Motivation in the Workplace

MOTIVATION IN THE WORKPLACEThe main theories of work motivation - Two major groups adressingthe questions:

Why do people work?

What factors change people’s willingness or persistance at work?

To understand what motivates people at work So, motivation could be increased Leading them working harder – increase the profitability of the

organization

Modern writers claim: the aim of studying worker motivation: to promote humanitarian aims of increasing the workforce’s

feelings of fulfilment, personal satisfaction and achievement.

The general aim of studying motivation in the workplace:

MOTIVATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Theories of work motivation

Content theories

Based on general motivation

Maslow

McClelland

From studying unemployed

Jahoda

From studying workers

MoneyMayoWarr

Process theories

Why people work?What factors affect people’s

willingness or persistence at work?

Maslow (1954): the notion of a hierarchy of needs. At the bottom: Physiological needs

At the top : Transcendence Organizational psychology: unwilling to accept

Maslow’s ideas – based on weak empricalfoundation.

Not testable as a scientific theory Unclear how the variables can be measured Unclear which needs lead to which behaviors Unclear how the theory could be used to guide

managers on how to increase workers’ motivation

Unclear how to fit some motives affecting workerbehavior into Maslow’s scheme.

Content TheoriesLinked to Accounts of General Motivation

“ MASLOW ”

Furnham (1997): the theory has some useful ideas. People have different needs related to work behavior. Organizations may be classified in terms of the needs they satisfy.

Rollinson, Breadfield and Edwards (1998): one more positive note The popularity of the theory among managers: it may prompt them

to consider worker needs and whether the organization is likely tomeet them.

Maslow: one of the content theories related to general motivation.

Content Theories Linked to Accounts of General Motivation“ MASLOW ”

McClelland (1967): coming up with a theory based on the list of needsof Murray (1930).

1. The need for achievement (nAch): the need to accomplish somethingdifficult.

2. The need for affiliation (nAff): the need to cooperate with otherpeople

3. The need for power (nPow) : a need to control the activities of other people.

Content Theories Linked to Accounts of General Motivation“ McClelland and need for achievement ( nAch) “

Whether people in different types of occupation have particularpatterns of needs?

For example:

Do entrepreneuers have a notable higher nAch (need forachievement)?

Do successful managers have a special profile, such as being highon nPow (need for power) and low on nAff (need for affiliation)?


Criticism: Such constructs as need for achievement (nAch) may be more relevant to some people than others may not apply to workers at all levels, of both sexes, in all

cultures.

Achievement theory is a chaos (Henne & Locke, 1986) Measures of the theory do not correlate with each other. It is unclear how the motive (the need) is translated into goals.


INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

McClelland’s claim: “People can be trained to have a higher need forachievement (nAch).”

This claim is inconsistent with the assumption that needs are acquired in early childhood (Rollinson et al. 1998).

Need theories ignore the effects of cultural factors (Rollinson et al. 1998). The impression: “Work is the most important way in which humans can

satisfy their needs.” May be less true in Europe than in United States.



Content/direction theories


Maslow

McClelland


Jahoda


MoneyMayoWarr

Process/persistence theories

Studying those who have lost their work and examine theconsequences of being unemployed

The precursor - Jahoda (1931): conducting a study on the unemployedworkers in an Austrian village

Jahoda’s distinction between latent and manifest needs. Work not only provides the means of earning a living (manifest

need) But also, work fulfils latent needs such as needs for social contact,

status in community, purposefulness and time structure. Unemployment for the individual: The loss of the opportunity to

fulfill these needs.

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Unemloyed Workers“ Jahoda ”




Maslow

McClelland


Jahoda


MoneyMayoWarr


Why do people work?: For the Money

!!!!!!! People do unpaid, voluntary work !!!!!!!!

Why do people work at their paid job?

For the money: not the complete answer

Good reasons coming from four line of evidence

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“ Money ”

1. Lottery question (Harpaz, 1989): if people did not need the money, they would continue to work. For Men: 66% in Britian, 95% in Japan. For Women: In most countries the percentages for women were

slightly lower than those for men.

2. Mayo’s (1993) work: People do not necessarily try to maximize theirown financial rewards but have other motives (HUMAN

RELATIONS).

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“ Money ”

3. The distinction between instrumental and intrinsic orientations towork: those with an intrinsic orientation do not see the pay as the

main gain they obtain from working.

4. Studies into the nature of job satisfaction: pay is only onecomponent of work motivation

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“Money”

Mayo (1993): developing his theory from the outcome of studies of workerbehaviour (Hawthorne studies)

Hawthorne effect: the tendency of some people

to work harder and perform better when they are participants in an

experiment.

Experiment: the effect of increasing or decreasing the amount of light on

worker productivity.

First: Employee productivity increased due to the changes.

Then, after the experiment was over, the productivity decreased.

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“Elton Mayo“

Result: Researchers suggested - productivity increased due to the attention

from the research team and not because of changes to the experimental

variables.

Hawthorne effect: a short-term improvement in performance caused by

observing workers (Lansdberger)

Human Relations Movement: Worker output and satisfaction were linked to

social factors, such as the way employees were treated on the job.

Workers place such social integration above financial ones.

Demonstrating the importance of social needs in motivating workers.

“Financial motive” is not the sole or even the most important one in work

motivation.

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“Elton Mayo“

Warr (1987): A work environmentprovides nine (9) features which effectmental health.

Each of the features except the needfor money is seen related to a humanneed.

The model implies that there are eight(8) needs or motives underlying workbehavior.

Content Theories Derived from Studies of Worker Behaviour“Warr’s vitamin model“

Environmental feature

1. Opportunity for control2. Opportunity for skill use3. Externally generated goals4. Variety5. Environmental clarity6. Availability of money7. Physical security8. Opportunity for interpersonal contact9. Valued social position

Why vitamin model?: Nine features divided into two types. The physical body reacts against excessive levels of vitamin A or D, but

high intakes of vitamins C or E do not cause negative effects. High levels of type AD environmental features (e.g. Opportunity for

control) produce a negative effect on mental health, whereas high levelsof type CE features (e.g. Money) do not.

Content TheoriesDerived from Studies of

Worker Behaviour

“Warr’s vitamin model“

Environmental feature Type (AD – CE)

1. Opportunity for control2. Opportunity for skill use3. Externally generated goals4. Variety5. Environmental clarity6. Availability of money7. Physical security8. Opportunity for interpersonal contact9. Valued social position

Additional DecrementAdditional DecrementAdditional DecrementAdditional DecrementAdditional DecrementConstant EffectConstant EffectAdditional DecrementConstant Effect

People vary in the extent to which their personal characteristics match theenvironmental variables. For example, highly sociable people are wellmatched with an environment which provides a high opportunity for socialcontact.


Environmental feature Type (AD – CE) Matching personal characteristics

1. Opportunity for control2. Opportunity for skill use3. Externally generated goals

4. Variety5. Environmental clarity6. Availability of money7. Physical security8. Opportunity for interpersonal contact9. Valued social positionGNS: Growth need strength

Additional DecrementAdditional DecrementAdditional Decrement

Additional DecrementAdditional DecrementConstant EffectConstant EffectAdditional DecrementConstant Effect

High GNS, high abilityHigh GNS, relevant unused skillsHigh GNSHigh nAchHigh GNSHigh GNS, external control beliefsHigh desire for moneyHigh desire for physical securityHigh sociabilityHigh desire for social esteem

Warr’s (1996) comment: “People’s feelings about their work are thus a function both of that workitself and also their own personality.” (p.235)


Environmental feature Type (AD – CE) Matching personal characteristics

1. Opportunity for control2. Opportunity for skill use3. Externally generated goals

4. Variety5. Environmental clarity6. Availability of money7. Physical security8. Opportunity for interpersonal contact9. Valued social positionGNS: Growth need strength

Additional DecrementAdditional DecrementAdditional Decrement

Additional DecrementAdditional DecrementConstant EffectConstant EffectAdditional DecrementConstant Effect

High GNS, high abilityHigh GNS, relevant unused skillsHigh GNSHigh nAchHigh GNSHigh GNS, external control beliefsHigh desire for moneyHigh desire for physical securityHigh sociabilityHigh desire for social esteem

• Warr’s Vitamin Model

• Providing a system for describing all job environments(how far they posses the nine environmental features.

• Jobs can be psychologically “good” or “bad”.

• Those which are bad can become good(redesiging according to the dimensions of the model)





Maslow

McClelland


Jahoda


MoneyMayoWarr


Motivation in the Workplace

Education

Transcript of Motivation in the Workplace