MODULE 3
MOTIVATION
Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means needs,
desires, wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating
people to actions to accomplish the goals. In the work goal context the
psychological factors stimulating the people’s behaviour can be -
● desire for money
● success
● recognition
● job-satisfaction
● team work, etc
The process of motivation consists of three stages:-
1. A felt need or drive
2. A stimulus in which needs have to be aroused
3. When needs are satisfied, the satisfaction or accomplishment of goals.
● Motivation is a psychological process through which a person acts or behaves
towards a particular task or activity from start to completion.
● Motivation drives or pushes a person to behave in a particular way at that
point in time.
● When the motivation is positive, a person is happy, energetic, enthusiastic &
self-driven to perform the work and when it is negative motivation, person is
demoralized, sad, lethargic & pessimistic leading to drop in productivity and
performance.
● Intrinsic motivation comes from the employees’ self-desire to seek
out new things and to challenge their self.
● It is the eagerness to learn, to gain knowledge and to explore self-
values and capabilities.
● When the employees have intrinsic motivation, it means they do
the job with interest and enjoyment. Such employees have the
tendency to be engaged in their jobs, do their work with passion
and willingness, striving for the best results and self-reward as
well as continuously improving their skills and abilities.
● On the contrary, extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of
● Hence, the main question for the management is to find answer to
the question that from where to get the extrinsic motivation and
how the employees can sustain their motivation. There are several
factors through which extrinsic motivation can be enhanced.
● Extrinsic motivation cannot be satisfied by the work itself. In other
words, the job which an employee does is just a tool to satisfy his
needs through the salary paid for the job in question.
● The extrinsic motivation requires an instrumentality between the
activity and some separable consequences such as tangible or
verbal rewards and that satisfaction comes not from the activity
itself but rather from the extrinsic consequences to which the
activity leads.
● Individual employee attitude towards the job is determined by the
MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS
(i) achievement,
(ii) proper recognition and rewards,
(iii) interesting work,
(iv) involvement in decision making,
(v) professional advancement, and
(vi) adequate training and development
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
(i) work condition,
(ii) administration policies,
(iii) work relationship,
(iv) effective communication at the workplace,
(v) lack of appreciation,
(vi) comparison of benefits received by the colleagues,
(vii) housekeeping and cleanliness leading to poor productivity of the workforce,
(viii) availability of materials such as raw materials, spares, consumables, and lubricants etc.
for maintaining of production and for effective maintenance,
(ix) climate and weather conditions,
(x) frequent change in product mix during production leading to lower productivity, and
(xi) leadership styles of the management and organizational strategies.
Advantages of Motivation
1. Feeling of belongingness and self-respect.
2. A motivated employee is excited to learn and contribute more.
3. Higher productive output due to positive motivation.
4. Reduced absenteeism and lower attrition.
5. Employees high on motivation help reduce costs & improve
profits.
6. Reduce stress & anxiety at workplace.
X & Y Theory
● Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was proposed by a humanistic psychologist,
Abraham Maslow in 1943. He proposed this theory in a paper in Psychological
Review entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation”. Further, he subsequently
extended the concept by including the observation on human behaviour.
● The theory parallelly justifies many other theories of the psychological
development of humans and focuses on the stages that assist growth in humans.
In this theory, Maslow relies on physiological terms like self-transcendence,
self-actualization, esteem, belongingness, safety, physiological needs.
● This theory also includes the biological and humanistic approaches to human
personality. There are different biological factors that influence human
personality. The connection between Maslow’s theory and biological factors
would explain the aspect of humanistic theory and helps to explain the
biological aspects of personality.
Abraham Maslow is well renowned for proposing the Hierarchy of Needs Theory in
1943. This theory is a classical depiction of human motivation. This theory is based on
the assumption that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual. The urgency
of these needs varies. These five needs are as follows-
1. Physiological needs- These are the basic needs of air, water, food, clothing and
shelter. In other words, physiological needs are the needs for basic amenities of life.
2. Safety needs- Safety needs include physical, environmental and emotional safety
and protection. For instance- Job security, financial security, protection from
animals, family security, health security, etc.
3. Social needs- Social needs include the need for love, affection, care, belongingness,
and friendship.
4. Esteem needs- Esteem needs are of two types: internal esteem needs (self- respect,
confidence, competence, achievement and freedom) and external esteem needs
(recognition, power, status, attention and admiration).
5. Self-actualization need- This include the urge to become what you are capable of
● According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by
unsatisfied needs.
● As each of these needs is significantly satisfied, it drives
and forces the next need to emerge. Maslow grouped
the five needs into two categories - Higher-order needs
and Lower-order needs.
● The physiological and the safety needs constituted the
lower-order needs. These lower-order needs are mainly
satisfied externally. The social, esteem, and self-
actualization needs constituted the higher-order needs.
These higher-order needs are generally satisfied
internally, i.e., within an individual.
Implications of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
for Managers
● As far as the physiological needs are concerned, the managers should give
employees appropriate salaries to purchase the basic necessities of life. Breaks
and eating opportunities should be given to employees.
● As far as the safety needs are concerned, the managers should provide the
employees job security, safe and hygienic work environment, and retirement
benefits so as to retain them.
● As far as social needs are concerned, the management should encourage
teamwork and organize social events.
● As far as esteem needs are concerned, the managers can appreciate and reward
employees on accomplishing and exceeding their targets. The management can
give the deserved employee higher job rank / position in the organization.
● As far as self-actualization needs are concerned, the managers can give the
employees challenging jobs in which the employees’ skills and competencies
Limitations of Maslow’s Theory
● It is essential to note that not all employees are governed
by same set of needs. Different individuals may be
driven by different needs at same point of time. It is
always the most powerful unsatisfied need that
motivates an individual.
● The theory is not empirically supported.
● The theory is not applicable in case of starving artist as
even if the artist’s basic needs are not satisfied, he will
still strive for recognition and achievement.
HERZBERG 2
FACTOR THEORY
● Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation is based on
two types of factors. These factors are satisfiers
(motivational) and dissatisfy (maintenance or hygiene).
Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory is also known as
the motivation-hygiene theory.
● Frederick Herzberg a well-known management theorist
developed a specific content theory of work motivation
; developed his theory by interviewing 200 accountants
and engineers employed by firms in and around Pitsburg
in the 1950s.
● The purpose of his study was to find out what people
want, and what motivates them. He asked them to recall
● Surprisingly, he found that different sets of factors were
associated with satisfied and with dissatisfaction that is, a person
might identify “low pay’’ as causing dissatisfaction but would not
necessarily mention “high pay” as a cause of satisfaction.
● Instead, different factors such as recognition or accomplishment-
were cited as causing satisfaction and motivation. Proposed by
psychologist Frederick Herzberg when he investigated the
question, “What do people want from their jobs?”
● He asked people to describe, in detail, situations in which they felt
exceptionally good or bad about their jobs. These responses were
then tabulated and categorized.
● Herzberg’s motivation theory is based on two types of factors.
● Dissatisfied include the factors of company policy and
administration, salary, supervision, working
conditions, interpersonal relations, status, job security,
and personal life.
● However; dissatisfies are not motivators.
● The satisfiers are motivators and therefore related to
job content. They include factors like achievement,
recognition, challenging work, advancement,
responsibility and growth in the job. Their existence
yields feelings of satisfaction.
Criticism of Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory:
Herzberg’s theory has, however, been criticized by many authors. The criticism of
the theory is based on the following points.
● The factors leading to satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not different from each
other. It has been contended that achievement, recognition, and responsibility
are important for both satisfaction and dissatisfaction, while such dimensions as
security, salary, and working conditions are less important;
● The two-factor theory is an over-simplification of the true relationship between
motivation and dissatisfaction. Several studies showed that one factor can cause
job satisfaction for one person and job dissatisfaction for another.
● Herzberg’s inference regarding differences between satisfiers and motivators
cannot be completely accepted. People generally attribute the causes of
satisfaction to their achievements. But more likely they attribute their
dissatisfaction to obstacles presented by the company’s policies or superiors
than to their deficiencies.
GOAL SETTING THEORY
Introduction
● A person may possess a variety of attitudes, but organizational scenario
encompasses only those attitudes which relate to work life.
● These attitudes are generally evaluations which employees hold about
their work environment. These attitudes may be favorable or
unfavorable, i.e. positive or negative.
● Job Satisfaction is one such job related attitude which is widely studied
in the field of Organizational Behavior. Job satisfaction is a broad term
which covers the overall assessment an employee forms of his/her work
environment.
● It is closely related to an employees’ behavior at an organization because
it both arises from and impacts the overall quality of work life. Job
satisfaction is a kind of an attitude, an internal state which develops as a
result of an individual’s personal experience at work.
Meaning & Concept
The term “Job Satisfaction” is made by combining two terms, “Job” and
“Satisfaction”, which both respectively hold distinct meanings. Together,
these terms indicate how satisfied a worker is with his/her job.
It is an umbrella term which covers the overall positive or negative attitude
of the worker.
Following are some important definitions:
Importance of Job Satisfaction
Importance of job satisfaction are;
● Lower Turnover.
● Higher Productivity.
● Increased Customer Satisfaction.
● Employee Absenteeism.
● Helps to Earn Higher Revenues.
● Satisfied Employees Tend to Handle Pressure.
Job Involvement
● Job involvement refers to the degree with which an
individual identifies psychologically with his or her job and
perceives his or her perceived performance level important
to self-worth.
● High levels of job involvement are related to fewer absences
and lower resignation rates.
● However, it seems to more consistently predict turnover
than absenteeism, according to as much as 16 percent of
the variance in the former.
Organizational Commitment
● The last job-attitude refers to organizational commitment. It is
understood as one’s identification with his or her organization and
feels proud of being its employee.
● It is defined as a state in which an employee identifies with a
particular organization and, its goals, and wishes to maintain
membership in the organization.
● Different studies demonstrate that an individual’s level of
organizational commitment is a better indicator of turnover than the
far more frequently used job satisfaction predictor, explaining as
much as 34 percent of the variance.
● Basically, turnover and absenteeism are low when employees have
an organizational commitment.
WORK MOODS
Different Types of Mood in Organization
1. Positive mood
2. Negative mood
3. Strong mood
4. Weak Mood
5. Intentional mood
6. Natural mood / Inherent Mood
Positive Mood
● Positive mood results in creativity and cognitive flexibility.
● Positive mood is associated with positive outcomes, including better
job satisfaction, less turnover, more helping behaviors at work, better
negotiation outcomes and improvement, more helping behaviors at
work, better negotiation outcomes, and improved performance.
● Positive moods often result in greater flexibility (Murray, Joan, HIrt, &
Sujan, 1990) and breadth of the procession (Isen & Daubman, 1984),
allowing the commotion of information in the novel and creative
manners. Positive mood counts in the quality of your day and in your
organization’s success.
Negative Mood
● The negative mood is less straightforward than those for positive
mood.
● People in a negative mood are often motivated to perform more
positively so that they can change their mood to a positive one.
● Nonetheless, people in negative moods are still generally less
satisfied with their jobs and are more likely to want to leave their
jobs. Negative moods appear to cause individuals to process
information in a narrower, more elemental, and bottom-up fashion.
Strong Mood
Employee attitude towards their job is positive. Employees work hard to achieve the
organizational targets. Organization product quality became high and can dominate in the
market.
Weak Mood
Employee attitude towards their job is negative. Employee turnover in the organization is
increasing.
Intentional Mood
The organization works intentionally to achieve a predetermined objective.
Natural Mood / Inherent Mood
An organization’s attitude toward the market and market competitors grows naturally.