MOTIVATION

Definitions

Motivation is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to act towards a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal-directed behaviors.

OR: It can be considered a driving force; a psychological one that compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal. Motivation is the purpose or psychological cause of an action.

OR: Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain manner. “It’s the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day’’. These inner conditions such as wishes, desires and goals, activate to move in a particular direction in behavior.

OR: Motivation therefore is getting people to move in the direction that will achieve particular results

Sources of motivation

Motivation at work can be by self (intrinsic) or by others especially management (extrinsic)

Sources of motivation can be divided into two types: intrinsic (internal) motivation and extrinsic

(external) motivation.

Intrinsic motivation

• Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for reward.
• Intrinsic motivation is a natural motivational tendency and is a critical element in cognitive, social, and physical development.
• Health workers who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the tasks more willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities.

Sources of intrinsic motivation include:

• Responsibility
• Commitment to reliability and quality
• Commitment to deliver a service
• Desire and willingness to develop and use knowledge, competence and skills
• Personally set standards of quality

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, whether or not that activity is also intrinsically motivated. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual.

Sources of extrinsic motivations

• Praise
• Rewards g. money or grades
• Challenging and interesting work
• Freedom of action
• Recognition
• Promotion
• Increased pay
• Disciplinary actions
• Constructive criticism and others

NB: Competition is in an extrinsic motivator because it encourages the performer to win and to beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A cheering crowd and the desire to win a trophy are also extrinsic incentives.

Others types include Positive motivation

This involves proper recognition of employee efforts and appreciation of employee contribution towards the organizational goal achievement. Positive motivation improves the standard of performance, leads to good team spirit and pride, a sense of cooperation and feeling of belonging and happiness.

Examples of positive motivators

• Praise and credit for work done
• Sincere interest in the welfare of subordinates
• Delegation of authority and responsibility to subordinates
• Participation of subordinates in the decision making

Negative or fear motivation

This motivation is based upon force, fear and threats. The fear of punishment or unfavorable consequences affects behavioral changes, like fear of failing in the exam, fear of being fired or demoted.

However, this approach should be avoided since it creates hostile state of mind which affects sense of loyalty and co-operation which may result in poor performance and low productivity.

Motivation theories

1. Instrumentality theory: reward or punishment (carrot or stick) will make people behave in the desired way
2. Content theory: motivation is about taking action to satisfy needs and people adapt different behaviours to satisfy these needs-Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Douglas McGregor’s X and Y motivation theories.
3. The self- fulfilling prophecy: People behave the way they are treated; treat them as if they were trust worthy and they will behave trust In most cases managers have with their subordinates the relationship they deserve. In more general terms, we have with people the relationship that we deserve.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory can be summarized as follows:
• Human beings have wants and desires which influence their behavior. Only unsatisfied needs influence behavior, satisfied needs do not.
• Needs are arranged in order of importance to human life, from the basic to the complex.
• The person advances to the next level of needs only after the lower level need is at least minimally satisfied.
• The further the progress up the hierarchy, the more individuality, humanness and psychological health a person will show.

1. Physiological Needs: These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food, and sleep, Temperature. Need for satisfaction of sex urge or desire to seek sex experiences is not essential for survival of the individual but the satisfaction of this need and normal sexual behavior is most essential for a happy domestic life and the continuity and survival of human spieces. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.
2. Security Needs: These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health care, safe neighborhoods, and shelter from the environment.
3. Social Needs: These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow described these needs as less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community, or religious groups.
4. Esteem Needs: After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.
5. Self-actualizing Needs: This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self- actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth; less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.

Characteristics of Self-actualized people

• They are realistically oriented
• They accept themselves for what they are
• Their thought is unconventional and spontaneous
• They are problem centered
• They have a need for privacy
• They are independent
• Their appreciation of people is fresh
• They have spiritual experiences
• They identify with people
• They have intimate relationships
• They are democratic
• They have a good sense of humor
• They do not confuse between means and ends
• They are creative and non-conformist
• They appreciate the environment

Note

• Workers in any organization need something to keep them working. Most of the time, the salary of the employee is not enough to keep him or her working for an organization.
• An employee must be motivated to work for a company or organization. If no motivation is present in an employee, then that employee’s quality of work or all work in general will
• People differ on a personality dimension called locus of control. This variable refers to individual’s beliefs about the location of the factors that control their behavior. At one end of the continuum are high internals who believe that opportunity to control their own behavior rests within themselves.
• For such individuals internal motivation is paramount. At the other end of the continuum there are high externals who believe that external forces determine their behavior. For this group extrinsic motivation is more important.

Motivation process

Steps of the motivation process

• Analysis of the situation requiring motivation: This involves critically analyzing the situation so as to ascertain whether motivation is necessary. Putting in mind that members of the group have different needs hence difference in the motivating factors/need.
• Preparing, selecting and applying appropriate motivators: This step requires one to list all devices of motivation, a selection made of such motivators that motivate different people under different circumstances. Proper timing and extent of motivation is also considered.
• Follow up on the results of application: There is need to know that the selected motivators are indeed providing the desired motivation. This can be accomplished by getting and evaluating the feedback. if these motivators are not showing the optimum effect, then alternative motivation should be selected and applied.

Tips for Motivating Employees

Motivated employees make fewer mistakes, have higher productivity, and tend to remain with a company. Motivating employees is an element of performance management. It is accomplished through several important performance management strategies including:

• Job security: A stable working environment is a very important trait. Organizations that have a low-turnover rate and provide employees with job security will have highly motivated employees. People who are afraid of losing their jobs will be less motivated to do well and may become disengaged.
• Good pay: Proper compensation, promotions and raises are always helpful. However, once an employee has reached a respectable salary other incentives such as a good work environment, job security, safety, and respect weigh more heavily.
• Perks or incentives: Keeping employees happy by providing various perks and For example, some companies have corporate events like company picnics or quarterly dinners. Other companies offer their employees discounted travel fees or merchandise.
• Continuing education programs/scholarships: Offering programs such as continuing education classes, tuition reimbursement, and scholarships show employees that you are interested in them and their future.
• Opportunities for growth: The opportunity for promotion and advancements motivates employees to perform well and achieve their goals.
• Recognition: Recognizing and rewarding employees for outstanding performance and going above and beyond the call of duty. This helps employers show their employees that their hard work does not go unnoticed.

Intrinsic motivators

• Sense of meaningfulness: This reward involves the meaningfulness or importance of the purpose you are trying to fulfill. You feel that you have an opportunity to accomplish something of real value—something that matters in the larger scheme of things. You feel that you are on a path that is worth your time and energy, giving you a strong sense of purpose or direction.
• Sense of choice: You feel free to choose how to accomplish your work—to use your best judgment to select those work activities that make the most sense to you and to perform them in ways that seem appropriate. You feel ownership of your work, believe in the approach you are taking, and feel responsible for making it work.
• Sense of competence: You feel that you are handling your work activities well—that your performance of these activities meets or exceeds your personal standards, and that you are doing good, high-quality work. You feel a sense of satisfaction, pride, or even artistry in how well you handle these activitie
• Sense of progress: You are encouraged that your efforts are really accomplishing You feel that your work is on track and moving in the right direction.

Motivation strategies

The following are strategies aimed at obtaining an ever improving performance through policies and practices that can inspire and motivate employees.

Valuing employees Involves:

• Investing in their development and success
• Trusting and empowering them
• Making them responsible
• Openness and sincerity
• Financial and non-financial rewards (???) Obtaining behavioral commitment
• Creating a high trust environment
• Clarifying, sharing and reinforcing values
• Building commitment Good Leadership as a motivator
• Honest, competent, open leaders are one of the greatest motivating factors
• They create and direct energy around them
• They create vision and strategy
• They inspire their collaborators
• They make people want to work with them Other potential motivators
• Performance management
• Employees development
• Promotion of self-managed learning