phenomenon that converts abilities into
performance.
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1. Maslow’s Hierarchyof Needs:-
One of the most commonly known and influential workplace motivation theories was
presented by Abraham Maslow and it is the Hierarchy of Needs. The theory suggests that
humans are motivated to satisfy five basic needs which, as the title suggests, are arranged
in a hierarchy.
The hierarchy is represented by 5 steps:
•Physiological needs – e.g. hunger, thirst, sleep
•Safety needs – e.g. freedom, protection and no pain
•Social needs – e.g. love, friendship and involvement in social activities
•Esteem needs – e.g. self-confidence, recognition and appreciation
•Self-actualisation – e.g. becoming the very best you can be
THEORIES OF MOTIVATION:-
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2. Incentive theory
Theincentive motivational theory suggests people feel motivated by reinforcement, recognition, incentives and
rewards. The incentive theory also proposes that people may display certain behaviors in order to achieve a specific
result, incite a particular action or receive a reward. Here are a few examples of incentives in the workplace:
•Bonus: A bonus is a reward you may give to an employee based on their performance levels over a span of time.
•Praise: Praise can be useful for one-on-one situations, such as quarterly employee reviews. You can praise an
employee by giving positive feedback about their performance, which may build your relationship with them and
promote trust.
•Opportunity: Providing opportunities such as paid training or continuing education may give your team an incentive
to increase their knowledge in a specific field and develop their skill sets.
•Promotion: Providing an opportunity for career advancement is often one of the most influential incentives a
manager can offer because it can give an employee a feeling of importance and growth. A promotion may include an
advanced job role, a new job title and a salary increase.
•Salary or wage: Offering a pay raise or salary increase is an incentive management teams often find effective. For
optimal results, consider using salary or wage incentives for individual employees rather than all employees and
departments within a business.
•Paid vacation or time off: Consider offering employees compensation for taking days off or giving them additional
vacation days. An employee may value this incentive if they're planning for a family vacation or desire some extra time
to rest at home.
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3.McClelland's need theory
McClelland'sneed theory proposes there are three different needs. Each type of need corresponds to a specific type of person
who feels motivated to address that need. Understanding McClelland's need theory can help managers identify employee
needs, which may give them the ability to place their employees in situations where they can thrive and reach their goals. Use
these three needs to determine which incentive may work best for each employee:
Need for affiliation
The affiliate theory proposes that humans desire to belong to a group and feel accepted by other people. This theory can help
managers identify if an employee might work well on a team and grow from the experience. Employees who feel motivation
from affiliation often have highly developed interpersonal skills that can help them generate strong and meaningful
relationships with their coworkers.
Need for achievement
Some employees naturally strive to become successful and important. These individuals may be competitive and maintain a
high standard for their work ethic. They typically have a strong desire for recognition after completing a task and may ask for
feedback on their performance.
Need for power
Some employees are interested in influencing others, making an impact on their coworkers and positively affecting the
workplace. These types of employees usually enjoy leading groups of people, distributing tasks and coordinating events.
They may attempt to motivate their coworkers to achieve short-term and long-term goals. Allowing these employees to apply
their leadership skills can generate feelings of motivation in large groups of employees, which can lead to job satisfaction.
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4. Competence theory
Competencetheory proposes that people often want to engage in specific activities to display their skills, intelligence
and abilities. If an employee successfully demonstrates their intelligence in front of their peers, it can motivate them to
feel competent in a particular area. Feeling competent may increase how confidently they perform tasks, which can
improve productivity and efficiency. Confident employees may also feel encouraged to learn more in-depth information
in order to share it with their peers and receive recognition.
5. Expectancy theory
The expectancy theory suggests that people may perform certain behaviors if they think those actions may lead to
desirable outcomes. You can apply the expectancy theory in the workplace if you're interested in improving your team's
productivity, effort or efficiency. For example, you might offer your staff a temporary raise in their hourly wages to
motivate them to work extra hours to complete a project.
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We can summarizeby saying that motivation is important both to an individual and a
business.
Motivation is important to an individual as:
1.Motivation will help him achieve his personal goals.
2.If an individual is motivated, he will have job satisfaction.
3.Motivation will help in self-development of individual.
4.An individual would always gain by working with a dynamic team.
Similarly, motivation is important to a business as:
5.The more motivated the employees are, the more empowered the team is.
2.The more is the team work and individual employee contribution, more profitable and
successful is the business.
3.During period of amendments, there will be more adaptability and creativity.
4.Motivation will lead to an optimistic and challenging attitude at work place.