COMMERCE 2BA3
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Class 4
Motivation
Dr. Christa Wilkin
Brain Teasers
BB
AA
RR
knee
light light
Math The
ONCE
4:56pm
Last Class



A good “fit” between the values of employees and
their supervisors and organization enhances job
attitudes and behaviours.
Job Satisfaction affects behaviors not directly
related to performance (e.g., absenteeism, OCBs)
Fostering commitment is important
THIS CLASS
 Theories of motivation and motivation in practice
Agenda




Content theories of motivation
Process theories of motivation
Money as a motivator
Job design as a motivator
CH 5: THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
What is Motivation?


The extent to which persistent effort is directed
toward a goal.
The basic characteristics of motivation:
 Effort
 Persistence
 Direction
 Goals
Individual Exercise

Write a paragraph on what motivates you to work
hard at your job? At school?
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation stems from the work environment
external to the task.
 Pay,

fringe benefits, company policies
Intrinsic motivation that stems from the direct
relationship between the worker and the task
 Feelings


of achievement, accomplishment, challenge,
Most jobs have a bit of both rewards BUT
Extrinsic rewards can extinguish intrinsic rewards

Question: Why?
Question: Intrinsic or Extrinsic?
Need Theories of Work Motivation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Alderfer’s ERG Model

McClelland’s Needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Self-actualization: learning, growth,
achieving one’s potential, etc.
Esteem: self-respect, recognition, etc.
Belongingness: acceptance, friendship
Safety needs: no physical or emotional
harm
Physiological needs: air, water, food,
Alderfer’s ERG Model


A three-level hierarchical need theory of motivation
(existence, relatedness, growth) that allows for
movement up and down the hierarchy.
Does not assume that a lower-level need must be
gratified before a less concrete need becomes
operative.
McClelland’s Theory of Learned
Needs



Need for achievement: want to accomplish goals through
their own efforts, win
Need for affiliation: seek approval, conform, avoid
conflict and confrontation
Need for power: desire to control people and resources
Process Theories of Work
Motivation


Motivation theories that specify the details of how
motivation occurs.
Three important process theories:
 Expectancy
theory
 Equity theory
 Goal setting theory
Expectancy Theory

Based on the idea that work effort is directed
toward behaviors that people believe will lead to
desired outcomes
1.
2.
3.
Effort-to-performance
Performance-to-expectancy
Valence
Effort
Performance
Outcome 1
Outcome 2
Outcome 3
Effort-to-performance (E to P)

Will the effort lead to a good performance?
 Probability
(i.e., from 0 to 1)
 e.g., believing that you have the capacity to meet a
sales quota
 Question: How would you increase this?
Effort
Performance
Performance-to-outcome (P to O)

Will a good performance lead to organizational
rewards? (e.g., bonus, promotion, recognition, etc.)
 Probability
(between 0 and 1)
 e.g., believing that meeting your sales quota will lead
to a promotion
 Question: How would you increase this?
Performance
Outcome 1
Outcome Valence (O)

Will the rewards be valued?
 Negative
or positive, unlimited range.
 Related to how well the outcome meets needs and
drives
 e.g.,
whether a promotion is something that you value
 Question:
How would you increase this?
Outcome 1
Quiz Question
According to the expectancy theory of motivation, if
we find that workers feel that they are unable to
perform at a high level, we are dealing with a
problem of:
A) second-level outcomes
B) Performance-to-outcome
C) Outcome valence
D) Relatedness
E) Effort-to-performance
Equity Theory

Discussed this last class
My outcomes = Other’s outcomes
My inputs
Other’s inputs


Inputs: quality of work performed, job knowledge,
cooperation with others, experience, education
Outputs: Pay, amount of work, status, possibility of
growth
Goal-Setting Theory


The theory that specific and difficult goals lead to
higher performance
Stretches the intensity and persistence of effort
 Employees
know what is expected so they can focus
their efforts more efficiently
 NOT just saying to people “do your best!”
 “I
 An
will do my best” is not a specific goal
extrinsic reward is NOT given for completion.
Group Exercise



Form groups of 5 to 6
Discuss the individual paragraphs that you wrote
before on what motivates you to work hard
Apply some of the theories that you learned to
what motivates you
 E.g.,
Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?
 E.g., Which needs category do you fall in Maslow’s
pyramid?
 E.g., Are you more motivated by achievement,
affiliation, or power?

Be prepared to report your results back to the class
QUESTIONS?
CH 6: MOTIVATION IN PRACTICE
Armed Forces Video Clip

Motivation in a tough job
Question

How effective is pay as a motivator?
Money as a Motivator



Pay can satisfy lower-level needs as well as social,
self-esteem, and self-actualization needs so it
should be a good potential motivator (ties in with
needs theories).
If pay can satisfy a variety of needs, it should be
highly valent and it should be a good motivator to
the extent that it is clearly tied to performance (ties
in with process theories).
Pay may well be the most important and effective
motivator of performance.
Job Design as a Motivator


The goal of job design is to identify the
characteristics that make some tasks more
motivating than others and to capture these
characteristics in the design of jobs.
An attempt to capitalize on intrinsic motivation.
The Job Characteristics Model
Skill Variety

The opportunity to do a variety of job activities
using various skills and talents.
 E.g.,
A professor teaches, conducts research, and
performs service to the university
Autonomy

The freedom to schedule one’s own work activities
and decide work procedures.
 E.g.,
telemarketer
Task Significance

The impact that a job has on other people.
 E.g.,
The time that I worked at emerg as SARS Screener
Task Identity

The extent to which a job involves doing a complete
piece of work, from beginning to end.
 E.g.,
the wing vs. a bolt of an airplane
Feedback

Information about the effectiveness of one’s work
performance.
 E.g.,
Make pizza: toppings are in place, cooked, pieces
are cut straight
Quiz Question
Veronica doesn't feel responsible for the outcomes of
her work. According to Hackman and Oldham's Job
Characteristics Model, which core job characteristic is
low?
A) Task identity
B) Skill variety
C) Feedback
D) Task significance
E) Autonomy
The Job Characteristics Model
Critical Psychological States

Jobs that are higher on the core job characteristics
are instrinsically motivating and have more
motivating potential because of their effect on three
psychological states:
 Experienced
meaningfulness of the work
 Experienced responsibility for the outcomes of the work
 Knowledge of the actual results of the work activities
Critical Psychological States



Jobs that are high on skill variety, task significance,
and task identity are perceived as more meaningful.
Jobs that are high on autonomy provide for greater
responsibility for work outcomes.
Jobs that are high on feedback provide workers
with knowledge of the results of their work activities.
The Job Characteristics Model
Outcomes

The presence of the critical psychological states
leads to a number of outcomes that are relevant to
both the individual and the organization:
 High
intrinsic motivation
 High-quality productivity
 Satisfaction with higher-order needs
 General satisfaction with the job
 Reduce absenteeism and turnover
The Job Characteristics Model
Moderators

Three moderator or contingency variables intervene
between job characteristics and outcomes:
 Job-relevant
 Weak
knowledge and skill of the worker
knowledge, job may be demanding
 Growth
need strength: the extent to which people desire
to achieve higher-order need satisfaction
 “Context” satisfactions
 People
less satisfied with pay, supervision, policies, less
responsive to challenging work
Research Support



Research is generally supportive of the basic
prediction of the model.
Workers respond more favourably to jobs that are
higher in motivating potential.
One study found that job characteristics predicted
absenteeism up to 6 years after the job
characteristics were assessed.
Job Enrichment


The design of jobs to enhance intrinsic motivation,
quality of working life, and job involvement.
Job enrichment involves increasing the motivating
potential of jobs via the arrangement of their core
job characteristics.
Job Involvement



A cognitive state of psychological identification with
one’s job and the importance of work to one’s total
self-image.
All of the core job characteristics are positively
related to job involvement.
Employees who are more involved in their job have
higher job satisfaction and organizational
commitment, and are less likely to consider leaving
their organization.
Job Enrichment Procedures

Many job enrichment schemes include the following:
 Combining
tasks
 Assigning
tasks that might be performed by different
workers to a single individual.
 Establishing
internal and external client relationships
 Putting
employees in touch with people who depend on their
products and services within or outside the organization
 Reducing
supervision or reliance on others
 Increasing
 Forming
autonomy or control one has over their own work
work teams
 Making feedback more direct with customers
Question

What are potential problems with job enrichment?
Job Enrichment

Poor diagnosis
 Without
a careful diagnosis of the needs of the
organization and particular jobs in question

Lack of desire or skill
 Some

workers do not desire enriched jobs
Demand for rewards
 Often
expect greater extrinsic rewards, such as pay, to
accompany their redesigned jobs

Union and supervisory resistance
 Job
enrichment might “disenrich” the supervisor’s job
Management by Objectives

The MBO process involves:
 The
manager meets with individual workers to develop
and agree on employee objectives
 There are periodic meetings to monitor employee
progress in achieving objectives
 An appraisal meeting is held to evaluate the extent to
which the agreed objectives have been achieved
 The MBO cycle is repeated

Research evidence shows clear productivity gains
associated with MBO
Alternative Working Schedules as
Motivators


The purpose is to meet diverse workforce needs and
promote job satisfaction.
Alternative working schedules can facilitate
recruitment and reduce absenteeism and turnover
Alternative Working Schedules




Flex-time: arrival and quitting times are flexible
Compressed work week: work fewer than normal 5
days a week but still put in normal # of hours per
week
Job-sharing: two part-time employees divide the
work of a full-time job
Tele-commuting: work at home but stay in tough with
their offices through communications technology
Make Things Fun as Motivator


The Fun theory
Video clip of piano stairs
Group Exercise Case Incident




Form groups of 5 to 6 people
Read the case incident “The Junior Accountant”
Answer the three questions
Be prepared to report back to the class
Summary


There are a number of needs (the what) and
process (the how) theories to help us manage
Money may be the most important motivator but it is
not the only motivator
 Enrich
and modify job through design
For Next Class


Read chapter 7 on groups and teamwork
Bring laptop if you have one