Learning and Development Motivation

Session Objectives At the end of the session you should be able to  Define motivation  Understand the needs and expectations that people have in work situations  Explain the barriers to motivation  Connect theories of motivation to the organisational context

What is the point of studying organisation theory? To make sense of your own organisation and to help you to decide where, how and if you fit in. Models and theories can help us to focus on and resolve issues and problems that often arise in organisations. Organisational theory helps us plan and develop more effective organisations for the future

What is Motivation? “ Motivation is ‘ the driving force within individuals by which they attempt to achieve some goal in order to fulfil some need or expectation” (Mullins,2005) “the forces within a person that affect his/her direction, intensity and persistence of voluntary behaviour” (McShane & Clinow 2005) Think about why you decided to enrol on a University degree programme. What motivated you? Now try to generalise to come up with a definition that explains motivation Intensity Direction Persistence

Motivational assumptions Based on 3 psychological principles; Physical activity is preceded by mental action Behaviour is goal directed – a want to achieve Hedonism – seek to maximise pleasure & minimise pain

Variety of theories NEEDS or CONTENT theories Maslow (1954) Herzberg (1966) McClelland (1967) Alderfer (1972) COGNITIVE or PROCESS theories Goal setting theory Expectancy theory Equity theory

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1954) Motivation Self Actualization Personal Development Self Esteem Self Respect Status Social Belonging Love Friendship Safety Security Physiological Hunger Thirst Sleep Sex

Herzberg 2 factor theory (1966) Positive Motivators (intrinsic)  Achievement & Recognition  Personal Growth & Advancement  Responsibility  Work Itself Negative Hygiene Factors (extrinsic)  Low pay  Poor job security  Poor working conditions  Poor relationships within work

Theory X, Theory Y (McGregor 1960) Theory x assumptions Employees dislike work Must be controlled, coerced and threatened with punishment Employees will avoid responsibility Most will look for security & display little ambition Theory y assumptions Employees view work as natural People will exercise self direction if committed People will seek responsibility Ability to make decision not just limited to managers

Goal Setting Theory Locke (1968) ‘Performance is a result of a person’s intention to perform’ Goal Difficulty a person with higher goals (when accepted) will do better than a person with lower goals Goal Specificity if you know what you are doing, you will perform better than someone with vague goals/intentions Feedback You will do better when you get feedback and guidance on progress Self efficacy More confidence in your ability to succeed

Expectancy theory Vroom (1964) The strength of a tendency to act depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome which is attractive to the individual EffortPerformanceRewardGoal Effort-Performance relationship – effort will lead to performance Performance-reward relationship – will get the reward Reward-goal relationship – the reward is attractive

Equity Theory (Adams 1965) Comparison of job inputs (effort/experience etc) and outputs (salary/promotion/recognition) relative to those of others Fairness v tension, anger, guilt+ Issues about who is the comparator? Issues about resulting behaviour? Issues about distributive v procedural justice?

Now consider what these ideas might mean to you What needs and expectations do you have at work? What drives you in relation to your University study? What are extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for you? How do any of these theories apply to you?