Review of Motivation Concepts (Ch 5) – MHR 300 – Managing Organizations - Prof Nyhoff – FA23
Three Categories of Motivation Theories:
1.
2.
3.
I. Category I: Needs-Based Theories
1) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- From lowest to highest (most basic, deficiency needs, to highest, growth needs).
2) The ERG Theory – (Existence, Relatedness, and Growth Needs) - Alderfer
a. Existence Needs –
b. Relatedness Needs c. Growth Needs 3) Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation (Also called Motivator-Hygiene Theory)
Herzberg argued that _________________ factors lower dissatisfaction, but ________________ result in increased
employee motivation.
Motivator OR Hygiene Factor?
(1) Company policies- Motivator/Hygiene (2) Responsibility-Motivator/Hygiene (3) Supervision-Motivator/Hygiene (4)
Growth-Motivator/Hygiene (5) Relationship w/supervisor & peers-Motivator/Hygiene (6)Recognition-Motivator/Hygiene
(7) Salary - Motivator/Hygiene (8) Advancement-Motivator/Hygiene (9) Work conditions- Motivator/Hygiene (10) Status
- Motivator/Hygiene (11) Security- Motivator/Hygiene (12) Achievement-Motivator/Hygiene (13) Work Itself
Motivator/Hygiene
Key Idea: Removing sources of dissatisfaction by improving working conditions may not necessarily motivate certain
types of workers (Study looked at responses of white-collar professionals, specifically accountants & engineers).
4) McClelland’s Acquired Needs Framework
McClelland says each person has three primary needs in the workplace:
(1) Need for ________________________
(2) Need for _________________________
(3) Need for ________________________
As the theory goes, each person has a predominant
need, and each person has a different balance of
these three needs. This can be motivational to an
employee when a manager tailors activities to meet
an employee’s primary need.
Key: For McClelland, people learn (or “acquire”) these needs from cultural, family, and societal influences.
II. Category II: Process-Based Motivation Theories
5) Equity Theory of Motivation: Basic Idea: People in organizations want to be treated fairly. Equity = belief that we are
treated fairly in relation to others. Equity Theory – one of most highly developed tools of social comparison approaches.
Equity theory uses an input-to-outcome ratio to explain the comparison process.
Equity theory considers “fairness” by comparing one’s own (1) ____________________ & (2)___________________
with others (“comparison-others”).
People in organization form perceptions of equity in the workplace in four general steps:
1. Evaluate how they are being treated by firm.
2. Form a perception of how a comparison “other” is being treated.
3. Compare their own circumstances to this comparison “other” and form impression of equity of inequity.
4. When they perceive equity, they are motivated to continue in the current situation; when they perceive
inequity, they are motivated to use strategies to reduce inequity.
Inequity
Motivation to Reduce Inequity by:
a. Changing own inputs or outcomes
b. Alter perceptions of ourselves
c. Alter perceptions of comparison others
d. Change object of comparison
e. Leave situation
Equity
Motivation to maintain current situation
6) Expectancy Theory – (VIE Theory – Vroom)
Expectancy
Instrumentality
Valence
NOTES:
III. Category III: Learning-Based Theories of Motivation
7) Reinforcement Theory: Operant Conditioning (positive & negative reinforcement)
The theory of Operant Conditioning, developed by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1930s, is based on two assumptions:
(1) The cause of human behavior is something in a person's environment.
(2) The consequences of a behavior determine the possibility of it being repeated. KEY IDEA: People learn to perform
behaviors that generate desirable outcomes, and they learn not to perform behaviors that lead to undesirable outcomes.
From this theory, the following concepts were derived that are often used in workplace settings:
Positive Reinforcement:
Negative Reinforcement:
Extinction: Removing reinforcement to decrease behavior Punishment – something aversive applied to stop behavior.
8) Social Learning Theory: Developed by psychologist Albert Bandura, social learning theory suggests that people can be
motivated to (1) perform a behavior vicarious learning (also referred to as observational learning), (2) to control their
behavior themselves (self-reinforcement), and (3) how a person’s belief about their ability to perform a behavior (selfefficacy) can increase or decrease motivation.