Motivation

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Motivation
Adapted from George, Jennifer M., and Jones,
Gareth R., Understanding and Managing
Organizational Behavior 2nd Ed., Addison Wesley,
New York, 1999
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Agenda

• What is motivation?
• Motivation and Performance
• Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
• Need theory
• Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs
• Existence-Relatedness-Growth theory
• Expectancy Theory
• Equity Theory
• Procedural Justice Theory

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What is Motivation?

• Work motivation the psychological forces within
  a person that determine
• Direction of a persons behavior in an
  organization
• Persons level of effort
• Persons level of persistence in the face of
  obstacles.

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Elements of Work Motivation

• Direction of behavior Which behaviors does a
  person choose to perform in an organization?
• Level of effort How hard does a person work to
  perform a chosen behavior?
• Level of persistence When faced with obstacles,
  how hard does a person keep trying to perform a
  chosen behavior successfully?

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Motivation and Performance

• Performance - is an evaluation of the results of
  a persons behavior. It involves determining how
  well or poorly a person has accomplished a task
  or done a job
• Motivation is only one factor among many that
  contributes to a workers job performance.

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Motivation and Performance

• High level of motivation does not always result
  in a high level of performance.
• High performance does not necessarily imply that
  motivation is high
• What is the lesson for managers?

Performance
Motivation
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Motivation and Performance

• Workers with low motivation may perform at a high
  level if they have a great deal of ability
• Therefore, low performance does not mean low
  motivation
• If managers assume that low performance stems
  from low motivation, they may miss the real cause
  of a performance problem (such as a lack of
  training or resources) and fail to take
  appropriate action

• If managers assume that workers who perform at a
  high level are highly motivated, they may fail to
  take advantage of the talents of good workers

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsically motivated work behavior Behavior
  that is performed for its own sake
• Source of motivation is actually performing the
  behavior
• Work gives people a sense of accomplishment
• People feel they are doing something worthwhile

The challenge for managers is to create an
environment where employees experience intrinsic
motivation. How would you do that?
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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• Show how their job impacts the organizations
  strategic plan and customers
• Give people control over what they do by doing
• Human resource rules and policies
• Organizational structure
• Level of employees involvement

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• Extrinsically motivated work behavior Behavior
  that is performed to acquire material or social
  rewards or to avoid punishment
• Behavior is performed not for its own sake, but
  for its consequences

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Need Theory

• Need Theory A group of content theories about
  work motivation that focuses on workers needs as
  the sources of motivation
• Workers seek to satisfy many of their needs at
  work and their behavior at work is oriented
  towards need satisfaction
• Need a requirement for survival and well-being
• What does this mean to management?
• To determine what will motivate a worker, a
  manager first must determine what needs a worker
  is trying to satisfy on the job and then ensure
  that workers have an opportunity to satisfy those
  needs to support the organizations goals

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Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs
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Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs

• The basic needs must be satisfied before an
  individual seeks to satisfy needs higher up the
  hierarchy.
• Once a need is satisfied, it is no longer a
  source of motivation
• At any particular time, only one set of needs
  motivates behavior
• It is not possible to skip levels
• What are the lessons for managers?
• Worker differ in the needs they try to satisfy at
  work
• What motivates one worker may not motivate another

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Alderfers ERG Theory
Existence-Relatedness-Growth theory need theory
of work motivation
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Alderfers ERG Theory

• A higher level need can be a motivator even if a
  lower level need is not satisfied
• Needs at more than one level can be motivators at
  any time
• As lower level needs are satisfied, workers
  become motivated to satisfy higher level needs
• When an individual motivated to satisfy
  higher-level needs but has difficulty, the
  persons motivation to satisfy lower-level needs
  will increase

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Problems with Maslow and ERG

• It may be unreasonable to expect a relatively
  small set of needs ordered in a particular
  fashion to apply to all people
• It may be unrealistic to expect that all people
  become motivated by different types of needs in a
  set order

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Advice for ManagersNeed Theories Of Motivation

• Do not assume that all workers are motivated by
  the same needs or desires. Different workers are
  motivated by different kinds of needs.
• To determine what will motivate any given worker,
  determine what needs that worker is trying to
  satisfy on the job.
• Make sure you have the ability to administer or
  withhold consequences that will satisfy a
  workers needs.
• Structure work situations so that workers can
  satisfy their needs by performing behaviors that
  enable the organization to achieve its goals.

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Expectancy Theory

• Expectancy Theory A process about work
  motivation that focuses on how workers make
  choices among alternative behaviors and levels of
  effort
• Focuses on
• How workers decide which specific behavior to
  perform
• How much effort to exert

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Expectancy Theory - Valence

• Valence the desirability of an outcome to an
  individual
• For each individual, the desirability of each
  outcome is likely to vary
• Positive valence a worker prefers the outcome
  to not having it
• Negative valence a worker prefers not having
  the outcome

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Expectancy Theory - Instrumentality

• Instrumentality a perception about the extent
  to which performance of one or more behaviors
  will lead to the attainment of a particular
  outcome
• Workers are only going to engage in the desired
  behavior and perform at a high level if they
  perceive it will lead to positive outcomes such
  as a pay raise, a promotion or recognition.
• The perceived association between a certain level
  of job performance (or performance of certain
  behaviors) and the receipt of a specific outcome

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Expectancy Theory - Instrumentality

• Can be measured on a scale from 1 to -1.
• 1 worker perceives that performance definitely
  will result in obtaining the outcome
• -1 worker perceives that performance definitely
  will not result in obtaining the outcome

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Expectancy Theory - Instrumentality

• What are the lessons for management?
• Make sure that workers who perform at a high
  level actually receive the outcomes they desire
• Determine the outcomes subordinates desire
• Clearly communicate what behavior and performance
  level is required to received the desired
  outcomes
• Ensure that you have control over the outcomes
  subordinates expect
• Coach employees to perform at a high level
• Assess workers beliefs about behaviors,
  performance, and outcomes

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Equity Theory

• Equity Theory a process theory about work
  motivation that focuses on workers perceptions
  of the fairness of their work outcomes and inputs
• Outcome/Input Ratio the relationship between
  what a worker gets from a job (outcomes) and what
  the worker contributes to the job (inputs)

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Equity Theory
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Equity Theory
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Equity Theory

• Choices for dealing with inequity
• Change inputs (slack off)
• Change outcomes (increase output)
• Distort/change perceptions of self
• Distort/change perceptions of others
• Choose a different referent person
• Leave the field (quit the job)

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Equity TheoryAdvice to Managers

• Since inputs will vary across workers, outcomes
  should also vary
• Distribute outcomes based on inputs
• Strive to maintain equity for maximum motivation
• Frequently assess worker perception of equity
• Must accurately assess inputs and outcomes to
  maintain equity

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Procedural Justice Theory

• Procedural Justice Theory A process theory
  about work motivation that focuses on workers
  perception of the fairness of the procedures used
  to make decisions about the distribution of
  outcomes.
• Examples include
• Decisions to how performance levels are evaluated
• How grievances or disputes are handled
• How outcomes are distributed

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Procedural Justice Theory

• Worker perceptions are key not the reality of
  the procedures
• Workers are going to be more motivated top
  perform at a high level when they perceives the
  procedures used to make decisions about the
  distribution of outcomes as fair.

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Procedural Justice Theory

• What are the factors that are important to
  procedural justice?
• Factor 1 How workers are treated by distributors
  of outcomes (usually their managers)
• Factor 2 The extent to which managers explain
  their decisions to workers
• Thus managers should be
• Honest
• Courteous
• Respectful
• Allow workers to give their opinions
• Etc

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Discussion Questions

• Why might a person with a very high level of
  motivation perform poorly?
• Why might a person with a very low level of
  motivation be a top performer?
• Why do people differ in the types of needs they
  are trying to satisfy at work?
• Why might a very capable worker have low
  expectancy for performing at a high level?
• Is inequity always dysfunctional for an
  organization? Why or Why not?
• Why might fair procedures be perceived as being
  unfair by some workers?
• What steps can organizations take to encourage
  procedural justice?