Motivation in

the Workplace
MODULE 5 – Human Behavior in Organization
MOTIVATION
The Meaning and Nature of Motivation
Motivation in the workplace is defined as the
willingness to exert high levels of effort toward
organizational goals conditioned by the effort’s
ability to satisfy some individual needs (Robbins in
Mobbs and McFarland, 2010).
Theories of Motivation
The main content theories are:
1. Maslow’s needs hierarchy
2. Alderfer’s ERG theory
3. McClelland’s achievement motivation
4. Herzberg’s two-factor theory.
Maslow hierarchy
of needs
This is the earliest and most widely
known theory of motivation,
developed by Abraham Maslow
(1943) in the 1940s and 1950s.
According to Maslow, needs are
classified into five basic
categories.
The Five (5) Basic Categories
a. Physiological needs -are the most basic needs of humans to survive
like water, air and food.
b. Safety and security - refer to a person’s desire for security or
protection.
c. Belongingness and love - When both the physiological and the safety
needs are fulfilled, the affection, love and belongingness needs come
next.
d. Esteem - means being valued, respected and appreciated by others.
e. Self-actualization - reflects an individual’s desire to grow and
develop to his/her fulles
Alderfer ERG Theory
According to Alderfer (Furnham, 2008) there
are three classes of needs: existence ,
relatedness and growth.
Existence Needs
These Include all material and physiological desires.
Relatedness Needs
Encompass social and external esteem; relationships
with significant others like family, friends, co-workers
and employers.
Growth Needs
Internal esteem and self actualization; these impel a
person to make creative or productive effects on
himself and the environment.
McClelland Theory
In the early 1960s David McClelland built on Maslow’s work
described three human motivators. McClelland (Arnold et
al., 2005) claimed that humans acquire, learn their
motivators over time that is the reason why this theory is
sometimes called the Learned Needs Theory.
Three Motivations
Achievement Achievement
motivation refers to a person’s need for success or
mastery of skills and is related with a range of actions.
Affiliation Affiliation
motivation is the need for love, belonging and
relatedness.
Power
Power motivation is a need to control over one’s own
work or the work of others.
Herzberg Two Factor Theory
Herzberg’s Two Factor theory is also called motivation-
hygiene theory. This theory says that there are factors
(motivating factors) that cause job satisfaction, and
motivation and some other also separated factors (hygiene
factors) cause dissatisfaction.
Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory
Positive Reinforcement - for example verbal praise,
appreciation, extra vacation days, stock options or any other reward can
increase the possibility that the rewarded behaviour will happen again.
Positive verbal feedback and high grade on examination that a student
receives will encourage the recurrence of the behavior that caused the
rewards.
Negative Reinforcement - occurs for example when we try to
reduce stress by altering employee hours. In this case altering employee
hours is a negative reinforcement because it reduces the unpleasant
state (state).
Contrary to positive and negative reinforcement, punishment can be
undesired reinforcement, or reinforce undesired behaviour.
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
The expectancy theory places an emphasis on the process
and on the content of motivation as well, and it integrates needs,
equity and reinforcement theories.
Victor Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory aims to explain how
people choose from the available actions. Vroom defines motivation
as a process that governs our choices among alternative forms of
voluntary behaviour. The basic rationale of this theory is that
motivation comes from the belief that decisions will have their
desired outcomes.
The motivation to engage in an activity is determined by
appraising three factors. These three factors are the
following (Figure 4):
Expectancy – a person’s belief that more effort will result in
success. This means that better performance will result if
someone works harder.
Instrumentality – the person’s belief that there is a
connection between activity and goal. If you perform well,
you will get reward.
Valence – the degree to which a person values the reward,
the results of success.
The theory suggests that although individuals may have
different sets of goals, they can be motivated if they believe
that:
1. There is a positive correlation between efforts and
performance,
2. Favorable performance will result in a desirable reward,
3. The reward will satisfy an important need,
4. The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make
the effort worthwhile.
Adam’s Equity Theory
This theory was suggested by Adams (1965) and is based on
Social Exchange theory. The equity theory states that people are
motivated if they are treated equitably, and receive what they
consider fair for their effort and costs. This states that people are
motivated if they are treated equitably, and receive what they
consider fair for their effort and costs.
Locke’s Goal Theory
It emphasizes that setting specific, challenging performance goals
and the commitment to these goals are key determinants of motivation.
Alienation at work
Alienation in the workplace happens when a worker can express
individuality only when they are producing work.

Types of Alienation
1. Alienation from production. Happens when the worker does not see the final
product they produce; rather, they focus only on a piece of what they are
producing.
2. Alienation from the act of production. Happens when an employee is only
given a set of instructions to complete; they do not get the instructions for the
entire process.
3. Alienation from themselves. Happens when people cannot maintain that part
of their humanity; they feel as though they cannot be themselves.
4. Alienation from others. Happen when workers specialize in a small piece of a
larger whole.
How employees feel at Alienation?
1. Keeping them in the dark.
2. Not asking for their input.
3. Keeping them boxed in.
4. Ignoring their goals.
5. Working them too hard.
6. Playing favorites. Instead.
7. Not valuing them.
Creating a motivating work setting
Empowering employees
Empowerment is based on the idea that providing employees
with the resources, authority, opportunity, and motivation to do
their work, as well as holding them accountable for their actions, will
make employees happier and more proficient.
Providing an effective reward system
Studies have shown that employees are ultimately motivated by
two goals, earning money and being fulfilled within their job.
Redesigning jobs
The concept of job redesign, which requires a knowledge of and
concern for the human qualities people bring with them to the
organization, applies motivational theories to the structure of work
for improving productivity and satisfaction. When redesigning jobs,
managers look at both job scope and job depth.
Job Characteristics Model (JCM) by
Hackman and Oldham