Understanding Motivation

Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains
goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is
getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain
knowledge.
It involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that
activate behavior. "The term motivation refers to factors that activate,
direct, and sustain goal-directed behavior... Motives are the "whys" of
behavior - the needs or wants that drive behavior and explain what we do.
We don't actually observe a motive; rather, we infer that one exists based
on the behavior we observe."
Motivation derived from Latin word movere , which means to move
Psychology for Social Workers
Psychology of Motivation

Motivation is very important
both for individuals and
organizations for the following
benefits it provides:
It Improves level of efficiency
Leads to achievement of personal organizational goals
Importance of Motivation

Physiological /
Psychological
Deficiency
Unsatisfied
Need
Tension
Individuals
believes in
certain
manner
Drive /Motive
Search
Behaviour
Satisfied
Need
Achieves a
Particular
Goal
Reduction
of the
Tension
Need - A physiological
or psychological
imbalance leads to
creation of need
Drive/Motives -
propel individuals to
attain their goals or
satisfy their need
Incentives - anything
that can mitigate a need
and decrease the
intensity of a drive
An unsatisfied need creates tension that stimulates the drive within an individual to generate
search behavior to achieve particular goals, if attained, will satisfy the need and reduce the tension
Motivation Process
Culture
Experience
Learning
Cognitive
process

Motivation Theories
(Content vs. Process)
Motivation theories can be classified broadly into two different
perspectives: Content and Process theories.
Content Theories deal with “what” motivates people and it is concerned
with individual needs and goals. Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McCelland
studied motivation from a “content” perspective.
Process Theories deal with the “process” of motivation and is concerned
with “how” motivation occurs. Vroom, Porter & Lawler, Adams
and Locke studied motivation from a “process” perspective.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Herzberg’s Two-factor theory
McClelland’s Acquired needs theory
Alderfer’s ERG theory
Expectancy theory
Equity theory
Goal setting theory
A group of theories that places
emphasis on needs that motivate
people
A category of theories that explain
how people select behaviors to
meet their needs
John Stacey Adams
Edwin Locke
Victor H. Vroom
Maslow
Herzberg
McClelland
Alderfer

Abraham Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
When motivation theory is being
considered the first theory that is
being recalled is Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs which he has introduced in his
1943 article named as “A Theory of
Human Motivation”. According to this
theory, individual strives to seek a
higher need when lower needs are
fulfilled. Once a lower-level need is
satisfied, it no longer serves as a
source of motivation. Needs are
motivators only when they are
unsatisfied.

Malow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In 1969, Clayton P. Alderfer,
simplified Maslow’s theory by
categorizing hierarchy of
needs into three categories:
Physiological and Safety needs
are merged in Existence
Needs,
Belonging needs is named as
Relatedness Needs,
Self-esteem and Self-
actualization needs are
merged in Growth Needs
ERG Theory

Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
Frederick Herzberg, introduced his Two Factor Theory in 1959. He suggested
that there are two kinds of factors affect motivation, and they do it in
different ways:
Hygiene factors involve the presence or absence of job dissatisfiers. When the
hygiene factors are present, the individual is not dissatisfied; however when
they are absent the individual is dissatisfied. In any case hygiene factors do
not motivate. Hygiene factors are extrinsic and include factors such as salary
or remuneration, job security and working conditions
Motivators are factors that influence satisfaction and consequently motivate
the person from within as he or she achieve the higher-level needs of
achievement, recognition, and personal growth. Motivators are intrinsic
factors such as sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and personal
growth.

McClelland’s Acquired needs theory Psychology for Social Workers

Acquired-Needs Model
The basis of the model is that needs are acquired or learned from the life
experiences in the culture in which we live. The acquire needs model focuses on
three important needs in the work environment:
1. Need foe achievement (n-ach) 2. Need for power (n-pow) 3. Need for
affiliation (n-affil)
n-ach – the drive to excel, to accomplish, and to achieve a standard of
excellence.
n-pow – the need to influence and control one’s environment; may involve
either personal power or institutional power.
n-affil – the need for friendly and close interpersonal relationships
Implication Acquired-need model provides managers with the understanding of
the underlying needs that motivate people to behave in certain ways. This model
does not explain why people choose a particular way of behaviour.

Summary of Content Theories of Motivation

Expectancy Theory
Expectancy Theory argues that
humans act according to their
conscious expectations that a
particular behavior will lead to
specific desirable goals.
Victor H. Vroom, developed the
expectancy theory in 1964, producing
a systematic explanatory theory of
workplace motivation. Theory asserts
that the motivation to behave in a
particular way is determined by an
individual’s expectation that
behaviour will lead to a particular
outcome, multiplied by the
preference or valence that person has
for that outcome.
Process Theories about Motivation

Goal Theory
Edwin Locke proposed Goal Theory in 1968,
which proposes that motivation and
performance will be high if individuals are
set specific goals which are challenging, but
accepted, and where feedback is given on
performance.
The two most important findings of this
theory are:
Setting specific goals (e.g. I want to earn a
million before I am 30) generates higher
levels of performance than setting general
goals (e.g. I want to earn a lot of money).
The goals that are hard to achieve are
linearly and positively connected to
performance. The harder the goal, the more
a person will work to reach it.
Process Theories about Motivation

Adams’ Equity Theory
Developed by John Stacey Adams
in 1963, Equity Theory suggests
that if the individual perceives that
the rewards received are
equitable, that is, fair or just in
comparison with those received by
others in similar positions in or
outside the organization, then the
individual feels satisfied. Adams
asserted that employees seek to
maintain equity between the
inputs that they bring to a job and
the outcomes that they receive
from it against the perceived
inputs and outcomes of others.

Douglas McGregor, an American social
psychologist, proposed his famous X-Y
theory in his 1960 book 'The Human Side
Of Enterprise'.
Theory X assumes that employees are
naturally unmotivated and dislike
working, and this encourages an
authoritarian style of management.
Theory Y assumes that employees are
happy to work, are self-motivated and
creative, and enjoy working with greater
responsibility.
Theory X and theory Y

Understanding Motivation

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