Theories of Motivation - Need Based Theories

Theories of Motivation

Regarding motivation, numerous theories have been proposed. They fall into the following categories:

Theories of Motivation

Need Hierarchy Theory

Need Hierarchy Theory

Abraham Maslow was the creator of this hypothesis. According to this view, a person's behavior is motivated by the satisfying of their needs. It postulates that there are five requirements that humans have, which are ordered in a hierarchy.

• Physical requirements include those for food, water, clothes, shelter, sex, and other necessities of life. They enable our body to continue to exist. They take precedence over all other needs because they are the most basic.
• In businesses, a pay offers a way to meet physiological needs.
• They require security and protection from damage, both physical and psychological.
• The needs for safety in organizations are met by provident funds, pensions, and health insurance.
• Social needs include the need for love, acceptance, a sense of community, and friendship. They are the demands for human contact and engagement.
• Peers, unofficial gatherings, employee clubs, etc. all fulfill social demands at workplaces.
• Esteem wants are the desires to like and dislike oneself. They include:
  • Internal: Needs for achievement, autonomy, and self-worth.
  • External: Needs for prestige, status, adulation, and other external factors. Organizations' needs for esteem are met through job titles, opulent offices, and expensive cars.
• Self- actualization needs: They include the urge for self-fulfillment, potential accomplishment, creativity, talent exploitation, and personal development, among other things. "Becoming what one is capable of becoming" is what it is. Needs for self-actualization can never be completely met.
  • Lower-order demands include physiological and safety needs that are met by external means. These are the most urgent demands.
  • Higher order wants: Internally satisfied social, esteem, and self-actualization demands are considered higher order needs. They require the least processing.

Implications of Hierarchy of Needs Theory

• People are motivated by needs. A person advances progressively along the hierarchy of needs. The most urgent demands are lower order. People tend to their most urgent demands first.
• Needs that have been substantially met do not motivate. Moving to a new level of need is triggered by a satiated need. Only unmet demands are motivating. The level of enjoyment varies from person to person and is not fixed.
• Managers should set up an environment at work where employees may satisfy their primary wants in order to motivate them.
  • The hierarchy of needs hypothesis is straightforward, useful, and well-known. It serves as a helpful manual for comprehending conduct.
  • Research hasn't been able to prove this theory's hypothesis, though. For the organization of needs hierarchically, there is not much support. People could be motivated by multiple needs rather than just one. This theory does not offer a comprehensive framework for addressing motivational issues.

Dual factor theory (Motivation- Hygiene Theory)

Dual Factor Theory

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Dual component theory of job motivation was created by Herzberg. The elements are

• Maintenance or Hygiene Factors
  These elements alone do not inspire motivation. Dissatisfaction results from their absence. To prevent disappointment, they are essential. These aspects have to do with the workplace. As follows:
  • Administration and company policies
  • technical oversight
  • Relationships with peers, superiors, and subordinates
  • Salary
  • Job Safety
  • Private life
  • work environment
  • Status
  • Absence of the aforementioned factors causes absenteeism, job quitting, and complaints.
• Motivational Factors
  When present, this element—known as "satisfiers or motivators"—causes high levels of motivation and job satisfaction. Dissatisfaction does not result from the absence of these factors. These elements have to do with job content. They include:
  • Achievement
  • Recognition
  • Advancement
  • The actual work
  • the potential for personal development
  • Responsibility
• Two step Application
  Herzberg suggests using his theory in two steps as follows:
  • The supervisor should start by removing maintenance issues that lead to unhappiness. They must be removed since they act as obstacles.
  • The supervisor should motivate through motivational reasons as a second phase. The employment should be improved.
• Implications of Herzberg's Theory
  The significance of job content for work motivation has been highlighted by Herzberg. He has argued that job enrichment is a crucial motivational strategy. However, there are some bidirectional elements to both motivational and maintenance aspects. For instance, pay and security might encourage factory workers. The focus of this idea is on work satisfaction. Situation is disregarded.

ERG Theory

ERG Theory

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This theory proposes three levels of need hierarchy. As follows:

• Supplying the fundamental needs for material existence
• Needs for relatedness include a need to sustain interpersonal connections.
• Growth Need: A need for personal improvement. Maslow's hierarchy of requirements is replaced with this theory's three needs.
  • According to this theory, there is no set hierarchy of requirements. It is possible for multiple needs to be active at once. Even all three needs might be met simultaneously.
  • A dimension of frustration-regression is also included in this hypothesis. Increased fulfillment of lower level demands may result from inability to meet higher level needs. For instance, the inability to meet the need for social connection may enhance the desire to raise one's income.
  • This hypothesis takes into account people's individual peculiarities. However, it does not provide definite criteria for predicting behavior.

Achievement Motivation Theory

Following is how McClelland divided needs:

• Need for Achievement: Aspires to complete challenging activities, work out complex difficulties, and do things more quickly.
• Power-hungry: Needs to exert control over, be accountable to, and have authority over others.
• Desire to develop and preserve friendly ties with other people.

Through expertise and time, managers develop the aforementioned needs. Power and high success are necessary for managers. This theory's central tenet is that motivation can be produced by a work environment that is responsive to individual requirements. With education and training, needs can be modified. This approach emphasizes how crucial it is to connect people with jobs. Managers can increase the accomplishment needs of employees by establishing a suitable work environment. The methods employed to support this theory is, however, under scrutiny. Additionally, Maslow's needs are grouped in this approach.

Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y

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Douglas McGregor presented this theory. It is based on presumptions managers have about the individuals who work for them. These are the two sets of presumptions:

Theory X:

This notion embodies the conventional way of looking at work and employees. These presumptions apply:

• Workers are sluggish. They shun employment because they detest it.
• To do the task, employees must be frightened, manipulated, and pressured.
• Employees want to evade accountability.
• They look for formal guidance from superiors.
• Security is the first priority for workers. They don't show much initiative or ambition.
• The majority of employees are not very creative when it comes to handling organizational issues.

Pessimistic, stagnant, rigid, and control-oriented best describes Theory X. It conveys a derogatory impression of people. Employers must be persuaded, rewarded, disciplined, controlled, and directed by managers. The best leaders are autocratic.

Theory Y:

This notion embodies a fresh perspective on the workplace and its inhabitants. These presumptions apply:

• Work is seen by employees as a natural activity, similar to play or rest.
• When employees are devoted to their goals, they will practice self-direction and self-discipline; self-direction is preferable to external control.
• The typical worker can learn to seek out and accept responsibility. For their own personal growth, employees desire to learn new things.
• Managers are not the only ones who can be creative. Among employees, originality in problem-solving skills is widely dispersed. Humans are capable of anything.
• Long-lasting rewards come from demanding job and more autonomy in one's profession.

The Theory Y is upbeat, versatile, and lively. It places a strong emphasis on self-control, direction, and the alignment of employee and corporate goals. It offers a favorable perspective of the people that leaders require.

Implications of Theory X and Theory Y

People's commitment is not guaranteed by the premises of Theory X. Managers should employ the presumptions of Theory Y to inspire and obtain employees' dedication to their jobs.

The following management concepts and practices have been made possible by theory Y assumptions.

• Management that involves employees in decision-making is known as participatory management.
• Job enrichment: This offers chances for dependable and difficult tasks.
• Decentralization: This promotes the distribution of decision-making power.
• Incentives based on performance
• Goal-oriented management (MBO)

Reference

AGRAWAL, DR. GOVIND RAM.Organization Relations. Bhotahity, Kathmandu: M.K. Publishers & Distributors , 2013. textbook.