WORK MOTIVATION (WM) free essay sample

WORK MOTIVATION (WM)Work motivation is a perplexing topic in work and organisational science (Kanfer, Chen, Pritchard, 2008). Pinder (1998) defined work motivation as a set of energetic forces that originates both within as well as beyond an individuals being, to initiate work-related behaviour, and to determine its form, direction, intensity and duration. It helps an employee to pay attention to their task, put effort and work with perseverance Various theories that play an important role in work motivation include:Needs hierarchy by Abraham Maslow gave the framework of the elements of an overall theory of motivation. In essence, he believed that after a need has been satisfied once, we move up the ladder to gratify the next need and the previously satisfied need ceases to motivate. The next need is activated which further motivates the individual. Maslow identified five levels in his need hierarchy including physiological needs, safety need, love needs, esteem needs and needs for self-actualisation. We will write a custom essay sample on WORK MOTIVATION (WM) or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The needs hierarchy has tremendous perceptive appeal and is broadly associated with work motivation. (Luthans,1998)According to Two-Factor Theory of motivation by Herzberg (1987, 1959), the factors that lead to job satisfaction are distinctive from those that influence job dissatisfaction. Thus the factors that the managers aim to eliminate to reduce job dissatisfaction, might only help to lessen the frustration or complaints among the employees but not necessarily lead to contentment or motivation. Consequently, Herzberg rendered conditions such as quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical working conditions, relationships with others, and job security as hygiene factors. When these conditions are adequate they will prevent the people from being dissatisfied but not necessarily make them satisfied. According to Herzberg, accentuating factors which are associated with the work itself or with outcomes that are directly derived from it to motivate people in their job, su ch as promotional opportunities, personal growth opportunities, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. These characteristics are considered as intrinsically rewarding by the employees. He thus believed that job satisfiers were related to job context and job satisfiers to job content.?Equity Theory of Work Motivation by J. Stacy Adams maintains that the degree of equity (or inequity) that people perceive in their work situation contributes in job performance and satisfaction. Inequity occurs when a person perceives that there is inequality between the ratio of his or her outcomes to inputs and the ratio of a relevant others outcomes. According to this theory, motivation is based on the persons perception of what that they give (inputs) and receive (outputs) versus what the relevant other gives and receives. This cognition may differ from person to person, it can be same as reality or may be even far from it. (Luthans,1998). However, its strongest legacy is that it provided the spark for research on organizational justice, which has more support in the literature. Goal-Setting Theory by Edwin Locke (1968) proposed that intentions to work towards a goal are major source of work motivation. The theory states that some people perform better than other because they have different performance goals. The essence of the theory is four-fold (Locke and Latham, 1990). First, difficult specific goals lead to significantly higher performance than easy goals, no goals, or even the setting of an abstract goal such as urging people to do their best. Second, the higher the goal of the person, the higher the performance Third, the setting and commitment of a particular difficult goal is to an extent influenced by the personality traits and incentives influence an individuals behaviour. Fourth, by goal setting ca also influence the individual to discover different ways to attain the goal other than affecting choice, effo rt, and persistence which are considered important mechanisms in motivation. (Seijts and Latham, 2005).A systematic way to utilize goal-setting is with management by objectives (MBO), which emphasizes on participatively setting goals that are attainable, verifiable, and measurable. The organizations over-all objectives are translated into specific objectives for each level (divisional, departmental, individual). Four ingredients that are common in MBO programs include goal specificity, participation in decision, an explicit time period, and performance feedback.