Motivation

Motivation

Motivation is the desire to achieve results or targets. The strongest form of motivation comes when an individual desires to achieve results for their own benefit or to help others. Motivation is also a decision making process, through which the individual chooses the desired outcomes and sets in motion the behaviour appropriate to them.

As we know there are a number of factors that motivate and de-motivate individuals either in a work place or individually. The factors depend on the needs of the individual and the organisation. Below are some motivational theorist that have been identified and they are as follow:

• Fredrick Herzberg- two-factor theory
• Abraham Maslow- hierarchy of needs
• Douglas Mc Gregor- the X and Y theory
• Aldefer’s- ERG theory
• Elton Mayo- argued that people respond not only to financial rewards, but also to other factors such as working environment and social interaction.
• McClelland’s- proposed that an individual's specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped by one's life experiences.
• Vroom says that motivation for a given act depends on the desirability of the expected outcome of a situation, whether you believe you can affect the success of the situation and whether you believe the success of the situation is linked to the desired outcome.

The motivation theory that I have chosen to study about is Fredick Herzberg and Abraham Maslow

Fredrick Herzberg- In 1966 Fredrick Herzberg put forward a theory based on research he carried out by asking employees what motivated them at work. He therefore created the 2 factor theory hygiene factors and motivators.

Abraham Maslow- In 1935 Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs based on research about what motivates people to work. He suggested that there were 5 levels of need that influence a person's behavior

Taken from http://www.msjc.edu/hs/www/lecture_graphics/maslohier.gif on 22/10/09

In this hierarchy the things at the top are more important than those at the bottom. Maslow said the lower levels (basic needs) have to be satisfied first. Only when these needs have been satisfied will the individual strive to satisfy the higher needs (safety, social, self-esteem and self actualisation). For example, hungry, cold people will seek food and shelter first. Once they are well fed and comfortable, they will turn their attention to higher needs, for example the pleasure of being with colleagues. Maslow suggested that people have a hierarchy of needs that must be satisfied in order. People have to meet one set of needs before they can satisfy the next and higher order needs. The follower of Maslow theory is likely to adopt a democratic or paternalistic management style. They will be concerned for their workers needs and encourage two way communication, they are likely to be willing to delegate appropriately and give opportunities where possible for personal development and progression.

My motivation for starting my degree was my own personal goal to study more into higher education and do and achieve something valuable in life, I am a very hard working mature student and felt that I had the ability to study and to do something in the field that I really enjoy and to receive a well known higher education qualification which can also help to lead to increased earning potential later in life , I felt that I would benefit from this and it would open doors to a wider range of opportunities and a more rewarding career also because many employers target graduates in their recruitment and you are more likely to get a better job with a degree and also higher income. The other things that really motivated me to start my degree was mainly because most of my relatives have gone into higher education and have a very good job but one of the main reasons was that my two older brothers who have finished their degree, one has qualified in Biomedical sciences and is currently doing his master in leeds and the other has a degree computer sciences and has recently set up his own business in high Wycombe which is doing very well.

The reason why I have chosen to come to Bucks new university was mainly because the BA Human Resources course suited my need and the program was flexible and interesting and was exactly what I was looking to do. The things that have motivated me to stay and study is the friendly environment and staff who are so welcoming and give time to explain things properly and help you to understand it, also the support and encouragement, access to technology and equipment as well as other activities outside of the University and new opportunities.

For the next 2-3 years the things that will motivate will be the Hygiene factors created by Herzberg such as: University policy and administration, Status and security within the university from lecturers and collages, Relationship with tutors, working conditions such as the library and the equipment available to use, university atmosphere and the lecture rooms. Herzberg also found that there were some things that actually made people work harder, these were called the Motivation factors and are the following: The Work itself, Achievement made my completing work on time and recognition by tutors, Responsibility given such as to hand in work or to complete group work, Recognition for achievement, interest in the task, Growth and advancement to higher level tasks for example to do better in exams and presentations. Motivating factors create satisfaction and motivate people to work harder, without hygiene factors in place people would become dissatisfied and they wouldn’t motivate beyond a certain level of satisfaction. Hygiene factors include: Working conditions, Relationship with colleges and your own personal life.

Herzberg stated that if you want to keep people motivated then you must first meet their basic requirements in terms of hygiene factors and then provide the motivators.

The time when I was most de-motivated was when I failed my driving test twice this was because I was so nervous and let my self down by thinking that I am not capable of this, I felt that I jus couldn’t achieve something that I wanted so much and felt upset as all of my friends who were not be bothered were able to drive before me, after failing once I lost my will power and dropped out of driving for a couple of months I became lazy and lost my ambition this was due to failure. Every time I drove I had low confidences and felt that I couldn’t achieve my target in the time I wanted. The lack of confidences made it difficult to do things and I was very negative about things in life. Another time when I was most de-motivated was at my part time work where my floor manger was awful her attitude was unpleasant and she spoke to staff like they were nothing no respect or discipline, she just didn’t understand personal feelings of how an employee might be feeling by the way she spoke to them all she cared about was that the job gets done and that it. Therefore this caused many workers to leave and others hated the job, she gave no recognitions for the hard work instead demanded more to be done effectively, Every time I went to work the atmospheres and environment was unsettled and tensed that de-motivated me because I enjoyed my work but at that time I would do anything to hand in my resignation and leave I felt that she was very controlled and feelings didn’t matter to her this relates back to Douglas Mc Gregor- theory X where staff don’t really want to work and if they had a choice they would not want to commit themselves to work for the employer in the employer's time. They avoid it wherever possible. Basically they are self-interested and prefer leisure rather than working for someone else. This also relates to Maslow’s concept of safety security as people did not feel safe in the working environment and had low esteem to do anything, after many complaints she did leave and everyone felt back into the normal working environment.

Conclusion

Herzberg argued that monetary rewards are not real motivators; Maslow argued that they simply relate to lower- order needs. A theory X manager might believe that offering pay helps to get people to meet their targets. These are various ways of structuring payment schemes to motivate people at work. It is important that work is designed in such a way that it in corporate the needs of the individual and the organization.

I have come to a conclusion that motivation can have a major effect on the behaviour of individual because if you have well motivated staff this means there will be lower staff costs and higher profits, staff will perform better and there will be more productivity. If an organisation motivate their staff then the staff will feel wanted and valued as they will know they are being recognised for something good, this will then lead them to work harder. De-motivated staff in an organisation can cause conflict, bad behaviour, staff are more likely to be laid back and the organisation could suffer because of that so its important that staff are well motivated and happy.