Subject: Organizational Behaviour of MBA Sem-I

Module-II: Understanding Dynamics of Individual Behaviour

Topic: Understanding Motivation at Work

Study Material Developed by

- Mr. MEHUL G. THAKKAR
D. Pharm., B. Sc. (Uni. Gold Medalist), MHRD (Uni. Gold Medalist), PGDEVS (Topper),
AMT, UGC NET Qualified, Ph. D. (Pursuing)

Innovative Trainer Award Winner, Certified & Accredited Management Teacher

Asst. Professor in MBA (HR Area),
S. S. Agrawal Inst. of Management & Technology, NAVSARI

&
- Dr. A. S. ABANI
Life Time Achievement Award Winner
Director,
Bhagwan Mahavir College of Management, SURAT

GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD

Understanding Motivation at work

Introduction:
Motivation is one of the most researched topics in OB. If an organization does not have
motivated employees at all level of the organization, it is unlikely to achieve its goals and
objectives and may even collapse in the face of external threats and challenges. Motivation is
necessary to accomplish tasks, to produce quality goods and for other related purposes. It serves
as an important work variable as it can create such conditions in which people are willing to
work with enthusiasm, initiative and interest.

Concept & Meaning of Motivation:

The term Motivation has been derived from the Latin word movere meaning thereby to
move, direct or channelize.
Motivation is a driving force, an internal process that activates, guides and maintains desired
behaviour/action over time. It is a force which results in persistent behaviour directed towards
particular goals.
Motivation to work is a condition / state of mind that influences the direction and maintenance of
efforts in work settings. Motivation arises in different ways in different persons as per their
needs, goals and/or intentions; and it tends to appear in the activities in which he/she is engaged.

According to Stephen P. Robbins,

Motivation is a process that account for an individuals Intensity, Direction, and Persistence
toward any goal in general, and organizational goal in particular.

If we analyze this definition, motivation to work seems to be a result of three things namely,
(i) Intensity to have something meaning thereby how strongly one wants something
(ii) Direction of efforts to put in to achieve the desired end meaning thereby channelizing the
work behaviour in the right direction
(iii)Persistence of efforts to achieve the desired end meaning thereby how long he/she can
maintain efforts even in the face of adversities also
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So, low motivation or lack of motivation may result if you have problem in any of the above
mentioned facets of motivation.

The importance of motivation can be understood from the following formulas contributed by Dr.
A. S. Abani Sir.

Knowledge * Skill = Ability

Attitude * Situation = Motivation
Ability * Motivation = Potential Behaviour / Potential Performance
Potential Performance * Resource (Opportunity Factors) = Actual Performance
Thus, even a person is able to do something; unless he is motivated enough to act / put his/her
efforts in the right direction, desired performance will not occur. The direct linkage between
motivation and employee performance has been the reason why motivation has been the much
talked about topic in the area of OB.

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Theories of Motivation:
There are basically 2 broad categories of theories that help us to understand human motivation in
detail:
(1) Early Theories of Motivation that includes Scientific Management Framework and
Human Relations Model
(2) Contemporary Theories can be further subdivided into two as the Content Theories of
Motivation and Process Theories of Motivation based on their focus.

Content Theories of Motivation:

These theories, as the name implies, focus on the content of motivation. It means these theories
focus on the needs that people have, how they prioritize them and finding out ways and means to
satisfy them. Maslows Need Hierarchy, Herzbergs 2-Factor, Alderfers ERG and McClellands
Need Theory are the major ones in this category.
Process Theories of Motivation:
These theories, as the name implies, focus on the process of motivation. It means these theories
focus on the cognitive antecedents that go in the process of motivation and how motivation
occurs. Vrooms Expectancy Model, Adams Equity Theory and Goal Setting Theory are the
major ones in this category.

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Need Hierarchy Theory:

The theory was proposed by Abraham H. Maslow as a general theory of work motivation. Acc.
to him, the behaviour of a person at a particular moment is determined by his strongest need. He
has given a Need Triangle, which shows a hierarchy of human needs with 5 levels, starting at the
bottom with Physiological Needs and ascending to the top with Self-Actualization Need, as
follows:

This theory is built on two premises:

(1) Once the basic & lower order needs are reasonably satisfied, a person seeks to satisfy the
higher order needs.
(2) Satisfied needs will no longer motivate.

As per this theory, motivating a person depends on knowing at what level that person is on the
need hierarchy. Here, one must understand that Lower Level Needs are finite and can be satisfied
through Economic Behaviour, but Higher Order Needs are hidden, deep down the consciousness.
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In and all, despite several limitations, this theory provides a very easy explanation of Motivation
to work. Proper analysis of this theory can offer significant help to identify the needs of
employees & accordingly motivate them.

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2-Factor Theory:
Popularly known as Motivation Hygiene Theory also, this theory was propounded by
Frederick Herzberg in the 50s. Based on the findings of his pioneering study on 200 accpuntants
and engineers, he found that there are two different sets of factors, one relating to job satisfaction
and another related to job dissatisfaction. He classified them as Motivators and Hygieners
respectively.
Acc. to him, the Motivators are internal to the job and they always lead to job satisfaction and
motivation when they are present. On the other hand, the Hygieners are external to the job and
their presence never lead to motivation, but their absence lead to dissatisfaction and
demotivation.
The list of motivators and hygieners are as follows:

Even though, criticized as a method bound theory, this theory offers interesting insights into
work motivation and job satisfaction. Job Enrichment has been one of the outstanding outcomes
of this theory. So, to motivate someone at work, a manager needs to take care of both the
hygieners as well as motivators.

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ERG Theory:
An extension of Maslows work, this is the theory developed by Clayton Alderfer. Trying to
overcome the overlapping nature of various needs of the need hierarchy theory, he has grouped
human needs into 3 Categories:

Existence Needs: Basic material existence requirements [Covers Physiological and

Security Needs]

Relatedness Needs: Need to have interpersonal relationships [Covers Social Needs and
Esteems Needs from others]

Growth Needs: Intrinsic desire for personal development [Internal Esteems Needs and
Self Actualization Needs]

Acc. to this theory, these three needs form a hierarchy only in the sense of decreasing
concreteness. Another notable feature of this theory is that more than one need may be operative
at the same time in case of a person. As a modified version of the need hierarchy theory, the
ERG theory offers some new insights into work motivation.

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Achievement Motivation Theory / McClellands Need Theory:

Developed by David C. McClelland, this theory focuses on the three acquired / learned needs
that act as major motives in work.

Need for Achievement (nAch): The drive to excel and succeed

Need for Power (nPow): The desire to influence the behaviour of others

Need for Affiliation (nAff): The desire for interpersonal relationships

Acc. to this theory, each person has a need for all the three needs stated above but people differ
in the degree to which the various needs motivate their behaviour.

Out of the three needs, in the opinion of McClelland, people with high need for achievement are
the real back bone / assets of any organization. Acc. to him, the biggest challenge lies in
matching the high achievers with the right kind of job, as high achievers (people with high
achievement orientation) do well in jobs that provide intermediate feedback, moderate difficulty
and direct relationship between performance and reward. So, we can say that high achievers have
the following characteristics:
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(1) Moderate Risk Takers

(2) Personally more responsible / Accountable
(3) Feedback Taker

In and all, this theory argues that a manager has to have all the three needs in desired
proportions. He should also try to create such environment wherein the employees can develop,
learn to be a high achiever and thereby prove more fruitful to the organization.

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Expectancy Theory / Model:

This being the Process Theory of motivation, it emphasizes on the process of motivation. It was
proposed by Victor H. Vroom and later on refined by Porter and Lawler.
Acc. to Vroom,
Motivation is the product of how much one wants something, ones estimate of the probability
that effort will result in certain action, and ones estimate that the action will result in receiving
the desired reward.
If we put it in the form of a formula, we can say that,

M = (V * I * E)
Wherein,
M stands for Motivation, which is the product of V means Valence, E means Expectancy
and I stands for Instrumentality. This theory is built on these 3 basic concepts Valence,
Expectancy and Instrumentality. Lets understand them in detail.

Valence: It refers to the strength of desire to have something. It can be +1 if a person strongly
wants something, -1 indicating person strongly avoids something or Zero if the person is
indifferent.
Expectancy: It refers to the strength of the belief that a particular level of effort will lead to the
desired outcome. It ranges from Zero indicating no chance of getting the desired outcome to +1
having a fair high chance of getting the desired outcome.
Instrumentality: It refers to the perceived instrumentality of the 1st level outcome to the desired
2nd level outcome. So, it depicts the relationship between 1st level outcome and 2nd level
outcome. It can have +1 or -1 value.

Acc. to this theory, any person can feel motivated only if all the above three elements are high on
the positive side. If any of these elements is low or negative, the person is likely to have low
motivation.

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e.g. if the employee does not desire promotion (low valence) or if the employee thinks that he/she
would not be able to perform (low expectancy) or he/she may think that promotion is not linked
to performance (low instrumentality); in any of this case, the employee would not be having
motivation to work.
So, in short, a managers job is to make sure that employees have high valence, expectancy and
instrumentality leading to a state of high motivation to work.

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Equity Theory:
This is another process theory that emphasizes on the process of motivation and takes into
account individual differences as well. The theory has been proposed by J. Stacy Adams.
Acc. to this theory, employees are concerned with both - the Absolute and Relative nature of
organizational rewards. It means that employees perceive what they get from a job situation
(outcomes) in relation to what they put in (inputs) and then compare their inputs-outcomes ratio
with the inputs-outcomes ratios of relevant others.
 If the ratios are perceived as equal then a state of equity (fairness) exists.
 If the ratios are perceived as unequal, inequity exists and the person feels under-rewarded
or over-rewarded.
 When inequities occur, employees will attempt to do something to rebalance the ratios
(seek justice).
 Both Positive and Negative Inequity can exist and cause tension.

So, as a manager, one must understand that most people make social comparisons and develop
perceptions of equity. However, inequity bothers some people but maybe not all. Once the
inequity is perceived, it encourages people to act / behave to balance their input/outcome ratios
and not all of these behaviors will be desirable ones. So, as far as possible, a manager must
ensure that equity exist in such matters that are important to employees.

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