Module: I

Concept of Motivation

The term motivation is derived from the word ‘motive”. The word ‘motive’ as a noun means an objective, as a
verb this word means moving into action. Therefore, motives are forces which induce people to act in a way, so
as to ensure the fulfillment of a particular human need at a time. Behind every human action there is a motive.
Therefore, management must provide motives to people to make them work for the organization.
Motivation may be defined as a planned managerial process, which stimulates people to work to the best of their
capabilities, by providing them with motives, which are based on their unfulfilled needs.
Motivation is the driving force which help causes us to achieve goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or
extrinsic.
The term is generally used for humans but, theoretically, it can also be used to describe the causes for animal
behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation.
According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize
pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, goal, state of being, ideal,
or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality.

Following are the outstanding Features of the motivation:

1. Motivation is a personal and internal feeling:
Motivation is a psychological phenomenon which generates within an individual.
2. Motivation is need based:
If there are no needs of an individual, the process of motivation fails. It is a behavioural concept that directs
human behaviour towards certain goals.
3. Motivation is a continuous process:
Because human wants are unlimited, therefore motivation is an ongoing process.
4. Motivation may be positive or negative:
A positive motivation promotes incentives to people while a negative motivation threatens the enforcement of
disincentives.
5. Motivation is a planned process:
People differ in their approach, to respond to the process of motivation; as no two individuals could be motivated
in an exactly similar manner. Accordingly, motivation is a psychological concept and a complex process.

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Types of Motivation
There are two types of motivation, Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation. It's important to understand that we are not
all the same; thus effectively motivating your employees requires that you gain an understanding of the different
types of motivation. Such an understanding will enable you to better categorize your team members and apply
the appropriate type of motivation. You will find each member different and each member's motivational needs
will be varied as well. Some people respond best to intrinsic which means "from within" and will meet any
obligation of an area of their passion. Quite the reverse, others will respond better to extrinsic motivation which,
in their world, provides that difficult tasks can be dealt with provided there is a reward upon completion of that
task. Become an expert in determining which type will work best with which team members.

Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation means that the individual's motivational stimuli are coming from within. The individual has
the desire to perform a specific task, because its results are in accordance with his belief system or fulfills a desire
and therefore importance is attached to it.
Our deep-rooted desires have the highest motivational power.

Intrinsic motivation refers to the act of doing something that does not have any obvious external rewards. You
do it because it’s enjoyable and interesting to you, not because of any outside incentive or pressures, like rewards
or deadlines. In short, intrinsic motivation is performing an activity for its own sake rather than the desire for
some external reward or out of some external pressure. Essentially, the behavior itself is its own reward.
Intrinsic motivation is more about personal growth, a sense of duty, and the recognition of purpose, while
extrinsic motivation is more about financial incentives, status, and public recognition.

Intrinsic Motivation Examples

 Playing sports because you enjoy how they make you feel
 Staying longer at work because you believe in your work
 Using positive affirmations because you want to change your mindset positively
 Investing money because you want to become financially independent
 Traveling because you want to explore different cultures
 Working in a team because you enjoy collaboration
 Learning about personal development because you want to improve yourself
 Going to the playground with your children because it makes you happy
 Studying because you are curious about the topics
 Trying to be a good leader because you want to inspire
 Acceptance: We all need to feel that we, as well as our decisions, are accepted by our co-workers.
 Curiosity: We all have the desire to be in the know.

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  Honor: We all need to respect the rules and to be ethical.
 Independence: We all need to feel we are unique.
 Order: We all need to be organized.
 Power: We all have the desire to be able to have influence.
 Social contact: We all need to have some social interactions.
 Social Status: We all have the desire to feel important.

Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation means that the individual's motivational stimuli are coming from outside. In other words,
our desires to perform a task are controlled by an outside source. Note that even though the stimuli are coming
from outside, the result of performing the task will still be rewarding for the individual performing the task.
Extrinsic motivation is external in nature. The most well-known and the most debated motivation is money.
Simply put, extrinsic motivation refers to the behavior of individuals to perform tasks and learn new skills because
of external rewards or avoidance of punishment. In this case, you engage in behavior not because you enjoy it
or because you find it appealing or satisfying, but in order to obtain something of value in return or avoid
something unpleasant.

Extrinsic Motivation Examples

 Going to work because you want to earn money
 Studying because you want to get a good grade
 Helping others because you hope for praise
 Volunteering because it looks good on a resume
 Going to the same store because you benefit from loyalty programs
 Cleaning your apartment because you do not want your partner to get mad
 Going to new places because you want to post it on social media
 Paying taxes because you want to avoid a fine
 Pursuing a certain degree because you want to make your parents proud
 Going on a business trip because you were ordered by your boss to do so
 Employee of the month award
 Benefit package
 Bonuses
 Organized activities

Maslow's Theory of Motivation

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Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take
precedence over others.
Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the
first thing that motivates our behavior. Once that level is fulfilled
the next level up is what motivates us, and so on.
1. Physiological needs - these are biological requirements for
human survival, e.g. air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth,
sex, sleep.
If these needs are not satisfied the human body cannot function
optimally. Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs become secondary
until these needs are met.
2. Safety needs - Once an individual’s physiological needs are satisfied, the needs for security and safety become
salient. People want to experience order, predictability and control in their lives. These needs can be fulfilled by
the family and society (e.g. police, schools, business and medical care).
For example, emotional security, financial security (e.g. employment, social welfare), law and order, freedom
from fear, social stability, property, health and wellbeing (e.g. safety against accidents and injury).
3. Love and belongingness needs - after physiological and safety needs have been fulfilled, the third level of
human needs is social and involves feelings of belongingness. The need for interpersonal relationships motivates
behavior
Examples include friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating,
being part of a group (family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy - which Maslow classified into two categories: (i)
esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from
others (e.g., status, prestige).
Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most important for children and adolescents and
precedes real self-esteem or dignity.
5. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in Maslow's hierarchy, and refer to the realization of a person's
potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Maslow (1943) describes this level as
the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation

In 1959, Frederick Herzberg, a behavioural scientist proposed a two-factor theory or the motivator-hygiene
theory. According to Herzberg, there are some job factors that result in satisfaction while there are other job
factors that prevent dissatisfaction. According to Herzberg, the opposite of “Satisfaction” is “No satisfaction”
and the opposite of “Dissatisfaction” is “No Dissatisfaction”.

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Herzberg classified these job factors into two categories-
Hygiene factors- Hygiene factors are those job factors which are
essential for existence of motivation at workplace. These do not
lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these factors are
absent / if these factors are non-existent at workplace, then they
lead to dissatisfaction. In other words, hygiene factors are those
factors which when adequate/reasonable in a job, pacify the
employees and do not make them dissatisfied. These factors are
extrinsic to work. Hygiene factors are also called as dissatisfies or
maintenance factors as they are required to avoid dissatisfaction.
These factors describe the job environment/scenario. The hygiene factors symbolized the physiological needs
which the individuals wanted and expected to be fulfilled. Hygiene factors include:
a. Pay - The pay or salary structure should be appropriate and reasonable. It must be equal and competitive
to those in the same industry in the same domain.
b. Company Policies and administrative policies - The company policies should not be too rigid. They
should be fair and clear. It should include flexible working hours, dress code, breaks, vacation, etc.
c. Fringe benefits - The employees should be offered health care plans (mediclaim), benefits for the family
members, employee help programmes, etc.
d. Physical Working conditions - The working conditions should be safe, clean and hygienic. The work
equipments should be updated and well-maintained.
e. Status - The employees’ status within the organization should be familiar and retained.
f. Interpersonal relations - The relationship of the employees with his peers, superiors and subordinates
should be appropriate and acceptable. There should be no conflict or humiliation element present.
g. Job Security - The organization must provide job security to the employees.

Motivational factors- According to Herzberg, the hygiene factors cannot be regarded as motivators. The
motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to work. These factors motivate the
employees for a superior performance. These factors are called satisfiers. These are factors involved in
performing the job. Employees find these factors intrinsically rewarding. The motivators symbolized the
psychological needs that were perceived as an additional benefit. Motivational factors include:
 Recognition - The employees should be praised and recognized for their accomplishments by the
managers.
 Sense of achievement - The employees must have a sense of achievement. This depends on the job. There
must be a fruit of some sort in the job.

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  Growth and promotional opportunities - There must be growth and advancement opportunities in an
organization to motivate the employees to perform well.
 Responsibility - The employees must hold themselves responsible for the work. The managers should
give them ownership of the work. They should minimize control but retain accountability.
 Meaningfulness of the work - The work itself should be meaningful, interesting and challenging for the
employee to perform and to get motivated.

Role of Motivation in Employee Behaviour

Every organization expects its employees to behave sensibly, adhere to the rules and regulations and follow the
codes of conduct. There has to be some ethics at workplace, where every individual is morally responsible for
his/her own behaviour. Do not attend office just to receive your monthly paycheck. Yes, money is a strong
motivating factor but moral values, discipline, ethics are equally important. After all, we all are answerable to
ourselves. Aren’t we? How can we accept our pay check when we ourselves are not sure of our contribution to
the organization? Please be honest to your organization and most importantly yourself.
Remember, the way you behave at the workplace speaks volumes of your character, upbringing and family
background. Gossipping, stealing, spreading baseless rumors, fighting over petty issues do not help in the long
run.

Importance of Employee Motivation

There are several reasons why employee motivation is important. Mainly because it allows management to meet
the company’s goals. Without a motivated workplace, companies could be placed in a very risky position.
Motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and allow an organization to achieve higher levels of
output. Imagine having an employee who is not motivated at work. They will probably use the time at their desk
surfing the internet for personal pleasure or even looking for another job. This is a waste of your time and
resources.
Note that this is based on one employee. Try picturing the majority of your employees doing the same thing.
This is not a position anybody wants to be in.

Benefits of Motivated Employees

Employee motivation is highly important for every company due to the benefits that it brings to the company.
Benefits include:
 Increased employee commitment: - When employees are motivated to work, they will generally put
their best effort in the tasks that are assigned to them.
 Improved employee satisfaction: - Employee satisfaction is important for every company because this
can lead towards a positive growth for the company.

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  Ongoing employee development: - Motivation can facilitate a worker reaching his/her personal goals,
and can facilitate the self-development of an individual. Once that worker meets some initial goals, they
realize the clear link between effort and results, which will further motivate them to continue at a high
level.
 Improved employee efficiency: - An employee’s efficiency level is not only based on their abilities or
qualifications. For the company to get the very best results, an employee needs to have a good balance
between the ability to perform the task given and willingness to want to perform the task. This balance
can lead to an increase of productivity and an improvement in efficiency.

How to Increase Employee Motivation

Here are three immediate actionable tips to increase employee motivation in your workplace.
1. Improve communication: -
The easiest way to increase employee motivation is by having positive communication at the workplace.
Not relying only on emails but by making sure they talk to their employees in person and even on a
personal level, if possible.
Try setting aside some time each day to talk with employees or you can join them during coffee breaks
instead of sitting at your desk. By doing so, you actually make employees feel as though you are part of
the team; a leader instead of just the boss. Experts agree that team communication is super valuable.
Employees also want to see the company that they are working for succeed. Many have excellent ideas,
ranging from money saving to operational improvements. Management must make an effort to take some
time to ask and listen to suggestions. Nothing is more worthwhile than feeling valued.

2. Value individual contributions: -

Management should ensure their employees on how their individual efforts and contribution plays an
important part of the company’s overall goals and direction. Employees will take pride and be engaged in
their work if they are aware how their efforts create an impact the organization; regardless of how big or
small their contributions are.
Management does not have to reward their employees with gifts every single time they did a good job at
a task. At times, a simple “Thank You” or “Great job” will suffice. These meaningful words acknowledge
effort, build loyalty and encourage people to work even harder.

3. Positive workplace environment: -

Sometimes, the employees lack motivation because their workplace does not have a positive work
environment. To fix this, management could sent out surveys and get feedback from employees in order
to solve the issues that they may face.

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 Management could also post a positive quote or picture by the copier, coffee machine or somewhere else
that is visible and that receives high foot traffic so that others can see. Flora and fauna also helps create a
serene workplace environment for your employees, so why not add a couple of plants around the office.

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