Motivation for employees

There are lots of definitions for

motivation

«People behave with their desireand request to accomplish a specific purpose.»

«Motivation; various incentive andincentives community of arisingfrom the community or theenvironment that move individualsin a special manner, encouragingthem to act.»

«Motivation is the force that drivesour actions.»

Gareth Jones, Jennifer George and Charles Hilldefine motivation as “psychological forces thatdetermine the direction of a person’s behaviour […], a person’s level of effort, and a person’s level of persistence in the face of obstacles”.

David Myers definesmotivation as “a need ordesire that serves toenergize behaviour andto direct it towards a goal.”

Frank Hawkins defines it as “what drives or induces a personto behave in a particular fashion[…] the internal force whichinitiates, directs, sustains andterminates all importantactivities. It influences the levelof performance, the efficiencyachieved and the time spent on an activity.”

This five stage model can be divided into basic (ordeficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growthneeds (self-actualization).

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom fromfear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personalpotential, self-fulfillment, seeking personalgrowth and peak experiences.

Herzberg's findings revealed that certaincharacteristics of a job are consistentlyrelated to job satisfaction, while differentfactors are associated with jobdissatisfaction. These are:

Factors for Satisfaction Factors for Dissatisfaction

Achievement

Recognition

The work itself

Responsibility

Advancement

Growth

Company policies

Supervision

Relationship with supervisor and peers

Work conditions

Salary

Status

Security

The expectancy theory consists of three keyelements:

expectancy - effort will lead to acceptableperformance;

instrumentality - performance will be rewarded;

valence - the value of the rewards is highlypositive.

In business we described motivation as thelevel of desire the employees feels toperform.

Research has shown that motivated employeeswill:

Always look for a "better" way to complete a task

Be more quality-oriented

Work with higher productivity and efficiency

An employee's performance typically is influenced by motivation, ability, and the workenvironment. Some deficiencies can be addressed by providing training or altering theenvironment, motivation problems are not as easily addressed.

Motivation is important because of itssignificance as a determinant of performanceand its intangible nature.

The organization's reward system is the basicstructural mechanism that an organizationuses to motivate workers. The reward systemincludes the formal and informal mechanismsby which employee performance is defined, evaluated, and rewarded. An organization'sprimary purpose in giving rewards is toinfluence employee behavior.

Effects of organizational rewards:

Organizational rewards can affect individualattitudes, behaviors, and motivation. Edward Lawler describes four major generalizationsabout employee attitudes toward rewards.

◦ Employee satisfaction is affected by comparisonof the rewards they receive with those received byothers.

◦ Employees often misperceive the rewardsreceived by others.

◦ The system recognizes that different people havedifferent needs and choose different ways tosatisfy those needs.

◦ Performance-based systems:

1. Motivating Them as a Team

2. Motivating Them Individually

3. Motivating Them Yourself

Job satisfaction is how content an individual is with his or her job.

OR

Job satisfaction is one’s attitude towards his job(positive or negative).

Organizational Factors :

1.Occupational level

2. Job content

3.Considerate leadership

4.Pay and promotional opportunities

5.Working conditions

6.Respect from co-workers

7.Relationship with supervisors

8.Opportunity for advancement

9.Workload and stress level

10.Financial rewards

Personal Factors :

1.Personality job fit

2.Work itself

3.Educational level

4.Role perceptions

5.Gender

6.Career development