Lecture 6 Motivation

Motivation
Read chapter 15 – in Boddy text

Read chapter 9 – in Combe text
Learning Outcomes
• Describe why Managing and Motivating are
important
• How context, including psychological contract,
affects motivation
• Understand and discuss how motivation
influences an employee’s behaviour.
• Distinguish between content and process
theories
• Motivation and strategy
Definitions
“the will and desire that a person has to engage in a particular

behaviour or perform a particular task”
(King and Lawley, 2016:293)
“the processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction,

and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal”
(Robbins and Judge, 2013:216)
“Motivation is the cause of movement, the inspiration behind an

activity, it is the feeling within an individual that makes them
want to achieve a personal need or expectation” (Butler and
Rose, 2011)
Why study motivation?
• Adding value (by managing) depends on
motivating others
• Understanding theories
(of motivating others) enables you to make more
informed choices, and
– to question assumptions behind practice, whether
they suit the situation, and whether alternatives may
work better
• They also give insight into your own motivations
and possible career implications
Managing and motivating
• Adding value to resources depends on human
activity – commitment to act in a certain way
• That depends on choice – motivation arises
within a person, and cannot be imposed
• Management problem is to understand what
conditions will energise, channel and sustain
required behaviour
How much are you
motivated by
your
work/studies?
Motivation is vital at work
Nearly all work is, at least in part, shaped by motivation, and
therefore motivation is central to organizational success
(creating value). Without well motivated (and skilled)
employees, most organizations would not succeed. This
leads to the following questions:
1. What motivates employees?
2. How do managers increase their motivation?
3. How much comes from within the person and how much
is shaped by the environment that they are in?
4. Do motivation and higher levels of job satisfaction
actually increase job performance?
Continued…
Motivation is a complex topic

that is difficult to define… it is
also difficult to capture,
why do you think that is?
• We cannot see motivation. It is
invisible and can only be inferred from
what people do. It varies between
individuals and within them (Dalal and
Hulin, 2008).
• This has led to a variety of
explanations, largely informed by
psychology.
All about ?
OR
What motivates you at work?

£pay is often our answer. Do we go to work to get
paid rather than for enjoyment? e.g. many
students have part-time jobs in order to get
through university. Pay is the only thing that
keeps them turning up!
Motivation through
Psychological contract
• People have mutual unwritten expectations of each

other – a psychological contract
• Employer expects…/employee expects…
• Perceptions of fairness affects behaviour
• Being subjective, the contract is easily damaged
• Varies with context – national differences

Psychological contract cont…
Source: Based on Guest (2004).

Behaviour modification
• Focus on the consequences of actions: by showing link
between them, aim to encourage desirable and
discourage undesirable behaviour
• Principles to follow:
– Reward ONLY desired actions
– Reward quickly (signals link)
– Rewards encourage repetition (reinforcement)
– Reward more effective than punishment
– Repeated reinforcement brings permanent change
– However…Psychological drift to old behaviour??
Theories of motivation:
Content vs. Process Theories
Content Theories: Process Theories:
theories of motivation which suggest that theories of motivation which suggest that
the content of work should be designed so motivation is a result of individual processes
as best to meet the needs which motivate of perception, comparison and calculation
workers e.g. e.g.
Hierarchy of Needs: Maslow Equity theory: Adams
Two Factor Theory: Herzberg Expectancy Theory: Vroom
Modified Hierarchy: Alderfer Goal Setting Theory: Locke and Latham

(1968)
Hierarchy of needs theories of
motivation
• Maslow developed the
hierarchy of needs
which was then used as
a theory of workplace
motivation
Maslow and Alderfer
Two factor theory of motivation
• Herzberg suggested that only some job characteristics
motivate people in the workplace, whilst other hygiene
factors can cause dissatisfaction. Linked ideas on motivation
to practical issues of work design
Equity theory of motivation
• Adam’s developed a theory which suggests
that people are motivated by comparing their
workplace rewards with others.
Expectancy theory of motivation
• Vroom suggests people will be motivated if they believe
that strong effort will lead to good performance and
good performance will lead to desired rewards
Goal-Setting theory of motivation
Locke – goals affect motivation
• Challenging but achievable goals motivate i.e. beat
your last effort!
• Specific goals motivate more than vague ones
• Participation in setting goals is motivating i.e.
autonomy
• Knowing results of past performance is necessary for
motivation
Motivation and strategy
• Jeffrey Pfeffer (2005) suggested that strategic success
comes from managing people well by offering:
– adequate security
– selective recruitment (those chosen feel special)
– high pay and employee ownership
– sharing information, participation and empowerment
– self-management
To finish…
Will it work in practice?

• Not always, we’re all different and all have different
desires/needs.
• Difficult task to manage for a manager.
Think about the complexity of open systems
management
Are there implications for managers?
Yes, they need to choose what they feel is right for them
and their people. This is not an easy task.
Summary
• The psychological contract helps to understand
the relationship between organisation and
employee
• Content theories of motivation show the diversity
of needs which people seek to satisfy at work
• Process theories show the many ways in which
people seek to satisfy those needs
• Work design theories link individual needs and
organisational requirements

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Motivation

Read chapter 15 – in Boddy text

“the will and desire that a person has to engage in a particular

“the processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction,

“Motivation is the cause of movement, the inspiration behind an

Motivation is a complex topic

What motivates you at work?

• People have mutual unwritten expectations of each

• Employer expects…/employee expects…

• Perceptions of fairness affects behaviour

• Being subjective, the contract is easily damaged

• Varies with context – national differences

Source: Based on Guest (2004).

Hierarchy of Needs: Maslow Equity theory: Adams

Two Factor Theory: Herzberg Expectancy Theory: Vroom

Modified Hierarchy: Alderfer Goal Setting Theory: Locke and Latham

Will it work in practice?

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