Content, motivated, and inspired employees are essential to the success of a business. Leaders and human resource professionals find it challenging to appreciate human psychology and the factors that drive people to achieve their objectives. Here, the data and outcomes created by the different Theories of Motivation become relevant.
According to research, only a tiny number of employees are driven and invested in their respective companies. This increases the importance of understanding the Theories of Motivation. It has been shown that employees who are engaged and pleased are much more productive and perform better than those who are not.
Despite the fact that each person is unique, there is no conventional method for encouraging people. Motivational Theories are evaluation techniques that help managers comprehend what drives a particular people. Managers that invest time in getting to know their people, understanding their personalities, and evaluating their behaviors are more likely to build exceptional teams and cultures, achieve objectives, and make significant contributions to the organization.
Psychologists and Human Resource Management (HRM) experts have produced several Theories on Motivation. Six of these are very essential and broadly acknowledged across industries and organizations:
- Equity Theory
- Two-Factor Theory
- Hierarchy of Needs Theory
- Three Needs Theory
- Objective Setting Theory
- Expectation Theory
Immediate supervisors and line managers are responsible for determining which Motivation Theory works best for each team member. Let's examine some of these notions in further detail.
Equity Theory
According to John Adams' Equity Theory, people' judgments of workplace justice are greatly influenced by the viewpoints and conditions of their colleagues. Their emotions, interactions, and behaviors are affected by their impressions of how they are treated in comparison to others at the firm. Individuals are often more driven when they believe they are being treated honestly. Similarly, individuals feel demotivated when they suffer discrimination or discover that others are obtaining a greater reward-to-effort ratio.
According to this theory, managers play an important role in motivating their staff by ensuring uniform fairness and resolving instances of unfairness promptly.
Two-Factor Theory
Frederick Herzberg established the Two-Factor Theory on the basis of a number of empirical experiments. He recognized the main factors that motivate or dissatisfy workers. Herzberg examined the influence of 14 independent factors on employee job satisfaction or discontentment. He categorized these components into two primary groups: hygiene factors (or dissatisfiers) and motivation factors (or satisfiers).
Hygiene considerations (dissatisfiers) are external to work and tend to reduce job dissatisfaction by addressing the need to avoid conflict or issues. For example, salary, laws and standards, administration, interactions with supervisors and colleagues, working conditions, and the quality of the supervisor.
Motivation Factors (satisfiers) are crucial and intrinsic to job satisfaction, since they fulfill people's growth and self-actualization objectives. Examples include labor, responsibility, performance, and achievement, as well as opportunities for advancement, recognition, personal growth, and job status.
According to the notion, managers who want to motivate their teams must differentiate between employee contentment and demotivation and use work rotations and reassignment to boost job satisfaction.
Hierarchy of Needs Theory
According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, people may be motivated by satisfying their five fundamental needs. The five levels, shown as hierarchical strata inside a pyramid, are physiological (food, shelter, clothing), safety (employment, health), social (friendship), esteem (recognition, liberty), and self-actualization (personal growth). The lowest four levels are known as "Deficiency Needs," while the highest level is known as "Growth or Being Needs."
Interested in learning more about the other theories of Motivation? You can download an editable PowerPoint presentation on 6 Theories of Motivation here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
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