Lincoln University College: Master of Business Administration

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Lincoln University College

Y-MAX COLLEGE

Master of Business Administration


Organizational Behavior

Individual Assignment

Which of the motivational theory/theories do you think is best for describing


human behavior in the workplace? Based on that, how would you construct a
work environment using reward strategies, work-life balance considerations, and
other approaches outlined in the module?

Submitted by
San Lin Tun
 Maslow’s hierarchy and the five categories of basic human needs
 The ERG theory which compressed Maslow’ five categories to three;
 The Two-Factor theory, which describes factors that either motivate people or make them
dissatisfied
 The Acquired-Needs model, which describes stable and dominant characteristics in
human beings that drive behavior

 Motivation is a highly individual process, and motivating all the employees within a
company can be a significant (if not nearly impossible) task. Yet, we’ve proven time and
time again that employees who are engaged with their work and with the organization
drive productivity and profits. It’s necessary to motivate. Managers need to solve that
puzzle.

 Motivation is individual, but in the framework of organizational behavior it can be built


from not only individual, but also work and organizational components. We can examine
motivation as a product of needs and wants and translate those theories into approaches
and programs that incentivize employees to work harder. Variable-pay programs, or
employee recognition programs, or even management by objective, are managers’
answers to employee needs and motivations as identified through the lenses of
motivational theories. A continued command of what motivates employees, and
continued studies, will help us build more innovative programs that keep motivation high
and productivity strong.

 Finally, as the world gets smaller, more managers will be called upon to understand the
cultural dimensions of multi-national teams, and adjust their approaches to motivate team
members who have learned differently than we have.

 Motivation is key to success. Without the motivation to set an action into motion, we
have no effort, no performance, no outcomes, no organization, and no reward.

We’ve learned about what motivation is, about different theories behind it, and how
motivation matters in the workplace. Now let’s take a look at a scenario that could
happen anywhere: a manager wants to better understand and motivate an employee.

A warning for managers everywhere—motivation theories are culture-bound.

The theories we’ve read about have been developed by American psychologists and scientists for
the American workplace, and the behaviors suggested are dictated by the American culture.
Managers working for international companies who have remote international teams may find it
difficult to apply the suggestions of these theories to everyone on their team.

For instance, Maslow’s theory, which suggests that humans follow a needs path from
physiological needs to needs of safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization, is a
typically American point of view. Greece and Mexico, countries with cultures that look for a
significant set of rules and guidelines in their lives, might have safety at the top of their
pyramids, while Scandinavian countries, well known for their nurturing characteristics, might
have social needs at the top of theirs. If these differences are well understood, managers can
adapt accordingly, and understand that group work is more important for their Scandinavian
workers, and so on.

What other theories fall short when we stand them up against other cultures? Well, the need to
achieve and a concern for performance is found in the US, UK and Canada, but in countries like
Chile and Portugal, it’s almost non-existent. The equity theory, which we talked about in the first
section of this module, is embraced in the US, but in the former socialist countries of Central and
Eastern Europe, workers expect their rewards to reflect their personal needs as well as their
performance. It stands to reason that US pay practices might be perceived as unfair in these
countries.

Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist, professor at Maastricht University in the


Netherlands and a former IBM employee, conducted some pioneering research on cross-cultural
groups in organizations, which led to his cultural dimension’s theory.

In this theory, Hofstede defines culture as the unique way in which people are collectively taught
in their environments. He looks to compare and understand the collective mindset of these
groups of people and how they differ. His conclusions were that cultural differences showed
themselves in six significant buckets. Hofstede created an “index” for each category to show
where individual cultures fell along the spectrum:

 Power Distance: this is an index that describes the extent to which the less powerful
members of organizations accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. A higher
index number suggests that hierarchy is clearly established and executed in society, while
a lower index would indicate that people question authority in that culture. (Latin, Asian,
and Arab countries score on the high side, while Anglo and Germanic countries score
low. The US is in the middle.)
 Individualism: this measures the degree to which people in a society are integrated into
groups. The United States scores very high in this category.
 Uncertainty avoidance: this is defined as a “society’s tolerance for ambiguity.” Cultures
scoring high in this area opt for very defined codes of behavior and laws, while cultures
scoring lower are more accepting of different thoughts and ideas. Belgium and Germany
score high while countries like Sweden and Denmark score lower.
 Masculinity vs femininity: in more masculine societies, women and men are more
competitive, while in feminine societies, they share caring views equally with men.
Anglo countries like the UK and the US tend to lean toward masculinity in their cultures,
while Scandinavian countries tend toward femininity.
 Long-term Orientation vs. Short-term Orientation: this measures the degree to which
a society honors tradition. A lower score indicates traditions are kept, while a higher
score indicates the society views adaptation and problem-solving as a necessary
component of their culture. Asian cultures have strong long-term orientation, while
Anglo countries, Africa and Latin America have shorter-term orientation.
 Indulgence vs. restraint: this is a measurement of happiness if simple joys are fulfilled.
Indulgent societies believe themselves to be in control of their lives, while restrained
societies believe that external forces dictate their lives. There is less data about this
particular dimension, but we do know that Latin America, the Anglo countries and
Nordic Europe score high on indulgence, while Muslim countries and East Asia tend to
score high on restraint.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs


One of the best places to start analyzing theories and models of motivation and their application
in the workplace is Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Of all the types of approaches to motivation in
workplaces, this is probably the most famous. Maslow's needs form a pyramid with
physiological needs at the base and self-actualization needs at the top lists the needs as:

 Physiological needs: Water, food, sleep, shelter


 Safety and security needs: Financial security, employment, housing, health
 Love and belonging needs: Relationships at home, with friends and at work
 Self-esteem or status needs: Recognition, raise at work, prizes
 Self-actualization needs: Living out dreams and potential

The most basic physiological, safety and love needs are intrinsic in nature, while status and self-
actualization needs are extrinsic. To meet the extrinsic needs, you must first address the intrinsic
ones.

In our small business, this means looking physiological, security, and belonging needs before
introducing things such as recognition or coaching. Offer a living wage and ensure that our
employees have what they need to care for their health and feel they belong. Introduce company
picnics, health benefits, and referrals for financial planners, housing professionals and more.

After the most basic intrinsic needs are met, consider addressing extrinsic motivation through:

 Sales competitions
 Recognition events
 Raises
 Coaching and mentoring

Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory


Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory uses different categories than Maslow's hierarchy of needs
and is less concerned with an employee's life outside of work . The theory still addresses intrinsic
needs before extrinsic needs. As our analyze theories and models of motivation and their
application in the workplace . Herzberg uses the categories of hygiene and motivation to increase
motivation, and this model insists that hygiene needs must be met before motivation is possible.
When hygiene is addressed, job dissatisfaction decreases, and when motivation is met, job
satisfaction increases. These are how things break down in this model:

 Hygiene: security, status, working conditions, interpersonal relationships, supervision,


company policy, administration
 Motivation: growth, advancement, responsibility, enjoyable work, recognition,
achievement

When we analyze theories and models of motivation and their application in the workplace, we
may notice that all of them fall into two categories describes as intrinsic motivation and extrinsic
motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is when we do something because it is enjoyable. We are happy to do


whatever it is, whether we are paid or not. For example, when we hire a kitchen employee who
loves to make jam at home and then give them the opportunity to make jam from scratch at
work, they are intrinsically motivated by their enjoyment of the activity itself.

Extrinsic motivation is when we do something because of an external reward or recognition.


When an employee wants to earn certain marks on their next review so that they're eligible for
promotion, they increase their performance due to extrinsic motivation. The review marks and
promotion provide an external reward and recognition.

Often, the application of motivation theories in organizations involves some combination of both
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Different approaches are appropriate for different situations
and with different personalities.

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