Theories of Motivation
By:
Deptt . Of commerce
Govt. college Ropar
MOTIVATION
Motivation is an important factor which encourages a
person to give their best performance and helps in
reaching enterprise goals. The term motivation is traced
from the Latin word movere which means to move.
Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain
manner.
Ability* Motivation*environmental condition = Performance
Types of motivation
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
 It is an internal motivation
 It occurs when people are compelled to do something out of pleasure,

importance or desire
People engage in an activity for its own sake.
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
 It occurs when external factors compel person to do something.
 It includes circumstances, rewards or punishment both tangible &
intangible.
POSITIVE MOTIVATION
 it is based on reward
 Workers are offered incentives for achieving desiring goals
 It is achieved by cooperation of employees
NEGATIVE MOTIVATION
 It is based on force and fear
 The fear acts as a push mechanism
 This type of motivation causes frustration & anger
CONSCIOUS MOTIVATION
 These are those motivation that are willful and we are aware of it.
 It is internal to every human being.
UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVATION
 we are not aware of it.
 It may be the result of anxieties.
THEOREIS OF MOTIVATION
The human nature is so complex that it
responds unpredictably at different times.
The motivators differ from time to time,
place to place, and situation to situation.
The same set of factors may motivate
some persons but not all. so it is very
difficult to give a specific theory, which will
be universally accepted.
APPROACHES TO EXPLAIN MOTIVATION
APPROACH
THEORIES
Need Based Approach •Maslow’s Need hierarchy theory
•Alderfer’s ERG theory
•Herzberg’s 2 factor theory
•McClelland’s 3 need model
Cognitive Process
Approach
NON Cognitive
Approach
•Expectancy theory
•Goal setting theory
•Social learning theory
•Equity theory
•Reinforcement theory
A. MASLOW’S NEED
HIERARCHY THEORY
A.H Maslow an American scientist has given a framework
that helps to explain strength of certain needs. He
categorized human needs into five categories.
I.
V.
Physiological Needs
II.
Safety Needs
III.
Social Needs
IV.
Esteem Needs
Self-actualisation Needs
He is of the opinion that a person tries to achieve the first
and then moves on to next after being satisfied.
B. ALDERFER’S ERG THEORY
Clayton Alderfer, expanding on Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs, created ERG theory.
Level of need
Definition
Properties
Existence
Includes all the various forms
of materials and psychological
desires.
When divided among people, one
person’s gain is another’s loss is
recourses are limited
Relatedness
Involves relationships with the
significant others
Satisfied by mutually sharing
thoughts and feelings acceptance,
understanding.
Impels a person to make
creative or productive effects
on himself & his environment.
Satisfied through using capabilities
in engaging problems, creates a
greater sense of wholeness.
Growth
C. HERZBERG's TWO FACTOR
THEORY
Fredrick Herzberg's two factor
theory i.e. intinsic/exrinsic
motivation concludes that
certain factors in workplace
result in job satisfaction but if
absent they doesn't lead to
satisfaction.
Motivating factors
Hygiene factors
• challenging work
•Recognition
•responsibility
• status
•Job security
•Salary
•Fringe benefits
D. McClelland's 3 NEED MODEL
According to McClelland a person acquires 3 types of needs as
a result of one’s life experience.
Dominant
Motivators
Characteristics of the person
Achievement
•Has a strong need to set & accomplish challenging goal
•Takes calculated risks
•Likes to receive regular feedback on progress
Power
•Wants to control & influence others
•Likes to win arguments
•Enjoys competition & wining
Affiliation
•Wants to belong to group
•Favors collaboration over competition
E. EXPECTANCY THEORY
Expectancy theory first proposed
by victor vroom, assumes that
motivation is a conscious
choice process. According to
this theory, people choose to
put their effort into activities
that they believe they can
perform and that will produced
desired outcomes. expectancy
theory argues that decisions
about which activities to
engage in are based on the
Expectancy
combination of three sets of
beliefs.
Three sets
of belief
Instrumentality
Valence
F. GOAL SETTING THEORY
A second cognitive theory of motivation is goal setting theory. Goal
setting states that performance goals play a key role in motivation.
The theory proposes that goals can mobilize employee effort, direct
their attention, increase their persistence and affect the strategies,
they will us to accomplish the task. Goals influences the individual's
intentions, which are defined as the “ cognitive representations of
goals to which the person is committed.”
G. SOCIAL LEARNING
THEORY
Albert Bandura developed a third cognitive theory of
motivation ,which is social learning theory.Bandura
proposes that outcome an self efficacy expectations
affect individual performance.
 OUTCOME EXPECTATION : an outcome expectation is
a person’s belief that performing a given behaviours
which will lead to a given outcome.
 SELF-EFFICACY : it can be defined as people
judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute
courses of action required to attain designated types of
performances.
H. EQUITY THEORY
Equity theory suggests that motivation is strongly influenced by the
desire to be trusted fairly and by people’s perceptions about
whether they have been trite fairly. As a work motivation is based
on three assumptions.
• People develop e belief about what is fair for them to receive in
exchange for the contributions they make in the organization.
• People determines fairness by comparing their relevant return and
contributions to those of others
• People who believe that employees who believe they are being
treated unfairly will experience tension and they will be motivated to
find ways to reduce it.
I. REINFORCEMENT THEORY
Reinforcement theory is rooted in behaviorism
which attempts to explain behavior without
referring to unobservable internal forces such as
needs or thoughts this is based on the law of
effect which states that behavior that is followed
by pleasure consequence will occur more
frequently and that followed by aversive
consequence will occur less frequently.