Content Theories Two Process Of Motivation: Maslow, Herzberg, Reinforcement & Expectancy Theory

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Discuss About The Content Theories Two Process Of Motivation.

According to Lepper and Greene (2015), the motivation theory suggested by Maslow is one of the most commonly applicable motivational theories in management. The aim of the hierarchy theory is a systematic approach of understanding the human needs and the manner in which people can achieve ultimate satisfaction by fulfilling the needs. The hierarchy theory starts by meting the basic needs of the people. Satisfying the physiological need in order to survive should be the basic goal for people.

In the modern business world, with the meeting of every need people gradually move up the hierarchy and try to satisfy the remaining needs such as the security of the job and the physical safety of the people. Along with this people, wants to be loved and recognised so that they can have a good professional career and live a proper life in the society. At the next stage, people also need to release the self-esteem by gaining recognition in the form of rewards and benefits. The self-actualisation need provides people with an opportunity to realise the things they lack and the manner in which people can improve in the organisation.

Figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy need theory

(Source: Lepper & Greene, 2015)

The two-factor theory proposed by Herzberg identifies two important features that are required for the survival of an employee in an organisation. These include the hygiene and the motivation factor. The hygiene factors are the job related factors that are required for motivating people in an organisation. These factors include the working condition, pay, fringe benefits and status. An employee does not always require these factors, but the absence of these factors may cause dissatisfaction. As stated by Reeve (2014) these factors are extrinsic to the work and include other aspects that guide a company to success such as its policies, supervisory practises and the amount of salary paid to the employees.

In the modern world, the application of the motivational factors provides positivity among the people that arise from the type of job that is undertaken by the employees. These can be related to the fourth and fifth stage of the hierarchical theory of Maslow and include recognition, achievement and personal growth of the employees. It can be difficult for employees to continue in an organisation for a long time without these necessary factors. The motivation factors include recognition, achievement, growth, promotion, development of skills and responsibility.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Figure 2: Herzberg’s two-factor theory

(Source: Reeve, 2014)

According to Peters (2015), the reinforcement theory can assist in changing the behaviour and perception of a person by applying reinforcement, punishment and rewards. Operant condition can be used to dictate and guide the behaviour of the people in a manner that is best suited for an organisation. For example, the application of the theory in the modern world is that employers may want to be negotiated in a positive manner by providing them with rewards and the same time reprimanded for their actions by providing them with punishments. Extinction can also be related with the theory as it helps in suppressing the behaviour of people.

Some of the common type of reinforcement methods that are used in modern business world includes positive reinforcement rewards, which provides employees with the motivation to continue work in an environment that can help them to remain in a positive state of mind. At the same time, negative reinforcement is applied so that employees can be reprimanded for the actions performed by them and the manner in which these actions can be made into favourable sides for an organisation. However, the application of the extinction method is not normally used unless an employer aims to transform the behaviour of the employees completely.

Figure 3: Reinforcement theory

(Source: Peters, 2015)

The expectancy theory provides choices that are related to the mental assessment of an employee. The choice and behaviour made by an employee promote the application of the expectancy theory and ensures that the goals and objectives of an organisation are taken into account with the applicaton of the choices. According to Pinder (2014), the expectancy theory is a combination of the goal setting theory and reinforcement theory that are the main drivers of motivation among an employee. The process undertaken by an individual to make choices are analysed with the application of the theories and consequently the motivational factors are developed.

The expectancy theory allows people to act in manners that are dedicated to act in a certain way, as the motivation to continue with behaviour is high among the employees. The expectation of the results and the behaviour that can help in achieving the result provides an idea about the factors that are involved in the estimation of the desired results (Kanfer, Frese & Johnson, 2017). The application of the theory in the modern world helps in understanding the behaviour of one people over another and the decisions that result in the application of the behaviour.

Reinforcement Theory

Figure 4: Expectancy theory

(Source: Pinder, 2014)

Miner (2015) is of the opinion that the traditional approach combines the theories preached by Taylor. The scientific management adopted by Taylor provides an efficient economy and increases the productivity of the labours. In order to ensure this Taylor had assumed that people are lazy and dislike work without proper money. Hence, the application of the theory can help people to arrange their work in an easier manner so that they get satisfaction out of the job and continue to help in the development of the organisations.

One of the assumptions of this particularly approach is that people try to find easier working methods so that they can continue to work in an environment that is favourable for them. In modern world, the implication of the management service can be attributed to the use of technology. With the aid of technology, employees find it easier to continue with their work and be compensated for the same. This helps the employees to work less under close supervision with the same amount of pay. Therefore, the fair and rigid application of the managers helps in the development of the employees in a proper manner.

One of the earliest developments towards motivating employees is the development of the human relations approach. With productivity being the focus of business, it is necessary that the reactions of the employees in different circumstances be taken into account. As stated by Nuttin (2014) the social needs of the people are addressed and based on the needs the human element of motivation is considered. In this regard, it can be said that certain studies and experiment help in the application of the approach. These studies include the motivational theory proposed by Herzberg and Maslow along with experiments such as Hawthorn’s experiment and Elton Mayo’s experiment.

In the modern world, the application of the human relations approach can help in the useful and important approach in organisations. Every employee wants to belong in a group or society that may be within an organisation or in the community. At the same time, social factors and money are important for the development of an employee. The employees and the employers need to be involved in the decision-making activities so that motivation and trust on one another can be maintained.

This particular management style deals with the fact that managers provide the ultimate support for the employees. The decision-making activities are by the employees and the employers. According to Botvinick and Braver (2015), the democratic management style is considered as the most used management style in an organisation particularly to gain the trust and loyalty of the employees. Start-up organisations mainly employ the management style as it helps them to continue gaining the loyalty of the employees and ensue that communication between the employees and the employers are maintained in a proper manner.

Expectancy Theory

Therefore, it can be said that the application of this management style can help in motivating the employees by addressing the hygiene factors that help in the continuation of work. In organisations related to the modern day, the application of the democratic management style is considered as one of the flat organisational models that may provide successful managers with an opportunity to develop a competent workforce so that independence can be maintained within the organisation. It helps in the creation of strong bonds among the employees and the employers, which is pivotal towards the success of an organisation and attain its growth.

The autocratic management style is considered as the opposite of the democratic management style as it provides employees with the restriction to participate in the decision-making activities of an organisation. The managers control the thoughts of the employees and dictate every action that is undertaken by them. The freedom to continue with the innovative strategies and creative attitudes are suppressed. The motivation of the employees is mostly based on the fear of maintaining discipline within an organisation. The management provides clear and concise rules about the manner in which the employees are to behave in the organisations.

The application of the autocratic approach provides a notion that employees are dependent on managing the jobs that are provided to them. The restriction of new and innovative ideas provides a disadvantage for the employees as they fail to provide their ideas based on a particular job or task. This causes de-motivation among employees, which in the modern world may be subjected to loss of workforce and an increase in the rate of turnover. However, certain benefits can be obtained for example it can provide employees with an opportunity to understand the goal clearly and the manner in which they can execute the goals. In the case of crisis, this particular style can help in the making decisive judgements that can be beneficial for the organisation as well as the employees involved in it.

Job design can help employees to understand the type of motivational factors that is required for retaining employees. The manner in which the employees can apply their skills in an organisation provides for an explanation related to the job satisfaction of the employees. According to Wigfield et al. (2015), job design is the application of the motivational theories that exist that can help in improving productivity as well as maintain the satisfaction of the employees. The characteristics that can be considered with job design and employee motivation is that it is a simple motivational technique that can be used by employees to ensure that employees remain satisfied with the work that is done.

Comparing Two Managerial Approaches to Motivation

At the same time, the job design can help in the movement of employees from one job to another. This is done so that the employees does not get bored at continuing the same job and get to display their skills within an organisation in the hopes of getting promotion and show case the flexible attitude related to the work (Achtziger & Gollwitzer, 2018). These characteristics help in the designing of the jobs in a manner that it helps the employees to remain focused and loyal to the task provided to them.

A personal outcome that can be gained from the job design is that the motivation of the employees can be achieved in a proper manner. This is because designing a proper job for the employee can be attributed with the safety need of an employee. As per this particular need, employees prefer to undertake jobs that they are capable of conducting and consequently improve the productivity of an organisation. Hence, the personal outcome can be the fact that the skill of the employee in a particular domain can be reached and based on this results can be drawn that can help in the achievement of organisational success.

A work place outcome from the job design is that organisations can ensure that the employees positioned for a particular job can complete it with efficiency. According to Deckers (2018), such confidence among the employees can help in increasing the productivity of an organisation and consequently its competitive advantage. Thereby, job designing can not only help in the motivation of the employees but also help in the development of an organisation.

As stated by Cerasoli, Nicklin and Ford (2014) the job design can help in the effective management of employees. The employees need to ensure that the job design of an organisation can help in the effective management of the job and ensure that it provides the organisations with opportunities to continue with its improvement and growth. Therefore, it can be said that the job design may have a positive impact on the managerial prowess of an organisation. The job design consists of four options that can help in effective management of the employees.

For example, the job simplification provides employees with an easy way of conducting the job. This particular job designing option seeks inspiration from the scientific principle that simplifies the work undertaken by the employees. This provides an opportunity for the employees reduce the number of tasks that are performed by one person. As observed by Campbell (2018) one of the advantages that managers may have with a simple job is the fact that employees with low skills can be improved by providing them with the required training.

Human Relations Approach

At the same time, job rotation provides a systematic movement of employees from one department to another. It helps in providing variety and simulation among the employees and provides them with an opportunity to develop their skills. This can help in the application and enhancement of skills of the employees and provide the organisations with an opportunity for improvement.  The management effectiveness of the job design can help in attaining flexible working hours and ensure that workers are trained to undertake several jobs. According to Gagné et al. (2015), this can help in the development of skills of the employees and ensure that they remain motivated with the possibility of gaining promotion in the future.

Job enlargement can also help in the effective application of the skills of the employees. It provides employees with a new challenge that can help the employees to continue with the changes that exist in the job. The managers ensembles a series of tasks so that a broader task force can be developed that can help in the effective application of the skills and knowledge of the employees. Managers also include job enrichment that provides opportunities for high skilled workers to show case their talents. This helps in providing opportunities for growth and provides learning experience for the employees.

According to Peters (2015), social influence is considered as a process by which individuals can make changes with respect to their thoughts and behaviours. The perception of other people in the society is considered as they are perceived to be similar, desirable and an expert in the manners related to being influenced by the forces of society. The influence of society within teamwork includes influencing of each member of the group by certain ways or another. Creative thinking may be possible with the presence of a large number of groups as it can help them find an overall solution during group tasks.

For example, influencing a team member to undertake a research on leadership styles can be effectively done if the group members contribute with their knowledge about the group members and the manner in which the group members can evaluate the results. In this regard, the application of social impact theory can help in analysing the likelihood of a person and the manner in which they can respond to the social influence present at the work place (Bellemare et al., 2016). One of the application of the theory is that information source is based on the analysis of three functions.

The functions can be attributed with individual work effectiveness and motivation so that team members can maintain closeness among one another and strengthen their policies within the organisation. In the modern world, people possess abilities to influence others. This is considered as one characteristic that lacked in the yesteryears and thereby, the manner in which people responded to group work is different in the modern world. The motivational factors are related to the leadership styles that help in analysing the effectiveness of the group that an employee belongs. As stated by Bellemare (2016) workplace performance plays a crucial role in the development of teams and its effectiveness in the organisations.

Table 1: Comparison between management and leadership

(Source: Created by author)

Table 2: Leadership styles

(Source: Created by author)

Reference

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